Restaurant Week Vol. 1: Hudson's on the Bend

I eat meat. Yeah, I eat meat like nobody's business. ~ Tina Fey in Baby Mama

My sister and I kicked off Austin Restaurant Week with a Sunday night dinner at Hudson's on the Bend. The last time I ate at Hudson's was in 1986 when I met my soon-to-be husband turned ex-husband's parents for the first time. Despite the nerves and the free flowing alcohol, I remember enjoying a fantastic meal. I don't know why it's taken me over a year since moving back to Austin to give it another try, but ARW offered the perfect excuse.

Between the two of us, we ate bits and pieces of a menagerie of wildlife that included duck, buffalo, deer, rabbit, boar, fish, and quail. I'd say we were only a frog and a cat shy from eating the entire Beatrix Potter collection. I would feel guilty, except that I don't, because all of these adorable creatures are just so yummy. R.I.P. Jemima Puddle-Duck.

My sister and I both chose the lobster bisque as our appetizers. Before we even tasted the bisque we were impressed with the porcelain Bernardaud china upon which it was served. Stupid me, I didn't take a picture, but, this is what the bowls looked like.

Back to the food. The bisque was served with a bit of fanfare. The bowls were served empty save for a hunk of lobster claw and a slice of Asiago cheese. Then, the server poured the hot soup over everything in the bowl. It was a little heavy on the tomato base, but had a good kick of chipotle spice.

For the entree, my sister ordered the mixed grill, which accounted for a good portion of the animal products. The mixed grill was a sampler of grilled venison, rabbit, house-made sausage and grilled buffalo all topped with different sauces. It was a perfect dish to highlight what Hudson's does best, preparing wild game for civilized people who secretly yearn for the taste of a fresh kill.

I ordered the pecan smoked duck, shingled with diver scallops.The duck was prepared very well as were the scallops, but the combination seemed kind of pointless. The pairing of shredded sweet potato and wild boar confit as a side dish, however, was inspired.

The menu listed the dessert as Chambord Chocolate Mousse with Legs of Fudge. Served in a large wine glass, chocolate fudge lined the bottom with chocolate mousse filling up the rest of the glass. The "legs" were created by mimicking the way swirling wine forms petal shaped streaks on the inside of the glass. The fact that I ate all of it and tried to scrape the chocolate off the sides of the glass indicates that I liked it a lot. Because, I eat chocolate. Yeah, I eat chocolate like nobody's business.

Walton's Flaky and Stupid

That title might sound a bit harsh, but after my experience at Walton's Fancy & Staple, it's accurate, if not a bit too kind. Question: What's the most unforgivable mistake that a restaurant can make? It's not bad food. Any kitchen can have an off day or night. The worst mistake, in my opinion, is ignoring your customers.

Walton's is another Sandra Bullock project, a combination cafe/gift shop/florist, which means it does none of those things very well. The FTD flower arrangements are nothing you couldn't buy at HEB at half the cost. The gifts are a hodgepodge of overpriced candles and vintagey things. The counter service cafe offers hot sandwiches and bakery items.

We arrived on a Saturday at 11:15, just before the lunch rush. We ordered a monte cristo and a ham and cheese sandwich, got our number and sat down. After waiting for 30 minutes, we saw a guy bringing soup to another table and asked him to check on our order. After waiting another ten minutes with no word from the guy, we went up to the counter to find him behind the cash register ringing up orders. No eye contact. In fact, no one in the place made eye contact or noticed our empty number 8 table as they walked by.

We finally got someone's attention and asked for a refund, since we had an appointment and had been waiting for 45 minutes. She went to the back to fetch a manager who came out and opened the cash register to retrieve our refund. No one offered us an explanation regarding the delay so we still don't know if they forgot to put in our order or if it's typical for them to take an hour to make two sandwiches. We'll never know. Oh, and they never apologized for wasting our time.  Question 2: What's the most unforgivable thing that anyone can steal from you? The answer? Time. We'll never get those 45 minutes back. Then again, they'll never get our business back, so I guess we're even.

Dear Parkside: I Really Like You, But...

I must have been drunk the first time I went to Parkside, because I don't remember any details about the eating part of the evening, but I know I had a great time with my three awesome kids and their various significant others. It wasn't until I was finishing up a second dinner at Parkside that my son refreshed my memory with details about our first disappointing experience. My son has a sophisticated palate, so I trust his account of our first Parkside dinner which apparently included one selection from the raw menu, a soupy green concoction that tasted as unappetizing as it looked. He also reminded me of the cucumber & rosemary cocktail that was pretty much the worst thing ever.

