Dining In Austin

Nick T Eats His Way Down the West Coast

2009-11-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sharing a love for food with Laura and Mariah, I feel compelled to share another guest blog. Generally, this blog will focus on local restaurants and eateries, but we are going to step outside ourselves today and take you to the West Coast. Coastal dining experiences are by far some of my most memorable ones. I might be a little bias simply because it’s likely I will spend my entire life in pursuit of the perfect sea creation.

To give you a quick overview of where I’m headed, Kristen (my loving girlfriend who will be referred to as K in this blog) and I went on a week long vacation throughout central California from August 15th-23rd. We started our journey in San Francisco and made our way all the way down the One to Big Sur w/ our final destination in Carmel, CA. As we ate our way through California, we also created a new restaurant rating system in which we call “fork worthy.” Simply, if after the meal, all parties at the table collectively agree that they were wowed by the experience and the meal exceeded all expectations, then one dinner fork can be removed from the establishment, thus deeming the restaurant, FORK WORTHY!! Over time we will have compiled a collection of forks from throughout the world each with unique experiences and happy pallets attached. (Disclaimer: Dining In Austin does not endorse this behavior.)

Our first meal of the trip was a hit and definitely set the foundation for many more to follow. Scalas was recommended to us by our bell hop at our hotel in San Francisco. Scalas is Italian fine dining located at the bottom of the Drake Hotel in Union Square. Dimly lit and full to capacity, we were quickly sat next to each other by a pleasant hostess. Upon entry, it was apparent that this was a well oiled machine. Things were looking up. Like many menus at some of your finer eateries, you know right off the bat that it will be difficult to order the wrong thing. After scanning the menu and trying to determine which direction we were to go, our waitress came over and made a few suggestions. Inevitably we completely followed her lead. We started with the Earth and Surf appetizer which consisted of lightly battered and flash fried crisp calamari, rock shrimp, fennel, green beans and spicy aioli. The portion was more than generous, quickly delivered and was single handily responsible for the creation of the Fork Worthy concept. Shortly after receiving our app it was followed by the Heirloom Salad which we split. It is the Scalas version of the caprese salad. Heirloom tomatoes, Mozzarella de Buffala, basil, rucola, and extra virgin olive oil, create a wildly explosive salad that makes you smile and doesn’t break the bank. We split a dinner entrée of crab stuffed ravioli with peas and lobster butter. Oh god, let me say that again, LOBSTER BUTTER..I was thoroughly convinced that I could have bagged this stuff up and sold it on the streets. I mean, if you had some right now, I would give you a 20 for a quick hit, without question. We decided to skip out on desert because we knew that we were going to try to have a few drinks around town and thought that we could save room for some booze. In quizzing our waitress about entertainment options in the area, we were sent to a couple of near-by live music spots . Simply put, GREAT SERVICE, ambiance, food quality, reasonable price.

Fork Count = 1

Another MUST EAT breakfast recommendation (according to the waitress from Scalas) was Dottie’s True Blue Café. Fortunately, it was just a few block walk from our wonderful hotel. As we approached Dotties, we could see a line about 30-40 deep pouring out the door. Of course, with this kind of attention they must be doing something right. There was a small level of hesitation to wait in the line, afterall our time in SF was limited. We decided to get some coffees and wait it out. The restaurant was small, seating about 40-50 people max. (Including the bar seating that was for dining only) We were excited to see some of the plates that were being delivered complete with oversized portions, lots of colors, HUGE biscuits, got me randy right off the bat. The menu was overwhelming, but in a good way. If the biggest dilemma I am forced to deal with on any given day is rather or not I want to order the omelet with lamb-fennel sausage, goat cheese, roasted garlic, and spinach or the pulled pork omelet severed with roasted potatoes and tortillas, then I’m doing pretty well!! Those two dishes are, in fact, exactly what we ended up with and worth every second that I waited, and every penny that we spent. This is not the cheapest place you will eat breakfast in you life, but you can definitely split a plate with someone if you’re on a shoe-string budget. If light, fluffy frittatas, pumpkin pancakes, world famous waffles and beautiful, delicious, baked goods create blood flow for you like it does me, Dotties is where it’s at. I can honestly say it is in the top 2 best breakfasts I have ever had in my life.

Fork Count = 2

From San Francisco we headed down to Santa Cruz. Having done little research on places to dine it was any mans game. We went down to the boardwalk (the same one in the movie the Lost Boys) and did the touristy thing for a bit. Dinner was approaching so we started our journey. Adjacent to the boardwalk was a warf/ pier that was full of restaurants and bars. Our hotel clerk had recommended some places, but after listening to him for a while I began to think his idea of a solid meal was a hot pocket dipped in creamy ranch. Noting this, we tried to make our own educated decisions based on menus and ambiance. After choosing a waterfront restaurant, we were seated on the glass with a sunset view. The menu had decent options and the specials sounded scrumptious. Unfortunately, I was turned off by the unkempt bathrooms. As a result, we decided to order an appetizer and 2 glasses of wine and look for something with a little bit more character and cleaner restrooms. Thankfully for Facebook, my friend Kim had recommended a crepe place in Santa Cruz that she had dined at before. “Crepes for dinner? I asked myself. K assured me that it would be ok. Although, I can’t remember exactly what we ate, I know this place was solid. It was a definitely a local hang out and we even saw an Austin musician while we enjoyed our food and drink. I know that the in-house menu had around 40 different crepes to choose from and of course the ability to build your own. Great ambiance, drinks, music, food, along with SUPER NICE LOCALS would bring me back to this place in a two shakes of a lambs tail. Mmmmm, lamb. We didn't take a fork, but we should have!! Damn Tequila. The Santa Cruz Crepe Place was GREAT!!!

Descending down the One headed to the beautiful Big Sur we came across what I believed to be a small fishing town in Moss Landing, CA. Still having an unfilled craving for fresh coastal catches, I was on a mission to find a sashimi grade fillet that I could bite into like a piece of pie. As I looked around, I spotted a marina and boats. In an excited fashion I looked over at K and said, “This is where we will find fresh fish.” It seemed as if there was only one road that led down to the marina, so I slammed on the brakes and made the turn just in time. After K realized that her life was no longer in jeopardy, I had her roll down her window to ask a man walking if there was a seafood market nearby. We were pointed to a place, blocks away called Phil’s Seafood Market. Not knowing what to expect, we parked on the street and entered with caution. Immediately, we were greeted by glass cases packed with all kinds of fresh fish, delectable shellfish and other homemade creations. As it turns out, this place doubled as a restaurant. Two HUGE chalk boards hung over the counter, loaded with small font deliciousness. Since we were in Artichoke country, I chose a stuffed artichoke with seafood stuffing for an appetizer. I kept seeing signs hung throughout Phil’s for a dish called Cioppino. I had no idea what Cioppino was so I asked the counter girl who described the best of her ability that it was their most popular dish and everyone ordered it. I soon learned that Cioppino is a fish stew derived from the various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine. Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in the dish's place of origin is typically a combination of dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce. (Thanks Wikipedia.) You could order it by itself in a large bowl or have it served on top of a gutted sour dough roll. Take a look at my flabby belly and you can assume that I went for the roll. Long story short, Phil’s was AMAZING!! We stole a fork, took pictures, bought some smoked peppered salmon and smoked teriyaki salmon to-go which was literally sent down from the heavens. Truly a pleasure and located about 25 miles north of Monterey. If you in the area, GO, GO, GO…That’s all there is to it..

Fork Count = 3

Our last destination was Carmel, CA. We spent our last three days there to share in the celebrations of K’s sis and her new hubby. Without question, there was a large assortment of wonderful food digested.

For mere showmanship I will give an honorable mention to the $28 dollar hamburger that I ate at the Pebble Beach Lodge. It was Kobe beef, brie, caramelized onions served on an open faced sweet bun w/ potato wedges cooked in truffle oil. I order it med-rare and it was over-cooked. The only real reason why I am even mentioning it is because I had never had a $28 dollar hamburger and feel as if you do, you should talk about it. It wasn’t a complete tragedy but sadly, if it wasn’t for the potato wedges cooked in truffle oil it might not have even deserved a mention.

This trip and our dining experiences were by far some of the best I have ever had in my life. My company was an absolute delight and my palette was more than satisfied. I am sure that I put on some pounds and if I had the opportunity to do so again, would not doubt my decision. If being fat and happy is wrong…I don’t want to be right.

Until next time,
Nick T..

Louisiana Longhorn Cafe

2009-10-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

200B East Main Street

Round Rock, TX 78664

512-248-2900

http://www.louisianalonghorncafe.com/

Hey, fellow foodies. It's been a while since the last time I've had a chance to post a review for Mariah and Laura. What can I say? I have no excuse save the same one that any of us have: I've been totally slammed. It's been so hard to find time to go out and find time to write. However, sometimes motivation just falls into our lap, and we have a story that is so good it would be a shame to not share.

Let me paint the picture. Last Wednesday, I was finishing up a trip to the grocery store getting ingredients for what I envisioned to be an amazing pork chop dish with a citrus pecan sauce, roasted potatoes, and pureed carrots. Just as the last of the groceries enters my trunk, the trusty cell phone rings. It's my girlfriend, Michelle, calling to ask me if I had taken the big screen TV into get serviced. She sounded rather confused. She got home to discover that the TV was gone, but there was a strange chihuahua running around the house. To quote her directly, "I'm serious. I would not make this up to f*ck with you."

I immediately raced home to discover that someone had broken into the house. The TV really was gone. A strange chihuahua really was running around inside the house. I can't even begin to describe the sense of confusion this brought about. Well, to make a long story short, by the time the police showed up and I verified what was stolen, cooking dinner was the very last thing on my mind. So, off to get dinner.

We went to the Louisiana Longhorn Cafe. This is a restaurant that Mariah and I have been talking about reviewing for months now, but have never gotten around to it. So, in looking for that sometimes hard to find silver lining, I am proud to say that being the victim of burglary, I am able to finally write this review.

Walking into the place, we were greeted with a warm Austiny feel. The decor is laid back and mismatched with lots of tribute to our beloved Longhorns via a Bevo-esque gator head mounted to the wall above our table. You gotta love that warm Austiny feel. It's enough to settle two victims of theft and a ravenous 6 year old.

Now, with Austin with us, it meant an order of Fried Pickles for an app. I can't say that these pickles are anything above and beyond the typical fair you'd get at other restaurants or the state fair, but they certainly filled the role nicely. They are served very crispy with a light battering and with a side of very cold ranch dressing.

Michelle had the fish tacos. They looked very good. The fish looked nice and flaky with very decently sized fried fillets that didn't obnoxiously over fill each taco. The tacos also came with an order of the house red beans and rice. I'll save discussion about the authenticity of red beans and rice for another time, but these were definitely well above average and quite flavorful.

It had been a while since I had any of the gumbos that Louisiana Longhorn offers, and I couldn't remember how good they were. So, I ordered a small cup of the seafood gumbo to remind myself. I'm glad I did. The soup was made with a very nice, dark roux that permeated each bite. Most impressive, though, is how much seafood the restaurant managed to stuff into the bowl and easily maintain that it was a soup.

As for the entree, I went with Pirogue. Imagine a toasted hoagie roll filled to the brim with fried oysters and covered in etouffeee sauce. It's definitely not a sandwich that you're going to be able to tackle without fork and knife. Oysters were lightly fried and maintained the crunch of the breading even underneath a rich etouffee sauce that hinted at spice. This also came with a side of that sausage filled Red Beans and Rice.

I have to admit that the kids menu isn't very unique or original. It looks like a collection of stuff that was easily pulled together by buying in bulk, but they had one. I can also add that it did feel quite appropriate for the little ones. Austin ordered the cheeseburger off that menu and ate it well.

While I hope that no one here suffers from a break in as well, I can assure you that if anyone comes home to find that electronic devices have mysteriously morphed into chihuahuas, that disconcerting feeling you experience can be settled with some good company and the food at Louisiana Longhorn Cafe. It worked for me, anyhow.

Bottom Line: Austin-like atmosphere in Round Rock with a good combination of Cajun, Creole, and Southern food.

Lee - 9

Laura's note: Fried food is fried food, and as custom dictates, at the end of your fried appetizers you'll have a nice little puddle of leftover grease. It's important to note that they do not have vegetarian options on the menu. In fact, I doubt they know what a vegetable is unless it's overcooked and/or served covered in bacon. The salads are really pitiful. I understand if you are craving some cajun food this place might do it for you and that you can probably get a decent po-boy or etouffee. But really Lee, a 9? I question your judgment. I generously give it a 5.

Mariah's note: When I dated that dude that lived way up in Jerrell, we used to eat here as "middle ground." While it's not the best Cajun food I've ever had, it's the best I've had in Austin. The decor is fun and its on a street thats nice to stroll up and down after dinner. My experiences there haven't been mind blowing, but its a good decent place to have some fried shrimp and gumbo. I'd give it an 8.5 but since they don't have any vegetarian options, I'd knock it down to a 8. Recommended if your in the area and hankering for some mudbugs.

Dining in... Italy - Part Due

2009-10-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Phew! Life has been busy lately. Have I mentioned my brother got married this past weekend? I’m very excited that I can stop calling my brother’s significant other “my brother’s girlfriend” or “my brother’s fiancé” and I can now start calling her my “sister-in-law.” But as exciting as that is for me personally, that’s neither here nor there. Y’all came here to read about food, not hear about the drunken wedding antics of the Groomsman.

So as some of you may or may not remember, my last post (2 months ago, eek!), was on how to eat in Italy. If not refresh yourself, because I’m going to delve even deeper into Italian food. I’m going to tell you all about the places I ate, which were good, which were bad, interesting trends in Italian food and anything else I can remember considering its been 2 months since I was there.

We started off our Italian adventure (by we I mean my travel partner Kasie and myself) in Rome. I’ve been to Rome twice now, and I wasn’t all that impressed with it either time I was there… Which is why we chose to only spend 6 hours there on this trip. Just long enough to have Italians yell at me through customs, take the Leonardo express into town, stow our luggage at the train station, and get in one sight, the Sistine Chapel. I did manage to eat a pizza while in Rome, but it was in a tourist trap and I was jet lagged, so it definitely wasn’t anything worth writing about. We got in a quick trip to the Chapel (well as quick as you can make it through the Vatican maze.. I mean museum.. 3 hours minimum) and then hopped our train to Firenze.

Yes, that really is what you think it is, I think this picture is illegal.. shhh

The next day, we had to be up bright and early to pick up our car. The ultimate reason we were in Italy this time around was to attend the wedding of my dear friend Elena an Italian native. And while I absolutely loved attending her wedding, it provided some logistic problems, namely, how to get from the city center where we were staying, out to the Certosa Monastery, where the ceremony was, then how to get to the Villa le Corti where the reception was. So we came up with the bright idea to rent a car for the day to get around. I don’t know if you’ve heard about driving in Italy, but it’s a fairly harrowing experience! Not because Italians are crazy drivers, they’re really not, but the roads are narrow, cobbled together (based on a 1000 years of history) and not marked all that well. Forget about the nice green road signs you have here. Those don’t exist in Italy. You have to say a Hail Mary (you are in Italy) and hope your maps are detailed enough to get you from point A to point B.

