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.
I love ARW because it gives me the opportunity to try restaurants that are not in my budget... but also too expensive for their reputation.
This time the Aussie and I tried Roy's.
Backed by a James Beard Award winning Chef (Roy Yamaguchi) and a global presence, I really expected great things to hit my palate.
Greeted by a small patch of dirt with a sign on it that reads "The Chef's Garden" I thought I was in for a really fresh treat. I could almost taste the tropical flavors in my mouth... when I was hit in the face by the stench of cheap air freshener. It was like cupcake/ sweet vanilla cream Glade Plug-Ins. *Insert gag face*
Seated in the middle of a very large dining room (with super high ceilings), our server came with drinks. Stellar service, by the way. I had the Golden Lobster Potstickers with spicy togarashi miso butter and Aussie had the Lobster Bisque. I really liked the potstickers mainly due to the miso butter, but Aussie was disappointed with the bisque--- it had Brandy and cream and it tasted like burnt gravy.
I opted for the Seared Tiger Shrimp over jalapeño polenta, sauteed spinach and smoked tomato butter. The shrimp were overcooked (WHY DOES EVERYONE ALWAYS OVERCOOK SHRIMP!?!?!?!), but the polenta was tasty.
Aussie had the macadamia crusted Mahi Mahi over asparagus, potatoes, and what looked like a shiitake sauce? It was too sweet, overcooked, and just not fulfilling.
Finally,with only two choices for desert, we ordered both. I had the white chocolate and macadamia nut bread pudding and Aussie had the Roy's melting hot chocolate souffle. Both very good, but veeerrrryyyy rich... neither one of us finished them.
The private party rooms look intriguing, but overall not the high-end Hawaiian experience I was expecting.
Not worth it. So glad I tried it during ARW ($35/person).
My brother was flying back to school the other night so we all had a family meal at Galaxy on West Lynn.
Don't you love their counter service but chic look? It's efficiency with flair. I was hoping for good food cause it had been such long time since my last visit.
Dad got the steak with chimichurri and sweet potato fries. The meat was perfect and the chimichurri was just like BuenosAiresCafe's. Good.
Mom got the turkey meatloaf and veggies (She's into healthy stuff). It was good, but I have to admit, I love my ketchup on my meatloaf instead of the fancy roasted bell pepper sauce.
My brother got the steak that dad got but in a wrap...with avocado...and sweet potato fries.
The Italianini went for the yellowfin tuna steak with avocado, ginger, soy, and, lime marinade. It's originally served with Israeli Couscous, but instead he got... yep, sweet potato fries.
Since everyone picked out something different, I had to go with the citrus chicken. To be completely honest, I got it because it said prosciutto and fresh basil...but was very disappointed. It comes with Rice Pilaf, but substituted with mac and cheese. The chicken was dry, their version of prosciutto was so salty, there really wasn't basil, and the mac and cheese didn't quite hit the spot.
Maybe it wasn't my day for chicken, cause I loooved everything else! If anything, you MUST try their sweet potato fries. Delish.
The Italianini and I grabbed brunch at East Side Cafe on a lazy Sunday. I had been there once before with the crew, and liked it, but this time I wasn't too impressed.
First, let me share with you that they grow all their own stuff... you know, their veggies and herbs (get your head out of the gutter!). So when we got salsa with our dishes (which they brag about calling it "our own East Side Cafe Salsa" with ** next to it! And you know it's something special when there's * next to it on the menu), I expected the freshest salsa around. NOT!
We shared the goat cheese and shrimp quesadilla. It was SO good. It may be unfair for me to say it was SO good since I'm really into goat cheese and shrimp, but even the tortilla was good. Flaky, a little buttery, like it had been left on the skillet just long enough to toast a bit...delicious. It also had cilantro and jack cheese which I thought were unnecessary, but who cares! It's heaven in my mouth!
Italianini ordered normal eggs Benedict, and I had the smoked salmon eggs Benedict.
