A blog for anyone who loves spicy food – we discuss sauces, restaurants, world travel, recipes and basically anything else involving the pursuit of spicy food. So whether you're like me who's a "heataholic" and dumps an entire bottle of Frank's Hot Sauce on his pizza or just want a sample, this site is for you!
Today is somewhat of a short post. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not a knock on the restaurant in question – Duck Donuts. On the contrary, I love Duck Donuts and would go back in a heartbeat, but 1) it’s just been a LOOOONNNNGGGGG work day and it’s only Monday with 4 more days to go and 2) not a whole lot in the spice arena, but one I do want to make mention, as it was a good experience!
As I’ve written before in my mother of all pro-tips and since alluded to several times in other posts, spicy food offerings can be found in the most unusual of places – TO THOSE SEEKING THEM OUT! In other words, you have to be proactive and look and not just expect that things will just fall in your lap. However, on occasion, things will fall in your lap when you least expect them. And this is what happened with Duck Donuts.
For a sweet tooth (such as me, to an extent, but my first love is always the spice!), Duck Donuts can be a Seventh Heaven. With its decadent offerings and the ability to customize and make your own donuts (just like pizza), anyone with even the slightest inclination for sweetness will go GAGA – and I am no exception. I loaded up on their Salted Caramel, Cookies & Cream, and plain Glazed. But wait- there’s more! I also ordered an egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches with hot sauce! Being vegetarian, I had them make it for me without sausage or bacon.
Was it one of the best spicy sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life? No, of course not, and I was never expecting it to be – with a name like “Duck Donuts”, I knew going in that hot and spicy dishes were not their specialty. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised. Having well done eggs and a slice of cheese in between a sliced glazed donut, all with a side of dipping hot sauce (resembling either Frank’s or Texas Pete) was a unique, but well-done combination. Provided me with the best of both worlds – sweet and spicy!
And while, Duck Donuts will still be my go-to place to satisfy my sweet tooth for a weekend morning fix, I know I can still grab something to fulfill my first love!
Oh how I love food trucks! My very first review was on Cedar Pork – a lovely BBQ joint for carnivores that served up this heat-seeking vegetarian with some deliciously spicy breakfast tacos. I discovered a new one this morning – this one comes onsite Thursday – Sunday during breakfast and lunch hours at Cedar Park’s Red Horn Coffee and Brewing and yes, it does serve great breakfast tacos! (Doh! Another breakfast taco review!).
Breakfast tacos are a favorite of mine (well, duh!), but they are not a commodity by any means. Each place cooks and serves them differently. There is so much variety, it is impossible to make blanket statements. And while there may be a wrong way to cook them, there is no right way in how a breakfast taco comes out.
It’s all about:
How the eggs are cooked (if there are any)
How the beans are cooked (if there are any)
How the potatoes are cooked (if there are any)
How the tortillas are heated
What kind of tortillas are used – flour, corn, wheat or some fusion
What other ingredients are added (onions – grilled or plain, tortilla strips – grilled or plain, Jalapeno peppers, type of cheese, etc.)
And last, but certainly not least, the spicy salsas and sauces that come with it!
So that said, a breakfast taco is like a snowflake in that no two are ever alike. And with me, Heataholic, I just cannot get enough breakfast tacos – no matter how great the ones I am fortunate enough to try, I just like to keep trying more of them!
Onto TacoNMaye...Literally translated, it means “delightful or badass tacos.” TacoNMaye is a Mexican food truck, started in 2016 by a chef Carlos from Coahuila, Mexico. Don’t ask me how to pronounce it (is it “Taco-N-May”, “ta-CON-may” or something completely different) – 18 years and counting in the wonderful state of Texas, yet sadly, the only Spanish words I can muster are “Hola”, “Gracias”, “Por Favor” and numbers from 1 to 10! Slacker, I am, but I am so grateful to my Spanish-speaking friends for providing me the backup, so it’s one less thing on my plate! TacoNMaye is based in neighboring suburb, Georgetown, TX, but their truck comes to the Red Horn Coffee and Brewing Company in Cedar Park, TX.
Note: Red Horn is an alcohol-serving bar (what other kinds are there?), and as of the date of this post, bars in Texas are still officially closed due to COVID-19, but there are loopholes by which many can operate, such as if a food establishment is right by it, i.e., a food truck. Don’t ask me all the rules and regulations – I’m not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, and half the time, even I can’t decipher what the rules are – I just play it safe! Net-net: The TacoNMaye food truck comes Thursdays to Sundays typically during 8-2 PM, with more limited hours on the weekend, but double check the hours with Red Horn as these can vary and change, and once the restrictions are lifted, it may not come there, but you can always go Georgetown to enjoy.
TacoNMaye’s logo is that of a very happy man in a sombrero jumping with joy! One taste and it is easy to see why! For a vegetarian spice addict like me, TacoNMaye offers Potato, Egg and Cheese breakfast tacos which are so overflowing that the tortillas can barely contain them! So many of the core three ingredients, but let’s not forget those highly delectable grilled onions and tortilla strips. But relax, lunch-lovers! They also offer (for vegetarians) grilled veggie tacos, chips and salsa, and chips and queso blanco.
