Road Trip Post #1T (T for Tim) - Airport Food

So if you've been following us on Twitter (@starvingskis) you'll notice there have been a lot of posts with #roadtrip.  Kyla's family had a reunion in North Dakota, followed by her cousin graduating from his hematology and oncology fellowship at the Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  Needless to say, we've been seeing a lot of the Midwest this summer, which is good because we are typically coming through this great part of America during the winter, which isn't so fun.

I had to work through the beginning of the road trip and caught up with Kyla and the girls in Bismark, ND after they drove over 1,700 miles, which included stops to sight-see in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  Since Bismark is hardly a top travel destination, the trip from Austin started with the shuttle picking me up at 2:10 am for my 5:00 am departure - all so I could meet up with my family by lunch time in North Dakota.  The way-too early departure from Austin was a shame since the airport seemingly has a lot to offer the hungry traveler, though everything - to include the coffee shops, were locked up tight at the un-Godly hour of departure.  It wasn't until I hit my second layover in Denver at 9:00 am that I was able to grab something that didn't come from Starbucks.  That's when I walked past Que Bueno and got the urge for a breakfast burrito.  Since my caloric intake for the day consisted of a bowl of oatmeal at home, and a small yogurt with coffee at the Dallas Airport Starbucks, the urge for a hot breakfast burrito was strong.  Did I mention it was 9:00 am and I had been up almost eight hours at this point?

The line at Que Bueno was long, but moving fast, which was good, because my flight was boarding in twenty minutes.  When I got to the front of the line I noticed the food was not pre-made like you are likely to find in many airport establishments, but instead made fresh and to order, right in front of you.  The whole process was a lot like getting lunch at Chipotle, with the ability to get exactly what you want on your burrito. Also similar to Chipotle was the size of the breakfast burrito, which was monstrous!

The Que Bueno breakfast burrito is mucho grande!

While the chorizo and eggs weren't quite to the high standards set by the numerous Mexican joints I grew up with in the southwest, they were still much tastier than I expected for on-the-go airport grub.  The addition of potatoes, cheese, and salsa (I went with both medium salsa and pico de gallo), made for a filling meal that I was able to wolf down before the boarding call for my flight.  A belly full of warm food made me much less hangry on the plane, and also contributed to a fairly satisfying nap before being tackled by two little girls who were very excited to see their daddy in Bismark.  If you find yourself in Denver near gate B52, you can check your big appetite at Que Bueno.  

Jester King Brewery & Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza

This weekend's post is a sort of a twofer, with our most recent trip to Dripping Springs, southwest of Austin  to visit Jester King Brewery and Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza.  Based on the recommendation from the staff at The Hollow, which is the dining experience that inspired our starting this blog in the first place, Jester King has been at the top of our gastronomical to do list for weeks. The good news for everybody is that Jester King doesn't serve lunch, but Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza is on site to provide sustenance with your suds, giving us all a special treat.

Our first visit was to Stanley's Pizza, after the hour-long drive from Georgetown, we arrived with an appetite and were ready to eat.  Everything is outdoors with "natural" air conditioning, with the seating in an open barn with room for several hundred people to sit.  Despite the Texas heat, the seating was in the shade with a decent breeze blowing through, making us comfortable.

Looking at Stanley's indoor/outdoor seating from Jester Kings, with kids in the sandbox

We could tell right away that this place, despite being co-located with a brewery, was family friendly and knew that folks who made the trip were not going to get their pizza to go.  There were at least two bars in the pizzeria serving a wide variety of beers, wines, and ciders in addition to the pizza counter.  Our youngest made a beeline to the sandbox in the back of the barn while Kyla and I decided on the special of the day, which sounded awfully intriguing with teriyaki, pulled pork, pineapple slaw (with jalapeno and serranos), and pickled onions.  We were not disappointed!  The crust was thin and crispy, with the pork and teriyaki providing a smoky flavor balanced out by the sweetness of the pineapple slaw and tartness of the onions.  Of course our youngest turned her nose at the exotic creation in favor of sharing a cheese pizza with a friend who joined us.  Our oldest had to fight me for the last piece, with both of us fighting with our mouths full since the pizza disappeared so fast!

