[whimsical music playing]
[Phil] They have wonderful bike lanes here in Austin.
I love riding a bike around.
I also have to tell you that usually my first stop from the airport
is Torchy's.
I don't know why.
I think it's because it's friggin' delicious.
-Welcome to Torchy's. How's it going? -Always my first stop.
Good to see you.
-How you doing? -Great.
-All right. Migas. 'Cause it's morning. -Migas, for sure.
-Mr. Orange, the salmon. -Mr. Orange. You got it.
And the people should see the Green Chile Queso.
Have to have it. Can't leave without it.
-Thanks. -Yes, sir.
-Oh! -It's queso time.
Oh, my favorite time!
-There we go. That's dressing. -Thank you.
If you're comin' to Texas, you're gonna need a little queso.
[mellow funk music playing]
-My tacos! -All right!
These are Texas tacos.
You can feel the Texas.
[laughs, chomps]
Mm!
By the way, here's something I never did.
Is it gross, or is it the answer?
Moving on to lunch.
This is not Mexican-Mexican.
This is Tex-Mex.
Mm! [chuckles]
Who wants some tacos?
-[Richard] I want a bite. -[Phil] It's really good.
[animal growling sounds]
Oh my God. No! Don't--
[ominous music playing]
Hey. Hey! Hey! Hey!
[growling continues]
Wait a minute.
Hey, three of my fingers are missing.
[opening theme song plays]
♪ A happy, hungry man's ♪
♪ Traveling all across The sea and the land ♪
♪ He's trying to understand ♪
♪ The art of pasta Pork, chicken, and lamb ♪
♪ He will drive to you ♪
♪ He will fly to you ♪
♪ He will sing for you ♪
♪ And he'll dance for you ♪
♪ He will laugh with you ♪
♪ And he'll cry for you ♪
♪ There's just one thing he asks in return Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil? ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪
[jaunty music playing]
[Phil] When I first started pitching this show,
I met with the head of the Travel Channel, and he said,
"We've done some research
and we found that our audience doesn't really like travel."
And on my way out the door, he said, "By the way,
the only food that we found that people are interested in in America
is barbecue."
Okay. So we went to the Food Network,
and the president of the Food Network said to me,
this is absolutely true,
"We're kind of getting away from the food thing."
And on my way out the door, he said,
"By the way, the only food Americans are interested in--"
I said, "Don't tell me. Barbecue."
The point of this story is,
Americans, if you really are interested in barbecue,
boy, is this the show for you!
Welcome to Austin.
It's the most fun city.
It has more music venues than even Nashville does.
I was surprised to learn that. The food is awesome.
Not just barbecue.
And, best of all, the people are lovely.
And I think I found the perfect Austinite to help me kick off my visit.
Daniel Vaughn is the barbecue editor, yes, they have a barbecue editor,
at Texas Monthly magazine.
This is him. He knows his stuff.
We're going on a barbecue crawl.
The crawl begins at LeRoy and Lewis,
a barbecue truck run by business partners Sawyer Lewis and Evan LeRoy.
-This is the new-school barbecue, right? -This is the newest school.
[Phil] But here's a case where the smoker is bigger than the restaurant.
-[Evan laughs] That's right. -[Phil] Right?
Tell me what I'm having.
We've got to get the beef cheeks.
That's one of the things they're known for.
The Citra Sausage.
-The Hop Sausage. -That's gonna be great.
The bacon rib they do once a week.
And it is like the full pork belly, still on the rib bone.
-And I can't come here without a burger. -[Evan] The burger.
You also have to have some cauliflower.
Call my doctor. Tell him it's not just meat.
-[all laughing] -[Daniel] That's right.
Austin has many famous barbecue places.
Legends like Franklin Barbecue and La Barbecue.
These are phenomenal places.
I'm not doing them today.
Today, I want to show you the new stuff.
-[Daniel chuckles] Oh. -Barbecue time!
-Here it comes. -Ooh!
[hums dramatically]
[Evan] All our meat comes from Texas.
Local ranches, sustainable, humanely-raised meat.
Brisket, we have our beef cheeks. The bacon rib is right underneath there.
Kind of a big-daddy pork belly on spare ribs
that we cure in-house, the whole slab, like bacon.
-Should I show the people? -Double-smoked, maple-glazed.
Behold the almighty bacon rib.
[Daniel] Hold it, hold it, hold it, I gotta…
[laughs]
Goodbye, people.
[Daniel laughs]
If I was to take a first bite, this side or this side?
-I mean, that, right there. -Right there?
[whimsical music playing]
What?!
[Daniel laughing]
It's candy.
[Daniel laughs]
-What?! -I don't think I'll get a bite of this.
Nope.
[Evan] We got a few more. We got--
[laughing] You can have your own.
-All right. -[Phil] Wowee, wow, wow!
-[Evan] Look behind you. -Whoa!
We're not done yet.
-What?! -[Daniel] Hey now.
[Sawyer] So we have our
-Texas red chili Frito pie. -[Phil] Yes?
With our, uh, house-smoked and pickled jalapeños.
-Yes? -Our Kale Caesar Slaw.
-Nice. -[Sawyer] Our house-made refried beans.
Jeez. My brain is just like fireworks are going off.
-Look at this Frito pie. Look at this. -[Richard chuckles]
[laughs]
[Phil] Correct me if I'm wrong, but the new-school part
of your new-school barbecue is
a twist that you're putting on old-school barbecue.
Right. So the idea is, uh, classic cooking methods.