When the food arrived, there was such little hollandaise on them that I almost asked for a side of it...Thank God I tried it first! It was the worst tasting hollandaise I've had in my life. I mean, even South Congress Cafe's is better. The side of home fries were not good either. Something about the texture... the consistency. Super dry and hard on the outside, and the inside was like a McDonald's fry. Richard Pryor's face says it all.
I really just wanted another quesadilla. Instead, we smiled, got the check, and went on to veg-out on our lazy Sunday.
Since meeting Raif (aka Chef Justin Raiford) about 6 years ago, I had been a frequent flyer at 34th Street Cafe.
I'll admit it, I was a huge fan of the Hack Salad (although not a Raif-original) and would order it often. Still, the nightly specials, the strange pizza topping combinations, and Raif's love for Chilean sea bass, made the dining experience fantastic and kept me coming back for more.
I hadn't been there in quite a while...since their prices had gone up and I was broke, between moving, travels, wedding gifts, etc... Anyway, I really wanted to take the Italianini (Couldn't believe he hadn't eaten there...or even heard of it!).
I can only think of one word to describe our experience there last night: Disappointing
We started with the seared ahi tuna. It comes on purple rice, spicy mustard and mango salsas, fried shallots and a few raw jalapenos. It was insipid, except for the sauces.
I ordered the prosciutto wrapped salmon. It was so salty I had a really hard time finishing it. It was served over french green lentils which were just plain bad. The texture of the greens was like eating paper, and the lentils were hard and dry. The carrots were just sort of hanging out at the other end of an awkwardly long plate.
Italianini had the hanger steak with green peppercorn demi. It was cooked perfectly, so it melted in your mouth , but the flavor was not the best.
I would have been happier eating the huge pile of string fries that came with it...except for the homemade ketchup. They pride themselves in their honey-ketchup, but the vinegar...ugh...so much, so gross.
We didn't order the oysters since I used to get them all the time and wanted something different...but I regretted it.
Didn't ask if they had the Hack Salad---even though it hasn't technically been on the menu in ages. Maybe for lunch?
Sad. I mean, 34th Street had its regulars, you know? It's one of those you think of as a neighborhood place, a classic for most that live in the area...sigh.
The only good part of the night was that the prices were back to moderate.
I had heard great things about Max's Wine Dive from several people at work that had been to the Houston location, so I caught some dinner with the Ferrari man there last week.
First of all, I couldn't even find the door...did I mention it was raining? Then, I was greeted by their we-tried-too-hard-to-make-it-like-it's-a-real-warehouse "decorations" AND the place is so dark, I almost tripped over them...ugh!
Whatever, Ferrari man got there and we got our table. A tiny little table by the window. It was so loud I couldn't hear the waitress to order, much less any of Ferarri man's entrepreneurial words of wisdom. Whatever, let's just order some of their famous cheap wine and get some food. Um, first of all the cheapest glass is around $9, and our bottle was $45.
We started with the pan borracho. They take a french baguette, chop it up, mix it with prosciutto, garlic and yellow onion and they soak it in a white wine custard with gruyere, mozzarella and Grana Padano cheeses. They bake it. The cheese melts and bubbles, the prosciutto hardens, and the bread gets super soggy. It was alright...although I did eat more than half of it(I was starving).
I ordered the kobe burger and decided to add the avocado thinking it would be in addition to the triple cream brie, and jalapenos, tomatoes and lettuce that come on it. So, for 3 extra dollars I got a little bit of avocado, no cheese, and two jalapenos.
The meat was overcooked and overall it was pretty tasteless.The fries were way too salty, couldn't finish them.
Ferrari man had the fried chicken and liked it, except for the chipotle honey...too spicey. Oh and per the Ferrari man: Don’t add an extra piece (a $3 option) unless you are REALLY hungry.
We shared the ginger funnel cake with a scoop of coffee gelato on top. It was o.k. We still ate way too much of it. Left really full.
Here's what the Ferrari man had to say about it: Max’s Wine Dive delivers what it’s name promises… upscale wine paired with down-home cooking. The resulting atmosphere is more happy hour than haute cuisine.
So, my beloved DVH owed me some major quality time and promised me a nice dinner so, I picked the new Annies on Congress.
