| General | 
Austin Chronicle on Bommerang's Pies:
Aussies plead ignorance when they claim they don't know who made the first Down Under meat pie some 150 years ago. We think it must have been a British sailor skilled in the art of Cornish pasties, meat pies that originated in Cornwall during the 1200s. Originally meant for the upper classes, it became the ideal portable lunch for miners and seamen. Regardless, the meat pie is now an inherent part of Australian culture; they eat 275 million of them a year, and everyone has their favorite vendor.
Jack Fennell, with his wife Emilie, was transferred to Australia while working for Dell. The first meal he had when he got off of the plane was an Aussie meat pie, and before they left, an idea was hatched to present the pie to the old hometown. They couldn't get any bakers there to share the secrets, so, armed with research, they found consultants here to perfect the recipes. They tested the product by giving them away free at events, if the consumer would only rate the quality of their pies. Now they are open, bringing a bit of authentic Aussie tucker to Austin.
Situated in the former Half Price Books location on Guadalupe, Boomerang's is sleek, with brushed-metal accents and boomerang icons everywhere. You place your order at the counter, and it comes out of the heated holding case immediately. The pies in question are oval, about 4-inches long, 3-inches wide, and 2-inches deep, enveloped in golden flaky pastry. Amazingly, they can be eaten out of hand, with little chance of a contents-blowout.
All said and done, Boomerang's is a welcome addition to Austin's growing pantheon of international culinary delights. Jack and Emilie got it right. When winter rolls around again, there's one dish we want to see on the menu: the Pie Floater, a specialty of our sister city Adelaide: a luscious meat pie afloat in a pool of pea soup. Yummmmmm.
~www.boomerangspies.com~ |
