I’ll admit it.  When we used to make the journey from Dallas to Austin, we would stop for kolaches, but we would always just go to the Czech stop right off the highway and get back to driving.  When we made our trek from Austin to Dallas this time, things were different.  For one I wanted to get kolaches to send to my future sister-in-law for her birthday.  She grew up in Houston before moving back to Pennsylvania and loves kolaches.  We had already stopped at the Bluebell factory and picked up some paraphernalia all wrapped up in a Bluebell container (so cute!), but I couldn’t actually send ice cream.  I had added some Lammes pralines and kolaches would round out the Texas themed birthday gift.  I could have gotten some in Austin, but if I was going by West, TX why wouldn’t I stop there?  This is the heart of Czech country in Texas.  So in a fit of insomnia, I researched the best kolaches in West.

Czech Stop savory kolache case

Czech Stop fruit kolache case

Czech Stop/Little Czech Bakery

When we got to West, we did our customary stop at Czech Stop and picked up a couple of kolaches to try and compare.  As always, they were good and I particularly liked the poppyseed flavor.  Then we drove into town to find The Village Bakery.  We parked across the street and made our way over.  Sitting on the bench outside the bakery was an old-timer in a cowboy hat.  He said, “Howdy,” as we approached.  We felt as if we had just entered the “real” Texas.  We made our way in and perused the goods.  The Village Bakery is known as “The First All-Czech Bakery in Texas” and I learned a new word, klobasniki.  This was actually a twist on the kolache created by The Village Bakery by substituting the usual sweet fillings for sausage.  This is what you now find labeled as kolaches in doughnut cases across Texas.  Brandon selected a klobasniki and I chose a prune kolache.  The traditional fillings are things like poppy seed, prune, apricot, and peach, but they have added strawberry, raspberry, cream cheese, and even chocolate over the years.  The kolaches were lightly heated before serving to enhance their texture.  The dough was a little lighter than Czech Stop and oh so good.  Kolache dough is lightly sweetened yeast dough and the perfect accompaniment to the fruit or sausage inside.  I was sold.  We placed an order for Katie’s kolaches to be picked up on our way back and bought some for our trip up to Dallas.  My friend and host in Dallas wanted a chocolate kolache, so we got one for us, too.  It is filled  with sweetened cheese, drizzled with chocolate, and delicious.  It is now one of my favorite flavors.  Also to note, I had read their Texas Twists were excellent and picked up a couple of cinnamon twists (they come in many fruit flavors) for later.  I have to agree with the posters, they were excellent.  As I write this, I’m starting to crave kolaches and twists and wishing I was back in Texas.  The good thing is that you can now order their goodies and have them shipped anywhere.  Hmm…I am in one spot for a while…

Kolaches at the Village Bakery

Sausage and Prune kolache with a bite missing

Cinnamon twist

Photos from the planned train wreck at Crush, TX

The Village Bakery
113 E Oak St
West, TX
(254) 826-5151

On a drive back from a dive near Austin, my new dive buddy mentioned that there was a decommissioned nuclear missile silo that was dive-able in Texas. If you know me, you will know there is no way I am leaving Texas without diving it. So I got on the googles and turned up the interwebs and found Valhalla!

The view from the blast doors to the surface of the water.

Standing on the Silo Doors.

Valhalla is a decommissioned Atlas-F hardened nuclear missile silo located near Abilene, Texas. It is actually part of a complex of 12 silos located around Texas and formerly run by Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene. To learn more about the silos check out this guy’s site: Phildorsett.com. I talked with him prior to the dive to learn more about the silo myself.

Valhalla is owned by Family Scuba in Midland Texas. If you want to check it out for yourself, contact them to find out when there are open dives you can join.

The silo itself is divided into 2 separate silos. One is 2 stories tall and served as the command room and crew quarters. The other is the main silo where the missile and fuel was held. The main silo is 180ft tall from the base to the blast doors. This silo was once filled with many levels of equipment to service, fuel and guide the missile. It is now mostly empty and filled with nearly 130ft of water. The water comes from ground water that seeped through the concrete walls of the silo. The water is extremely clear and at a constant 60 degrees year round. The air temperature of the silo stays at 68 degrees year round, so this is a great dive to escape the summer heat in Texas.