Right? Barbecue is a method, not a menu.
We just bring a little bit of a different flare
to the traditional Texas barbecue menu.
[Sawyer] We have our sauces.
-Try our beet barbecue sauce. -What should I dip in that?
So my favorite bite is a piece of potato bread with beef cheek,
a little bit of kimchi,
and then a little smidge of the beet barbecue sauce.
-This is the bite, people. -[Evan] Yeah.
[Evan and Sawyer chuckle]
-Well? -That was a big bite.
I got a cheek full of cheek. It's awesome!
And I think what's really unique about us too
is we're really committed to not having any waste.
-You won't have any waste today. -Yeah. That's our goal.
-Ooh! -A burger as well.
-Burger time. -Oh my God.
-Half-pound patty, smoked. -You want to cut it?
-First I want to show it off. -[Evan] Pickles, onions.
-[Daniel] Like, just… -[Phil] Wow.
-Holy moly. Richard. -[Richard] Oh my God.
Poor Richard.
[Daniel] I don't wanna oversell it,
but it will change your entire worldview about what a burger can be.
Perfectly cooked.
Oh, Richard.
[Richard and Sawyer laugh]
-[Sawyer] What's the verdict? -Oh my God.
[Daniel] It's got the bark too.
-You know, from being in the smoker. -Yes, it's got the-- it's got the…
You know what? I actually remember at one point, Daniel, you said,
-"It's nostalgic of a backyard burger." -What the hell…
-[Sawyer] Right? -That's right.
Like eating something you'd cook with friends in a backyard.
-Yes, if I had talented friends! -[Sawyer laughs] Yeah.
-[Daniel] Mm. -You know your stuff.
[laughs]
-I know where to find it. -How do I pace myself?
-We also have to-go boxes. -[Richard] This is how you pace yourself.
[all laughing]
-[Phil] Goodbye, burger. -[Sawyer laughs]
[Phil] So, where are we?
[Daniel] We've got the Distant Relatives food truck here
-and Meanwhile Brewing. -Yeah. Yeah.
So it's another food truck park
that happens to be attached to a brewery, which is nice, 'cause--
We got this.
Then we got beer.
[mellow music playing]
-Oh, that's nice. -Mm-hmm.
When we drove in, it's like an industrial park,
but then you have this paradise here.
-[Daniel] Yeah, it's really hidden here. -Nice for families.
A lot of room in Texas.
[chuckles] Yes. Yes, there is.
-Oh! -Ooh, hey now.
You must be Damien.
-[Daniel] All right, hi. -[Damien] I am.
I'm Phil.
This is Damien Brockway.
He's an African-American chef who's incorporated
some of the African influences into the barbecue.
[both] Good to see you.
Yeah, yeah. Get in here. Tell us about what we got.
[Damien] So over here, we have our sides.
So black-eyed peas, we have burnt ends of brisket here.
Over here, we have the hot smoked peanuts.
I need this in front of the TV.
[Damien] Absolutely. Pickled golden beets.
We have some tallow-roasted radishes with a spicy buttermilk sauce over here.
Wow. I'm doing the black-eyed peas.
[Daniel] No, I've never had radishes at a barbecue joint.
Here we go.
I've never had radishes at a barbecue joint.
-[Daniel] Oh wow. -All right, I want to know your story.
-I work in this trailer right over here. -[all chuckle]
[Phil] Where'd you get the name?
So distant relatives is a common trope in African American culture.
Uh, it speaks to, you know,
the connection with, you know, the African continent.
-Yes. Yes. -And where we originated from as a people.
So some of the spices and ingredients that you're seeing here
including, like, collard greens,
uh, black-eyed peas, spices like grains of paradise.
-[Phil] Yeah. -Those are ingredients that we deploy.
So the modern African-American part of that
is-- is us being creative within the story of our culture--
But you're taking food and spices from the motherland?
Absolutely, as-- as well as traditions here in the States
from many different areas.
Right. And then the sauce is unlike the barbecue sauces you'd get
at most barbecue places.
You're right. What's in there?
One of the things that we do at the trailer as well
is that all the proteins get paired with a specific sauce.
[Phil] Even the sauces are incredible and original.
Smoked mustard butter.
So this is chicken barbecue sauce.
-Yeah, this is the chicken sauce, which… -Wow, this…
People like that one and tend to ask for that one.
This is some of my favorite chicken and sauce ever.
I am finishing this.
I'm telling you, that's what great barbecue will do to you.
Like, you think you're not hungry--
It finds a hole in your being and fills it.
[laughing] Yes.
[Phil] There will be more barbecue, I promise.
But before we get to that,
there's another important cuisine in Austin we have to talk about.
One of my favorite restaurants in Austin, it's called Suerte.
It's one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to,
including in Mexico!
Oh, hello.
-[Emily] Hi! -[gasps] Hi!
-[Phil] Nice to see you. -You too!
[Phil] And today, I'm meeting two of my best friends in Austin.
This is Emily and Caitlin.
They created the Austin Television Festival
and they still run it to this day.
This is Chef Fermín Nuñez.
-You guys look great. -We got dressed up for you.
I got dressed up for you. I don't put this on for anybody.
-I got dressed up for all of y'all. -You look beautiful.
-Cheers. -[Phil and Fermin] Salud.
There you go.
[mellow music playing]
-[Phil] Ooh! -It's good. We have good taste.
-What's in this? -Mezcal.
And then I stopped reading after Mezcal.
-It's our version of a margarita. -[Phil] Yeah.
It's one of the things we do here.