We struck out along the SR2 highway towards Sienna (staying off the Autostradale). After getting lost at least 5 times, we finally got our bearings and started to enjoy our Tuscan drive. The SR2 is really a beautiful little road. It winds through the Tuscan countryside passing little towns with quaint hotels and wineries.. lots of wineries. We saw signs for wineries everywhere. So many that we were a little hesitant to stop at one. Most of the wineries are small, and if you happen to be out wine hunting a Friday afternoon, you won’t encounter too many other winery visitors. In fact, most of the wineries we passed looked deserted and empty.

The first place we stopped at was called La Tancia. It looked like a large, empty Italian villa with an open gate, a sign that said “Vino” and a car or two in front of it. We were SO hesitant to stop and get out of the car, but damn it, we were in Tuscany, we were stopping at a winery! We tentatively got out of the car and approached the open front door (that was a good sign!). We were “greeted” by a woman and her son. We looked at them and they looked at us. You’d think an owner of a tourist-centric winery would have gregariously said “Welcome to La Tancia, come taste our wine!” (in Italian of course). But instead we continued to awkwardly look at each other until Kasie, the good practical girl she is, got out her dictionary and asked the woman if we could taste the wine. Problem solved!

We were escorted into a quaint villa filled with wine barrels and tables. She prepared a bruschetta appetizer for us from tomatoes and olive oil grown on their farm and laid out 4 wines for us to try (with the bottles no less so we could pour more if we wanted). Of the 4 wines we tried, we thought 2 were note worthy, the Chianti (not to be confused with the Chianti Classico or the Chianti Reserva) and the their Tuscan blend (I’ll explain the differences between various Chiantis and blends in the next post). I don’t remember much about the wine other than it was yummy. What can I say, we got settled and started drinking, and I was more excited about taking pictures, and well.. drinking.. than writing about the wine. It had a great jewel-like color, a fruity-herbaceous nose, a medium tannin structure, a rich cherry finish, and a leathery overtone. There, that’s a generic enough red wine description for you. Eh, whatever, you can’t get the wine here anyway. But if you happen to be out driving in Tuscany, stop by. It really IS a tasty, easy to drink Chianti, even though my drunk taste buds don’t remember the particulars of it.

We purchased 2 bottles of wine (for later), and a couple of bottles of olive oil (ultimately the best I had of any of the wineries, so I’m glad I got it there), then headed to the next winery up the road, La Palagina. It too, was distinguished as a winery only because there was a “Vino” sign and an open gate. We drove in and encountered an equally shy winery operator. There were no heartfelt greetings or directions on where to park, we were left to figure things out ourselves. This winery had a more interesting set up too. Instead of a villa, they had a small store front selling all manner of meats, cheeses, pastas, and 2 kinds of wine, a white and a red Tuscan blend. They also had a lovely little covered patio with tables and it WAS getting close to lunch, so Kasie and I opted for a meat, cheese, and wine meal. What I experienced was simply orgasmic.

None of the individual items: savory jams, cheeses, meats, or wines were noteworthy in their own right, but combined, they were a prime example of exceptional food pairing. All of the food was grown or raised on the farm and you could tell it. The grassy notes in the white wine went perfectly with the earthy pecorino-like sheep’s cheese. The leathery gaminess of their Tuscan blend red wine paired perfectly with the salami made from the animals on their farm. It was heavenly. I think you can order some of their products online. I highly recommend their vegetable crèmes. They’re kind of like savory jellies. The pepper and onion crèmes were excellent.

After we had stuffed our faces, it was time to make our way up to the church, La Certosa Monastery, for the wedding. The ceremony was amazing; not only were the Bride and Groom lovely, but the chapel was gorgeous. How nice would it be to get married in a 600 year old monastery with frescoed ceilings and hand carved wood panels? This nice:

After the wedding we made out way to the Villa Le Corti for the food orgy.. I mean Italian reception. You want to talk about a high class wedding, this was the prime example of everything a beautiful wedding should be. The Villa sat on a hill overlooking the Tuscan countryside. The park around it had half dozen appetizer tables set up for our munching enjoyment. There was a table where you could sample local wine, a table mixing prosecco cocktails, a table where you could make your own bruschetta, a wood fire oven cooked pizza table (yes, there was an honest-to-god wood fire oven set up in the yard of this villa), and my favorite table, the gelato table. If there was one thing I really absorbed and embraced about Italian food this time around, it was their creative uses of gelato. This particular gelato was a savory pre-meal gelato. Savory and gelato usually don’t go together so let me explain. There was a fig gelato with chopped up salami on top, a honey gelato with pecorino cheese on top, and, I’m not shitting you, lemon gelato with swordfish sashimi on top. They were amazing and for my American palate, really creative and interesting. I STILL dream about that honey-pecorino gelato.

The reception dinner inside the villa was equally as interesting. The villa was a giant square with a courtyard, where each of the walls is a different room. We ate in the courtyard, and ventured to each of the 4 rooms to get our food (buffet style) for the different courses. The first room was the anti-pasti course. There were tables filled with salads, veggies, cheeses, meats. My favorite was the gentleman carving 3 different kinds of prosciutto and wrapping it in melon (did I mention the melon came from the region where the prosciutto was from?). The second room was filled with pastas and risottos for the traditional Italian 1st course (remember the last blog post about courses?). There was even a woman hand making raviolis. Yes, we had handmade ravioli for dinner. While we were noshing on those, the Villa fired up a couple of wood grills and grilled up a bunch of different types of meat (available in the 3rd room) for the 2nd course.

Note the specialized prosciutto holder. Register for THAT at your wedding.

At that point, we were all wine full and food drunk, so we went outside to walk the grounds. Elena and Andrea (the Bride and Groom) had arranged for each guest to light a lantern to celebrate their union. Now, these aren’t normal lanterns, these were large cylindrical, paper lanterns. You literally light the bottom on fire and wait until it has enough buoyancy and let it go. The sight of 200 burning paper lanterns floating into the sky in the really breathtaking… until you consider they have to come down eventually… Oh Italy, I love your non-litigious society.

Well, this post is getting a little long, so apparently I’m going to have to break this thing up and write about the rest of my trip in another post.

Ciao!

Mariah

Zoe's Kitchen (Giveaway!)

2009-10-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

10000 Research Blvd

Austin, TX 78759

512-372-9080
http://www.zoeskitchen.com/

I was lucky enough yesterday to roll out of bed around 11 am, completely exhausted from ACL and think to myself "What is it I've planned to do today?" Oh yeah! Meet Maggie at Zoe's Kitchen for a preview!

Zoe's Kitchen is a new order at the counter casual Mediterranean restaurant in the Arboretum. Remember the days before the Domain when people regularly shopped at the Arboretum? Well, the place has had a lot of changes in the past few years, but one change I really appreciate is the restaurant additions (such as Kenobi opened in January 2008). Back in 2002 I lived nearby and the neighborhood was basically relegated to TGI Friday's and Z Tejas.

The restaurant is a chain that started in Birmingham, Alabama by a lady actually named Zoe. The cuisine reflects that as a southern take on broad generalized Mediterranean food.

A trip to Zoe's will get you vegetables, chicken, feta cheese, and olive oil served as a salad, skewers, pasta, pita or sandwich. It was good- but it was variations on a theme. If you aren't into those major ingredients, Zoe's isn't the place for you. I must admit, they have the vegetarian base covered, but they don't clearly mark the sneaky items. Beware of chicken broth in the rice pilaf, braised white beans and tomato soup.

Zoe's is optimal lunchtime material if you work in North Austin or if you are just too tired to cook and live in the area. You can order individual items or pick up meals for four or how ever many you want to feed. I could also see ordering this into the office meeting when you need to bribe your coworkers for their attendance. Here's some of the dishes we tasted on Monday.

Left: Steak rollups, rice pilaf. Center: Hummus salad plate. Right: Chicken skewers, salad.

Grilled chicken plate

Pita sandwich with pasta salad

Left: Reuben sandwich. Right: Grilled chicken Salad

I also ordered a Grilled Veggie stack (not pictured). The veggie stack is grilled portobello and zucchini, mozarella, caramelized onions, tomato, feta-parsley spread on focaccia. I give the feta-parsley spread two thumbs up. The focaccia bread was really thick, so be prepared for a carbfest.

Left: Order of hummus. Right: Veggie pita pizza.

The hummus was good, but the pita had much to be desired. Thank goodness it wasn't the normal pita bread they use. They told us their shipment hadn't arrived yet and that the bread they will be using is of much better quality. The pizza had a thin crispy crust just the way I like it. I think this would be my item of choice.

Spinach rollups served with salsa and side.

I wanted to like these spinach rollups, and I did... except for those damn canned mushrooms. HUGE pet peeve.

Chicken salad sandwich with side of braised white beans

Chocolate cake for dessert.

My vote on the cake? Fits the bill on chocolate-y and moist, but overall not really worth the calories.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention they have a small patio.

Proof that a small patio does exist.

Want to check out Zoe's for yourself? I'll give away coupons for two free entrees to one random commentor. You have until Friday to comment. I'll pick the winner by closing my eyes and then pointing to a random name on the screen. Don't forget to enter your email address. Posting as anonymous won't allow me to contact you. Good luck! And tell me something interesting!

Bottom Line: Generic Mediterranean food, perfect for quick lunch up north, easy take home or ordering mass quantities into the office.

Laura ~ 6

September Restaurant Deals

2009-09-12T14:43:00.001-07:00

So there are a couple of awesome food events coming up in the next few weeks. Not only can you eat a great meal, you can feel good about doing it to!

Dining for Life

Dining for Life is sponsored by AIDS Services of Austin. On Monday Sep 14 and Tuesday Sep 15, if you go to a participating restaurant and tell them you're Dining for life they'll donate anywhere from 10%-25% of the meal ticket to AIDS Services of Austin. Where do you get the most bang for your buck?

9/15 - Ruby's BBQ 512 W 29th St - 20% of bill

9/15 - Vivo 2015 Manor Rd - 25% of bill

Austin Restaurant Week

So this event is a whole hell of alot bigger than the Dining for Life event. For 2 weeks, Sunday Sep 13 - Wednesday Sep 16 & Sunday Sep 20 - Wedneday Sep 23, eat at a participating restaurant and (a whopping) 5% of your bill will be donated to Sustainable Food Centers and AIDS Services of Austin.

What makes this event really cool though is that each participating restaurant will offer a special 3 course menu for $25-$35. If you've been wanting to try a more expensive restaurant but don't want to shell out as much dough AND feel good about helping a local charity, now is your time.

Who has good menu's this year?

8212 Wine Bar $35 (Cherry Bourbon Glazed Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Cheddar Grits, Orange Jicama Radish Salad)

Aquarelle $35 (Pan Roasted Lamb Chops Mint Gnoccho, Spicy Melting Onions, Swiss Char, Lamb Jus)

Driskell Grill $35 (Fresh Texas Pea Tortellini Basil-Pesto, Earl Grey Tea-Orange Blossom, Olive Oil Powder, Parmesan, Pomegranate Gastrique)

Fabi & Rosi $25 (House Made Chicken Liver Pate Gewuertztraminer gelee and cornishons)

Green Pastures $25 (Porcini and Brie Soup, Brie Sandwich with Hazelnuts, Caramelized Onion and Balsamic-Fig Coulis, Brie, Bananas, Pecans, Waffles, Creme Fraiche and Maple Syrup, And thats just an appetizer!)

Hudson's on the Bend $30 (Smoked Duck Diablos—duck breast, jicama, jalapeno, figs in balsamic all wrapped in apple wood bacon with a red chili glaze dipping sauce)

La Condessa $35 (Hongos y Huitlacoche Huarache wild mushrooms, huitlacoche, queso chihuahua, epazote, truffle oil)

Lambert's $25-$35 (Citrus Brined & Maple Glazed Pork Ribs Roasted Fennel & Apple Salad)

Louie's 106 $35 (Saffron Risotto with Diver Scallops, Jumbo Shrimp, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Lobster Consomme)

Paggi House $35 (Niman Ranch Poussin Roasted with Asparagus, Foie Gras Mashed Potatoes and Pan Jus)

Parkside $35 (Chocolate crunch, peanuts, popcorn, salted caramel ice cream)

Perla's $25-$35 (Oak Grilled Gulf Prawns, Herb Salad and Poached Garlic Drawn Butter)

Roy's $35 (Pan Sautéed Spiced Tiger Shrimp Cous Cous, Sundried Tomato, Spinach, Smoky Potato Puree)

Sagra $35 (Forest Mushroom Stuffed Quail Chard and Barley Risotto, Blackberry-Chianti Syrup)

Siena $35 (Bistecca Tagliata: Wood grilled sirloin sliced and served on assorted young greens in a fresh lemon, white truffle vinaigrette with balsamic roasted portabello mushrooms and

shaved Grana Padano)

Enjoy your food and enjoy giving back to your community!

Mariah

Dining in... Italy

2009-09-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well foodies, it’s been a while since we last talked. A LONG while. Between the heat, and my crazy life (3 weddings, 3 showers, a bum knee, and an international trip, geeze!), I feel like I’ve been on the run for months. I’ll eat somewhere and think ‘Oh I should write about that,’ but then I never seem to make the time to do it. But I just returned from an amazing culinary journey of Italy and I feel so inspired that I felt compelled to write about it. But, before I write about my Great Gelato Awakening, I want to give y’all a quick overview of what its like to eat in a restaurant in Italy. In my two trips to Italy, this is probably the one thing I am the most proud of having learned, and the one thing I think everyone who travels there should know: how to understand food like an Italian.

I’ve tried to provide a few notes, below, on common American-to-Italian food “translation” problems, because, I don’t know about you, but I consider food and the rituals of food to be its own language. There are a couple of sticky food “translations” that can really get you in trouble if you don’t know what to expect. I was lucky to have a travel companion who’d lived in Italy for a while. She was able to keep me from fucking up too badly. So now, I am paying it forward to keep any of you from fucking up when you travel there. Good deed for the day… done!

- Ordering 101 -

If you’ve never travelled in Italy, it’s a trip (literally). It’s like a world away from everything you’re used to here, especially when it comes to the rituals of food and eating. First of all, a normal day in Italy starts around 7am; then you have breakfast at 9, lunch around 1, and dinner around 9. Secondly, restaurants in Italy are quite different from what we’re used to here. You’ve got two main classes of eatery, your cafes, and your formal sit down eateries. How can you tell the difference? Cafes generally only serve coffee and pastry for breakfast and/or paninis at lunch (all of which is displayed in a big glass case). While sit down restaurants have no glass case, but will, instead, have a big menu hung in their window listing what they serve. And to further confuse you, there are a lot of café/restaurant hybrids that have a big glass case AND tabled areas where you can sit down and order.

Breakfast, in Italy, generally consists of a coffee and a pastry eaten standing at a counter in a cafe. Lunch is usually a sandwich either eaten quickly at the counter of a café or on the go, or you sit down for a more formal lunch at a restaurant (or the sit down section of a café) when you have the time. Dinner is always eaten sit down style at a restaurant.

