Big burger -- and fries

A lunch mate had this massive burger at Cenote the other day. We had just gotten through with taping a podcast for a friend. I don't know how you'd get your mouth around this one. Luckily, they provided a knife and fork!

Sign of the times at Dirty Martin's

One of Austin's great old burger joints has some serious competition on the Drag, so they have upped their game with mixed drinks.

Texas burger

This burger at Perry's was really juicy and full-flavored. Not a place we go often. We enjoyed it. 

Shady Old Austin

Always a favorite -- Shady Grove and their Sunday food. Their burgers are excellent.

Burger Joint

An Austin original, this is Hill-Bert's Burgers. It used to be on North Lamar and has now taken over a former Taco Bell on a little dead part of 35th. The old car (Jetta I think?) towing a burger? Can't explain. Haven't had their burgers in years but used to be excellent.

Iconic Restaurants

FFP and I decided to go out for breakfast yesterday. We thought briefly about a favorite coffee shop that has some interesting food and about a taqueria in our neighborhood. Then I said: "How about Frisco?"

The Frisco has been here in Austin longer than I have. It opened in 1953 so FFP can't probably remember it not being here either. It was once part of a local 'chain' of restaurants run by one family and the others were called 'Night Hawk' restaurants. This was opened, apparently, as a more casual diner for breakfast and burgers whereas the big brother restaurants were steak and potatoes and an upscale experience. For 1950's Austin, you understand!

I think only The Frisco remains of that group of restaurants, flashing its eponymous burger outside. (I prefer that incarnation of the burger but some like one called the Down South.) Yesterday, though, we had breakfast. The #2, I think. There was a dizzying number of choices: bacon or sausage, grits or hash browns, eggs up or over or scrambled, biscuits or sausage and what type of jam. You don't get a bunch of little containers of jam here but instead a plate with whipped butter and a big dollop of your choice of jam. FFP says they used to have a delicious apple butter but it is no more.

The Frisco is moving soon to make way for a chain drug store. I'm glad they are moving rather than closing. And I hope they take this sign!

Neighborhood Burgers

There are several opportunities in our current neighborhood for burgers without arches and one of them is brought to us by the Amy's Ice Cream people. Besides burgers and stuff Phil's Ice House has the ice cream and also a playground for the kids. If a trip to this joint makes you feel your cholesterol is soaring, go next door to our neighborhood doctor, Abel Munoz, and get it checked out. When we are downtown, we will be close to a lot of things. But our current neighborhood is full of wonders, too.