I have just returned from a quick but action-packed long weekend in Austin, TX.  I went with Caitlyn to visit our friend Sarah, a recent Northeast transplant who is a second year sociology PhD candidate at University at Texas.  This weekend it was all about music, food, and friendship.   

Austin’s Gluten-Free Friendly Culture  

Austin is a very progressive town.  It is full of hippies, students, hipster, and politicians (it’s the capital, remember?) that makes for an incredibly gluten-free friendly culture.  Austin is the home of  Whole Foods corporation, a gluten-free mecca.  We took a trip there, which I’ll recount in a bit.  There is a also a strong organic, green, and alternative food movement in Austin, which in New York as well, tends to include the gluten-free diet.  While New York’s food culture definitely includes gluten-free, it is so vast that navigating it is difficult most of the time.  Austin is small but rich enough to have the gluten-free culture, and make it easily accessible.   

As I mentioned above, I think that the gluten-free friendly culture in Austin is due to the progressive nature of the town.  As I sipped on a wine sample from the Whole Foods wine section, the sommelier offered up a different explanation for gluten-free in Austin and it is not so kind.  MILFS.  Attractive, older women, who get on the gluten-free wagon, and use their husband’s influence to push the diet on grocery stores and restaurants.  I am not sure I buy that exactly, but it is true that the gluten-free diet is becoming a fad diet of sorts.  Whatever the real reason may be, Austin’s gluten-free friendly culture paired with cheap rent make me think about relocating now and again.  

For more information about how and where to eat gluten-free in Austin, check out ATX Gluten-Free.  

The Food  

Austin is a great place to be gluten-free.  I ate a lot and well.   

 Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery 

218 Produce Row, San Antonio, TX‎  (210) 225-1262‎  

www.mitierracafe.com  

We spent a day in San Antonio and decided to eat at this touristy but authentic Mexican spot.  The decor is worth the trip alone and really makes the experience fun.  We were lucky to have the table underneath the 5-foot Selena portrait framed in tinsel and pink lights.  The food is good, although the tourist factor does jack up the prices and reduce the quality slightly.  There are many options for a gluten-free diner.  I’d recommend tacos or chapulas with corn tortillas or the chorizo-egg scramble without the side or flour tortillas.  

Austin’s Pizza  

2324 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX (512) 795-8888‎ 

www.austinspizza.com  

In preparation for the trip, Sarah did her homework on gluten-free dining and found that Austin’s pizza just started offering a gluten-free crust.  They have a great lunch deal for gluten eaters, a slice and soda for $4.95.  Unfortunately, they only make gluten-free pizzas to order so this was not an option.  I did have the personal pizza lunch special, but because gluten-free crust is $4.00 more the total ended up being $12.29 instead of $7.29 and it wasn’t that great of a deal.  Price complaints aside, the my cheese pizza with artichoke hearts and portabella mushrooms was delicious.  The crust was crisp and although it did have the xanthan gum aftertaste, the cheese and toppings mostly disguised it.  I couldn’t finish a whole 10” pizza for lunch, so I saved half.  Hopefully soon, Austin’s Pizza will offer the slice and soda deal for gluten-free guests.  

 Whole Foods Cafe 

525 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX (512) 476-1206  

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/lamar/  

After seeing a show for SXSW near 6th street, we were hungry.  We decided to eat at Whole Foods, because the flagship was down 6th street 10 blocks and for a gluten-free foodie like myself, an important Austin destination.  From the length of the bathroom and young age of the shoppers there, it was apparent that WF was also a destination for many other SXSW-goers.   

Instead of eating right away, I took a tour of the store, which was characterized by my oohs and ahhs at the gluten-free sections.  There is just no comparison to my local Columbus Circle and Union Square Whole Foods, the flagship wins in every category-variety of GF foods, organization of GF foods, ease of finding of GF foods, GF beer, wine, and more.  One staff member even warned me against trying the sample chocolates because of their potential cross-contamination with gluten, and then offered me a GF sample.  It was magical.  

We ate from the cafe section, which helpfully labels common food allergens above each dish.  To be uber safe, I went with a quinoa grain salad with cheese, beets, tomatoes, and pumpkin seeds.  It was light, simple, but contained lots of nutritional goods (protein, carbs, and veggies).   