And now…the SPICE! There are four kinds of salsa they have. Two are average in heat capacity, while the other two are an adventure for your mouth! All four are made in-house, so you know they are fresh. The regular (red) and verde (green) salsas both have good flavor, but the other two are the true treasures (alliteration!) for heat-seekers far and wide.
First, the orange sauce – given its bright orange color, one can only assume this has a strong Habanero base. A quick sample taste and this is confirmed. There is likely some sea salt, vinegar and garlic mixed in, among other things. Then, there is the cream, almost-beige-colored sauce. It, too, has a Habanero taste and kick, so given this taste and the color, my gut feel is that it is the other bright orange sauce, with possibly sour cream or mayonnaise mixed in (it has a creamy texture too). I just need to verify if I’m right on this.
Both these salsas go great and provide a spicy kick with their Potato, Egg and Cheese tacos and illustrate again why some of the best food can be found in small, unheard-of places, like food trucks!
Other: This food truck comes to Red Horn Coffee and Brewing, but possibly a seasonal or temporary schedule in light of COVID-19 and bars being shut down in Texas. Contact either them or Red Horn to determine actual times. If you cannot go to Red Horn when they are there, I highly recommend going to their Georgetown location – you will neither regret the drive, nor leave hungry!
Spicy Flavors:
Orange Habanero Sauce
Light orange, creamy Habanero Sauce
Personal Faves ((since this was my first time, I will likely add to these after repeat trips):
Potato, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Taco
Potato, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Tacos – so much overflowing goodness. I love those grilled onions!Just looking at this (especially in mid-September) makes me think about football! Like an offensive line, going Left-to-Right, you’ve got the Orange Habanero sauce as your Left Tackle, the two Verde Salsas as your Offensive Guards, the regular red salsa as your Center and your creamy Habanero sauce as your Right Tackle. The only question remains is – Where’s the Tight End? Hmm….
As I sit at home on this wonderful Sunday before Labor Day, on one hand, I look back on 2020 – so far, 8 months have been completed, 6 of which have been under the duress of COVID. March and April we were under quarantine, then things slowly started reopening and to this day, we have to wear masks. My favorite sport, college football, is a shadow of its former self – conferences like the Big 10 and Pac-10 have shut down for the season, while others (including my own graduate alma mater’s Big 12) have now postponed games yet another week. My own kids are in virtual classrooms, wondering (as their parents are) whether things will ever go back to normal. Pretty depressing, huh.
Well, yes and no. On one hand, this has truly been a year for the books (and we’re only 2/3rds of the way through!). On the other hand, though, this pandemic has been a blessing in disguise. First off, after a rough 2019 (from a work and health point of view), I got to spend much more time with my family. It was a great way to rediscover and reconnect with them, after a very tangential relationship the year before, due to work-life balance, or near-complete lack thereof. It also allowed me to really think things through – my own life, my career and what I want to do, both in the short and long haul. In fact, I will venture so far to say that were it not for the pandemic and the extra pensive time it gave me, Heataholic may not have been born. And this pandemic has also given me the ability to speak to other companies and I recently accepted an offer with one of them, in what I hope will be a better experience, at least for the near future!
So, in short, while things this year have been, well, …challenging, I have a lot to be thankful for (and still 2-1/2 months to Thanksgiving where it all becomes formalized!) – family, friends, health, finances and so many little things. While I have always known this, Heataholic has really allowed me to parse my memory and what is around me fully to realize just how blessed I am to be surrounded by so many good places to eat and how fortunate I have been to have eaten in so many wonderful places in my lifetime. When there are so many out there less fortunate who often struggle to eat every day, I am thankful that I have the ability to be close to and the means to have so wonderful options for the meals I can consume and then live to tell about them.
And with that, I move to one place I am so grateful for having opened in my neighborhood – Santiago’s Tex-Mex and Cantina. Santiago’s is a newcomer to my neighborhood. It opened up in the summer of 2017 and our family has made great use of it! Due to both its convenience, its freshly made food and for your truly, its ability to provide more than adequate heat, Santiago’s is our go-to place when we need either quick and delicious takeout in response to our weekly schedules of work, kids’ activities and the normal stresses of everyday life or when we simply want a nice family dinner without driving too far and have a craving for some delicious Tex-Mex! The inside is average for a typical Tex-Mex in suburban Austin – TVs galore, nice Southwest decor and a full bar. With COVID, unfortunately, we haven’t had much of a chance to enjoy Santiago’s in person, but still order takeout, usually once a week.
And yes, Santiago’s does serve breakfast tacos, but only on weekends and we’ve never been there during that time, but rest assured, it will happen soon! So in this review, I will review their core Tex-Mex and why I, Heataholic, love it. Simply put, it’s the salsas!
Santiago’s provides 4 different kinds of delectable sauces, and while two of them are not spicy, all four of their flavors are something to rave about! For me, it doesn’t matter what I eat – I just get enough of my favorite sauces! Lots of carnivorous items on the menu at first glance, but they can customize everything. I usually go either for either a Quesadilla with cheese, mushrooms and pico, Cheese Enchiladas but with a substitute sauce (any of the ones I’ll be discussing), Enchiladas Vegetarians, Veggie Nachos or the Veggie Fajitas. And of course, who can forget the endless chips and salsa!