Original section view of the silo.

The first question I get asked when I talk about this dive is, “what is there to see?” The silo once housed a lot of equipment and instruments. Those were salvaged after the silo was decommissioned, but as they lifted some stuff out through the blast doors the shackles would break and some material would fall to the bottom of the silo. The bottom is littered with debris made up of mostly twisted metal and duct work. At 40-50ft, there is a metal shack attached to the wall which served as the inertial guidance shack. Apparently it was too difficult to remove, so it was left in place. Inside you can see some control panels and plaques for the machinery manufacturers. The walls of the silo are mostly featureless and smooth which can make for a very eerie feeling when ascending and descending. There are parts of the wall, though, that have deposits on them from when the ground water seeped in over time and they are interesting to check out. The coolest thing about the place is the fact that you are diving in a Nuclear Missile Silo.

Diver approaching the Inertial Guidance Shack.

My video of the bottom of the Silo. The audio is from an old news reel film about the Atlas program.

Another interesting feature about this dive is that it qualifies as an Altitude Dive (2500ft above sea level), Night Dive, Deep Dive, and Wreck Dive in one. The location for the dive is about 20 miles south of Abilene, Texas in the middle of one of the largest wind farms in the country.

After driving through scrub brush and the rolling desert hills near Abilene, you approach the dive site. The site is mostly left over junk from previous years as a farming community. There is one small nondescript concrete doorway that gives the first hint of the silo below. On the day we visited the silo, there were some mild threats of tornadoes in the area. This is the only dive I have ever been on where the weather did not matter. It was impossible to get “blown out” on this dive. If a tornado came overhead, we would just go underground and shut the blast doors behind us. We could have a nice enjoyable dive with the apocalypse going on overhead. Fortunately, on this day, we didn’t need to test that theory.

The entrance to Valhalla

At the entrance to Valhalla, there is a nice little warning to those who may want to dive without paying; it’s a little good Texas humor. The owner of the silo was a pretty cool guy and not what I expected at all. He seemed pretty down to earth compared to the type of people who you would expect to own a missile silo.

Once in the silo you begin the journey down the stairs. There is one long set at the entrance, then a set spiraling down to the control room. All equipment for the dives must be hand carried down these stairs and then back up at the end. You learn real quick not to waste any trips up or down the stairs. Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as I expected and there were plenty of places to rest.

Stairs down into the silo.

After passing through 2 sets of blast doors, you arrive in the command center. Here you can spread out and set up your gear in preparation for the dives. The owner also has a small selection of dive gear here for purchase in case you forget anything.

Once geared up, you pass through another set of blast doors that would separate the crew from the missile and head into the main silo. Here you walk 30ft down to the floating platform on the water’s surface. The owner demonstrated the water’s clarity by dropping a nickel in the water and you can watch it fall deep into the silo.

Tunnel from command center to missile silo.

You have to climb up and down the stairs for each dive. I am glad I was diving sidemount, so I could leave my tanks at the bottom until the end.

Exploring the deposits from the seeping groundwater on the walls of the silo.

The only limitation to the visibility in the silo was the light. The only light in the silo was from 4 flood lights mounted overhead. This was good down to 60ft or so, but after that the water filtered out the light and dive lights are necessary.

Here I am circling my way up the silo.

The inertial guidance shack.

Mounts for the levels that were previously in the silo.

The owner signing my Valhalla shirt.

After you complete your Valhalla dive, the owner will sign a shirt for you. He will not sell you a shirt unless you actually complete a dive here. Here he is signing my shirt after diving to 105ft in the silo.

Looking up at the launch doors.

This trip was a very unique experience and I recommend it for a couple of dives. It’s one of those you do, just to say you did it. The dive itself is super easy, if a bit cold. Being inside a former missile silo was the real draw for me. During lunch while others were up on the surface grilling I was down in the silo playing with the blast doors. They still swing easily given their age and size. If you have some time and want to do something unique, head deep into the heart of Texas to visit Valhalla.

