Eater Austin - Catch Up On Eater Austin's Breakfast WeekThe Austin Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2016-02-20T09:00:04-06:00http://austin.eater.com/rss/stream/107801512016-02-20T09:00:04-06:002016-02-20T09:00:04-06:0018 Austin Chefs Reveal Their Standby Breakfast Spots
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<p>Many breakfast tacos.</p> <p>The first meal of the day is very important, and even chefs need to eat it. Keeping up <a href="http://austin.eater.com/breakfast-week">all-things breakfast</a>, Eater asked Austin chefs and restaurant owners for their favorite breakfast and brunch restaurants, running from Dai Due’s breakfast menu, diner dishes from Counter Cafe and many under-the-radar taco places, plus many of their standard orders. Read on for some breakfast inspiration.</p>
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<p><strong>Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue</strong><br> My go-to spot is <strong>Counter Cafe</strong>: a quiet place at the bar, watching some of the slickest line cooks around, eating steak and eggs with plenty of thunderbird hot sauce.</p>
<p><strong>Tatsu Aikawa, Ramen Tatsu-Ya</strong><br> <strong>Jim's Restaurant</strong>'s pork chop breakfast or a breakfast burrito from <b>Cocina de Consuelo</b>.</p>
<p><strong>Takuya Matsumoto, Ramen Tatsu-Ya</strong><br> <strong>Alma's Tacos</strong>: a trailer run by a lady named Alma. It's on Brodie Lane in South Austin. <strong>Taqueria Morales</strong>: another trailer off William Cannon. There's a little kid that takes the orders. He's pretty rad. <strong>Tierra Linda</strong>: located in a Shell gas station on Fairfield and Research. It's close to our north shop.</p>
<p><strong>Sarah McIntosh, Epicerie</strong><br> We do <strong>Tacodeli</strong> on Saturdays as a family. The Otto Taco is my favorite. And <strong>Olamaie</strong>’s Saturday brunch is amazing. The bourbon milk punch is possibly the best I’ve had.</p>
<p><strong>Rene Ortiz, Launderette</strong><br> <strong>Hotel Saint Cecilia</strong> is my favorite brunch spot. Chef Alex [Gates] makes me very happy and the hotel is the best in the city. <strong>Cenote</strong> and <strong>Counter Cafe</strong> are close runners-up.</p>
<p><strong>John Bates, Noble Sandwich Co.</strong><br> I really miss breakfast tacos from Corpus Christi, where I grew up, but going to my neighborhood restaurant <strong>Jardin Carona</strong> reminds me of home.</p>
<p><strong>Brandon Martinez, Noble Sandwich Co.</strong><br> The BOB (breakfast on a bun) from <strong>Whataburger</strong> with sausage and two picante sauce packages.</p>
<p><strong>Adam Jacoby, Jacoby’s</strong><br> When I want to treat myself, the family or the office to breakfast, my go-to spot is <strong>SH Donuts</strong> on 53rd and Manor. They are family-run and some of the sweetest people, and their doughnuts are hard to beat.</p>
<p><strong>Ben Siegel, Banger’s</strong><br> My favorite spot right now is <strong>Sawyer & Co</strong>. They have a great vibe, great food, and any place you can get boudin for breakfast is good in my book.</p>
<p><strong>Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher, Lenoir</strong><br> <strong>El Primo</strong> breakfast tacos rock, but they also have great breakfast tortas and the best hot sauce round. <strong>Dai Due</strong>’s breakfast and brunch is also wonderful if you have time to dine in. We love the pastries from <strong>Easy Tiger</strong>. And <strong>Tacos More</strong> on Riverside is great–be prepared to speak Spanish.</p>
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<p class="caption">Counter Cafe East. [Photo: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Fcounter-cafe-east-austin%3Fselect%3DwiVAeegdOhPFyUhBfAQ9ZA&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Faustin.eater.com%2F2016%2F2%2F20%2F11075174%2Faustin-chefs-favorite-breakfast-restaurants-brunch" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Victor W./Yelp</a>]</p>
<p><strong>James Robert, Fixe</strong><br> My wife and I really love <strong>Paperboy</strong>. I get the BEC, best breakfast sandwich ever. I also love the sweet toast, which is served with ricotta, tangerine marmalade, granola, and strawberry. What blew me away about the food here was how clean, crisp, and bright the flavors are. Incredible. They serve really great coffee, too.</p>
