So, I know it's a little ridiculous to write about Whole Foods, but hear me out.

1) We have none in West Virginia.

2) It's the flagship store for the company.

Whole Foods Market has proudly served its hometown community in Austin, Texas since 1980! Our Flagship store is located in Downtown Austin at the corner of 6th Street and North Lamar Blvd. Like all Whole Foods Market stores, we are committed to selling the highest quality and largest selection of organic products available on the planet. Our passion for quality doesn't stop with the products we sell. Only the best for our guests! Thank you for choosing to shop with us at Whole Foods Market!

While I'm a big fan of my personal Kroger - and even more so of local groceries - it is interesting to see what folks like Whole Foods are doing.

They had so many bars - there was a mochi bar, there's a huge dessert case including macarons, there were candy bars where you could fill up a bag full of whatever chocolates you wanted, and so much more prepared foods.

Depending on the size and location of the store, our Prepared Foods departments can include a deli, an ethnic restaurant, burger joint, neighborhood diner, Parisian café, pizza joint, BBQ shack, sushi or seafood bar, raw foods bar, taco bar, salad bar, sandwich bar, olive bar and wine bar.

I'm pretty into grab & go options. I'm constantly on the go so making big meals is not feasible for me. So, I love the idea of these bars where you can get a salad or a mediterranean meal or freshly roasted coffee beans.

It definitely all comes at a price, though.



Either way, cool to see the Whole Foods of all Whole Foods.



Where's your favorite place to shop?

On my last day in Austin, I was trying to finish up the things I didn't get to do during the week, and one of them was to check out Easy Tiger.

This bake shop/outdoor beer garden has a bit of a split personality. Upstairs, you can get bakery items and sandwiches to go. Downstairs, you can get the full menu of housemade sausages, charcuterie boards, more sandwiches, and snacks.

Initially, I wanted to dine downstairs so I could go outside but once I got downstairs, it was pretty busy, and I wasn't sure how to get seated, so I made my way back upstairs and looked over the bakery menu.

Sandwiches would be good, I thought, so I could go find a bench somewhere and people watch. I ended up with the Smoked Turkey Breast : Pain au Levain, Avocado, Chimichurri, Radish, Roasted Jalapeño Aioli.

After finding a place to perch, I unwrapped my sandwich and side of potato salad. And, it was alright. You know, it was a turkey sandwich. It was a decent turkey sandwich, with tons of meat and some aioli. And, it was a good, utilitarian lunch. Nothing too fancy. But, that could be just perfect for a quick lunch.




Grade: B

Franklin Barbecue? Well, it opens at 11 a.m. 

That's right, I got in line for this BBQ place more than four hours before it opened. FOUR. HOURS.

Wanna know the best part? There were about a dozen other people ahead of me already waiting in line.

So, what in god's name would possess me to line up four hours before a BBQ joint opened? The same one that sells out by 2 or 3 p.m.? Well, Franklin Barbecue is known for having some of the best BBQ of all time.

It is the best. It is the finest brisket I’ve ever had. - Anthony Bourdain

So, yeah, I got in line at 6:50 a.m., pulled a camping chair from the stack they have sitting for the early risers and settled in for a long morning. It was cold - like 40 degrees - and I didn't have a proper jacket, so I was freezing the entire time. It wasn't fun.

About halfway through the morning, they open up the restrooms for folks, which is super nice. And music begins playing. It started to get light out, and the folks who were hibernating in front of me slowly start to awaken. Folks come around to get an idea of what you want to order so they can estimate how much they'll have. If you are toward the back of the line, it's not likely there will be brisket left.

When it got to be around 10:30 a.m., I was damn near giddy. We put our chairs away, stood up, inched closer to the front of the door, and when they finally opened the door to allow people to stream in, it was such a good feeling to just be INSIDE of a warm building.

It was another few minutes before we got up to the front of the line to place our orders. They slice the brisket right there in front of you, and you order by the pound - or half, or quarter. I ended up getting some brisket, some pulled pork, a side of potato salad, and a mini pecan pie.



So, it's definitely the best brisket I've ever had. It's perfectly moist and flavorful with a delicious bark. The fatty and lean pieces both are delectable. It's definitely the star. But, of course, the pulled pork was delicious - I topped it with some of the spicier barbecue sauce to give it some kick. Onions, bread and pickles are all garnish. The potato salad was perfect for a bit creamier, cool down. And the pie was a great sweet finish.

So, you're asking if it was worth it. Yes. Because it was an experience to mark off my bucket list, and it was easily the best brisket I've ever had. Would I do it again? Not sure. Might go for the second best brisket and not have to wait for four hours :)



Grade: A

This is my last ice cream place in Austin, swear. BUT, you guys, locally made ice cream. Dreams do come true.

So, Lick is an ice cream shop with really unique flavors that is dedicated to "honest" ice creams.