Now, I hear there is a Titan missile silo in Washington state that is dive-able. I’m going to have to find my way out there.

UPDATE: I finally got to the Titan Silo in Washington. Check it out here: Titan Missile Silo Dive

We made Austin our first long-term stop after setting out on our full-time travels.  This made sense for a variety of reasons:  it’s close to Livingston, TX where we had to stop and set up residence, our good friends Sarah and Brian are there and I wanted to visit them for an extended period, Brandon needed an airport close by for some work travel, it was winter and this was Texas (who knew we were in for crazy winter across the whole country), it’s super dog friendly, and we love Austin as a city.  Austin gave us a place to acclimate to RV living.  We were able to put away everything inside the RV that we had thrown in during the rush to leave the snow and storms and do some roof maintenance.  Although not a scenic resort, we stayed in a place that was in the city and close enough to our friends and downtown to not be a hassle.

We looked forward to visiting with friends and visiting favorite spots along with finding new places to go.  As far as food goes, Austin is one of the best places we could be.  It’s all about barbecue which makes Brandon happy and is also super vegetarian-friendly which makes me happy.  After living in my Austin bubble for a few months, I forgot that not all restaurants have extensive veggie options and was shocked backed into reality.  Austin is also known for their tacos, especially the breakfast variety, which makes both of us happy.  You can read about our experiences in our taco, barbecue, and pizza round ups.

It was great to hang out with Sarah, Brian, and their girls while we are there.  We haven’t lived near each other since we were 18 (even then Sarah was 2 hours away), so it was nice to have all of us in the same area code.  Sarah is a great artist (SarahRuhArt.com) and terrific web designer (SarahRuhDesign.com) and Brian just had a new edition of his book Stray Dog of Anime on Mamoru Oshii released.  We got to act like the old friends we are just hanging out at their house or our RV talking, playing games, and watching the shows the girls would put on.  I even got to see Frozen in 3-D; although after being there for a while with 2 girls, I had already heard most of the songs … multiple times.

The second gathering of NüRVers in Austin.

From old friends to new, Austin ended up being a great place to meet other people like us out on the road full-time.  I was already following the Democratic Travelers online when I saw they were heading to Austin.  I wrote them and we met up a little later at a great Austin bar called the Easy Tiger with a large patio, so we both brought our dogs to meet, too.   It turns out we lived a neighborhood over from Laura in Dallas.  Another couple was starting out from Austin a few weeks after we landed there.  We met Eric and Brittany of RV Wanderlust online first, so they came and stayed at our RV park before heading out of Austin.  When SXSW started, it brought with it a plethora of NüRVers.  We had met Kristin and Jason of the Snowmads online also, so it was great to meet them in person.  They helped organize a get together with some of the other RVers including Gone with the Wynns, The Roaming Pint, Living Learning Mobile, and the Democratic Travelers.  Meeting all these other people doing the same thing as we were was a great reminder of why we chose to do this.  It also helped to show that we were not alone; we had a great new community!  They just happen to usually be in different places.

The Shaun Peace Band was staying in our park for SXSW and played a few impromptu shows for everyone.

Barton Creek looking rather pitiful from the drought

Bluebonnets in Austin

While in Austin, we took advantage of our surroundings.  We stopped at the Bluebell headquarters on the drive there, hiked at McKinney Falls State Park, and took day trips to surrounding areas.  I took the Modern Homes tour with Sarah and saw some of the best Austin has to offer.  We had a quintessential Austin experience when we ate at Tacodeli and then walked across the street with the dogs to walk the trails at Barton Creek Greenbelt.  With the ongoing drought in Austin, the creek bed was so dry, you could walk it.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as if it’s going to get better anytime soon.  Another Austin experience is the Alamo Drafthouse.  Although it has opened posts in other cities, it is still essentially Austin.  Once we went with Sarah and Brian to the 90s sing along and played along with the blow-up guitars that they handed out.  Green Day and Kriss Kross were the highlights of our night.  Another time I took Sarah with me to see North by Northwest on the big screen, fabulous! Oh, and we did get doughnuts at Gourdough’s.