<p><strong>Evan LeRoy, Freedmen’s</strong><br> <strong>Paperboy</strong>: my new favorite for a simple, inventive, and approachable breakfast. It’s an amazing spot to eat outside on a nice day. <strong>Wholy Bagel</strong>: my favorite choice for excellent bagels in Austin. It also carries Manhattan Special coffee soda, which is the perfect complement. <strong>Kesos</strong> on South Congress and new location on MLK: delicious, big tacos. Excellent salsas and queso on everything.</p>
<p><strong>Andrew Curren, ELM Restaurant Group</strong><br> While my preference for breakfast is biscuits and gravy, I don’t usually wake up in time to roll them out. So for me, it's tough to beat a taco or two from <strong>Tacodeli</strong>. Always fresh, always consistent–from Spyglass Drive to Burnet Road.</p>
<p><strong>Kazu Fukumoto, Fukumoto</strong><br> <strong>Jack in the Box</strong> and the migas at <strong>Tamale House East</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>Shawn Cirkiel, Parkside Projects</strong><br> I’m old school with my breakfast. Mexican breakfast all the way. <strong>Joe’s Bakery</strong> on East 7th with the Joey Rocha plate or two sausage and egg tacos at <strong>La Canaria</strong> trailer at 51st and Airport.</p>
<p><strong>Jesse Griffiths, Dai Due</strong><br> I love tripas tacos from <strong>El Rico</strong> on South First. Also, fried plantains with beans and crema from <strong>El Zunsal</strong>. Chori-migas and potatoes from <strong>Habanero</strong> on Oltorf are fantastic. But the best thing is [<strong>Dai Due</strong> pastry chef] Abby's biscuit with a little strawberry jam.</p>
<p><strong>Andrew Wiseheart, Contigo</strong><br> <strong>Dai Due</strong> and <strong>Full English</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>Larry McGuire, McGuire Moorman Hospitality</strong><br>My daily breakfast routine at home is black coffee and cheerios with fresh berries. If I’m out and about,I grab a skim cappuccino and a green juice from <strong>Josephine House</strong> next to my office.</p>
https://austin.eater.com/2016/2/20/11075174/austin-chefs-favorite-breakfast-restaurants-brunchNadia Chaudhury2016-02-19T15:00:03-06:002016-02-19T15:00:03-06:009 Things to Expect When Brunch Nirvana Snooze Opens
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<figcaption>Snooze in San Diego | <a href='https://www.facebook.com/Snooze.Official.Page/photos/pb.64473148816.-2207520000.1455913878./10153942649548817/?type=3&theater'>Snooze/Facebook</a></figcaption>
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<p>Fish sauce Bloody Marys and pineapple pancakes.</p> <p>Denver <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/4/16/8421947/denver-s-snooze-is-bringing-all-day-brunch-to-austin">brunch contender</a> <strong>Snooze</strong> is set to make <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2016/1/12/10751358/austin-new-restaurants-openings-winter-2016">its first</a>, and then second Texas appearances this year along Lamar Boulevard. Here is what Eater knows about the breakfast-obsessed chain’s Austin plans so far.</p>
<p><strong>1)</strong> Snooze <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/11/9/9698610/austin-brunch-snooze-north-lamar-open-march">had to push back</a> its March <a href="https://twitter.com/SnoozeAMEatery/status/717471720139923456">opening date</a> to <s>April Wednesday, May 4</s> to <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2016/4/21/11481268/snooze-south-lamar-open-north-lamar-delay">an undetermined date</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2)</strong> There will be two Snoozes in Austin: <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/4/22/8467819/more-details-on-brunch-loving-snooze-s-austin-expansion">one</a> on North Lamar, with neighbors Charmeleon Group’s <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/11/5/9676156/chameleon-group-wu-chow-swifts-attic-open-new-restaurant">third restaurant</a> in the Lamar Central building, and then another <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/5/18/8620475/brunch-only-snooze-adds-second-location-on-south-lamar">across the river</a> on South Lamar, which <s>should open sometime in the summer</s> is <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2016/4/21/11481268/snooze-south-lamar-open-north-lamar-delay">opening</a> before the end of May.</p>
<p><strong>3)</strong> The restaurant will work with Austin food vendors like Vital Farms (providing free range eggs), Good Flow Honey, and Dripping Springs Vodka (and gin).</p>
<p><strong>4)</strong> The menus don’t differ between locations, so diners can expect "creative twists on classic breakfast dishes," according to a rep. This means pineapple upside down pancakes, breakfast pot pie, and many different variations on eggs Benedict, including a chilaquiles one made with barbacoa and tortillas.</p>
