Paperboy

Simplicity is the name of the game at Paperboy, which serves excellent breakfast and lunch from a dark grey trailer on East 11th Street in Austin.

It’s relatively quiet on the Tuesday we arrive, with just one gentleman behind the counter. As things pick up, two more chef/waiters arrive to help out.

I want to order the entire menu — partly because it’s so affordable, and partly because everything sounds so good.

Thick Texas toast gets a wheat-flax treatment before it’s slathered with fluffy, buttery mascarpone then dusted with brown sugar and cinnamon crumbles. It’s a great share piece. An appetizer, if you will.

Chilaquiles this delicious belie their food-truck origin. Their spicy sauce complements goat chorizo, which is mild, a bit gamey, and a lot juicy. Salsa roja and cotija cheese bring it all together.  

The “B.E.C.” is a fluffy buttermilk bun with creamy pimento cheese, thick-cut bacon, a few sprigs of arugula, and a sunny egg. It is the most ordinary item on the menu, but there is nothing ordinary about its great taste.

Diced sweet potatoes, sautéed onions, kale, and pork shoulder compose Texas hash, topped with a poached egg and spicy pecan mole. The potatoes are not overly cooked, and the onions have almost caramelized.

The hash brown (singular) is more like smashed new potatoes with a crisp cheddar top, crowned with spicy habanero carrot sauce. The cheese is just-charred and reminds me of a great grilled cheese.

The space is peaceful, with homey touches that make it feel almost like a restaurant. In fact, this fall, the proprietors plan to open a stationary spot at this same space, with indoor/outdoor seating, a rooftop patio garden, and to-go window. It’ll likely be always busy.