{"id":50328,"date":"2018-11-18T23:59:31","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T05:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=50328"},"modified":"2025-02-04T11:26:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T17:26:12","slug":"contigo-austin-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=50328","title":{"rendered":"Contigo &#8211; Austin, Texas (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_50331\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50331\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-50331 size-full lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/500;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo01.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo01.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 750w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo01-300x200.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo01.jpg?size=128x85&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 128w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo01.jpg?size=384x256&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo01.jpg?size=512x341&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo01.jpg?size=640x427&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Contigo, One of Austin&#8217;s Essential Restaurants<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">There are a phalanx of &#8220;best of&#8221; lists online and in print publications that celebrate restaurants deemed true stand-outs worthy of accolades.\u00a0 Such lists are obviously very subjective though by no means definitive.\u00a0 That holds true as well to the concept of restaurant review ratings, a mere snapshot in time valid really only to that reviewer at that very specific date and time of a visit.\u00a0 Still, when we travel, I study the restaurant scene at our intended destinations, taking the pulse of what lay diners and cognoscenti have to say and yes, how they rate a restaurant.\u00a0 When we visit a restaurant in a city to which we travel, we&#8217;re unfailingly well armed with information and know full well what to expect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">More than &#8220;best of&#8221; lists and subjective ratings, I&#8217;ve come to value the notion of &#8220;essential restaurants&#8221; a concept posited by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eater.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Eater<\/strong><\/a> that recognizes how much the experiential aspects of a meal really matter.\u00a0 For Eater, &#8220;<em>it\u2019s not about the \u201cbest\u201d or the most lavish or the trendiest or the prettiest or the coolest restaurants in the country.\u00a0 It\u2019s an open-armed embrace of all of America\u2019s culinary achievements, a full-throated refrain for the beautiful, satisfying meals we get to enjoy across this country<\/em>.&#8221;\u00a0 It&#8217;s celebrating restaurants that are &#8220;<em>high, low, rustic, refined, small, massive,<\/em>&#8221; restaurants that transcend the eating experience and location.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50332\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50332\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-50332 size-full lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/500;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo02.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo02.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 750w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo02-300x200.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo02.jpg?size=128x85&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 128w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo02.jpg?size=384x256&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo02.jpg?size=512x341&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo02.jpg?size=640x427&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50332\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Contigo Translates From Spanish to &#8220;With You.&#8221; There&#8217;s a Reason&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">A few years ago, a well-traveled technical instructor out of St. Louis asked me what the best restaurant in Albuquerque was.\u00a0 He didn&#8217;t want to hear me hemming and hawing about the &#8220;ill-founded notion of best.&#8221;\u00a0 He had one meal in the Duke City and he wanted to know where he should have it.\u00a0 I sent him to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=331\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Mary &amp; Tito&#8217;s<\/strong><\/a> which, by the way, was recently named one of America&#8217;s 38 essential restaurants for 2018.\u00a0 Not surprisingly he didn&#8217;t like it, the glorious chile I had described being too incendiary for his unacculturated taste buds.\u00a0 Still, he admitted Mary &amp; Tito&#8217;s probably IS the best restaurant in Albuquerque, just not for someone whose tastes lean more toward\u00a0 &#8220;Chi-Chis&#8221; with its benign &#8220;chili&#8221; sauces than they do to transcendent red chile with a pleasant piquancy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">In planning our trip to Austin, I knew full well that the city that likes to keep it weird is a widely considered one of the top ten food cities under the spacious skies.\u00a0 There would be no way we could possibly experience any more than a handful of the myriad and essential restaurants the city has to offer.\u00a0 As such, we had to make every restaurant visit special.\u00a0 I looked to Eater for its Fall, 2018 edition of the <a href=\"https:\/\/austin.eater.com\/maps\/best-restaurants-austin-eater-38-map\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>38 Essential Restaurants in Austin<\/strong><\/a> and hoped some of them would allow our debonair dachshund The Dude to dine with us.\u00a0 I also got recommendations from Albuquerque Academy and UT-Austin graduate Carmen Rising, now writing for <a href=\"https:\/\/uproxx.com\/life\/best-street-art-la\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Uproxx<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 One restaurant common to both Carmen and Eater was Contigo.