Austin Monthly Discovers Actually Great Vegan Baked Goods at Zucchini Kill

Madeline Hollern of Austin Monthly visited vegan bakery Zucchini Kill this week and was pleasantly surprised. Despite previous trauma caused by vegan queso at a different restaurant, she found that the North Loop bakery’s baked goods rivaled their non-vegan counterparts.

Hollern recommended the cream coffins (“a craveable update on the Twinkie”) and the zucchini carrot cupcake (“perfect texture and flavor”), though she found the black raspberry cupcake “a bit dry.” She was surprised to find that after sampling several sweets, she didn’t have a stomachache:

Although these sweets taste similar to the Hostess and Little Debbie classics of my youth, the ingredient list printed on every package — with items like organic sugar, chickpea flour, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar — reminds me how times have changed.

Austin Monthly critic Darcie Duttweiler was less pleased with her visit to Phoebe’s Diner. Though service was “warm” (but a bit slow) and the South Austin diner’s atmosphere was “cozy,” her brunch dishes were a mixed bag.

Her appetizer of fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese was “perfect Southern way to kick off the meal.” However, her fried chicken with goat cheese grits, while delicious, was difficult to eat. Her companion also had qualms:

My companion immediately gravitates toward the omelet of the day — with smoked beets and goat cheese — and is disappointed by overcooked and rubbery eggs. Thankfully his fluffy buttermilk flapjack side turns that frown upside down.

In lieu of a review this week, Jessi Cape at the Chronicle published a list of most-craved dishes around town. Coming in first was the tom yam chicken noodle soup from Xian Sushi & Noodle, with Cape noting “the hand-pulled noodles push this one to the top.” Newcomers Le Politique, Eldorado Cafe, and Honest Mary’s nabbed spots on the list, while Cape also mourned the loss of Bonhomie’s brisket-stuffed croissant.

THE BLOGS: So Much Life blog found authentic Italian at Andiamo, ATXFoodies was pleasantly surprised by Royal Jelly.

• Restaurant Review: Zucchini Kill [Austin Monthly]
• Restaurant Review: Phoebe’s Diner [Austin Monthly]
• Top 10 Constant Cravings [Chronicle]
• All Coverage of Zucchini Kill [EATX]
• All Coverage of Phoebe’s Diner [EATX]