Denial

It's possible that I buried the details of that first night at Parkside because I so desperately wanted to like the place. Parkside is like that guy you agree to go out with a few more times because he looks like John Cusack, even though he already committed a deal-breaker on the first date by ordering his steak well-done and then complaining to the manager that his steak sucked. Feel free to insert your own deal-breaker in this analogy, although you'll be hard pressed to find anything worse than ordering a steak well-done. 

There are so many things to like about Parkside, starting with the Michael Hsu designed interior, a perfect pairing of urban style and casual comfort.  The ambiance created by this design is what makes me want to love everything about Parkside. With the high ceilings, captains booths and great lighting, it just feels good to be there. 

Parkside's Sixth Street location is a drawback for me as I tend to avoid areas that smell of urine and cliche.  But besides the obvious advantage of a constant stream of foot traffic, Parkside's choice of location makes sense in an ironic kind of way.

Conceptually, Parkside has everything I want in a restaurant - great ambiance, a chef-inspired menu with a focus on using locally-sourced ingredients, friendly and competent service, a creative cocktail menu, and it has received high marks from respected critics, including Buon Appetit which included Parkside in its 2009 picks for "Top 10 New American Taverns." The only thing it doesn't have is great tasting food.

It's Not You, It's Me

I could attribute my Parkside disconnect to the high prices. That was one of the details I failed to remember about my first Parkside experience. Again with the tricky ambiance. The low-key atmosphere makes it easy to ignore the fact that this is upscale dining with upscale cocktails that result in upscale charges to your credit card. The cost-to-benefit ratio certainly has something to do with my attitude toward Parkside, but I can't say that cost alone is the issue.

The problem might be me. My expectations are incompatible with the Parkside agenda. Maybe I haven't ordered the right thing. My recent entree selection was based on the waiter's suggestion of pork jowls with polenta. I love all things pork, but I'm not so fond of polenta. So, was it wrong for me to intentionally order something I don't like with the expectation that the chef would make it taste like something entirely different? Isn't that the equivalent of marrying a Hugo in the hopes of turning him into a Sawyer? Or, was it reasonable for me to expect the pork jowls to be deliciously crispy and flavorful as to render the polenta obsolete? If so, my expectations weren't met as these were limp and bland. Hey, there's that dating metaphor again.

I had a similar problem with my drink order. I'm typically a wine drinker, but the cocktail menu enticed me with descriptions like this one for a ginger rollins - Bombay sapphire, lime, pineapple, Peychaud bitters & ginger ale. It looks great on paper, but do all these things really belong in one drink? You don't know the answer until you order it. It's an $8 crap shoot. Which I lost on the first round. So this time I thought I'd go with the Old Fashioned, because the menu mentioned muddled fruit. Another dumb decision. It was somewhere in between bitter and crappy and bitter. Then again, I'm not familiar with how an Old Fashioned should taste, so how do I know that this one wasn't a perfectly good version? It's this kind of second-guessing that keeps me from giving up on Parkside.

I sampled some of the other orders at our table and found them similarly disappointing. This might have had less to do with the quality of the food than with my own taste preferences. The macaroni with guyere and cheddar was a hit with everyone but me, because I've never understood the joy of macaroni and cheese anyway. The fried okra was pretty good, but, again, not my thing. My son ordered the grilled bar steak with fries and aoli. He wasn't impressed, but is anyone ever impressed with steak frites? It is what it is. The steak was cooked to a perfectly acceptable medium rare, but like everything else, it just didn't have that special something that one would expect at these prices.

Can We Still Be Friends?

I just don't see this working out. It's not for lack of trying on either of our parts. We were both invested in this relationship. My investment was mostly in dollars. About $300 worth.  But hey, at least we enjoyed a happy ending dessert of fresh maple cream-filled sugar donuts and vanilla ice cream, finished off with a delicate ornament of spun sugar. Perfection. I guess that's why dessert always comes at the end of a meal, so you're left with only sweet memories. And lingering thoughts of what might have been.  Damn it, I can't quit you Parkside!

Return to Olivia

 photo via www.olivia-austin.com

Talk about extremes. On Saturday, I started the day off with breakfast at Star Seeds and ended  with dinner at Olivia. That's the cultural equivalent of going from Branson to Monte Carlo. Although the food wasn't bad at Star Seeds, I'll spare you the details. Let's just say Star Seeds is a greazy spoon diner without the slightest hint of irony.

Olivia, on the other hand, is always worth talking about. This was our second visit to Olivia. Although it was a Saturday night at the peak of the dinner rush, we were able to find plenty of open seating at the bar. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that we could order from the full menu rather than being restricted to bar food. I love a low key, easy breezy dining experience, especially when it happens at one of Austin's best restaurants. Another advantage of sitting at the bar is the face time you have with the bartender who is also your server. The bartender can't ignore you when you're right in front of him. That doesn't mean things can't go wrong, though.