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50333\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50333\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-50333 size-full lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/699;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo03.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"699\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo03.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 750w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo03-300x280.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo03.jpg?size=128x119&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 128w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo03.jpg?size=384x358&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo03.jpg?size=512x477&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo03.jpg?size=640x596&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50333\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">The name &#8220;Contigo&#8221; though spelled as one word translates from the Spanish words &#8220;con tigo&#8221; to the English term &#8220;with you.&#8221;\u00a0 Fittingly the goal of Contigo is &#8220;<em>to offer the community a place to relax, commune, and enjoy great food<\/em>.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0 The restaurant is modeled after the owner&#8217;s family&#8217;s Contigo Ranch where they &#8220;<em>like to eat great food and appreciate friendly company and warm hospitality.&#8221;<\/em> These are the experiential and culinary elements we cherish.\u00a0 Though not mentioned in Contigo&#8217;s &#8220;mission statement,&#8221; this ranch-to-table eatery warmly welcomes four-legged fur babies to join their two-legged families on an outdoor patio or enjoy al fresco dining under the stars.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">Alas, gathering around the fire pit and listening to live blues and rock music, wasn&#8217;t in the cards for us.\u00a0 After being greeted by a delightful 74-degree November day, we were subjected the following day to a cold Austin day, &#8220;cold&#8221; being a very relative term.\u00a0 At 43 degrees, it certainly wouldn&#8217;t have been considered cold even by Albuquerque standards, but it was windy, damp and overcast.\u00a0 We were happily escorted to a covered and heated patio where we could remove a couple layers of clothing.\u00a0 We were happier when one cup after another of hot coffee was ferried over to our table.\u00a0 It sure took the chill off.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50334\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50334\" style=\"width: 745px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-50334 size-full lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 745px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 745\/700;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo04.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"745\" height=\"700\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo04.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 745w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo04-300x282.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo04.jpg?size=128x120&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 128w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo04.jpg?size=384x361&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo04.jpg?size=512x481&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo04.jpg?size=640x601&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50334\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Churro Croissant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">Contigo&#8217;s Sunday brunch menu is a delightful revelation in creativity, offering both the familiar and comfortable as well as dishes not often (if ever) offered in the Duke City.\u00a0 The menu has only two sections: an eleven item entrees section and a section dedicated to pastries though by no means pastries we would have expected (more later).\u00a0 We were seated on a picnic table in personal space proximity to other diners and their own dogs.\u00a0 Our servers Scott and Nessa not only took great care of us, they engaged us in friendly conversation, giving us several suggestions on how to maximize our time in their fair city.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">Our ordering pattern was somewhat reminiscent of the &#8220;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barrypopik.com\/index.php\/new_york_city\/entry\/one_from_column_a_one_from_column_b_chinese_menu_ordering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one from column A and one from column B<\/a><\/strong>&#8221; system popular in Chinese restaurants back in the 50s.\u00a0 That is, we ordered two items from the pastries section of the menu and two items from the entrees section.\u00a0 First came an <em><strong>apple pie cinnamon roll<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 This is an exemplar of two great tastes that taste great together (with all due respect to Reese&#8217;s peanut butter cups).\u00a0 The sweet-tart apples were a great counterbalance to the sweet icing which itself has a tart element courtesy of cream cheese.\u00a0 The fun of unrolling spiral-shaped cinnamon rolls is even more exciting when you unfurl the dough and reveal the apples within.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50335\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50335\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-50335 size-full lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/555;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo05.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"555\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo05.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 750w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo05-300x222.