I have something to share with you.

I love going to Austin!  It’s a quick flight or drive, there are some great vacation spots, I have fantastic clients there and the food scene is amazing.   I visited one of my favorite spots for breakfast and tried three new places, two of them recommended by one of my clients.

Ranch 616
I asked one of my client for a recommendation and he suggested Ranch 616.  It’s next to Star Bar and was a casual spot for me to have lunch. My dining companion at the bar(pictured below) was “dead” silent through the meal but the bartender who served me was super friendly. I ordered the Shrimp, Oaxaca cheese and poblano tamale with a side of tomatillo cream and guacamole.  Delicious, casual and a great price point that meant I had per diem left to splurge on dinner.

Odd Duck

I have been wanting to try Barley Swine for a while so when I found out Odd Duck was open and offered small plates I couldn’t resist. I was with a colleague that was open to ordering a bunch of items to share!  We ordered a roasted turkey leg that was an off menu special, the shrimp salad, the grilled bacon and the foie gras mousse. WOW!  . The bartender made great recommendations and  one of the partners(Jason) checked in to make sure we enjoyed our meal.  Everything was absolutely wonderful!

Gordough’s
Donuts.  Huge donuts.  With lots of flavors and toppings.  I decided after the wonderful meal I had just finished at Odd Duck to go simple.  I chose the Naughty & Nice, a donut with Sugar & Cinnamon.  Perfect to end the day but definitely too big for me to eat the whole thing.  Four bites and I was in a very happy place.

24 Diner
I decided to start my day in another “happy place”.  Chicken and Waffles.  Salty and Savory.  The perfect start to my day but a smaller portion to hold me until lunch.  24 Diner has so many awesome dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner but a cup of coffee and this dish puts me in a great mood for the whole day!

St. Philip Pizza Parlor + Bakeshop
I had high hopes for this restaurant.  Again, recommended by my client, I checked out the menu and there was one item that caught my eye.  The St. Philip Pizza – Clams, Fresh Ricotta, Garlic, Bacon Jam.  My colleague and I decided to share the pizza and shared the same opinion.  The pizza(crust) was great, the toppings- not so much.  The bacon jam was the dominant flavor, the ricotta was not generous enough and the clams were chopped and not very flavorful.  I had high hopes….maybe it was just an off day.