McKinney Falls State Park

Brandon took advantage of being in one spot to take some more scuba classes on sidemount and wreck diving in preparation for the Florida Keys.  I took the plunge and got certified while I was there, so I could dive with him in the Keys.  Lucky me, my check out dives were in the newly reopened The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Spring Lake in San Marcos.  Brandon had wanted to dive this while in Austin until he found out it was closed.  They had just reopened it, but only for classes, so I did Brandon’s dive for him.  In the fifties, the place had opened as Aquarena Springs and had mermaids and a swimming pig named Ralph!  They were actually removing some of the old stage for the mermaids during the closure, but they left the giant oyster shell that I saw during my dives.  They still run glass bottom boats around the lake and Brandon did this to appease his appetite.  The lake is spring fed and they told him that once Johnny Weissmuller, the original Tarzan and Olympic swimmer, dove in to take a sip from the spring and was thrown across the lake from the force.

Kerensa completing her check out dives.

All in all, we had a great time in Austin and felt it was a great place for us to get set up and acclimated.  The only bad thing was leaving such a great city, great food, and best friends.  And for as long as we stayed, there is a lot we didn’t get to do, so we will be back.  We hope to see you there!

You can read more about our Austin experiences here:
Taco Round Up
BBQ Round Up
Pizza Round Up
Brandon’s Texas Dive
Kolaches in West, TX

This is just round 1 of Austin BBQ; There is no way to see it all in the short time we were there. We will be back.

Before we begin I just want to clarify something. When you pour a big pile of match light charcoal into a grill, set it on fire, and then proceed to char the hell out of your meat you are grilling. You are not making Barbecue. 

County Line BBQ
4.0 stars:  Yes, please! 

There are many facets to the flavor of Barbecue: smoke, crust, marbling, etc are all important but equally important to the flavor is the location and company. County Line may not have been the best BBQ, but I enjoyed it with new friends while sitting next to the river after an enjoyable dive in Lake Travis.

County Line BBQ was a good solid place. Everything was decent and the sweet tea came as fast as I drank it. It’s not the kind of place that will be raved about by guys in tight jeans and handlebar mustaches while they wait in line for 3 hrs. It’s a place that real people will go to hang with friends and relax. As a professional tourist, I had to sample a little of everything.  Sausages are a Texas thing. I’m not really that into them, but I had to try. There is also a bit of brisket in there. It was all good. It wasn’t the best brisket I had, but it didn’t suck.

Rudy’s BBQ
4.5 stars:  Yes, please! – Eat until the end of days

I know, I know – It’s a chain! I don’t care. It’s damn good. This happens to be another place I went after a dive. I guess diving and BBQ go together in Texas. Everything we tried was pretty good, but that crust on the brisket is what I dream about. It’s still a few months before we get back to Texas, but this is on my short list of places to go again.

Neon Beer Signs – Check, Family Style Tables – Check, Big Ass Texas Flag – Check

This was for 2 people. One of them is a vegetarian.

Look at that crust – LOOK AT IT!

Cooper’s Pit Bar-B-Que
2.5 stars:  Meh

Go figure, this is another place I went to after diving in the Comal River. We were told that this was the place to go in the area. It was ok, but nothing special. The meats were cooked alright, but lacked much flavor or impact. I don’t feel the need to go back.

Order your meat from the pit before choosing sides.

They serve bbq the right way, on a piece of paper on a tray.

Take a look at this and then go take a look at Rudy’s Brisket. I’ll be going back to Rudy’s.

Micklethwait Craft Meats
4.0 stars:  Pretty Alright

It’s in a vintage trailer and there is always a line. It must be Craft Meats! This guy has developed a pretty strong following in Austin. They prepare all their own meats and bake their own bread. They also make a pretty good home-made moon pie. They are really known for their sausages and they have different ones all the time. It was definitely good food, but I’m not a fan of standing in line for BBQ.

Homemade Moonpie.

What do you feed a vegetarian? Sides and dessert!

As you can see it was all good. It’s worth it to check it out. It’s just down the street from Franklin BBQ, but the lines aren’t as bad.

