The Food Austin Network

Taqueria Distrito Federal
1400 Otis Street NW, Washington, DC 20010

This taco joint is a breath of fresh air in a town condemned to eating imitation Tex-Mex and even worse Mexican. The tacos remind one of the flavors of another Capitol city, Mexico City. The flavor of the meat and tortillas are as authentic as you can get while sneaking under the radar of the Health inspector. The place is a genuine hole in the wall and features only the things that you would expect to find at a street vendor in Mexico. The menu doesn’t have any fancy Mexican dishes that you would expect to find at the imitation joints around town. We tried the tacos and enjoy ever second. While we’re on the authentic streak, I would recommend the beef tacos. One bite was enough to evoke memories of waiting to scalp tickets outside El Azteca and killing the time with some tacos from the street vendors. If you’re in the mood for something authentic that won’t kill your budget and at the same time support local business head over to Columbia Heights and check this place out.

Price: $ (a fiver or less)

Hoovers Cooking
2002 Manor Road - Austin Texas 78722 – http://www.hooverscooking.com – 512-479-5006

There are many in this town that swear by Hoover’s chicken fried steak and their devotion isn’t unfounded.  The chicken fried steak is a staple of the comfort cooking that Hoovers delivers.  Hoovers is an Austin institution that works to deliver the type of food you would expect from a small-down-home southern diner, and you’re not disappointed.  The reputation has been built up over the years and isn’t unfounded.  The Chicken Fried Steak as previously mentioned is sublime, juicy and exceedingly tasty – descriptive words that are rare considering some of the Chicken fried peers around town.  Another item that has a wide following are the AusTex wings.  The wings are tender and almost fall off the bone.  The wings are definitely worth a shot, the smoked flavor is unlike any other wings in town.  When FoodAustin visits Hoovers, we like to get the Jamaican jerk chicken.  The flavor of this entrée almost jumps off the plate.  The meat is very tender and juicy and the Jerk rub is ohh so tasty.  None of the things on the menu are very expensive, the Chicken is $8.99 and the chicken-fried-steak is $6.99, so you can definitely order a couple of different things and test them all out.  The only place where Hoovers tends to be a tad inconsistent are with the sides.  Sometimes the vegetables come out cold or not completely full of flavor.  The Macaroni and Cheese on occasion has been equated to easymac.  Luckily, the entrees overshadow the shortcomings in the sides, not to mention the portions are large enough that you don’t have to eat the sides unless you really want to.

All in all Hoover’s is a great home cookin’ option for Austin.  While it’s not a true downhomesoutherncafeteria like Dot’s, Hoover’s brings the joys of southern cooking as close as East Austin.

Price: $ (entrees under 10)