But before you approach any Italian eatery, you have to be aware that no matter what meal you’re eating, Italians have three distinctly different ways to order and eat food. The first, the “Italian Bar Ordering Process” (henceforth to be referred to as IBOP) is used at cafes primarily at breakfast and sometimes at lunch. The second, the “Italian Carry-Out Ordering Process” (ICOP), is again used at cafes sometimes at breakfast but normally at lunch. The third, the “Italian Table Ordering Process” (ITOP), is used either in the table section of a cafe or at a restaurant for lunch (if you have the time) but is always, always the way dinner is eaten.

(Note the glass case full of pastries and paninis)

Italian Bar Ordering Process - IBOP:
1) The first step in the IBOP is to find yourself a nice café. Cafes usually have a glass case full of pastries or paninis. There will usually be a bar where you can eat and maybe a table or two.
2) You walk up to the cash register and pay BEFORE you order (I know that seems f’ed up, but this is the IBOP, bear with me).
3) You walk up to the bar with your receipt, put it on the bar (see, it kind of makes sense now, you’re showing you paid) and order the specific coffee and pastry you want.
4) Eat standing at the bar

Italian Carry-Out Ordering Process - ICOP:
1) Follow steps 1-3 of the IBOP
4) When your picking your food, make sure you order is “a porta via” which means “to go” in Italian.

Italian Table Ordering Process - ITOP:
1) Find yourself a nice restaurant with a tasty sounding menu
2) Ask for a table (not always required, but it’s always nice to ask).
3) Order and eat as normal
4) When you want to leave, ask for the bill (“il conto”)

See, once you break it down into simple, scientific steps, ordering food in Italy doesn’t seem so daunting. But ordering is only part of the Italian food ritual. The other part is being able to eat and understand food like an Italian.

- American-to-Italian Food Translations -

Coffee: Coffee in Italy doesn’t even remotely resemble coffee in US. You will never ever, ever (ever) see drip coffee in Italy. Think of coffee in Italy like Starbucks with their espresso based coffee. Everything is espresso shot based there. In fact, if you ask for a coffee there (or caffe in Italian), you will be given a shot of espresso. BUT the coffee in Italy tends to be a lot smoother and not as bitter and sharp as the espresso shots you get here so drinking a shot of espresso is not unpleasant. So what kind of coffee do you get? The entire time I was in Italy, I only saw Italians order one of 3 drinks, and as far as I know, these are the only acceptable coffee options: the caffe (the shot of espresso), a caffe macchiato (what I always get, it’s essentially a shot of espresso with a little dollop of frothed milk), and a cappuccino (part milk, part espresso with frothed milk). A caffe or a macchiato can be ordered at any time of day, but a cappuccino is ordered ONLY at breakfast. The caffe will come to you unsweetened, but they will generally give you a packet a sugar (zucchero) to use at your discretion. Never ask for a double pumpkin spiced latte, a caramel frapuccino or any other pansy coffee offering you might find at Starbucks.

Pastries: Pastries in Italy come in a variety of different names, none of which match up with what they’re called here. So when you go to pick one, do what I do and point at one while saying “questa pasta” if you want one or “due paste” (that would be “doo-eh past-eh” not “doo paste”) if you want two. They’ll get the idea. Just FYI - you will never ever eat eggs for breakfast in Italy (unless you’re in a touristy area and then it will always say “American Breakfast” and they’ll want you to sit down a la the ITOP).

Wine: Order wine with your lunch (and obviously you’re going to order wine with your dinner too). It’s totally acceptable. In fact, don’t even bother looking at a wine menu. Just go ahead and order the house wine. It’s usually tasty (unlike here). But don’t try to go to a restaurant to just drink wine (or alcohol). If you want a “bar” experience in Italy, go to an English style Pub or to a dance club. The concept of an American style “bar” is rather foreign to Italians. They generally only drink alcohol with their food.

Courses: At a sit down restaurant, the Italian menu will be separated into courses, antipasta (appetizers), 1st course (pasta and rice), and 2nd course (meat and fish). But don’t let the 1st and 2nd course menu scare you. While it’s traditional to order a full meal with an antipasta, a 1st course and a 2nd course, in today’s modern world, people generally only order one or the other. No one is going to look at you funny or accuse you of being rude for just ordering one. I know I certainly can’t eat that much food! But, something you should be aware of, in some restaurants (particularly in smaller towns or in the country), even if you order a antipasta, 1st and 2nd course, the food will arrive whenever it is ready and not necessarily in the proper order and not necessarily when you may want it. You may find yourself with a table full of plates. It just happens, go with it.

Water: Oh yeah, and if you want water, you have to ask for it. It will always come out as a bottle of mineral water, and you will inevitably be asked if you want “naturale” (regular water), or “frizzante” (club soda). And you’ll never get ice in your drink unless you ask for it.

Paying: Getting the bill is a sticking point with some Americans, but it doesn’t have to be. Italians consider it rude to have their server bring them the bill before they’re ready (which kind of makes sense). So you have to explicitly ask for it by saying “Il Conto” when you’re ready to leave. And make sure you pronounce it “il cone-toe” instead of “il kahn-toe”, so they know you’re asking for the bill and not a singer. I make this pronunciation mistake a lot (according to my Italian speaking friends) and aside from a snigger or two, the servers generally get the idea.

Tipping: Italian restaurants have something called a “coperto.” It’s like the fee you pay for sitting at a table and being served. It’s kind of like the tip. Italian waiters don’t live off tips like American waiters, so you’re not expected to leave a tip. Depending on the place, the coperto is usually a couple of Euro per person and will always be listed as a separate line item on your bill. Now, if the service is good, you may want to leave a few more Euros as a tip, but it’s not required and it’s not expected. If you eat at the counter (per the IBOP) or you order to go (see ICOP), then you won’t be charged the coperto.

So now that you understand the ritual of eating like an Italian, we can discuss the actual awesome food I ate while I was in Italy… in the next post.

Mariah

Z Tejas

2009-08-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

1110 W. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 478-5355

9400 A. Arboretum Blvd
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 346-6328

http://www.ztejas.com/

The first time I dined at ZTejas I was a poor college student being taken out for dinner by my friend and her boyfriend. I was delighted with my jerk chicken salad and could not wait to return. Alas, my budget only afforded such meals on occasion so when I did make it back, it was a treat. It's not that ZTejas is particularly expensive, it's just my budget was more toast and ramen centric.

As the years passed, and paychecks became a part of my life, ZTejas became an old stand by with my core group of girlfriends, particularly for brunch. Then as I branched out and began to explore other places, I became less and less enchanted with the establishment, placing it in the "I won't pitch a fit if my friends want to go but I'll never be the one to suggest it" category. When I went vegetarian, it pretty much went all out the window for me and ZTejas. I've been told they have vegetarian and gluten free menus, but in the past when I've asked for one, the waitstaff has been pretty clueless.

As you might guess, it had been a while since I'd been there when I received an invite to their media preview. I thought it would be a good idea to see what they'd been up to lately. Afterall, Z Tejas and I do share a sordid and complicated past. You can't just turn your back on that kind of history. Plus, if it all went awry, then at least it was free. Turns out they've got a new summer menu that doesn't completely reinvent but may make ZTejas worth visiting again. Although, I'm still not holding my breath to see that vegetarian menu.

I've always been a fan of their cornbread.

The tableside guacamole was very tasty and came topped with pumpkin seeds and cotija cheese. A little pricey at almost $10 an order, but I suppose avocados are fairly expensive.

Yucatan Chile Spiced Shrimp Salad, comes tossed with oranges and watermelon

Crispy Crab Tacos with mango citrus dressing.

Grilled salmon? Looks blackened to me. On a summer vegetable bed of grilled corn, zuchinni.

Ancho and cocoa grilled pork tenderloin on red potato mashers topped with roasted corn, cotija cheese and tarragon aioli. Leslie, my co-diner, said this was an excellent dish.

Ancho fudge pie.

I don't normally eat dessert, but this has been a long time favorite of mine.

And now, the cocktails. None of which blew my mind, but I took one for the team and finished them anyway. ;)

Ginger Pomegranate Rita (or is this the Hibiscus Rita?) with a floating peice of sage.

20th Anniversary Margarita: 6th St Margarita swirled w/ Monin Wildberry Puree, Grand Marnier Liquor, raspberry sugar on the rim

Cazadores Spicy Cucumber Rita.

This last drink was really controversial. I liked it ok, but Leslie nearly spat it out across the table. Logan on the other side of Leslie looked at it a bit cross-eyed too, but Maggie on my left agreed that it was just fine. I think they were going for cucumber refreshing- but the spice really threw that plan off.

So my thoughts? ZTejas is kind of like an exboyfriend you just dated too long. It's comfortable, it's good, you do want to visit every once in a while, but it's hard to get excited about it and some of the same old problems are still there.

My biggest pet peeve about ZTejas has nothing to do with the food. It is the clustermess that happens when you try to check in with the hostess. It always feels like I'm walking into a super packed party no matter how many people are actually dining at the moment. This is particularly bad because hungry people can be really aggressive! Getting my name on the list feels like hard work. A little reorganizing at the entrance would do a lot of good.

By the way, Z Tejas is throwing a 20th anniversary party on September 13th. There's going to be live music (Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel), food, drinks and a silent auction benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Apparently Lance brainstormed the idea for his charity over margaritas at the 6th street location. Tickets are $65 and you can get them at Z Tejas' downtown location or by calling 866.598.3527

Laura

Pizzaria Corvina

2009-08-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

3107 S IH 35 Suite 840
Round Rock, TX 78664
(512) 310 - 2625
http://www.pizzeriacorvina.com/

One of the great things about being a single dad is that, from time to time, I get pretty tired and the last thing I want to do is cook, and I find myself with a good number of reasons to go out for dinner. Just yesterday, I had such a day. I had started a new contract with Hewlett Packard, and at the end of my second day on the job, I found myself emerging from an 8 hour meeting. Oh, the humanity!!! 8 hours! It wasn't hard to see that I wasn't cooking after I got Austin and went home, and I started to think of where to go for dinner after getting Austin. I didn't want to drive very far, and Round Rock is pretty slim pickings for decent places to eat. Fortunately, I remembered my friend Evelyn telling me about Pizzaria Corvina, and we were off! After all, it isn't terribly hard to convince a 6 year old to have pizza for dinner.

After Googling the address and arriving at Pizzaria Corvina, my heart sunk a little for the business. It seemed like it had violated all three rules of "location, location, location". It's tucked up in the Round Rock Crossing shopping center right near the Williamson-Travis County line. Now, the shopping center has a Target and a Best Buy in it and gets a good amount of traffic. However, the pizzaria is in a building right in a dead man's zone between those two stores. I also know of two places in that particular location that had already gone out of business.

Austin and I got inside to find a small and cozy pizzaria. Even though the place was pretty much packed, we had no problems finding a table and were seated immediately. I immediately noticed one of the effects of violating the rule of location. The place has a wicked western exposure, and getting there at about 7 PM on a summer evening put the sun square in my eyes as I sat at the table. That was easy enough to handle thanks to the very thick and heavy blinds, but the late afternoon sun was affecting the temperature in the restaurant, too. It wasn't hot and balmy, but I wouldn't have guessed that it was 72 degrees, either.

The decor looked pretty nice, though. It was a very clean design with a modern feel to it. The ceilings were nice and high---perfect for the guys behind the counter hand tossing pizza dough a good 10 feet into the air.

While we were waiting for drinks and I perused the menu, Austin gave me the night's topic of conversation. He said to me out of the blue, "Daddy, I wish kids could take over the world." With that, I got to hear Austin's vision of childhood domination. Wow. That would make for an interesting world. Apparently, all of the kids could get any toy they wanted and there would be no bed time. He wouldn't ever have to eat liver. The kids wouldn't drive anywhere either, since they weren't allowed to. He doesn't know what would happen to his teachers since he couldn't remember, and other grown ups would just sit around.

Austin wasn't feeling it for appetizers. So, I just ordered something for myself...which worked out just fine for me. The menu for appetizers and tapas just looked amazing and creative. I ordered the Hot Cherry Pepper Shooters so that I could take advantage of Austin passing on the first course and I could have something particularly spicy. By the way, this also gave him more time to tell me about how he wouldn't be president if kids conquered the world---he would just be something scary on Halloween. Back to the appetizer. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. Whenever I hear the word "shooter", I expect something liquidy and soupy...probably served in a shot glass. Not in this case. I was served small portions of mozzeralla cheese wrapped in prosciutto. Then, the whole thing was stuffed into a cherry pepper and fired in the oven. It was very tasty, and I liked it alot. However, it wasn't quite what I expected when I saw it on the menu.

It wasn't too long into hearing about childhood visions of global rule before the pizzas showed up. The pizza was everything that the menu described the coal firing of the pizza to be. There was a nice, light char to it. The dough was very light inside the crust while the outside maintained a very delicate crispness. It immediately got me to thinking of how I could get an 800 degree oven at my house so that I could make stuff like that. The combination of topping the pizzeria offered impressed me, too. My pizza, for instance, was covered in prosciutto, arugula, and truffle oil. It was totally awesome. Then, I looked over at Austin tackling his pizza covered in pepperoni and pineapple. He was totally tearing through it. The restaurant gets the kid vote.

Let me digress...just a little. For those of you who have read my previous reviews, you'll notice that I've mentioned a kids menu quite a few times. It's almost like a chip on my shoulder. Now, the restaurant did not have a kids menu....and I'm not going to ding them for it. For, as much as I think that there's no excuse for a pizza restaurant to not have a menu for ankle biters, Pizzeria Corvina has at least addressed the issue. The pasta and other dishes on the menu are available in smaller, child sized portions for a discount. Unfortunately, that did not extend to the pizza menu, though.

On to dessert. Mariah will love that they serve S'Mores fired in their coal burning ovens. I can't say that the coal firing really did anything for the flavor of the S'Mores or for the texture, but is a S'More ever bad? Austin and I tore our way through a plate of them. We also had an order of the Bananamisu. It was a great dessert, billed on the menu as banana pudding meets tiramisu. In my heart, I felt that something else could have been done to the dessert, but I couldn't figure out what. So, I brushed that thought aside and completely enjoyed the bananamisu for all that it was: flavorful!!

Overall, I'd have to say that the service was pretty good. Our waitress seemed a little uncomfortable in her duties, but I'll just chalk that up to inexperience in a new restaurant. I'm sure that she'll gain a comfort level as the place matures. On the way out, I got a chance to speak with the one of the owners of Pizzeria Corvina. She was a very charming lady and quite conversational. I learned from her that she and her husband also own 219 West downtown, too.

Bottom line: Despite a few minor challenges in location, a much needed combination of class and cuisine in Round Rock.

