New Awlins Cafe Charms; Ode to Taco More's Posole

At The Chronicle, Virginia Wood visits New Awlins Cafe, a new Cajun spot from former New Orleans resident Aaron Hegger. The food is solid and flavorful with only a few missteps, and the friendly atmosphere makes up for the less traditional service. On the food: "All three of the sides we sampled bore the stamp of Louisiana authenticity: the robust chicken, sausage, and shrimp gumbo is based on a medium-dark roux with a nice cayenne back heat and plenty of meat; the étouffée is chock-full of tasty crawfish tails; and the red beans are creamy and redolent of andouille sausage." Hegger was known as the "Cajun Pie Man" back in New Orleans, and their pies are available to order. Wood hopes this North Austin spot will soon have "the larger clientele it deserves."

Earlier in the week, The Chronicle reposted Mick Vann's recent blog post about a visit to vaunted North Austin Mexican spot Taco More. Vann is a big Taco More fan in general, but his true love is their posole. "The 'medium' posole is just over five bucks and comes in a mini bathtub cradling a rich, aromatic, complex pork broth seasoned with dried red chiles; it has a little bit of zip to the taste, but is more about chile flavor than heat. This rich broth is loaded up with white hominy and easily a half pound of the most tender braised pork chunks you could ever want to slurp." The post contains a number of pictures in addition to the posole-ode, and his assessment doesn't vary much from his 2012 review.

THE BLOGS: Fed Man Walking Mike Sutter digs the fusion at Valentina's Tex-Mex BBQ, The Smoking Ho recaps the Texas Monthly Barbecue Fest, and South Austin Foodie recommends Dong Nai and Veracruz All Natural.
[Photo: Joe C./Yelp]
· 'Bon Temps' and Tasty Pies [Chronicle]
· Taco More Grabs Us with Goat Dishes [Chronicle]