tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90678081024448268022024-02-20T16:36:04.257-06:00Keep Austin TastyTwo new Austinites exploring all things delicious that the city has to offer.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-86943299723417659942010-08-09T15:26:00.008-05:002010-08-17T15:31:57.954-05:00Zoot Tasting Menu: Our 1 year anniversary!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7lMILqM5FTiVVkTWntfA9SV5GEqKqtVO_HPHctKPw98r_rRXVAbDZSbrZ8nZ7bAjxLoxo4IUOPR70FO0nx7uHJWKabCkgjBOPh0HCof_ilRnwOA5tUSjg2cvjCiQAG_i_GZVuvKRGn-9/s1600/IMG_4829.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxx9z_RdqXT94lJrpoZiTHqhv9oQkmAndAHWC7vCmyqIj8m0wwYfAaW0zorEKTgoDXZr6LD2c5Jl3r8Rfo4nXOvlWaKQu8zEg-WtuvwyMTer8c0foMpwjWayjDUwZ8F3MIJzaIcs0P4Hpj/s1600/IMG_4815.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxx9z_RdqXT94lJrpoZiTHqhv9oQkmAndAHWC7vCmyqIj8m0wwYfAaW0zorEKTgoDXZr6LD2c5Jl3r8Rfo4nXOvlWaKQu8zEg-WtuvwyMTer8c0foMpwjWayjDUwZ8F3MIJzaIcs0P4Hpj/s200/IMG_4815.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503511683172018242" /></a><br />Hey Readers! Hope this posting finds you well. I have some happy news to report, Han and I recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary, and as a present to ourselves, we purchased a Canon EOS Rebel T1i. It takes beautiful food photography shots (a.k.a. food porn) and best of all, we get to feel like real food bloggers, not just the only ones walking around events with our dinky point-and-shoot. <div><br /></div><div>Anyways, we decided to break out the new camera with a trip out to Zoot at their new(-</div><div>ish) location way out west on Bee Caves near the lake. We caught a <a href="http://livingsocial.com/">Living Social</a> deal a few months back. $27 gets you your choice of the Chef's Tasting Menu or the Farmer's (vegetarian) Tasting Menu. We opted to go for one of each so that we could try a little bit of everything. Let me tell you guys, as good as the Chef's Tasting Menu was, I think any ferocious meat eater would also be hard pressed to say that the Farmer's Menu didn't also stand up pound-for-pound. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first course was a Boudin sausage salad for the Chef's and Melon Salad with goat cheese for the Farmer's. The sausage salad was pretty good as you'd imagine, but the melon salad was definitely the more interesting dish. The cantaloupe was sliced thin like fat linguine noodles, and topped with cubes of watermelon, almonds, goat cheese, cayenne pepper, and a soy ginger dressing.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYAfkeuW_yH2Y5MCXPvygc5knK1pt-IGmBC0ekHFP-J-Fyx7VotOQeSK0sNm297zJxiqMwQ-zfi2NQ8lt4K8GQJHvknJSu2-TmrM4Bgqp8yp-wZxdgi4Vfvt0_knckfyOMFDc2BAknq3y/s200/IMG_4830.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506476229807961762" /><div>The next appetizer was a ham and fig salad for the chef's menu, and butternut squash soup for the farmer's menu. One of my favorite parts about going to nice r</div><div>estaurants is discovering really great food pairings that I never would have guessed. In this case, in the salad, it was figs and goat cheese. You've probably heard me say before that Han hates anything coming from an animal that goes "baa" but even she liked this one.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next course was a soy/miso salmon and a mushroom risotto (left). Both dishes were</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7lMILqM5FTiVVkTWntfA9SV5GEqKqtVO_HPHctKPw98r_rRXVAbDZSbrZ8nZ7bAjxLoxo4IUOPR70FO0nx7uHJWKabCkgjBOPh0HCof_ilRnwOA5tUSjg2cvjCiQAG_i_GZVuvKRGn-9/s200/IMG_4829.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506476950207564034" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px; " /></span><div> excellent. Consequently, these two dishes were not only our two favorites, but also the two that turned out the best in pictures, so they are the ones shown. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final courses (before dessert) was a grilled NY strip steak for the chef's and these curried lentils and fried potato things for the farmer's. Now I meant what I said earlier about the veggie tasting menu being a close call even for meat eaters, and this was no different. For many meat eaters, steak is like the holy grail. I haven't been eating a ton of meat as of late, but I really thought this battle would be no contest. In the end, it really was tough to decided. I really think one of the best parts of being in a relationship (especially with someone else who loves food as much as I do) is that you don't HAVE to decide between two dishes. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final course was the flourless chocolate cake. I'm not a big wine guy myself. I enjoy drinking it, but it's hard for me in most cases to say that a specific pairing really made that much of a difference in a dish. In this case however, the dessert wine that was paired with the cake made a huge difference. The tartness and bubbliness of the sparkling dessert wine made the cake taste like an entirely different dessert. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well I don't think anyone really needed me to say something like "Zoot is indeed a great restaurant and you should definitely check it out." I'm just really glad we got the opportunity to celebrate in style. Til next time folks!<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><br /></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-62812064637616879902010-07-03T17:22:00.013-05:002010-07-03T20:29:56.532-05:00Uchiko<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr2SSFBTNKp5uej9HRszaeyXNeVVGn4RaBmCdywVhB8lXQD7YZ9LidYtVPl20J_VTeBOk2TmxN0U0VpAuzc12utzfdncOemBBkrU2A-DT_lehASBFm7tHD4x3NH3ZAHqQc-ZsHavo3ep2/s1600/2010-07-01+18.59.31.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2ZenQxmIaGKdZ9SqScdI3pz-wy_ujNe1PyfuasGbzLeGXOF38Vk4XwdHf_Fhr_Xkj_Z92QcN9hN4CSYGauT208zy7FRTzcQ4pXTx08gxhWAqrvCixtTpKuXIuG6C57_erPzMKPOQtpS5/s1600/2010-07-01+17.48.40.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2ZenQxmIaGKdZ9SqScdI3pz-wy_ujNe1PyfuasGbzLeGXOF38Vk4XwdHf_Fhr_Xkj_Z92QcN9hN4CSYGauT208zy7FRTzcQ4pXTx08gxhWAqrvCixtTpKuXIuG6C57_erPzMKPOQtpS5/s200/2010-07-01+17.48.40.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489816842950242002" /></a><br />Well we are back ladies and gentlemen, and just in time for one of the most anticipated Austin restaurant openings in recent history. Uchi chef Tyson Cole has opened up a second location, called Uchiko, at 42nd and Lamar (right next to the new TacoDeli location... could this be the most delicious corner in all of Austin??)<div><br /><div>We had the chance to attend the pre-opening and sample some of the goods at half off. The overall concept of Uchiko is almost exactly the same as the original, just a completely different menu. So needless to say, as big fans of the original Uchi, we were very excited. When it came time to finally order, we really had no idea which way to go, so we decided to push all our chips to the center and order omakase. (Omakase is a Japanese sushi tradition, that translates to "It's up to you," and basically you are challenging the chef to give you his or her best stuff.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I can definitely say that the two best decisions I have ever made in my life are: #1 Marrying Han, and #2 Ordering Omakase at Uchiko. All in all, we ate fourteen dishes, including two desserts. We will highlight each of our three favorite dishes.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Justin's Favorites</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>#1. Eggplant Nigiri</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCF4B0s8OC9bsClv5aodqpZ2NmEuUNq9WdwuWQrEk1oxaXb2kA0NbkspkcL0p6E5KannvYDlRTGHSemJLSrlEYgVhRkH8hsYqO8ljA9XM1bivZkWpvWGv64i2Ck4RJmJrRwV8vAYuz7Az/s200/2010-07-01+18.22.55.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489819721336943986" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So not that everything we had wasn't fantastic, but about 8 dishes in, I thought to myself, "I've really enjoyed everything so far, but I'm still waiting to be blown away. Ev</div><div>erything we've had has been an 8 or a 9. I know a 10 is coming, but I don't know when." Well the eggplant nigiri was my 10. </div><div><br /></div><div>Both incredibly innovative and delicious, this dish is served just like regular fish nigiri, but with a sauteed slice of eggplant served on top of rice. The BBQ sauce is sweet and tasty and the eggplant is grilled slightly crispy, and tastes remarkably somewhat like fis</div><div>h only better. This is especially a boon to vegetarians or anyone else who doesn't like raw fish. </div><div><br /></div><div>#2. Bacon Sen (Pork Belly)</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoVbX_qW2QemCbAFYiauXKk98CT-fDVJFdmT0J1Se8BQ_QjVn0U22yeDJLxXgQFTlOv3w4vxtLpFmLVi1R4qijCTZlwKXXqe4G3yP94d9iZTrm0MuYNL7Ip3Ez3wd8oLQ6zF2Ffxgr9uH/s200/2010-07-01+18.26.33.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489821323311555698" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So truth be told, I probably would have considered this my favorite dish, but saying pork belly is your favorite is like saying your favorite band is the Beatles. The pork belly itself was as good as you probably imagine it; crispy on the outside, tender and fatty in the middle. But the real kicker was the garnishes: apple puree and kimchi apples. Eating all three in one bite was a perfect trifecta. </div><div><br /></div><div>#3. Kai Jiru (Mussel soup)</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50NRttq_dgshhNO71VPnJHynWS2uEx5vQmBFboOmVW7EUzABkXysBMiDEPMrkaNG8gkVTYTqRJg5HXserGksKgTZGxVV7jBJMgyOJ4awN9UxInSpbUO1CHM00UEuF6zP-CGNaPyVrjtJP/s200/2010-07-01+18.01.51.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489824482622083506" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I put this one because it was the one I was most surprised by. At first glance it looks like a weird amalgamation of vegetables and seafood in a shot glass. Also the description of the ingredients was a little odd as well. "Tomato water?" But don't be fooled, this was as tasty of a soup as I've ever had. The mussels were juicy and tender and the tomato water broth ended up being an amazing compliment. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Han's Favorites</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>#1. Usagi Yaki (Rabbit Terrine)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvGZLPFiYXRdvku1a8tv23ZofLK6a1o5ODV69TB3H56LUUgxD9OhvmCeM8AaFH6FhUAK3OzaU0kZGQ0PnMgw9y68GAV3VarGjbYeSDn_FTqEnbR7HC2_u6Pl8ZDcJ_2SJabocpugr3h32/s200/2010-07-01+18.35.50.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489828374147881362" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>(Yeah so that's my impatient fork in that picture above...) One thing you have to know about Han is that she absolutely hates gamey meat, but she not only loved the Usagi Yaki, she thinks she wants to start raising rabbits for meat now. Much like the Bacon Sen, the Usagi Yaki is delectable enough on its own, but the additions to the dish, quail egg and pureed peas, take it to an entirely different level completely. </div><div><br /></div><div>#2. Lobster Gazpacho</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBZJJGH7OTbh0KswR87tsuiQ1ReNe-lIVC2FXa_H98xL_H0Mib-mo-uL3wwAYcOMmkW1e4WiLp832Yz0CEQFbFNZP9f85ajDupmVH4Uq_09WV56C-ZX8aSQzB15Ve6CIgTDosw3UUEuMf/s200/2010-07-01+17.50.14.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489829856453626210" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Han was already won over with the huge hearty chunks of lobster, but the gazpacho broth was just as incredible; watermelon-y but savory with the added bite of cilantro. </div><div><br /></div><div>#3. Jiiro (Locke Du Arte Salmon)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXRafzxj5wzr8_P1AQRfcEXAbjxoLODlMp2bX4J4YKc4XXnyrmvoktnTB7Dr9rkK8P6Ulygf7J6-DEzKRZ6CVDubBfaUbCRNQn5hVwX6fHaEunbxk3wXkvb8vUrihbrcG2GOO3W8GQSuN/s200/2010-07-01+18.25.13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489830561383307778" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>This was probably our favorite true sushi roll of the evening, simple but innovative. Salmon and avocado inside of a soy wrap, but topped with preserved lemon. Dip it inside the swipe of skyr yogurt on the side for maximum experience. </div><div><br /></div><div>And of course a special shoutout goes to the desserts. Both of which were incredible and unlike anything we had ever had before.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Sweet Corn Custard</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GCINnMyp61NdBbem5_NhK8SGtzZnP8kYowMi9SncUE1wb_2N_D1OSnNiMVllftq8rlLbMxizXzaSByYemjZLrn9DoYxx6I-DXiWGWo8ed15xTZm7zvcDJBwjemBBfkVcM0cdKrl8Ynh6/s200/2010-07-01+18.59.23.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489855004527394866" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Understand I mean this in the best way possible: this dessert tasted like they had an Iron Chef contest where the ingredient was Captain Crunch. Corn bread crumbles with polenta over vanilla ice cream. Pure amazing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fried Milk</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr2SSFBTNKp5uej9HRszaeyXNeVVGn4RaBmCdywVhB8lXQD7YZ9LidYtVPl20J_VTeBOk2TmxN0U0VpAuzc12utzfdncOemBBkrU2A-DT_lehASBFm7tHD4x3NH3ZAHqQc-ZsHavo3ep2/s200/2010-07-01+18.59.31.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489856582196035714" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>If the description of the Sweet Corn Custard sounded odd, I don't even really know where to begin with the Fried Milk. This was by far the most confusing but delicious dessert I have ever had. It was like eating a Picasso painting. Condensed milk deep fried, topped with ice cream and chocolate wafers. A MUST HAVE. </div><div><br /></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-17091964299000646782010-05-01T09:16:00.005-05:002010-05-01T09:54:27.050-05:00#CAFB Food Blogger Project Day 5: Peanut Sauce Noodles and How You Can Help<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmONaUXGHY6AnQBQXIG248LnXQR5nFNaKXpKulD_g9KLwqD9ufiJhDHIsG0jFQ6KA1BCdbt4Czxp5pw_bI2IKxL6DhiIP4NYpj0CbT7DWSRpFvyO8_orDM4_nY6GlwXULmk0OM8zwFyx7O/s1600/blog-widget.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmONaUXGHY6AnQBQXIG248LnXQR5nFNaKXpKulD_g9KLwqD9ufiJhDHIsG0jFQ6KA1BCdbt4Czxp5pw_bI2IKxL6DhiIP4NYpj0CbT7DWSRpFvyO8_orDM4_nY6GlwXULmk0OM8zwFyx7O/s200/blog-widget.