Fed Man Walking Saunters To Sala & Betty and Salt & Time For More Burgers

Both the Statesman and Chronicle took a week off from reviewing, so let’s take a slightly deeper dive into what’s going on in the food blogosphere. First, Fed Man Walking’s Mike Sutter hit up Sala & Betty as part of his 100 Austin Burgers series. After waxing nostalgic about the chef’s French predecessor, Aquarelle, he finds the casual spot’s burger a worthy dish to carry the mantle:

Like you’d expect from [chef] Theresa Wilson’s kitchen, it’s a complete sensory package of peppered savory lushness, sharp acid and elegant sweetness. On a bun.

Apparently feeling the ampersand this week, Sutter also checks out Salt & Time. It's where he encounters a butcher shop burger that earns its hefty price tag:

[A]dd a big slice of n’duja Tejano for $3 and the flavor landscape changes dramatically. Salt & Time’s n’duja—a broad category of spreadable salumi—is like a chorizo homage to the shop’s East Side environment, a hot and glossy turbo-boost for a mild-mannered burger. At $14 with fries, plus $1 for deli Swiss cheese and $3 for the n’duja, that’s $18. But it works hard for the money.

Forks Up checks out the spring menu at Olamaie in a successful effort to show Austin’s more unique and special restaurants to an out-of-town guest. She orders the chicken served with chicken fat rice, which left a lasting impression:

The chicken was wonderfully moist and flavorful and the chicken fat rice is something I still dream about. It was rich and dense with umami.

OTHER BLOGS — Fearless Captivations declares that Stiles Switch has some of the best barbecue on offer in Austin; Lazy Smurf finds vegan pho nirvana at Pho Please.