Mother’s Cafe and Garden  

4215 Duval St, Austin, TX (512) 451-3994  

www.motherscafeaustin.com/  

We went to Mother’s for brunch one day before heading downtown to check out South by Southwest shows.  Mother’s brunch menu was mostly tex-mex with a couple of typical American brunch dishes mixed in.  I’m not sure if this is a tex-mex or Austin thing, but they served chips and salsa instead of bread before the meal which is fabulous for gluten-free diners!  Even though their gluten-free menu just listed which dishes on their regular menu were indeed gluten-free, it put me at ease.  I went with the migas and they were fantastic.  Migas at Mother’s are an egg scramble with tortilla strips in your choice of green or mole sauce.  The tortilla strips added a nice texture to the soft eggs and the green sauce was fresh tasting and almost sweet.  The great tex-mex, gluten-free assurance, and a harpist (!) make a good brunch option for the gluten-free diner in Austin.  

Curra’s Grill  

614 East Oltorf Street, Austin, TX (512) 444-0012  

www.currasgrill.com  

Curra’s is the place to go for great Mexican (tex-mex?) and margaritas.  While we waited for 30 minutes to be seated, we ordered the Santa Fe margaritas which have a splash of cranberry juice.  Delightful and strong!  Thankfully, before we could get too far with our margaritas, we were seated.  I ordered the Tacos Al Pastor- corn tacos with pork marinated in a tangy pineapple sauce and slowly cooked to deliver a yummy combination of flavors and textures.  It was served with rice and your choice or beans (I had black refried).  I double checked with the kitchen to make sure everything that I ordered was gluten free, although I couldn’t be sure that there wasn’t cross contamination.  I really wanted to try their famous tamales, but they are made with flour as well as corn.  Oh well.  The combination of simple, tasty, food with bangin’ margaritas make for a fun and filling evening.  

The Salt Lick  

18300 FM 1826, Driftwood, TX (512) 858-4959  

www.saltlickbbq.com  

A trip to Texas without eating Barbeque (or Barbecue) is not only a mistake, but some would argue, wrong.  Texans love their barbeque so much that there is a documentary film called “Barbecue: A Texas Love Story” where “From church to political success, every aspect of life ties back to barbecue.”  Wow.  So for my Texas barbeque experience, I went to The Salt Lick.  

The Salt Lick is a highly acclaimed by food critics and regular people looking for real, good barbeque.  It is about a 30 minute drive from Austin into Texas’ Hill Country and absolutely worth it.  It is also worth the long waits that are not uncommon (ours was 40 minutes but they told us an hour) so be prepared with some BYOB and GF snacks while you wait in the lovely outdoor picnic area.   

before

Celiacs and Gluten-Free diners rejoice, The Salt Lick’s barbeque sauce is gluten-free as are the sides that come with most meals.  The barbeque sauce is different from most bottled sauces in color (mustard) and taste (tangy) and is what separates THe Salt Lick from most other barbeque.  The menu is simple with you choice of three main meals but I would recommend the meat “plate” with ribs and sausage.  I would also recommend that everyone at the table get something slightly different so that all meat bases are covered.  I don’t have the barbeque experience to declare that the Salt Lick is the best barbeque in the country, or even Texas, but it is certainly the best I have had and beats NYC (Dinosaur BBQ, Blue Smoke, Fette Sau).  What’s their secret?  I’m convinced its the sauce.  Don’t get me wrong, the ribs fell off the bone, the sausage was flavorful on its own, and the brisket was tender, but the sauce is the ingredient that brings everything together.  Don’t fret New Yorkers!  You can order this magical concoction as well as some meat from their online store.   

after

It get’s better, The Salt Lick is coming to Big Apple BBQ June 12 and 13 in Madison Square Park- GO!  

The Music  

Jukebox the Ghost

 
 We planned our trip during Sarah’s spring break, which happened to be the end of the music festival, South by Southwest.  South by Southwest (SXSW) is a week long festival that features big names like Hole and Stone Temple Pilots, but also serves as a showcase for up and coming musicians as the city of Austin turns into a stage.  Wherever there is flat open space, there’s music.   

Our SXSW experience wasn’t hardcore, but it was fabulous.  We saw Jukebox the Ghost, who I know from GWU Friday night at the Clive Bar.  It was great space for an outdoor show and Jukebox rocked it.  Their music is often described as piano pop rock a la Ben Folds, but in their upcoming record, they deliver more dancy, synth heavy tunes and it totally rules.  We braved the freak cold front to see them again Saturday, along with Nicole Atkins, Dawes, and Lissie.  Our South By experience was rather short, but completely sweet, and allowed for more time to discover what Austin’s food culture is all about.