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466305498957493714" /></a>Well here we are. We've come to the final day of the project. The final dish we wanted to prepare is a little more off-the-wall and fun. It may sound like something an intoxicated college student would dream up, but Han and I both remember eating something similar when we were young, making it somewhat authentic I guess. <div><br /></div><div>And besides, all joking aside, price sensitivity is of course something that is common to both college students and people trying to make ends meet, making this an excellent dish to prepare.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ingredients</b></div><div><ul><li>2 ramen packages</li><li>2 tbsp peanut butter</li><li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li><li>Garlic powder or salt to taste</li><li>Dried chives</li></ul><div>First boil the ramen noodles for 3 minutes. Throw the flavor packages away. Drain the noodles and add back in the pot. Add in the peanut butter and soy sauce while stirring over heat. Add a</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFCLRwxrfcNLdGMUjp2dCn9wdHYNPYfQ9ama4tHrKJXeos4ogM1hwC66snwOvUzYi-j4RuU6merJn9msqcyczVCUURUaP6VhnfpirJuwlJpqQvWPkKn6AyqIBk2X0QhK6vl_dXgoj2GWS/s200/2010-04-28+19.14.00.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466309706661070818" /><div> few dashes of garlic powder or garlic salt and sprinkle with the chives and you're done. This dish also goes really well with chicken or shrimp.</div><br /></div><div>I liked this dish a lot because it was incredibly tasty. Plus, even though ramen gets kind of a bad rap in the food world, this is a big improvement because you're getting rid of a lot of the sodium by throwing out the rice packets and adding protein through the peanut butter.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now that the project is over, where do we go from here? Maybe you've been reading our posts this week and want to know how you can help. Lisa Goddard of the Capital Area Food Bank says the biggest help can come in three ways:</div><div><ul><li><b>Donate. </b>Healthy, non-perishable food can be dropped off directly at the Food Bank or any Austin-area Randalls or RunTex. And as wonderful as food donations are, Lisa says that donating money really helps the Food Bank go a long way in terms of managing the types of food that are available to ensure that people are getting food that is fresh, healthy, and balanced. </li><li><b>Volunteer.</b> There are a wide range of opportunities to donate your time, everything from sorting donations, to distributing food, even educating people on gardening or nutrition. </li><li><b>Contact Elected Officials. </b>Right now there are several pieces of legislation that need support that would help feed families in the area, such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the the Women Infants and Children Program (WIC). If hunger issues are important to you, your elected officials need you to let them know to make it a priority. </li></ul><div>Information on all of these and more are available in the <a href="http://www.austinfoodbank.org/how-to-help/">Capital Area Food Bank website.</a> And don't forget that the <a href="http://www.austinfoodbank.org/stampout/">Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive</a> is coming May 8th. Look for your bag in your mailbox, fill it with healthy, non-perishable food and set it by your mailbox on May 8th to be picked up. </div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-52042018114892160632010-04-29T20:39:00.005-05:002010-04-29T21:20:25.983-05:00#CAFB Food Blogger Project Day 4: "Sort Of" Pad Thai<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKJsDhp3XZdgAM7KVKckCS8ZOZawCEMm08LAwl5UEk4I5MX9K8sEPFmE5PbSusxwV8-50LKtqOmpQXdugJoMqZdzXPx5p5WVE3A12I8w5zLls29uF6QrL7ZSyAj9PXHWmK5JZS1_gUom0/s1600/blog-widget.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKJsDhp3XZdgAM7KVKckCS8ZOZawCEMm08LAwl5UEk4I5MX9K8sEPFmE5PbSusxwV8-50LKtqOmpQXdugJoMqZdzXPx5p5WVE3A12I8w5zLls29uF6QrL7ZSyAj9PXHWmK5JZS1_gUom0/s200/blog-widget.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465739505103531778" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">So a few days ago, Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon from the Austin American Statesman paid us a visit to talk to us about the food blogger project, just in time to sample one of our more, um, daring recipes we made this week. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Jorge interviewed us on camera and took some shots of us cooking our dish for the night, which was probably your average run of the mill day for him, but for us it was pretty exciting and somewhat nerve-</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">wracking. The final cut of the video should be out early next week and we will definitely be posting in on the site. (Everyone should check out my mad knife skills, courtesy of the knife skills class Han got me for my birthday...)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Well so far all of our recipes have stayed pretty true to the original dishes, mainly because we were able to get key ingredients that we needed from our stash, such as rice and flour. Today, we posed a question of what happens when you don't get everything you need and you need to make some rather drastic substitutions? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Case in point: families who receive supplements from the Capital Area Food Bank gene</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">rally don't get any rice noodles (although understandably so...). So what's a recently-immigrated Asian family to do if they want some pad thai? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">We looked at the ingredient list and thought that, while some suspension of disbelief might be necessary, we just might be able to make a half-decent pad thai dish out of everything. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Ingredients</span></b></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">1/2 package of Spaghetti (cooked)</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">1 can of mixed vegetables</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">1 can of mushrooms</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">2 eggs</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Oyster sauce</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Fish sauce</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Sugar</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">2 cloves garlic (minced) </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">10 leaves basil (from our garden) </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">1 tbsp Canola oil</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, crushed</span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">At this point, I'd like to make a quick note that oyster sauce and fish sauce are both very common Thai ingredients and we are working under the assumption that these are ingredients a recently-immigrated family would keep stocked. </span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Anyways, the first step we did was to heat the canola oil in a wok for a minute or so. Break the eggs into the wok and scramble lightly until mostly cooked. Add the minced garlic and mix. Mix in the spaghetti and stir fry until the egg is mixed in well. Add in the mushrooms and</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> vegetables and keep mixing! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Next comes the actual seasoning. Many Thai dishes have three common ingredients, each with its own distinct flavor - sugar (sweet), oyster sauce (savory), and fish sauce (umami??) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Together they combine to make the distinctly "Thai" flavor that you may recognize, and the ratio of the three can really make a big difference in the way the dish tastes. Try and experiment til you find a combination you like! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8EpYXJcSPpcQsaXb9L9OvojFnPMgNquJCPUy_quOptD-yKCjC9B8sl7pftm1lu5HwlJ1v53ADPdzXx9hiGACUAHlFtGQxJOkEte3TV8ivAuWhG3xOPuf6MxS8QbpkJeXUtDx47DCarOG/s200/2010-04-27+20.03.57.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465747461389888258" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">As for us, we generally like it heavy on the fish sauce, with about 3 or 4 "globs" of oyster sauce, and about a tablespoon of sugar. Just dump the ingredients right on the dish and keep stir-frying until it's dissolved.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Lastly, tear up the basil leaves and mix in to the pad thai. If you happen to have some bean sprouts lying around, you can add them here too. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on the dish and you're ready to serve. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The result? Something that looks absolutely nothing like pad thai! But in total honesty it tasted pretty good. For sure the spaghetti in place of rice noodles was pretty weird, and of course our distaste for canned vegetables has already been well documented, but the mushrooms were actually pretty good, and if we had added some chicken or shrimp, I think this definitely could have been something. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Check back soon for our final post for the project! </span></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-12928154240711897832010-04-27T21:37:00.002-05:002010-04-27T22:45:21.675-05:00#CAFB Hunger Project: Lessons LearnedWe are a little over half way through our week of meager eating. Even though we are not sticklers to the food pantry menu, it is incredible what we have already learned thus far. There is so much we take for granted everyday. I've also learned a lot about myself and what I am willing to sacrifice in the name of taste. Food is a delightful pleasure, and when I am not able to enjoy it, I would just rather not eat. It has been difficult to change my mentality from "live to eat" to "eat to live." Here are a few other take-home-messages:<br /><ul><li>This may be obvious, but <span style="font-weight: bold;">food = brain power</span>. When whatever available is unappetizing, or if I make a conscious effort to not spend money on lunch, I make the incredibly poor choice of not eating at all. I don't notice an energy crash or stabbing hunger pains. Instead, the world feels like it is in slow motion and my reaction time is greatly reduced. My concentration sucks, and I become moody and mean. Not a great combination. I have to make a conscious effort to eat, for health and mood sake. Definitely a newly adopted "eat to live" mentality.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Frozen veggies are SO much better than canned veggies. </span>The difference is surprisingly noticeable. Of course fresh produce trumps them all, but I will take microwaved frozen green giant over mushy canned peas any day! </li><li>That being said, <span style="font-weight: bold;">canned mushrooms are delicious</span>! They retain their firmness and flavor quite well. I guess some veggies just can better than others. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beggars CAN be choosers.</span> I will always take advantage of free food. But since this year, we have made a resolution to eat sustainably, cutting out factory farmed meat all together. We were at a baseball game with a free buffet, but without any veggie options. Ordinarily, I would've bought something else (nachos and cheese pizza anyone??). But in the spirit of this project, I tried to make do with what was available. I made a delicious potato-chip burger, complete with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, ketchup and mustard. It was yummy, I didn't even miss the protein. The chips added a nice crunch and texture.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">It is very difficult, if not impossible to eat organic sustainable meat on a limited budget</span>. It's as simple as Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Until your basic nutrition and hunger needs are met, who cares about the welfare of animals? You are going to make your dollar stretch as far as possible, regardless of the hidden costs. Unfortunately, the $8 terraburger is no match for Mickey D's dollar value menu.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eating nutritious, well-balanced, and healthy meals takes practice with this diet. </span>As you may have noticed, most of our recipes have been loaded with carbs. I'm sure it becomes easier to expand your repertoire. It is even harder with our "no-factory-farmed-meat" rule. Seafood is expensive. So is any organic meat. With a vegetarian diet, it is hard to get your protein. It's too bad the food pantry doesn't give out tofu! We have been relying on eggs, beans, and mushrooms for protein.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Variety is a luxury. </span>We ate congee every morning for 4 days, and got quite sick of it. That was only 4 days!! As foodies, we really appreciate variation in our diet. I know some people like eating cereal every morning, but we are not those people. I try not to eat the same thing more than two days in a row.<br /></li><li>We've had to get <span style="font-weight: bold;">creative with our leftovers</span>. I made mashed potatoes for dinner one night. The next day Justin made potato, egg, and cheese breakfast tacos, with some barbecue sauce. I added some wasabi and green onions to it for lunch as a side to my (non-food pantry) salmon. We finished off the potatoes, but had we had anymore, I was considering making it into a a chilled potato soup. Ah the possibilities!</li><li>There needs to be <span style="font-weight: bold;">policy changes around food and nutrition </span>in our country. Who can blame anyone for choosing a super-sized value meal (subsidized by government money for corn and ranching) over a spring salad that costs exactly the same?? What are our children eating for school lunches? A few things I remember from my teaching days are: frito pie, pizza, corndogs, nachos, and processed/packaged PB&J on white crustless bread. Keep in mind that for many kids, this is their only solid meal of the day. Full of fat, carbs, sodium, and sugar. As a testament to this, I gained 15lbs while teaching, from eating those lunches (oreos and chips for snacktime didn't help either... but that's what the parents brought!) and I lost that weight after moving to Austin and changing my diet. No wonder we have such round kiddos these days. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Major kudos to CAFB for providing nutrition education to families. </span>Kids are picky eaters, and when you are trying to make ends meet, you don't exactly have the time or resources to get creative with making kid-approved healthy meals. I had one student who ONLY ate McDonald's, no joke. He refused all other food, threw his lunch away every day. Granted he had autism, and his parents just didn't know what to do. To make sure he ate, they gave in to his demands everyday. This was a huge financial drain on the family, not to mention nutritionally unacceptable. What else can you do? Thank you CAFB for your cooking classes and outreach to teach these families healthy alternatives.<br /></li></ul>Hanstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398153543534168854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-82321641201145418482010-04-26T21:16:00.004-05:002010-04-26T22:36:17.722-05:00#CAFB Food Blogger Project Day 3: Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancake)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRezcMgGAWeG8vDa74dtNlTx09gi5hScPTOiSdsi0AvM6njg6B4ff1wuESbcdoYyVRu_wZruyVBrYaOhGekPhPOrqKDm-jm4rR1wAnWLruftj7eKU1dYSg2MuGu9lDd3WwySpUBj9xX_6E/s1600/2010-04-25+12.42.18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRezcMgGAWeG8vDa74dtNlTx09gi5hScPTOiSdsi0AvM6njg6B4ff1wuESbcdoYyVRu_wZruyVBrYaOhGekPhPOrqKDm-jm4rR1wAnWLruftj7eKU1dYSg2MuGu9lDd3WwySpUBj9xX_6E/s200/2010-04-25+12.42.18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464636698727398962" border="0" /></a>So a quick announcement: we just got word that the Austin American Statesman is coming over to our house tomorrow to film a piece on the food blogger project. I think they're going to interview us and maybe film some shots of us cooking. Ack! Gotta clean...<br /><br />Anyways, today's dish is somewhat of a dim sum classic, known in Chinese as cong you bing, and known in English by many names -- green onion pie, scallion pancake, etc. -- mainly because it's hard to really describe what's going on here that actually sounds appealing.<br /><br />In essence, it's fried dough, with onions and salt, and when made correctly, is darn delicious. The recipe below, though, is a somewhat modified version, slightly different than what you will get at Chinese restaurants. This is actually something College Justin used to make all the time, particularly because it was tasty and inexpensive. The ingredients are simple: <div><ul><li>1 cup flour</li><li>1/2 cup chopped green onion</li><li>1 egg (beaten)</li><li>water</li><li>salt</li><li>oil</li></ul><div>You will also need some kind of flat surface, like a cutting board or a clean countertop. Also this is incredibly messy so be sure to wash your hands often and remove any jewelry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Start out by pouring the flour into a big bowl. Pour about 1/4 cup of water in the bowl and start mixing. A flour dough will start to form. Form as much clay into a ball as you can, about the size of a ping pong ball. </div><div><br /></div><div>Flatten the dough on the surface and mix in a little bit of the egg. This is when it starts to get really messy. Once the egg is mixed in, add flour to the dough until it is dry. Add water and flour to the ball until it is about the size of a squash ball (that may or may not help - roughly 1.5" in diameter). </div><div><br /></div><div>Flatten the dough again and mix in about a tablespoon of the green onion until it is completely meshed into the dough. Dust with some flour on both sides and repeat the entire process creating pancakes until the flour and green onions run out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next heat up some oil in a frying pan, and fry the pancakes for about 1-2 minutes on each side until fully cooked. Once each pancake is finished place on a paper towel to dry. Sprinkle some salt to taste and enjoy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now as I said this is something I used to make all the time. In fact this is probably the first time since college that I've made it, in a time when both money and nutrition value had little meaning to me. This time around I made about 10 pancakes, and Han and I literally just ate that for lunch and nothing else. </div><div><br /></div><div>The other day I talked about how hard it is to eat healthily on a budget because the cost of fresh produce is so cost ineffective. Along the same line, it's very cheap to make food that still tastes pretty good, despite having little to no nutritional value.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back in humanity's hunter/gatherer days, salt and fat were pretty rare and our bodies needed to get them whenever it was possible. As such, to this day, our bodies are pre-programmed to crave these things, even though they are both widely available and very inexpensive. </div><div><br /></div><div>As delicious as it is, cong you bing is pretty much nothing but salt and fat (and carbs). It's generally served as a side dish, but after today, I can definitely see how someone might choose to eat this and nothing else for an entire meal or maybe even an entire day. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think this might be part of the reason why it seems almost all cultures have some sort of fried dough dish -- doughnuts, churros, Indian fry bread, etc. People in every country have hunger issues, and it makes sense that they may try to feed themselves in the most inexpensive yet satisfying ways possible for them. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-20227969505767655982010-04-25T14:15:00.007-05:002010-04-25T16:05:42.792-05:00#CAFB Food Blogger Project Day 2: Garlic Fried Rice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5OH5PcgDq6TFN9BAGNrMflbFaNzHdm5aAQv7kbOWe8GsbskDr0P7J5u7f2Z9tMYok5BRYpdCcdn2W7ljgiS17Ze7boVsbGJGY7nHaBhAsv7Cd4z45E9ZxeGBhTvk-7AtbPYcwCwTa6Vq/s1600/blog-widget.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5OH5PcgDq6TFN9BAGNrMflbFaNzHdm5aAQv7kbOWe8GsbskDr0P7J5u7f2Z9tMYok5BRYpdCcdn2W7ljgiS17Ze7boVsbGJGY7nHaBhAsv7Cd4z45E9ZxeGBhTvk-7AtbPYcwCwTa6Vq/s200/blog-widget.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464161174694848018" /></a><br />At the Hunger Awareness Project kickoff meeting last week, Lisa Goddard, the Online Marketing Director at CAFB, said that she had no real ideas on what to expect out of the food bloggers this week, and she liked that. She said that each face who comes into the Capital Area Food Bank has a completely different story, from the homeless man living on the street, to the mother of three who, although still fully employed, still just needs a little something extra to fill her pantry because she's unable to do so on her own means.<div>We're a few days into the project and I continue to be amazed as to the different stories that are emerging out of everyone else's experiences who are also on the project (Check out the <a href="http://austinfoodbank.wordpress.com/austin-food-bloggers/">other blogs</a> as well, if you haven't gotten a chance already). Many of the bloggers, such as <a href="http://myfoodtoday.blogspot.com/">Something to Chew On</a> and <a href="http://www.austinfarmtotable.com/">Austin Farm to Table</a>, are diving full on into the hunger experience, eating nothing but stuff from the sample list for an entire week. As for us, we kind of made the executive decision to work with the list kind of like a Top Chef challenge. We want to produce some reasonably tasty Asian-inspired dishes made largely from the sample list with a few low-cost additions. The reason for this is, first, because we're much more familiar with Asian cooking than any other kind. But also our hope is that maybe (just maybe) a family who takes from the CAFB regularly who might be a little weary of Hamburger Helper and spaghetti marinara might somehow stumble upon these recipes and eat some dishes they might not normally get to eat.</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsbxQIK0J4Dbbkjti2qRqzHinjPNMro0tKykRFWkXla_PAylbd7kawrsztfLPwAnyHukDRJn3Uu4GE4aGp9jFK92pMw3Xf1HUY3KoU07utAxzfwlmqqIoAFlMpiRmCV2k_g0kqGrQSmOO/s200/2010-04-24+13.45.17.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464184204517458962" /><div><br /></div><div>Today's recipe is probably not one that's unfamiliar to any of you: garlic fried rice. Once again, the ingredients are mostly taken from the sample list of items visitors to the Capital Area Food Bank may receive: </div><div><ul><li>4 cups of white rice</li><li>1 can of mixed vegetables (any mix will do, but we used peas and carrots)</li><li>Any protein that is available (chicken, pork, beef)</li></ul><div>In addition, we are adding the following, which might already be available in many kitchens or at most would cost a few dollars at the grocery store:</div></div><div><ul><li>2 cloves garlic (minced)</li><li>2 eggs</li><li>1/3 cup chopped green onions</li><li>Soy sauce</li><li>Salt and pepper</li><li>Oil</li></ul><div>The first step is the heat up a big wok or any large frying pan (with high sides, if possible) with a tablespoon of oil. Break the eggs open and scramble. Once the egg is mostly solidified, mix in the garlic, followed by the rice. As an aside, Mama Ren insists that the rice you add should be as old as possible to fully maximize the flavor of the rice. I will add that freshly cooked rice seems to work just fine and rice that is over 3 days old should probably be thrown out for safety's sake. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Stir-fry the rice and eggs until everything is hot (should be about 5 minutes depending on how cold the rice was initially). Next add in bite-size pieces any pre-cooked protein and stir fry for 2 minutes. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Just like the congee, this dish goes great with whatever you have, leftover rotisserie chicken, pork chops, whatever.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Drain the mixed vegetables and add them in as well, mixing while you add. Add in some soy sauce (to taste, although adding too much may make the rice soupy) and add salt and pepper (also to taste). Lastly add in the green onions and stir fry for another minute. Let sit for 5 minutes while the sauces absorb into the rice and it's ready to serve. </div><div><br /></div><div>We make this dish a lot because it is fun to make and there is a lot of room for creativity. Sometimes we like using some green curry, other times we'll mix in some oyster sauce, fish sauce, and fresh basil for more of a Thai twist. But in almost all instances we like to use fresh vegetables, whatever we have lying around. Sometimes in a pinch I've used frozen vegetables, but this was the first time we've used canned vegetables and it was a pretty noticeable difference. Even as someone who is pretty adamant about the importance of eating vegetables with every meal, for a split-second I wondered if I should leave the canned vegetables out of the recipe. </div><div><br /></div><div>This brings to light something which, in my mind, is a key issue in hunger awareness. Even if you are provide enough food for you family in terms of sustenance, it is simply not cost-effective to make the choice to eat healthy. </div><div><br /></div><div>If we were making this dish like we normally do, I would have added in some bell peppers, celery, some broccoli, and maybe some carrots, but that would have increased the cost of the dish by about five times. Even just adding one fresh vegetable ingredient might double it. </div><div><br /></div><div>A few weeks ago in the<a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid:990594"> Austin Chronicle</a>, Belinda Acosta wrote an article about the ABC show "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" that pointed out the fact that it's somewhat unfair to lambast middle Americans for making poor food choices when in reality it's not that feasible economically:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"[W]hen it comes right down to it, it's more profitable to create processed, unhealthy food than food that is good for the American people. When a person of limited means is trying to decide between a bundle of fresh broccoli and a bag of processed food that only requires the addition of a cheap cut of meat or pasta to feed a whole family, what do you think the logical choice is?"</b></div><div><br /></div><div>With this in mind, it makes it all the more impressive that the Capital Area Food Bank boasts one of the largest fresh produce distributions in the country. The Fresh Food for Families program distributes an average of 30 pounds of food to more than 3,600 families each month.</div><div><br /></div><div>When it comes right down to it, my distaste for canned vegetables might be seen as just me being overly picky. But it is quite the blessing that so many families, thanks to the CAFB, actually get to make that choice. </div><div><br /></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-76016106937883557582010-04-23T17:32:00.003-05:002010-04-23T18:07:01.931-05:00Day 1: Skipping lunchHi there, Han here. I am not a big lunch-eater. I tend to have whatever Justin makes for breakfast, and bring a few snacks with me to nosh on during the day in lieu of an actual lunch. As a graduate student, my time is limited, and whatever break I take for lunch, comes out of my own time. I would much rather eat at my desk at my research job and get paid for that hour, then go somewhere to eat. Even microwaving something quick is too much effort in my book. My nutrition probably suffers because of this, but I do try to bring healthy, easy snacks.<br /><br />On most days, I have gotten into a habit of bringing these snacks with me to class/work: Lara bar (or Luna bar), trail mix, piece of fruit, diet coke, and chocolate (what can i say... I'm a stressed out woman!) On Thursdays, I go up to a high school to do individual therapy with students as part of my practicum. This involves the rare day of the week where I must dress like I'm older than 15, and carry a bag that isn't a backpack. Yesterday morning, I forgot to transfer my prepackaged snacks from my backpack to my grown-up-bag. Alas, I found myself at lunchtime, without any food, and not even my diet coke. What to do? On a usual day, I'd probably head to Subway and spend the $5 on something quick. But in the spirit of this project, I opted to truck along on an empty stomach. The afternoon passed by quickly, and I made it back home around 4 p.m. It had been 8 hours since I last ate, and my body had made it past grumbling hunger to the "I'm so hungry that I don't even feel hungry anymore" stage. I ate something, but don't even remember what I ate because I was so fuzzy headed. What I do remember is the absolutely foul mood I was in. I was so cranky and emotional, for no particular reason at all. It took me a few hours and snacks to get back into a decent state of mind. The whole afternoon/evening was disorienting and not enjoyable.