Come On Down To Coreano’s

Decide what you want to eat as you wait in line

Coreano’s has been on the front page of Austin’s Yelp for quite a while now, prompting me to want to try the place. I’d heard of it, but never been, having only gone to their competitor: Chi’lantro. Chi’lantro was pretty good, but I wanted to try Coreano’s too and see what the deal was.

Coreano’s is a circulating food truck that has a food theme of Korean + Mexican food. Similar to Chi’lantro, Coreano’s has Asian-flavored burritos, quesadillas, and fries. However, what seems to make this place different is their meat selection and fries in your burrito. Yes, you read that right: fries in burrito (think Big Bite). The food trailer is nice and airy as you can see at the bottom with a good drink selection and even some Asian snacks. The people are quite nice and can even take a credit card!

Quesadillas, available for those needing to eat on the run (like me!)

I know I should have gotten the burrito, but I ended up getting the quesadilla with marinated beef short rib. It was good, easy to handle, and filled with kimchi and cheese that did not overwhelm the dish. If you are shy about heat in your food, only the mildest will be affected. However, I wish there had been a little more meat and it was pretty oily. It was also a little on the salty side. Yet the quesadilla was definitely filling and I am determined to go back and try something else next time.

Sorry for the Saran wrap, but hopefully you can see the food size of the tacos

My friend decided on tacos and a good choice if you want to try the many different variations of meat available. In the picture, there is some veggies missing, but apparently they pile them on pretty high. The tacos are a little small and might not be enough to fill you up. That’s when you take the time for fries! Coreano’s is quite well known for their kimchi fries and especially the Three Wise Fries that has three kinds of meat on it. Sounds delicious.

The line gets long really fast so be prepared. Either get there early or be prepared to wait over half an hour. The food also takes some time to prepare. My friend and I got there before the food truck, but it took about 45 minutes for us both to get through the line and finally get our food. However, one must note that there appeared to be a fundraiser going on that day so that may have caused a significant increase in time. Also, be sure to understand there is one line to order food and another line to get food so make sure you’re in the right line!

And we got here before the truck got here

The food truck comes near campus at least once a week, if not multiple times. Check out their website or Twitter to find out the exact dates. Parked near the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs Mansion, you can’t miss it and the long line of people interested in getting the food. They ain’t stingy with the kimchi.

Overall, I think Coreano’s is pretty tasty and I have to say it’s a tie between Coreano’s and Chi’lantro. They just taste different. Chi’lantro is a little bit more Asian with the egg inside the burrito and smaller portions. However, Coreano’s definitely hits the junk food tastebuds with the fries and pork belly available. Food battle: tie!

Rating: for tasty food, long line, and taking credit cards!

Get Peached with Peached Tortilla

The Peached Tortilla 2.0

If you haven’t heard of the Peached Tortilla, you will. It’s one of the hottest new food trailers in Austin and recently made some local fame at SXSW when hosting Rachael Ray’s Greenhouse party.  Its food theme is Asian/Southern fusion and ranges from banh mi sliders to Nutella wontons. Just this month, Peached Tortilla expanded itself to a second location right next to Hole in the Wall, on the corner of the Drag and Dean Keeton. Peached Tortilla 2.0 is smaller than its original counterpart and with a more limited menu selection, but at least it’s tasty trailer food right next to campus for lunch every weekday.

The people are very friendly and nice. The trailer seems hygienic since you can see the food being made and it’s really too small to get very dirty without people noticing. I think that’s something different about a trailer with windows: you can see how clean or not clean the kitchen is. Take-out is nice with the people being thoughtful by wrapping the food in foil and putting it into a paper bag. Definitely kept the food at least warm and not falling all over the bag.

Displayed open-faced so you can see the yummy ingredients before you taste them.

I got the banh mi slider and bbq brisket taco on corn tortilla. The taco was good, but not tasting the peach mint stuff. Sweeter brisket and moist. I liked the crunchy slaw on top of it and overall quite tasty. A good mouthful for $2.50. The banh mi slider was $3. It was on Hawaiian bread and slightly buttered and toasted, which was yummy. Definitely gave a lot of pork belly (also known as thick-sliced bacon) with a creamy sweet and sour sauce and slaw on top of it. Cilantro is prominent and gives an added dimensions that is delicious. I also liked the presentation in that it shows off the amount of ingredients in your food.

As you can see the burrito is reminiscent of the size and look of a Chipotle burrito, but it definitely tastes different on the inside.