Like, we're a Mexican restaurant, but we're in East Austin, right?
-Suerte-- -But not technically Tex-Mex.
No. No.
-Not if you ask me. -You're technically-- You're Mexican.
I am, yes. And the restaurant.
The food is Mexican, but there is a Texas thing.
A little bit. Yes.
[Phil] At Suerte, he's doing Mexican food, but he's putting his spin on it,
and we're in Texas.
Does that count as Tex-Mex?
I need-- I need a better expert than me.
All right, so this is our ceviche.
Underneath the tostada
will be some freshly-cut rainbow trout served in an Aleppo-puya orange broth.
-Enjoy. -[Emily] Nice. Thank you.
I'm excited for you to try this because this, to me,
tastes very Texas right now.
[rockabilly music playing]
-[crunches] -[Phil] Mm!
[Emily] You're all like professionals with your spoons.
-[Caitlin] Make sure you get it all on. -I know. A perfect bite.
By the way, I don't care what you call it, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Austin-Mex…
It's just delicious food.
So, you know how I know these two?
You were a part in their festival in past years?
You guys are back now.
We are back in person in June.
Mm-hmm. Much of our festival is about community and being together,
and we've done the virtual thing very "well,"
but it's about the unplanned moments of meeting new friends and--
It's the magic that comes when the people arrive
is what makes something special.
And they're excited to see the people
-they've seen on screens. -[Emily] Mm-hmm.
-There you go. -In person!
It's also a very food and drink-focused festival.
And so, a lot of times on a Phil panel, there will be tacos or breakfast.
-"Have tacos or breakfast with Phil." -Who wouldn't wanna have tacos with Phil?
You gotta have a drink and a snack while you watch TV.
-You'll have to come. -It's really fun.
Pardon me. I have your tamale mole blanco.
And I have a pine nut gremolata underneath,
topped and coated with the mole blanco
and dehydrated hoja santa sprinkled on top.
-Dehydrated what? -Hoja santa.
-What's that? -So hoja santa
is-- translates to "holy leaf."
It is the leaf that allegedly, uh, was used to wrap sweet baby Jesus.
-[laughs] Great. -Really?
-Yes. -I appreciate the "allegedly."
-I don't know the truth in that. -So you're basically giving us a diaper.
-[laughs] -That's one way to put it.
I like saying stuff like that so that I get the first bite.
-[Richard laughs] -Nice.
[Emily] Oh my gosh.
Isn't that great?
[mellow music playing]
Then we have the goat barbacoa. It's going to be cooked barbacoa-style
in a banana leaf.
Do we put lime on it?
[Fermin] It's like unwrapping the best Christmas gift.
[Phil] Who doesn't like that?
-Everybody likes that, right? -[Emily] Oh my gosh.
I have had to have had goat before, but not very often.
Oh yeah? What do you think? I love it.
I really like it and I'm trying to figure out what's making it…
People talk about duck or something that has a very distinctive flavor.
-It does have one. -The most popular meat in the world.
-Really? -Yeah.
-Not chicken? -You know that. It's goat.
I didn't know that.
Yeah, the most consumed in the world. Every single culture.
I'd have guessed chicken too.
-What's that? -[laughs]
[Richard speaking indistinctly]
-It's the fifth most-consumed animal? -Uh-oh.
So what I read said it was the most consumed.
What's that say?
"Data doesn't support the claim that goat is the world's most consumed meat, Phil."
-[Emily laughs] -So you lied to me.
-I lied. -What else have you lied about?
-I was gonna repeat that. -There are four? I was gonna repeat it.
But I found that if you say it convincingly, on television…
It convinced you.
…people believe you.
-Phil! Phil! -[Phil] Hi!
-[Fermin] Hey! -[man] Phil, we love you! Phil!
Let me tell you about goat.
[all laughing]
[Phil] Austin barbecue is so good
it's almost impossible not to have it for every meal.
It's kind of a problem, to be honest.
Luckily, Daniel's back with one more great place to show me.
Daniel is now taking me to another cutting-edge barbecue place
called InterStellar,
and the man has earned that hat.
-How'd you get into barbecue? -Moving to Texas. Yeah.
It's like a, uh, requirement.
Well, I went ahead and did a subscription to Texas Monthly.
They had a top-five at the time,
and so I organized a long weekend trip around being able to go to all those five.
You have buddies who do this with you?
Yeah, we really enjoyed the barbecue that we were eating in Dallas.
-Yeah. -And like, "How much better could it be?"
And then you go and then you have the realization.
We ate it looking at each other, like,
"Oh, this is what they've been talking about."
-I love finding that next level. -Yeah.
-It's the reason I do this.
Hello!
-Hello. You guys ready for some food? -Hey, John.
Oh, good, I was hoping for a light breakfast this morning.
-Absolutely. -That's a typical Texas breakfast.
[Phil] The chef is John Bates. He comes from the world of fine dining.
He has turned his attention to making everyone happy.
Look how beautiful that is!
-[giggles] -[chuckles]
Which I say before saying hello.
-Great to see you. -You as well.
Hi, John! I've never been here. We've never met.
-I think we'll be good friends after this. -I think so too.
-What should I start with? -I always start with brisket.
I'd go with the burnt end.
Then maybe work your way around to some lamb and pork belly.
-[Phil] Oh my God. -Maybe finish with the turkey.
It's kind of a vegetable around here anyway, so…
[laughs] Turkey is the vegetable.
-[Daniel] All right. -[Phil and Daniel] Cheers.