To us, honest ice creams simply means we use only pure, wholesome ingredients in our artisanal ice creams. What doesn’t go into our ice creams is just as important as what does. We never use artificial colors or flavors, high fructose corn syrup or preservatives, ever! Ice cream shouldn’t just taste good — we believe it should also be good. 

As small local business owners, we have the pleasure of witnessing our milk and cream as it journeys from the cow to your scoop. All of the milk and cream used to make our ice creams comes from a local, family-owned dairy in Central Texas; and everything from the sauces, syrups, cakes and marshmallows is made by hand in our kitchen. We churn every batch, roll each waffle cone made from our homemade recipe in our shops, and pack each pint by hand in our kitchen to serve up the most honest ice creams we can. We are also committed to sustainability by using only compostable cups, spoons and napkins. 

Our Cilantro Lime, Dewberry Corn Cobbler and Sweet Persimmon and Sage ice creams are just some of the flavors inspired by and created with seasonal offerings from Texas. This provides us with variety throughout the year and guarantees a farm-to-table product that is always fresh and delicious! We work directly with local farmers and food artisans to source our fine ingredients to make the most honest ice creams we can.

There were a ton of really cool flavors - both everyday and seasonal.

All of our ice creams are made with 100% milk and cream from Mill-King Market & Creamery, located in McGregor, Texas, just outside of Waco. The Miller family has owned and operated this dairy for three generations. They are some of the hardest working people you will ever meet, and they truly care about the milk and cream their select herd of 100 cows produces. 

The herd consists of handpicked Jersey, Brown Swiss and Holstein cows that are never given hormones or antibiotics and are primarily grass-fed. When necessary, they supplement with grain that is non-GMO, corn and soy free. The delicious milk and cream produced is always non-homogenized and low temperature pasteurized.  This essentially means any harmful bacteria is eliminated while all of the beneficial enzymes stay in tact. All of these components make for very healthy and very delicious milk and cream. This is the stuff our grandparents drank and it’s the reason we can make ice creams as honest as the ones they enjoyed.

First step is picking the vessel - I went with a medium, compostable bowl. Then, the flavors: Caramel Salt Lick (salty & sweet make it official. Homemade caramel pairs perfectly with a hint of sea salt), Goat Cheese, Honey and Thyme (Fresh, local thyme and Good Flow honey pair perfectly with Austin's own creamy Pure Luck goat cheese) and a seasonal one that I cant remember. Whoops.

So, I remember the caramel one being a very deeply flavored caramel - like almost burnt sugar but just at the peak. The goat cheese did, indeed, taste a bit like goat cheese. A bit odd pairing of those two. But, I was definitely impressed by the unique flavors.





It's pretty cool to see an ice cream shop stepping outside the traditional boundaries and do some flavors that you don't see everywhere. Really neat.



Grade: A

We've crossed BBQ, ramen, and burgers off the list so far in Austin. Another key cuisine in a new city for me has to be sushi.

And, Uchi is one of the best. According to Eater, Conde Nast Traveler picked out 207 of the world's very best restaurants. The lone Austin representative is Uchi, which writer Peter Jon Lindberg called "one of the great Japanese restaurants in the country."

Combining local seasonal ingredients with an infinite spectrum of seafood from around the globe is the basis for Uchi's culinary philosophy. We invite our diners to explore their gastronomic boundaries by pairing traditional Japanese offerings with new and refreshing flavors and textures. 

At Uchi, we serve the freshest product we can procure every day. We maintain close relationships with local farmers and we fly in seafood every day from both Fukuoka and Tsukiji markets in Japan. The essence of Japanese cuisine is the ingredients; at Uchi we prepare our dishes using innovative food combinations for the most unique dining experience in Austin. 

Uchi maintains the following policy about the fish that we procure: That we will use seafood products that are sustainable and responsibly fished when possible. That we will work with our suppliers on sourcing fish products that are traceable and to obtain that information whenever possible. Our goal at Uchi is to maintain the quality, creativity and freshness of the food we serve while striving to maintain a responsible policy towards sustainability, not just with our fish, but with the entire menu.

We happened to be there during a happy hour, so I tried a little bit of a few things.

The "machi cure" is smoked yellowtail, marcona almond, yucca crisp. Quite the presentation - but also quite tasty.

For sushi, I got some salmon sashimi and tuna maki. Both were delicious - fresh, paired with interesting ingredients. Just good.

What's unique about this place is that they put a little bit of a spin on some of the traditional rolls. That makes for a different experience. I enjoy seeing the chef's creativity merged with the traditional cuisine.

Everything here was fresh and light, which I wasn't sure what to expect in Texas. Of course, it's a big city and they have access to great fish - it's just not directly on the ocean. Not that that's necessarily a problem these days, but it was nice to see such a nice representation of this cuisine here.

Definitely try to hit this place up during happy hour because we got so many of the dishes for far cheaper than regular dinner prices.

Do you have any favorites here?



Grade: A