There are also burritos for $6 that don’t seem to be sold from the original truck. They are like the slightly smaller cousins of the burrito size of Chipotle and is more of an Asian fusion burrito. Pad thai burrito seems to be quite popular, but there are a number of others like bbq brisket. My friend tried that and he deemed it tasty and filled him up for lunch. Another friend tried the pad thai taco and she found it quite yummy as well. It was sweeter and definitely not the classic pad thai taste, but that’s what made it fun and different.

I think the flavors of Peached Tortilla tend to err on the sweet side, but that may be due to the sauce on the slaw. I feel like it’s pretty yummy though and an interesting place for Asian fusion. I think the sliders are definitely the highlight and what makes the place different from other food trailers. Definitely my recommendation is to at least try the banh mi slider.

The 2.0 menu, photographed for your convenience.

The servings are just the right size for a snack and even a meal. However, it’s also fun to share with buddies or just try a bunch of different foods at once since the servings are relatively small. There also seems to be a slightly more limited menu compared to the original food truck since there are no fries, wontons, or etc. on the chalkboard menu (though I didn’t ask if there were other choices off-menu). It’s a nice little place right next to campus and a good stop to try something different.

Overall, Peached Tortilla seems like a tasty new place to try some trailer food very close to campus. The people are friendly and nice and the food is pretty good for a fair price. They’ve recently opened so you can grab the food before the line starts getting too long like at Coreano’s (who will be the next review).

Rating: for tasty Asian/Southern fusion trailer food, limited menu, and friendly people. Go out and experience trailer food in Austin, right next to campus!

Foodie Heaven: Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Fest Part 2

The logo come to life!

The Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival is a new event taking Austin by storm, bringing the new trend of trailer food to the masses by allowing Austinites to come and try their local food trailers. Versus an event like Taste of Austin that caters more to established restaurants, Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Fest is much like the trailer food it represents, a cheap and affordable way for new chefs to reach out to the Austin community and reach a foothold into Foodie hearts.

This is part 2 of coverage on the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Fest and we will be focusing on desserts today! Yum! If you missed Part 1, check it out here.

Now delivering fresh ice cream sandwiches!

That's right, we're so tasty that you can eat the paper. You heard me: eat the paper.

Our first stop is Coolhaus, a cute little trailer that is designed especially to churn out freshly made ice cream cookie sandwiches. Coolhaus was also cool enough to even provide a little something for your dog if he or she got hungry during the festival. Coolhaus also differentiates itself by providing edible ice cream wrappers, but they really did not taste that great so only take it for its face value: the cool factor. Now, to the product. Coolhaus ice cream cookie sandwiches are amazing! Two of my friends found it one of their favorite things to eat at the Food Fest and I’ll admit, I found it quite enjoyable. They got the fig mascarpone with ginger cookie on one side and a classic chocolate chip cookie on the other. The chocolate chip cookie was OK, being a little chewy, but mostly crunchy. I liked the crunchiness, but my friends preferred a more chewy cookie instead. Again, your mileage may vary. There were definitely a lot of chocolate chips, but the batter wasn’t very buttery or unique. The ginger cookie, however, was delicious! It was also chewy on the inside, but more crunchy on the outside. It was clearly a very sweet ginger cookie, but the ginger wasn’t overpowering or too strong. The ginger cookie with the fig mascarpone is definitely a winner. However, the fig mascarpone ice cream was also mostly just OK to me. It was tasty and had a unique flavor that could be attributed to the mascarpone. However, I didn’t taste a lot of the fig and I kind of expected tiny pieces of fig in the ice cream. However, Coolhaus definitely has a good thing going since I find the greatest weakness in cookie ice cream sandwiches is that the cookie has absorbed too much moisture. A fresh one made on the spot certainly takes care of the issue.                                                                                                                             Rating: 1/2 for taking a standard dessert and making it taste even better fresh, for offering innovative ice creams and for an allowance of unique combos by customers.

You can't miss this unique trailer or their pies!

I can see why you're an award-winning buttermilk pie. Delish!

Next was Cutie Pies, a trailer you can’t miss with its bright pink exterior and general fancifulness. The pies there were definitely yummy. The pies were going like hotcakes and offered such edibles as fresh pumpkin pie (none of that canned stuff), but I went with the Pie Queen’s suggestion and had the award-winning buttermilk pie. Absolutely delicious. The pie was sweet, but the sweetness was toned down by the acidity of the buttermilk that was not overwhelming when you bit into it. It was creamy and had a good texture on the tongue that literally melted as you ate. The crust was surprisingly thick, but that made it all the better when parts got caramelized with the buttermilk filling. Overall, another place I definitely want to try again.                                                                              Rating: for the best buttermilk pie I’ve ever had and the super friendly people. Just a warning, the pies go quick so try to get there early and snatch a slice before the trailer closes shop.

