Food Trailer Friday: Official Muncher at Gibson Bar

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I’m sad to report that as of August 8, 2010, Official Muncher is closing, at least for the time being. If they open back up, I’ll update this post with all of the recent details.

The Official Muncher is a shiny air stream trailer located out back at Gibson Bar, a swank spot on South Lamar just across the street from the Alamo Drafthouse. I was invited to sample the trailer’s fare along with several of my other food blogger friends, and it was an absolute one-of-a-kind experience. The trailer’s menu is bar food with an extreme creative twist and features unexpected items like:

• The Trailer Burger: a ¼ burger on a Round Rock Doughnut bun. Yes, you read that the right way. They us a doughnut as a bun, and it actually works pretty well. The combination of sweet doughnut stands up well to the savory burger and bacon. I’m not sure I could eat a whole one of these, but I’d definitely share it again with a friend.
• The Loaded Baked Potato Hot Dog: of everything we tasted, this was my favorite. Put simply, they wrap a frank in bacon (because everything is better with bacon) and add all the toppings you’d expect to find on a baked potato: cheese, sour cream, and chives. They even slip in a slice of crunchy potato to round it out. It was divine, in a harden your arteries sort of way.
• Buenos Dias Hot Dog: yet another dog wrapped in bacon (it’s a trend and a mighty good one at that) but this time it’s topped with a fried egg and some cheese. All your favorites from breakfast and dinner together on a bun.
• Tater Sticks: hand-cut fries in a buttermilk batter. These have to be some of the best fries I’ve ever had. The outside crust adds extra crunch and flavor, while the potatoes were tender and perfectly cooked. If all fries were this great I couldn’t run enough miles to work off the number of fries I would consume.

I am the first to admit that most of the items on the Official Muncher menu are not in any way shape or form good for you. While there are a few salads and some edamame tossed in for good measure, most dishes feature lost of meat, cheese, bacon, and crazy things like doughnuts and fried eggs. There’s no way I could eat this food every month or really every few months, but for a “throw caution and nutrition to the wind” sort of adventure, it’s just perfect.

Word on the Street

A few other sites around town have some nice if not honest things to say about Official Muncher

• Thrillist has a fun write-up that features an up-close and personal portrait of the Trailer Burger on the Round Rock doughnut with the addictive trailer sticks alongside. If you weren’t sure you could handle a burger on a doughnut, this picture will change your mind.
• Over on Yelp, people are reviewing the trailer and the bar together and seem to be largely happy with both.
• This is Life in Austin is honest about the complete and total “bad for you” factor of the trailer’s food. I do have to agree you can’t eat this food on any sort of a regular basis and stay healthy, but when you’re ready to completely throw health sense out the window, this it the place to do it.
• Poco-cocoa offers a lovely synopsis of the food at the trailer complete with a cavalcade of photos.
• Mariah of Dining in Austin offers a very fair review of the food blogger event at Gibson’s. I have to agree that when you taste half of the menu at one time, it starts to get a little greasy and heavy, so be sure to pace yourself and don’t over-order if you visit.
• The Hungry Engineer classifies the trailer’s food as guilty pleasures, which is just about right.
• Michael Chu of Cooking for Engineers and Orthogonal Thought
  puts it best when he says: “If you’re in the mood to indulge in some junk food, you can’t go wrong with Gibson Bar and The Trailer if they keep preparing food like what I had.”

You can become a fan of Official Muncher on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. If you’re a Foodspotting fan, you can see the treats spotted thus far and share your spots once you’ve given the food a try.

Know Before You Go

• Based on some recent Facebook and Twitter activity, the trailer’s hours aren’t always the same. They seem to be generally open at 4 each day and are open as late as 2:00 am on the weekends. Just to be on the safe side, check Facbook before you go to be sure they are open.
• When we visited Gibson’s they didn’t offer beer on tap which can be a deal breaker for some. They do have a reasonable wine list and a full bar otherwise.
• As much as the trailer is officially called the Official Muncher, I’m not sure the logo is anywhere on the trailer. Just look for the Air Stream behind Gibson Bar and you’ll be in the right place.