If you love France...or the upper West side in New York City just stroll down to 319 Congress Ave and find a mix of both.
Annies, a product of a 20+ year catering business and an underground deli (former Apple Annies), is fantastic.
The ambiance really is just like Pastis in NYC, or a zinc bar in Paris, but with the unmistakable Austin edge.
This brasserie's windows, the lighting, the tables, the deli cases, the awesome bar, and the huge paintings on the walls just captivated me.
Really, all that was missing was Eartha Kitt'sC'est Si Bonplaying in the background...
Let me first say that the service was great.
You know how you can totally tell when a restaurant has just opened by how many mistakes they make, or missing details there are? Well, none to be found here. Our server was on top of it. We had a great experience.
I had to have the rabbit.
The perfect portion comes on duck eggspätzle, carrots and peas and whole grain mustard jus. The rabbit is covered in the mustard, not too strong, just right. Yes, it sounds so normal, but it's scrumptious.
DVH had the halibut on sweet corn risotto and green tomato relish on top. The green tomatoes were a little too intense (then again I'm not a huge fan of pickles or anything in that family), but mixed with the simple halibut and the sweet and creamy risotto it was so good.
...the halibut didn't stand a chance.
We shared the mac and cheese. It was the perfect amount of creamy, cheesy goodness with just a hint of (what seemed to be anyway) white wine.
We ended our fabulous meal with the frozen pistachio parfait desert, a Mark Schmidt original, with burnt honey and caramel.
Here's what I love about this place, everything is organic and local following their "farm-to-table" philosophy, and that their bar is so friendly. It makes for a great place to meet up with friends before or after downtown.
Yep, late night menu my friends. It seems pretty extensive, and much better than your typical slice of sucky pizza. I'm so intrigued by their Tortilla Española with octopus...hmm...and, of course, all the soulful side dishes like the mac and cheese.
For those of you downtown residents, they will soon deliver their delicious food to your home! Their website is still under construction...so your best bet is to call.
(512) 472-1884
I'm a meat lover. So, by default I love Argentina and Brazil. Have you tried Buenos Aires Cafe? They have two locations, S. 1st and East 6th.
I went there with my boss and some other work people who love their empanadas. I wasn't impressed by them. Try the Choripan or Lomito. Can't go wrong with either, they're classics! Served with your choice of salad, on a baguette, and a generous portion of chimichurri. Yum!
Now, don't expect Argentina on your plate, but it's pretty damn close.
So, my friends had been bugging me to try South Congress Cafe for brunch ever since I moved to Austin six years ago. Let me tell you, the special on Sunday was to DIE for - hash with pork sausage, potatoes, the typical red peppers for a little color factor, and your choice of New Mexican green chile or just plain ole salsa. We went for flour tortillas... egh... they were o.k. I guess. The Italianini and I were loving it so we decided to order a second dish. We went old school brunch and ordered eggs benedict, except that they substitute the english muffin for these little crab cakes and top it off with spinach quiche and a couple of pieces of prosciutto. O.K., the actual crab cakes are a little greasy, and definitely not my favorite, but edible...After the first bite figured I could mask the greasy taste with the hollindaise sauce, except for there were two drops of it in the entire plate. Great. The side of fruit was a nice refresher and just what I needed to feel 100lbs heavier. So 1 out of 2 is not perfect, but I can handle it. Plan on having the carrot cake french toast next!
Dinner time! The Regio and I decided to grab some appetizers at Manuel's on congress. Mistake getting just appetizers. Started off with the pork sopes. Not impressed. The black beans were weak. Now, how can you mess up black beans! The pork was tender, but again, weak. The Regio got the ceviche and I went for the mole appetizer. The ceviche was fantastic. Just the right amount of lime, plenty of fish chunks, very little tomato... you know no filler crap, just good ceviche. The mole appetizer was disappointing. It's a big mush of chicken, melted monterrey jack, and mole in a tiny little bowl. If you want mole just go for the chicken breast with mole plate and be done with it. The appetizer portions are small, I mean , you'll-be-hungry-in-two-minutes-small. Kudos on the service though! We walked in 20 minutes before closing time and still got stellar attention from our server