<br /><br />This was just one day of skipping lunch. Now imagine the countless number of people who do this every day. There are so many children whose only solid meal each day is lunch at school. They are expected to make it through the afternoon, using their brains, and then go home and do homework, without the chance to eat a filling dinner. How can they realistically function without the necessary brain food? When I was teaching, the mother of one of my students told me that her secret to staying thin was that her only meal of the day was dinner. The rest of the day, she would cook for her children, but not eat any herself. It amazed me then, and it astonishes me now. Not merely the fact that she had to live like this, but also her ability to joke about her circumstances as a weight loss plan. She has to take care of 3 young kids, go to work, and maintain her sense of humor, all on one meal a day... WOW. I couldn't even smile after skipping 1 meal! For me, hunger is temporary-- the few minutes before dinner, the week of doing a blogging project, the hours between breakfast and dinner. For so many others, hunger is perpetual. Let's not forget that when we eat our next meal.Hanstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398153543534168854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-13378749738634319552010-04-23T15:06:00.007-05:002010-04-23T15:52:19.393-05:00#CAFB Food Blogger Project Day 1: Congee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEt1qUNRYIWVv0CqTm_t0N2DbOS5b7_LQmhS1sv1xr2g_5fHfCpAUBoJkeHoJJiVDwiXePgbHSDlIzGW_Z2ODj89BGjeqow0kCCN-5qP43HSuzYiMp3RmwauBy9SnmYXzGL4LACABrLEp/s1600/blog-widget.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEt1qUNRYIWVv0CqTm_t0N2DbOS5b7_LQmhS1sv1xr2g_5fHfCpAUBoJkeHoJJiVDwiXePgbHSDlIzGW_Z2ODj89BGjeqow0kCCN-5qP43HSuzYiMp3RmwauBy9SnmYXzGL4LACABrLEp/s200/blog-widget.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463427051170955938" border="0" /></a>So as Han wrote about earlier, we are participating in a food blogger project with the Capital Area Food Bank. The idea is to spread awareness of hunger issues by experiencing some of the same issues first hand.<br /><br />At the kickoff meeting we talked about some of the options that are available for those who are in need of food assistance. Families can receive one bag per month, filled largely with unperishable or canned foods, such as canned vegetables, dry carbs, cereals, etc. And families can also receive food stamps that can help supplement their pantries as well.<br /><br />This week we will be eating meals prepared largely with ingredients that families would receive in a monthly bag, with a few additions that could be purchased rather inexpensively with food stamps.<br /><br />When we first decided to sign up for this project, we pretty knew one of the first dishes we would prepare is congee. Congee is known by a lot of different names, depending the ethnicity of restaurant or household, jook or xi fan just to name a few, but the dish is almost always the same: rice porridge.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA-IfVbF8MZdwy-2RUiJITSsBksm4x8RFc0CA87qA29ijcy_IIYLZmf-JN5So_78Ori-QewS3pD0aMKYohnAHX6wk4fD5vsZLZJLxk9V9KKImpLEfxIIV9sUm5kXQLwXlvpgNitfs-3HE/s1600/2010-04-23+07.52.37.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA-IfVbF8MZdwy-2RUiJITSsBksm4x8RFc0CA87qA29ijcy_IIYLZmf-JN5So_78Ori-QewS3pD0aMKYohnAHX6wk4fD5vsZLZJLxk9V9KKImpLEfxIIV9sUm5kXQLwXlvpgNitfs-3HE/s200/2010-04-23+07.52.37.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463432187984160642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now, if you've never had it before, it probably sounds strange or maybe a little disgusting. But if you grew up in an Asian household it probably evokes warm feelings of breakfast nostalgia.<br /><br />There are a number of reasons why I thought this would make a perfect dish to start off the project:<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's a very authentic dish.</span> Some of the other stuff we will try to make later on this week will no doubt need some artistic licensing due to the available ingredients, but this is a long-standing tried and true recipe.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's very inexpensive.</span> Just one cup of dry white rice can make as many as 8 servings. And it's very filling to boot.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's easy!</span> Seriously, no Chinese cooking experience is needed. I guarantee.</li></ol>As I stated, the main ingredient in this dish is rice, which is a common item that families can receive as part of their monthly bag. In addition, we also add some fresh ginger and green onions, both of which total to about a dollar.<br /><br />The first step to preparing congee is to soak the rice. In a big pot (bigger than you think you might need) put 1 cup of white rice and 10 cups of cold water. Let that soak for about 30 minutes with no heat.<br /><br />Next turn on the heat and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling turn the heat down to low, slice the ginger (about a thumb) with a vegetable peeler and add it to the water. You can also just leave the ginger in bigger chunks if you don't want to actually eat the ginger and just want some for flavor.<br /><br />Now another reason why this ended up being a pretty good dish for this project: At the food bank we also learned that families will sometimes also receive portions of meat. This can vary from month to month from whole chickens to ham hocks. Part of the beauty of congee is that it goes well with almost any type of ingredient. If you would like to add in some fresh uncooked chicken, beef, or pork, go ahead and add it in now so that the meat will cook and the flavors will soak into the rice.<br /><br />Once the water is at a low simmer, let it cook for 90 minutes, stirring regularly. Be sure to monitor the consistency after about 60 minutes: if it seems too thick, go ahead and add more water.<br /><br />With about 10 minutes to go, if you have either already cooked meats, like leftover chicken, or maybe some fish, go ahead and add it now. When the meat is hot and cooked, the dish is ready to be served. Top with some chopped green onions for added flavor.<br /><br />We ended up making a big pot of this a few days ago and have been eating it for breakfast every day. As I said earlier, this is a great dish for families because just one cup of rice makes several servings. Han and I are just two people, and so while it certainly has been cost effective to eat like this, I'm a man who really likes to have a lot of variety, especially for breakfast.<br /><br />I think in the short time that we've participated in this project so far, this is the first lesson I've learned: variety is a luxury that I have taken for granted. I love congee, but it's been harder getting up in the morning knowing that I'm going to be eating the same old stuff I ate yesterday.<br /><br />Seems like a silly thing to whine about, right? People who are truly hungry are probably just happy to get anything at all. As much as I grumbled about having to eat congee again for breakfast, I got to go to Wahoo's for lunch today, but at least this time I got to appreciate being able to make that choice.<br /><br />P. S. Be sure to check out the other bloggers participating in this project: http://austinfoodbank.wordpress.com/austin-food-bloggers/Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-7876086822541625812010-04-21T21:10:00.006-05:002010-04-21T21:56:02.883-05:00Hunger is UNacceptableThe food blogging community in Austin is incredibly welcoming and collaborative. This week's blogging project is another reason why I am so grateful to be part of this community. We are working with Capital Area Food Bank to cook, eat, and blog for a week from a bag of food that is typical of what the food bank distributes to a family in need. The goal of this project is to create our own "hunger stories," to experience first hand some of the struggles so many families face in trying to feed their families healthy, nutritious, and delicious foods with limited means. As compassionate Chinese-American foodies, we jumped at the opportunity to put our own spin on this challenge. Hopefully while learning a bit more about ourselves and hunger in the process. Our goal is to make deliciously affordable Asian-fusion cuisine from our bag of groceries, with minimal addition expenditure.<br /><br />This evenin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBtU4ZDBVT_U7Aqva5io1oM4rDa7MkGwfzXTIK0nvK_r96ciMz6UMISRRofB_IEV7snWRj7BFoxPLDEqlrgBFRWsCpjH7OY-4UtbAnhhb9dHYOX4H8h0SPxUyjHlJ37zIQtB-FT35Vok/s1600/2010-04-21+18.13.36.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBtU4ZDBVT_U7Aqva5io1oM4rDa7MkGwfzXTIK0nvK_r96ciMz6UMISRRofB_IEV7snWRj7BFoxPLDEqlrgBFRWsCpjH7OY-4UtbAnhhb9dHYOX4H8h0SPxUyjHlJ37zIQtB-FT35Vok/s200/2010-04-21+18.13.36.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462784333003430162" border="0" /></a>g, we had the opportunity to tour the warehouse and learn a bit more about the organization and structure behind feeding 300,000 people each year. This food bank is really quite amazing: floor to ceiling boxes of donated food, loading docks that accommodate vehicles of all sizes, 6000 volunteers annually, the second largest food bank distributor of fresh produce in the country, and 23 MILLION pounds of food distributed in the last year alone. The landscape of hunger is changing, with unprecedented numbers of families reaching out for help, many of them middle class. Hunger is a growing reality.<br /><br />Justin and I have different visions for this project, he will focus on the logistics, recipes, and economics, whereas I will focus on the process, reflections, and ego aspects of this experience. Together, we will try to duplicate what this experience might be like for a young Chinese couple, possibly recent immigrants to this country, trying to reproduce the familiar flavors of home with our available ingredients. This is not too far from my childhood reality. I was born in China, and joined my parents in the U.S. when I was 5. My parents struggled financially, as my dad was a graduate student, my mom worked a labor job, and both sets of grandparents lived with us. We were a family of 7, sharing a 2 bedroom graduate housing apartment, on 1 income. Needless to say, it was a difficult time for us. However, we were able to scrape by on careful budgeting, a small community garden plot, and yes, donated food. I don't remember ever going hungry, and I thank the generosity of our community for it. My childhood gives depth and meaning to this project. I have no idea how my parents were able to do it so deliciously. But I am so thankful that they did.<br /><br />After our visit to the food b<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3vLnAgDfxbRbKGlfBlGuWvAOCARXd4x7gNo1ZugUTBXUgjQk5OehFMt4qWg_K55GKRkkFU8ClNvfb-z5mdlZKnQ7PVP_ilTrBMzi0ir0JCX-dlxuqNQc2DFT-s2Sdwv7_okQZHV-r5M/s1600/2010-04-21+20.59.04.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3vLnAgDfxbRbKGlfBlGuWvAOCARXd4x7gNo1ZugUTBXUgjQk5OehFMt4qWg_K55GKRkkFU8ClNvfb-z5mdlZKnQ7PVP_ilTrBMzi0ir0JCX-dlxuqNQc2DFT-s2Sdwv7_okQZHV-r5M/s200/2010-04-21+20.59.04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462784343155487490" border="0" /></a>ank, we went to the grocery store to pick up our necessary essentials, to duplicate what we might find in a typical bag. Here is what we came home with, at around $13. A few of these products would have been included in our bag, such as the rice, spaghetti, and canned vegetables. The rest are assumed to come out of a food stamp (or "snap" as I learned it is officially called) budget. Our goal is to keep our total additional expenses under $20, and cook our dinners for a week from that budget plus the food bag. We will also be making a trip to the Asian supermarket for affordable accompaniments to our staple meal items, because as I told Justin, no self-respecting Chinese person will substitute dill pickle for traditional pickled cabbage in our congee. Stay tuned for day 1, officially beginning tomorrow!Hanstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398153543534168854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-17244422580722952762010-03-20T17:15:00.006-05:002010-03-20T18:05:34.108-05:00How Do You Roll?: The Chipotle of sushi restaurants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ajOng4e-a-2QOKK9OL0hQGARaNUuJZX1cpiA2Td6hpk5CcPig-VzyrHe916AOHiGGGgTorKVnE5IbYs3N6W0Ub-oGlHIgDSt0aPkzGal4xJJsO5JAli0r1qeh2ZkWj91LIqtPWoQHLkl/s1600-h/photo+(5).jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3rLd7pFG_1NuVwv-4x2Q5iZg2YJiRye1Ui0MVE5tJvYS-uWLvX3R_BUZrOPLgAMW34DVkix6CB7w9Kf9vWwWNRiC5QKpSPxzME6VWAlEJkLSt1YtyylKPZrbCBfQXZTsU3mt8SflN8_l/s1600-h/photo+(4).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3rLd7pFG_1NuVwv-4x2Q5iZg2YJiRye1Ui0MVE5tJvYS-uWLvX3R_BUZrOPLgAMW34DVkix6CB7w9Kf9vWwWNRiC5QKpSPxzME6VWAlEJkLSt1YtyylKPZrbCBfQXZTsU3mt8SflN8_l/s200/photo+(4).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450855789144149186" /></a>If you're like me, and your wife goes on prolonged craft/crocheting binge, you might find yourself up at JoAnn's Fabric up at the Arbor Walk at 183 and MoPac pretty frequently. There, you may have noticed a funky little sushi joint called How Do You Roll? that looks absolutely nothing like a sushi restaurant typically looks like. <div><br /></div><div>And if you're like me, you're probably pretty skeptical of strip mall sushi (as you probably should be), but if you like your sushi (and if you like it good and fresh and without a whole lot of pretense and/or techno music) then you're not going to want to shy away from this place.</div><div><br /></div><div>For starters, despite its mod fast-food-like appearance, the folks at HDYR know what they're doing. In fact, one of the owners was the long time sushi chef at Azuma in Houston before deciding to get out of the fine dining industry and start a more approachable way to bring sushi to the masses. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the changes from traditional sushi places that you will see are pretty creative and complex. For instance, they've managed to automate the rice spreading as well as the slicing of the maki into individual sushi pieces. </div><div><br /></div><div>But other changes really seem like no-brainers. Instead of picking from a set selection of sushi rolls, you create your maki just like at Chipotle. First, you pick your wrap (seaweed or soy paper). Then a machine spreads the sushi rice onto your roll. Then you pick your fillings. