Did you say pie-ro-gee? - Hill Country Pierogi Truck

I learned about the Hill Country Pierogi trailer from my roommate last fall. She really wanted to visit the new trailer and told me I should come with, so I could tell you wonderful people all about it.

Delicious new food? I’m there, but what the heck are pierogi?

The roomz described pierogi as a traditional Polish food, similar to ravioli, but in a half-moon shape, filled with potato and cheese and pan-fried in butter.

Potatoes, cheese, butter. It sounded like a Paula Deen dish all wrapped in a noodle- let's go.

A week or so later I saw that Hill Country Pierogi was having a Twitter contest for fans to send in pictures of the Austin skyline in exchange for free pierogi. Challenge accepted.

I sent in this pic I found on an 'ode to Austin' blogpost and won. Free food's always good.

The Austin version of Aurora Borealis.

Last weekend I finally went to redeem my prize.

Hill Country Pierogi truck off East 11th & Juniper

Not only did Brit & Rob remember my and my roommates names from months ago, but they were so incredibly nice and gave me plenty of time to flip flop between The Chorizo or the Traditional. The Texan in me went for The Chorizo. The roomie ordered The Bacon. And we threw in an order of The Apple Pie for good measure.

The Chorizo

These little guys smelled AMAZING. It was one of those times where you knew the food was going to be way too hot, but it was worth burning the roof of your mouth. The filling , a combination of ground chorizo, black beans, sautéed onions, chipotle and mashed potato, genius. The diced jalapeños and chipotle sour cream were great for me because I like spice. But the regular side of sour cream will bring down the heat if you want a milder flavor. 

I tried one of the bacon pierogies and liked it as much as mine, though it had a completely different flavor.

 

The Bacon

The caramelized onion added a sweetness to the savory cracked black peppercorn bacon and mashed potatoes. The peppercorn bacon crumble on top was a nice vittle between bites. 

After three delish dumplings I knew I had to stop so I could save room for The Apple Pie. 

The Apple Pie with SWEETENED WHIPPED MASCARPONE

Brit, Hill Country Pierogi co-founder and chef extraordinaire, brought out the apple pie and our mouths fell open. She made sure we knew that the heavenly little dollop of cream was not "just" butter, but homemade sweetened mascarpone cream. 

The apple pie filling is homemade and the whole pierogi is topped with dulce de leche drizzle and powdered sugar. The combination of the buttery dumpling with the deep-fried breading was a little heavy for me, but my favorite part of the dessert was the mascarpone. By the end I was snagging bites of it with a spoon. (Brit admitted she does this too which made me feel more normal.)

An order of 5 homemade pierogi is $7 which isn't a bad deal. Considering you'll probably take a couple home (or eat them in the car on the way back), it's almost two meals. The menu has a wide variety of choices and some vegetarian options as well.

The next time I go back I want to try the Traditional or the Kielbasa (Polish sausage) and The Blueberry for dessert. Yes, I've already planned my entire order.

On a side note, I just want to commend Brit and Rob on how quickly they've grown their business and settled in to the Austin food truck community. Their food is amazing, but they're also one of the most resourceful food truck operations I've seen. They ship, deliver and sell bulk quantities of their products and their menu is featured at the Longbranch Inn. 

You can read about Rob and Brit's full adventure from their "corporate" lives in New York to running their small business in Austin, and keep up-to-date on the trailer, on their blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

If you visit the trailer and try The Blueberry before I get a chance to, leave me a comment and tell me all about it!

Na zdrowie!

Mmm biscuits... - Biscuits + Groovy

WHO doesn't crave biscuits on a Sunday morning? (Especially after a late night of Halloween festivities?)

A couple weeks back I wanted to grab breakfast, but didn't feel like heading out of the comfort of my sweet Hyde Park surroundings. So, I did a quick Yelp search of "food trailer 78751" and the third listing down was "Biscuits + Groovy." I remembered that seasoned writer and foodie, Addie Broyles, had recommended the trailer via Twitter a few weeks back when I was looking for new trailers to try. A top recommendation plus a food trailer specializing in BISCUITS makes for a required visit.

We parked and were hit in the face by the smell of biscuits baking across the street (the Biscuits + Groovy site recommends you park in the Snappy Mart parking lot on the other side of 51st).

I tried to take pictures, but my phone wanted to take ultra-bright shots. I think it wanted to give an ethereal aura to the pictures because the biscuits were that good.

The menu has cute musically-inspired names for all the different biscuit plates- The Johnny Hash, The Gloria Gaynor, The M.C. Hammer - to name a few.

I decided on the M.C. Hammer because I was a little short on cash and it was only $4 for a biscuit, scrambled eggs, cheese and vegan bacon, I got white gravy on the side because I've never been a huge smother-your-food-in-gravy person. I went with the vegan bacon because I was trying to be a little healthier, but didn't like it so much. Unless you're vegan or vegetarian, I say just go with the real thing.

The scrambled eggs were fluffy and the cheddar cheese hit the spot. I took it easy on the gravy, I just wasn't feeling it that morning. The biscuit was lovely! It was warm, soft and had just the right amount of saltiness. It reminded me of the biscuits you'd get an authentic mom 'n pop comfort-food joint.

Again, the over-bright picture reflects the heavenly goodness.

I went back to Biscuits & Groovy the following Sunday because I didn't feel like I had fully experienced the groove of the trailer. (Sorry pun felt necessary.)

This time I went all out and ordered the Johnny Hash, vegan style. It comes with THREE halved, perfect biscuits, potatoes, (vegan) sausage, (vegan) bacon,(vegan) brown gravy, sprinkled with (vegan) cheddar cheese and chives on top . I think the biscuits alone make the meal, but the hash was pretty good.

Photo cred: @saholas

I don't know why I went with the vegan again against my own advice because I think the real deal tastes so much better. I know because I sampled my (clearly smarter) friend's dish. She ordered the orginial, Biscuits + Groovy with 3 halved biscuits, sausage, white pepper gravy and chives. The white gravy is ridiculous and I liked the real sausage better than the vegan. NOTE - I wouldn't recommend eating the whole boat of biscuits in one sitting because you'll leave feeling pretty heavy. We learned this lesson the hard way.
The wait at the trailer can be a little long, but just bring along your own coffee, sit back, sing along to ABBA and people watch. Time will fly.

Also, it seems like a pretty popular place for families with young kids. There were several cute moms wiping jelly off faces and dads in band tees sharing the perfect-for-sharing plates with the young'ins.

My overall recommendation is to not come starving because there WILL be a wait, order the real thing (if it's not against your food-lifestyle choices) and bring along a pal so you can try different dishes, toppings and fillings!

What's your favorite breakfast or brunch place around Austin? Comment below or tweet me, so I can try 'em out!

Biscuits + Groovy is off 51st and Duval, across the street from Snappy Mart. They offer vegetarian and vegan options. And they recycle! Hours are M-F 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and S&S 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

UPDATE: Since writing this, a friend of mine went to Biscuits + Groovy with her boyfriend when he came in town and my neighbor brought his parents when they visited from Wisconsin. They all raved about it! I love when friends help friends find good food. :)