Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Austin TX

Hopdoddy is on a hip little part of Congress Ave. All around are eateries packed with people: Guero's, Home Slice Pizza, Magnolia Cafe ... so many restaurants to try. But tonight, my palate belongs to Hopdoddy named after beer (hops) and cows (doddy is the nickname for a cow native to Aberdeen, Scotland). 

What would you do if you saw a Caramel and Sea Salt Milkshake on the menu? You order it! Right! It had a buttery, smooth caramel drizzled in with distinct little salt sprinkles throughout. I'm really big on sweet and salty and when I got a mouthful of creamy shake with caramel and a bit of salt through that straw, wow wow wow.   Hopdoddy also has a good beer menu (according to my beer drinking comrades) and a decently creative cocktail bar. 

Caramel and Sea Salt Milkshake; Jester King Commercial Suicide draft in the background.

I just had a burger last week at Counter Burger in Palo Alto, CA. So, here at hopdoddy, I opted for the Greek, a lamb burger cooked medium with feta cheese, arugula, pickled red onions, cucumber, tzatziki sauce. The bun is baked at the restaurant. Love that. Super juicy, super fresh; all the elements worked together.  After I ate this, I found out that they have a gluten free bun which I will try next time. 

Greek

I gave 1/2 my Greek to my friend in exchange for half of the Llano Poblano: Beef, Pepper Jack Cheese, Roasted Poblano Chiles, Apple-Smoked Bacon, Chipotle Mayo. Again, super juicy with clean tasting all-natural, Angus beef. In fact, all their ingredients are all-natural. This thing had a little kick!

Llano Pablono

It seems like it's not an Texas meal without some queso! It was on the menu as Chile Cheese Fries so I thought I was getting fries with chili and cheddar on top. But now I realize it was chile, not chili! This was definitely queso which is a common Tex Mex appetizer. It is basically a creamy cheese sauce for dipping usually made with a variety of cheeses, including velveeta and cream cheese although recipes differ restaurant to restaurant. The fries here are homemade and a bit too salty for my taste.

Chile Cheese Fries

I really have been impressed with the quality of the food here in Austin. Hopdoddy goes back to basics ... making their own bread, fries; using the fresh, all-natural ingredients and focusing on making really good burgers and shakes and serving high quality brews.

Focus on a few things and make it perfect.  A good concept for a restaurant and for life, no?