[slow blues rock music playing]
[Daniel] It's so intense.
It's all the flavor. It's the best bite on the brisket.
-[Daniel] Mm-hmm. -Right. That's gorgeous.
[Daniel] Yeah. And I like to split the fatty slices in half.
-Like this. -[Phil] Yes.
Because that's just another piece of lean. But that…
-Split? Do you wanna split it with me? -Oh yeah.
[Richard laughs]
And then he brings out the lean brisket, and then the fatty brisket with the fat,
and you eat the…
[pants]
[Richard laughs]
I'm just pushing it against the roof of my mouth with my tongue,
and it falls apart.
[Daniel] That's when you know that the-- the fat is at its perfect doneness.
[Phil] Even though the field is crowded,
you felt you had something a little different that you could…
[John] Yeah, just bring a different point of view
to something that's, you know, a very traditional food
and add our little touches around it
but honor, you know, the center of the plate,
-the bones of Texas barbecue. -Yes.
And then do our own little flourishes, like the scalloped potatoes.
This is fine dining.
You could put that on the side of a plate in any fine dining restaurant.
It's everything a potato wants.
It's cream, it's butter,
-it's Parmesan, it's garlic. -[Phil and Richard laughing]
And then a little smoke.
It just so happens that my wants are the same as your potato.
[Daniel and Richard laugh]
[sensual blues guitar music playing]
[Phil] All right, the big finale.
-You ready? -I'm-- I'm ready.
-That's yours. -Okay.
[Phil] Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy.
So tell me about this before I shove it in my face.
[John] Pork belly that's been smoked, cubed, and then glazed numerous times
with a peach tea glaze.
Salty, sweet, smoky, fatty.
Everything you want in a bite of barbecue.
[laughs happily]
Mm! All righty.
Oh, doctor!
I'm glad we saved it for the end.
Not only is it… friggin' delicious,
it's like the-- a dessert.
Is there a doctor in the house?
[music ends]
[laughing] That's the Austin slogan.
[chuckles]
[jaunty music playing]
Located in the Hill Country of Central Texas,
Austin is the capital and fourth-largest city in the state.
Their majestic Capitol building was built between 1882 and 1888,
and it's actually taller than the US Capitol in Washington.
"Bigger in Texas," people. It's not just a bumper sticker.
[music ends]
The lead food critic at The Austin American-Statesman newspaper
is Matthew Odom, a friend of mine for at least 10 years,
and he's taking me to his new favorite place.
This is Birdie's.
[dramatic music playing]
Tracy Malechek and Arjav Ezekiel.
They're the chef-owners. She does the food, he does the wine.
They came from New York. They both worked at Gramercy Tavern.
They're doing beautiful pastas and delicious vegetables.
You know, it can't all be barbecue, people.
[Arjav] We got some bubbles to start.
-It's a celebratory occasion. Old friends. -[Phil] Nice.
-You joining us? Now it's celebratory. -I hope so. I'll pour myself some.
-Do it. -It's 100% Pinot noir. Light and sparkly.
And they bathe the cows in this.
-[laughs] -[Arjav] Why not?
-[laughing] Moo. -[Richard] Nice.
-Hello! -Hi. Tracy!
-How are you? -I'm thrilled to be here.
What do you got here?
-[Tracy] Chickpea panisse. -[Phil] Ah!
With pecorino and black pepper.
Beautiful.
-[Arjav] Like you've done this before. -[Phil] I see a lemon on the side.
I feel like I have a purpose.
[both laugh]
-Mm. So gourmet French fries. -[Arjav laughs] Yeah!
And I've eaten this thing probably five times.
-And this is how it is every single time. -Never under--
I mean, too much lemon on it this time, but that's…
[Richard and Matthew laugh]
Oh! So, you know my family is in Portland, Oregon.
-Right. -Tracy grew up in Houston.
I wanted to go home.
Tracy wanted to move to Texas.
We couldn't decide, so we flipped a coin, she won.
-You're here because of that. -Yeah!
Yeah, I would not abide by that.
-[laughs] -I lost the coin flip, so I know.
-I would rig the coin. -[Matthew laughs]
-Hi again. -Hello!
Oh, that's-- Ooh, that looks like tartare.
Beef tartare with green garlic aioli and carta di musica cracker.
And here's a roasted sweet potato with guanciale,
celery-radish vinaigrette, and a sherry-black pepper honey.
So they really geek out on olive oil here too.
We're nerds.
[Phil] I love it. You're my favorite kind of nerds.
Food nerds.
It's a fun tartare.
To be that rich and that light at the same time.
It's what we all aspire to.
[both laugh]
[gentle music playing]
-[Matthew] It's kind of magical. -[Phil] It's great!
-[Matthew] You cook much? -No!
I eat much.
"It's why I have this show, so I don't have to cook much."
-Hello! -[Matthew] Hey!
-Hi. -Yay, Tracy!
Look at this.
[Stacy] So here's orecchiette
with pork sausage, fennel, and black pepper.
Nope.
[all laughing]
Oh!
And here is cavatelli
-with anchovy and tomato. -[Phil groans happily]
-You like anchovy? -I love.
[Matthew laughing]
These are gifts. Thank you.
You're so welcome.
[classical music playing]
This tastes real. This tastes like I'm in Rome.
There you go.
Wait a minute.
[music swelling]
Wait a minute.
Yes! I know!
[laughs]
That was my review.
[music ends]
-[all chuckling] -[pleasant traditional music playing]
-Hello again. -Hello.
