Ross' Old Austin Cafe, home of good eats and country music

It was my birthday and I yearned for the tastes of home in Tulsa.  One of the best things in the world is a chili-cheeseburger from Ron's Hamburgers.  It's a masterpiece to behold.  A large but thin burger with a big slice of cheese sits inside a toasted bun with mustard, pickles and onions.  Then they ladle on 8 ounces of their world famous chili over the top and filling the plate.  Now that's how you make a chili-cheeseburger.  Alas, that very plate cannot be found anywhere in Austin.  At best they might add a dollop of chili on the burger like an extra slice of tomato.  That's not a chili-cheeseburger.  The closest thing I've found in Austin is Ross' Old Austin Cafe and there are many other reasons to try this restaurant aside from the good burgers and tasty chili.

Do you like country music?  They have live bands at Ross' and they're good.  Steph and I like to go on Tuesday night when they have a band that plays what I'll call classic country music.  The stuff before they thought they were rock stars.  We've also seen some acts in more of the hillbilly / blue grass kind of feel.  I like them too.  Let's just say it's all old school country at Ross'.

Since it was a Saturday afternoon everyone was watching college football so no music was on.  I ordered a cheeseburger, bowl of chili and onion rings.  Steph had a double cheeseburger and fries.  We grabbed a couple sodas out of the cooler and waited for my birthday feast to begin.  It didn't take long.  They brought our food out hot and fresh and we dug in.  First I put a little mustard on the bun, they don't dress out the burgers so you can do as you please, and added the pickles and onions.  Then I grabbed that bowl of chili and dumped it on the top of the burger.  So far, so good.  The chili at Ross' is meant to be eaten out of a bowl and is thicker than a proper chili-cheeseburger chili but it's still good.  It's chili.  Ross' chili is an honest southern style chili.  It's thick and meaty with a little tomato base and just enough seasoning.  They serve it with saltines on the side and throw diced onions, jalapenos and cheese over the top.  It would be perfect on a cold winter day.  The burgers were cooked just right and medium rare.  The meat was fresh and juicy and well it may not have been exactly what I wanted but it was really good none the less.  The onion rings were good too.  I don't think they make them but they are the good ones with plenty of crunch and soft onion inside.  Steph finished her double burger but was too full to finish all the fries.  They cut the fries in-house and they're nice and tender when they come out.

Overall it was a really good meal for my birthday.  I'm glad I picked Ross'.  Really the only thing to gripe about, and it's not that big of a deal because they have reasonable prices on the food and offer all that no cover music, is they don't have a soda fountain so you have to buy bottled or canned pop.  If you drink more than one it can get a bit pricey at $1.50 a pop.  Again, they offer all that no cover music so it's really a small price to pay but I thought I'd mention it anyway.  I always have to find a nit or two.  I have first sergeant blood in me I suppose.

Have a great weekend!