Me So Hungry Austin
This week found Dave and me without a solid review plan. So on Sunday we drove around until we found a spot that piqued our interest. We were driving along East 6th Street when we found it, a trailer with a '40s-style Asian pinup girl painted on the side, with the name, "Me So Hungry." How could we not stop? Dave and I love this area, it's one of the last vestiges of what we think of as "Old Austin." Not there's anything wrong with the new stuff that has popped up, but we love the feel of this side of town. Me So Hungry fits in perfectly with that sort of vibe. It's a little quirky, a little artsy, and a lot of fun. In short it's about as Austin as it gets.
Me So Hungry serves Asian and Asian-fusion. We got a couple of sandwiches, spring rolls, and fried bananas, all of which were very tasty. We'll start with my sandwich, the Sweet Shroom. Personally, I have always been a fan of a good portabella sandwich. In fact, one of my favorite items at Izzoz Tacos is the portabella sandwich. This particular version takes it to a whole new place. The portabella is served along with cucumbers, mixed greens, carrots, bean sprouts, and cilantro served with a spicy-sweet sauce on locally made French bread. The combination of ingredients and flavors reminds me of my mom's stir-fry, served on bread. It is a generously sized sandwich. In fact, I ended up finishing it the next day. Fans of the portabella sandwich are well-advised to try this one.
Next up we have the banh mi, a traditional Vietnamese sandwich. It's served with cucumbers, jalepeño slivers, shredded pickled carrots, and cilantro with either chicken or pork. Dave opted for pork. After all it comes from that magical animal we know as the pig. This one is served, again, on locally produced French bread and spread with a sweet cilantro mayo. While I will admit this was my first experience with banh mi, it lived up to all the descriptions, and hype I've read. The sandwich is full of contrasting flavors and textures — I highly recommend it.
We also tried the Me So Fresh rolls. These are essentially spring rolls. Your choice of meat, with mixed veggies, rice noodles, carrots, bean sprouts, and cilantro wrapped in a nice rice paper wrapper. It's served with a tasty peanut sauce, which can be made spicy with the addition of a little Sriracha sauce on the bottom. Get it that way, it's delicious. Personally, I have always liked spring rolls and these are as good as any I have ever had.
And finally we have the Fat Elvis rolls. These consist of a banana, candied ginger, a little fennel, and some sweet peanut sauce wrapped up in a rice paper wrapper then pan-fried. It's finished with a little peanut sauce drizzle, toasted black sesame seeds, a little honey, and brown sugar. It's a delicious and playful desert to be sure. There's not much else I can really say about them other than, get them. You will not regret it. Unless you have a peanut allergy. In which case, run the other direction.
This place is truly a welcome addition to the street food community here in Austin. We had a great time and can't wait to get back out to Me So Hungry.
Restaurant: Me So Hungry
Location: 1104 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
Austin Food Junkies' Rating: Two Lone Star Points
The Austin Food Junkies are Alex Artibee, Matt Braley, and Dave Braley, "Two guys who love food, and one chef, trained at the Texas Culinary Institute." Check out their reviews of other Austin area restaurants on their blog, Austin Food Junkies.