Hi my name is Dawn and I am a stalker….food stalker. I have been stalking Elizabeth Street Cafe’s Instagram for months! Well, I finally got in the car and made the trip from Dallas to Austin. All I can say is GET IN THE CAR.
Elizabeth Street Cafe
1501 S. First Street Street
Austin, TX 78704
www.elizabethstreetcafe.com
Elizabeth Street Cafe is an eclectic neighborhood spot with limited seating and colorful decor. We arrived early because they don’t take reservations.
Due to my stalking, I knew exactly what I wanted to order. I placed my order for the Sticky Rice with Ginger Sausage & Scrambled Eggs. The bowl arrived beautifully decorated. The foundation was a perfectly cooked square of sticky rice with a drizzle of sriracha and hoisin. Next were two wonderfully ginger-scented sausage patties. Working with ginger can be tricky, but this house-made sausage was a great balance of spices. The dish normally comes with poached eggs, but I opted for scrambled and I didn’t regret it. The herb salad of mint and cilantro was a nice fragrant and fresh addition.
Next up was a Breakfast Banh Mi Sandwich. I am all about the bread on a banh mi and this baguette was sublime…crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The brioche was topped with the house-made mayo, sambal, cilantro and jalapeno. The filling choices for the sandwich are scrambled eggs/ginger sausage, fried egg/crispy pork belly/avocado/mint or egg whites/sauteed mushrooms/Fresno chilis. We went with the scrambled eggs and ginger sausage. It was a sandwich big in size and taste. YUM!
ESC has an incredible bakery headed by pastry chef Ashley Ginsberg. She is talented and creative baking everything from croissants, eclairs, cream puffs and macaroons. I had my eye on the case from the moment we walked in. When I saw the Everything & Cream Cheese Croissant my decision was made. Brilliant idea! I was served warm and delicious. The flaky pastry was sprinkled with all that nutty and savory everything spice and cream cheese in the center. I would eat one of these every morning (and night) if I could.
Another item that is housemade is the granola. We tried the Bowl of Berries, Banana & Yogurt. The granola was crunchy and comforting topped with mixed berries, sliced banana and ginger and palm sugar syrup. Healthy never tasted so good.
I enjoyed a Cafe au Lait made with Stumptown Coffee. Oh so good!
Don’t forget to grab a little something for the road. We couldn’t resist the Nutella Eclair. It was worth every calorie!
The only let down of the entire meal was leaving and knowing there isn’t an Elizabeth Street Cafe in Dallas!