If it wasn’t for the lines I would have rated it higher. Did I mention I don’t like waiting in lines for BBQ?

Salt Lick Barbecue
4.0 stars:  Alright, Alright, Alright

That’s a lot of murder right there.

Salt Lick BBQ is legendary in Texas. I was wearing my Salt Lick shirt around NYC the other day and was stopped twice to talk about the place. It started in 1967 with this pit bbq in Driftwood, TX. The owner would cook all Thursday and then sell on the weekends until he ran out. Soon he was running out quickly and decided to enclose the area around the pit and make it a restaurant. Now people from all over flock to the Salt Lick. This is another one of those places where the location and the company influence the flavor. After driving through the hill country to find the Salt Lick, sitting down with friends to eat it is that much better.

Realistically there is better BBQ in town, but I think you need to visit just to see this pit for yourself.

Kerensa noticed the pies.

Familiar family style seating.

I was hungry again when we visited and I didn’t know if I would get back so I chose the sampler with a bit of everything. I’m not a big fan of sausage, but I really liked it here. I would order it again if I went back.

That’s it for now. We’ll be back soon for Round 2.

You can’t go to Austin without eating a taco.  Taco joints are all around the city and heated discussions can arise on which one is best.  Below is a rundown of the taco joints we made it to while in Austin.  This is by no means comprehensive as we’d have to eat tacos every day for years to hit every taco place in town.  It does include a few city favorites.  We’ll have to go back soon and add more to the list.

Torchy’s Tacos
4.5 stars:  Yes, please! – Eat until the end of days

Torchy’s started out as many restaurants in Austin do, in a small trailer on 1^st.  New they have many locations across the city and have expanded to Dallas and Houston.  Torchy’s became a go-to restaurant during our stay.  It helped that it was on the path directly between our park and our friend’s house.  So what about the food?  One word: queso.  If nothing else, get the green chile queso.  This is the stuff of dreams and some of the best queso either of us has had.  The cheese itself has a smooth, creamy taste and texture, but then it’s loaded up with green chiles and topped with guacamole, queso fresco, cilantro, and diablo sauce.  I love the diablo sauce and sometimes we’d get an extra squirt on top to swirl into the creamy goodness.  You can buy a bottle at the restaurants, too, and it has held a place in our fridge for over a year now (it helps to have a local friend who knows just what to get you).  The chips that come with the queso are crisp although they can be a little greasy.

A trio of meaty tacos including the Green Chile Pork

This hot mess was Kerensa’s – Its fun to watch her eat it!

We tried many of the tacos on the menu and even the sacred/secret menu while in town.  The tacos are stuffed; you could make a meal with just one although we often got one and queso or two tacos for dinner.  I like to get one taco on corn and one on a flour tortilla, but I have found the flour holds together better.  One downside of the veggie tacos to me is that every option has a fried element; there are no all fresh options.  Somehow I got over that in the course of our stay.  My favorite by far is The Independent; fried Portobello, refried black beans, roasted corn, avocado, and escabeche carrots.  The carrots are a highlight for me as the spicy pickle flavor cut through the heavier flavors in the dish and lightened it a bit.  The other veggie options on the regular menu are the Fried Avocado and the Dirty Sanchez which is scrambled eggs, fried poblano chile, the aforementioned carrots, and more.  I like it light in the eggs (1 egg instead of 2).  You can find the secret menu by searching online, a redditor made sure to compile it when they announced each taco on facebook and it was posted on many different sites.  The veggie option is called the Jack of Clubs and is an overstuffed indulgence.  It is composed of a fried egg topped with grilled potatoes, black beans, tortilla strips, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, and diablo sauce.  Can’t finish…arteries clogging…still smiling.

Brandon’s favorite is one of their originals, the Green Chile Pork.  Let’s be honest, anything with carnitas is hard to beat.  He did like the standard better than the secret Missionary Style Green Chile Pork which included both kinds of tortillas, guacamole, and cheese.  The trailer park is a popular option with the locals.  It’s a fried chicken taco with green chilies, pico de gallo, and cheese.  What combines Southwest and South better than that?  Get it trashy by removing the lettuce and adding queso on top.