Don't let the sweetness fool you, she puts up a hell of a fight for good pizza

With our bellies full we were able to turn our attention to round two of our day, and head next door to the brewery.  The short walk up the hill tells you that Jester King is all about the beer.  There is no sandbox, no lemonade (which Stanley's sold), and very little in the way of covered seating.  If you wanted to be cool while drinking your beer, you would need to find a table under a shade tree, which there were a number of.  Otherwise, the space outside consisted of a couple of tents serving beer, a tent selling bottles, and some cornhole games keeping patrons busy.  

If you decide to drink beer beer before going on the tour of the brewery, do yourself a favor and head to the indoor tasting room first, or stick with the 4 oz. servings to allow yourself the capability to taste more flavors.  Some Army friends of ours hit the tasting room while we were waiting on pizza and had an enjoyable experience discussing their likes and dislikes with the knowledgeable staff that led to them thoroughly enjoying their beer.  By the time Kyla and I made it to the brewery the line to the tasting room was well outside the door, resulting in us going to one of the beer tents and ordering off the menu.  

Snapshot of the beer menu available

I was in the mood for a hefeweizen, while Kyla wanted a cider so I ordered the Foudreweizen and Kyla the 2013 Perennial (which is from Argus Cidery).  To put it lightly we were surprised by the taste of our respective drinks.  The Foudrweizen in particular was nothing like I expected from a standard hefeweizen.  While the beer did have some of the malty sweetness of a hefe, there was a pronounced earthiness to it that took me by surprise.  After a few sips I could only describe the earthy tastes as what I would imagine straw or hay to taste like.  While not a fan at first, the beer grew on me the more I drank.  Other friends that had the same beer didn't quite appreciate it though - which goes back to my earlier point of staying with the 4 oz servings.  By the time I finished the Foudreweizen I didn't dare attempt anymore beer with the hour long drive home - which is a shame since I was very interested in seeing what other surprises Jester King had on tap.

One reason my interest was piqued was from taking a tour of the brewery.  The tour was led by co-owner Ron Extract, who can't suppress his passion for farmhouse brewing.  His discussion of the Jester King brewing process highlighted the reason behind the interesting flavored beer I was nursing during the tour.  What makes Jester King unique is that it uses farmhouse brewing techniques that unlike most craft breweries which focus on consistency, farmhouse brews use local ingredients as they are at the point of the brewing process.  For example, while other breweries carefully control the mineral content of their water to match the style of beer being brewed, Jester King uses their unaltered well water, which is unique to Texas hill country and has day-to-day variances in mineral content in addition to capitalizing on naturally occurring yeast instead of yeast purchased from a laboratory.

 Ron educating his guest on farmhouse brewing

As a novice home brewer myself, I was intrigued by the farmhouse style since many of the techniques discussed, such as spontaneous fermentation, are things I actively try to avoid with my own beer - for fear of creating an off flavor.  Consistency is not what Jester King strives for, instead letting the beer tell the brewers when it is ready.  If you ask when a particular batch will be released, you won't get a specific date, since the brewers guide their decisions through careful quality control of each batch to determine readiness.  This inconsistency in brewing creates adventurous tastes that aren't for everybody, but I don't think the brewers are trying to create a beer with mass appeal.  Their production is too small to be widely distributed, and as Ron said during the brewery tour, "we brew what we please, drink what we want, and sell the rest."   

Flashback Friday - Nicos

Sorry, I haven't felt like posting. I think Texas is trying to kill me as I have my second sinus infection in the six months we've lived here. Worst symptom is whole body wracking coughs when my family makes me laugh. Maybe it's my family trying to kill me. They love making me laugh!

Thinking about this TBT that turned into a FBF, made me laugh and cough up a lung. Hopefully you find it as amusing as I do!

Tim and I have legally been married for 10 years, 11 in November. It's been almost 14 years since we started dating. Getting married meant getting a joint cell phone account with a phone number from Tucson, Ariz. It only took Tim 7 years of marriage to finally take me to see where my phone number comes from and to all his old college haunts.

