Dear Kitchen Window,

It’s been less than a week since we met, but I knew it was true love as soon as I picked up one of your delicate, deep-fried wings with a sweet chili-sesame glaze and habanero peppers and took a big bite. Name one other trailer that serves wings in this town! The sauce may have been a little lacking in zest, but the crispy fried garlic on top more than made up for it. You are truly unique.

My little lamb, the same could be said of the decadent lamb burger on your menu. Tender, juicy meat piled on top of a toasty, house-made pantofolina bun, showered in a dill-yogurt-cucumber sauce with peppers and romaine to finish, and sided with crispy fried chickpeas (a little too oily, but still novel). What a salty, Greek-inspired treat.

Some trailer connoisseurs might be bored with yet another traditional burger, but that’s only because they haven’t tasted yours. I have a feeling that the beef burger (with meat from Windy Bar Ranch) would have made our 50 best burgers list, but the vegetarian version was good eating as well. The thick, flavorful eggplant patty melded nicely with the hearty homemade sesame-seed bun, as well as the arugula and lemon aioli; the only discord was with the ketchup, which didn’t fit the lush eggplant tones. Still, not a crumb was left on my plate.

Kitchen Window, if only you would call me back, I would tell you all about how I can see the influence of your days at Enoteca and other gourmet outfits around town. Who else would offer a crisp cucumber-and-tomato salad at a trailer on a hot summer day? I was expecting the traditional Greek-style fare, but I was pleasantly surprised to find fresh romaine, juicy quartered tomatoes, marinated red onions, and crunchy, perfect-for-summer cucumber slices, with a hint of basil in the (slightly heavy-handed) sherry vinegar dressing.

So don’t play coy with me, Kitchen Window. This is more than a crush. We could have a beautiful life together! Now get back to that kitchen and make me my dinner.

415 Jessie Street (512-750-8396). Open Wed & Thu 11–10, Fri & Sat 11 a.m.–12 a.m., Sun 11–10. Closed Mon & Tue.

Posted by Megan Giller. To read more from Megan Giller, visit her website at www.megangiller.com.

Tagged: burgers, Kitchen Window, Trailer Thursday, wings

If I were the goat at the Giggling Goat gastro-trailer, I don’t know if I’d be giggling or grieving. On the one hand, the gourmet offerings, such as Japanese sweet potato fries and a lamb loin Greek salad, are mouth-wateringly delicious. On the other, the cabrito (i.e., goat) burger is the specialty on the menu.

And specialty it is. The thick, juicy patty, ground in-house, was grilled to perfection and bursting with salty, garlicky flavor between a buttered-and-grilled bistro bun. Topped with a bubbling layer of Jack cheese, chopped onion and tomato confit, and baby greens in a slightly sweet honey mustard vinaigrette, this billy burger was not for kids. Neither were the Japanese sweet potato fries. Unlike the orange-fleshed sweet potato that often shrivels and burns in French form, this yellow-fleshed variety was plump and dense, almost bready, like savory yucca. Doused with sea salt and served dangerously hot, the fries were a perfectly addicting side.

I wish that I could say the same for the rabbit purse. Unfortunately, the deep-fried Asian appetizer was just that, very deep-fried—oil snaked onto the plastic container—and stuffed with more cabbage and ginger than local rabbit. If grease doesn’t get your goat, though, give this snack a try. I was more partial to the zucchini fries. Though the trailer’s service was none too great—the guy behind the counter overcharged my credit card at first and then forgot to deliver what we’d ordered—the food was worth waiting for, especially the tender zucchini spears enveloped in thick breading, served with a house-made poblano ranch dipping sauce.

To accompany the burgers and fried assortments, the menu boasts several semi-healthy, fresh choices. My favorite was the lamb loin salad, with crisp baby greens, diced green apples, hearty feta, an outstanding olive tapenade, and an almost superfluous, very orange citrusy dressing. And let’s not forget the tender pepper-and-garlic-crusted lamb slices on top, which guided the salad from good to great.