Lee - 9
Austin - "140,000 more than yours, Daddy"

The Screaming Goat

2009-08-11T08:38:00.001-07:00

900 W 10th Street
Austin, TX 78703
http://www.thescreaminggoat.com/
(512) 477 GOAT

The first time I went to Screaming Goat I was tasked with picking up breakfast for 15 at my office. I was running late so I tried to call in and order. The phone line was busy for about half an hour. I rushed my procrastinating ass over to their 10th and Lamar location (formerly known as Chuco's) and in a panicked tone asked for 15 breakfast tacos. I apologized to the man behind the counter for such a ridiculous rush order and explained that I had tried to call. He told me he was on the phone right then and there with the phone company trying to get them to fix his messed up second line and hence he was tying up the first one. I eventually got my tacos and made it to work only about 10 minutes late for my meeting and with a $5 gift certificate the man at Screaming Goat had given me as an apology for the whole phone line shenanigans.

My coworkers LOVED the tacos. "Screaming Goat? What kind of a name for a taco stand is that? And, oh, it's so far from Round Rock. Nope, sorry, I'll never make it down there, but keep bringing in the tacos!"

Have I mentioned that since getting laid off I don't miss having to drive to Round Rock for work everyday?

Some of my favorite things about Screaming Goat is that there are $2 beer specials (on Mondays $1.50 Tecates) every day of the week. Food specials start everyday at 4 pm. On Sundays and Thursdays it's 75 cent flautas.

Plate of Flauta's

Having a trivia night and a vegetarian menu gets extra points in my book. Also, when the weather isn't 105 degrees (does anybody remember what that was like???) you can sit pleasantly at their picnic tables outside.

Picnic tables in the back

My favorite item is the migas taco. They offer six different varieties of salsa to accompany your meal ranging from mild to hot. I usually go for verde which definitely has a kick to it. Boyfriend and I usually pick up a few late on Sunday mornings before settling down to watch political tv shows in my living room.

Migas tacos and Gwen Ifill at the same time? Awesome.

-Laura

Cuatro's

2009-07-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

1004 24th St

Austin, Texas 78705

512.243.6361

http://www.cuatrosaustin.com/

A month or so ago, Cuatro's hosted a happy hour for us blogger folks. It was great to see everybody again and of course free food and booze is always appreciated. Especially the deceptively strong watermelon frescas being served. Ah, what a nice treat on a brutally hot day.

Deceptively Strong Watermelon Fresca

I had never been to Cuatro's before. I can't say that being near campus necessarily scared me off, but I didn't really see it as an incentive to try the place. I left UT many years ago with very fond memories that I hope to Flying Spaghetti Monster that I never ever get to relive. I just don't have that kind of energy anymore.

Cuatro's is on San Gabriel and 24th Street. There is a huge outdoor screen (great for watching sports) and the patio is dog friendly.

Sports-Watching Mechanism

Lila, Maggie's Incredibly Adorable Dog

Cuatro, the bar/restaurant owner and namesake provided these trays of bar food snacks for us all to enjoy. Myself, I'm a sucker for fried pickles. These were really salty and more fried than pickle, but I did enjoy them. I've officially replaced Hole in the Wall with Cuatro's as my official go-to for near campus fried pickle eating and beer drinking.

Mmmmm..... Food.

The fish tacos also got rave reviews.

Whitefish Tacos

The queso looked about average but got a good overall response from the crowd. I checked out the menu, and although the platters did not have many vegetarian choices on them, the menu had it pretty well covered with portabella, veggie and Boca Burger tacos as well as quesadillas, veggie burgers and the other typical bar food items you would expect.

The Crowd: Eat This Lens, Austin Farm to Table, James Eats

I got to chat up with Cuatro for a while. He was a really nice guy. I asked him what he would want you to know about his restaurant and his answer was that he wants you to know that even though the location is near campus, it is not, I repeat NOT primarily a fraternity/sorority/student hangout. It's a great central location and he wants you to come out and just enjoy the food, drinks and atmosphere. Ironically, he told this to me as the they were setting up for a major sorority function in the room next to us.

Sorority Girls Next Door: For some that's a detractor, for other's a positive attribute

I was having a great time, so I stayed and split a pitcher of beer with friends I hadn't yet met. Yep, it's that kind of place. Or maybe just that kind of evening. Either way, I snapped this cool snapshot from my patio seat.

View of building from Cuatro's patio

Bottom Line: Decent bar food and beer near campus.

Laura~7.5

Frank

2009-07-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

407 Colorado St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 494-6916

http://www.hotdogscoldbeer.com/

Hello, my foodie brethren. It's been a while since I've had time to join Mariah and Laura in their culinary endeavors and help keep everyone informed of the great food and great times to be had around our wonderful city. Please forgive me, but there have been many hours of work laden lately, my new role as a super dad for the PTA at Austin's elementary school, and of course let's not forget the new girlfriend that I've been pretty jazzed about being able to spend time with lately. I have felt amiss in letting so much time pass without sharing something with the Dining In Austin community. Fortunately, I was shocked into an awakening today at lunch, and I had to post something when I got struck by a muse of food and blogging. OK, I'm not sure there really is such a muse, but let's just pretend...

Anyhow, I first need to say that I can't tell my tale today without mentioning the new girlfriend, Michelle, who is simply amazing, charming, intelligent, and gorgeous. But, besides that, she's also an event coordinator by trade. Yeah. I know. What better person could a foodie be dating, huh? Some of the side benefits started to emerge earlier this week. Michelle let me know that Sullivans was trying to woo her into sending some business their way and wanted to treat her and someone to a free lunch so that they could show off a little bit. Well, I was all over the idea for being "and someone" and readily cleared my calendar for the outing. Well, unfortunately, after some missed calls and scheduling conflicts, we had to reschedule the free chance for a restaurant to impress us to another day. Fortunately, right down the street from Sullivans was someplace that I've been wanting to check out.

I've heard about Frank through the grapvine and have been checking out the menu on line in eager anticipation. I feel the need right now to admit that I am midly addicted to several reality TV shows, with most of my excitement being around food related shows like Hell's Kitchens, Kithen Nightmares, and The Next Food Network star to name a few. I think the challenges on those shows that I like the most are when the contestants are told to take a common everyday and put a new gourmet twist on it. I think it hits home with me since I'm always trying to reinvent any dish I make at home. Nevertheless, when I saw the menu at Frank, I was excited because of a chance to see the classic American hot dog reinvented. It didn't take much to convince Michelle and we were off for the alternate lunch plans.

Frank is on Colorado, near 4th Street downtown in the old Starlight. Walking in, I was pleased already. The environment and the decor seemed pretty minimalistic and just cried "Austin" to me. The restaurant, as of today, hasn't been open for even three weeks yet, but it was pretty much packed. In fact, even on the very late end of the lunch hour (pushing up against 1:00), we were seated at the very last open table in the place.

I liked the menu. It was quite simple and to the point. There was no doubt what Frank's niche was. I drooled seeing some of the options on the menu. Save for a few options, it appears as if Frank's strategy for reinventing the hot dog stemmed from replacing the components of your traditional sausage on a bun with higher end ingredients as well as offering little twists like coating any hot dog on the menu with a cornbread coating before putting it on a bun. There was one option on the menu, though, that caught our eyes and we immediately had to try. The Jacklelope dog was described as an Antelope and Rabbit sausage with a Huckleberry Compote and spicy aioli. Yum! It tasted even better than it sounded. I hope, though, that no one makes the same mistake I did today and wears a white shirt there. Even though the french roll that housed the sausage was dense and crusty, it could little compete with the compote and I made quite the mess.

I also ordered a large order of waffle fries. Now, while I can't say that the fries were anything that was outstanding and overly memorable, I do like the option of sauces presented for dipping.

On the flip side of the menu was a veritable menagerie of cocktails that all sounded amazing. With an evil grin, we decided that we'd split the Manhattan...in the interest of research, of course. It wasn't just a drink. It was a flavor journey, and quite amazing at that. The Manhattan started off smooth and mellow, but finished strong with as the flavors of the bitters and cherry came through. But, it was the aftertaste that I found to be remarkable as the Bacon infused bourbon really make its presence known. Quite impressive.

I only really noticed one really distressing thing about Frank when I talked to the waitress for a bit. The restaurant does not have a kids menu and that shocked me. I mean...REALLY shocked me. It seemed just too easy for a place with hot dogs and fries on the menu to just whip one together, especially with a great potential customer base of kids and their parents with the children's museum just down the street. Anyhow, I'll digress this time on the rest of my kids menu soapbox. While I couldn't find kids menu, I did notice a couple of vegetarian options including a Portabello Cheesesteak, which I think I'll get on my next trip back. That sounds delicious.

I found the service to be outstanding and efficient, too. It wasn't long at all before we were walking back to Michelle's office building and enjoying the warm Texas weather as of late.

Lee - 8.75

Asti

2009-06-08T14:40:00.001-07:00

408 C East 43rd Street
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 451-1218

http://www.finoaustin.com/asti/

It had been a while since Mariah and I had met up for dinner. We were starting to miss our weekly excursions so we dusted off our recessionista skills and decided to use one of our restaurants.com coupons. If you aren't familiar with the site, they sell $25 coupons to area restaurants on the cheap - usually for $10. I had purchased several during a sale for $2 each. Stipulations are that you have to use the coupon within a year's timeframe, you tip your waiter at the pre-coupon cost, coupon does not count towards alcohol and sometimes they require a total bill of $50 or more. We thumbed through the coupons we collectively owned and decided on Asti in Hyde Park, the sister restaurant of Fino. I had been there once and had liked the atmosphere as well as the food. The menu is seasonal and it feels like a small neighborhood cafe.

The first sight upon entry to the restaurant is a nice sized bar area where drinks and apps are served. To the right and back are areas of tables for full dinner service. The hostess sat us awkwardly close to a couple that appeared to be on a first date. It felt a bit intrusive so Mariah and I gave each other "the look" and moved over to the next table.

We looked over the wine list and since we both felt like a glass or two, we decided on a bottle. This bottle of prosecco was decently priced and quite tasty - dry and very bubbly. Bread was brought out for us to munch on by a cute server who somehow we ended chatting up about post-apocalyptic societies.

For an appetizer, we went with stuffed mushrooms with fried breadcrumbs and truffle oil . They were delicious and presented well. They weren't a dish that someone with a decent knowledge of the kitchen couldn't pull off, but it was nice to have them.

Mariah ordered a pasta that she ended up really hating. I swear she only had two bites claiming it was too pepper-y.

I chose the tomato risotto with summer vegetables. The server recommended it over a pizza and I figure he knew best. It wasn't bad, just not what I was expecting. The tomato was overpowering. I felt like I was eating tomato soup and the vegetables were boring. I wouldn't order it again.

The server asked us how our food was and being the blunt bitches we are, we told him. A few minutes later a manager was coming by to discuss the food with us. We told him we knew the food did not match our personal preference but that did not necessarily make it bad. He was kind, saying he understood and that dessert was going to be on him.

I was starting to feel pretty awful for complaining. It wasn't an intentional complaint, the food definitely was not complaint worthy, but after you compare your plans for your post-apocalyptic society, you feel a certain bond with someone and sometimes end up blurting out that you didn't like the food. What? That's never happened to you?

We chose the vanilla panna cotta and fresh Texas peaches. It came with a cute little cookie. The panna cotta was very gelatinous. It wiggled on my spoon but tasted perfectly vanilla and went down smooth and delicious.

Despite disliking our main courses, I still think Asti is a good restaurant and would feel comfortable recommending it to others. Just don't get the tomato risotto.

Laura ~ 7.5

Pflugerville / Round Rock Vegetarian Roundup

2009-05-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

It finally happened. The recession hit home. And by that, I mean I was laid off from my job. But no fear, I feel fairly positive about the change. First of all, I was sick and tired of driving to Round Rock everyday. Secondly, it just gives me more time to do the things I want to do for a while like blog, hang out at Barton Springs, plan vacations, read and think about exactly what it is I want to be when I grow up. I mean really, when was the last time I could make it to a noon yoga class? I can see you've stopped feeling sorry for me now. ;)

As a farewell to my daily adventures in Round Rock, I've decided to do a roundup of all of the restaurants I frequented but never got around to writing about because I was too busy, you know, working.

Firebowl Cafe

http://www.firebowlcafe.com/

150 Sundance Pkwy # 300

Round Rock, TX 78681

(512) 248-2695

A chain restaurant with some healthy options. As a vegetarian I was a fan of the stir fry. You pick your protein (chicken, beef, tofu, shrimp or scallops) Then you choose a vegetable mix, a sauce, and your type of noodle (ramen lomein, flat chow fun, vermicelli or rice sticks) or rice (white brown or fried).

Kung Pao Tofu and Spring Veggie Mix on Brown Rice

All vegetarian items are clearly marked on the menu. The atmosphere is nice, teetering the line between hip and casual with bright red and blue interiors marked by track lighting.

Maggie of Maggie's Austin is also a fan and has posted about it here.

Pho Hoang
http://www.pho-hoang.com/
399 W Louis Henna Blvd Suite 450
Round Rock, Texas 78728
(512) 238-8008

This place wins the "Most Annoying Website" award. Regardless, it is really a Round Rock staple. Pho is served piping hot and fast. Pho Hoang is always packed between 11:30 and 1, so get there at the beginning or the tail end of the rush if you don't want to wait for a table. If you don't mind waiting, I promise it won't be long. There aren't many vegetarian options but there are a few. I would order either the vermicelli noodles with tofu and julianne vegetables or vegetable fried rice. The vermicelli nooodles threw me off the first time I ordered them because the julienne vegetable were seriously cold. Apparently that is intentional. Once I got over this the first time, I never saw it as a problem. My coworker Drew would always finish off a meal here with an ice coffee concoction that contained condensed milk. I tried it once and it was super fierce. The buzz I got from the caffeine was punctuated by the sugar rush.

Rosie's Pho Asian Noodle
2400 S IH 35
Round Rock, TX
(512) 828-3838

It took me a while to discover Rosie's Pho. Mostly because I already had a pho shop that served pho I couldn't eat (meat stock used) and I figured this place would be the same. A coworker convinced me to give it a try and found it actually to be completely awesome. I was impressed by the extensive menu with many vegetarian choices and the quality of vegetables. The portions are large, so watch out, but at $7-$10 a meal, it really is a steal. The delivery of the food can be a little slow, but it is worth it.

Taste of Ethiopia Restaurant and Cafe
http://www.tasteofethiopiaaustin.com/
1466 Grand Avenue Pky
Pflugerville, Texas
(512) 251-4053

I found this place one day after a quick trip to AutoZone. I figured that I could snake my way back to I35 using a side road and on the way this place caught my eye. I forced my coworkers Joel and Brandi to accompany me there one afternoon and I was not sorry. Not only was the food delicious, but it was fun to watch Ethiopian food virgins struggle with the concept of Injera and eating with their hands. There is a lunchtime vegetarian buffet but patrons are also welcome to order from the menu. The owner, Woinee is from Ethiopia via Washington DC and she really knows her food. Just be careful if you are in a hurry at lunchtime, this meal could take a while. Woinee likes to chat with her customers and has some pretty interesting stories to tell. Also, do not turn down the gratis coffee at the end of the meal. It is absolutely amazing and strong. Boots in the Oven posted about Taste of Ethiopia here.

