Even though most people would not associate good Asian food with Texas, it really does exist. There is a sizable Vietnamese population in certain cities. However, we didn't travel down to Texas for pho, so it was not on my to-eat list. With that being said, we were getting bogged down by the amount of meat we were eating. Therefore, we attempted to try some ramen as a break from BBQ. But just like it is everywhere else, there was an excessively long lineup which didn't interest us at all. So our backup plan was to go back to the well and eat heavy in the form of Lucy's Fried Chicken.
Although the place looked rather roadhouse-like and not particularly kid-friendly, it was completely the opposite. My son loves Fried Chicken and we got a basket for the table. This consisted of mixed pieces that included both dark and white meat. This was some pretty solid fried chicken as the skin was nicely rendered, well-seasoned and crunchy. Underneath, the meat (including the breast) was moist and tender. For adults, we tried the Deep Fried Chicken Livers marinated in Lucy's "secret buttermilk blend". Usually, I find most places cook livers until they are rock hard. Not here though as the livers were tender and juicy. The aggressive batter on the outside was crunchy and not overly greasy. On the side, there was a creamy and lightly spicy chipotle ranch dip.
Viv decided to try the Wood Fire-Grilled Texan Oysters topped with house chorizo, garlic butter, house jalapeno salsa and pumpernickel crumbs. These were surprisingly good featuring buttery soft oysters that were appealingly briny and sweet. The combination of chorizo and jalapeno salsa added a noted kick and light tang. Of course, the garlic butter did its thing with an aromatic punch. Providing a textural contrast, the pumpernickel crumbs were crunchy and stood up to the moisture. Since I knew my daughter would've wanted to sample the West Texas Red Chili, I got a bowl even though we had more than enough food. Consisting of ground beef only (as authentic chili should be), it was hearty and rich. There was a low-rumbling heat that was smoky and flavourful (without being salty).
For her main, my daughter was brave enough to order the Fried Chicken Spaghetti. Topped with a piece of fried chicken, the whole thing was actually a casserole consisting of spaghetti and chicken in a creamy cheese sauce topped with melted cheddar. Naturally, this was rich and heavy. It was a bit goopy as the spaghetti had absorbed most of the moisture and had become overly soft. There was the mildest amount of spice to go with the ample cheesiness. For no apparent reason other than I love French Fries, I got a basket for the table. These hand-cut fries were pretty good, being lightly crispy and possessing plenty of potato goodness inside. They were tossed in mildly spicy seasoning salt.
Lastly, my son really wanted a side of Mac n' Cheese despite the amount of food we already had on the table. It was a good choice though where the noodles were still firm while completely coated in a lightly sharp cheesy sauce. I would've liked to see a bit more salt, but the mac was not devoid of flavour either. So Lucy's wasn't our first choice of eats, nor was it even actually on our original list of restaurants. However, it was a bit different and the fried chicken was solid. The Good: - It doesn't look it, but it is kid-friendly - Good fried chicken - Other proteins we had were done right The Bad: - Well, not that it is a surprise, but food is heavy - The spaghetti was meh
For many, Franklin Barbecue represents the holy grail of smoked brisket. Sure, there are those who would say many other places do just as good of a job, if not better. I've done my research and if we just stuck with Austin, there is La BBQ, Black's and Micklethwait Craft Meats. Now, if we open it up to the entirety of Texas, there is Snow's, Corkscrew and so on... But we were getting BBQ'd out and had to limit our intake to one in Austin, so we chose the media darling (as seen on TV and the movie Chef) in Franklin. In fact, I had pre-ordered 5 lbs of meat and sides so that I wouldn't need to line up. We took the short drive back to our hotel to enjoy the feast.
Heck, I dug straight into the Beef Brisket first since this is what I've been waiting for. Oh man, this definitely lived up to the hype and accolades. I'm sure many would point out their personal favourites, but for me, this was every bit as good as I have dreamed of. It was smoky enough without being overwhelming while the bark was flavorful. The meat itself was super moist and fatty without being mushy. It retained the meatiness of brisket. The same could be said about the Pork Side Ribs. They were also juicy with tender meat that melted in our mouths (except for the lean portion). It was mildly smoky with a tasty peppery spice rub on the outside.