While sitting at the bar we learned that Olivia only serves beer and wine, no liquor. While I don't know exactly why the owners chose to operate this way, I can see some definite advantages. Without a full service bar, the focus stays on the food, which is where it should be at Olivia. The wine serves to enhance the experience, not detract from it.

While sipping on a nice rose wine recommended by the bartender, we perused the menu and ultimately decided on salads along with an entree of grouper and another of lamb liver and onions.

Our salads arrived promptly. We had a caesar salad with fat, white anchovies and another mixed green salad with an excellent mild bleu cheese, thick chunks of bacon and fresh grapes. All the flavors melded perfectly.

After the salads, we entered into a frustratingly long wait for our entrees. The bartender was apologetic and continued to refill our wine glasses at no charge while we waited. And waited. We started to get suspicious when the couple next to us, who had ordered at least 30 minutes after us, got their entrees and finished them before ours had arrived. When our entrees finally did arrive, they were excellent, especially the fresh grouper that was served on a bed of lightly buttered cappellini, pecorino and broccoli. The lambs liver with caramelized onions and brandy sauce was served atop mashed potatoes and sliced apples. There were five large livers on this one rich dish, so there was plenty left over to take home.

The dinner was excellent, but it would not have been complete without dessert. We ordered the homemade chocolate truffle ice cream and a spicy chocolate pot de creme with bruleed marshmallow. I still haven't quite bought into the whole spicy chocolate craze, but this was the best interpretation I've had yet. The spice was intense, but didn't overpower the taste of the chocolate. And, consistent with our first Olivia experience, the chocolate truffle ice cream was rich and velvety smooth. 

When we were about to leave, the chef came out to personally apologize for our food taking so long. Considering we hadn't really complained, it was impressive that he took the initiative to offer an explanation. It's understandable that things don't always go as planned in a busy kitchen. The only time I have a problem in these situations is when I feel ignored or forgotten. That wasn't the case at Olivia. It was obvious that the staff was doing the best they could. Of course, it doesn't hurt when the food is worth the wait.

The Burnaissance: Sarah's Mediterranean Grill & Market

As a native Austinite, my ability to travel to almost any part of town without accessing Mopac, 183 or I-35 is part of my birth right. That's why my daily route to work from Northwest Hills to I-35 takes me down the south end of Burnet Road.

Since this stretch of Burnet Road has sprouted so many vintage shops and new restaurants, I've tried calling it SoBur, but my sister will have none of that. I argue that the area is at the south end of Burnet Road, but she maintains that it isn't south of anything, so we're left in a deadlock. In lieu of a proper moniker, I've at least created a word to describe the changes going on in that area, which I shall refer to as the Burnaissance. Cute? No? Well whose blog is this? Oh yeah, MINE.

Anyhoo, the scenery along Burnet Road has been vastly improved by recent openings of Apothecary Wine Bar, Simplicity Wine & Eats, and Hat Creek. (I would have included Lucky J's Chicken & Waffles, but they're in the process of relocating.) These new spots fit in with the vibe that was started not too long ago by Phil's Ice House, Amy's Ice Cream, Sampaio, Pacha, Blue Star Cafeteria, Hey Cupcake and Sarah's Grill & Market. But it's the old standbys that make SoBur (yeah I said it) unique - places like the Omelettry, Phoenicia, Upper Crust Bakery, Austin Diner, Ginny's Little Longhorn, and the strangely popular happy hour/burger dive, Billy's on Burnet.

Sarah's Mediterranean Grill & Market

I went to check out Sarah's Grille & Market mostly to look around and possibly buy some cool spices. It happened to be lunch time (somewhere) and the smells emanating from the Grill were much too enticing, so I ordered some takeout.

It's important to clarify that Mediterranean doesn't always mean Greek. Duh, you already knew that, but you might not have known that many of the dishes we consider Greek, are actually Lebanese in origin. I'm pointing this out because the owner, May Aranki is Lebanese. (The store is named after her youngest daughter.) And so friendly! She greets all of her customers like special party guests, inviting us to taste a sample of her excellent baklava. I ordered a couple of things to go; the lamb kebab plate, (I'm still swooning over lamb from last week), and the beef gyro plate.

While I waited for my order I took a look around the small grocery area. There were some fascinating imported items along with many of Sarah's own brand of products. The spice section was bountiful with large packets of cardamom, sage, basil seed, caraway seed and the most incredible thing of all, a large bottle filled with saffron for $4.99! (Paella anyone?)

