Here’s Part 2 of my recent visit to Austin, which I call Austin Vegan Limits because well…there are no limits to their vegan food; none that I’ve yet to find anyhow.
Sunday morning we were up before dawn. Our daughter was competing in her first Ironman. As her mother I was there to offer mental and emotional support along with making sure she survived! This by far was the craziest thing she has done but she is quite the badass so nothing she sets out to accomplish surprises me. I admit it had been a while since I was up to see the sun rise and this beauty made me wish I’d did it more often. What a great way to kick off the morning and the first event.
In the water to complete a 1.2-mile swim it wasn’t long before she was out and headed for the next leg of the event, a 56-mile bike ride. Meanwhile her team and I headed out for some much needed coffee and breakfast. We were a mixed bag of eaters so I knew a great breakfast for all could be had at local favorite Kerbey Café. I was hankering for tacos so ordered the fried avocado version with beans and rice, make it vegan please. It was a full plate ya’ll and could have easily been shared since I only could eat half. It did the job but honestly I was more in love with their strawberry mimosas. Hey…I wasn’t competing!
Back at the event we realized that the Ironman would last waaay longer than anticipated. Think goodness our bellies were full. The long bike ride followed by the 13.1 mile run was a full afternoon. Luckily we had plenty of water and snacky snacks to get us through and were thrilled to see baby girl cross the finish line. It had been awhile since I’d been a spectator at a competitive event and I really enjoyed watching and cheering on the participants. It’s very inspiring and makes you realize our bodies are amazing machines that are capable of accomplishing way more than what we give them credit for. I encourage you to go watch a local event, it may just inspire you to join the next one.
Finally back at the hotel and a bit exhausted from the looong day, I could have easily pulled on the PJ’s but I wasn’t going to miss Arlo’s this go around. So after a quick walk down the street I was the owner of the much-anticipated Bacon Cheezburger and tots. If you’ve had this then feel free to skip ahead but if you haven’t then heed my warning. Get to Arlo’s!!! Hands down the best vegan burger I’ve had on the planet that taste like a real burger (minus the fat, cholesterol, and animal) accompanied by crunchy tots. After that it didn’t take long for sleep and sweet dreams to come as my head hit the pillow.
Eating all the vegan food when I travel also means paying my dues in the gym or running. So the next morning, with tennis shoes on, I headed out to Town Lake, a popular fitness destination. Scenic, serene, and always a sight to be seen it really makes running more fun than not. On a good day you can’t beat the view of downtown or the lake itself.
After check out I had time for one more meal so we hit up local favorite Home Slice. Not vegan but vegan friendly, we enjoyed a shared salad and a pizza that was topped with spinach, mushroom, artichokes and olives, minus the cheese. Their pies are thin crusted with generous toppings (you don’t miss the cheese, trust me). Note: Hungry from the long run, I forgot pics!
I loaded up on a few favorites at Wheatsville on the way out of town. Their Popcorn Tofu is crack and made for a good salad topping the next day.
Passing by Sweet Ritual again we had to stop (following them on Instagram is maybe a bad idea). The seasonal Snakebite Medicine flavor was just the cure we needed to get us home.
The consensus stands ya’ll, there’s no way you can eat all the vegan food in one weekend. After all my visits there’s still places on my list, which of course calls for a future trip. Until then I’ll dream of Austin vegan limits, where no limits exist as long as you have the stomach space. Burp!
– Kat