The salsa, my friends, is why I love Santiago’s! Simply put, there are 4 kinds of salsas you can have:
Regular Salsa – comes with every basket of chips
Chipotle (Diablo) Sauce – the spiciest!
Green (Ranchero) Sauce
Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
The regular salsa is what comes with every basket of chips and you can always ask for more. It isn’t obscenely spicy, but does give a good kick, and together with chips, is a great prelude to an even better meal. Freshly made every day, it provides a robust blend of tomatoes, onions and green peppers to enhance your taste buds. And those green peppers are so finely cut – as I’ve stated before on different posts, the greater the surface area of your spicy items, the more intense the spice!
The Chipotle (Diablo) sauce is just as it name says – it is diabolical! Yours Truly can handle it with ease (had to insert that shameless pitch!), but it can pack some heat! Fire-roasted chipotle peppers with a hint of smoke comprise this creamy, reddish-orange sauce. I often get this on the side or as the topper on my cheese enchiladas.
The Green (Ranchero) sauce lets you taste the fresh peppers, onions and vinegar that comprise it. Like the regular salsa, not obscenely spicy, but does have a good kick.
Last, but certainly not least is the Creamy Jalapeno. In Austin, anytime anyone mentions creamy Jalapeno sauce, the first thing that comes to mind is Chuy’s! And yes, Chuy’s is awesome (don’t worry, they’ll get their own post soon enough!). While this does not have the “addictive” and ubiquitously known characteristics of Chuy’s famous sauce, it is its own masterpiece. More creamy than spicy, you can still taste the Jalapeno flavor as it stands out.
Every time I go to Santiago’s, I make sure to get all 4 of these salsas and they never disappoint! It doesn’t matter which entree I go with – these sauces are a great addition.
In due time, I will try their breakfast tacos, but given the quality so far, I know ahead of time it won’t disappoint!
Personal Faves (I will likely be adding breakfast tacos once I try them!):
Cheese Quesadilla with Mushrooms and Pico de Gallo
Vegetarian Fajitas
Cheese Enchiladas
Vegetarian Nachos
Enchiladas Vegetarians
The Regular Salsa – just look at all those fresh peppers, tomatoes and onions (both regular and green)! So thick, so chunky, so spicy, so delicious!The other three salsas – (Top Right) Creamy Jalapeno, (Bottom Left) Ranchero, (Bottom Right) Chipotle Diablo. Also on the upper left is the Pozole sauce (not really a favorite of mine, but wife and kids love it!).
After having five consecutive Tex-Mex reviews, especially the last three being breakfast tacos, I decided…hey who’s in the mood for breakfast tacos??!! Okay, that was a lame joke – I am a DAD so therefore, I have to have DAD JOKES! And yes, we all know Dad jokes rhyme with Bad jokes (see, I just made another one!).
Today’s review is a type of cuisine I have not covered before on Heataholic – namely sandwiches, specifically, submarine sandwiches, aka subs! There is something about that long thick (and toasted) bun of oven-baked bread that makes even people as old as me want to scream “Aye, Aye, Cap’n!” at the top of my lungs!
In today’s era of low-carb this and Keto that, the concept of a sub-sandwich is an anathema to some people – everyone wants to associate bread with the Bogeyman. I, on the other hand, am a firm believer that everything in moderation is a good thing – even though I like certain things in more frequent moderation than others (do you really have to ask what that “thing” is?!)!
Hoody’s is a contradiction of sorts – on one hand, it is a small, not-so-well-lit sandwich shop in a tiny strip mall across a high school. “Sandwiched” (see another Dad joke!) between a now-defunct used bookstore and a low profile hair and nail salon, it’s the type of place anyone can easily overlook. On the other hand, it is an establishment that has won awards, like the 2014 Austin A-List “Best Sandwich Shop” and is known far and wide in the Austin and Central Texas area for having one of the best, if not THE BEST Philly Cheesesteak subs around. Even outside of its high-quality food, Hoody’s is also known as an active supporter and advocate in the local Round Rock, Texas community.
As you all know, I’m a vegetarian so I cannot speak to the cheesesteak, but I can speak to their one and only vegetarian option on the menu – their veggie grill sub. Like my last few reviews on restaurants with simple decor, Hoody’s continues that theme. A handful of tables on the inside, along with a single flat-screen TV, several sports pennants (college and professional football, baseball and basketball teams) and plaques showcasing local sports teams, Hoody’s is a great neighborhood hangout for both the across-the-street high school kids and families looking for a quiet, off-the-beaten-path means to enjoy good, simple food at a good price.