Sarah's market stocks a variety of packaged olives or you can choose your own combination from the olive bar. The refrigerated items included Sarah's own brand of sauces, hummus, cheeses, frozen pita and frozen fish and all kinds of mysterious ingredients for creating Middle Eastern style cuisine. I was particularly impressed by how clean and orderly the place was. There's a lot of inventory packed into this little space, but it was easy to navigate since everything was where it should be.

My order was ready in less than 10 minutes despite that it was grilled to order. The lamb kebab plate included six good sized chunks of lamb, a side salad and a generous portion of hummus. The gyro plate included about the same number of beef portions, flattened and seasoned as for a gyro, with a side salad and generous portion of tzatziki sauce. Freshly made pitas were also included which I used as a make my own pita sandwich. All of this was $17 and some change.

Are you detecting a pattern here? It doesn't cost much to eat or shop at Sarah's where you can find unique ingredients and fresh, grilled to order quick food. Plus, they don't even charge extra for making you feel important. Even if you're not. Especially if you're not. Oh, but YOU, imaginary readers are very special. And, that's on the house. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

El Greco Grill

My recent visit to El Greco Grill marked the end of a self-imposed seven year moratorium on all things Greek. I admit to having developed an irrational prejudice toward an entire cuisine based on the fraudulent behavior of one Dimitri Sofias. I’ll spare you the details, because, though broke and bitter, I’ve moved on, and as of yesterday have embraced Greek cuisine once again. I couldn’t have picked a better landing for my re-entry than El Greco.

At first glance El Greco looks like just another gyro place. The non-descript university location and counter service style belies the high quality and true authenticity of its food. While the two-sided menu is extensive, the cashier taking our order was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about guiding us in the right direction.

We ordered the moussaka with tabouli on the side and the lamb chop special with a side of Greek salad. The moussaka was rich and delicious and nearly impossible to finish. (Nearly, meaning, I did, indeed, finish it.)

Moussaka notwithstanding, I blame the lamb chops at El Greco for re-igniting my love for Greek cuisine. These chops were so good that I followed up the meal with a trip to Central Market to buy lamb chops in the hopes of re-creating such deliciousness. I’m under no illusions, however, regarding the limitations of a George Foreman grill in this capacity. Still, if I can’t go back to El Greco right away, I’ll settle for a poor substitute if only to incite a more vivid memory of those lamb chops.

Wait a minute. I just found out El Greco delivers. Dimitri who?

Drive-Thru Happiness: Hat Creek Burger Co.

Every time my daughter goes to Chili’s, she orders the same two things; skillet queso and boneless buffalo chicken wings. It’s comforting for her to know that wherever she goes, be it Denver, Dallas or Detroit, she can go to Chili’s and get the same exact skillet queso and boneless buffalo chicken wings that make her so happy. While I don’t share her fondness for Chili’s cuisine, I’m at least starting to understand where it comes from.

People, like my daughter, like the comfort and predictability of chain restaurants. While trying out all of Austin's best restaurants along this food journey is fun and exciting, comforting it's not. So, I'm starting to hit a wall. Fortunately, I've found one new, local place that offers all the comfort I need with this...

This juicy burger from Hat Creek is no culinary match for Wink’s Caramel Bread Pudding Foie Gras, but I’m telling you, it can be every bit as satisfying.

What makes comfort food comforting is more about what it isn’t than what it is. Sometimes comfort means not waiting for a table, not spending a fortune, and not getting out of the car. A great drive-thru cheeseburger feeds my hunger in a primordial way, like a lioness on the Serengeti, capturing her prey, ripping it to shreds and devouring it before it has a chance to get cold. Where fine dining satisfies my taste buds, there is nothing that feeds my hunger more completely than a big, fat juicy burger from Hat Creek. 

Hat Creek is the only burger joint in Austin to offer fresh, never frozen, all natural PGA beef. PGA is naturally cultivated without hormones or antibiotics. You might laugh at the recycled Arby’s sign at the new Hat Creek location on Burnet Road, but if you live nearby, that sign is a welcome beacon for the feining carnivore in need of a fix.

Piranha Killer Sushi: Are You Worthy?

Two reasons why I will never refer to myself as a foodie. One, it sounds pretentious, even though, by definition, it applies to those who possess no formal training or expertise on the subject. For that, I’m certainly qualified, but I see no reason to draw attention to that fact. Two, my love of Hungry-Man chicken dinners tacitly precludes my admission into the fraternal foodie order.

While I don't claim to be a foodie, I can't expect to blog about food without occasionally venturing into foodie territory. In this case, I’m talking about sushi. I'm a complete novice when it comes to sushi, and my ignorance causes me to view all sushi eaters with suspicion. Suspicion and a touch of disdain. The same way I judge main course salad eaters and Starbucks coffee drinkers. I can’t help but question their motives.