Grapevine Market
/www.grapevinemarket.com
2400 South IH-35
Suite 160
Round Rock, TX 78681

Have a need to pick up some wine / liquor / gourmet specialty items? Grapevine Market has a really nice cafe in the back that is open for lunch. The last time I was there I had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich with grapes for $4. They do mostly pizza, sandwiches and salads there and have a pretty good vegetarian selection. There's a patio outside that's nice for good weather, but you mainly just have a view of the parking lot. The hardest thing about this place is convincing coworkers that it is OK to go to a liquor store during their lunchbreak.

Gumbo's
http://www.gumbosroundrock.com
901 Round Rock Ave
Round Rock, TX
(512) 671-7925

mmmmm... Gumbo's. When someone else was paying the choice of restaurant defaulted either to North at the Domain or Gumbo's on 620, depending on time constraints. I can't say that there were a lot of vegetarian options at Gumbo's but they will gladly make you a very nice vegetable pasta and the salads are pretty rockstar.

Zorba Greek Restaurant
2601 S IH 35
Round Rock, TX
(512) 716-0100

There is one thing I find really confusing about this place. Is it a chain? Or is Zorba's just an extremely common name for Greek Restaurants? I snapped this picture while I was in Amsterdam, and I swear it has the same color sceme and graphics of the one in Round Rock.

Anyway, for about $8 you can get a vegetarian plate. You pick a soup or salad and then four sides. I usually ended up with lentil soup, hummus, spanokopita, eggplant and falafel patty. It turns out to be a whole lot of food. If you aren't that hungry, you can have a falafel with pita, lettuce, etc for $5 or $6. It is also nice to note that the place is BYOB. Cork fee is $3 for the first bottle and $1 for each bottle after that.

That's all I have for now. Of course there are those establishments that have already been written about here. Did I miss your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Perla's

2009-05-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

1400 S. Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78704
512 291 7300

http://www.perlasaustin.com/

(All delectible photos are courtesy of Maggie's Austin. Thanks Maggie and Josh!)

Boy life has been amazingly busy lately! It seems like I’ve been running at full steam for a month now! Bachelor #7 and I didn’t work out, so I’m back on the dating bandwagon again. I’ve even been on two dates this week, but more on those in future posts. I spent a weekend in Seattle, I went to an awesome Bloggers Potluck, I managed to see Star Trek at the IMAX not once, but twice (and I’m totally in love with 4 of the characters). I went to a Derby Party and a BBQ where Lee smoked about 30 pounds of meat (both on the same day no less). And in the midst of all that, I’ve had to arrange the move to my new shiny downtown apartment AND fight my evil health insurance company who thinks the ability to climb 1 flight of stairs on my bum knee is recovered enough deny me any more physical therapy.
I feel a little stretched thin to say the least. It’s hard to believe It’s been almost a month since I last posted! But to be honest, I haven’t been venturing into many new restaurants lately. It seems the bad economic hurricane has finally hit Central Texas, and its effects have been particularly harsh on early 30-somethings. Apparently we’re getting to the age where we’re no longer college-new-hire-cheap but we don’t have enough experience and are thus the first to get cut when the economy takes a dip. Of all my friends in Austin, probably a good 75% are either currently out of work or have been out of work. And while I haven’t been hit by Hurricane Geitner, I have been feeling the effects of its refugees in the form of fewer dinners out with friends.

However, I have managed to get to a few new restaurants (entirely for your benefit of course), by using stealth, guile, and downright trickery. Take Mother’s Day, for instance. Sure, my family could have been thrifty and settle for a perfectly nice meal at home. We could have grilled some salmon, had some fresh fruit and salad, and called it a day. But I, fellow foodies, was looking out for your best interests. I thought why settle for brunch at home, when I could try (and review) a new restaurant! So I sneakily made reservations at Perla’s, a new seafood restaurant on South Congress (where Mars used to be). Who would say no to my Mom’s favorite type of food, seafood? No one!

Now, the first thing we noticed was that parking was a little tricky. My Father and Aunt, who always manage to get rock star parking, found spots in front of the restaurant on the street. I, however, knew about the free parking garage behind Cissi’s, and opted to park there (yes you read that right, there is free parking on SoCo). My brother, however, has neither luck nor SoCo know-how and ended up parking down the street. Use the parking garage, it’s there for a reason.

The second thing you’ll notice about Perla’s is their amazing patio. If you dig back in your memory, you may recall that Mars had a very nice people watching patio, and Perla’s has managed to take that trendy see-and-be-seen patio and transform it into something comfortable and a lot less snooty. The zen and BDSM inspired décor of Mars has been replaced with the softer, gentler feel of a mid-Atlantic boardwalk. The tables are reminiscent of smooth 1950’s wooden speedboat hulls, the sunny yellow chairs and blue and white striped umbrellas remind you of flags on a schooner, and the white painted sisal stools are oh so Atlantic. There’s even a white sanded shuffleboard you can try your hand at. The inside of Perla’s is equally mid-Atlantic and 1000% transformed from Mars’s old décor. Instead of metal and black lacquer, there is distressed wood, sunny yellow paint, and an enormous (and pristinely kept) fish tank.

We seated ourselves in the corner table right next to the patio and surveyed the gigantic menus. Seriously, the menus took up the whole table, and then some. But we managed to balance the menus without a major incident. Everything on the brunch menu sounded really amazing too. Note to oyster lovers – there finally an Austin restaurant offering more than one kind of oyster! There were also smoked fish dishes, egg and fish dishes, fish sandwiches, and an assortment of sides that sounded almost as good as the main dishes. I decided on the Lobster Coddled Eggs. My mom went with the Lobster Rolls and several other folks ordered the Big Blue (a blueberry and banana pancake). My dad, being ever sensible ordered several sides to eat as a meal.

I love, love, love oysters, and even though its not technically oyster season anymore (May is not a "R" month), I thought, what the hell, if they’re offering, I’ll try them. I honestly forget which oysters I picked, but they were tasty. Not as awesome as the oysters I’ve had in Seattle and Vancouver, but better than the gulf oysters we normally get here. There were even accompanied with Mignonette sauce, something you rarely see in Texas. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to really love a good, musky vinegar and shallot mignonette sauce with my oysters, but it used to be a treat I’d only get in coastal states. Not anymore. I’ll definitely be going back to Perla’s for an oyster and mignonette dinner in the future.

My father ordered several hush puppies and fried okra as an appetizer and both were very good. The hush puppies had a nice bite to them and were deep fried to a nice golden-brown crispness. I liked them so much a snuck a second one when no one was looking. The okra was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole meal. They were coated in a crisp cornmeal batter and had a very satisfying crunch before the okra goo covers your tongue (okra goo is called mucilage just fyi).

My mom opened her Mother’s Day gifts while sipping a nice (but pricey) mimosa. We all laughed at the silly cards people had given her (while I stole yet another hush puppy, shhh). When the plates arrived, we were greeted with a lovely, light seafood smell. My Lobster coddled eggs were amazing. Layers of baked egg, generous chunks of lobster and the delicate flavor of tarragon all mingled together perfectly. When placed on a crisp home baked cracker, the entire dish was perfection. My mother’s Lobster roll was another story. The generous bread roll was soft on the inside and crispy on the inside and absolutely brimming with large chunks of lobster. But a bite of the mayonnaise covered lobster was rather bland and uninteresting. My mother really loved it though, so I guess if you’re looking for something bland, creamy and fresh, this is the sandwich for you.

I was a little concerned about the pancakes when they came out. They looked kind of gross and dumpy - a huge blueish brown lumpy mess. But one slice into the steamy pancake revealed large chunks of banana and blueberry and an amazingly fresh, naturally flavor. The most disappointing (side) dish were the lobster stock cheese grits my father ordered. I was expecting something amazing and lobster infused, but got run of the mill cheese grits akin to something you’d get at a back-water Texas diner. There wasn’t even a hint of lobster stock.

The dessert, however, was an existential experience. The Wild Blueberry shortcake was nothing less than spectacular. Crisp, butter shortcake and tiny fresh blueberries in a sweet syrup with crème fraiche and sugared thyme. Everything blended perfectly and left for a plate-licking experience that I will definitely be repeating again.

On the whole, the dishes they got right, they got REALLY right, and the dishes they got wrong turned out being so-so. But nothing was outright aweful and the atmosphere is lovely.

Bottom Line: Fresh and Tasty Coastal Favorites with a great patio
Mariah: 8.5

Old Pecan Street Cafe

2009-05-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

310 East 6th Street

Austin, TX 78701

(512) 478-2491
http://www.oldpecanstcafe.com/

Since this weekend is the Pecan Street Festival, it only seems fitting to talk about my last dining experience at the Old Pecan Street Cafe. Despite having lived in Austin for 10 years (give or take a short break here and there) I only recently ventured to this restaurant for the first time.

It was a Saturday morning and the evening before I bicycled down to meet some friends at Lavaca Street Pub. At the end of the evening, I was not in the right mental state to ride my bike home through downtown, so I had a friend drop me off at home. This meant that I had to return the next day to retrieve the bicycle.

Boyfriend was in town and we were a bit hungry. I did some quick research for good Saturday brunches at restaurants that we had yet to try and came up with Capitol Brasserie. This was odd as I certainly did not remember this place existing, but I shrugged my shoulders and we ventured there anyway.

The good news: my bike was still there, thanks bike lock! The bad news: Capitol Brasserie was not. Despite all it's online accolades, the place had shut down and been replaced by Imperia. I scrambled into the depths of my mind to remember other places in the area for brunch. To my understanding Sagra and Moonshine were only open for brunch on Sundays. I wasn't in the mood for Taverna and their bottomless mimosas. Driskill - not feeling it. What about the rest of dirty Sixth? Does Parkside do brunch? Then I thought - ah yes, we've never been to Old Pecan Street Cafe.

Walking up to the restaurant we spotted pleasant looking entrees gracing the outdoor tables lined up at the sidewalk. This was a good start.

We entered into the place with lots of natural light and an old timey wooden feel. Antique framed maps and vintage photographs cover the walls and the tables are set with small simple flowers. The restaurant romantically takes you back to a time when Sixth Street was nothing like it is today. No vomiting college students or bride-to-be's in condom veils, just a shady lane with lots of pecan trees and a few restaurants and businesses.

Unfortunately, we would find that the dishes hadn't been updated much since then either.

Boyfriend ordered a raspberry chipotle pork chop that was served with a salad, rice and mixed vegetables. He said the food was alright but that the raspberry sauce was just a bit too sweet for him and the vegetables were overcooked. It looks OK.

I ordered the Crepes d' Epinard- egg crepes filled with fresh baby leaf spinach and blended imported cheese, served with a garden salad, broccoli and cantaloupe. Sounds delicious, right? Well... I'll just make you a diagram.

I appreciate American food and it wasn't terrible per se, but it really could use some sprucing up. A menu revamp or new chef would not at all endanger the charm old-timey feel that the restaurant delivers.

Bottom Line: A really cool and charming well preserved physical space that serves food like your grandmother used to cook if she cooked average quality food in the just barely post-depression era.

Ugh, I feel like I've just punched someone's grandma by saying that.

Laura ~ 5.5

Health Department Failures

2009-04-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

So, fellow foodies, I recently saw an article on a local news site about restaurants that fail health department inspection. I thought to myself, 'Mariah, you recommend restaurants all the time, but you hardly ever tell people which ones to avoid.' And while some people may disagree, I generally steer clear of places that fail Health Department inspection.

So whats a good Health Department score? Anything over 70 is considered passing. The Austin Health Inspector's website says:

"If more than 30 points are lost, a re-inspection is required and corrections must be made to bring the score above 70, in accordance with the Texas Food Establishment Rules. If subsequent inspections score below 70, compliance actions will be taken. Re-inspection scores are not posted here, but can be obtained by calling: 972-5600, or by emailing: echu.service@ci.austin.tx.us."

Below are a list of the food providers (restaurants, gas stations, vendors, etc) that received initial Health Inspection scores less than 70 points.

There were several establishments that I frequent on occasion and a few big surprises for me. I generally will recommend Madam Maam's (69), Elsie's (68), Sarovar (68), Jeffrey's (68), Taverna (67), Lambert's (67) and Katz's (64). While none are on my Must-Eat-Favorite's list, I've generally had good experiences at all. And while I don't recommend them, because I work in SW Austin, I will eat lunch at Thai Spice (65) and (cough) Taco Bueno (64). I was extremely surprised that such fine establishments as Jeffrey's or Lambert's could even be on this list. But alas, even the mighty must be flawed. Probably the funniest surprise on the list was Mr. Natural, which came in waaaay down at the bottom. Maybe it was a little *too* natural for the Health Inspector.

Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival

2009-04-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Wow. I had the most amazing afternoon, Sunday, at the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival (I know, its a serious mouthful). We blogged about the Media event they threw at the Hotel Saint Cecilia so now we're going to discuss a little event called the Sunday Fair. I have to admit, I'm a bad foodie. I've never been to the fair before, in fact, I'd never even heard of it before last month. But in all fairness, I've only been back living in Austin for a year and half.

But, after hearing all the hype from the other food bloggers, I was very very excited to go to this years Sunday fair - 55 wineries, 14 local food vendors, 7 restaurants, 4 farms, 3 distilleries, 2 Chocolatiers, and a partridge in a pair tree. What's there not to like?

I braved the traffic down to the Salt Lick winery with my friend Christine. It was horrific! One side of the road was the Old Settlers Music Festival, the other side of the road was the Texas Hill Country.. (yada yada).. Festival. Who in their right mind schedules two large events across the street from each other?? But we got there in one piece and were amazed at how huge the event was. There were 4 extremely large tents filled with fine food and wine vendors, and lots and lots of mud. Not a stick-to-your-shoes-make-you-dirty kind of mud, but mud none the less. Note the boards you had to walk across to get from tent to tent:

But we dealt with the mud as best we could, and in the end, it didn't effect our day one bit. When we first started walking through all the tents, it was a little overwhelming. Where do we begin?? With the food. Duh (does anyone even say that anymore?). I mean, we are food critics.

We headed to the Whole Foods table where they were dishing out brased duck mole on crackers (covered in the same tasty pickled onions as the Hotel Saint Cecilia party). Yum! Then we went over to the Cafe Jose booth (across the mud no less) for their SPICY jerk pork and rice. It was good, but way too peppy for even my tastes. We then headed to Maudie's in the next booth. Now when I think of Maudie's, I think of average tacos and migas. Their cochinita pibil mini-tacos were actually pretty innovative for Maudie's, but not the best cochinita pibil I've ever tasted. But, they looked pretty on their tray. Two please!

Now that we had some food in our stomaches, we started onto the MULTITUDES of wine. Holy crap! I have never, in my life, seen so many wineries under one roof. 55 to be exact. Where do you start? Confucious says "You must start every journey with a single step." Mariah says "You must start every festival with a single glass of wine." So we sauntered up to the first table and asked for a glass.