<p><strong>5)</strong> Cocktails will include the mouthful Mmm Mmm Mimosa made with <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/11/12/9723242/infinite-monkey-theorem-winery-austin-open-november">similarly expanded Denver import</a> Infinite Monkey Theorem's sparkling wine on tap, the Snooze Fashioned with local bourbon, and the Bangkok Mell, a Bloody Mary made with fish sauce and Sriracha.</p>
<p><strong>6)</strong> The usual nonalcoholic drinks will be available, like coffee, juices, and Maine Root sodas.</p>
<p><strong>7)</strong> It will be table service <s>only, unlike other locations which include counter service</s> and counter service, too.</p>
<p><strong>8)</strong> Hours will be from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.</p>
<p><strong>9)</strong> Snooze is also expanding to Houston, <a href="http://houston.eater.com/2015/7/1/8877095/snooze-to-open-in-montrose-beignets-are-back">debuting</a> in May or June.</p>
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https://austin.eater.com/2016/2/19/11071280/snooze-brunch-restaurant-austin-factsNadia Chaudhury2016-02-19T14:30:02-06:002016-02-19T14:30:02-06:00Austin’s Bartenders Share Their Go-To Hangover Drinks
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<figcaption>Isla's Painkiller | <a href='https://www.facebook.com/islaatx/photos/pb.760125490728963.-2207520000.1455911329./963496803725163/?type=3&theater'>Isla/Facebook</a></figcaption>
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<p>Restore yourself with booze.</p> <p><a href="http://austin.eater.com/breakfast-week">Breakfast Week</a> of course includes brunch, and with that weekend meal comes plenty of drinks. While there are always Bloody Marys to help cure those inevitable lingering hangovers from drinking the night before, there are other drinks out there. Eater asked local bartenders and owners for the cocktails they reach for to get rid of that headache, perfect for brunch. Here are their <strong>cocktail hangover cures</strong>.</p>
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<p><u>Jennifer Keyser’s Americano</u><br> 1 oz Campari<br> 1 oz Sweet Vermouth<br> Topped off with soda water<br> Garnished with a slice of orange</p>
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<p><strong>Jennifer Keyser, Geraldine’s</strong><br> My favorite hangover cure cocktail is definitely an Americano. It's low proof and an aperitif, so it gives you just enough hair of the dog to make you feel better, but not so much that you get buzzed again. It also has soda water and bubbles make you feel so much better after a long night.</p>
<p><strong>Josh Loving, Small Victory</strong><br> Painkiller: Orange juice for vitamin C., pineapple for my vitamin C, electrolytes and anti-inflammatory nutrient, coconut cream for more electrolytes and good saturated fats for the brain, Lots of rum for the hair of the dog, and it's like a smoothie.</p>
<p><strong>Chris Bostick, Half Step</strong><br> Why, a Michelada of course. I prefer mine with no tomato juice, made only with beer, fresh lime, good Mexican hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ice, and a salted rim. Can't be shy with the ingredients either. It's nice for a hangover as it doesn't have as much booze as a Bloody Mary. That being said, if by chance you are in need of more booze, a shot of tequila in the Michelada is a perfect way to turn the volume up a little bit. But not too much. Remember, there's a hangover creeping around here.</p>
<p><strong>Justin Lavenue, Roosevelt Room</strong><br> I'm a fan of taking a full shot of Angostura bitters to the face. It cures an upset stomach (which I always have after a night of long night of drinking, since I most certainly had 3 a.m. pizza, even if I don't remember doing so) and it slaps you awake. That hair of the werewolf will turn you back into a human that morning, so that you howl at the moon again that night.</p>
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<p><u>Jessica Sanders’ Absinthe Frappe</u><br> 1.5 oz Absinthe<br> .5 oz simple syrup<br> 8 mint leaves<br> 3 oz soda water, like Topo Chico (the fizzier, the better!<br> Gently muddle the mint with the simple syrup. Add your absinthe and some crushed ice and give it a swizzle. Top it off with some soda water and a little more crushed ice. If you’re feeling extra fancy, garnish with additional mint.</p>