So what is so great about the veggie grill? For starters, it is a hot sub. I, for one, have never been a fan of cold sandwiches, for the most part. There are some exceptions – like Jimmy Johns and every now and then, I will try one that is good, but usually, I like my bread warm and/or toasted. Hoody’s warms its bread, after which it stuffs its fresh-off-the-grill ingredients. These ingredients are added in generous quantities, so much so that the subs can barely contain them. But that’s okay! Like an old Rally’s commercial would say “If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face!” – lame joke, I know, but all those extra, over-the-top quantity of ingredients show just how dedicated these folks are to giving you a fresh, homemade sandwich you can feel good about eating, so you will never have to leave the table hungry!
While all those fresh, hot-off-the-grill, overabundance of ingredients make for an awesome sandwich, the key in making sure in meets Heataholic’s standards are the hot peppers! These are not just any hot peppers but B&G San-Del Hot Chopped peppers.
Produced by the giant food magnate, B&G Foods, this is a simple, in a good way (comprised of only peppers, vinegar, water, salt and basic preservatives) condiment that can be added to any sandwich (or meal) for that added spicy kick. And Hoody’s uses these as an added staple in all of their subs, hot and cold. In my case, I asked them to add as much of these hot peppers as possible, and boy did they oblige! In addition to putting these hot peppers directly in my warm sub, they gave me not 1, not 2, not even 3, but a whopping 4 packs of extra hot peppers! As I’d mentioned in one of my earliest posts, if you want people to make your food as spicy as possible (and you know I do), then all you have to do is ask. Ask and thou shalt receive!
I am a firm believer that notwithstanding the boundaries of physics, i.e., mass, volume and shape, there is no limit to how much of a hot condiment you can put on your food – be it liquid (sauces, salsas, dressings) or solid (in this case, hot peppers). Just when someone thinks they cannot add any more peppers to a sandwich, I prove them wrong again!
All in all, Hoody’s provided a great experience – a hot, fresh, spicy and filling sandwich with a bag of Zapp’s potato chips (Voodoo Heat flavor, of course!) sold there.
Hot peppers (included by default on all subs – hot and cold, but subs are customized to your liking)
Personal Faves:
Veggie Grill
Zapp’s Chips which are sold there
(Starting at the top) 1) When I say Hoody’s is generous with their hot peppers, I mean it! They gave me 4 – and this is on top of what was already baked into the sub, 2) The underside of the sub before extra hot peppers added, 3) The top side of the sub before extra hot peppers added (notice how generous Hoody’s is overall with all their toppings). You can already see the original hot peppers they cooked with. 4) The final product before I started eating – so much redness, you would think you were on the planet Mars! And there’s still one hot pepper pack left!
(Dislaimer: The menu can vary somewhat by location, so before heading to one closest to you, verify availability.)
(Sorry, but starting off with some gratuitous bragging here) One of the things I take great pride in as Heataholic is my ability to not only search for, but find treasure in the most unexpected of places (and then tell you, my dear readers, all about it!). Of course, in this context, “treasure” refers to high quality, heat-laden food. And as I’d mentioned in one of my long posts, you can find great treasure if you look and do your homework, take nothing at face value and go with an open mind no matter where you are or what type of cuisine you’re trying. For me, a spice-loving (no wait, spice-ADDICTED vegetarian) to be able to go into one of the South’s premiere BBQ chains (yes, I love chains, mom-and-pops and everything in between as long as the food is good) and find an addictively heat-laden sauce can speak volumes. OK, enough of the self-aggrandizing!
Enter Rudy’s. Rudy’s is known far and wide as being the “worst BBQ in Texas.” That’s been their signature line since as long as I’ve been in Texas (since 2002). Being a veggie, I can’t really speak to their BBQ, but given how popular and ubiquitous they are and how they’ve grown from a small Texas establishment to a multi-state empire, all I have to say is “if this is what being the worst is, imagine what being the bestor betteris! And a unique thing about Rudy’s is that while they have several standalone locations, 1) they have many locations as extensions of gas stations and 2) all their locations (including standalone) are spacious on the inside, but the decor is simple. Simple, yet unbelievably satisfying!
So what is it about Rudy’s that makes me, a spice-addicted vegetarian, go ga-ga – simply put, their potato and egg breakfast tacos! I know my last few reviews have been on breakfast tacos, so I’m sure many of you are probably sick of hearing about these, and rest assured, I will try my best to refrain from doing at least my next few on these, but as long as there’s great Tex-Mex, there will be great breakfast tacos, and I will keep eating and writing about them!
This is a spicy green sauce with Jalapeno peppers, vinegar and just the right pinch of garlic and salt (me thinks sea salt, but can’t be too sure). These remind me a lot of the Taco DeliSalsa Dona hot sauce I’d written about early on, but this is actually unique to Rudy’s. It is homemade. And they are very generous in giving these out to anyone who asks. Combine verde salsa with potato and egg tacos and you’ve got a match made in Heaven. And for those of you with sweet tooths out there, grab yourself some dee-licious banana pudding (with Va-Nilla wafers)!
(Left) That addictively spicy green verde sauce. (Right) The (non-leaning, straight up) tower of green verde sauce juxtaposed with a delicious potato and egg breakfast taco. Rudy’s gave me 6 after I had politely asked. And I only had two tacos and no salsa left over – you do the math!
