Homemade Spam?

Italianini and I grabbed mid-week dinner at Uchiko (to show support and that we're not afraid of "radiation" by eating their Japanese fish, pfff). 

Chef Paul Qui sent us two dishes we were super surprised by. 

One was 'homemade spam': terrine of pork belly and other delicious parts of the pig grilled over a mustard emulsion and pickled ramps. This was one tasty bite. Strong flavors, great texture, and definitely NOT Spam. 

The other dish (I apologize, no photo) looked like tangled, thin branches topped with tiny greens sitting on a black puree that was intriguing. They were fried enoki (?) mushrooms over a huitlacoche puree and fava beans topped with sunflower sprouts. It was a bizarre sight and a wonderful dish. I think we were the guinea pigs... and I think you will soon see it on the menu.

SFC Chef Series: Spring Bounty

SFC Chef Series: Spring Bounty took place this past Sunday eve at La Condesa.

Following tradition, chefs hit us with a delicious array of dishes that are seriously worthy of better quality pictures... so, please be sure to check out La Condesa's Facebook album.

Ned Elliott (Chef and Owner) of Foreign & Domestic kicked the night off with Richardson Farms Pork Liver Custard with piquillo syrup, nasturtium salsa, and sherry caramel.

It was subtle and amazing...and a healthy serving for each person at our table.

Paul Qui (Executive Chef) of Uchiko surprised us by going vegetarian...or so I thought...

Spring onion dashi, spring vegetables (squash blossoms, baby zucchini, baby carrots), goats milk ricotta..... AND dehydrated Uni.

It's hard to describe what I experienced as I ate this dish. The ribbons of vegetables were light and crunchy, while the broth was thin yet flavorful. The Uni was the perfect seasoning and the bowl was NOT big enough. Seriously, I could have eaten 5 more.

Shawn Cirkiel (Chef and owner) of Parkside gave us Sloan Farms Crispy Rabbit with green garlic, pecans, glazed spring carrots, and red wine sauce. Isn't this plate gorgeous? A great display of Spring ingredients...and colors!

Bryce Gilmore (Chef and Owner) of Barley Swine --and Odd Duck Farm to Trailer--served a Milago Farms Soft Egg with elephant garlic puree, and pancetta shitake vinaigrette danube. I really enjoyed the runny yolk all over my pancetta. Is it because I love breakfast?

David Bull (Executive Chef) of the trio of restaurants at the bottom floor of the Austonian (Congress Restaurant) gave us Grilled Lockhart Quail with red romaine, candied orange, and cardamon yogurt. The quail nicely cooked and the yogurt gave a nice balance to the charred romaine.

Zack Northcutt (Head Chef) of Haddingtons and Mulberry ended our savory courses with a Windy Ranch Osso Bucco with polenta. This blew my taste buds away. I was very glad this powerful, flavorful, succulent dish came last! Delicious.

Laura Sawicki (Pastry Chef) of La Condesa served her most complex dessert yet-- Soncrest Farms smoked egg parfait with marcona almond, Oakhill Farms strawberry, quinoa, pickled mustard seed, and smoked sea salt. 

I have to say that this is one of my favorites (top three with her James Beard House dessert and the pie she served at Outstanding in the Field) 

Every dish was paired with a magnificent wine or beer, but this dish was paired with this: Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal, honey liqueur, cream, and house-made Froberg Farm strawberry soda. Kudos to Nate Wales for an amazing cocktail.

It was an outstanding meal. I think my favorite yet. It's amazing how much talent grazes the kitchens of our very own Austin's restaurants. I feel very lucky to have witnessed and tasted such delicious morsels. 

Arancini

I had never heard of Arancini until one random night I came home to a kitchen full of them.

Native to Italy, they are amazing little balls of heaven. I actually mention here except for Red House calls them Risotto balls....You basically make some meat sauce, rice, and make sure to have fresh mozzarella around. You form the rice into a ball and stuff with a bit of sauce and a piece of mozzarella. Roll it in a little egg wash, dump it in some bread crumbs and fry the heck out of it!

So when a trailer rolls into Austin actually called Arancini, we had to check it out.

The trailer is ADORABLE and the table set up I wanted to have in my own yard. They hand-picked tables and chairs from around Austin and painted them adorable turquoise and brown colors. Cute.

To Italianini's surprise they had sold out of Arancini, so we tried the Meatball Slider, the Roasted Veggie flatbread, and the Fried Artichoke Hearts with Lemon Aioli.

The Meatball Slider was weird. It was a meatball stuffed with Mozzarella and topped with chopped pork? It was charred on the outside and juicy on the inside, but the flavor wasn't incredible. It hit the spot for sure, though.

The Roasted Veggie Flatbread consisted of artichoke hearts, asparagus, onions, and a teeny bit of mozzarella. It was large and could definitely be a meal in itself. The Fried Artichoke Hearts with Lemon Aioli were delicious. It's a great little snack and they totally count as my veggies for the day!

Prices are SUPER reasonable and the owners are lovely people. 

Give this place a try.

http://eatarancini.com/

I'm back

Yes, I have abandoned you for far too long... but I'm back!

I haven't been slacking, promise, but I have been in transition mode. 

I just got a new job, my U.S. citizenship, AND I met John Besh. Yes, I made a fool of myself at the Hillcountry Food and Wine Festival and asked him for a picture. It was great. 

I haven't stopped eating (if you can tell by my Tweets--- oh yeah, and FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!), and now I'm ready to post again. 

Coming soon: SFC Chef Series Spring Bounty at La Condesa -- TONS OF NEW CHEFS! Get excited. 

xoxox!