I tend to favor the Austin Java on 12th and Lamar. I prefer their outdoor wooden porch (you know, the one where the crazy long-haired guy sits at everyday to shew away birds- gotta love him), and I feel like it's a bit brighter than the 2nd st. location. Sure, Austin Java is no Eddie V's, but for what it is, it's flawless. No one can argue that they want lunch when you're craving eggs, because truthfully, they have it all. Courteously crafted coffees, perfect pancakes, seamless sandwiches, plentiful pastas, and surplus of soups, salads, and sides makes this place the popular spot it has become. You want garlic mashed potatoes, a Thai sesame noodle salad, and spinach and goat cheese quesadillas? Go for it. Why not?
If you're like me, you will always crave both breakfast and lunch if it's offered so when I walk into Austin Java, it goes something like this: I anxiously stare at their familiar food board for over ten minutes as the barista says through her eyes, "Hurry up and order you fickle freak." My rude and argumentative taste buds don't care about the line forming behind me though as they yell at each other, 'Pancakes! No, pasta! Pancakes! No, pasta! Pancakes! Ahh!,' so I usually (and gluttonously), order both. What can I say? Sometimes I feel as though I cannot live without eating breakfast food while I'm simultaneously craving a creamy mushroom pesto pasta. And presto, pesto, at Austin Java, it's thankfully okay to get both. Don't worry, I'm usually good at sharing, but I do have trouble giving up bites of one meal in particular, and though I might stray from it every now and then like a girl cheating on her hairdresser, I always come crawling back for another juicy cut.
My go-to that I speak of is the toasted sesame chicken sandwich paired with the African peanut soup. I usually shy away from menu items that have red healthy-heart images next to them thinking that the red heart looks more like a stop sign for bad food, but I thought I'd give this sandwich a fair shot. And are you kidding me? This sandwich is outrageous. On the menu it's described as a "low-fat Asian treat- sprouts, green onions, greens, fat-free mayo, and peanuts in a tangy-fat free sesame sauce on a whole wheat bun." By the first bite I was hooked. The bun is better than any athletes'. I felt as though I dove into the pores of a sponge, bouncing gleefully up and down in its fluffy wheat layers. The tangy sesame peanut sauce flirted with me so much that I giggled every time I returned the sandwich to its plate. The sprouts made me feel like I was surfing on each stem as I emerged from this euphoric ocean more refreshed than the bite before. Then there's the complimentary African peanut soup. What looks to be a thick bisque topped with raw peanuts, has more of an in-between consistency of broth and bisque together. Some days it's a little spicier than others (I like it less-spicy), but its always the right fit. The price fits too. Generally speaking, everything is less than 10 bucks, but if you get a full meal, a drink, and add a small tip to the order window for delivery and clean up, you should expect to pay around $12-15 total. Oh, and lastly, I am happy to report that I have converted three others to my favorite lunch and I hope you get a chance to try it too!
Honorable mentions: The turkey burger, grilled chicken penna pasta, spinach and goat cheese quesadillas.
Things to avoid: the single egg side (it's just so small and sad), the grilled tuna salad- it was just OK, the veggie sandwich (kinda greasy and not light like a veggie sandwich should be).
No comments:
Post a Comment