“Recuerdos” – That is the Spanish word for memories. At least according to Google Translate! And for me, this was memorable. Of course, with memories, as we all know, there are varying degrees of memories. There are small memories like trying to remember where you misplaced the remote control. Then there are those huge milestone memories in your life – getting married, graduating college, the birth of each of your children, etc. No offense to the folks at Recuerdos, but this won’t rank up there with those latter memories. But, nonetheless, it was an experience worthy enough to warrant a review in Heataholic – after all, if I don’t have a good memory from eating your food, it was likely not worth remembering and not mentioning in this blog!
A typical morning (at least in the COVID era) – wake up, take the dog for a quick walk, get the kids ready to start (virtual) school after giving them breakfast, make coffee and then once the kids are squared away, realize – I’m hungry! And not just hungry for anything, but got a craving for breakfast tacos! But where? Lots of great Tex-Mex, including breakfast tacos in the Austin area, but I just didn’t feel in the mood to drive much – had a busy work day ahead and wanted something fresh and satisfying, yet fast and convenient. And despite the time crunch, I wanted to try something new – a place I could review for Heataholic. Again the million dollar question – WHERE?
Utilizing today’s high tech (back in my day – ha ha, the standard way to date myself – we’d have to use Yellow Pages), I simply entered “breakfast tacos” into my phone and voila! Recuerdos popped up. I’d never heard of this place in all my years living in the Round Rock (suburban North Austin) area. Popping it into Google Maps, I drove out there – only took a whopping 8 minutes to get there and turns out it is a small hole-in-the-wall establishment (and looks like it took the place of a restaurant called “Recession Cafe” my wife and I ate at nearly a decade before).
Hole-in-the-wall establishments are often hidden treasures just like I’d discussed previously about food trucks. They’re often small, thinly-staffed and the insides are typically plain with minimal seating. Home improvement/renovation is often needed both inside and out, the decor is not fancy by any means and the technology is not really “modern” by today’s standards (limited to no website, credit card machines that involve swiping as opposed to chips, etc.) but what these establishments lack in style and technology, they often make up for in food taste and quality – at least the good ones! And like food trucks, the low overhead in the restaurant, itself, can be tied to lower prices and sometimes, smaller menus. But, as with so many things in life, it’s not the quantity that matters, it’s the quality – I’d rather a restaurant (or other food establishment) with only 5 items, all of which are great, versus one with 50, with none. Usually, most places fall somewhere in between, but I’ve had my share of establishments that had nothing good.
While their menu is heavily meat-based, Recuerdos offered the one thing I went there for – breakfast tacos! Two, specifically, caught my eye. The first is their Miga taco with thinly sliced Serrano peppers and sweeter red peppers, giving Heataholic his much-needed desired morning spice. The second is the generic breakfast taco with eggs and the choice of potatoes, beans or cheese. I chose both potatoes and cheese, paying a little extra for the additional topping. And asked for their spiciest salsa – they don’t have different ones, but do have one salsa they make freshly in-house.
(As a point of reference, their beans do have a pork base, so if you are vegetarian (like me) or vegan, be sure to avoid them.)
The result – FANTASTIC! The Miga was the favorite of mine between the two, but it was a photo finish! Those Serrano peppers, as expected (as opposed to the sweeter, red ones), gave the Miga taco a YUUUGGEEE kick! But outside the spice, the eggs were cooked to perfection and the tortilla strips were crispy and had the adequate amount of oil and were blended in consistently with the eggs. The extra salsa, while it wasn’t spicy, was fresh and flavorful.
The egg, potato and cheese, was similarly hot off the grill and since it did not have the pre-built Serranos and red peppers, I added much more of the homemade salsa before gobbling it. Again, freshness dominates.
I washed everything down with a cup of home-brewed iced black coffee and voila – I was now ready to start my day and knock it out of the park! Recuerdos gave my taste buds some great memories!
Personal Faves ((since this was my first time, I will likely add to these after repeat trips):
Miga taco
Egg, Potato and Cheese taco
(Left to Right) Miga taco (with those wonderfully spicy, thin-sliced Serranos), Egg & Potato & Cheese taco and Recuerdos’ homemade salsa (Not spicy in and of itself, but goes well with everything).
Food trucks – what an innovative concept! I love food (well, only good-tasting and spicy!) and the concept of being able to make, serve and sell it in a vehicle is just too cool – even in today’s high-tech world where anything is possible. If your customers can’t come to you, you can go to them. For aspiring restaurateurs, this can be a great way to get started without investing a ton of capital in potentially expensive markets and real estate therein.
Many cities have come to understand this too, and you start to see “food truck trailer parks” opening up all around. Even my own Austin suburb of Round Rock has a large food truck park, dwarfed in comparison to Austin, but formidable for sure. And as I write this, the U.S. is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, so food truck restauranteurs need not worry about enforcing social distancing guidelines as all their customers are take out ones (although food truck parks often have open seating for their customers)! Food trucks also provide a way to highlight some very unique cuisines and/or dishes (with limited menus) which may not have the large market (and therefore, sustainable revenue) to justify the need to open a full-fledged restaurant.