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fish selections include traditional favorites, such as tuna, salmon, and eel. For the more adventurous, I definitely recommend the crawfish tails. (BTW, what is up with Northwest Austin and their <a href="http://keepaustintasty.blogspot.com/2010/02/hot-boiled-ultimate-mardi-graslunar-new.html">Asian/crawfish fusion</a>?? All I gotta say is keep it coming!!) Seasonal specials are also available as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the "veggies," once again, traditional favorites such as cucumber, tamago (aka egg, yeah i guess egg is a vegetable), and cream cheese. But also available are asparagus, jalapeno, and sprouts. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, you can opt to add some masago or tempura crumbles. Then, they put it through the automated maki slicer (I deliberated asking them not to cut mine so I could eat it as a sushi-rito), add a side of miso soup or seaweed salad, and you're good to go. </div><div><br /></div><div>The end result? A pretty good set of sushi, with taste and presentation that do not suffer because of the new format one bit.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ajOng4e-a-2QOKK9OL0hQGARaNUuJZX1cpiA2Td6hpk5CcPig-VzyrHe916AOHiGGGgTorKVnE5IbYs3N6W0Ub-oGlHIgDSt0aPkzGal4xJJsO5JAli0r1qeh2ZkWj91LIqtPWoQHLkl/s200/photo+(5).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450855923601951010" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Oh did I mention, its about 10 pieces of sushi for under $10? Well enough for most sushi eaters looking to eat well for not a lot of money. </div><div><br /></div><div>Even better, their happy hour specials make eating here an even bigger steal. Beer and cold sake are available, but I would have to say that I definitely miss having hot sake with my sushi. Hopefully, they'll make it available in the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>So in closing, strict purists may still scoff, but if you're still saving up for that Uchi dinner, and Sushi Sake's happy hour already ended, you might want to give this place a try. Once you go low-cost, low-hassle sushi, you may never want to go back. </div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-85508803353620003342010-02-27T17:39:00.008-06:002010-03-06T17:38:49.807-06:00Guatemalan Topado Soup: Don't Try This At Home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizph9RZHwnBrUr5m50YxVtIYTZp5X5SCwdePihcN44oTCzGhNg6M8LPNBBUvpN9CyxsLEmeIxwHx2KPrTjPpNDh0ZzrKxyT6Iz3ceGwuS7p6_VQKsltm7nG_hmbITv6HZuFg9zdVSL5Z2/s1600-h/photo+(3).jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJHfdOpoKhcPWWTUl7wpX2xKOhF_Or6Ms5W-uzNGmXzgWAZrjqX7xJdn-KJcas-Y_3prR1D-7Ge-5Kfu_os71Cw9DDbW1fLZxWTKD2Gjd-LzoEpPpKFBRoFP0eeUDEFfEXLHBg7eOVVsD/s1600-h/P1130848.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJHfdOpoKhcPWWTUl7wpX2xKOhF_Or6Ms5W-uzNGmXzgWAZrjqX7xJdn-KJcas-Y_3prR1D-7Ge-5Kfu_os71Cw9DDbW1fLZxWTKD2Gjd-LzoEpPpKFBRoFP0eeUDEFfEXLHBg7eOVVsD/s200/P1130848.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443073360829057778" border="0" /></a><br />So about a month ago, Han and I took a post-holidays "vacation from your vacation" cruise through the Western Caribbean. One of our favorite stops was at Santo Tomas de Castilla in Guatemala. There we took a boat trip down the Rio Dulce and stopped at the small town of Livingston.<br /><br />Unknown to us at the time, Livingston is famous for two things: catering to tourists from cruise ships from all over the world, and a special seafood soup called topado.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEUC0QtI2Kyymx7eZj7gNIbvQXzpvW1wCLxh7yvvmc6RN1rqHyWmzxFvSLmICps5rm2c4MhDHg-HjD3M6pNRGXAvKaEronyPFwdMD8PE1u7FJhCWoJge60JIEeup6H-TToRkIVuipIILc/s1600-h/P1130859.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEUC0QtI2Kyymx7eZj7gNIbvQXzpvW1wCLxh7yvvmc6RN1rqHyWmzxFvSLmICps5rm2c4MhDHg-HjD3M6pNRGXAvKaEronyPFwdMD8PE1u7FJhCWoJge60JIEeup6H-TToRkIVuipIILc/s200/P1130859.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443075591373220994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our tour guide took us through the town and stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants off the main road in town. Being a river town, there were all sorts of seafood dishes available plus some of the more common dishes you'd come to expect. We knew we at least wanted the conch ceviche, but when we asked our server to recommend their best dish she said we had to try the topado, as it was the local specialty of Livingston.<br /><br />The soup features this red creamy base with giant pieces of crab and fried fish and pieces of plantain. It was very flavorful and the meats were delectable. I seriously couldn't get enough of it. Once we left the restaurant and continued to walk around the town, we noticed that a lot of the restaurants also had signs that said "Try our Topado!"<br /><br />Anyways, when we got home, being the daring amateur cooks that we are, tried to find a recipe on the internet to replicate the topado soup. The closest thing we could find was on <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Tapado-313633">Recipezaar</a> so we gave it a shot. Unfortunately, as you'll see later, we didn't have a whole lot of success. <div><div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients:</span><br />-2 cups coconut milk<br />-1 onion<br />-1 red bell pepper<br />-2 lbs red snapper (we used tilapia)<br />-1 lb shrimp<br />-1 Tbsp corn oil<br />-1 Tsp oregano<br /><div>-1/2 Tsp salt</div><div>-1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper</div><div>-1 plantain</div><div>-1 medium tomato</div><div>-3 tsp freshly chopped cilantro</div><div>-2 cups water</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, the directions get a little hazy here. I'll post what we did:</div><div><br /></div><div>-Slice the onion and saute in the corn oil. </div><div>-Add the coconut milk and spices and simmer for about 5 minutes</div><div>-Add the fish and shrimp in whole and simmer for another 10 minutes or until cooked</div><div>-Slice the plantain and dice the tomato and add to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes</div><div><br /></div><div>Here was the resulting dish:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizph9RZHwnBrUr5m50YxVtIYTZp5X5SCwdePihcN44oTCzGhNg6M8LPNBBUvpN9CyxsLEmeIxwHx2KPrTjPpNDh0ZzrKxyT6Iz3ceGwuS7p6_VQKsltm7nG_hmbITv6HZuFg9zdVSL5Z2/s200/photo+(3).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445663075831158674" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Now, it doesn't look TOO bad, but it did not look anything like the soup we had in Guatemala, and it sure as heck didn't taste anything like it either. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can tell you first and foremost that adding the fish in whole was a mistake. The soup we had in Guatemala was fried first, which in hindsight was key. The recipe we used said to dice the fish into 2" cubes, which probably would have turned out better as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also the soup we had in Guatemala, not only more flavorful, was also much more, um, redder. Not really sure what happened there but I'm guessing it had something to do with stewing the red peppers or tomatoes?</div><div><br /></div><div>So now we are reaching out to all of you, our loyal readers. Where did we go wrong? What could we have done instead? Does anyone actually have a real topado recipe they can share with us? </div><div><br /></div><div>We welcome all suggestions! </div></div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-72836760465655585222010-02-15T20:01:00.005-06:002010-02-15T21:10:49.154-06:00Hot Boiled: The Ultimate Mardi Gras/Lunar New Year Spot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7PqUWTB3M4IIDHAtn4CBAI3CiohJtfbeyHW-_8P80zeeeGkQqXF1TVpn_3_IMLMaozWDe_JcvFPYP5IyHN010lMfp5VgAzWGqsX6ebrSvcuglOt2vZ0LssnOq56BS5yga3dMfiodkq6U/s1600-h/photo+(2).jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUxQS2yentu-SZurxko7DM-65LcyKNxGRTDlvWoBsnJtn-aWjQCc0-MIhN1qrIGI5GdfJ2m7T8lIyZOeyPte98amEfoc21BZxU8fBhuIGgSmrVw1os5NR1Pae9o2EFgUOrYTR9B4MNY_t/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUxQS2yentu-SZurxko7DM-65LcyKNxGRTDlvWoBsnJtn-aWjQCc0-MIhN1qrIGI5GdfJ2m7T8lIyZOeyPte98amEfoc21BZxU8fBhuIGgSmrVw1os5NR1Pae9o2EFgUOrYTR9B4MNY_t/s200/photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438672838612750242" /></a>Welcome everyone to the Year of the Tiger! What a holiday week it's been. Valentine's day, Chinese/Lunar New Year, my birthday (ahem), and to top it all off Mardi Gras is this Tuesday! <div><br /></div><div>If you happen to be looking for a place to celebrate both Mardi Gras and LNY, a restaurant that serves both Vietnamese food and cajun/gulf coast food, look no further than Hot Boiled. </div><div><br /></div><div>Located on the corner of Mopac and Parmer Ln, the sign at Hot Boiled says it all: "crawfish and pho." The owners of Hot Boiled are Vietnam natives but come to us by way of New Orleans.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDc7HMzDVgblueDwtMd-ZIX6uHHPYSPzxabDReut2SrD5FjeYXzaRMDjrsDvJhqjHERGvhx7vEniB6Gf3BAk7-yA6nuabMcKmwdAULRzfXI2uH1QX9tUTQZpdzdGDqXptEj7OVf0NVyO6/s200/photo+(1).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438672971347541682" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span><div><br /></div><div>A quick look up and down the menu and you will find many favorites from both cajun and Vietnamese culinary cultures, everything from pho and bun to etouffee and poboys. We opted to go with the crawfish pho and crawfish fried rice. Both were very tasty. The fried rice was moist and light and had plenty of big and juicy crawfish tails. The pho had a very flavorful not-too-salty broth, even for pho. My only real complaint about it is that they were exactly just that: fried rice with crawfish and pho with crawfish. There wasn't a whole lot of cajun flavor in either dish, or any further "fusing" of the cultures. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I understand that maybe that isn't fair. After all, they advertise "crawfish and pho" and that is exactly what we got. But I really would have like to see more dishes that took it a step further. (Later that night I had a dream I ate a BBQ alligator banh mi... I wonder if it's a sign?)</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7PqUWTB3M4IIDHAtn4CBAI3CiohJtfbeyHW-_8P80zeeeGkQqXF1TVpn_3_IMLMaozWDe_JcvFPYP5IyHN010lMfp5VgAzWGqsX6ebrSvcuglOt2vZ0LssnOq56BS5yga3dMfiodkq6U/s200/photo+(2).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438673179937267586" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><div>But in the end, it's hard to have complaints about a place where you can get a bowl of crawfish pho with a side of gumbo and spring roll. Combine that with courteous service and a great happy hour ($2 domestics, $2.50 imports) and it's kung hei fat choy every day of the year. </div><div><br /></div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-46784165248058890742010-01-28T20:04:00.008-06:002010-01-29T10:13:55.200-06:00Carillon Restaurant's New Menu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSkmQObVlDfF5AIbScjL-6IsxXtPFnsE-qAFkTd49vv7fcnrBBe3ir-j6EBjC8D5W2obU2b5xcXeyFmT6e4Uy2wUys-2ckiQ3RiX2Cef1Zm3Oyep1iPnc45tBcKiVqRhdq1S5uoOza5gj/s1600-h/P1260775.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSKcmmLa3r9H6qZhflGnOmOUzZd1GHlad_gk-Fn1WCMGZ38_y8LDFRyNVUvOFCrNaPMaZf2POV-IZSw5PbX42Mj63b7xMzpBavTeEK2UbzDHMtHnN76cV16WdJO6E_cy2VH9Fka6rsKVJ/s1600-h/P1260772.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSKcmmLa3r9H6qZhflGnOmOUzZd1GHlad_gk-Fn1WCMGZ38_y8LDFRyNVUvOFCrNaPMaZf2POV-IZSw5PbX42Mj63b7xMzpBavTeEK2UbzDHMtHnN76cV16WdJO6E_cy2VH9Fka6rsKVJ/s200/P1260772.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431991371504141954" /></a>The Carillon Grill, located at the AT&T Executive Center on UT campus (just a stone's throw from Han's building!) is debuting a new menu, and we were invited to give it a try. <div><br /></div><div>We had gotten a chance to taste some of Executive Chef Josh Watkins's dishes at the Chefs Under Fire competition. Some of the flavors were familiar, some we eagerly got to try for the first time. </div><div><br /></div><div>We started off with the white bean soup which was creamy and subtle. Funny story: the first time we got to try it, Han wasn't really a fan. She said, "There's some kind of animal fat in it." I looked at the menu and said, "No, it's not animal fat. It's actually a smoked scallop." Han said, "Oh really? Oh then it's pretty delicious actually."</div><div><br /></div><div>The other appetizers we got to try were the beef tartare and the eggplant caprese. We definitely favored the caprese, which was equal parts crunchy fried eggplant and soft mozzarella. </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSkmQObVlDfF5AIbScjL-6IsxXtPFnsE-qAFkTd49vv7fcnrBBe3ir-j6EBjC8D5W2obU2b5xcXeyFmT6e4Uy2wUys-2ckiQ3RiX2Cef1Zm3Oyep1iPnc45tBcKiVqRhdq1S5uoOza5gj/s200/P1260775.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431991750143731794" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span><div><br /></div><div>The real stars of the show, though, were the braised short ribs and the crispy pork belly. Usually "braised anything" is enough to get me out of my seat, and this was no different, although I admittedly did start to wonder if there was such a thing as "too tender." As for the pork belly, Han and I didn't really mean to be rude, but we probably ate like 5 or 6 of these dishes. So much for our "selective omnivore" New Year's resolution!</div><div><div><br /></div><div>The restaurant itself was very swanky and it was the first time for both of us to visit. While we were visiting, we heard a lot of good things from other bloggers about the weekend brunches and dinner tasting menu for $38. We are looking forward to our next opportunity to eat here, but that brings up another question for us. Who is the primary clientele here? It's located in the middle of campus and it's apparently not open to the public for lunch. It seems a little nice for the average undergrad or grad student, so who does that leave? The faculty? Guests of the hotel? If you have an answer or a story or an explanation, we hope you'll share it with us below!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-89547058658386101172010-01-09T16:13:00.005-06:002010-01-09T17:07:50.280-06:00The Good Knight<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuybTQD3A7zXXv0etIeQ5sHbExZ08VuDaTF2_43XGfyuRWX2zy__KB8OPr57YPvdvJR4jBFEckz-XSSOLN8-Eept8krYqAseyXJEjTaeFY26E-FInEyA40i_IkswLUl2YAEV5WJBTY1qje/s1600-h/PC190690.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMJlWYrZUqyxTDBUBTJy75a0R-iupm5jfEXxZ0dI6vm8DvlQQtDagATiZSbS8fOTIGBIydFMqeUXzqeS6s1EHgkLGFL_pypsxlaz9OM1g3hflWDQgtYKSekaQzFbQ9VsQgyS8P3HPaDKX/s1600-h/l_c6fe6cbea6f899aa7f56d11c64884188.