One by one, we worked our way through all the wineries. At first we started out going table to table commenting on the ones we liked and didn't like. Well after about 20 wineries, all the wine started blending together. So we snagged a pad of paper from the Da Vinci winery and started taking notes and pictures of the wines we liked (after going back and retrying the first 20).

Now, just so y'all know. I totally took one for the "Dining in Austin" team. There were 55 wineries, and each winery had, on average, 4 wines. And between Christine and I, we tried them ALL for you, just so you wouldn't have to. Well ok, we didn't try them all, but we tried at least one wine at each winery. And if we liked that one enough, we tried the rest of them. After about 30 sips, I started to get pretty drunk. So drunk that I started doing something I've never done before at a wine tasting, I started spitting. Seriously. And a small THCFaWF miracle occured.. by the time we left, I was sober. I know, hell just froze over.

So out of the 500 or so wines that were at the Festival, of which I tried about 100-200, these were by winners. And because I'm not a wine reviewer, and don't even consider myself a wine expert, I've given them all nicknames so you can better understand the feel I got when I had each wine

Da Vinci - Reserva Chiant - $27.72 (Specs) - Balanced tannins, spicy fruits, a plum finish. That hot doctor you meet with an Italian accent that seems great, but you're not really sure if he's Italian or a doctor and he might be after your savings.

Paso Creek - Cabernet Sauvignon - $15.27 (Spec) - Robust and intense, black cherry flavors with a nice floral bouquet. A brawny football player who cries when he watches Steel Magnolia's.
Paso Creek - Zinfandel - $16.99 (Google) - Big, bold, but fruity. This was Christine's favorite and she went back for a full glass as her last of the day. That big Bear at Kiss & Fly.

Mount Veeder - Cabernet Sauvignon - $35 (Google) - Peppery with a currant flavor, very consistent and balanced. The dot com millionaire who wears a leather jacket and rides a motorcycle.
Pine Ridge - Chenin Blanc/Viognier - $10.52 (Specs) - Pear and citrus, with a touch of grass; sweet. The stable engineer who bought a house at 23 and loves to stay home and work on his yard (sometimes boring, sometimes perfect depending on where you are in your life).

Sofia - Blanc de blanc - $17.18 (Specs) - Fun, peppy, fruity, not yeasty. I didn't particularly like this one, but Christine went nuts for it. That surfer you had a fling with in Cabo. (P.S. they sell this in little cans with straws too, just FYI for tubing season)

Amayna - Pinot Noir - $23.98 (Google) - Mineral aroma, spicy, fruity, musky vanilla overtone. That hot South American architect you met at Pecha Kucha who has a trust fund and family in Spain.

Avinyo - Vi d' Agulla - $12.99 (Specs) - White with a clean, mineral aroma and a floral honeysuckle finish, bleachy overtone (not a bad thing). That guy who still starches his sheets and has a spotless bathroom.
Avinyo - Cava - $13.86 (Specs) - Dry, toasty, grapefruit, balanced, very effervescent. This is a spectacular find for this price. The really extroverted, funny, perfect, smart guy who's too good to be true.

Frank Family - Cabernet Sauvignon - $37.25 (Specs) - Ripe fruits, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, you name it, its there. Balanced tannins. That guy you went on a picnic with in college who fed you fresh fruit and rubbed your feet.

Sandstone Cellars - V - $?? (can't find it) - Really different, dark cherry with a strong smokey tobacco finish. The guy who hangs out at mens clubs, smoking cigars and making dirty jokes.

Cambria Estates - Tepusquet Syrah - $18.99 (Google) - Cherry, blueberry, bold tannins, cinnamon. That quarter back from Friday Night Lights (the movie), an all American football player with a dry sense of humor (wholesome but complex).
Cambria Estates - Bench Break Pinot Noir - $23.99 (Google) - Dark, dry, earthy. That tall, poet who wears tight black sweaters and may or may not cut himself when you're not looking.

Long Boat - Sauvignon Blanc - $?? (NOOO I can't find it) - Tropical passion fruit, green apple, grassy finish, clean. This was my favorite white of the festival. I heart this wine. The sweet, outdoorsy guy who loves kayak in Hawaii (and might be climbing K2 next year).

Louis Martini - Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - $21.44 (Specs) - Cherries, tobacco, balanced, herbaceous overtones. That hot marketing exec from California in a convertible.

Louis Martini - Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon - $11.66 (Specs) - Cherry, blackberry, vanilla. The boy toy marketing intern borrowing the execs convertible.

Helix Pomatia - $21.59 (Google) - Hearty cherry, very sweet, chocolately, but drinkable. The guy who brought you so many presents, it was a little too smothering, but you kind of liked it (until he started stalking you)

Carmel Road - Pinot Noir - $18.47 - Blackberries, strawberries, floral aroma, oak finish. A nice Agricultural Engineer (who's really a farm boy from Oklahoma).

Clayhouse - Cabernet Sauvignon - $14.99 (Google) - Fruity, mellony, soft tannins, with a caramel finish. The community theater actor who dreams of bigger things

Clayhouse - Petite Sirah $20.47 (Specs) - Full, tropical, anise, slightly burnt overtones - The Indiana Jones explorer with a hot scar on his chin.

Vina Calina - Carmenere Reserva - $8.99 (Google) - Spicy, peppery, black fruits, a little leathery. A Mariah best buy. That hot sweaty guy who fixes your car and wears a white wife beater (did we mention the muscles??)

In between all that wine, we made sure to try all the food. I mean, we had to have something in our stomachs to soak up all the wine. The bread at the Edible Austin table tasted gross, but looked really nice.

And the Mesquite Bean jelly by Texas Traditions was amazing!! It was like jellied honey. I am so getting some of this for my next party (put put on top of my next baked brie of course).

And Fino showed up here with a refreshing, but kind of boring gazpacho.

Oh, and did you know that Austin has a rum distillery? Its really really good. Its kind of woodsy, and is very tasty in a mojito. We have the awesomeness that is Titos Vodka, now we have Treaty Oak rum. Yum!

Oo, and my favorite purveyors of crack, I mean Texas chevre, Pure Luck, were there too. I hadn't had their feta before, but it was really nice. As was the soft, creamy mild blue cheese (I know, mild and blue cheese don't go together very often, but they've managed it).

Oh! And Wiseman House Chocolates had a booth. Their mocha chocolates and almond bark were good, but I managed to talk the guy into a dark chocolate truffle that was orgasmic. Order them NOW!
Lavender Farms of Wimberly had a lovely lavender lemonade that was quite refreshing in the heat. Who knew lavender and lemonade go so well together?

And did you know there is an olive farm in Wimberly? I know I didn't. Texas Olive Oil makes a mild, grassy, and very Texas tasting cold pressed olive oil, lime flavored olive oil, and a orange olive oil. All are excellent. They don't sell in any local stores (boo). You can only get them online or at the farm. But hey, it gives you an excuse to go on an olive tour!

TheShayne Sauce people came with their multitudes of pots of jams, jellies, and sauces. The best was the strawberry jalapeno. Yum!The absolute best food at the whole fair were the Cakes by Bridges cake balls. I thought the Holy Cacao cake balls were a tasty treat. Boy was I wrong. These are 40 times better. Fresh ingredients, firmer cake, delicious taste. The lemon and italian creme were my favorites.

And as we sat in the music pavilion, sobering up, we enjoyed our last glass of wine and the fine, fine musical stylings of Dan Dyer. AND we were very, very thankful we didn't end up like this poor guy:
See ya there next year!

Zocalo

2009-04-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

1110 West Lynn
512-472-TACO
http://www.zocalocafe.com/

Mariah: So Laura and I have been gallivanting around local media events. Apparently there are PR people out there who treat bloggers like serious journalists. Little do they know, we're just weekend hobbyist. But who am I to turn down a free open bar and all the appetizers I can manage to stuff down my throat? This latest free shindig was sponsored by the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival. Apparently there is a whole festival in Austin every year dedicated to food and wine. If it weren't for the HEFTY entrance fee ($45 for the Sunday Fair alone), I'd have let y'all know about it long ago. But seriously? Who can afford to blow $45 in this economy? Not many people.

Laura: Yeah, we pretty much feel like we've hit the jackpot here. Free food and cool people just for doing what we love? What a great deal. I have to disagree with Mariah there on the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival entrance fee. Sure it's not cheap, but this particular orgy of food and drink in question happens once a year, features great chefs and wine and Sunday is a 5 hour event. $45 every weekend adds up, but on an occasion like this for a true foodie, one might be inclined to dig a bit between the couch cushions.

Mariah: Anyway, they hosted a special "Media" reception at the Hotel Saint Cecilia, that trendy new boutique hotel off South Congress. Its a lovely little space with hip rooms and divine grounds. But at $450 a night (yes, you read that right), who but P Diddy could afford to stay there? But, it was nice to poke around and gawk at the finery I'll never be able to afford in a million years. Its owned by the same people who are responsible for the San Jose. My cousin stayed there and it was really nice and hip, and at $250 a night, I thought *IT* was steep. But no, it wasn't expensive enough. They had to spawn an even more expensive and awsome hotel. Apparently there is a market in Austin for ultra rich hipsters. Who knew?

Laura: This place was gorgeous in a super hipster kind of way. Man oh man I want the designer to come revamp my home. I can't afford to spend the $450/weeknight ($550/night on a weekend) to stay there but if any of you out there do, please give me a call and I'll come hang out with you next to the awesome pool.

Mariah: We sat on the $27,000(!!!!) mattress. Actually, we jumped up and down on the $27,000 mattress with the hand embroidered duvet.

Laura: Was it really $27,000? Are you sure you didn't add an extra zero in there? Either way it was seriously comfortable. If I was staying there I probably wouldn't get out of bed all day.

Mariah: We shamelessly took pictures of the antique Chinese chests (reproductions available at 4 Hands)

Laura: Notice the record player on the chest. Every room comes with one and you can check out records from the office to play. You also can't see it in this photo but there's a super kick ass portrait of Neil Young on the wall.

Mariah: And since we ARE a food blog, I thought I'd let you guys see those $9 vintage looking candy bars you'll never get to eat.

Laura: Nom, nom, nom.

Mariah: And who knows where the hell they found this butt-cheek chair (thought the bathroom cabinets were all IKEA)

Laura: Yeah that struck me by surprise. Uber expensive bed and furnishings and IKEA bathroom cabinet and IKEA rug. I suppose if you can afford to stay here you'd never know some of the furnishing were IKEA because you probably don't shop there.

Mariah: We grabbed a glass (or 10) of the free Messina Hoff wine (their Chardonnay this year is better than its been) and strolled around the gardens. They had artfully crafted beautiful outside spaces. Including this fire pit that you too could sit around, enjoying a glass of wine, after ACL. Too bad there's a 3 year waiting list and a $600 entry fee. (P.S. That's Laura getting saucy).

Laura: It's my best "the world will never understand me" distraught melodramatic heiress pose.

Mariah: Or walk down this zen-like stone path

Mariah: To the even more zen-like lap pool (they're too good for a full pool - no one in a $600 bathing suit actually swims anyway).

Laura: Do you think they'll let me swim there in my Old Navy bathing suit?

Mariah: No, Laura, they won't. The whole event was catered by Whole Foods. They had hand passed appetizers that were tasty, but surprisingly hard to eat. The sausage slices with slaw were hard to nibble in a ladylike fashion. You have to stuff the whole thing in your mouth and chew quickly. The watermelon with pickled onions was excellent, but again hard to eat. Blah blah, you'll never eat these, so why am I bothering to review them?

Laura: The appetizers I tried were really good. If you got there early enough you could actually have quite a few without much effort. Kudos must be given to the staff. They were incredibly hospitable. I know you are never going to eat them, but I'll make you jealous of them anyway.

Laura: The watermelon with pickled onions that Mariah was describing was also complemented by a dash of goat cheese and served in a cocktail glass. Very refreshing and the watermelon worked fantastically with the cheese and pickled onions. Yum. I had quite a few of the mini mushroom tacos in corn tortillas with micro field greens and a dollop of yogurt. There was also a smokey-like shrimp topped on a black eyed pea patty. A crispy quail with what looked like a honey mustard sauce and smelled like my childhood. And some sort of beef with blackberries and rich dark BBQ sauce. Oh and a few other items I can't even remember. As the crowd started piling in, the appetizers became more and more elusive.

Mariah: After appetizers, Laura and I were still a little hungry. The small bites of delectable food were just enough to whet our appetites, but we were just full enough not to enjoy a full meal. We threw around a bunch of options. Pizza? No, too filling. Ice cream? No, not filling enough. Lemon cups at Wink? We were getting closer. But I didn't think I would handle even more wine. Then Laura had a brilliant idea... Churros at Zocalo.

Laura: Yeah, I had to use a bit of psychology. I knew Mariah wanted something sweet, but I wanted something with substance. I needed to make a suggestion for something she would go for at a place where I could get something savory. Hence the suggestion of Zocalo. Plus, they have a really great patio and West Lynn is an extremely convenient area for me. Oops. Now I've given away all my secrets. Anyway, it's owned by the same guy who does Galaxy Cafe which happens to be next door.

Mariah: Zocalo has become one of our Had-Too-Much-To-Drink-Now-We-Need-A-Cheap-Snack kind of hang out. We've been several times now, and even eaten a few entrees, none of which I'd call particularly noteworthy. Plus, as we were parking, I noticed a bright yellow 350z in the parking lot. It's kind of a distinct car, and it just so happens that my friend Eric owns one. And sure enough, there he was on the patio, with a strange dark haired girl in a pony tail. I texted him to ask "At Zocalo too, are you on a date?" But I never heard back from him, so Laura and I decided we were going to walk up and say Hi and if he were on a date, we'd introduce ourselves, let said date know that Eric has hot awesome friends he happens to run into all the time, thus upping his single man status (hey, I've watched those douchey VH1 shows with Myster, I can be a good wing woman). But when we approached, we discovered that it was our friend Connie, and not in fact a date.

Laura: So we decided to join them and dig in. Zocalo offers a bit of a healthier twist on local Tex Mex. Of course you can go full on fattening, but you have the option for more fresh and healthy cuisine. They also have lots of vegetarian choices. YAY!

Laura: I've had a few items here and they that've been hit or miss. Hated the vegetarian stew- it's flavor was too plain and tasted like they compensated with salt. The torta was ok, but I wasn't a big fan. Too much bread with no pizzaz. I do like the chips they serve. They are the extra thick kind like you get in Mexico. I like to squeeze a dash of lime on them and chow down. The vegetarian tacos... OK, now we are getting warmer! Those were really good. This time, I ordered a big bowl of queso mixta - terrific creamy blanco queso with a scoop of guacamole and pico de gallo. It comes with a green salsa and a red salsa on the side. Not exactly the picture of healthy food, but I've been cutting back on dairy lately and after a few drinks I found it really hard to hold back.

Mariah: I know Laura liked the queso, but its a little more peppery and less creamy than I normally like, but, hey, its melted cheese, I'm not going to turn that down!

