In A Nutshell – July 2019

July was a return to form for me involving a TON of BBQ and various high quality meat offerings around Texas as well as a little jaunt off to Southern California including the cities of San Diego, Temecula, and Anaheim. I also happened upon one of my new favorite places to eat and drink, Oz. Tap House! Here’s a quick look back at some of my favorite posts from the month of July! Enjoy!

Oz. Tap House – Austin, TX

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Ok, I know this is like day 3 of me talking about @oztaphouse but I really liked the place, plus, it's wing Wednesday and they had some fantastic wings! We got them double dipped to be extra crispy and got the sauces on the side so we could see the quality of the wing but still got to try their Buffalo and BBQ sauces. You get 8 wings for $12 so they come out to $1.50/wing but they were a good size for that price. So what're you waiting for? Check them out! What's better than wings and beer, especially when you can go get your own beer refills!? . . . . . . . . . #wings #buffalowings #buffalo #chickenwing #chickenwings #hotwings #atxfoodguy #sponsored #austin #atx #doubledip #doubledipped #atxfoodie #topaustinrestaurants #eateratx #atxfoodblogs #austinrestaurants #taphouse #pub #barfood #wingsandbeer #beerandwings #delicious #deliciousfood #tasty

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 3, 2019 at 3:14pm PDT

Pieous – Dripping Springs, TX

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You see, @kyrenabeana wanted to visit @pieousatx for their awesome pizza but I've been dying to try their highly recommended pastrami. So although I ordered myself a pizza as well you know I had to get a bit of pastrami to try and here it is and it was out of this world!

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 14, 2019 at 8:43am PDT

KG BBQ Pop-up at Dia’s Market – Austin, TX

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Finally got to hit one of @ghayesh87's @kgbbq popups at @diasmarket_austin this past Sunday and I'm so happy I did! Kareem's brisket is phenomenal, the lamb ribs were perfect, and that ground lamb stuffed pepper was so damn flavorful! The Mediterranean Influence he's introducing really shines in the sides like his pink potato salad and the tomato, cucumber, and mint salad not to mention the homemade pickles. At the next popup I'm going to snag one of his brisket shawarma wraps because those things looked delicious. Go follow @kgbbq so you never miss a chance to hit one of his popups and try some amazing barbecue before it's impossible to get, he's a pitmaster to watch.

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 15, 2019 at 8:51am PDT

JewBoy Burgers – Austin, TX

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I love the people behind the brands and sometimes those friendships are rewarded with experiments like this one from @mopittle at @jewboyburgers. He wanted to play around with some food on a slower day so he asked me to pop by and be a taste tester for him. This is a philly variant that is not on his menu and it may never be but you never know! It was gooey and messy and all the beautiful things you want from a cheese steak sandwich. Mo is always playing around in his kitchen and so many of the test kitchen items may never see the light of day but JewBoy is a truck to keep your eyes on!

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 18, 2019 at 10:10am PDT

Helberg Barbecue – Waco, TX

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Did a mini bbq roadtrip with @thesmokingho up to Waco and Belton to hit a couple spots that are making waves in the Texas BBQ scene and our first stop was @helbergbarbecue! We got all the meats on this one including their brisket, ribs, sausage (both beef and poblano/gouda), pesto stuffed turkey, half a chicken, and pork loin. Of course they're in Texas so the brisket was great, as expected, but everything else stood on it's own as well especially that pesto stuffed turkey! My recommendation for Waco? Get away from the craziness of the silos for a bit and head out to Helberg for some amazing Texas BBQ!

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 20, 2019 at 8:09am PDT

Il Tromonto Ristorante – Temecula, CA

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I love a good pasta dish especially if they have one with clams like this one from Il Tramanto Ristorante in Old Town Temecula. This is the linguini vongole made with fresh clams, white wine, garlic, olive oil, and a dash of red pepper flakes, then topped with fennel breadcrumbs. The weather was beautiful enough to sit on the patio with this delish dish and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Buon appetito!

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 24, 2019 at 9:25am PDT

La Dolce Vita Ristorante – La Jolla, CA

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One thing I think gets overlooked in the San Diego area in favor of tacos, seafood, and California burritos is Italian food. Small Italian restaurants like this one, La Dolce Vita Ristorante, in La Jolla are all over the place and they're as good as you can get without a trip to Italy. I ordered the Cappellini Checca which is the most simple dish they offered with angel hair pasta, fresh tomato, basil, garlic, mixed up with extra virgin olive oil and the shrimp I added (take advantage of the coastal locale). So next time you're in the San Diego area, don't pass up that cute Italian place you see, it's probably way better than you imagine!

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 28, 2019 at 10:02am PDT

Heritage Barbecue Pop-up at Bruery Terreux – Anaheim, CA (soon to open in San Juan, CA!)

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When I heard @heritagebarbecue was having a pop-up in Anaheim at @brueryterreux the weekend I was in Southern California you know I had to make a roadtrip to check it out! Danny Castillo and his wife @mrs_heritage_bbq are doing great things representing Texas BBQ in the golden state doing a series of popups (only 6 left!!) in and around the OC. On this tray we have a thick slice of moist brisket, a couple of pork ribs (@kyrenabeana said they're the best she's had), pulled pork, choriqueso sausage, and his special for the day, pastrami spice rubbed smoked salmon (that was absolutely magical), with a side of his brisket burnt end beans, and choriqueso topped mac and cheese. I loved getting to meet and chat with Danny and Brenda and look forward to their next chapter and getting some BBQ with them next time they visit Austin!

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 31, 2019 at 7:53am PDT

Rigoberto’s Mexican Food – San Diego, CA

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Here's another California burrito variant from the @rigobertostacoshop location on Miramar in San Diego. This one comes with carne asada, fries, melted cheese, and a delicious enchilada like sauce mixed in. This compared to the other one I posted doesn't have the freshness from guac but instead goes with a bit more flavor from the sauce. The tortilla this thing was wrapped in was also bomb as hell and it held up to the slightly greasy and saucy innards really well. I can't exactly say which one I liked more because they touched on different flavor points and profiles but I certainly wouldn't turn down a visit to Rigoberto's if invited!

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Aug 1, 2019 at 7:18am PDT

‘Cocktail’ of the Month:
Oz. Tap House – Austin, TX

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It's 5 o'clock in our Central Time zone so where are you planning to belly up and have a drink at? Maybe it should be @oztaphouse with their wide range of drinks on tap including beers of all variety, cider, wine, and sours! Here we have a few brews from @circlebrew, @adelbertsbeer, @moontowercider, and @redhornbrew making a super colorful pair of flights! Remember, it's a self serve pour-your-own pub featuring all local products! What do you say? Is it time for happy hour? See you there! Cheers! . . . . . . . . #beer #nitroporter #nitrobeer #cider #cyser #mead #saison #goldenale #amberbeer #brownale #amberale #beerontap #beertaps #beerthirty #atxfoodguy #ad #discoverunder50k #sponsored #beerflight #texasbeer #texascraft #texascraftbeer #taphouse #draftbeer #draughtbeer

A post shared by ATXFoodGuy – John Kulow (@atxfoodguy) on Jul 2, 2019 at 3:05pm PDT