The real reason to go to Torchy’s!!

Tacodeli
4 stars:  Yes, please!

Tacodeli is often named as one of the top taco joints in Austin and their breakfast tacos are brought to meetings around the city.  Their original Spyglass location is across from the Barton Creek Greenbelt making for a great Austin experience.  We took the dogs, sat outside to eat, and then walked the trails.  The queso isn’t as heavy-duty as Torchy’s, but no less tasty.  The chips are extra light and crunchy.  I liked my Space Cowboy taco with a yummy grilled taste to the portobellos (although they’re oven roasted), grilled corn, caramelized onions and peppers, guacamole and queso fresco.  It all came together nicely.  The Papadulce was a little too sweet for me with the roasted sweet potatoes.  The next time I went, I tried The Heather as recommended by a friend.  The grilled queso fresco, refried black beans, and guacamole hit the spot.  And I love sautéed fresh spinach, so the Florentino was a no brainer for me.

Veggie tacos

Some of the meaty tacos

Brandon thought his tacos were good, but the descriptions didn’t match the flavors.  This threw him off a bit as his Puerco Verde didn’t have the tomatillo taste he was expecting.

Papalote
3 stars:  Nom Worthy

The huajillo sauce was the winner during our trip.  I had this on my Tortas De Coliflor tacos; little cauliflower cakes covered in the sauce topped with cabbage and avocado.  Brandon had eaten a bite before he realized it was my taco and wished he had my sauce.  He thought his chicken tacos were bit plain and the carnitas were good, but had room for improvement.  My other choice was one of their corn specialties, a tlacoyos.   Described as oval-shaped black bean corn masa cakes stuffed with potato, covered in red and green sauces, and topped with cheese, cilantro, and onion, it doesn’t look like much on the plate.  The green sauce is surprisingly spicy and good (spice addict here).  I had actually started to tire of it and feel full before I even hit the potato in the middle.  I had forgotten about the potato, in fact, but the new flavor was a nice change even though the potato itself was a little bland.  We didn’t get back on this trip to try again, but I would like to go back and try something else.

Papalote’s tlacoyos

Papalote’s chicken taco

Maria’s Taco Xpress
2.5 stars:  Edible – Nom Worthy

Maria’s Taco X-Press patron saint

This funky lady welcoming everyone with open arms has a fantastic patio with an upper deck.  I just wish I loved the food as much as the atmosphere.  My Nopal Taco with potato had a good zing, but the Verde filled with many vegetables was bland.  The Queso Fresco Taco with black beans, guacamole, and usual toppings was just ok.  Brandon felt the chicken tacos had an overwhelming amount of onions, but he did enjoy the enchiladas.  Although they close early for a place with live music and other entertainment, it would be a nice place to sit outside and watch a band while noshing on some of the better options.

The Queso Fresco taco

The Verde and Nopal tacos

Guero’s
2 stars:  Edible

The Salsa Bar gave us high hopes.

Another place with a fantastic patio, it’s right on South Congress, so you can walk to Hey! Cupcake for dessert.  They also have an extensive vegan menu which I was eager to try.  We were excited when we saw the salsa bar and were seated next to it.  The salsa was good and we looked forward to the rest of the meal.  Unfortunately, nothing else lived up to the salsa.  You can make better queso with velveeta and can of Ro-tel.  All our tacos, veggies, al pastor, and steak were bland.  How can you not have some flavor in Austin?  At least add some salt.  Suffice to say, we’re not going back.

