Looks like Dallas-based Mooyah is going to try the Austin market…again, according to this Austin Business Journal article. They had a location at 183 & Burnet that did not last too long and closed maybe a year ago. The one time I tried it did not entice me to return. Seems like a 5 Guys clone more or less.
Disturbing note from the article:
their hamburger patties are made from 100 percent fresh lean American beef
Hmmm, lean beef is not a good sign!
Top Notch is now serving tater tots! Fried okra is another one of their new sides.
Top Notch Tots!
TMZ is on the case with Jesse James, claiming that his Cisco Burger is “kicking ass” and he’s going to open one of them in “his new hometown” of Austin…full story
Some important changes are afoot at Top Notch. They are now open Sundays! They now accept credit cards! And they have a new website (although it took forever to load for me…details)! Good stuff. “Like” them on Facebook while you are at it.
Just read that a second location for Elevation Burger is finally in the works at Northcross Mall, near Dos Batos. Had heard this was coming quite some time ago, but could find no evidence of progress. Finally there is some activity, and the Elevation website lists 2525 Anderson Lane as “Coming Fall 2010″, so it’s official. Elevation is a good chain in my opinion–fresh beef, cheddar cheese, no extra charge for any of their many toppings (including grilled onions), and tasty fresh fries.
New burger place open downtown for late night scarfing. All I know is what is in a press release, it’s outside my travel zone and hours zone. Only open Thursday through Sunday from 8:00 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. “100% Angus beef with West-coast style and an Austin attitude.” Located at 201 West Fifth Street.
Finally made it out to the HOPE Farmers Market on Sunday to cash in my Max Parfait LunchDeal coupon. Overall, tasty burger, cooked well (still pink–see pix below) and good fries. The bun is homemade and is nicely toasted on the grill (exterior bun grill marks is a major plus). The burger patty is thick but not huge–I found the burger size to be just right–and is laced with some herbs, as you can see in the cross section picture below. Had a good flavor. I’m generally not a fan of mixing stuff into the meat before cooking, but this worked well. Nothing overpowering in the spices. The beef is cooked over pecan wood, which is a plus. I got the cheeseburger (with cheddar, of course), which I recommend, but was a bit taken aback by the $1 surcharge for cheese (seems a tad steep, but I imagine it’s quality cheese).
Fries are called “Belgian Fries”. Not clear on what makes a fry Belgian (I did find some info at belgianfries.com, of all places, but no way to know if this is authoritative), but these were delicious, had a slightly sweet taste to me, and were seasoned with just the right amount of salt. They fry them in olive oil.
On the downside, it took a long time to get our food, but it’s a small trailer and of course everything is made to order, so it takes a while. And the HOPE Farmers Market was not the most inviting environment on a hot August day. Dusty hot surroundings. Unkempt Austin Hippies wandering about, Yoga occurring inside one of the unconditioned spaces, incense wafting from another, etc. There was a pleasant band playing there, which was a plus, but I found the farmers market very run down feeling, and hot, and dusty, and…hot. Maybe it’s more pleasant during the spring at the height of the produce season.
Oh yeah, also sampled the portabella sandwich, was good.
So, would definitely eat at Max Parfait again. Would love to see them land in a Brick and Mortar location with some air conditioning! Currently, you can find the Max Parfait trailer at the Barton Creek Farmers Market on Saturdays, and the HOPE Farmers Market on Sundays. Check their website for the latest details or follow them on twitter. Hopefully they can aim that trailer up north during the weekdays.
The Trailer
The Setting (Hot)
The Veggies
The Band (they were good!)
The Menu
The Fries (Delicious)
The Fries (Detail)
The Burger (note bun scrapage from over-grilling)
The Burger (with Cheddar)
The Burger (Cross Section)
The Portabella Sandwich
Max Parfait is featured on todays Lunch Deal. $7 gets you $14 worth of food. Go to maxparfait.com to get a promo code to drop the price to $1. Only the first 100 get one, so hurry!
I have yet to try them, but the burgers and fries sound great. This coupon is enough to send me South to give it a whirl. Looking forward to it.
Just learned of yet another trailer that sounds like it has the makings of a great burger and fries. I have yet to experience any trailer grub because I am just never in South Austin, where most of this trailer explosion seems to be occurring. Max Parfait may entice me to head south. Full details at their site, but the quick summary: wood-fired grill (this is one key to taking a burger from good to great), all-natural beef, homemade bun, fresh hand-cut “belgian” fries cooked in olive oil (a la Elevation), cane sugar sodas. Sounds like a winning combination to me (no mention of cheddar though).
Yes, WE HAVE CHEDDAR! We’re also working on finding a local source for our cheddar, which will make it even better…
Also, since we’re in a truck, we’ll be getting mobile in a week or so to take our burgers throughout the city…stay tuned
Fantastic! Looking forward to giving it a try.
Sounds like great stuff.
In the meantime: I wish someone would make a real grilled chicken sandwich in town that wasn’t either… 1) a pre-frozen big chunk (sorry Top Notch) or… 2) ground like beef, which just doesn’t work for a primo chickenburger (sorry P. Terry’s). Something thin, pounded out a bit like a really good CFS should be, but grilled to perfection, weight-wise on the lighter side, just a bit of protein… chickenburger folks don’t need some big slab o’ meat… they are not big eaters, they need to save some space for the fries….
Okay Burger Nation, I know this may not be the right arena to put this out there, but I don’t know of a Chicken Burger News blog….!
thanks for listening.
signed,
The Burger News Guy’s brother
Heh heh, good luck, hermano. Surely there will be a grilled chicken trailer somewhere soon. In the meantime, you might consider jumping back to the red-meat side…you never know.
BNG’s Bro- great news! We’re going to have a pulled chicken bbq sandwich in a couple of weeks to round out our menu…fire grilled chicken & homemade bbq sauce on a homemade bun…it’s fantastic. We’ll let you know when it’s ready to be fired up!
you should try our “don ho” sandwhich (chicken breast) at Your Mom’s Burger Bar. http://www.yourmoms.net
Max Parfait 9:42 am on August 31, 2010 Permalink |
Hey Chris…thanks for making down to see us. It sounds like we didn’t bring our “A” game for you. I’m really sorry about that. We’re still working out some kinks, and hopefully your next visit can be a big improvement.
Regarding the cheese, yes, it is a premium aged cheddar…a little pricier, but I think it’s well worth it for the flavor it gives the burger.
We’ll keep our eyes open for potential locations up north…please say hello next time you stop by!
Chris 1:50 pm on August 31, 2010 Permalink |
No worries, everything tasted great. Will be back, but might try the Barton Creek farmers market next time 😉
Tim 5:50 pm on June 24, 2011 Permalink |
Would you have any idea on how to get a hold of the old 2Js special sauce?