Here's a Sicilian-inspired chocolate chip cookie.
Spit take!
[all laughing]
And then this is our olive oil cake.
[gasps]
-[Tracy] Thank you, Arjav. -[Matthew laughing]
Breathe, my man.
How is a chocolate chip cookie inspired by Sicily?
It has a little bit of extract of…
[gasps loudly]
-[laughing] -…citrus and fennel.
And then the final thing
is a vanilla gelato soft serve
-with tangerine agrumato. -[Matthew] What do you think about that?
-You've had this? -Oh yeah.
Then you won't mind if I eat it all.
[all laughing]
[music ends]
-[birds chirping] -[sweeping music building]
[Phil] Do you like Formula 1?
I know there's a lot of enthusiasts out there.
Today, I'm getting my first glimpse of it up-close.
[music intensifies]
-Eric? -Phil.
-Hi. -Good to see you.
I'm excited to take you out there.
Oh my goodness.
I-- I have to admit, I'm a little nervous.
I know I look it, but I'm not really Paul Newman.
This is a real race car driver.
This is Eric Paradis.
He's taking me on my first ride around a Formula 1 track
in a Ferrari.
He says we're going to go…
-[car engines vrooming] -…over 170 miles an hour,
which I think is actually slow for these guys.
But, uh, I guess I'm ready. Let's try it. What could happen?
[Richard laughing]
[Eric] We have our own roller coaster ride out there,
so it's gonna be a lot of fun.
All right, I might need your help with this part.
Run it through, underneath…
This is what my dad used to do before I'd ride the tricycle.
Here you go. Ready to go.
[pleasant guitar music playing]
[intriguing music playing]
Have you been on track before?
-No! -No?
[Phil] No.
-Have you driven someone around the track? -This is my first day.
-[engine revving] -Just kidding.
-It's a lot of fun. -Has anyone ever thrown up in the car?
Uh, not with me.
-I think. -You might get lucky today.
Am I supposed to hang on to anything?
Uh, no, but you'll see on the braking, it's going to brake quite hard.
So you want to use your-- your lap to push yourself against the seat.
-Oh, really? -Yes. There's a lot of Gs on the braking.
Oh boy. All right, I'm hanging onto the side thing here
and my leg.
Yeah, you're gonna use your leg to brace yourself.
-I might use your leg. Okay. -[engine revs]
-Are you ready for this? -I don't even speed on the freeway.
-All right, let's go. -[tires squealing]
Oh boy…
-Oh my God. -You can see the speed right on there.
I don't want to see it.
[tires skidding]
[tires squealing]
I was nauseous for 24 hours afterwards.
[Richard laughs]
It was so violent.
It was… not just the G forces that are more than a rocket,
-but then sudden braking… -[tires skidding]
-…screeching, whip turning, going again… -[tires screeching]
…G-forces back, slamming the brakes… -[Richard laughs]
…turning this way, slamming the brakes, turning that way.
Up a hill! Down a hill!
It was like being in multiple car accidents.
[Richard laughs]
How is this fun, people?
How is this fun?
And look at Eric.
[imitates Eric giggling]
[Richard laughs]
[Phil breathing heavily]
It's almost as good as a brisket sandwich, isn't it?
You shouldn't remind me about food right now.
-[Eric chuckling] -[Phil panting]
[exciting traditional guitar music playing]
[Phil] Oh, I'm here!
-[all] Yay! -[Edgar] Welcome!
-How are you? -Hey, I'm Phil.
-Welcome to the Taco Dojo. Edgar. -This is the Taco Mafia. Yes!
-Yes, sir. -[Phil] Yes!
There's such a great taco scene here in Austin
that a few of the people who are taco geniuses
have formed what's called the Taco Mafia.
It's run by Edgar and Sara
here at their place, Nixta Taqueria.
The rest of these wise guys are
Beto Robledo from Cuantos Tacos,
Jerry Guerrero from La Tunita,
and Xose Velasco from Discada.
Two of you are getting married.
-That would be-- -Just kidding.
-[all laugh] -That would be us. Recently engaged.
-Congratulations. -Thank you so much.
And this is your place. This is Nixta!
This is Nixta Taqueria.
Best restaurant in Austin, according to many.
That's what they say. Uh, that's for you to decide, though.
But these guys all make great tacos too, right?
-[Sara] Yes. -The Taco Mafia.
But let me ask you. Who's the godfather?
This guy right here.
-[Phil] Is that right? You started it? -No, no--
-'Cause you're the tallest? -Look at this guy.
If you saw this guy in an alley, would you be scared?
-He looks like a gentle giant. -He really is.
-Not like this one. He looks very tough. -[all laugh]
-Jerry's the muscle. -The silent killer.
-He's the muscle? -Yeah.
-We got the Joe Pesci. -[Edgar] The Joe Pesci right here.
He's got the looks, the talks.
And what's your role? Keep them all in line?
Yeah, she's-- she's the brains of the operation.
[Phil] And the beauty.
-Salucita! -[Jerry] Salucita!
[Phil] What am I drinking?
A little agua fresca
with some pineapple and strawberry.
-Oh, that's delicious. -[Sara] Yeah.
All right, we'll get you started with this first bite.
This one's gonna be from us.
-This is our duck carnitas taco. -[Phil] What?
[Edgar] Duck carnitas.
-Yes, sir. -Come on. Here I go.
[Sara] Yeah!
Oh my God.
Like, one of the best duck dishes of any kind
just happens to be in a gorgeous taco.
How much Tex
is in the Mex?