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMJlWYrZUqyxTDBUBTJy75a0R-iupm5jfEXxZ0dI6vm8DvlQQtDagATiZSbS8fOTIGBIydFMqeUXzqeS6s1EHgkLGFL_pypsxlaz9OM1g3hflWDQgtYKSekaQzFbQ9VsQgyS8P3HPaDKX/s200/l_c6fe6cbea6f899aa7f56d11c64884188.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424879991299153362" /></a>This restaurant I believe has been around for a couple of years but it sits in the heart of the much-advertised East Austin revival. This place was recommended to us by our friend James who knows East Austin well, so we decided to give it a shot. <div><br /></div><div>It wasn't the easiest place to find, especially in the dark, but oh my, what a pleasant surprise it was when we did. It's hard to really say what's better about the Good Knight, the food or the drinks. Luckily they don't make you choose just one. </div><div><br /></div><div>The food is not only delicious but very reasonably priced. You will eat well here. The chicken pot pie was so light and puffy, it looked more like a savory cupcake and tasted just as rich. The flatbread was probably our favorite and is definitely worth a try. The Good Knight also features many vegetarian options, and even meat eaters will enjoy the cheese and nut loaf. We've heard the veggie side of the day is usually a home run, and this was definitely the case when we went: the creme-drizzled portobello mushroom cap was fresh and delectable.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuybTQD3A7zXXv0etIeQ5sHbExZ08VuDaTF2_43XGfyuRWX2zy__KB8OPr57YPvdvJR4jBFEckz-XSSOLN8-Eept8krYqAseyXJEjTaeFY26E-FInEyA40i_IkswLUl2YAEV5WJBTY1qje/s200/PC190690.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424880471486706674" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span><div><br /></div><div>Not to be outdone, however, were the drinks. The mixologists at the Good Knight have some of the best hand-made libations that I've had in recent memory. It's a little TOO easy to get caught up in the drink menu. The self-titled Good Knight features whiskey, lemon liqueur, and bitters, and will definitely put some hair on your chest. Also tasty were the Bee's Knees (gin, honey, lemon) and the June Rose (grapes, gin, basil). Be warned, however! We got a little too enthusiastic trying to try all the drinks, and ended up racking up quite a drink bill. </div><div><br /></div><div>If there were any downsides to the Good Knight, the service could have been way more attentive, and it was almost impossible to see anything inside! </div><div><br /></div><div>But whether for a date-night or a place to kick-start a group night in East Austin (or heck, even as a place to end the night; it's open til 2am 7 days a week!) you can't go wrong with the Good Knight. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><i>The Good Knight</i></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><i>1300 East 6th Stree</i></b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><b><i>t</i></b></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-80138869259743743512010-01-04T17:50:00.005-06:002010-01-04T19:41:18.544-06:00The World's Easiest Chicken Pot Pie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRh8cl-eXxOPwkrQKlKF8jhKi7Gzwr75bWJQB_sOXpEJykw8_S6EMLSUyZqdB6SLVZc-U_oZPhiUhbuGQ-5lTA6SK4aVYu9mXR4aTLmhDdrKIrTgVDpb-MtAoV9v1-SLSMe0P-VuyoOhp/s1600-h/chicken+pot+pie.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRh8cl-eXxOPwkrQKlKF8jhKi7Gzwr75bWJQB_sOXpEJykw8_S6EMLSUyZqdB6SLVZc-U_oZPhiUhbuGQ-5lTA6SK4aVYu9mXR4aTLmhDdrKIrTgVDpb-MtAoV9v1-SLSMe0P-VuyoOhp/s200/chicken+pot+pie.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423064510469436434" /></a><br />Here at Keep Austin Tasty, we love eating and we love cooking, but the truth of the matter is that we are much better at the former than we are at the latter. As such, our favorite recipes are not only easy and delicious but ones that someone who isn't a great cook would actually be confident to serve to guests. <div><br /></div><div>We initially found this one after Thanksgiving as a means of finishing up leftover turkey, but we loved it so much we've actually had rotisserie chicken for dinner a few times specifically so we can use the leftovers. </div><div><br /></div><div>The instructions are foolproof: </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Step 1: </b>Buy a rotisserie chicken and eat half of it. We recommend HEB's Honey Jalapeno for taste or Costco if you want more chicken for your buck</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Step 2: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Shred the rest of the chicken with two forks</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><br /></span></b></div><div><b>Step 3:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> Prepare a package of frozen vegetables according to directions. Broccoli, peas, and carrots are a good mix for a traditional pie. The HEB Asian stir-fry adds a tasty twist with snap peas, red peppers, and water chestnuts. </span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><br /></span></b></div><div><b>Step 4: </b>Combine chicken, veggies, and 1 can of condensed Cream of Chicken soup. Add a pinch of kosher salt and plenty of ground pepper. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Step 5: </b>Pour ingredients into a frozen pie crust. Place second thawed pie crust on top and bake according to directions. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Delicious!</div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-37142543526626841562009-11-16T19:52:00.002-06:002009-11-16T20:43:18.974-06:00Beer CheeseWe brought this to the Beer-themed Food Bloggers' Potluck and served it again at Han's birthday party last week and both times it seemed to go over really well. At Han's birthday specifically, the whole bowl was gone before all the guests had arrived, and at both events, I had people asking me for the recipe. <blockquote></blockquote><div>Here's a secret though: I'm not really a good cook, and so to have anyone compliment me on something I made... I didn't really know how to handle it so I'm pretty sure I just muttered something. </div><div><br /></div><div>So with football season in full swing and Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it's be good to just post the recipe here, in plain-text un-muttered print.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>2 16-oz packages of cream cheese</div><div>1 packet ranch dressing mix</div><div>1/3 cup of dark or flavorful beer (I use Saint Arnold Lawnmower)</div><div>1 cup shredded cheese</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and beer together in a bowl. Once the cheese has softened and has mixed completely with the beer and cheese mix, mix in half of the shredded cheese, </div><div><br /></div><div>(Optional: add some fresh rosemary or oregano for extra flavor, or add some crushed red pepper to make it a little spicier.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top and serve!</div><div><br /></div><div>This dip goes really well with mini pretzels, but we also discovered and recommend spreading it on a water cracker and top with a pepperoni. </div><div><br /></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-11086898513220264552009-11-06T14:30:00.003-06:002009-11-06T16:25:07.581-06:00Fortune Chinese Seafood<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm0R46SavtxiAn9_81IC_thj5U4GuMJ73pFSkvWI6VRBx9SCaQnGDnkgUPkO8DnbBgtk5ZHFBQemAWn0Mv2EqtmC3GR7kJbH6-J9pR2inmLgdqSo_oObaCcrs7azIgTvNbCLILoqqJ9xy/s1600-h/photo+(1).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm0R46SavtxiAn9_81IC_thj5U4GuMJ73pFSkvWI6VRBx9SCaQnGDnkgUPkO8DnbBgtk5ZHFBQemAWn0Mv2EqtmC3GR7kJbH6-J9pR2inmLgdqSo_oObaCcrs7azIgTvNbCLILoqqJ9xy/s200/photo+(1).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401105444437054274" /></a>Located up in the North Lamar "Chinatown," Fortune Chinese Seafood has opened up to one of the bigger buzzes for an Austin-area Asian restaurant in recent memory. <div><br /></div><div>We've gotten a couple of opportunities to check this place out, once for dinner and the other for dim sum. We liked what we had so far and will definitely be returning for further investigation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our first dinner trip followed a grocery trip to MT Supermarket. The Singapore Fried Vermicelli (yellow stir-fry rice noodles with onions and chicken) were pretty good, about as good as you'd expect from a decent Chinese restaurant. But the real rock star was the frog legs: a holy marriage between lemongrass and straight butter. Healthy eaters beware! You'll eat and eat these tender tasty morsels until all of a sudden you feel like you're sweating butter. And yes, they do taste like chicken. </div><div><br /></div><div>We ended up also going back for a happy hour there where we got to try some of their dim sum dishes, which was also not a disappointment. I believe the dim sum restaurants should be rated like figure skating scores: you get a score for your fundamentals (dishes that all good dim sum restaurants should do and do well) and a score for your "style points" (more adventurous dishes that you would only find at a truly good dim sum restaurant). </div><div><br /></div><div>The happy hour dim sum they served was an excellent showing of the restaurant's fundamentals: "shao mai" (pork and shrimp dumplings), "xia gou" or "ha gow" (shrimp wrapped in rice paper), and "cha shao bao" (BBQ pork buns). If you are a dim sum newbie, these are three popular dishes to order to get a good taste of what the concept is about. </div><div><br /></div><div>And, perhaps the owners had a 6th sense for this, but they also served out egg custards, my favorite dim sum dessert from when I was a child. Also thumbs up. </div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't get a chance to try any of their "style" dishes, but from the looks of their menu, there will be plenty to choose from the next time we go in. Among the ones I'm most looking forward to are the "xiao long bao" (soup-filled shrimp dumplings), chicken feet, and Han's favorite, the taro shrimp balls. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not to be understated of all this, though, is that Fortune is a really nice restaurant inside with a full bar, and most of their dishes are $12.95 or under (unless you are ordering the shark fin soup), making them an excellent choice, especially if you are dining on a budget. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>Fortune Chinese Seafood Restaurant</i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i>10901 N. Lamar Blvd, Suite A-1-501</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 14px;"><i><a href="http://fortuneaustin.com">fortuneaustin.com</a></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-71439422497921041912009-10-05T19:59:00.011-05:002009-10-06T10:08:18.566-05:00Zoës Kitchen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYMll9IzbSZpzQsMmP14YArFJkPXm4kBsiIAYPkVI1QeK4u0-a-x6CMNqTFgYsvNtyAPUcNqzh0UsKHX8snOJZ159XnA2gX0Ooehw80Y3sOETtal7dAc1ce9veuY-ESgi89Wz09S5YojD/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389310980840728178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYMll9IzbSZpzQsMmP14YArFJkPXm4kBsiIAYPkVI1QeK4u0-a-x6CMNqTFgYsvNtyAPUcNqzh0UsKHX8snOJZ159XnA2gX0Ooehw80Y3sOETtal7dAc1ce9veuY-ESgi89Wz09S5YojD/s200/photo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Fresh off yet another exhausting ACL (the mud was only half of the issue for us...), we were happy that the folks from Zoë's Kitchen invited us for a preview of their food before the official grand opening.<br /><br />This is the second member of the ever-expanding Washington corridor in Houston to make its way over to Austin (see <a href="http://keepaustintasty.blogspot.com/2009/05/maxs-wine-dive.html">Max's Wine Dive</a>), but unlike Max's, Zoës Kitchen also has franchises all over the deep south.<br /><br />The premise is pretty simple: inexpensive, "light" Mediterranean-style cooking in a casual setting. Will the Austin market ever be saturated with healthy restaurants with eco-friendly packaging? You guys tell us. But located up in the Arboretum, where the closest restaurant neighbors are T.G.I. Friday's and Macaroni Grill, I would say there's probably room for at least one more.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_27xf3nDBPIKxvxddoHyOxA30jzC-xTT1P2cfnpPcVYcjjrw1Hkv6A1HUP7Q58Tz6I0WGT2UyX_ihxja3DMVNFsMNMTH5mIiDFU9tuuut68Wu-dvsxhz8as3cxCrUYQ1d0d9MlSTk-h4/s1600-h/photo(3).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389311290957826082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_27xf3nDBPIKxvxddoHyOxA30jzC-xTT1P2cfnpPcVYcjjrw1Hkv6A1HUP7Q58Tz6I0WGT2UyX_ihxja3DMVNFsMNMTH5mIiDFU9tuuut68Wu-dvsxhz8as3cxCrUYQ1d0d9MlSTk-h4/s200/photo(3).jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Out of what we had, we particularly enjoyed the Steak Roll-ups ($7.65, pictured left) which, by itself, was a bit like a quesadilla with steak and mushrooms, but is really put over the top with the dipping sauce that comes with it. Also delicious were the sides we had, especially the roasted vegetables and the pasta salad. In fact, if you truly wanted to eat inexpensively and healthy, ordering 3 side dishes ($1.99 per side) wouldn't be a bad way to go. The hummus was also incredibly fresh and tasty and heavily recommended ($4.45, pictured right, with the Greek salad). I only wish that the pita it came with tasted as fresh as the hummus.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSfChz_QagGoF_znIQkZEwjksDcW4PHSAx_N1I-NMVOEDtRjkxWI1RKIi_byn8v9vMN3vJEmXpdaLY4M1sSORbWMs1ToWkaU-R3xwQC6WHgD1XpIY9JNDzBm8VuT-qYbRNObvyYsVKITX/s1600-h/photo(2).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389311130458545842" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSfChz_QagGoF_znIQkZEwjksDcW4PHSAx_N1I-NMVOEDtRjkxWI1RKIi_byn8v9vMN3vJEmXpdaLY4M1sSORbWMs1ToWkaU-R3xwQC6WHgD1XpIY9JNDzBm8VuT-qYbRNObvyYsVKITX/s200/photo(2).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We also had the Grilled Chicken Dinner ($8.95) which was also quite good, but wasn't necessarily unlike anything you would eat at home either. The Chicken and Orzo soup ($2.95 per bowl) was a savory, dressed-up version of a Campbell's chicken broth.<br /><br />The only real downside to what we tried was the tomato bisque, which was far too salty for someone with high blood pressure like myself. Han ended up enjoying it more as condiment with the steak roll-ups.<br /><br />The vibe is a little chain-y, but perfect for a healthy and inexpensive break from shopping, if you're in the area. It's also kid friendly, and in my opinion would be a great place to take a lunch date.