Food trucks, in fact, have become so popular that even the Food Network has a show (The Great Food Truck Race) solely dedicated to them.
Net Net – I love food trucks (as long as they serve great food) and will review them whenever possible!
Today’s review is on a food truck I heard about by chance called Cedar Pork, adequately named for its location in adjacent suburb, Cedar Park, and its pork-centric menu. You normally wouldn’t find too many reviews on Heataholic about places like this, because Yours Truly is a vegetarian, but as I’d mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the key to being a Foodie and Spice Connoisseur is the art of finding treasure in hidden spots. And Cedar Pork is no exception to that rule – in fact, the food I tasted was an absolute gold mine – spicy, fresh and tasty – not adjectives a spice-seeking vegetarian typically uses to describe a BBQ-based restaurant. Finding this treasure made me feel like a pirate who’s found his loot – ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!
Make no mistake, however. Cedar Pork is not a pure BBQ food truck – actually it is a hybrid “Smokeyard and Mexi-grill” as they call it – 50% Tex-Mex, 50% BBQ, 100% DEELEECIOUS! A first glance at the menu may make the average vegetarian cringe and say “No thanks”, but as you all know – I am NOT the typical vegetarian!
Oh yes, Cedar Pork is a carnivore’s safe haven, but use a little creativity and dig a little deeper, and there’s more than enough to offer this heat seeker. Namely, the breakfast tacos, which are served ALL DAY! In case you haven’t noticed, I LOVE places that serve breakfast all day – especially when breakfast tacos are involved!
For heat seekers, Cedar Pork has its own aptly named “Torch Breakfast Taco”. I had to get it without the Chorizo and Jalapeno/Cheddar sausage, both of which likely would have made it more spicy, but Cedar Pork left everything else in place and gave me extra onions and Jalapenos. I got two Torch’s and a Potato and Egg breakfast taco (their beans have a meat base so I could not order bean and cheese) with Jalapenos, onions and cilantro, for some variety. Also, when asked for hot sauce, they gave me both their Verde and regular salsa (neither of which is explicitly on their menu – see why it pays to ask these things!). Altogether, a fresh explosion of flavor, taste and yes, spice. Neither of their sauces was uniquely spicy in and of itself, but poured over their freshly made tacos, made for a great, heated meal!
Goes without saying (but I will say it anyway!) that Heataholic will definitely be visiting Cedar Pork again! And next time, I will try some other options too – their queso, cheese quesadillas with mushrooms or the Sauteed Mushroom taco.
And here’s to food trucks – may we see more of them!
Other: They have a seating area outside their truck if you want to eat onsite.
Spicy Flavors:
Verde Salsa (you have to ask – it’s not on the menu)
Torch Breakfast Taco
Personal Faves ((since this was my first time, I will likely add to these after repeat trips):
Torch Breakfast Taco (without the meat)
Potato and Egg Breakfast Taco
Some carry the torch, but I eat the Torch!Potato and egg breakfast taco with added onions, Jalapenos and cilantro. Two Verdes and a Salsa – one per taco! But I tried to include both types in each for that added kick!
I did a review of Torchy’s Taco’s a while ago – this was before I started my standard review posts that I have now. I did not even label it as a review, but discussed their fantastic tacos and their homemade, trademarked Diablo sauce – a fitting name – which you can buy in bottles at Torchy’s, and yes, I have consumed an entire one in a single sitting! 🙂
Why I’m revisiting Torchy’s on Heataholic – because from now through the end of August, they are having a special menu for spice connoisseurs like myself and i want to make sure that you, my dear readers, know all about this!
I tried the Daredevil Queso Blanco, except had to order with regular tortilla chips instead of the chili lime salted Chicharrones, as I’m vegetarian. It’s a fiery sensation for your mouth – the extra roasted Jalapenos and Serrano peppers along with the extra Diablo sauce provide for that jolt my tastebuds were desperate for. And it was a great opening act for the main course – the “shrimpless” Bottle Rocket Shrimp Taco.
Hats off to Torchy’s for accommodating my unique request – I had them substitute eggs (though they also gave me the option of beans) in lieu of shrimp, but everything else was still there. Phenomenal heat! My mouth was on fire and the Mexican Coke I drank helped put it out – somewhat. It didn’t help that I put on so much extra Diablo sauce, but I’m used to the Diablo and dumping it on in copious amounts – but not used to this new Bottle Rocket flavor.
Unfortunately, I did not try the Ring of Fire margarita – gave up that bottle 5 years ago and have not looked back. No, I was never an alcoholic, but as I aged, I found I could not handle it anymore like I could when I was much younger. So cannot give you a good review of it, but if it’s anything like the queso and taco, it will give you a burning sensation so intense you will need another “normal” drink just to put it out! 🙂
Bottle Rocket Shrimp Taco (limited time – I had mine without the shrimp)
Diablo Sauce (they’ll give you plenty for free and they sell bottles of it)
Regular Queso (they put Diablo sauce in it, but not as much and no Jalapenos or Serranos like the Daredevil Queso Blanco)
Street Corn (They dust with chili powder and will add as much as you want)
Personal Faves:
Breakfast Tacos (served all day)
Damn Good Tacos (Fried Avocado, Independent, Brushfire – without the chicken but with eggs substituted)
Queso (Daredevil and Regular)
Guacamole (Not spicy, but I love how they load it up with Cotija cheese)
Street Corn
Lil’ Nookies (for all you Sweet-Toothers)
Ask and thou shalt receive – when I ask for “extra” Diablo sauce, they are very generous!You can purchase this Diablo sauce to take home! I love how it’s in a bottle similar to old-school alcoholic flasks – seems like they know people like me have and are always tempted to drink straight out of the bottle! Just try to control yourself (I keep telling myself that)!Delicious Bottle Rocket taco with eggs, in lieu of shrimp. Always love those nice criss-crossed lines of Diablo sauce!
