Rare

maren // 23 Feb 10 // Food Opinion

When Kolaches Collide

Whenever I host a friend or relative from out of town, I’m immediately asked if we can go eat some “real Austin food.” I know what they’re asking for: They’ve heard others rave about that one time in Texas when they had old-fashioned barbecue, down-home soul food, or some updated form of fresh-Mex fusion.

However, the foods that say “Austin” are a bit different to those of us who live in these parts. Sure, most of us can’t get through a month (okay, fine, a week) without a breakfast taco, and we like our barbecue sauce a bit tangier than those wimps to the north. But the Texas Hill Country also offers its own version of an odd and inexplicably delicious food: The kolache.

Brought to the area by some of our Czech ancestors and gradually tweaked into a vague resemblance of the original dish (I don’t think the Czechs had jalapeños or Philly cheesesteak in mind), the kolache is essentially a yeasty roll with some type of filling on top or inside of it.  And when I say filling, I really mean whatever the hell you want.

Most “fruit” kolaches have an indentation in the center with a layer of delightful jelly-like fruit on top. Then there are the palm-sized, doughy dinner rolls with meats and cheeses (and, for the breakfast set, scrambled egg) stuffed inside. And hey, why not wrap a flakier version of the dough around a Polish sausage? Yep, we call that a kolache, too.

Austin is crawling with kolache shops, as well as bakeries that stock them right next to the donuts and bear claws. Five of Rare’s hungriest and “foodiest” staff members have judged offerings from a few of the most popular shops in town. Using a five-star scale and the criteria of tastiest dough, yummiest filling, and most appetizing appearance, here are the averaged results.

Final Analysis:

The staff split between Kolache Factory and Lone Star Kolaches. Most of us were in agreement that Kolache Shoppe wasn’t quite as tasty; plus, they lose points for having comparatively few options for fillings (Lone Star and Kolache Factory both have vegetarian and exotic choices).

For those of us who preferred Lone Star, the defining factor seemed to be the dough. A Lone Star employee reported hearing from her customers that their dough was sweeter than that of other kolache shops. Those of us who preferred Kolache Factory, however, generally did so because of the flavor and quality of the fillings. Bottom line? Kolaches may be popular with many, but they’re agreed upon by few. Picking a spot to get your fix can be about as personal as pizza preferences. And you know that shit gets real.