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Zoës Kitchen</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">10000 Research Boulevard</span><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">www.zoeskitchen.com</span>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-69286451893360862272009-08-28T17:49:00.026-05:002009-08-29T10:20:29.656-05:00Everything We Ate in ThailandHas it seriously been over 2 months since our last update? Well I can safely say that for the first time since we moved here that the whirlwind of our lives is finally starting to die down, so hopefully we can finally start to be more consistent in our posting.<br /><br />The wedding went fantastically and, almost immediately afterward, we left for Thailand for our 10-day honeymoon. I think we did about as much as humanly possible over that time, including riding an elephant through the jungle, snorkeling, getting massages, shopping, and of course eating!<br /><br />Our trip went through three pretty diverse areas in Thailand-- Bangkok (the capital), Chiang Mai (the northern hill country), and Phuket (the southern beaches)-- which allowed us to get a taste of many of the different types of cuisines that Thailand has to offer. Like many of you, we were pretty familiar with what Thai food is like in America (pad thai, curry, maybe a little chuchee if feeling adventurous) so we were eager to see how it compares to what food is really like in Thailand. Here are some of the things we found:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Bangkok</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BIZNutYDOmF4m5u00RroMI_E63xAifTNWN6WjWn93gWXwtIqSLJgnAsN7EgmnyUYJt0lVBnvzH3uJLufHcYJQ_QrMpvetX2FoR8Hz81jDoNZH8H1AwO_Kcs62IYcruyyuLU_f0BLy2bo/s1600-h/P8120022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BIZNutYDOmF4m5u00RroMI_E63xAifTNWN6WjWn93gWXwtIqSLJgnAsN7EgmnyUYJt0lVBnvzH3uJLufHcYJQ_QrMpvetX2FoR8Hz81jDoNZH8H1AwO_Kcs62IYcruyyuLU_f0BLy2bo/s200/P8120022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375155247338901938" border="0" /></a>We ate a lot of street food while in Bangkok. It was quick and easy (and cheap!) to get while we were out either shopping and looking at sights. Unsurprisingly, the most prominent street food concession was pad thai, and it was literally everywhere. This was no doubt to feed the hungry hordes of farang (foreigners) that were also everywhere. For 20 baht (about 60 cents) you got a cooked-to-order plate of noodles and egg and a pair of bamboo skewers to use as chopsticks. But in addition to the usual favorites (we also had plenty of satay sticks and banana pancakes - yum!), the street vendors also offered some other exotic fare as well, such as dried squid (pictured left). The street carts would have racks of whole squid for you to choose, and the cart owner would run the squid through a wringer to flatten it before grilling it over a charcoal grill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3WAvakJScp8nDcpN6UfLsuTOMbd9qNIE2GW-exBtOhrrmHki4R0Ljlhs6C63FvD4bW2vpY2N-e6dM1RH9hOwgqXKRxNM2Zv7_6HJ3NAEW18OMyc2ClyA3Zmoez5J8dd9v14xh8BBXoU3/s1600-h/P8130084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3WAvakJScp8nDcpN6UfLsuTOMbd9qNIE2GW-exBtOhrrmHki4R0Ljlhs6C63FvD4bW2vpY2N-e6dM1RH9hOwgqXKRxNM2Zv7_6HJ3NAEW18OMyc2ClyA3Zmoez5J8dd9v14xh8BBXoU3/s200/P8130084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375158732712524546" border="0" /></a>Not to be outdone were all the fruit carts that also lined the streets of Bangkok. Our guide book warned us not to eat fruit that had already been cut, but we did have plenty of longans and ranbutans on our trip. The bananas in Thailand are smaller but sweeter than they are in America.<br /><br />In Chinatown we had a meal of grilled river prawns (pictured right) which we thought were pretty impressive (until we got to Phuket anyways) but it was pretty delicious nonetheless.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Chiang Mai</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPB5ehJ4xb1eA4H7113RUb1p6VC3RxQxXnPPGn0rO-r1vjC4lTafsT-zujucJDQxZC4My8fyslZqSv1KcnKwju0FijJ_H_25zNTZPUe_cLSzT4wgUG3QwQvaDEAc9hTg_KdzR6RyooB07/s1600-h/P8150291.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPB5ehJ4xb1eA4H7113RUb1p6VC3RxQxXnPPGn0rO-r1vjC4lTafsT-zujucJDQxZC4My8fyslZqSv1KcnKwju0FijJ_H_25zNTZPUe_cLSzT4wgUG3QwQvaDEAc9hTg_KdzR6RyooB07/s200/P8150291.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375161436034288498" border="0" /></a>Northern Thai food, as we understand is more influenced by the neighboring Laotian and Burmese cultures. Food here has less coconut milk and more spices, and everything is generally more sour, fermented, and dried.<br /><br />We got a pretty good taste of it when we saw a kantoke show, which is a little bit like a Thai luau -- traditional northern Thai dinner with traditional northern Thai dancing. The din<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44suHU3KqUN2D7UqIY_vGeHasPboyJdzvNt5Zu-6JbbZRkac1B4a1gPpfVhGMTF9-cdeoDBz_fDI12MbWXKWZnXQ7Q_EssEpFlu6aPfJeGP_q51e18db3heCx3NeQblkwjsezODtD0wIA/s1600-h/P8160341.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44suHU3KqUN2D7UqIY_vGeHasPboyJdzvNt5Zu-6JbbZRkac1B4a1gPpfVhGMTF9-cdeoDBz_fDI12MbWXKWZnXQ7Q_EssEpFlu6aPfJeGP_q51e18db3heCx3NeQblkwjsezODtD0wIA/s200/P8160341.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375180531375933906" border="0" /></a>ner consisted of some curries, pickled vegetables, fried chicken (?), and something that tasted like pork rinds but looked like curly fries. Han asked if they were the pigs' tails. I told her no, but I'm not actually sure.<br /><br />Chiang Mai was also where we got our first taste of som tam (pictured right). This is a dish that is very common in Thailand but seems to be less common in American Thai restaurants. It is a salad made with unripened papayas, carrots, and tomatoes. At first glance, it seems to be a cool refreshing pre-meal appetizer. In reality, it is hot as all hell, and one of the spiciest dishes you can order. We also tried a dish called larb, or lahb, which was ground pork that was also incredibly spicy. In the southern province, this dish is sometimes served in a hollowed out head of lettuce. At the place we ate it in Chiang Mai though, it just came accompanied by a side of sticky rice in a bamboo basket.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iTIhnOaJbVG8FJFHy9p_Vccncqnfd3YrPs0OhEFcTRotBfEM8fQ21Tf1KijF9t9mXmod9qPkj6Nz831frMU_uxmjqhXcTmnsm_doD7GhqezarbBX95TjNJqIG0p3g202eWliGnr8cVCZ/s1600-h/P8160339.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iTIhnOaJbVG8FJFHy9p_Vccncqnfd3YrPs0OhEFcTRotBfEM8fQ21Tf1KijF9t9mXmod9qPkj6Nz831frMU_uxmjqhXcTmnsm_doD7GhqezarbBX95TjNJqIG0p3g202eWliGnr8cVCZ/s200/P8160339.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375188715546380834" border="0" /></a><br />But the best part of Chiang Mai, and my favorite part about Thailand as a whole, was that we took a cooking class and learned how to cook some Thai dishes. It was a great experience and a lot of fun. We learned about all the different types of ingredients and how to pick them out. The dishes we learned to cook were: spring rolls, som tam, pad thai, tom yum soup, and green curry chicken. We were definitely surprised by how well they turned out and how good our dishes looked. Pictured to the left is Han displaying our spring rolls. Look how good they look! We'll hopefully have some posts up soon about the recipes we learned. They're not very difficult at all.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Phuket</span><br />Phuket was probably our least favorite place to visit (too commercialized and expensive!) but it was beautiful and was our favorite food location. Every dish we ordered had giant pieces of seafood pulled fresh from the ocean. And though it was expensive we saw some of the most exotic (and delicious) shellfish we had ever seen. Here were some of our favorite:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRgBapwi9CFvhphnhvbJOwLSUNlManaxqIDtBxqpygPrVawHtaBTwu1Ju_-HvO1URqVZDOcwQkNP3Fu-aG0ajGSlZ_YdVPO_a2V9Fn_pppgLo-MKTn9ML5X02zavMF9CLzTLUuHTONbCi/s1600-h/P8180447.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRgBapwi9CFvhphnhvbJOwLSUNlManaxqIDtBxqpygPrVawHtaBTwu1Ju_-HvO1URqVZDOcwQkNP3Fu-aG0ajGSlZ_YdVPO_a2V9Fn_pppgLo-MKTn9ML5X02zavMF9CLzTLUuHTONbCi/s200/P8180447.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375396531195549394" border="0" /></a><br />Mantis Shrimp<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmnBfvcQagr7nInqx1XNHpR2Qd20MHRrv0V3MKr2c6MLMjTt52ud-NFTTwu-TmrZd3w4qVUxMrsQcded_bNaPEOjM-d9ogSPNV8ZxIzatbJzFbaHpxDvmGjx-ZID2jhTwsIfRq1ZMqP7A/s1600-h/P8190600.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmnBfvcQagr7nInqx1XNHpR2Qd20MHRrv0V3MKr2c6MLMjTt52ud-NFTTwu-TmrZd3w4qVUxMrsQcded_bNaPEOjM-d9ogSPNV8ZxIzatbJzFbaHpxDvmGjx-ZID2jhTwsIfRq1ZMqP7A/s200/P8190600.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375397386268471970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpuPRjyOjbEPTZCucjYpuqYmSqc6YI3PRZXcN0n093JLYMWplkapW_3qqHZa6GH2M36ebVO9qaP8lQhhP7bG7dt8msm7cFa12oH4431p9NRwYMPXg2Xz2HbusraMEsHO4DPdVSKgvfGai/s1600-h/P8180436.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpuPRjyOjbEPTZCucjYpuqYmSqc6YI3PRZXcN0n093JLYMWplkapW_3qqHZa6GH2M36ebVO9qaP8lQhhP7bG7dt8msm7cFa12oH4431p9NRwYMPXg2Xz2HbusraMEsHO4DPdVSKgvfGai/s200/P8180436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375399120751306514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tiger Prawn<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTCWKRtyZABJAT4-YFgpwjCYeN5e-014QA0JSzNmdmfebX0xQUY4x_c1FJsCExxBIWKnUYT_7JSvuWJYhOmy-8SATypYUs4TMQjkRaxXqHQf33Sjdtz8LAwPb557T_wv0UnaRhSF3BUsC/s1600-h/P8190599.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTCWKRtyZABJAT4-YFgpwjCYeN5e-014QA0JSzNmdmfebX0xQUY4x_c1FJsCExxBIWKnUYT_7JSvuWJYhOmy-8SATypYUs4TMQjkRaxXqHQf33Sjdtz8LAwPb557T_wv0UnaRhSF3BUsC/s200/P8190599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375399580577884098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_-f2fLAlJGJDh6yYPYapPWay_Y5ueehTcwVp8kjGRup-vCx0yG1fUuh_Ws157YdAvNRiEUgAD4T3cS9v6FxyOIUdPM7RlBq6U93BIIEW_D-2d2i3Zr2TQThuTMGhGATTQtJLp58UkOqV/s1600-h/P8180446.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_-f2fLAlJGJDh6yYPYapPWay_Y5ueehTcwVp8kjGRup-vCx0yG1fUuh_Ws157YdAvNRiEUgAD4T3cS9v6FxyOIUdPM7RlBq6U93BIIEW_D-2d2i3Zr2TQThuTMGhGATTQtJLp58UkOqV/s200/P8180446.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375400086678925410" border="0" /></a><br />Thai Lobster - we calculated the guy on the left to cost over $120, and someone actually ordered him (or her)!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >But wait there's more!</span><br />Before we end this post, I did want to share pictures of our most... peculiar... eating experience in Thailand. At the Sunday Walking Street market in Chiang Mai, there was a stand selling stir-fried insects, including grasshoppers, cicadas, silk worms, and somethin called a mackerel. Han decided to buy a bag, and for as much as she complained about how gross it was, she ate the entire bag!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1HcLOx85SBPU7MOSg2stMlzJEBh6o3SxBqKEdn4x_Vp0eUqqawpuy4o6P2_jW71Wt4yJ8feuifOa-6qTO8II5r6KueUwk1w3koax8du6t1F1kXc7u1AVX-Imw1XDKyUyCeHZYTaiZeLu/s1600-h/P8160353.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1HcLOx85SBPU7MOSg2stMlzJEBh6o3SxBqKEdn4x_Vp0eUqqawpuy4o6P2_jW71Wt4yJ8feuifOa-6qTO8II5r6KueUwk1w3koax8du6t1F1kXc7u1AVX-Imw1XDKyUyCeHZYTaiZeLu/s200/P8160353.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375403642626529026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTTIkWzIbbl9yCAZJ65ELATfk270qRO2BGLWVRTRLsSH39OarsspRvDjzy_yJn1wFKcPHR9rAYBhl1cOUE_6MxuyJxisHbbprp3PlotKZ0fXp0H7nZuhDsBRoOh3kHn3x_CmIfIbmX8Ju/s1600-h/P8160354.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTTIkWzIbbl9yCAZJ65ELATfk270qRO2BGLWVRTRLsSH39OarsspRvDjzy_yJn1wFKcPHR9rAYBhl1cOUE_6MxuyJxisHbbprp3PlotKZ0fXp0H7nZuhDsBRoOh3kHn3x_CmIfIbmX8Ju/s200/P8160354.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375404118731979298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDeWYbEuWyji14cn7Cs18VIFojdFBmHVGQ8cjv3IhoD7Wy9RdAPUY4V-Ku67pKjxAQiPiyQqoRoHXB7PFdgmy_EYLXIsDk5a3LfJY1E01yE8tPiCKng61Rqj_HTGUeyFJTn3lso0Uh33Y/s1600-h/P8160356.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDeWYbEuWyji14cn7Cs18VIFojdFBmHVGQ8cjv3IhoD7Wy9RdAPUY4V-Ku67pKjxAQiPiyQqoRoHXB7PFdgmy_EYLXIsDk5a3LfJY1E01yE8tPiCKng61Rqj_HTGUeyFJTn3lso0Uh33Y/s200/P8160356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375404785730245586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDv7LmMLshfVCsGUy5TJVlQELA2PV3Horfp3g4pOLnwnj4r7fLlfJ93kenbqPi3FQaznA_HNEJOXsuIDZl20ySsy2CFsJDzAFn4A2eOee1Y0EDyHDhyphenhyphenRufE-e1TI5VQbZY1BlU1N8G5LFk/s1600-h/P8160358.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDv7LmMLshfVCsGUy5TJVlQELA2PV3Horfp3g4pOLnwnj4r7fLlfJ93kenbqPi3FQaznA_HNEJOXsuIDZl20ySsy2CFsJDzAFn4A2eOee1Y0EDyHDhyphenhyphenRufE-e1TI5VQbZY1BlU1N8G5LFk/s200/P8160358.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375405205131919570" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xquXPTehH-EKaUWVyEKa2TWAobHn2u8viDBSRYRFQ2wMja4zvlf6brckYhIgVICKbTM8ch0I7rz4Sw6f9CrEkpt-29iQxRhygO9spmnHmNEKleWpOt4Eu9QV5YnztVH6CpUKhu9EDcpK/s1600-h/P8160365.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xquXPTehH-EKaUWVyEKa2TWAobHn2u8viDBSRYRFQ2wMja4zvlf6brckYhIgVICKbTM8ch0I7rz4Sw6f9CrEkpt-29iQxRhygO9spmnHmNEKleWpOt4Eu9QV5YnztVH6CpUKhu9EDcpK/s200/P8160365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375405495501718626" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGXcb18ZePzPOK1iNoRUEqc1SEaXjVxyQeiM24jhU2aE0YvdVj55e9hWuV12SXSu3EwXYkA_9gOn2cdxZdhdp77Vn-kLdpv03vb8g0xBaiTkh3pK2n5KgmMHNvMIX-BAXXJJJ6Xl1pEeA/s1600-h/P8160371.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGXcb18ZePzPOK1iNoRUEqc1SEaXjVxyQeiM24jhU2aE0YvdVj55e9hWuV12SXSu3EwXYkA_9gOn2cdxZdhdp77Vn-kLdpv03vb8g0xBaiTkh3pK2n5KgmMHNvMIX-BAXXJJJ6Xl1pEeA/s200/P8160371.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375405746504966466" border="0" /></a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-81289689948586448482009-06-16T13:57:00.006-05:002009-06-16T15:27:19.518-05:00Keep Houston Tasty: A Guide for Travelling AustinitesWell summer is in full swing, and I wanted to do a post like this for any of our readers who might be planning a road trip through Houston some time. And also on a more personal note, we're coming up on Han and my one year anniversary on moving to Austin. I know I speak for Han when I say that we couldn't have been more welcomed by the Austin community, especially the food <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bloggers</span>, and maybe this is our chance to share something back with all of you.