My daughter, however, loves sushi. She honestly loves it. Unlike my son, she possesses no tendencies toward food snobbery, so I know her love of sushi is genuine. That’s why I recently decided to take my daughter to Piranha Killer Sushi to see what all the fuss was about.

We arrived at Piranha on a cold and rainy Tuesday, so we had no trouble getting a table.  We were seated promptly and presented with warm, moist towels and chopsticks. I wasn't sure what to do with either of these things. I watched two uber cool women at the next table rubbing their chopsticks together like they were trying to start a fire. I assumed that this was some sort of honing ritual performed exclusively by sushi aficionados and people who are generally better than me. Meanwhile, I struggled like a Neanderthal to break my chopsticks apart and then practiced using them to pick up random objects such as the aforementioned and ultimately superfluous wash cloths.

Our server, Kevin, was highly knowledgeable about all the menu items, answering questions and offering suitable suggestions without making me feel like a hillbilly. His attentiveness throughout the meal was so accurately timed, it bordered on the supernatural. Since neither my daughter nor I had eaten much that day, we attacked our food with record-breaking speed, but Kevin stayed on top of his game, always a step ahead. As soon as we finished our first appetizer, the second one arrived. As soon as we swallowed the last bite of it, (I said we were hungry), our entrees appeared. When my Diet Coke was nearly empty, Kevin was there with a replacement. When we ate the last of our sushi, Kevin materialized to see if we wanted dessert. When we declined - pouf! Kevin produced the bill out of thin air. I can honestly say, I have never experienced service with that level of efficiency.

Starting with a familiar appetizer of pork and vegetable dumplings eased my entry into the world of sushi. Familiar, yes, but there was nothing ordinary about these plump, lightly seared dumplings, punctuated with spicy orange marmalade. We certainly weren’t expecting six of these bad boys for just $5.25.

Our second appetizer was one that Kevin suggested, the salmon ceviche with jalapeno, cilantro and mango. Skillful editing of the spicy-savory-sweet triumvirate enhanced the flavor of the salmon without overpowering it. In other words, it was tasty. 

For our entrees, my daughter went purist with the tuna rolls, while I went with the more substantial Sexy Roll, a combination of shrimp tempura, ginger cream and cilantro topped with avocado, crawfish and mango. It should be renamed the Virgin Roll, as in “how have I gone all these years without it?”

At the end of the meal, I took a moment to look around at my fellow sushi diners, expecting to see a roomful of stylies. (Fashion’s version of a foodie.) Instead, I saw one table of about six young guys in sweatshirts who looked like they were probably well-versed in the video game arts, all of them quietly intent on enjoying their food. Over at the sushi bar, I saw a Doug Heffernan look-alike in a Dallas Cowboys jersey, looking similarly satisfied.

And that’s when I had this epiphany. People, I realized, eat sushi because they genuinely like it, not because they’re better than me. I learned an important lesson about humanity -our love of food is the great equalizer. With the exception of certain lower life forms who pretend to enjoy meals consisting entirely of salad.

Postcard from Perry's Steakhouse & Grille

This is another installment of my series of mini reviews on restaurants that I’ve only been to once or twice, but are worth telling you about.

My son and daughter and I decided to participate in Austin Restaurant Week, so we made reservations at Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille, one of the participating restaurants. If you’re not familiar with Restaurant Week, I’ll fill you in, so you’ll be prepared next year. The event ran over eight days in September and allowed participants to dine at some of Austin’s best restaurants at fixed prices, ranging from $25-$35. There were over 50 restaurants participating this year, so we made our decision based on the menu offerings and available reservations. Perry’s was the winner.

When we arrived for our 7:00 reservation, Perry’s bar was all abuzz with the after work happy hour crowd of banker and lawyer types. Located downtown in the original Norwood building, Perry’s country club decor invokes a nostalgic image of fat-cat bankers wining and dining clients on expense accounts. The private room in the original bank vault only added to the image.


While some of the restaurants were trying to get creative with their fixed price menu for Restaurant Week, Perry’s offered a perfect sampling of its regular menu, with a choice of an 8 oz Filet Mignon, the Signature Pork Chop or Chicken Oscar. The menu also included a choice between the Wedge Salad and a Caesar salad. Rather than offering different choices for dessert, the menu included a trio of dessert samples that included Hazelnut Praline Cheesecake, White & Dark Chocolate Mousse, and Vanilla Crème Brule.

Since there were three of us, we each ordered a different entrée. Our server brought my steak and my daughter’s chicken and they both looked great. But when my son’s pork chop arrived, suddenly the other two entrees seemed about as exciting as Spam.

