I used to go to Odd Duck all the time with friends...

I used to go to Odd Duck all the time with friends when it was simply a little trailer on South Lamar. I finally got over to their new location that's in essentially the same spot and was so pleasantly surprised to enjoy it as much as I did. The weather was nice, so my friend and I sat outside for dinner one evening. As with the trailer, the plates are small and best when shared along with several other plates (2-3 per person). Since they source locally, the menu varies with what's in season and available at the time, which I like because not only is it at peak freshness, but there's always something new to try when you return.

We started with a couple parker house rolls stuffed with pig's face and even though it was seemingly the most simple, it was probably my favorite thing I ate the entire night, screaming comfort right to my heart. I could've devoured a dozen of them. We had a pizza that sounded better on the menu than it ended up being in real life. We also had a lamb taco and an heirloom tomato salad that were both really great but maybe not as special as some of the other items. The last thing we shared was the black olive pasta with braised goat, sage, and parmesan and wow. It was incredible. So much savory flavor and texture, it was really spectacular.

They have a few dishes that are larger portions and intended to be shared among groups of 4 to 6 that I would love to go back to try soon. I think I may like this place better than Barley Swine because it seemed like the menu was a tad more extensive. Also, the space is much larger so it can accommodate many more guests without such a drastic wait time. But other than that, they are somewhat similar and both excellent, which makes sense of course. I think this would be a fun place to take out of town guests to give them a taste (many in fact) of what the Austin food scene is all about!