Holy Cacao, you can't miss the sign.

I think the Velvet Ball is my favorite.

I have heard so much about Holy Cacao, a trailer specializing in hot chocolate and a unique specialty: cake balls. A truffle on a stick, according to Holy Cacao. The place was tasty, but didn’t really live up to the rep I expected. However, my review may be slightly qualified by the fact that I’m not a big cake fan. I had the Wedding Cake and the Red Velvet and both were tasty. The Wedding Cake was very sweet and full of vanilla and white chocolate tastes. I loved the sugar crystals on top and it was good and fun to eat. The Red Velvet, though, would be my favorite as the slight chocolate taste went well with the white chocolate covering. The cake balls are interesting in that they are freshly made cake that is crumbled and mixed with frosting to create a better texture on the popsicle stick creating a tasty cake ball. Amazingly difficult to make, they are tasty, but not exactly my cup of tea. Fun to try for their novelty. My friends tried the carrot cake and peanut butter and both liked, but were not necessarily impressed. The carrot cake was quite sweet and the peanut butter was literally like a Reeses’ piece on a stick. Great for peanut butter lovers out there.    Rating: for the novelty, fun factor, and super sweetness. It may be known for its cake balls, but it started out as a hot chocolate place.

Check out my chalkboard on the side. Have fun while you eat!

Can you believe this is just half a banana?

Honorable mention must go to Bananarchy, who also won for most veggie-licious vittle. The food is frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and covered with delicious toppings like Oreos and M&Ms to create a luscious dessert that can even become completely vegan with vegan chocolate dip if you so desire. I did not actually get to try this dessert, but my friend tried it and really enjoyed it. From my experience with frozen bananas, I can only imagine how much more delicious it must have been covered in chocolate and nuts. The servings are also quite large so leave a lot of room if you want to indulge in this cool treat.                Rating: for being delicious and a healthy vegan treat in a hot city. However, admittedly, couldn’t this be made at home? Whatever, still tastes good and they do their best to promote Austin causes like using fair trade bananas and having live bands play by their trailer.

Le Cordon Bleu demonstrates how to be a cooking foodie.

Yum, can't you see that pillowy softness?

After all this, one must mention Le Cordon Bleu. The cooking school came to the event, giving demonstrations of the food they can teach you to make in their classes. Amazingly nice people and they gave 2 cooking demonstrations, though we could only stay for one. They made pâte à choux for us, which is the dough used in such French pastries as éclairs and true beignets. Unbeknownst to us, this dough can also be used for savory dishes like potato puffs. They showed us how to make the dough and then gave us samples of the 2 different ways to use the dough. So delicious and literally melted in my mouth. It was like little clouds of delicious carbs and now I kind of want to make some. Le Cordon Bleu has an open house once a month allowing hopeful chefs and pâtissiers to see what a class in the school will be like as well as expanding the foodie’s cooking repertoire. Definitely recommended and a highlight of the Food Fest.       Rating: 1/2 for being informative, super nice chefs, and to learn more about how to cook in Austin.

Aren't you a cutie?

The festival was fun and more than just food. I really liked that they had live performances of music and a place for the kids to enjoy themselves with storytelling and acrobatics. There were also lots of dogs around (including the doggie above!), but they stayed pretty calm. No havoc so thank you dog owners. However, it was definitely hard on the dogs to be surrounded by food they couldn’t eat. Some places like Coolhaus, though, had special doggy treats to give to sate their appetites. There was also a cook-off taking place during the event, trying to determine the favorites of Austinites that will then be adapted by Le Cordon Bleu. Check out the winners on the website!

Overall, the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Fest was amazing and the place was packed. This was the first by Trailer Food Diaries and hopefully this event will become a part of the Austin foodie event staple. I thought this was a great way to let Austinites know about the other food options available trekking around the city and I am definitely stoked to try out my next food trailer!

Rating: , to experience the trailer food scene of Austin in one location for a great price. Plus, experience other parts of Austin like Le Cordon Bleu, the live music scene, and Ladybird Lake!

P.S. See some great pictures and a different perspective on the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Fest by my fellow blogger here.