I was expecting Perry’s Signature Pork Chop to look like the pork chops I would buy at HEB, if I ever bought pork chops, which I don’t. This thing was more like a roast, so big it came with its own table. The server carved it tableside, giving instructions as to which part of the chop was best eaten first. The tender, slow-roasted and slow-smoked meat with its crisp, caramelized edges was unlike any “pork chop” I’ve ever eaten. My son ate as much as he could and took enough home to feed a family of four. 

The old advertising adage about selling the sizzle, not the steak, didn’t apply to Perry’s signature pork chop. The taste was every bit as impressive as its presentation.

And, here’s some exciting news. You can order Perry’s fully-cooked chops and steaks here and have them delivered to your home or as a gift for your favorite omnivore.

Postcard from Olivia

I’m impatient. My Austin Food Journey started about six months ago, before I started this blog. I’ve been to some of the finest restaurants in town, but financial realities have limited my experiences to one or two per restaurant. According to the Association of Food Journalists Critics Guidelines, a good review should be based on at least two, preferably three visits. I can’t wait that long to talk about some of my favorites, so we’ll call this post the first in a collection of preliminary briefs, postcards, if you will, of my limited culinary journey to Austin’s best restaurants.

Olivia, oh how I adore thee. This was one dining experience that left a lasting impression. My sister and I impulsively stopped in Olivia one weeknight for an early dinner. We realized we were lucky to be seated right away as we quickly watched the dining room fill up. I’m not going to talk about Olivia’s famous Michael Hsu architecture, because the quality of the food stands out on its own. The chefs at Olivia could have served me in a tent, or a penitentiary, or Hell and I would have been happy.

We started with a wine recommendation from our server that was perfect. Sadly, I can’t remember the name. Our meal began with the best wedge salad I've ever tasted. Fresh iceberg lettuce wedge, topped with bacon, shallots and bleu cheese. Can you judge an entire restaurant experience by the quality of a wedge salad? The answer is, yes, you can, although it wasn‘t necessary in this case.

The server described the special for the evening as a Filet Mignon Foie Gras. I ordered it without asking the price. Turns out it was $49. And worth it. I didn’t even need a steak knife to cut into its buttery, medium-rare goodness. That’s how tender and juicy and thick and beautiful it was. With Olivia’s focus on organic, sustainable foods, I’m hoping beyond hope that my foie gras came from a naturally fattened duck and not the force-fed kind.

My sister ordered the scallops with risotto. This dish was the only misstep of the night. The lemon was overpowering and perfumy. Since Olivia already had our allegiance with the wine, wedge salad and steak, all was forgiven.

For dessert, my sister had the homemade chocolate ice cream which she pronounced as deeeevine. That wasn’t really the word she used, but it was something along those lines. I ordered the crème brulee made with, get this, Boggy Creek duck eggs. I know, right?

Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth every penny? Yes. Did I pay for it? No, my sister picked up the tab. Thanks T!

Austin Diner's Changos - OMG they are TDF

The reason for this post, and possibly my new reason for living is the Chango, one of Austin Diner’s dessert options. I realize that it’s Thanksgiving and I should be talking about turkey and dressing and pie, but this Chango is breaking news worthy of interrupting our regular programming.

Located on the cool part of Burnet Road, the Austin Diner is mostly known for serving up a great breakfast which is offered all day. The lunch and dinner options include your typical diner fare, chicken fried steak, hamburgers, meatloaf, etc. They also have daily specials like pot roast and chicken and dumplings. They proudly announce on their website that they’re now open late nights, as in 9:00 pm.

Let’s dig in to these Changos a bit. Imagine combining all of your favorite things and turning them into a dessert. Do you love cheesecake? Check. Bananas? Check. Fried pastry? Check. Ice cream, chocolate syrup and love? Checkity check check!

If you simply must have a full-on meal, you won’t be disappointed with the chicken fried steak or an omelet as big as your arm. But I implore you to save room for the Changos, or better yet, order dessert first. Don’t just talk about it, do it. You’ll thank me later.

El Chile Y Cantina in Northwest Hills or El Chile in the Heelays

Last night, I went to dinner with my parents, who agreed to branch out from our usual dinner at Jorge's to try El Chile Y Cantina on Greystone. The northwest hills location made it an easy sell since it was right around the corner.

At 3435 Greystone, El Chile Y Cantina is located one block west of Mopac in a little shopping center next to a tack shop and a Pizza Hut. Open since April of 2008, it's the second of three El Chile locations under the ownership of local restaurateur, Carlos Rivero, who also owns El Chilito and Sortini.

