Earlier this month, I went to Austin Daily Press with the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance. I’d heard of Austin Daily Press but I didn’t know much about it and I’d definitely never eaten there. I figured, Sandwiches are good. I like sandwiches. This will be fine. The E. Cesar Chavez location is close to where I work, at least. I arrived and discovered there was only outdoor seating and a counter inside. I thought, Oh, this is even more casual than I thought. Then the food came out. OMG the food. It’s complex, delicious, meticulously crafted… anything but mundane. I got to sample a selection of Austin Daily Press’s food for free (thanks, ADP!) but all opinions are my own.
We tried a sampling of ADP’s “Greatest Hits.” ADP has tortas (classic Mexican sandwiches) and tacos, along with other sharable tapas (small plates). I tried the Deville torta first, with jalapeno hushpuppies and sweet potato wedges on the side. Protip: you can get three tortas in slider form for $10 – a tiny torta flight!
I also tried their Lucy tacos served with the roasted cauliflower and pork belly tapas. The cauliflower was pretty sweet, which paired really nicely with the normal cauliflower flavor. The pork belly tapas were something else though. These perfectly embody the chef inspired fast, casual dining experience ADP is all about. The tacos themselves were also delicious. The plan was to cut the taco in half, just to sample, but I ended up pretty quickly eating the whole thing. The Lucy taco has lemongrass-braised pork, escabeche, aji aioli, and a red cabbage salad.
Weekend brunch is served at their E. Cesar Chavez location on Saturday and Sunday from 11-4. We tried their shrimp and grits – chili butter poached shrimp, TX grits, cheddar, confit tomatoes, arugula, and you can add a fried egg for an extra buck. The brunch menu also includes french toast hushpuppies – does it get better than that?
New to their catering menu (yes, ADP caters!) is their “pigs” in a blanket – grilled tri-color carrots, puff pastry, jalapeno apple jam. I don’t know what they do to those carrots, but they are SO delicious.
Don’t forget the pastries! They may just be sitting in a little plastic display case on the counter inside, but they are out of this world. Pastry Chef Rachel Bach, of Bellows Bakery, bakes a wonderful selection of pastries out of ADP’s kitchen. She also makes all the bread for ADP’s tortas. We tried her cookies and brownies. I was STUFFED by this point in the night, but no matter how full you are, you have to dig deep and eat a Bellows Bakery pastry.
Next Friday (11/16), ADP is having a beer pairing dinner featuring Hops & Grain. I sampled the sweet poblano pumpkin hushpuppies and their November special torta. It has grilled parsnips, beer battered mozzarella, oregano orange charmoula, jalapeno apple jam, and roasted cabbage. I basically ate it as fast as I could. I’m considering buying tickets to the beer pairing event JUST so I can eat this torta again. They’re $44 for a pretty incredible 4-course meal.
As I type this, I’m trying to figure out when I can get to ADP next. My mouth is watering! I’d say there’s a 90% chance that on my way home from school on Monday, I’m going to drag my tired self over to ADP for a delicious, casual yet incredible meal. Thank you, ADP for crafting such high-quality food and for inviting me out to sample it.
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