Half Cajun. Half TexMex. Half Southern.
And yet it all adds up.
I treated the unofficial contest winner from "Bess, I hear you callin'... " (December '09) to Red's Porch today... nothing says "Congratulations!" like a meal at a place picked solely so I can blog about it.
I was intrigued by the new math of their slogan so I went for the trifecta - a dish from each genre... sorta. See the whole menu has things that are reminiscent of the three types, but they subtly blend and morph into one type. A good type. So just go with me on this.
Mexican: Goat Cheese Jalapeno Poppers hand stuffed with roasted garlic, bacon and thyme. They may have been hand stuffed, but as far as I could tell it was only with goat cheese. It came with a fun green goddess type sauce that was almost too subtle if the pepper was too spicy. Still very good for a fried cheese stuffed treat, but I'll try something else next time. (Unofficial Contest Winner* got the South Texas Traditional Enchiladas and they were just that. Rice was different, pretty sticky, I didn't taste the beans. He said you can't hide your lack of talent in a cheese enchilada so it's his litmus test. They passed.)
Cajun: Shrimp Po-Boy with friend shrimp, red onion, lettuce, tomato and Cajun tarter sauce. Oh my. This was yummy. The shrimp was that perfect crispy fried, not the too much batter fried. Everything was super fresh and I don't know what Cajun tarter sauce really is, but it was goooood. And the fries! Good lord! I try not to eat fries; white potato + frying = bad for you. But I do like to taste them... and I tasted way more than I needed to today. Crispy outside, fluffy inside and with a spicy Parmesan something something going on. Mmmmm-mmmmm!
Southern: Fried Snickers. Funnel cake battered with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce. You can't get more white-trash than that. And I won't be getting that white-trash again. Ever.
Top it off with a local 512 brew... only because I didn't see the super-happy-fun-time drink menu... and it was quite an afternoon. It could have only been better if the weather had cooperated - their upper deck is worth being mentioned in the name.
Just don't ask them to do math.
Red's Porch
3508 South Lamar
Austin, Texas 78704
512.440.REDS
* not his real name
I've got to stop reading these at 7:30 in the morning. . . I'll be thinking about that shrimp all day!
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