Driving toward the east side once again. From where I was staying, Ive had to take the long way around to get to the highway due to morning traffic. I could barely get out of the parking lot.
To the left is downtown Austin and the east side to the right. Below me is a bridge over Lady Bird Lake, a part of the Colorado River
Just a few blocks east of Franklin is a food truck, er, trailer Micklethwait Craft Meats They do barbecue like most other places. they offer 2 types of sausages that can vary day by day.
Next to the trailer is their smoker. Its probably made from a propane tank. Ive see Aaron Franklin fabricate a smoker from a similar tank on his show. He also uses similar apparatus at his establishment.
The firebox is located at the entrance and the smokestack is located at the other end. Ample access to toss in more wood. The heat and smoke gently waft over the meats and exit the stack
There are a number of picnic tables considerately placed under canopies thaat provide shade from direct sunlight. A few tables are located under natural shade of trees
They offer plates like a few other places with the exception being they offer a plate for the beef short rib. After swearing off brisket, the rib is what I chose to tackle.
And tackle I did. At 1.5 pounds, this would be considered a small rib, relatively. Some are up to 2 pounds. Jalapeno cheese grits sounded delightful. And delightful they were. It was probably the best non barbecue item I had during the trip. Free accompaniments include pickles, onions, and sliced white bread. Bread was declined
Sometimes referred to as dino bones, I went primordial and sank my teeth into the flesh.
They cut through the tender chewy flesh. The chew brought out the great beefy flavor. The salt and pepper rub was a bit heavy as that is all I could taste when biting near the surface
Going back towards downtown along 11th, the capital building stands out smongst the surrounding buildings
At Congress Ave, I turned left into the heart of downtown.
Further south will eventually take me to the South Congress Ave area or Soco. there is a monthly event celebrating the first thursday of each month
Once you hit Lady Bird Lake, you cross the bridge named of one of the recent governers of Texas, Ann Richards
Once across the bridge, you enter the boulevard line by shops restaurants and boutiques known as Soco
Looking back toward the north of South Congress, you can see how it leads directly to the steps of the capital
Along this block is a candy store called Big Top Candy
This is one of those places where they have current and retro candies. Not to mention hard to find and candies from abroad. The store also features a soda fountain/ice cream parlor.
These kinds of stores remind adults of the kids that they once were who indulged in certain sweets
Current day kids never fail to delight in being inside a candy store with eyes wide open
I found an area of British candies including Jelly Babies. A section was devoted to pprcine flavored oddities like cotton candy and frosting to say the least.
They offer italian sodas, milkshakes, and floats in a number of flavors. It goes without saying that they use Blue Bell ice cream. A blended vanilla ice cream soda was a nice cool drink to have on a hot day.
This is not my dinner. These are just a few things to bring back home. My friends and I like to bring back novelties like these and share amongst ourselve. Dinner was not really much of a thought as I had pounds of beef in my stomach helping to keep me full enough to skip dinner here and there.
