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Foodie in training. Currently focusing on my senior year curriculum, so there have not been recent posts. Please peruse previous posts for recommendations!

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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Did you say pie-ro-gee? - Hill Country Pierogi Truck

I learned about the Hill Country Pierogi trailer from my roommate last fall. She really wanted to visit the new trailer and told me I should come with, so I could tell you wonderful people all about it.

Delicious new food? I’m there, but what the heck are pierogi?

The roomz described pierogi as a traditional Polish food, similar to ravioli, but in a half-moon shape, filled with potato and cheese and pan-fried in butter.

Potatoes, cheese, butter. It sounded like a Paula Deen dish all wrapped in a noodle- let's go.

A week or so later I saw that Hill Country Pierogi was having a Twitter contest for fans to send in pictures of the Austin skyline in exchange for free pierogi. Challenge accepted.

I sent in this pic I found on an 'ode to Austin' blogpost and won. Free food's always good.

The Austin version of Aurora Borealis.

Last weekend I finally went to redeem my prize.

Hill Country Pierogi truck off East 11th & Juniper

Not only did Brit & Rob remember my and my roommates names from months ago, but they were so incredibly nice and gave me plenty of time to flip flop between The Chorizo or the Traditional. The Texan in me went for The Chorizo. The roomie ordered The Bacon. And we threw in an order of The Apple Pie for good measure.

The Chorizo





These little guys smelled AMAZING. It was one of those times where you knew the food was going to be way too hot, but it was worth burning the roof of your mouth. The filling , a combination of ground chorizo, black beans, sautéed onions, chipotle and mashed potato, genius. The diced jalapeños and chipotle sour cream were great for me because I like spice. But the regular side of sour cream will bring down the heat if you want a milder flavor. 

I tried one of the bacon pierogies and liked it as much as mine, though it had a completely different flavor.
 
The Bacon
The caramelized onion added a sweetness to the savory cracked black peppercorn bacon and mashed potatoes. The peppercorn bacon crumble on top was a nice vittle between bites. 

After three delish dumplings I knew I had to stop so I could save room for The Apple Pie. 

The Apple Pie with SWEETENED WHIPPED MASCARPONE

Brit, Hill Country Pierogi co-founder and chef extraordinaire, brought out the apple pie and our mouths fell open. She made sure we knew that the heavenly little dollop of cream was not "just" butter, but homemade sweetened mascarpone cream. 

The apple pie filling is homemade and the whole pierogi is topped with dulce de leche drizzle and powdered sugar. The combination of the buttery dumpling with the deep-fried breading was a little heavy for me, but my favorite part of the dessert was the mascarpone. By the end I was snagging bites of it with a spoon. (Brit admitted she does this too which made me feel more normal.)

An order of 5 homemade pierogi is $7 which isn't a bad deal. Considering you'll probably take a couple home (or eat them in the car on the way back), it's almost two meals. The menu has a wide variety of choices and some vegetarian options as well.



The next time I go back I want to try the Traditional or the Kielbasa (Polish sausage) and The Blueberry for dessert. Yes, I've already planned my entire order.

On a side note, I just want to commend Brit and Rob on how quickly they've grown their business and settled in to the Austin food truck community. Their food is amazing, but they're also one of the most resourceful food truck operations I've seen. They ship, deliver and sell bulk quantities of their products and their menu is featured at the Longbranch Inn. 

You can read about Rob and Brit's full adventure from their "corporate" lives in New York to running their small business in Austin, and keep up-to-date on the trailer, on their blogTwitter, or Facebook.

If you visit the trailer and try The Blueberry before I get a chance to, leave me a comment and tell me all about it!


Na zdrowie!