Brandon’s meaty tacos

Kerensa’s veggie tacos

Keso’s
2 stars:  Edible

This place opened while we were there, so we thought we’d give it a try.  They hadn’t even had the grand opening yet, but I hope they worked out a few kinks before they did.  Since they are in Austin, I think they would benefit from more veggie taco options.    There is one, the Botanical Garden Taco, and it is nice enough, but another option would be great.  I accidentally ordered the Capital 10-Kay Burrito because I was just looking at ingredients and saw “choice of meat” and thought it could be veggie.  They do put their “Keso’s sauce” on everything, but with the name and logo, we thought we should order a bowl of their namesake.  I don’t know if I completely threw them off after I came back to correct my order (I ordered steak instead of barbacoa for Brandon), but we never got our queso.  We ended up taking it to go.  When you eat it there, they serve it in little crocks, but we had the to-go styrofoam.  The queso itself was a little salty; the rest of the food was just alright.  As I said, it had just opened, so it may have found its groove better by now, but it wasn’t the best impression.

The people here were really nice, but this wasn’t.

Another meaty option, it’s got cheese buried under there too.

I like pizza.  Brandon LOVES pizza.  So when we got to Austin, he compiled a list of pizza places for us to try based on his research and opinions from local redditors and others.  We didn’t make it to all of them (I wish we had gotten out to Pieous because they have other types of pies, too), but we did make it to a lot of pizza places in a city not known for pizza.

Homeslice
4 stars:  Yes, please!

Homeslice is a well-known Austin establishment serving up NY style pizza.  We chose to go at lunch time to the take-out counter and bring the dogs.  The slice options are limited, but they always have veggie slices, so fear not my veg-head friends.  We tried one slice of each offered: pepperoni, sausage and garlic, margherita, and a white pie with spinach and mushroom.  They did NY pizza justice with slices that were large with a nice NY style crust, thin and not too chewy.  The sauce was also a typical NY red sauce.  Brandon thought the cheese was a little light, but it was just right for me.  The toppings were fresh and I love a good white pizza and this one hit the spot.  The ricotta was nice and smooth and since I love spinach and mushrooms, I chose the perfect day to go.

Little Deli & Pizzeria
3 stars:  Nom worthy

Little Deli was a little out of our way being on the Northside, but we stopped by on our way back from Dallas as it was mentioned quite a lot in the forums.  It’s a small place with a bunch of outside seating and they serve both pizza slices, pizza made to order, and sandwiches.  Oh and the pizza is New Jersey style.  As Brandon says, we did a nickel in NJ (we had a view of NYC on the Hudson), so we’ve eaten a lot of NJ pizza.  The crust was blistering, but a little thin and chewy.  The toppings were fresh and nice and Brandon loved the pepperoni.  The sauce is what threw us off.  It tasted heavy and over seasoned.  It was like the whole jar of oregano and other spices fell in.  Overall, it was good, but not worth the drive from our Southside location.

Via 313
5 pizzas:  Eat until the end of days!

Who knew there was Detroit style pizza?  We didn’t.  And we didn’t expect to find it in a food truck parked next to a bar in Austin.  But boy are we glad we did.  This little truck bakes all their pizza in square automotive parts pans like those used on Detroit assembly lines.  It is basically Sicilian style with a Detroit flair.  The toppings go from edge to edge and so the cheese bakes up into crisp, caramelized edges.  I actually managed to order a cheese-less pizza the first time we went, but it took me a while to notice.  The sauce topping the thick focaccia-like crust was so delicious I didn’t need cheese.  Brandon had The Detroiter with two kinds of pepperoni, smoked and natural casing and loved every bite.  The next time we went (yes, we had to go back it was that good) we ordered the Four Cheese to spilt.  The thicker cheese was a little too much for me and I think I would have been better with the Classic Cheese.  Brandon had no issues with the cheese whatsoever, so it’s all personal preference.  This is definitely our recommendation for pizza in the Austin area.

I wish we had better pictures to entice you.  The first time we went, we sat in the adjoining bar and it was too dark to get a shot.  The second time, we got a little anxious to eat as you can see below.  It just means it was good!

East Side Pies
4 stars:  Yes, please!

Another Austin pizza institution, we picked up slices at their Anderson Lane outpost before my scuba diving class.  The selection is creative and varied.  Along with the standard red sauce pies, you’ll find ones built on black bean sauce or spinach curry.  We picked a couple of slices out of the case from the ready-made pies and sat down in the tiny space to wait for them to be heated up.  When the paper plates arrived, we each took a bite and agreed this pizza made the cut.