Mariah: But what they do have, that is probably one of the more amazing things I've ever put in my mouth.. Fresh, homemade churros. You get 5 mouthwatering, perfectly deep fried, covered in powder sugar, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, pieces of heaven. You have to eat fast around me because I can single handedly polish off a whole plate in less than 3 minutes.

Laura: This is why it's perfect for us to share a plate of churros. I think they are a tad too sugary. I suppose that's the point! After I dust a bit of sugar off them, they are just fine. They are warm and gooey and delicious and I usually end up fighting my way to at least one of them down before Mariah declares victory.

Mariah: Victory!

Bottom Line: Casual Mexican Cafe takes a refreshingly different spin on the cuisine with hit or miss menu items and a nice outdoor patio.

Mariah - 8.0
Laura ~ 7.5

Dining in Austin Expands

2009-04-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed that Laura and I haven't been blogging as much lately. You may even have thought to yourselved 'oh those lazy bitches can never get off their butts to write a fresh blog entry.' Well we've actually been busy little beavers working to expand Dining in Austin and make it better, fast, bolder, etc.

Twitter:
I added a twitter feed on the right side of out blog a few days ago (that you may not have seen if you're an RSS reader like I am). But, we have officially expanded Dining in Austin to twitter-dom. Check out our feed for the latest up to date info on food deals, food news, Austin deals, and Austin event news. None of the crappy "woke up and brushed my teeth" tweet. Its got good stuff in it. I promise.

twitter.com/mariahmce

Music:
We've also started up a side project that we hope you will like as much as Dining In Austin. We're intending to showcase alot of the local Austin musicians you may not have heard, but really should be listening to. This one's still pretty soft around the edges, so any feedback you want to give (through comments or e-mail) would be REALLY appreciated.

RockingInAustin

Friends:
We've also added a small section on our ever expanding sidebar highlighting local blogs we both like reading. Now that we're getting involved in the local food blogger community we're meeting all sorts of awesome people who share the same foodie passions we all do. Please give them all a look. I think you'll be glad you did.

Let us know what you think, or if you have any other awesome ideas for us.

Thanks!
Mariah

Threadgill's Deal

2009-04-13T14:13:00.001-07:00

Most of you know by now, I have a love hate relationship with Threadgill's. I want to like it because it's an Austin institution, but I just don't care for the food that much. But, this week's killer deal happens to be a free meal at Threadgill's. Apparently they've been having trouble getting people into their North location since it reopened. So to drum up business, if you go after 4:00 anytime this week, you can get a free dinner. Can't beat that even if the food is pretty marginal.

(Thanks Maggie for supplying the pic)

Trio Happy Hour

2009-04-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

98 San Jacinto Blvd
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 685-8300
www.fourseasons.com/austin/dining.html

Laura: This week Trio hosted a blogger happy hour to show the foodies around town just what their menu holds and as a way to say "Hey, we know we are located in the Four Seasons Hotel and this is a recession, but we aren't that snooty or expensive, honest!" Mariah and I are always up for checking out a new place, especially when it's well executed, comped and full of kick ass blogger friends.

Mariah: I'd been avoiding this place for months. I'd heard good things about it, but I have to confess, I'm prejudiced. I have a deep loathing of most high end hotel restaurants. They're snooty, a little too polished and full of pretentious food that just doesn't taste all that great. I've experienced more than my fair share while traveling so I expected the same here. While I'm confessing, let me also tell you that the following meal we're about to review was 100% comped. BUT this in no way effects our review. I looked and the prices and honestly weighed it into the review as if we were paying for it.

Mariah: Did I mention they have free (FREE) valet parking. That was another reason I'd been avoiding this place. I didn't want have to pay for the privilege of eating there. I admit I had a fairly negative feeling about this place before we even got there. But the free parking made me feel a little better. Oh, and its REALLY handicapped accessible. The restaurant is on the ground floor of the hotel, but there is an elevator that takes you down if you need it (which I still do).

Laura: We arrived fashionably late to find the food and drink was already a flowing. This time I remembered to bring my camera, a crappy little point and shoot, but a camera nonetheless.

Mariah: We grabbed seats by some of our favorite fellow bloggers, Logan and Rachael of Boots in the Oven and Crystal of Poco-Cocoa. Usually at comped food blogger happy hours (yeah we've been to a couple now) have a selection of wine, around 3 or 4, and a table with 4 or 5 of their appetizers on them. Pretty good, but the Trio folks with their deep pockets had gone all out. They let us order anything and everything off their happy hour menu our little foodie hearts desired. Everyone ordered what they wanted, but it quickly de-evolved into a family style pot luck. Take a little bit and pass. That was how I ended up with a tasty oyster before I'd even sat down to order.

Mariah: I have to confess, I hate cooked oysters. They're usually chewy, too smokey, and have an off taste. But for the sake of y'all I swallowed my pride.. and the oyster too. And it wasn't half bad. The bacon added the obligatory smokey baked oyster flavor without an overpoweringly smokey flavor, that was balanced by the addition of shoestring potatoes. Baked oysters still aren't my favorite, but these are probably about the best I've had. Take that with a grain of salt.

Mariah: Someone else at the table had also ordered the something that isn't on the happy hour menu, braised pork ribs in a muscat grape sauce. Now, I tried a rib and wasn't impressed by the mix of flavors. First of all it was incredibly spicy. So spicy that it almost burned my mouth. But the sauce that was on it, a muscat grape reduction just didn't grab me. So I have another confession. Sometimes for potlucks (with people who aren't foodies) I make a dish a personally abhor, but the uncultured masses always seem to love, meatballs in a grape jelly sauce (with ketchup.. honestly). I know, it turns my stomach too. But I made it as an experiment a few years ago and it turned into such a hit, that I get request to pull it out from time to time. But thats what the sauce on these spare ribs tasted like. Oh, and I found out that pig the spare ribs come from was bought by the chef of the restaurant and ONLY fed pecans. That kind of grosses me out. I know its just as inhumane as foie gras and I still that but it still rubbed me the wrong way a little.

Mariah: But no sooner had a stuffed a rib down my gullet than more food arrived. This time it was seared beef sashimi. The sashimi was on a bed of glass noodles and fava beans. Again, not my favorite dish. The beef was served cold, and tasted of the 2 things I hate most in the world, cilantro and celery.

Laura: They get an A+ for presentation on this one.

Laura: Then there was the wine. I looked up and down the wine list and was fairly impressed. There was a good selection of sparkling, red and white wines. This is the Mum's and was really delicious. At $19 a glass, I can't say I would order it on my own dime at full price, but it's reasonable during happy hour from 5-8 when wine by the glass and appetizers are half price.

Mariah: I honestly don't remember what I ordered. But I ended up having the glasses of white wine (hey I wasn't paying for it) and they were all good. The chablis was the best, but I can't remember the label. Sorry. And then was when I fell in love at first site. I have a soft spot in my heart for anything raw, so when the tuna tartare arrived, I was immediately intrigued. But when I took a bite, I knew I'd fallen in love. The tuna was completely 100% fresh and amazing. It was on a bed of mashed avocado and had a lovely lime vinaigrette. The accompanying sesame crisps were a night and day difference from Paggi House's overpowering taste. They were perfect with the understated tuna. Love. Love. Love.

Laura: When the cheese plates were brought out, the chef was kind enough to give us an in depth description of what they were. Unfortunately I was too busy snapping photos to really listen and Mariah was too busy guzzling her wine to pay attention either.

Laura: Luckily Crystal from Poco-Cocoa and her friend was paying attention and could fill us in later. Thanks Poco Cocoa!

Laura: All the cheese was locally made. The one on the far left was a very subtle goat cheese. And the one on the far right was a really sharp blue cheese. Mariah and I weren't too impressed with this cheese plate until later on when they had moved to room temperature. At that point my favorite was #3. It was soft and rich and perfect with the glass of crisp and mineral flavor rich Chablis I moved on to.

Laura: Um, did I mention the truffle fries? They came with lightly fried crispy rosemary and a lemon butter aoli that was amazing. Sadly there were only 3 vegetarian options on the happy hour menu. This was one of them.

Mariah: OMG! The truffle fried were great. At first I didn't taste the truffle, but the more I ate, the more I tasted the subtle truffle flavor.

Laura: Logan and Rachel from Boots in the Oven ponder the question: What menu item have we missed?

Laura: Oh yeah! Chipotle Mac and Cheese! Eh, it wasn't what I would expect from a Four Season restaurant. It was more like mid to upscale BBQ restaurant Mac and Cheese. At Trio I would expect something more like the Mac and Cheese from Wink. The chipotle didn't complement the pasta and heavy cream correctly. Mariah said they used liquid smoke, but I'm thinking it was more of a vinegar-like Tabasco flavor. And even though this wasn't a perfect dish, I couldn't stop myself from eating it. So there you go, it obviously wasn't that bad.

Mariah: I managed to snag a quarter of a lamb slider. I wasn't a fan. The cumin was way overpowering. I would have liked to have tasted the tzatziki or the lamb for that matter. But the spices just overpowered the burger. I also had a mussel with a blue cheese sauce that was messy to eat but had a really nice flavor. I'd have never thought to combine mussels and blue cheese. I also had a crab fondue covered bruschetta that was really tasty in a "this is sooo bad for me" kind of way. The white cheese fondue was more béchamel-y than fondue-y, but it still had a nice clean flavor that I would totally eat again.

Mariah: But when I saw it. The most amazing thing I'd seen all night.. When I encountered perfect... In the form of smoked shrimp croquettes. Perfectly deep and crispy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside. The filling of perfectly smoked shrimp oozed out of the steaming croquette. The fennel and green mango slaw was nice, but couldn't fold a candle to the perfectness of the croquette. I even ordered a second plate for dessert. Really.

Laura: We were stuffed and since Mariah and I have no self control whatsoever, we headed outside to check out the patio and physically remove ourselves from the vicinity of the food.

Mariah: The grounds and patio are probably the one thing I liked the most about Trio. The food wasn't all that spectacular, but the view was amazing. Perfectly manicured laws and sweeping views of Lady Bird Lake, punctuated with oases of aderondacks and hammocks.

Laura: We tried perching on the hammock but apparently that just wasn't in the cards for us. And Mariah may have unintentionally flashed the patio patrons in the process, so we sat on the patio near the heaters and did a little bit of people watching. The restaurant backs up to Town Lake. I often pass the Four Seasons when I'm jogging or riding my bike. There is a good sized green space that serves as a buffer between the two. It's executed in a really cool way to make you feel like you are part of the city and the scene, but yet you are a little set back from the sweat and exercise of the trail.

Laura: And there goes Adam and Jodi from Tasty Touring.

Laura: I heard that Bruce Springstein was there soaking up the food and drink too. I didn't really notice. I was more obsessed with how awesome this couple was. They were so happy an in love after all those years. I got a little choked up by them.

Bottom Line: Good food, thorough wine selection with reasonable happy hour prices. Absolutely amazing patio area.

Mariah: 8.5
Laura: 8

Home Slice Pizza

2009-04-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.homeslicepizza.com/

1415 S Congress Ave

Austin, TX

(512) 444-7437‎

I was set to meet a my friend Brian at The Parlor for a pizza and to discuss a business venture. We were saddened to discover Sunday is not a good time to go to the The Parlor because, they are not open. So, Brian suggested Home Slice Pizza and since I'd never been there, and honestly didn't know much about it, I said sure, why not. I booked it down to South Congress where I had a vague memory of seeing it on some First Thursday months ago. The parking lot was almost full but, I managed to squeeze my tiny, yellow car into the last spot in the back. While I was waiting for Brian, I noticed a back patio, a walk-up window and a few cafe tables out front for sidewalk eating. I decided it would be a good place to post up for some serious people watching. I also decided to order a Pilzner Urquell from the walk-up window. I thought for sure they were going to say"sir, we can't serve alcohol to people on the sidewalk", but they didn't. So, I sat and sipped on a beer on a perfect day on South Congress and waited for a friend.

Brian arrived and, as a credit to the servers, we were seated right away. I suggested the back patio but, I was surprised to find out theres no waitstaff for the patio. You have to order at the bar that borders the kitchen then carry if yourself to the patio if you really need some Texas sunshine. So we opted for inside dining, instead. The interior is clean and sported some really cool art that was painted right onto the walls. You can even see the pizza chefs as they twirl dough and prepare food. I really like a place where the cooks are part of the action.

Once at the table we ordered a pitcher of beer (as my bottle was dwindling) and set to business. Real business, that is, and nothing that is germane to this website so. So let me, instead speak of the other "business": The menu. The beer selection for draught is limited, though it has decent (and local) choices. There is a good looking variety of salads, appetizers, calzones and subs available but, we had not come for any of these. This place is known for NY style pizza! The first 4 specialty pizzas really reflected Austin's local (i.e hippy veggie munching) palates but, neither Brian nor I can deny ourselves the flesh of animals (sorry Laura).

You can specify your own pizza but, I figure that I should judge the place on one of it's "tried & true" selections. It came down to either #5 Pepperoni & mushroom or #6 -Sausage, ricotta cheese and roasted red pepper. At this point, Brian tipped his hand and it was clear to me that he didn't just off-handedly suggested some pizza establishment down south. No, he was fully aware of this particular pizza's quality AND was a long time customer. (Sneaky) Brian said "#6 was absolute culinary porn" and who was I to go against a man who is a regular. So I responded "#6 it is!".

When the waitress dropped by again (wearing a Star Pizza shirt), she told us that it was trivia month and we would get 10% off if we could answer her one trivia question. Fortunately for us, I'm a bit of a Japan-o-file and the question regarded Japanese culture. Even before I thought to consult my colleague, I blurted out the answer... and some additional facts that related to it (sorry, Brian).

Now, the important part. The pizza! Steaming atop a shiny silver pedestal the pie was a feast for the eye as well as the stomach. It was accompanied by two small pizza pans that would serve as our plates. The crust (the very soul of a pizza) was off the charts delicious and was browned and blackened to perfection. The sausage and green peppers were cooked thoroughly and I believe the ricotta cheese was added in the last few minutes just to melt it lightly before serving. Awesome!

I pulled the first slice and noticed that it was not stuck to any other slices. Not by crust, not by bones (the part of the crust some people don't eat), and not by ingredient. Someone in that kitchen uses a amazing ginsu sharp pizza cutter. And even better yet, none of the ingredients slid off the crust as I picked up a slice.

A wide, thin crusted, slice of NY style pizza must be eaten only when folded in half (right down the middle for any uneducated pizza eaters), which is exactly what I did. I took the first, amazingly juicy, bite and immediately burned my "pizza spot"* (see below) - but I didn't' care. I took another bite and added insult to injury. But it was that good! Brian was right... ab*SO*lutely right. The #6 IS pizza porn.

It was a shame that we couldn't eat all of it, an even more of a shame that we forgot the leftovers on a picnic table at Independence Brewery. I can't wait to try another slice next time I find myself on the south side of Congress.

