July 13, 2012

A Must Try Food Truck: Turf N Surf Po' Boy in Austin


om nom notes rating: 5 stars

This food truck served what ended up being my favorite meal in Austin, TX this last trip. In a sea of food trucks - Turf N Surf Po' Boy stands out from the rest because of it's unique local, fresh food menu and intentionally dilapidated but charming "truck". They had quite the selection of responsibly sourced seafood, beef, pork and veggies - but po' boys are truly the star. This truck is not to be missed.

I have to add that the folks here are the NICEST people. They took the time to recommend selections, and made it a point to tell me that I could order anything exactly the way I wanted. So of course I did. :) They were also very apologetic when they didn't have some menu items like the guacamole or etouffee.

While their blackened or fried shrimp po boys are the crowd favorite, I chose to do the grilled crawfish po-boy with extra tomatoes and coleslaw on the side. 

It was AMAZING. Between the crusty and just right grilled multi-grain bread (different from your standard french-style baguette), the seasoned just right crawfish, the fresh tomatoes & mesclun greens, and the addition of thick sliced pickles - every bite's mingle of flavors made me so happy. 

While you would think might be a heavy, greasy sandwich - the greens, pickles, and squeeze of line added the unexpected freshness that made this monstrosity of a sandwich seem almost delicate. It was so good that I must have eaten the entire thing in 5 minutes. The coleslaw is very creamy (courtesy of Mr. Mayo), so I'm glad I got it on the side. 

You can also get any of the Po' Boys in the form of 2 tacos, or a salad (but really - who would want to do that?). I got to try a bit of the blackened shrimp taco, but I have to say that the po-boy with the amazing bread is better and significantly more memorable. Blackened shrimp was very good though.

The cilantro fries on their own are worth getting, just note that it's a huge portion and enough to share between at least 4 people. Curiously enough, they reminded me of the fries from "The O" (The Original Hot Dog Shop) in Pittsburgh - about a medium cut, but fried till crispy.  I had heard that you can get etouffee fries, but sadly they were out of gravy. Next time…

See more pictures at: http://on.fb.me/NIkzeh

Quick Notes:
  1. Love that the truck/trailer was built out of 90% recycled/reclaimed material - it started as a shipping container!
  2. There is a shaded seating area, but it's open so still hot!
  3. They take credit cards.
  4. Learn more about the history of the po' boy.
  5. They sometimes are open outside of their normal hours, just check their Facebook page for updates
    • Normal Hours:
      Mon-Thu 11 am - 3 pm
      Fri 11 am - 3 am
      Sat 12 pm - 3 am
Grilled Crawfish Po' Boy - $10
Grilled Crawfish Sandwich from Turf N Surf
Grilled Crawfish Po' Boy: grilled crawfish, mesclun greens, pickles, red onion, tomatoes, and coleslaw (on the side)


Cilantro Fries - $3
Potato Fries Large Enough to Share
Cilantro Fries: fresh cut potatoes, salt, cilantro, ketchup


Turf N Surf Po' Boy Trailer Truck
People waiting in line for food from Turf N Surf
Turf N Surf Po Boy Food Truck: at 4th and Congress
Turf N' Surf Po Boy
4.5 star rating
177 Yelp reviews as of 7/13/12

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