The dining room is a small, open room with a sit-down bar, hence the addition of "Y Cantina" in the name. The hostess who greeted us asked if we would like to sit on the patio, an expansive deck off the front of the restaurant. That was kind of a funny question to ask since it was about 40 degrees outside and our party included two people over 75. They put two (inside) tables together to accommodate our party of five. Not a big deal, but it's weird that all the tables were the same four-top size.

We were presented with chips and salsa right away. That's important. Especially the salsa. I can appreciate what Managing Chefs, Kristin Kittrell and Jeff Martinez, former Jeffrey's sous chefs, are trying to achieve with their unique spin on traditional salsa, but I question the execution. The salsa looked like a dark roux and it tasted a little bland and char-like. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't spicy, either. I asked the waiter what was in the salsa and he answered me in a you-should-already-know-about-our-famous-salsa kind of way with "it's just salsa." After pushing him further with my stupidity about why it was so dark and was it made with black beans, he explained that it was salsa made with roasted peppers, giving it the charred flavor. I felt satisfied with his answer. But, it still needed more heat.

Our entrees, on the other hand, were executed perfectly. The Cochinita Pibil was impressive and unique, at least to us. Cochinita Pibil is a pork dish originating from the Yucatan Penninsula. Preparation involves marinating the meat in a strong, acidic, citrus juice, coloring it with annato seed from the achiote plant, and then slow-roasting the meat inside a banana leaf. The bright, orangy-colored pork was served on fresh corn tortillas with rice and black beans on the side. Definitely a dish to inspire a return visit.

The Puffy Tacos with chicken were excellent with moist, shredded chicken served on thick and lightly fried corn tortillas topped with guacamole, lettuce, tomato and queso fresco. The rice and refried pinto beans were seasoned so perfectly as to render the bland salsa but a distant memory.

If you prefer Tex Mex style, the Enchiladas de Queso, topped with good ol' chile con carne sauce, is a good choice. Even better when paired with Gilberto's Sangria Especial.

Clearly, Carlos Rivero knows what he's doing when it comes to the restaurant biz. By expanding his ever popular El Chile to northwest hills and now downtown, he is meeting the needs of his loyal customer base, while attracting new customers and making room for the crowd that's been busting at the seams of the original Manor Road location.

Well, Mr. Rivero, you can include me in the new customer category. It's in the neighborhood and there are many margaritas to try.

Asti Trattoria - Front Row Seating

 

Friday night my sister and daughter and I headed over to Hyde Park to find the Asti Trattoria in the middle of the dinner rush. It's not a big place, but we were surprised to find the dining room filled to capacity on this cold and rainy night. The hostess didn’t expect a table to open up for at least an hour, but she offered us the option of sitting at the cook's counter, a diner-like bar that puts you face-to-face with the chef action. Sure, we would have preferred a cozy corner table, but beggars can’t be choosers and we were hungry.

Sitting on backless swivel stools, bumping elbows with strangers, seems less than desirable, but according to a Restaurant USA article by Beth Panitz, some customers are clamoring to sit in the back of the house at special "kitchen tables" or "chef's tables" that provide a front-row view of the kitchen's action. Minneapolis-based Buca di Beppo is among those operations setting a place for customers in the kitchen. The casual restaurant chain has established a kitchen table in all but one of its 51 units nationwide.

Seating patrons in the middle of the action offers benefits to restaurant operators in the form of bigger sales volume. Our proximity to Asti‘s creative hub offered a multi-sensory feast that added to our overall dining experience and increased the odds of our coming back in the future. I’m still drooling over the Lamb Shank 'Ossobuco' that caught my eye on its way off the line. Had I not been sitting so close to the kitchen, I might have overlooked a powerful incentive to come back and sample another dish.

A study on the Impact of Restaurant Table Characteristics on Meal Duration and Spending by Cornell’s Sheryl Kimes and Stephani Robson, shows that customers seated at less-desirable tables do not stay as long as those seated at better tables but spend just as much money, resulting in higher spending-per-minute averages. Quick turnover on a busy night is a restaurateur’s dream. The matrix-like efficiency with which we were served sent a clear message that we were here strictly to eat, not to dilly dally.

And eat, we did…Seared Sea Scallops on velvety Mandilli Pasta with truffle butter; a dense billet of Spinach Lasagna Bolognese; and a Saffron Seafood Risotto in spicy tomato sauce. All dishes were beautifully presented and served piping hot since they didn‘t have far to travel.

The lasagna was prepared the way I like it, no red sauce, all white and green and garlicky. The risotto was a risky choice because I find most risotto dishes disappointing. It probably stems from my love of paella. When I see saffron and risotto on a menu, I expect something with more bite. The scallop dish was elegant in its simplicity. Delicate snips of lemon and scallion added a light balance to weighty scallops and buttery pasta.