Tex Mex for all of us is a thing that we kind of try and stay away from.
-That word-- -It's an Americanization, right?
-It really is. -And you wanna be authentic.
Authentically inauthentic.
All of us are Americans, you know? But we're also Mexicans.
-[Phil] Of course. -So we're trying to pay homage.
[Phil] Here we go. Now tell me about this.
So those are the discada tacos.
Different cuts of beef, pork, and vegetables.
-[Phil] Oh! -So, yeah.
And we let it confit for about four to six hours.
-Really? -Uh-huh.
This is a recipe that my dad made about 20 years ago.
This is phenomenal.
-Thank you. -Yeah.
But for people watching,
they can't come here and get everybody's tacos.
They can. We are all within a mile and a half.
-Is that right? So this is a good crawl. -Yeah.
[Phil] Who's this?
-[Edgar] This is Jerry's. -Oh! You're on.
-This is my specialty. -Yeah!
This is the birria quesotaco.
A birria taco! Oh, come on.
Traditionally, you use goat or lamb.
-We use brisket 'cause we're in Texas. -[Phil] Brisket?!
Look at this birria taco with the queso crispy,
and then you dunk it in the…
[sputters, giggles]
Oh man.
Another "amazing."
Finally, Beto the godfather kills me with…
[imitates Vito Corleone] …an offer I can't refuse.
-You're the big finish. -I do Mexico City-style tacos.
So, this is the campechana,
and it's a mixture of suadero and longaniza.
Suadero, we use brisket for our cut
and then longaniza, we use Mexican chorizo.
[mouth full] Another great one!
If there were a taco that represented you,
what would that look like? What would be in your taco?
Nobody's-- Nobody's ever asked me that.
[Edgar chuckles]
I'm gonna say chicken.
-Okay. -But better than chicken is duck.
And better than duck is goose.
-[Edgar and Sara] Ooh! -[Sara] Goose taco!
You think you could do it?
The challenge! I'm coming back when you have goose tacos.
-Okay. -That's my taco.
Okay, goose taco.
-I'm in the Mafia! -[all laughing]
-Do we have to cut my hand and shake? -Yes! Let's do it.
[jaunty piano music playing]
[talking indistinctly]
[music continues]
[music ends]
-[mellow music playing] -[birds tweeting]
My new friend Evan LeRoy from LeRoy and Lewis
is introducing me to his friend Jazz Mills.
I love free lunch.
Jazz, along with her friend Carrie Fussell Bickley,
started something wonderful called Free Lunch
to help feed Austin's homeless.
-[Carrie] Hi! -Who's this charmer?
-I'm Carrie. -And this charmer! Hi.
-How's it going? -I'm Phil.
-I'm Carrie. -Hi. How you doing?
Hi. I'm Nnedi. Nice to meet--
[Phil] Jazz, Carrie, and friend Nnedi Agbaroji were all performers
in Austin's thriving indie music scene.
But when COVID canceled live performances,
Jazz and Carrie began cooking food and giving it out,
first separately, and then joining forces
to help feed people living in a local homeless encampment
called Camp Esperanza.
Nnedi joined the cause in 2021.
So what's in the lunch bag today?
Okay, tonight with dinner, we're dropping off barbecue sandwiches.
-[Phil] Yep. -Always fresh fruit.
Fresh fruit is by far the most requested and sought-after thing.
The most important thing
when you're providing any service to anyone in need is to be consistent.
So when we found out about Camp Esperanza,
we, basically, just from that point on, committed to going to only that camp…
-[gentle guitar music playing] -…so that the people there would trust us
and believe that we would be coming back.
-Hi. -Good to see you.
Good to see you too.
[Jazz] I really wanted to make sure we didn't over-promise,
and that we didn't try to take on the homelessness crisis in Austin,
that we were really just committed to this group of people,
and then when we can, like, realistically expand, we will.
You guys are-- You're like saints.
[chuckles]
-I don't know about that. -[Jazz] I don't know. Yeah.
[laughs]
I really want the narrative around
who can help and who's capable of helping to change
because, you know, I think it's important that the general public understands
that we're not extra capable, extra special people.
We're not social workers.
We're all just creatives
who were able to, like, ask enough questions,
lean on our friends.
[Phil] I want people to know if they like this idea…
-You have a website? -Yes. It's www.freelunchatx.com.
-[chuckles] -Ding!
[sizzling]
[Phil] Here's a perfect example
of the creativity you find all over this town.
We're talking about cross-culturalization.
This restaurant is called Kemuri Tatsu-Ya.
This is one of my favorite spots in Austin.
Joining me today is Jane Ko, a wonderful food blogger here in Austin.
She knows a lot about the food scene.
This is where you can get Japanese and Texas in the same spot.
I love a mash-up.
That combo is a natural move
for Tokyo-born, Texas-raised Chef Tatsu Aikawa.
Okay, guys.
We have chicken tsukune.
What you wanna do
is kinda mix the skewer inside the egg and do the dip.
-It's chicken skin cracklings. -[Jane] You ready?
-I'm ready. Here we go. -Okay.
We break that yolk. Oh, you're good.
-You're whipping it up. -[Jane and Richard chuckle]
You're making French toast.
-[laughing] -I'm, uh--
[chuckles]
[Jane] And dip.
[Phil] And then roll it around in there.
[mellow music playing]
[Jane] Mm.
Oh my God.
He's got a very playful… He must like children.
[chuckles]
You have kids?
Yeah, I just had a baby son.