Creative cabrito, ribeye, and pork burgers. Chimichangas, zucchini fries, and ginger-spiked tofu cakes. Salads with lamb loin, goat cheese, or stuffed tomatoes. We know how the goat feels. What makes you giggle?

South Shore Eatery, 1620 E. Riverside (512-750-5717). Open Tue–Sat 12–10. Closed Sun & Mon.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: burgers, cabrito, Giggling Goat, Trailer Thursday

Photo by Sean Dunn

In Texas you can’t lift a fork without brisket raining down on you, à la Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. In the trailer scene, slap a bun around that baby and you’ve got the ubiquitously uniform brisket sandwich, ready to be eaten on your way to the bar, stumbling home, or the next day, in recovery. But once in a great while, a sandwich comes along that deserves a moment of pause, or at least sobriety. Behold, the Barbacoa-Style Brisket slider at Along Came a Slider.

Sure, the all-natural brisket was tender, the fluffy bun buttered and grilled. But the starring role belonged to the lime-infused crema sauce gently ladled on top of the meat. Believe me, it didn’t stay there for long. Slightly tangy and somehow simultaneously smooth, the crema brought together the flavors of the beef, the generous fresh cilantro, and the pickled onions into one giant, delicious mess.

Less messy but just as heavenly was the Natural. It’s hard to beat fresh, organic ingredients prepared with care. The Natural is just what you’d think: a classic burger with iceburg, tomato, red onion, thick-cut pickles, and mayo on a delectable bun. The house-made ketchup was too watery to be a dip for the slider or the slightly dry sweet potato fries, but fortunately, the burger stood on its own.

I wish I could say the same for the Chicken-Fried Guac. I liked the bite of the STR (smoked, toasted, and roasted) red pepper sauce and the thin, crunchy tortilla strips. But whoever thought of taking thick guacamole, swirling it with corn kernels, and deep-frying it in a golden crust had probably been smoking something toasty themselves. The concoction needed a solid element, not a condiment, to sink your teeth into.

Of course, it’s hard to live up to the meaty goodness of the WD (Wired and Drunk) Pig. The slider’s coffee-rubbed pork shoulder had a deeply rich, sweet taste, and the minimally creamy jalapeño slaw added a needed crunch. The pork was loaded with salt and the sodium-heavy red wine barbecue sauce didn’t help, but that didn’t get in our way. The excursion ended with my lunch buddy and me grabbing the sandwich out of each other’s hands in order to gobble the last bites.

My belly full of sliders and my head feeling a little cloudy, I stumbled, WD-like, on my way out of the trailer park on East Sixth. To that I say, Texas, bring on the rainy season.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Along Came a Slider, burgers, sliders, Trailer Thursday

They say that true Austinites describe places by what used to be there, not by what’s there now (Liberty Lunch, anyone?).

Well, it’s been four years, and I still haven’t forgiven Mojo’s for closing its doors. It was replaced by the Kasbah, which used to make mediocre Moroccan food, until it became a full-time hookah bar and we were left without tajine or couscous.

Enter a new era. What used to be a South Congress parking lot near Gibson Street is now a jungle of trailers, one of them called the Flying Carpet. Their pita wraps and sides are more Moroccan-meets-American, but I still liked it.

Their basic Moroccan Burger, nuggets of all-natural ground beef, cage-free fried egg, and mama’s tomato sauce snuggled in fluffy pita bread, made my day. I piled on the tangy, creamy l’afrique sauce and paired the wrap with peppery pommes frites and a small salad dressed with a light garlic-lemon-chile vinaigrette.

The Sleek Vegetarian had promise, but the falafal bits were hard, dried-out, and inedible. I ended up picking out the fried egg, greens, and tender eggplant and leaving the rest behind.

Given that they’ve been open less than two months, I’m betting they’ll get their falafel act together and be practically flawless. Unless they start shelling out hookahs to the college crowd.

Tagged: burgers, Flying Carpet, Moroccan food, Trailer Thursday