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<p><strong>Jessica Sanders, Drink.Well, </strong><a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/12/17/10407132/drinkwell-backbeat-open-sxsw-2016-renderings">forthcoming</a><strong> Backbeat</strong><br> Recovering from a hangover requires something bright and bracing. I love a classic Absinthe Frappe as a mid-morning pick-me-up. Broadly speaking, this is just a mojito that substitutes the rum for absinthe. It’s strong enough to put a swift kick in your step but refreshing, icy and easy to make when your brain may still be a bit foggy. An approachable absinthe is best here—Tennyson Absinthe or Herbsaint Legendre are mild, affordable and relatively easy to find on most liquor store shelves.</p>
<p><strong>Miguel Lopez, Isla</strong><br> I love drinking a paloma because grapefruit wakes up the senses, the fresh lime kickstarts the stomach, and the tequila ensures your day will get better. I also like what I like to call the San Antonite—Jamaican rum to kickstart the mental faculties, fresh lime for digestion, jalapeño honey for the sinuses, and bitters because it’s what the doctor ordered.</p>
<p><strong>Rob Pate, Péché and Isla</strong><br> The Corpse Reviver #2. It’s an old school drink that’s delicious and potent.</p>
<p><strong>Jason Stevens, La Corsha Hospitality Group</strong><br> We do a off-menu hangover cocktail at Second Bar called the Seaward. It’s a little bit of high flavor gin with Aperol, raspberry Emergen-C, grapefruit, lime, and Peychaud’s bitters. It’s really quite delicious.</p>
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<p><u>Jason Stevens’ Seaward</u><br> .5 oz High flavor gin (such as St. George Terroir, Hendricks works here, too)<br> 1 oz Aperol<br> 1.5 oz grapefruit juice .25 oz lime<br> 1 easy dash Peychaud’s<br> 1 packet of Raspberry Emergen-C<br> Build all ingredients in a collins glass, then stir to combine. Make sure the Emergen-C has fully dissolved into the other liquids. Fill Collins glass with a ton of crushed ice, pack it in tight. If you can handle being upright for a few more seconds, garnish with a grapefruit peel.</p>
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<p><strong>Justin Elliott, The Townsend</strong><br> I'm a huge fan of the Corpse Reviver #2 (so named for its place in a series of other "corpse revivers," all purported to have restorative powers, though looking at the other surviving cocktails in that broadly-defined family, I don't think most of them would make for particularly satisfying hangover drinking). The Corpse Reviver #2 is equal parts gin, lemon juice, Cointreau, and Kina Lillet (though I advise you to use Cocchi Americano in lieu of the much milder modern version of Lillet, which lacks the bracing quinine bitterness of the historical Kina Lillet) and a dash or two of absinthe (I'm partial to Tenneyson here). Shake it hard, drink it fast. It's refreshing and light and cheerful, but still capable of cutting the fog pretty quickly. I've also been known to nurse myself back to strength with a pint of Guinness on more than one occasion. For particularly persistent hangovers you may consider sneaking a little mild Irish whiskey into that pint, too.</p>
<p>And of course, black coffee and a shot of Fernet Branca.</p>
https://austin.eater.com/2016/2/19/11067368/hangover-cures-cocktails-austin-bartendersNadia Chaudhury2016-02-19T14:00:02-06:002016-02-19T14:00:02-06:00Gaze At All The Different Doughnuts
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<p>So many types.</p> <p>Learn <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyxujOBjP4s">about almost every single type</a> of <strong>doughnut</strong> possible with Eater's new video dedicated to the sweet treat for <a href="http://austin.eater.com/breakfast-week">Breakfast Week</a>. There are the basics, like sugar-coated, vanilla bean, glazed, to the more out-there ones like maple bacon, croissant doughnut, and even French toast. Still want more doughnuts? Grab Voodoo Doughnut's <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2016/2/15/10998632/voodoo-doughnut-eater-breakfast-week-special">special Eater blueberry cake one</a> available only this week, or <a href="http://austin.eater.com/maps/best-austin-doughnuts">check out</a> these other doughnut destinations.</p>
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https://austin.eater.com/2016/2/19/11069416/doughnut-videoNadia Chaudhury2016-02-19T11:00:06-06:002016-02-19T11:00:06-06:00How Austin Became the Home of the Crucial Breakfast Taco
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<figcaption>Tacodeli's breakfast tacos | <a href='https://www.facebook.com/tacodeli/photos/pb.103086104448.-2207520000.1455894645./10152196556674449/?type=3&theater'>Tacodeli/Facebook</a></figcaption>