*the part of your upper palate just behind your central incisors that suffers from the burning hot ingredients on top of a slice of pizza

Bottom Line: Great pizza, a fun place to be, local beer on tap, fair price

Eric: 8 (withholding final judgement until I try some other food there)

Imperia

2009-03-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.imperia-austin.com/

310 Colorado St.

Austin, TX 78701

(512) 472-6770

Laura: I ran into Nick the other night while listening to fabulous jazz from Jeff Lofton at the Belmont. We mused about music and recent life events over a sub-par portabello sandwich from the Belmont kitchen. I mentioned how much fun I was having with Dining In Austin Blog and he mentioned how great it was to finally have his parents meet his girlfriend over sushi at Imperia. I've been to Imperia once for their grand opening. The place was so packed that I couldn't even be bothered to wade through the cascades of people between myself and the bar. I've been interested in hearing how the place is doing now that it is no longer brand spanking new, so I suggested he guest blog about it for us and a few days later he actually followed through.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Nick T.

Ma’s a fantastic woman. 3 and a half months ago, when I moved from my house on Slaughter to my new place central I needed help in a serious way. 4 years and 10 roommates later, my house needed a deep cleaning like nobody’s business. I knew that the person who was equipped to handle this job had to have many strong qualities. First off, they needed to care deeply for me to even consider assisting with this transition. Secondly, they needed to have a special knack for deep cleaning which only exists in people who were born before 1960.

Ma showed up at my house with a bucket of cleaning products and knee pads. That’s when I knew she meant business. Moments after her arrival, I was being put to work like an outsourced call-center employee. It was no longer my show; the power had changed hands and she had the conch. After several hours of deep cleaning and trips to the dumpster we had the place looking cleaner than it ever had. To show my gratitude, I invite the folks up to my new place for show and tell and dinner.

Originally, it would have been just myself, and I would of probably recruited my sister to join forces. However, there have been some recent changes in my life for the better that I didn’t plan for. I have now found myself in a new relationship with a special person, and curiosity had reached it peak from the parental standpoint. It was explained to her that the prime reason for this Sat night out on the town, wasn’t to have a family meet and greet with my new squeeze, but a long overdue repayment of services rendered... it just so happed that I was in a new relationship.

Now if I told you that I wasn’t a tad bit nervous, I would be stretching the truth a bit; although I had to remember that the rents were pretty chill and there was little to worry about. Keep the alcohol flowing and all will be fine. Arrangements had been made for the folks to show up at the new place at 7pm and I knew Kristen would be there shortly after. She generally runs a little late so I factored that in mentally. Girlfriend shows up, introductions are made and everything is well under way. I am successfully feeding everyone wine and even get my pop to hit the bottle of Makers when Ma went to the restroom.

I had made dinner reservations at Imperia which is an Asian-Fusion restaurant located in the heart of the warehouse district at 4th and Colorado where Mezeulua used to be. Imperia has been there over a year now, but they added a sushi bar about 6 months ago, so it offers a very wide range of deliciousness. I chose Imperia for the mere fact that I knew this a place that the folks would have never chosen on there own. I have eaten there several times in the past and have been WOWED! I had a $75 GF that had some stipulations that I can discuss later.

Our reservations were at 8:15pm and we arrived promptly. Upon arrival we were immediately seated. They were at about 60% capacity. We were offered a choice of bottled, tap or mineral water in which I made the executive decision to order tap for everyone. Knowing my audience, I knew this was a move that I could get away with. The server, an assumed lifer in the service industry, who rarely steps outside large Papa Johns pizzas and Ramen noodles, was kind nonetheless. Initially he offered to start us with some Edamame, which I agreed to. We ordered it spicy which turned out to be a great choice.

After a couple minutes of evaluating the drink and food menu, I could see the confusion in my parent’s eyes. They were overwhelmed with the menu and didn’t have the slightest as to where to start. I had given the wine menu to Kristen and asked her to choose a bottle. There didn’t seem to be any moderately priced bottles on their menu. She couldn’t find anything that started under $50. I like wine, but I still have a long way to go before I feel comfortable spending over $50 on a bottle of wine that I know very little about. In times past I have had 8 dollar bottles of wine that knocked my socks off. It is increasingly important to me to educate more and more about this vast world of grapes and spices, but until I become a self proclaimed sommelier, I don’t feel comfortable dropping mad coin on a bottle of vino. Short answer, we ordered drinks instead of wine. I suggested that Ma order the Ginger Mojito and pop ordered a Raspberry Lychee Martini. K and I both had Tito’s and tonic; always a winner with the bar crowd. Everything at Imperia seems to be made with special love and care. The drinks fall into this category as well. Both the mojito and the martini were savory.

At this point I took the liberty of informing everyone at the table that I would be ordering all the food. Everyone seemed to be fine with this. I started with some Dim Sum and sushi. We ordered the Seabass Kushiyaki Skewers and Escolar. Truth be told, I could easily make an entire meal out of these two. The delicate Seabass, seasoned to perfection, could just as easily be served as desert as well as a main entrée. We had one order of 2 skewers. Really you should get one order for every two people at the table. Again, it was ABSLOUTLEY DELICIOUS. A must anytime you step foot into Imperia. The naturally buttery flavor of the Escolar ensures that everyone at the table, Sushi lovers or not, will be asking for more.

Ma to Nick: “So this is raw fish; it’s never been cooked?”
Nick: “Yes ma, it’s called Sushi”
Ma: “That’s crazy. Can I get that last piece?”

Next I ordered the Yuzu Crusted Oysters w/ candied Hijiki salad w/ Wasabi crème and 2 seaweed salads. It would be very difficult for me to find anything negative to say about the food shared this evening and these two are no exceptions. The crust on the oysters was thick and cooked to perfection. It still left a juicy flavorful oyster center, which made for some interesting textures. I enjoyed the wasabi crème as much as I did the Hijiki salad. Just so you know, Hijiki salad is basically dried seaweed. Each oyster was served on its own Asian soup spoon with a pinch of Hijiki, the fried oyster and a small dollop of Wasabi crème. If you love oysters you owe it to yourself to give these a shot. It’s kinda hard to mess up a seaweed salad. I felt like we needed some green on the table. The rents had never eaten Seaweed salad and both enjoyed it thoroughly. Me, well you could fill a kiddie pool with the stuff and set me in it; I would be totally ok with it. In the event that you ever come across a vat of the stuff, feel free to contact me. :)

For the entrée I ordered the Imperia Dragon Rib w/ Yuzu frizzled onions and the Butter Poached Lobster mash. I can make this real easy on you, order them both. The Dragon Rib is an oversized braised short rib that is literally spoon tender. When you order spare ribs you can expect the meat to be fatty. At the same time, we all know that fat = flavor. The portion is large enough for 4 people to comfortably split and is recommended. Don’t try to take this thing on solo. I think that would kinda defeat the purpose of this type of dining experience anyways. Lobster mashers were something new to me and I believe the recipe was hand delivered by an angel from the heavens. I don’t remember the exact description of how they were prepared. It was something like, buttered reduction something or other, mashed potatoes, lobster and then more lobster. A uniquely exciting side that seems so simple you wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself. I mean seriously, is their anything that butter and lobster can’t do?

Even thought the consensus of the table was that of being full, you owe it to yourself at this point to order desert. The four of us split Imperia’s version of a Molten Chocolate cake with a coconut ice cream. At this point I was in such a haze from all the other wonderful flavors we had just experienced, I remember very little about desert. Other than the fact that it was devoured by the four of us in about 30 seconds, it must have been ok.

All in all dinner was an A+. Besides the fact that I couldn’t use my gift certificate, which was no fault to the restaurant, the entire dining experience went off with out a hitch. By no means is this a cheap restaurant to dine at. You do feel as if you get your monies worth. I didn’t mind paying full price.

After dinner, still being in the Warehouse District, we went to Cork and Co. to share a bottle or Riesling. This was a perfect transition and the bottles of wine are more moderately priced. Actually, you could get away with skipping the Imperia desert and holding out for desert at Cork and Co.

The conversation flowed nicely throughout the evening and it seemed as if Ma and Kristen really hit it off. Ma gave her the standard sales pitch on how much she loves family in general and, of course, ours in particular. I probably could have kept everyone out longer for more drinks, etc; although I felt as if ample time had been spent on this outing and all goals had been accomplished. Ma had been repaid the favor of helping me clean the house and my new lovely girlfriend had been introduced to the two peeps that help raise me. I took the parents back to my condo and sent them on their way. The full circle had been made and I was officially fat and happy.

Guests+ Imperia+Cork and Co. = a delectably, delightful evening!!

Mmmpanadas

2009-03-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

5th and Brazos
Austin, Tx
512.788.2228

http://mmmpanadas.com/

Last week I was out and about downtown with Eric during SXSW and found myself with a grumbley tummy. I’d been to several shows that had free food, but I was sick of eating cold nachos and taquitos. I wanted some real food! But where to get real food, during SXSW on 6th that wouldn’t involve a huge line or selling my soul for a table? The answer came to me in a the form of an aromatic breeze that wafted down 5th street. Why not try one of the multitude of street carts? But I didn’t want to patron a fly by night, big event only, reheated fajita cart. I wanted something I knew I could come back to on a regular basis, so I suggested the empanada cart on 5th and Brazos.

I’d heard about the Mmmpanada cart a few months ago off the grapevine and had been meaning to try it for a while. But it seems like the few times I tried to go, instead of finding a cart full of delicious empanadas, I found a cold empty lot of nothingness. Note to all you readers, if you want to go, make sure you check their website to be sure they’ll actually be there (they frequently aren’t). This time, however, I wasn’t disappointed. Eric walked, and I hobbled over to the corner and was surprised to discover there was absolutely no line. Even amongst all the hubbub of SXSW, Mmmpanadas seemed to be an undiscovered secret.

We walked right up and were greeted by a very friendly empanador (that’s totally made up btw). They have a stellar 2 empanada and a drink combo for $7 and change that both Eric and I went with. I got one savory pie, the special, a Mole chicken filled empanada, and one sweet pie, the Smores. I figured since there was no fire involved, that I could be safe to enjoy me empanada in non-flammable bliss. Eric went with two savory pies, the Spinach Mushroom empanada, and *I think* the Chopped BBQ, but I’d already been drinking pretty heavily, so don’t quote me on that one.

We waited on the curb for no longer than 2 or 3 minutes and then were handed four paper sleeves with piping hot empanadas in them. Our food mission had been accomplished! But where to eat? Looking around we noticed a lack of seating at the corner of 5th and Brazos. Most of the other established food carts either have seating (a la Austin Trailer Park Eatery) or set up shop in a location where seating is close (a la the new Texadelphia trailer outside the 6th St Little Woodrow's). When I asked the friendly empanador where we could sit, he politely shrugged. Luckily, an associate empanador had just arrived and he directed us to the One 2 One bar right across the street. He said they allow people to eat their Mmmpanadas there. Food mission number 2 accomplished!

I took literally 5 minutes to climb the stairs to One 2 One’s incredibly huge roof top patio. But I was quickly rewarded with comfortable seating, a table to eat on, a vodka tonic in my hand, and lovely views of other SXers bustling on the street below. We enjoyed our empanadas while a light breeze carried the mingled sounds of 5 different bands playing, but it was a welcome respite in our busy evening.

The empanadas themselves were pretty good. The crust was amazing - lightly golden, with a nice firm bite. There was no filling gooping out of holes in a chalky crust, only silky, crisp goodness. The filling itself left slightly more to be desired. My mole empanada was good, but the sauce had a tendency to be a little cloyingly sweet. It wasn’t a nice a complex Mole, but for a $3 street cart taco I would consider it quite good. Eric’s Spinach and Mushroom filling was also a little lacking. The spinach was fresh and tasty, but in the huge bite I took, I noticed none of the promised mushrooms or pine nuts, so the whole endeavor ended up being kind of flat and bland. The sweet Smores empanada was also a mixed bag. The pie was absolutely stuffed with warmed marshmallow fluff with a thin ribbon of chocolate sauce. I was kind of hoping it would have been filled with actual marshmallows and chocolate chunks. That being said, again for $3, it is a great deal. I, for one, will definitely be going back, AND, since they’re open till 3am most week nights, I might even make it a regular stop on my post 6th street drunken binge-eating tour.

Bottom Line: Wonderful pastry crust with respectable filling

Mariah - 8

The Parlor

2009-03-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

4301 B Guadalupe
Austin, Texas 78751
(512)323-0440

100 B East North Loop
Austin, Texas 78751
(512)454-8965

http://theparloraustin.com/

I promised y'all more quickie reviews, so here's another one. A few nights ago I was hanging out with Bachelor #7, who's quickly becoming a regular fixture in my life. We decided to have a quiet evening in and rent a movie. And what goes better with a movie at home than an awesome pizza? Since I live on the outskirts of town, there aren't that many pizza places that will deliver to me. I usually get the option of Double Daves, or Dominos (and soon Little Caesars). And though I do LOVE DD's pepperoni rolls, one can't subsist wholly on those. Its nice when I visit friends in different parts of town and I get to try their local pizza. I mean Austin is full of great small pizza joints producing quality pies: Mangias, East Side Pies, Home Slice, Rounders, just to name a few.

Since Bachelor #7 resides in the Hyde Park area, he suggest we try the Parlor. We called in for pick at at their Hyde Park location. I was really craving sausage and mushrooms and Bachelor #7 wanted anything with olives (on pizza, ew), so we went with an sausage and mushroom pizza with olives on half. See, I can compromise. We waited the obligatory 20 minutes, then drove up to their North Loop location to pick it up. The Parlor's north location is in that stretch of funky coffee shops, record stores and antique shops on North Loop between Lamar and Airport. There's all sorts of great stuff over there and in my opinion is a really under appreciated part of Austin. The Parlor itself is pretty innocuous, located in the middle of a small vintage looking strip mall. The inside is very punk rock chic. The walls, furniture and just about everything inside are dark dark red and black. And the place is filled with pierced and tattooed Austinites. There was even a fun hard rock band playing to set the mood.

We grabbed our pizza then went back to #7's Bachelor Pad to enjoy our pizza and watch House on Haunted Hill. Not the new remake, but the original Vincent Price version. It was eerie 50's horror kitsch at its finest. There was even a great psychologically creepy part that made me really jump in my seat. Of course Bachelor #7 laughed at me, but it was kind of scary! The movie did feature the worlds most awesome (and only) 50's WASP mullet I've ever seen. Behold!

Ok I know you don't really care about the movie mullet. You care about pizza. The Parlor's pizza was pretty tasty and above average. Thin crust with delicious crisp freshness, fresh cheese and nicely spiced sauce. I really really liked their cheese blend. I'm pretty picky when it comes to pizza cheese. Too often it tastes plasticy or cardboardy. But The Parlor's cheese had a nice sharpness that went well with the Italian flavor.

I've always loved the comparison of pizza to sex. I've had very few, ok, no horrible sexual experiences. Most sexual experiences run the gamut from Meh Average to Wow Exception and pizza seems to follow that same trend. If the Parlor's pizza would have been a guy, I'd have been impressed at his skills and prowess but I wouldn't be weak in the knees. However, I would probably call him back the next day.

Bottomline: Quality, tasty pizza with a punk rock attitude

Mariah - 8