Always mentioned in Tim's college adventures were trips to the Mexican restaurant Nico's. Stories of magnificent competitions such as who could survive off of nothing but super nachos for the longest? Tim gave it his best effort, but his 6'10" 350 pound roommate won by a 5 day margin! Many stories included nights at the bar with "too mas tequila" and ending with Nico's carne asada burritos because they are open 24 hours. But the one food I was always fascinated with was the fish tacos.

What? Fish in a taco? Why? Are you kidding me? I'm from Montana where the 1990s commercials of "Beef. It's what's for dinner." got a "duh" from me.

Tim would try his hardest in the first 7 years of our marriage to replicate those fish tacos with varying degrees of success. His efforts usually ended with him shaking his head and saying, "It's not Nico's."

When we finally had an opportunity to visit Tucson we walked around the University of Arizona campus and drove the route to Tim's off-campus house. We rounded the corner of Fort Lowell and Campbell and an empty gravel lot greeted us. Tim let out a long, low wail wondering where Nico's was. We tried calling a college buddy who's family lives in Tucson. No answer. We looked up the restaurant on our smartphone and saw the address was still located in the gravel lot, but got a real person on the phone who guided us to their new location.

The empty lot that used to hold the best Mexican food in Tucson.

We got to the new location and all I thought was that it looked like the quintessential college town Mexican restaurant. Not big and flashy, more taco truck in a permanent location with regular health code inspections. Tim ordered his favorites, one order of super nachos, a carne asada burrito and the world famous fish tacos. We sat and waited for them to call our number.

The new Nico's location at 2965 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719.

When we got our food the first thing that struck me was how enormous an order of super nachos was! Holy cow! The guys ate these for how many days? Our family of four ate the burrito, taco and didn't even come close to finishing the nachos. The nachos were delicious. Super indeed! They had: in-house made tortilla chips, guacamole, carne asada meat, refried beans, cheese and sour cream. None of this nachos mean chips and cheese only stuff. No fancy plated five chips with cheese, a cube of meat, an olive and a dollop of sour cream. This was completely messy, full of toppings and exactly what I expect with an order of super nachos.

The girls with our order of super nachos, fish tacos, and carne asada burrito in July 2012.

The carne asada burrito was so good Tim gave me one bite and ate the rest. From the small taste, it was good, but not the standout for me. That was reserved for this mystical fish taco that captivated my husband's memory and provided us seven years of conversation.

On to the fascination of a fish taco. It had homemade corn tortillas. Normally I hate the fragility of corn tortillas, but these held together amazingly well. The fish was deep fried in a light batter. The cabbage was finely shredded and there was an amazing sauce that I had no idea what was in it, but it was delicious! A slice of lime was provided to give it a little citrus kick. The fish taco was so delicious, I was licking my fingers and hoping to order another! The nachos did me in, so we didn't go for another fish taco.

We left feeling full of the best Mexican food we've tasted in years and wondering when we'd be back for more.

A year later we moved from Northern Virginia to Monterey, California. Tim took up spear fishing in his free time from graduate school. With all the incredibly fresh fish, Tim took up his quest to make Nico's fish tacos again. Now that I knew what they were supposed to taste like, I became his biggest cheerleader! The first few attempts were not fabulous. Eventually Tim found this recipe and it was wonderful! By the time we had to leave, I loved Tim's fish tacos more than Nico's. We officially tested that opinion on our move from California to Texas. Tim cracked the code! I think the key was fish swimming just 3 hours before dinner time.

Our Nico's visit from December 2014 on our move from California to Texas.

If you can't catch fish and make these tacos within a few hours of pulling them from the water, but find yourself in Tucson, check out Nico's and order the fish tacos. You'll be happy you did!

600 Degrees Pizzeria

Despite the fact that we always have "pizza, PJ, movie night" on Friday, we decided to catch a matinee Saturday afternoon and head to the square for pizza afterward.  When it comes to pizza on Georgetown Square there are two excellent options, with 600 Degrees Pizzeria being the option we went for last night.  It was our second experience at 600 Degrees, with the first during the very busy weekend of the Georgetown Red Poppy Festival.  In both visits, 600 Degrees lived up to its reputation for outstanding pizza and service.