Our fast-track seating assignment didn’t prevent us from sampling three of the desserts, the Tiramisu, Affugato with Warm Beignets, and the hands down favorite, Bittersweet Chocolate Cannoli, bursting at the crispy seams with billowy chocolate mousse magnificence.

It’s clear that I'll need to post a sequel to this review. It’s my duty to you, imaginary readers, to deliver a thorough, detailed report on Asti’s Lamb Shank 'Ossobuco'. I should probably test the Chocolate Cannolis a few more times, too. Maybe on a weekly basis. It's for the greater good.

Fuego's - Authentic Mexican & California Cuisine, Now With Ammonia!

In 2006, the International Gymnastics Federation revamped the scoring system for gymnastics from the “perfect 10” model to the current two part model. Gymnasts' total scores are now assessed in two parts - the difficulty of the routine and its execution. If this system applied to restaurant experiences, Fuego’s somehow managed to stick the landing, but that wasn’t enough to compensate for all the bobbles, falters and face plants during the execution.

First, there was the issue of location. I was prepared to find Fuego’s in a banal strip center on North Lamar, but I wasn’t prepared for the fact that it was impossible to turn left from the northbound lane. The shopping center was located off of a two-way side street, yet, inexplicably, the traffic sign said “No Left Turn.” So, we went about half a mile north on Lamar, turned around and entered the shopping center from the southbound lane. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless.

I was also prepared for the lack of ambiance. Some of my favorite restaurants look like Roseanne’s living room. But walking into Fuego’s we were hit with a miasmic cloud of ammonia. Having lived down-wind from a meat packing plant for 20 years, my sensitivity to smell is less than delicate, but this was palpable. A quick trip to the restroom offered an explanation. In addition to the industrial strength toilet cake, there were 3 other cleaning products and two signs with hand washing instructions and H1N1 warnings. This didn’t help my appetite, but I was reassured that I was at minimal risk for contamination.

We ordered soft drinks, but after one sip, we knew something was amiss. The ice tasted like it had absorbed the ammonia from the toilet cake/cleaning supply arsenal, along with a variety of medicinal infusions. It was at this point that we realized that it would take something spectacular, the food equivalent of a perfectly executed Geinger, to keep Fuego’s from being disqualified.
 
The weird smells and caustic ice distracted my attention away from the fact that we weren’t offered the standard chips and salsa appetizer. That’s unfortunate, considering how powerful a good basket of salty chips and a bowl of salsa can be to a dining experience. How else do you explain the success of Chilis?

We ordered the Fish Taco Plate and the Carne Asada Taco Plate with a side of rice and beans. Both taco dishes were made with fresh homemade corn tortillas. The fish tacos were prepared with lightly breaded fresh snapper, not the typical cheap cod fish. The fish was topped with a habanero coleslaw and pickled onions, finished off with a jalapeno tartar sauce. The carne asada tacos were pretty basic with meat, cilantro and onions accompanied by a choice of red or green salsa. The rice and beans were good, but a little cold.

Back to the gymnastics analogy. When it comes to restaurants, Austin is like the Olympics. With so many restaurants to choose from, only the elite can survive. If you’re a little hole in the wall, in a bad location, you’re wagering your entire success on the taste of your food instead of trying to create an overall pleasant experience for your customers. Shawn Johnson didn’t win a silver medal just by nailing her dismounts. She won by meeting all the requirements for difficulty, artistry and execution in her routines. It’s the build-up before the landing that keeps us on the edge of our seats, rooting for a gymnast to stick the landing. I wasn’t rooting for Fuegos. The tacos were good, but by the time they arrived, I was ready to Yurchenko on out of there.

Holy Cacao Balls!

The best part of any journey, in my opinion, is the surprise of discovery. My strongest memories usually involve food, and more often than not, a food related discovery. Like the rainy afternoon in Italy when I ducked into a little trattoria to wait out the storm. It was here that I discovered black ravioli in truffle cream sauce and came as close to tasting nirvana as I’m ever going to get. Of course, not every discovery turns out so well. (I’ll save the chicken head story for another post.)

I suspect that the appeal of Holy Cacao stems from this same kind of discovery. The first customers probably came upon the cute, hand-painted food trailer as they were riding their vintage cruisers down South First on their way to the Torchy’s Tacos. They were probably so delighted by the unique concept of bite sized cake balls on a stick followed by a cold cup of frozen drinking chocolate that they rushed home to post their discovery on Urban Spoon, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, or what have you.

That’s how I learned about Holy Cacao and developed a craving for some thick, creamy frozen chocolate and cake ball goodness. So, on Sunday, we made our way over to the South First Trailer Park to satisfy my craving.