Go for the beer, and in the afternoon

Steph wanted to try Whip In the other day so we took the drive down south to see what it was all about.  They're off I35 just north of Oltorf.  It's another example of a bar trying to be a restaurant.  Urbanspoon rates them a $ but from what I saw on the menu they're $$.  And that's for counter service.  And if you haven't been there and it's crowded know this, you order your food at the counter by the front door.  You can't see the whole menu from this location so drop your shoulder and push on in to see all of the Indian dishes they offer.  It seems that the menu changes daily too but I can't say for sure.  Probably some staples and then a few specials each day  They have a HUGE selection of beer on tap but when it's 100 degrees outside and you have to sit on the porch I don't go for beer.  You may have a different opinion on that and well that doesn't bother me a bit.  Have at it but I'll drink water.  I also noticed the guy at the counter was trying to play the I don't care I'm hip game when he threw the pen on the counter and then the credit card recipe down.  No big deal there either, I threw them back.  He noticed and said thank you so all is still right in the world.  We took our number and found a place to sit outside.

They were piping the music from the live band out to the porch so you could still hear them.  It was a cover band that did a rather eclectic mix of covers.  Some were better than others.  My personal favorite was the really bad version of Cherry, Cherry by Neil Diamond.  He was off key the whole time but sang the song with such enthusiasm you'd think you were in Japan.  We waited a little more and sipped on our cold water.

The food came piping hot and we dug in.  I had the red curry chicken.  Plenty of light and dark meat, potatoes, a little bit of other veg, rice, all in a big bowl with a little curry in it.  I didn't think it was particularly spicy and nothing really stood out to me.  Steph had a Whip In version of chili pie.  It had big chunks of beef that would string out as you cut into it, a cilantro chutney, black beans, beer, cheese, sour cream and of course fritos.  Steph seemed to like it but didn't comment much about the flavors.

Back to the beer selection.  I think they have every craft beer in town plus many more on tap.  I know my beer loving friends in Tulsa come down to Austin just to go to the Whip In.  They rotate their selections to check before you drive down there to make sure they have it.

I think I would have liked Whip In much better if it wasn't 100 degrees so take my experience with that in mind.  They have limited seating inside so your best bet is to go in the afternoon on a weekday.  That's when they say the magic happens.

Until next time...

If you want to see pics and get a different perspective on Whip In just visit Steph's blog: Whip In Parlour Cafe