The Noble Pig

Finally! I was so excited to try The Noble Pig last week. After hearing about it from a friend, food network, everywhere in Austin and from my brother about amazing this place is, i've been eagerly awaiting the time when I would finally try it....

And now I have.

Sometime's after hearing great reviews on something it tends to be a let down. I mean it has to be truly mind blowingly good if that's what I hear about it all the time. The Noble Pig was not a let down.

It's a very small deli several tables and usually a line out the door. When I went it was no exception. Me and my brother patiently waited in line in the Texas heat with everyone else trying to have a taste of one of, if not, THE best sandwhiches in Austin.

The menu varies from a familiar BLT to a Smoked Duck Pastrami sandwhich. The one that really caught my eye though was the Seared beef tongue sandwhich with smoked green onions, red pepper relish, and aioli. This sandwhich.... pure bliss. Served on whole wheat toasted bread, the simple combination of flavors worked perfectly together. And how they managed to get the bread from getting soggy I have no idea, but this sandwhich was a work of art.

It comes with a bag of seasoned potato chips, and of course who can pass up root beer in a bottle? A perfect lunch any day. Well worth the 8 bucks.

The Rice Bowl Cafe

So, my latest food adventure was with my dad at the Rice Bowl Cafe on Braker and N. Lamar. It's a Taiwanese restaurant serving everything from noodle soups, to beef and broccoli, to egg rolls.
I had read a lot of great reviews about this place, and every time I've driven by it's been crowded so I thought I'd give it a shot.
We walked in and we were the only people there. The place was deserted, but I still had high hopes for the place. The staff were very friendly and helpful, telling us what the best dishes were. When I saw they had pickled pig ears I had to try it. How many times do you see pickled pig ears on a menu?
The plate came out quickly and the only way I can describe the ears was...cold, gelatinous, and porky. It wasn't a bad taste, it was edible, but not something I would want again. But it was fun to say that i've tried it!
For entrees we got the moo shu pork, and clear noodle and beef soup. The pork was absolutely delicious, served on a giant plate accompanied with tortillas and some sort of sauce. It was perfect flavors, perfect seasonings.
I'm not a big fan of noodle soups, but this one was actually pretty good! It was a little strange seeing clear noodles, but they had an excellent flavor. The broth was perfect.
The portion sizes were huge and we had to take leftovers home, but I give this place 4 stars! Delicious food, excellent staff, definitely going back again soon!