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<p>There are few things you are required to eat in order to claim you’ve actually experienced Austin food culture. There’s the <a href="%E2%80%9Chttp://austin.eater.com/maps/best-barbecue-austin-restaurants%E2%80%9D">world-renowned barbecue scene</a>, which tempts food connoisseurs across the globe to take a detour through, as well as the <a href="%E2%80%9Chttp://austin.eater.com/maps/best-kolaches-austin%E2%80%9D">largely underrated kolaches</a> that represent the <a href="%E2%80%9Chttp://www.eater.com/2016/2/15/10981356/kolache-texas-czech-pastry%E2%80%9D">Czech immigrant population</a>. Quite possibly the most necessary dish to check off on the culinary passport for your trip in the Lone Star capital, however, is the breakfast taco.</p> <p>"‘Breakfast tacos’ has that classic Tex Mex formula," said Texas food writer <b>Robb Walsh</b>. "In that one word is English and one word is Spanish."</p>
<div class="float-right hang-right"><q class="pullquote">Austin is the birthplace of the <em>phrase</em> breakfast taco. </q></div>
<p>Like most foods in the Tex Mex pantheon, the breakfast taco was born out of cross-pollinating Mexican culture with Anglo-Germanic ingredients that were available in Texas. The recipe is simple: take a tortilla, and stuff with desired breakfast ingredients—eggs, processed yellow cheese, pork, etc. For Austinites of all backgrounds, this <a href="http://austin.eater.com/maps/best-breakfast-tacos-austin">iconic breakfast</a> has become a cheap, go-to necessity.</p>
<p>"It’s pretty much a cross-section of America," <b>Roberto Espinosa</b> <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2014/12/19/7417911/beloved-austin-mini-chain-tacodeli-plans-to-expand-across-texas">of Austin’s</a> <strong>Tacodeli</strong> said about his usual clientele. "The college kids love them for the same reasons I did growing up. It’s a pretty democratic taco—come one come all kind of thing."</p>
<p>Taco makers and food experts alike concur that the breakfast taco’s origins lie in the kitchens of immigrant Mexican families living in Texas. Like rice and bread in Eastern and Western cultures respectively, the tortilla proved to be the foundation for much of Mexican cuisine, an ever-present edible utensil for those at the table to use when digging into their grub.</p>
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<p class="caption">Breakfast tacos from Tacodeli (top), Tacodeli co-owners Roberto Espinosa and Eric Wilkerson (bottom). [Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tacodeli/photos/pb.103086104448.-2207520000.1455894695./10152126946939449/?type=3&theater">Tacodeli/Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tacodeli/photos/pb.103086104448.-2207520000.1455894505./10153803197114449/?type=3&theater">Tacodeli/Facebook</a> (wrapped), Robert J. Lerma (owners)]</p>
<p>"Tortillas were used for everything—it was a staple," said <b>Diana Vasquez-Valera</b>, one of the founding members of Austin’s <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2014/3/31/6251867/watch-this-1999-documentary-about-tamale-house">family-run institution</a> <strong>Tamale House</strong>, about the meals she ate growing up in home. "It was just a natural flow for our mother to try to make it creative and try to make it delicious."</p>
<p>While its conceptual origin has been definitively established, the the breakfast taco’s transition from family kitchen to the commercial arena isn’t so clear cut. Robert Walsh claims that records point to Corpus Christi during in the 1950s as the first instance of the iconic breakfast’s existence, known then as the "breakfast taquito." But Austin, according to Walsh, is the birthplace of the <em>phrase</em> breakfast taco, and thus the original catalyst for its widespread, and originally unexpected popularity.</p>
<p>"Breakfast tacos began when they were sold to the public, and they became—not an overnight sensation, but a novelty, a delicioso concept," said Vasquez-Valera.</p>
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<p class="caption">Diana Vasquez-Valera of Tamale House East. [Photo: Robert J. Lerma/EATX]</p>
<p>The elder stateswoman of Austin’s breakfast taco scene said that her family initially didn’t think there was much hope for commercial success with the breakfast tacos that were served in their own home. This was largely because the idea of the largely Anglo population in Austin having an appetite for this Mexican-inspired dish wasn’t a strong likelihood in the ’80s. However, her father Anthony Vasquez took a trip to California, which ignited the drive to <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/1/29/7947777/beloved-breakfast-classic-tamale-house-is-austins-most-missed-shutter">establish</a> the first Tamale House. She explained that Mexican restaurants were typically sit-down, but on the West Coast, her father saw dinky to-go stands with vendors hawking tacos to passersby.</p>