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo05.jpg?size=128x95&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 128w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo05.jpg?size=384x284&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo05.jpg?size=512x379&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo05.jpg?size=640x474&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50335\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ox Tongue Hash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">The concept of France meets Spain isn&#8217;t very far-fetched considering the two European nations border one another across the Pyrenees.\u00a0 Still, we were both surprised and delighted to see a <em><strong>Churro Croissant<\/strong><\/em> on the menu.\u00a0 The croissant is light, flaky and buttery, more akin to a pain chocolat (what Americans like to call chocolate croissants) than say, a cronut.\u00a0 It&#8217;s better, too.\u00a0 A light exterior sprinkling of cinnamon and an interior rich with hazelnut filling pair deliciously.\u00a0 This sweet-savory-buttery marriage is terrific!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">Considering my friend Carlos sometimes calls me &#8220;buey,&#8221; the Spanish word for &#8220;ox,&#8221; it was only fitting my entree would be <em><strong>ox tongue hash<\/strong><\/em> (crispy potato, sauerkraut, grain mustard mornay, fried egg).\u00a0 Though I&#8217;ve had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=39115\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ox<\/strong> <strong>tail<\/strong><\/a> several times, this was my first ox tongue (though not my first lengua).\u00a0 Let me say unequivocally, ox tongue is far superior to ox tail, especially the way Contigo prepares it.\u00a0\u00a0 Forget any &#8220;ick&#8221; factor, tongue is delicious, not a far departure from brisket or roast beef.\u00a0 If you weren&#8217;t told what you were eating, you might even consider this hash dish one of the very best you&#8217;ve ever had.\u00a0 It&#8217;s got a great diversity of flavors melding into one absolutely delicious amalgam.\u00a0 The grain mustard mornay and sauerkraut, in particular, complement the ox tongue very well.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50336\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50336\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-50336 size-full lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/579;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo07.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"579\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo07.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 750w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo07-300x232.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo07.jpg?size=128x99&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 128w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo07.jpg?size=384x296&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo07.jpg?size=512x395&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Contigo07.jpg?size=640x494&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50336\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fried Chicken &amp; Biscuits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">Travel to Austin and you can well expect that many menus will offer fried chicken.\u00a0 That&#8217;s a good thing, especially for poultry paramours like my Kim who can&#8217;t get enough.\u00a0 Contigo&#8217;s <em><strong>fried chicken and biscuits<\/strong><\/em> are top shelf stuff elevated by a black pepper and chili oil gravy which should be bottled and sold.\u00a0 Long after we forget much of what we&#8217;ve seen and done in Austin, we&#8217;ll fondly recall the deliciousness of this gravy.\u00a0 It elevated three pieces of juicy, tender chicken (thigh, breast and wing) to rarefied air.\u00a0 The biscuits were light and fluffy, just beckoning for butter or a great chokecherry jelly.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\">Bon Appetit described Contigo as &#8220;<em><span class=\"dropcap dropcap-t\" data-reactid=\"148\">where<\/span> Austinites bring their guests when they want to convince them to move to town<\/em>.&#8221;\u00a0 What could be more essential than a restaurant which inspires that sense of community pride?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Verdana;\"><strong>Contigo<\/strong><br \/>\n2027 Anchor Lane<br \/>\n<strong>Austin, Texas<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>LATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 18 November 2018<br \/>\n<strong># OF VISITS<\/strong>: 1<br \/>\n<strong>RATING<\/strong>: N\/R<br \/>\n<strong>COST<\/strong>: $$<br \/>\n<strong>BEST BET<\/strong>:\u00a0 Fried Chicken &amp; Biscuits, Ox Tongue Hash, Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll, Churro Croissant<br \/>\n<strong>REVIEW #1074<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are a phalanx of &#8220;best of&#8221; lists online and in print publications that celebrate restaurants deemed true stand-outs worthy of accolades.\u00a0 Such lists are obviously very subjective though by no means definitive.\u00a0 That holds true as well to the concept of restaurant review ratings, a mere snapshot in time valid really only to that reviewer at that very specific date and time of a visit.\u00a0 Still, when we travel, I study the restaurant scene at our intended destinations, taking the pulse of what lay diners and cognoscenti have to say and yes, how they rate a restaurant.\u00a0 When we visit a restaurant in a city to which we travel, we&#8217;re unfailingly well armed with information and know full well&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,165,839,703,262,35,553],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american","category-brunch","category-closed-in-2021","category-dog-friendly","category-closed","category-texas","category-across-america"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Contigo - Austin, Texas (CLOSED) - Gil&#039;s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=50328\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Contigo - Austin, Texas (CLOSED) - Gil&#039;s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are a phalanx of &#8220;best of&#8221; 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