Unlike the ones from Pecan Lodge and Heim, we found the Pulled Pork at Franklin to be really good. It was moist and tender where we needed very little sauce (if all). It was also mildly smoky and spiced. The BBQ sauce was necessary not for moisture, but for overall flavor. We weren't fans of the Smoked Turkey Breast since it was predictably dry and at parts, chewy. There probably was no way around this due to the lack of fat. However, it probably would've helped if they had sliced this thinly. We found this not smoky enough for our tastes and generally lacking in flavor. It was fine on the edges as the spice rub was good, but other than that, we had to douse it with BBQ sauce for moisture and flavor.
Although the Smoked Sausage was fairly tasty due to the fatty and juicy meat, the casing was too chewy for our tastes. It was hard to get through, even with a knife. As with the other meats, it was also appealingly smoky. The whole thing also included a loaf of white bread, onions, pickles and 2 types of BBQ sauces (one was peppery and sweet while the other was much more smoky and rich). We added beans, potato salad and coleslaw that were all okay, but nothing special. For dessert, we had a small Bourbon Banana Cream Pie which was pretty good. The crumbly, yet firm crust was buttery and held together. In the middle, the filling was creamy and dense being just sweet enough and aromatic. Overall, we quite enjoyed the brisket, ribs and pulled pork, yet not as enthused about the turkey and sausages. Despite what people might say, I still think if you are ever in Austin, it is worth checking out Franklin. The Good: - Dat brisket - Equally good ribs and pulled pork - Pre-order eliminates waiting for hours The Bad: - Turkey and sausages were meh - If you must eat in, the lineup is generally ridiculously long
After 2 back-to-back BBQ lunches to start our vacation in Texas, we were a little meated out. To top it off, we had dinner at Knife Steakhouse the first night and continued to eat more meat at Lonesome Dove the next. Hence, we really didn't eat lunch, giving way to kolaches at Czech Stop. For dinner, we wanted to go for something completely different. Even though we had the Chinese food urges, we refrained and decided to head to Odd Duck (on recommendation from Melody). Their take on farm-to-table cuisine sports some interesting menu items.
We arrived in time for happy hour and proceeded to order some of the specials including the Pretzel filled with shiitake chorizo and accompanied by masa mustard. This was pretty tasty with the unmistakeable pungent earthiness of shiitake combined with some spice. The pretzel itself was chewy and nicely spiced with fennel, caraway and sesame seeds. Finally, the mustard had a nice tang that helped brighten things up. Next, we had the Redfish Ceviche with tiger's milk, beets, olives, sweet potato curry and yam chips. The cumin from the curry really stood out and created aromatics to the dish. It was complimented nicely by the sweet and slightly tart beets (and the juices). I thought the fish was a little lost in this, but we didn't mind as the flavors were impactful.
One of my favorite items was the Muffaletta Pizza featuring house-made mortadella, olives, capers, brussel sprouts, onion and pistachio. Crispy and slightly chewy, the thin crust held up to the wealth of toppings. I particularly found the meaty mortadella to be almost sausage-like. It was complimented well by the tangy and salty olives and capers as well as the nuttiness from the pistachio. Although a fairly simple dish, the Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes were intensely tasty and delicious. They were caramelized to the point where the natural sugars were completely activated with depth and smokiness. It was served with whipped cajeta which made for an added layer of smoky sweetness while the pecan pork fat crumble afforded crunchy aromatics.
Yet another seemingly simple dish in the Roasted Beets resulted in layers of flavor that were pronounced. The beets themselves were tender with a bite being slightly earthy, but more tangy and sweet. Graced with a black bean mole that was thick and slightly spicy, there was also notes of chocolate and peppers. Combined with the residual beet juices, there was a great mix of sweet, tangy, spicy and umaminess. Adding crunch and just overall awesomeness, the fried cheese curds were a real treat. I found the Sunny Duck Egg with smoked duck, sweet potato tots, giardiniera and creamy buffalo sauce to be a bit hit and miss. The perfectly prepared egg was runny with tender egg whites, but the duck was a bit chewy. Loved the tanginess of the giardiniera as it helped lighten the dish.
Our last plate consisted of the Grilled Whole Jerk Quail with green tomato, toum and spiced cashew. Sporting nicely rendered and charred skin, the quail itself was well-seasoned and spiced. However, the brine was a little aggressive where the quail was rather salty. I thought the garlicky toum to be a good compliment to the quail as well as the tangy green tomato. Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Odd Duck due to the creative and composed dishes. Sure, some dishes had some hiccups, but they were not the norm.
The Good: - Interesting and creative dishes - Nice casual vibe - Down-to-earth service The Bad: - Not sure about the mandatory valet parking - Need to order lots to be full