<div class="float-right"><q class="pullquote">It's our version of soul food: good for the soul</q></div>
<p>Adopting this fast food philosophy to the Tex Mex flavors, the Vasquez family set up Tamale House, with the first of several family-run branches being on First Street and Congress Avenue, where customers could order tamales and tacos for breakfast at extremely low prices. (Currently, however, only the Tamale House East location on East 6th Street, nowadays run by Valera-Vasquez’s nieces and nephews, remains after Tamale House owner and family patriarch Robert Vasquez <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2014/4/28/6234737/tamale-house-owner-robert-vasquez-dies-restaurants-future-is-unclear">passed away</a> in 2014, <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2014/5/5/6230159/tamale-house-to-shutter-permanently-after-owners-death">which lead</a> to the restaurant’s shutter.)</p>
<p>Since Tamale House’s inception, the popularity of the breakfast taco and taquerias has enjoyed a meteoric rise throughout Austin. Dozens of taquerias populate the city, catering to both locals and visitors. Transplants to non-Texan cities and some of those in the latter category even brought the dish outside of Texas. Nowadays, you can find this staple in almost any food-minded major metropolitan city.</p>
<p>"[The breakfast taco] was etched in the public's imagination by South by Southwest, by journalists from all over the country, coming to Austin, going to Tamale House #3 or one of those places, getting flour tortilla with scrambled eggs and bacon and salsa and maybe beans, maybe not, probably cheese, and discovering this is incredible," said Walsh. "So the word went out, and in <a href="http://ny.eater.com/2016/2/16/11023780/nyc-best-mexican-breakfast">Brooklyn</a> and <a href="http://la.eater.com/maps/breakfast-tacos-los-angeles">L.A.</a>, you can get Austin-style breakfast tacos."</p>
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<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Ftamale-house-austin%3Fselect%3DJZR48Ubi2EUFm3GF0NkQEQ&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Faustin.eater.com%2F2016%2F2%2F19%2F11060078%2Fbreakfast-taco-austin-history" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Marshall J./Yelp</a></cite>
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<p class="caption">The original Tamale House. [Photo: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Ftamale-house-austin%3Fselect%3DJZR48Ubi2EUFm3GF0NkQEQ&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Faustin.eater.com%2F2016%2F2%2F19%2F11060078%2Fbreakfast-taco-austin-history" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Marshall J./Yelp</a>]</p>
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<p>With Austin’s popularity as a hip home for the millennial generation, the local food culture has evolved to accommodate the culture. Breakfast tacos have been no exception to this development. <b>Armando Rayo</b>, co-author of <em>Austin Breakfast Tacos</em> and <a href="http://austin.eater.com/2015/4/1/8326301/the-taco-journalism-guys-will-publish-a-second-tex-mex-manifesto">forthcoming</a> <em>The Tacos of Texas</em>, explained that while the classic flour tortilla, egg, bacon, and cheese maintains its status as the Austin class, imaginations can run wild with all the possible Frankensteinian combinations that are classified as breakfast tacos: corn tortillas instead of flour (part in the conquest for authenticity, part for those looking for a gluten-free option); untraditional, vegan-friendly fillings such as tofu and roasted vegetables for those on the meat-free diet; even your classic food-coma-inducing breakfast of steak and eggs has a tortilla-wrapped version of itself.</p>
<p>But in the end, all interviewed for this article agreed that a breakfast taco is a breakfast taco, so long as it adheres to the utmost important word: breakfast.</p>
<p class="end">"The breakfast taco, it's the thing you can have whenever you wake up," said Rayo. "7 a.m., 2 p.m.—it's basically one of the things that gets you started in the morning. In our area, it's our version of soul food: good for the soul."</p>
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https://austin.eater.com/2016/2/19/11060078/breakfast-taco-austin-historyMatthew Sedacca