-Oh! Mazel tov! Congratulations. -Thank you. Thank you.
I think your-- your boy's gonna like this dish.
Um, I actually, you know, strap him in
and, like, have him facing down when I'm cooking at home sometimes.
-How old is he? -Four months.
-You bringing him here and doing that? -Not here. At home.
-[both chuckling] -That's good…
Be-- Be careful.
So, Jane, I love your Instagram.
"A Taste of Koko."
-Ko is your last name, right? -Yes.
And you're quite the influencer,
but what I love about you is that you're using your influence for good.
I read all about Hundred for Hospitality, right?
Tell the people what that is.
Well, as you know, COVID-19 happened,
and being part of the restaurant industry,
it was heartbreaking the day that Austin locked down.
And I had over 100 restaurant owners
call me and said, "Hey, we just locked down. What do we do?"
So I started raising money.
I took that money and I started purchasing meals
-from restaurants to help them reopen. -Yes.
I donated the meals to the hospitality workers that were laid off or furloughed.
This is what I love about your industry.
Food people are always the most generous, the most loving, the most giving.
You know, the restaurants and hospitality is the backbone of any city's economy.
Of course. I don't want to live in a world without it.
I also don't want to live in a world
without Chef Tatsu's cheesy brisket-stuffed tofu puffs.
[Jane] Mm!
Basically, an adult Hot Pocket.
But gourmet.
Came out of late-night thinking, you know?
Did you say it came out of late-night thinking or late-night drinking?
-[Richard laughs] -Yeah, a little bit of both.
[Tatsu] Hey, guys. [grunts]
-[steam hissing] -Oh!
[Jane gasps] Oh my God.
Here's a fun thing to say, "Brisket bento box."
Oh, whoa.
[Tatsu] So this is a brisket,
and it has garlic smoked together with the beef fat.
Uh, we have some veggies, pickles. We have nori.
It's kind of, "Make your hand roll and have fun."
Enjoy! Thank you.
-Oh my God, it's very-- -Heavy.
[Jane] I almost dropped it.
-Have you ever had-- -No, nothing like this.
-A nori roll with Texas brisket? [laughs] -No! No, and I'm thrilled.
You want to cut that in half, maybe?
Even that's too big.
-Do it big or go home. -Are you doing it?
I'm gonna do it.
[laughing] Same size as the…
-Right there. -I'm proud.
All right, I-- I do it. If you do it, I do it.
You can't roll it like a roll.
-Because it's too big. -It's more like a taco.
-It's just obscene. -Cheers.
-[laughs]
[pleasant guitar music playing]
[crunching]
[music ends]
[video call ringing]
Oh… is this Paul Ruebens?
Phil, it's a video call.
Hi!
[laughs]
Does this seem like too much light?
[laughing]
Can I be serious for one second?
I don't know. Can you?
[chuckles]
Go ahead, be serious.
I still think that your achievement,
your character,
Pee-wee,
is one of the greatest inventions in the history of comedy.
I just wanted to say that while we have you.
Wow. I mean, I wish you would be saying this on one of those CNN specials.
[Phil and Richard laughing]
[Paul chuckles]
My understanding is you're calling me, and I'm going to do a few jokes
in tribute to your father, who I loved and adored, and, um…
Uh, I'm so honored to be doing anything involving him in any way.
But I wanted to explain that Pee-wee Herman was created originally
because I couldn't-- can't remember jokes.
My early stand-up as Pee-wee Herman,
a lot of the routine and material was about… I would start to tell a joke,
and then I would be-- I would go like, "Oh, wait. Oh, wait, I forgot."
And so I told you this when you asked me about doing this,
and you said, "You can read the jokes off of a piece of paper."
-That's right. -And so I have right here…
-Yeah. -And I'll be reading jokes.
All right. It's now time for "A Joke for Max."
And these are jokes
-that I feel Max would have liked. -Yes.
-Okay. -I know he liked you.
[Phil chuckles]
I'm gonna go with this one first
because this is a classic-- a classic setup.
And it has a little bit of Jewish flavor to it, also.
Oh!
[laughs]
How novel.
How do you keep a bagel from getting away?
How?
-[snickering] -[Richard chuckling]
You put lox on it.
[all laughing]
Come on, Phil. You gotta admit…
[Richard laughs]
It's adorable.
[Paul] Classic. All right.
Helvetica and Times New Roman walk into a bar.
"Get out of here!" shouts the bartender.
"We don't serve your type."
[all laughing]
Come on. Phil.
I wish Pee-wee was still on so that you could do these there,
'cause they're kinda perfect Pee-wee jokes too.
Okay, this one's really good too.
Well, you can be the judge.
A bear walks into a bar and says, "Give me a whiskey and…
cola."
"Why the big 'paws'?" says the bartender. "I was born with those."
[Phil and Richard laughing]
-Here's another Jewish-flavored one. -Oh, good!
Bloomberg, on a business trip, found himself using a public toilet.
This is a toilet joke too.
He had just made himself comfortable
when he noticed that the toilet paper roll was empty.
He called out to the next stall. "Excuse me! Friend."
"Do you have any toilet paper in there?"
"No, I'm afraid there doesn't seem to be any in here. Sorry."
Bloomberg pauses for a moment.
"Listen, do you happen to have a newspaper or a magazine with you?"
"Sorry, no, I don't."
He pauses again, and then he says, "How about two fives for a 10?"
[all laughing]
Was that the finale?
-The toilet paper joke, yeah. -Yes.
Always end with the toilet. This is a show business axiom.
