Hill Country Hamburguesa
Wild food truck from acclaimed Austin chef rides into Hill Country destination
A new food truck is enticing Austinites to a popular Driftwood destination. Opening Tuesday, April 19 with a special dinner, Lo Salvaje is a new concept from Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due fame, Spoke Hollow Outfitters founder Josh Crumpton, and chef Stephanie Stackhouse.
The truck’s name comes from a loose translation of “the wild,” and it will offer Mexican-inspired haute cuisine with wild game flair.
Lo Salvaje will debut its wild boar hamburguesa at the WILD Card Dinner on April 19, with Griffiths and Stackhouse, formerly of Dai Due, teaming up to cook the limited menu. Once open, the food truck will also serve tacos (choose from duck with wild boar chorizo or wild boar guisada with beans), a fried quail sandwich, nachos, and more. Located at the Desert Door Distillery in Driftwood (211 Darden Hill Rd.), the truck will be open Thursdays from 3:30-8 pm, Fridays from 11:30 am-8 pm, and Saturdays from noon-6 pm.
Griffiths is a hunter, angler, chef, James Beard-nominated cookbook author, and founder of the New School of Traditional Cookery, which emphasizes the responsible use of wild game and resources in cooking. Crumpton is a hunter, angler, conservationist, and former restaurateur, as well as steward of Spoke Hollow Ranch and owner of Spoke Hollow Outfitters. The pair — both native Texans and former ambassadors for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) — first met when they teamed up on a TPWF effort to raise money for game wardens.
Lo Salvaje was born from a shared desire to bring locally sourced ingredients and wild-game-inspired fare to a broader audience.
“The name is a reference to the wild — the unspoiled open spaces where you find wild game,” says Griffiths in a release. “Hunting has really instilled in me a respect for the whole animal and its environment. That’s really influenced how I cook.”
The menu at Lo Salvaje is inventive — street food meets haute cuisine, with wild game flair. Wild boar will feature on several items, while the hamburguesa features Nilgai antelope to mix things up. The tasty concoctions of Lo Salvaje will be complemented by Desert Door’s sotol cocktails to round out the ideal Hill Country experience.
“Jesse’s done a masterful job with the menu,” says Crumptom. “If you don’t have experience with wild game, you might think it’s more suited for an adventuresome palate, but these dishes prove otherwise — this is just great tasting food. I’m also a San Antonio native so Mexican food, Mexican culture, and even Mexican music have really influenced me. The Spanish name is a nod to that.”
Guests can experience Lo Salvaje’s WILD Card Dinner debut with a $14 ticket. Everyone who purchases a ticket for the dinner will be entered to win a $100 bar tab at Desert Door Distillery to celebrate National Parks Week. Desert Door will also be featuring three cocktails dedicated to these important wild spaces, and $2 per specialty cocktail will be donated to the National Parks Conservation Association.