Top: Regular Torchy’s queso. Yellow colored, has Diablo. Bottom: Daredevil Queso Blanco. Notice the whiter color, the extra Diablo and the submerged Jalapeno and Serrano peppers. Spot the difference?
Having recently completed 18 years and counting in the great state of Texas – just in Austin – I have still barely scratched the surface of so many great Tex-Mex restaurants. There are just so many and as I’ve mentioned in some of my previous posts, some come and stay, while others go. And make no mistake, even the restaurants (not just Tex-Mex) that I’ve seen depart in recent years – it’s not that their food or service was bad. There were other factors – some weren’t in the best areas, others didn’t advertise or market themselves effectively (I still remember this fantastic Italian restaurant my wife and I would go to before we had kids that shut its doors only because it was so out of the way and too many folks just didn’t know about it or feel the need to make the drive – the restaurant was called Ciola’s), and still others, had great food, service and traffic, but just couldn’t manage their business, specifically, cash flow, effectively to prepare for unexpected tough times, be it the 2008 crash or the recent pandemic.
No matter what the reason, it’s sad when good restaurants close. But the opposite is true when a restaurant is open – it’s two feelings combined into one – on one hand, you’re happy because you can tell yourself “Woo hoo! There’s a new <insert cuisine type> restaurant nearby! I don’t have to drive so far to get <insert cuisine type> food!”. Of course, that happiness also comes with a healthy dose of skepticism. Skepticism only because you don’t know what the ultimate quality of that restaurant will be. Even if it’s a chain restaurant (large or small) you’ve had a great experience with, there is no guarantee this one would meet the standards of its predecessors. And as a rule of thumb, it’s usually not the best idea to go to a restaurant the first two or three weeks after it first opens – it’s always better to let them get their bearings straight, get settled and learn from their mistakes to get a good rhythm of their operations (and food) before trying. This way, you as the customer won’t have an unfavorable experience due to initial setup headaches and learning curves from a place that you, otherwise, would have loved.
That brings us to Rio Grande Tex Mex Restaurant in Hutto, Texas – one of the more far out suburbs/exurbs in the Austin, Texas metropolitan area. Located north of Austin, Hutto is still a new suburb and still has a lot more small-town features than big-city suburban. Located near the Dell Diamond where Austin’s minor league baseball team, the Round Rock Express play, it was the perfect place for a hungry family of four to go when our baseball game was cancelled at the last minute due to COVID. Using Google maps, we found Rio Grande when we looked at options. We all saw it had opened hardly two days before, but had good reviews (from its other location), so despite knowing the risks, we all agreed we would try it. Thankfully, it turned out to be a great decision – fantastic food, good spice and a great venue – needless to say, we’ll be heading back – maybe after another baseball game, this time one that won’t be cancelled! 🙂
Appetizers – you start with the usual chips and salsa – duh! No Tex-Mex restaurant can call itself such if it doesn’t have this basic staple! The core salsa was moderate. I asked for a side of hot sauce off the menu, and that was just a tad (although not significantly more) spicier. But, the Poblano Queso (sans the bacon) gave the much needed spice and had the desired flavor – the roasted poblano peppers was all that was needed to spice things up! This could have been a meal in and of itself with the tortillas provided. I saw the Shrimp Diablos, but given I’m a vegetarian, and wife and kids are allergic to seafood, that was verboten for all of us. Next time, I may try it by having them cook something else using the mix they use for that or at least bring me a side of it.
That whet our appetites for the main course. With so many options, I went for the Stuffed Avocado. Shaped like a ball, stuffed with cheese (definitely Monterey Jack and if my taste buds weren’t mistaken, Queso Asadero) and deep fried, it’s like an explosion of melted cheese and flavor once you “pop” the balloon! Served with an enchilada (I chose cheese, naturally), and your choice of sauce, I went with the Habanero (since I was told it was the spiciest of all). I also ordered, as a side, the Jalapeno Toreados (fire-roasted, whole Jalapeno peppers – 3 per order). Suffice to say, no regrets! The Habanero sauce didn’t set my mouth on fire but did give a fair kick, especially in conjunction with the roasted peppers. And since the beans have a meat base in them, I just got two times the rice.
