Avery’s New Braunfels
My experience started along the Texas Coastal Bend — Port Aransas. The big hurricane, Harvey, took out the restaurant’s building. I mean, just a vacant lot — everything else is gone.
During the first corona crisis, I noticed there was a restaurant with the same name, up the road a piece, just opened in New Braunfels. Suggestive notations include a direct lineal descendant from Avery’s Kitchen in old Port A. There was some question of rebuilding but I was left with the impression the previous proprietors were too tired. The hurricane won.
Armed with an absence of fact never bothered me.
Stopped on the way into Austin, crowded Sunday morning. Kind of a pressure-test for a breakfast restaurant, hit them on a Sunday with the crushing church crowds.
Waited for 20 minutes, in the sparse shade of the newly landscaped patch of prairie, idly watching as names were called, and looking around. It’s next to the division where Chuck’s BBQ joint was, strip center kind of hell, bracketed by low-rise apartment homes, thinking I could still smell the fresh lumber, and stacked into place were mall favorites, franchises all designed to look like a community.
But Avery’s Kitchen has a long history with me, and idle trips to the gulf coast, fishing and whatever — escape. Kind of a seedy place without being seedy. Excellent baked goods. Something about a cinnamon roll, and biscuits. Memories are not always reliable.
Got seated then the harried but friendly and jovial server introduced himself, and suggested a few items from chalkboard specials. One was the aforementioned cinnamon roll, covered with blueberry jam, either as a breakfast appetizer or breakfast dessert. Gnawing hunger, desperately trying to avoid Austin family, the purpose of the trip? Had the blueberry soaked cinnamon roll as an appetizer.
Big plate, big roll, a dollop of extra frosting bathed in two dollops of blueberry jam/syrup. I’m unsure of what it was. Delicious. More carbs than I’ve eaten in a week.
After the appetizer, the specials included “Two hand-breaded chicken tenders, on a waffle with BBQ Sauce, and Pepper (something) and (something).” I was going for bacon and eggs, a safe bet in a breakfast joint, maybe some fluffy biscuits, as I do enjoy a nice pair of nice biscuits. The sweet/savory/spicy combination arrested my attention.
“That.”
I’m a simple person, with “southern extraction,” so chicken and waffle is always a favorite with me.
What I got a was a large waffle, three pieces of crisply fried chicken, and it was covered with a tangy BBQ-like syrup or some sort and a drizzle — more than a drizzle — of something that was sweet/hot. Maybe it was jalapeño cream cheese? I’m not sure.
Avery’s New Braunfels
Unsure of the names of the components, but quite sure that it was spicy, savory, and sweet, all at the same time. The proffered “Two hand-breaded chicken tender strips” wound up being being two breasts of chicken, three strips in total, and quite fulfilling. The waffle seemed larger than a usual waffle, and of that I have no more data.
“Armed with an absence of fact never bothered me.”
I’ve no idea what the connection between the two place is, was, whatever. Only had breakfast there, once so far, but the place was great, the staff was overly friendly in a quite hospitable way, and the food was excellent.
I’ll plan to go back a few times, just to test and see if it as good as it was that first time, but I think I’ll stay away from the excess of high-quality baked goods. Sure was delicious that first time — and on a busy Sunday morning. Speaks well of the employees and training.
Avery’s Kitchen in New Braunfels, TX
- Aperture: ƒ/1.8
- Camera: iPad Pro (11-inch)
- Flash fired: no
- Focal length: 3mm
- ISO: 64
- Shutter speed: 1/60s
