Texans come by bratwurst honestly, as much as Midwesterners may believe this wurst to be theirs alone in the US.
There was, for many years, in Richmond, Virginia,Texas–Wisconsin Border Cafe, now closed I am sad to report. Austin, Texas and Madison, Wisconsin share an aesthetic and emotional border, methinks, cafe or no cafe. If you are gonna hotfoot it between the two, you best do it in your kitchen or your imagination. The mileage is impressive.
Recently I had the privilege of speaking with Jon Notarthomas, proprietor deluxe of The Best Wurst in Austin, Texas. A charming follow-up email warmed my wurst-lovin’ heart, signed by Jon thusly, till then, me’new friend.
Jon’s words are as follows.
Best Wurst is the oldest food vendor in Austin and definitely the forerunner of the Food Cart Craze that has taken off here. I like to say we are the most efficient kitchen in Austin working from a 4 x 5 foot cart that kicks out over 80,000 sandwiches a year. I believe we’ll be hitting the magic “one million served” mark this year!
I know Chicago Food Critic Heather Shouse recently featured Best Wurst in her book Food Trucks.
She did. Good book. Stash it in your glovebox, take off your kid gloves and get yourself to eating.
My heart is warm for the Texas form, so near is it, and so simultaneously remote from, Wisconsin. The two are bound by a heritage accessorized by a string of sausages.
The Lunch Encounter 