We were so full, we didn’t have room to order dessert – next time for sure! 🙂
Spicy Flavors (since this was my first time, I will likely add to these after repeat trips):
Habanero enchilada sauce
Jalapeno Toreados
Poblano Queso (without the bacon)
Personal Faves (since this was my first time, I will likely add to these after repeat trips):
Poblano Queso (without the bacon)
Stuffed Avocado with cheese
Jalapeno Toreados
Starting at the top, 1) Core salsa that comes with every basket of chips, 2) Spicy, orange habanero sauce with cheese enchilada, 3) Jalapeno toreados, 4) the Stuffed Avocado “balloon” is “popped”!
Continuing my tradition of posting restaurant reviews over my last few posts, I figured – “Why not keep a good thing going?” (at least for now). In Texas, we’ve been out of quarantine for a few months now, but even then, with things not fully back to normal and the perceived risks, we still tend to order in food more than we have before. And I’ve had some great spicy food and want to share my experiences with my readers!
My last review was on pizza, specifically Blaze Pizza, known for their “Hot Link” pizza for a Heataholic like myself. Today’s is a little more broad – not just pizza, but full-fledged Italian!
That brings us to Tony C’s. Tony C’s is a quaint little Italian and pizza place not too far from my house in suburban North Austin, Texas. Located in a semi-strip mall (no, not one of those loud, obnoxious ones with loud, chatty teenagers and tweens running amuck), it provides a way to enjoy nice Italian food in a quiet, relaxed setting. Oh yeah, and not only can you eat outside, but if you have kids (like I do), the outside area is enclosed and has toys for them to play.
Alright, on to the food! So many great options. Starting with the appetizers, first off, the Peroni (beer-battered) mushrooms are hands down, the best fried mushrooms I have ever had – EVER! The truffle aioli and the deep frying just makes these mushrooms melt in your mouth. No, they’re not spicy in and of themselves, not spicy at all, but the flavor in both the mushrooms and the breading is out of this world and they just hit the spot – whether you dip them in hot sauce or not!
Continuing with the appetizers, the antipasto…I’ve often wondered – if I eat a plate of antipasto and a plate of pasta, will that cancel each other out? 🙂 Sorry, had to insert that dad joke! While the antipasto does contain meat, you can request without if you’re a vegetarian like me. This does include three spicy tidbits – the first are the Pepperoncini peppers. I like Pepperoncini’s but there’s nothing unique about them. A good kick that I enjoy, but I can just as well get at Papa John’s. The second and third, however, are what made the meal and added the spice to it. The second are the sweet and spicy roasted red peppers – possibly, pickled, or maybe just spritzed with vinegar and salt, but a low-spice and flavorful way to kick off your meal. Saving the best of the antipasto for last are the red Peppadew peppers stuffed with goat cheese. Neither baked, nor fried, nor even toasted, it’s simple, but oh so good and has just that perfect kick you’re looking for! Small red Piquante peppers with soft goat cheese – you can eat one or more in a single bite, but after you’ve had one, you’ll want to savor that taste, as I did, and eat slooowwwwwwllllllyyyyy.
Peppadew peppers are based on the Peppadew brand name of the South African food company Peppadew International. They are well known for their brand of Piquante peppers named accordingly. These peppers are pickled before being jarred and shipped globally.
Added to all of this, with the appetizers were those delicious zucchini sticks with lemon aioli. And finally, who can forget the baked Buffalo Mozzarella – while some may think of it as a gigantic fried cheese stick, with its homemade breadcrumbs and melted texture, it’s an awesome precursor to any main course!
Done with the appetizers, it became time to move on to the pizza! My personal favorite is the eggplant – if pizza and eggplant Parmesan had a kid, it would taste like this! 🙂 Crushed pepper is a staple, as always! But truth be told, the appetizers filled me up so much that I could barely eat a slice and saved the rest for tomorrow’s lunch – happens every time at Tony C’s. EVERY SINGLE TIME! However, no matter your preference, pizza connoisseurs alike will embrace all they have to offer.
Finally, if you have enough room for it (I never do and it becomes part of next day’s meal), save room for dessert – I always love Tony C’s Tiramisu, but heard a lot of great things about their NY Cheesecake, which, one of these days, I’ll try if I can make it that far down my meal!
Peroni (beer-battered) mushrooms – THESE ARE THE BEST FRIED MUSHROOMS EVER! NO CONTEST!
Antipasto (without the meat)
Baked Buffalo Mozzarella
Zucchini Sticks
Eggplant Pizza
Truffle Shuffle Pizza (the truffle oil is strong in this one, but your taste buds will thank you!)
Tiramisu (for all you sweet-tooth-ers)
(Left to Right) 1) Are these some of the best fried mushrooms you’ll eat? NO! These are THE BEST, HANDS-DOWN, NO-CONTEST fried mushrooms you will EVER find. EVER!!! 2) Antipasto – yes, they everything including the peppers on a bed of salami – THIS TIME! – but that’s purely my fault for forgetting to tell them no meat. Starting with the left-most and going clockwise – Parmesan cheese, Provolone cheese, pickled Mediterranean olives, tomatoes and artichokes, roasted red peppers, Pepperoncini peppers and goat-cheese stuffed Peppadew red peppers. 3) A closeup of the stuffed Peppadews.
