My fiance and I are lucky enough to have to visit Austin multiple times this year in preparation for our wedding there. On this particular trip, we had time to explore restaurants we’ve been wanting to try. One of which is the world famous Franklin BBQ. Especially since it made a juicy appearance in the movie Chef and Obama visited the restaurant recently.
We didn’t want to wait in line so we had two failed attempts of hiring someone to wait in line for us. The third time was a charm due to taskrabbit and it’s reliable people. In the meantime, we tried another bbq spot, Micklethwait, during the two failed attempts. The ribs and moist brisket definitely satisfied us for the time being.
Finally, on our last day, we had success in someone waiting in line for us. No, we’re not lazy, we’re just efficient 🙂 We ended up waiting an hour on top of the taskrabbit person waiting 3 hours. It was well worth it, see below. We went a bit crazy and ordered something like 5 pounds of brisket, 2 pounds ribs, 2 pounds, sausage, 2 pounds turkey, small scoop of potato salad and a pint of cole slaw. We made a dent in this but we were able to take a lot home to Houston and share with family (lucky them!)
In comparing the two bbq places, they were pretty close. Franklin does have crazy hype for good reason but Micklethwait was pretty amazing too. Their ribs fell off the bone and the brisket was moist, juicy and had a nice smoke ring. I think both are worth trying. If you don’t mind waiting 4 hours, try Franklin BBQ. If you don’t care about the name and hype, definitely try the later bbq place. You won’t be disappointed.
After having many wedding planning meetings, we needed to cool off with a refreshing drink. Josephine House was our pick and it was so adorable. Not only was the design perfect but the attention to detail with the wait staff and presentation was comfortable yet chic. I would love to go back and have a meal there but this time I got the paloma which was perfectly crafted and refreshing on a hot summer day.
I secretly (not such a secret) want a slate of this marble…. this would be perfect for future foodie chef pics.
Since we had a reputation of waiting in lines on this trip, we thought, what the heck, what’s one more line?
I’ve been hearing about Ramen Tatsuya for quite some time now. A friend of mine raves that it’s the best ramen in the US, aside from Ippudo in NYC. I agree, Ippudo is hands down the best I’ve ever had.
The ramen was tasty yet it was missing something. Compared to a local place in Houston, Kata Robata, I liked theirs better. Kata’s creamy soup is just indescribable. Tatsuya was missing that umami flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I was full and happy but locally, Kata Robata, is more my thing.
Lastly, we had our cake tasting. At this point we were just full of red meat and soup. Just a bite was enough for us which is not my normal mo. Sugar Mama’s was our place of choice and it is on point.
Having gone to pastry school, I’m really picky with my desserts. I don’t like them too sweet or dry and these were just right. They have a valrhona cupcake, I was sold immediately! They also have flavors named the elvis and baklava which I love the interesting variety. We quickly chose our cake flavors and can’t wait to enjoy them at our wedding!