G'Raj Mahal

Oh what a lovely Sunday I had...

On a hot summer night after watching The Gourds at Threadgills we made our way over to G'Raj Mahal. 

Can you see me in the sucky, blurry, crap-quality picture? I'm the one in total samosa bliss on the left.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know anything about Indian cuisine...All I know is that the paneer in my curried yogurt sent me into food coma (in a good way).

ARW coming soon

People!

Rare Magazine will announce Austin Restaurant Week dates next week. 

Stay tuned...

Jeffreys - Happy Hour

One of my favorite food bloggers kept writing about Jeffrey's 'amazing' happy hour, so I gave it a go.

What my dear blogger failed to tell me is that the specials are only on the bar food--- not the booze. But, we are food bloggers, so whatever. Here are my two cents:

I was so looking forward to trying the ORIGINAL fried oysters on chips (You know, 34th Street Cafe, Garrido's, and a half dozen of other restos have their version). Honestly, I've had better.
I think my exact words to my calorie-conscious friend were "Don't waste your calories"

These little suckers were a little surprise, compliments of the chef. Short ribs... So soft, a little dry, and lacking a little flavor.

But this blob of rare meat goodness took the gold medal in my eyes. This is the BEST Steak Tartare I've had in Austin.

I guess it should be expected when you read - Filet Mignon- in the description. 

Yes, it is stuffy and dark, and yes there are curtains to make the elite feel protected, but don't be intimidated.
We all had two glasses of wine, and technically only paid for two apps...Still $24 each, is not bad ;)

ASTI

I forget how much I love Hyde Park (the neighborhood).

The Brazilian and I went to ASTI late last week and had a fantastic, casual, and very satisfying meal.

The service was splendid. The ambiance is casual, but you still feel like you actually went out for dinner. The dining experience is great and the food did not disappoint.

We shared the fried calamari. The aioli was amazing (although it still doesn't hold a candle to my favorite at NORTH).

I had the roasted salmon with tapenade, cauliflower, capers and sundried tomatoes. At first I thought there would be too much going on...but, it was surprisingly well balanced.

The Brazilian had the trout with lemon aioli, fregola, cucumber, parsley, and mint salad.

Sounds refreshing, no? Not so much. The fish was cooked perfectly, but the salad was very bland.

We each had a glass of white wine and called it a night.

El Arbol

Wow. Can you say bad service?

Holy crap.... I think the hostess had a very large stick up her ass that evening. Her eye-rolling attitude set the tone for our experience with the staff in general. 

 

On the bright side, this restaurant is beautiful! A little awkward architecturally speaking, but the interior is gorgeous and soaked in the unmistakable Mozersky touch.The design is an experience itself,  classy, comfortable, tasteful. The entrance alone will make you feel fabulous.

I don't really know how they came up with the location, but they should have thought about parking (Hello! This is Texas, not NYC). There is a tiny lot behind for complimentary valet, but even Ferrari Man was afraid of letting the valet guys park it in such tight squeeze. I lucked out in the neighborhood. 

We were seated on the second level in a cozy booth. It took a very long time and two refills of water to get a server's attention. When our server finally came, he was not knowledgeable of the menu...it went sort of like this:

EV: "How are the sweetbreads?"

Server: "mmmm... I don't know, it's a really big plate"

EV: "But, are they ordered often?"

Server: "I don't know"

EV: "How about the rabbit?"

Server: "Do you like chicken?"

EV: "I like rabbit, is it good here?"

Server: "mmm.... I guess. You should get one of our meats, we're famous for that"

EV: "I'll have the rabbit"

So...I convinced Ferrari Man to try the Anticucho de Corazon (Heart)and the spinach Empanada for our appetizers. It was delicious. Skewered strips, perfectly seasoned, and perfectly cooked; add a little of the best chimichurri in Austin (hints of red pepper) and done.The empanada didn't disappoint

The rabbit was fantastic. The sauce was perfect and didn't overpower the taste of the meat. Loved it! Ferrari Man's lomo (the 5 oz) was melt-in-your-mouth good. The salts on it were perfect, and with just a tiny bit of chimichurri it was truly the best tenderloin I've had in a while. 

We were mid-bite of rabbit and lomo when the lights in our booth turned off. Literally couldn't even see my plate. It took a good 5 minutes for them to realize it and turn them back on. Bizarre.

We had dessert, but it's not even worth describing.

The patios are awesome; the colors, the furniture, the different levels, just add some good Austin weather, and a cocktail in your hand. I only wish there was a view... I wish they could have found a massive tree, like the one they wrapped this place around, near downtown or the water. Oh well.

Only time will tell if El Arbol improves their service and survives in this random location. 

http://www.elarbolrestaurant.com/index.php?pid=1

FINO

It had been well over three years since I last went to FINO. 

I remember the lazy afternoons in college when the German, the Cuban, and I would head over to their fabulous terrace, have some rosé and anchovy stuffed olives. 

Never really made it past the olives since their food was not the greatest. So, after reading the latest yelp reviews, Italianini and I gave it a go.

We were celebrating, so we went a little crazy (don't judge)....Fried goat cheese with red onion jam (YAY!), beet tzaziki, anchovy stuffed fried olives, pork confit, fried oysters with harissa aioli, mussels & sherry broth with lemon aioli, and the spinach & romesco salad with serrano ham, a poached egg, and croutons. 

The Anchovy Stuffed Fried Olives are awesome. 

They're like little magic poppers (the portion is definitely not enough!). The flavor of the anchovy (for those of you who are not huge fans) is dwarfed by the olive, but it gives it this certain kick you can't resist. The batter is delicious and just crispy enough. LOVE THEM.

The oysters were juicy and fresh, but the real winner in my eyes was the Tzaziki. If you try one thing here, try the Beet Tzaziki, it's a revelation in flavor. Who knew it would be so good?! Nevermind that it looks like Pepto, just try it! It's cool, fresh, it almost cleanses your palate.

Also try the salad--- so simple, yet so delightful. It's spinach bliss (but then again, how couldn't it be when there's a jamon serrano involved!).

We closed with the zucchini cake with cinnamon ice cream. This was... hmmm... very sweet and boring. The ice cream was slushy and not great on flavor... Totally should have avoided this waste of calories.

Don't be turned off by the fact that it's right on West Campus or that it's in a strip mall. The couches on the terrace are great for happy hour after a long day of work (or play, whatever), you'll love the decor, and your taste buds will thank you.

Sooooo Sorry!!!!!!

Gente! I am so sorry for being such a slacker. 

I was on vaca, and also trying to save some money!!!

Promise to have something up very soon :)

Besos!