The Kids and Me checking out the red poppies

The first thing you'll notice with 600 Degrees is that the place is always busy.  There is some inside seating available, but it's tight - room for about 50 diners.  There is also a patio to sit at, so unless you're picky about sitting in an air conditioned restaurant, we recommend getting the first available table.  The wait does allow time to review the extensive beer list, and even enjoy your first drink before you're seated.  Since I had spent the better part of my day doing yard work, I chose Longfin Lager as I waited, while Kyla went for a pinot noir (forgive me, I can't remember the name for the life of me).  The restaurant is owned by Californian transplants, so the beer and wine list is heavily weighted to Californian and other west-of-the-Mississippi River choices.

This place is all about the pizza!

The one drawback to 600 Degrees is the limited wine list, which in retrospect isn't such a big deal.  As soon as you walk into the place, you know the focus is on the pizza, and pizza goes good with beer.  There are at least 30 different beers on tap, without a trace of Anheuser Busch, Coors, or Miller products listed on the menu.  There will be a beer to suit your mood, and I was happy with my "lawnmower beer" while we waited.  Later in the meal when I was in the mood for something stronger, I switched to a Stickee Monkee and was subsequently rewarded with the punch to the taste buds I was looking for.

 Enjoying a refreshing beer, and a glimpse of the beer selection behind me

Wings and the Stikee Monkee that hit me in the mouth with flavor

With my thirst thoroughly quenched, I was able to focus on the pizza.  To be honest, neither Kyla or I could recommend any of the regular menu items, because we never ordered a regular menu item (except wings, which we'll get to later).  There is one option at the way bottom of the menu that deserves your attention - the "Baker's Choice".  In essence, you tell the chef what you don't want, and give suggestions as to what you like, and the chef comes up with a custom creation just for you.  We tried this during the Red Poppy Festival and it came out awesome.  From what I remember we got a take on a hamburger pizza made with pita meat, cheddar cheese, red onions, ground beef, tomatoes, and poppy seeds on the crust - it was fantastic!  Last night we again went for the Baker's Choice and got grilled chicken, bacon, green onion, ranch, BBQ sauce, and cheddar - which was another phenomenal success.  All of those ingredients were on the amazing crust that could be a dish unto itself.  Our waitress said she loves it when customers roll the dice with the Baker's Choice because she's never seen the same thing made twice.  We HIGHLY recommend you try the baker's choice since you'll get a unique creation that will never be made again.  

Save yourself some time and skip to the bottom of the pizza options...

Last night's unique creation, with our oldest getting ready to claim her piece

In addition to our pizza, we decided to get some wings.  One of our deciding factors in ordering wings was the uniqueness of one of the choices.  While the standard hot, lemon pepper, and teriyaki choices were available, there was a "taco wing" choice that we decided we couldn't pass up.  True to its name, our wings tasted like taco meat with a dry rub that had the right combination of chili powder, cumin, and seasoning to make the wings taste like Taco Tuesday.  Even our youngest child, who doesn't eat wings at all, was demolishing some chicken prior to our pizza arriving.

Speaking of youngest and not liking things, our youngest is very picky when it comes to pizza.  Any sort of sauce, topping that she can't identify, or topping that she can identify (unless it's ham) is a no-go.  We've given up long ago and normally order cheese bread when we get pizza delivered just so we won't have to watch our youngest pick at a cold piece of pizza all night.  This sort of "refined taste" that our youngest has made going out for pizza a chore, but we have found that she loves the cheese pizza at 600 Degrees.  After 5:00 pm, you can only get cheese and pepperoni by the slice, so a slice of cheese is normally ordered in addition to our Baker's Choice.  A single slice is freaking enormous, and would be considered an entire pizza at lesser pizzerias.  I don't know if it was because lunch consisted of movie popcorn or the pizza is that good, but there was barely any cheese pizza remaining on our youngest's plate when we were done with dinner.

Yeah, that's a single slice

What would a dining experience be without great service?  Both experiences were met with friendly, knowledgeable waitresses. Even with a very busy atmosphere, the waitresses were attentive and helpful when needed.

The best part of the night, we got out of there for under $60, including our normal 20% tip! If you're in the mood for great pizza with a Californian flair, we highly recommend checking out 600 Degrees.