Absolutely.
Oh! Thank you. Thank you for playing today, Paul.
This just came out and you'll be getting your free copy
-of Somebody Feed Phil: The Book. Yes! -Wow! A book.
Why didn't they put you on the cover?
Who do you think this is?
I don't know. Is it the glare?
What is it? I can't tell. Is it the amount of Photoshop that's been done on it?
-I can't… -[Richard laughs]
It doesn't look-- really look like you.
-Really? -No. In a good way, though.
[Phil and Richard laughing]
[chuckling]
Paul, you're one of my favorite people in the world.
I can tell when you're shooing me off. I can tell.
I've been shooed off by lots of…
By much bigger than me.
Yeah, I didn't want to say.
Um…
Again, Phil, I loved your dad so much.
I, um…
I'm really-- I'm thrilled to have been a part of this, and, uh…
I-- What, do I invoice you or Netflix, or how do I…
-[Richard laughs] -Yes. I want you to write to Ted Sarandos.
Ask anything you want. He's very nice.
-I know Ted very well. -Yes.
-You did a-- -Ted! Ted, come here!
-[Richard laughs] -You did-- You did a movie for Netflix.
[mouthing indistinctly]
[laughs]
Your mime work is as good as ever.
What was that old joke?
"Marilyn, get that chicken off the couch."
"Never mind, we'll have tuna fish."
[Richard and Phil laughing]
-Paul Reubens, everybody. -[Richard] Whoo-hoo! I love you, Paul!
[people cheering]
All right, well, listen, you seem really busy.
[laughing]
Thank you.
-Love you. Goodbye. -Bye-bye!
[Phil] All right, one more place we gotta go.
There's an institution here just outside of Austin.
[upbeat jazz music playing]
It's Salt Lick Barbecue.
Wow!
-Hi, everybody! -[all] Hey!
[Phil] Look who's here. Look at all the people.
Sawyer and Evan…
-Hey. -…Emily and Caitlin.
Eric, who drives too fast.
I want to give you a ride home later on my bicycle.
How are you?
Jane Ko. My taco crew.
I'm in the Mafia! Good to see ya.
Daniel, my tour guide.
Fermin.
Tracy and Arjav.
-How are you? Hi, hi! -Hello.
[Phil] Look, how nice they all came out for me.
Or was it for me?
[dramatic music playing]
Is this a beautiful sight?
Oh my God!
Don't you love this pit?
Isn't it just everything you want in a barbecue place?
It's like we're cavemen again, sitting around the fire,
and all our kills are on the grill.
[chuckles]
Now we're in Texas.
This is Scott Roberts. He's the grandson of the original owner.
-Guys! -[Tracy] There's your bite.
[Phil giggles]
-Wow. -[Scott] So that's the caramelization.
Have a shot. It's heavy, though.
You know, I'm not good at cleaning floors. But this kind of mopping I think I can do.
[Scott laughs]
Wow, it's hot over here.
You guys have been so wonderful to me
chefing for me all week.
I-- It's the least I could do.
Look at me, I'm like a chef. A chef who can only mop.
This is good. I like slapping this. In fact, Richard, come over here.
I'd like to slap some on Richard.
-How about we eat? -[Edgar cheers]
-I feel like the Pied Piper. -[man] Yeah.
Let the bacchanal begin.
[lively music playing]
Oh man.
[man] Oh yeah.
-Come on. Belly up. -Alrighty.
[Scott] Burnt ends. We have baby back ribs. We have beef.
I just want a little one.
[man laughs]
[Phil] Lovely, lovely.
[Scott] Everything that you have here
is based upon recipes that were handed down from generation to generation.
[Phil] Bison ribs.
Pork ribs.
Maybe the best I've had so far.
Incredible chicken.
Turkey.
Everything great.
And the best part:
these friends I've made around this table.
Tell me about Austin. Last time you were here… Is it different now?
-Yeah. A lot more growth, right? -[Fermin] Mm-hmm.
It's almost… Well, you-- you guys tell me, from your point of view, too much?
Enough? I don't know. Maybe.
We're in the sweet spot.
-Yes. -But it's getting harder.
I was born and raised here.
North Austin for most of my life.
I would drive down to South Austin just to visit family, ten minutes.
Now, easily an hour just to get down there.
So when I grew up here,
there were two movie theaters, one Chinese restaurant.
-[laughing] -And now that we have--
"And we liked it!"
-[Scott] Yeah. -[all laughing]
Now we have all this diversity, all these new things.
It's-- It's-- It's amazing.
-So you're happy with the growth? -I… I'm happy with the growth.
It's so nice to have all these new opportunities.
-Yes. -All these new people.
-Yes. -It's just so great.
[mellow music playing]
[Phil] Austin is a booming city trying to hold on to its small-town charm.
And thanks to folks like this, they're pretty successful at it.
Their individuality is what makes this place so fun, so charming,
and so important to Texas and beyond.
They have a saying around here: "Keep Austin weird."
Well, if this is weird, I think I want to be weird.
My friends! Thank you.
This is really what they mean by "Texas hospitality," right?
I owe my happiness this week to all of you.
I love meeting you.
I love the friends I have, the new friends I've made.
Here's to you, and Austin, and Texas, and the USA, and the world in general.
[all cheering] Cheers.
[music continues]
[Daniel chuckles]
-All right, goodbye, everybody! -Bye!
[music continues]
[engine whizzing]
[crickets chirping]
[music fades]
-[closing theme song plays] -♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil? ♪
♪ Oh, please, somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