<br /><br />I think the biggest difference between the food scenes in Houston and Austin is really representative of the two cities themselves. Houston is really into the places with big name recognition and posh interiors. Austin meanwhile prides itself on the mom-and-pop operations with cult followings. But Houston, too, is full of hidden gems, they just aren't as well publicized as the big guys. Sure if you're in town, you want to see and be seen, and you've got a ton of money to blow, you can always go to Hugo's, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Da</span> Marco, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pesce</span>, or Cafe Annie. But <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Austinites</span> looking for good deals with great food and a fun atmosphere will want to check out a few of these places.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Laredo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Taqueria</span> (915 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Snover</span>, in the Heights)</span><br />Honestly, I haven't gotten a chance to explore East Austin much outside of Juan in a Million and El <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Chilito</span> (<a href="http://www.tacojournalism.com">Taco Journalism</a> would be the real expert on the subject), but when I think of breakfast tacos, this is how I picture them. Toss the egg and bacon, give me some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">chorizo</span> and straight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">barbacoa</span> (but pack some extra napkins). And if you're really adventurous, try the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">nopales</span> or the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">picadillo</span>. And don't forget to ask for extra sauce. The real kicker though is watching the morning breakfast crowd. Pull up to this hole-in-the-wall any time during rush hour and you will find a line wrapped around the building of full of day workers, college kids, and men in business suits. They're all waiting in line because the tacos are that good, and it's quite a sight to see. I also want to mention <span style="font-weight: bold;">El Rey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Taqueria</span> (910 Shepherd)</span> because it is Han's absolute favorite place for tortilla soup. When I make business trips into Houston, I will usually make a point to stop by and pick some up to take back with me. Their rotisserie chicken is also incredible.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hobbit Cafe (2243 Richmond)</span><br />If you're a vegetarian (or just a huge nerd -- Austin is full of both), I would give the Hobbit Cafe a try. I know what you might be thinking, and no, it's not just a name. This cafe is completely modeled after the characters in 'Lord of the Rings,' complete with decorations and memorabilia that date back as far as the original release of the novels, not just the Peter Jackson movies. I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">recommend</span> this place for lunch, with a seat on the patio if the Houston humidty hasn't gotten to you yet. The sandwiches (which are named "the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Gandalf</span>" and "the Fatty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Lumpkin</span>" among others) are delicious, mostly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">vegetarian</span> (with vegan options), and are HEFTY. I would definitely get the slim version of any sandwich, unless you literally have a hobbit-sized appetite. Veggies may also want to try out <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Baba</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Yega</span> (2607 Grant St)</span> for their amazing brunch. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">LOTR</span> nerds may also want to check out <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Treebeards</span> (315 Travis)</span> although they have less to do with the series other than the name. Their southern food is still quite excellent though!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Lankford</span> Grocery (88 Denis St)</span><br />It's not quite the trailer park that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Austinites</span> may be used to, but they're still high on tastiness and charm. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Lankford</span> Grocery used to be an actual grocery store way back in the day before the massive <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">HEBs</span> existed and when you would stop in to pick up some milk, bread, and eggs and stay for a bite to eat and a milkshake. Now the place is a full time restaurant but the name has been retained. The burgers here are what make the place famous. Some say they are overrated, but I really think it just depends on how greasy you like your burgers. The service doesn't seem to have changed from the original either: usually warm and friendly, but I can't say you won't get yelled at if you step out of line.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Just Dinner (915 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Dunlavy</span>)</span><br />For those looking for a classy dinner with a personal touch, look no further than Just Dinner. Owner Andrew <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Rebori</span> operates the restaurant out of his house and greets each guest personally as they come through the door. The food is Italian/New American and made mainly with local ingredients, some of which come from Andrew's garden in the back yard (which he would be happy to show you after dinner). Pretty much all of the food is good, but for the hungry I definitely recommend the Pot Roast. Did I mention it's also BYOB? The place is small, so reservations are recommended. And if you're lucky enough to get seated in Lila's section, tell her we sent you and she will be sure to take excellent care of you.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-18391860661024355712009-06-03T22:04:00.007-05:002009-06-03T23:01:12.508-05:00Perla's Seafood and Oyster BarTaking over the Mars location on S. Congress, this new seafood bar has prime real estate. We went for brunch on a Saturday during their opening week. Our friend, Lindsay, was visiting from Houston, so we took her with us, despite her clear dislike for most fare from the sea. Fortunately, Perla's had limited, but delicious non-seafood offerings on their menu, that suited even Lindsay's picky tastes.<br /><br />We started off with delicious morning cocktails. They had a wide variety to choose from, including one called "The Minderaser" which has Bacardi 151 in it. What a way to start your morning! We weren't quite so brave. Justin had a bloody mary, I had their frozen concoction of the day, called "Peach Passion" and Lindsay went with a mimosa.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfl3nMsdsSwovEQ0k6aKNAd9_Qv-B6D9bx03hJdlgqbBzTGD7TwmJJ1Y5UgS2kMBzNKs_yfJAm_KLFrSeTeYNLZmkNjMMLkM-SEB3yO0P5ebwKtBoC45gaTAkE0zZ3KSgopR141cfOl4/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfl3nMsdsSwovEQ0k6aKNAd9_Qv-B6D9bx03hJdlgqbBzTGD7TwmJJ1Y5UgS2kMBzNKs_yfJAm_KLFrSeTeYNLZmkNjMMLkM-SEB3yO0P5ebwKtBoC45gaTAkE0zZ3KSgopR141cfOl4/s200/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343306589540041618" border="0" /></a> The bloody mary was delicious, as was the mimosa. My Peach Passion was incredibly strong, even for my lush tastes. It was more suited for a starter drink before a night out on 6th street than a recovery drink on a Saturday morning. If that's their run-of-the-mill frozen drink, I can't even imagine what the minderaser must be like! I'm never one to complain about strong drinks though, I sure got my money's worth, and it made our post-brunch SoCo shopping a lot more fun!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj205ZlRdzNJnLBYozLqoj7FbixENso3eJ9zCWl8JydSBPh9jziJNa_pRxXjc2NQJNzHiZXOnbkJIZ98dmfwfLWTJ5Ysu63FKg-CeOScv84lM5LtFnvubPaW6NJQs2qyooZNWXenJG1JnU/s1600-h/photo(2).jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj205ZlRdzNJnLBYozLqoj7FbixENso3eJ9zCWl8JydSBPh9jziJNa_pRxXjc2NQJNzHiZXOnbkJIZ98dmfwfLWTJ5Ysu63FKg-CeOScv84lM5LtFnvubPaW6NJQs2qyooZNWXenJG1JnU/s200/photo(2).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343309844759303762" border="0" /></a>Justin and I started with a sampler of 6 oysters on the halfshell. We each tried 3 oysters from different Northeast regions. Although the price was steep, ($3 each) they are pretty typical for non-gulf oysters around here. I love eating large plump gulf oysters when I am in the mood for beer, crawfish, and quantity. But when it comes to quality, there's something to be said for the small, zinc-y, briney goodness that only New England oysters can provide. They have a rotating menu with different fresh catch options each day. In addition to oysters, they always have a clam option as well, usually littleneck or cherrystone.<br /><br />For our main course, I went with the breakfast bouillabaise (I just looked at the menu again, and I guess they changed the name to breakfast cioppino, I never could tell the difference between those two anyway. I know bouillabaise is french and cioppino is italian, but they're both tomato based seafood stews. But I digress...) It is basically a half portion of the dinner option, with two soft poached eggs nestled on top, complete with a crisp toasted piece of baguette.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw9sZ9uKWjUDAlYctrdfuRlWjoY17iA3KBKwWwSkkcYmO7Jgs_kA2eXtA6fCXYwOfjPODXW-_-kqVnzRMTbPBQpdtMV_AephRwkWY5DALd9E218IbpA-7dogO0Sb_fsOjdSHYuyZoLnE/s1600-h/photo(3).jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw9sZ9uKWjUDAlYctrdfuRlWjoY17iA3KBKwWwSkkcYmO7Jgs_kA2eXtA6fCXYwOfjPODXW-_-kqVnzRMTbPBQpdtMV_AephRwkWY5DALd9E218IbpA-7dogO0Sb_fsOjdSHYuyZoLnE/s200/photo(3).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343310764055063762" border="0" /></a> I am such a sucker for soft egg yolks, and these were perfect. Not too runny, but soft enough to mix with the saffron tomato broth for a delicious combination. I love eating my eggs with ketchup, and this was basically a gourmet version. The stew was full of a variety of seafood, including chunks of whitefish, clams, mussels, and calamari. A hearty breakfast for seafood lovers. Justin went with the lobster coddled farm eggs. Lobster chunks mixed in with soft baked eggs. Another highly recommended and delicious option. There was a considerable amount of lobster meat in such a small dish. The egg yolks were also the perfect soft consistency as my poached eggs. It was topped with fresh herbs <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wJT3VNwOxKAbMThFTcJUb4Yhl3eeOs5pV6tCl4qGRY7mquMOD7Ida4DDdNKH0F9rsaJadfmLdSZFWjx8x_rL1wAfMLH4nmAv4J0lvlPi-BZ6HVKBbO7C6hDyP2my6g9xXbZ-77NH8RY/s1600-h/photo(4).jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wJT3VNwOxKAbMThFTcJUb4Yhl3eeOs5pV6tCl4qGRY7mquMOD7Ida4DDdNKH0F9rsaJadfmLdSZFWjx8x_rL1wAfMLH4nmAv4J0lvlPi-BZ6HVKBbO7C6hDyP2my6g9xXbZ-77NH8RY/s200/photo(4).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343314221111810242" border="0" /></a>(tarragon?) that gave a crisp bite to the dish. Lindsay decided to go with the basic wheat toast with eggs over-medium, with a side of fruit. No complaints here. She was also eyeing the buttermilk pancakes, which sounded really yummy, topped with fresh blueberries, whipped cream, and vermont syrup. It was nice to see typical brunch options on the menu, which appease to those who want a more traditional breakfast.<br /><br />Overall, Perla's is a suitable replacement for Mars. I will miss the cocktails at Mars, but I think Perla's strong drinks will do just fine. I loved the overall environment of the resaturant. The decor was nautical and beachy, with a breezy atmosphere. The waiters looked like they stepped out of a J.Crew catalog (pink or light blue button down, khaki pants). Am I in Nantucket?? My one complaint is that Perla's is going through the new restaurant growing pains. Even on Saturday brunch, the restaurant was far from capacity. The waiter was not very knowledgeable about the menu, and appeared obviously green to the industry. However, everyone was very friendly and eager to please, which will carry them far. I can't wait to revisit Perla's again in a few months, perhaps for dinner this time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Perla's Seafood & Oyster Bar</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 1400 S. Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78704</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 512 291 7300</span>Hanstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398153543534168854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-44134671058434544622009-05-14T20:55:00.007-05:002009-05-14T22:03:46.603-05:00Max's Wine Dive<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM-KAnL-GDeprB0gc6psemIzA1l5kBQb74FFjm4F2rDmYMu5n7JKihXCjJ1SSd1J_aZI-USQrdVTxErPrnkZvFqQx1qeunbUp-GnifUhazi60gHI-Z4cnLLkSTjDD8k1Ta8TyeoeCMmuU/s1600-h/IMG_2971.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM-KAnL-GDeprB0gc6psemIzA1l5kBQb74FFjm4F2rDmYMu5n7JKihXCjJ1SSd1J_aZI-USQrdVTxErPrnkZvFqQx1qeunbUp-GnifUhazi60gHI-Z4cnLLkSTjDD8k1Ta8TyeoeCMmuU/s200/IMG_2971.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335866201901687810" border="0" /></a>Max's Wine Dive was actually one of our favorite places to eat when we were living in Houston. I used to live about 5 minutes north of the Washington corridor where the original Max's still sits today. Needless to say I was delighted to find out that they were opening an Austin location. The tongue-in-cheek kitch of having an upscale "dive" bar will suit the Austin crowd just perfectly.<br /><br />Named after the owner's six-year-old nephew, Max's Wine Dive prides itself on its unique pairing of fine wines and New American comfort food. (One of its many mottos is "Fried Chicken and Champagne?... why the hell not?") Most of the dishes are new takes of classic favorites such as pot roast (made with Kobe beef and braised in a red wine jus), a fried egg sandwich (tossed with truffle oil and served with organic gruyere), and ribs (with a glaze made from hoisin sauce).<br /><br />I've had a good portion of the menu in my time. The hands-down favorite is the Kobe beef burger (you can add a side of kimchee or foie gras if you'd like) and the "haute" dog. I also<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj73kV_shfWOugaC-jFI16bw1hYqWb6Cn94Or2y_WF-buwBP_5zxvp9iUHsoIZSj4mWWjbfzf3Ul0qaA94u41k3-5vbNCtVdn1f2jYUMWCfIiY6N5QqHH6GyrdIflFHeQhvYB7Ihfftnfl/s1600-h/IMG_2969.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj73kV_shfWOugaC-jFI16bw1hYqWb6Cn94Or2y_WF-buwBP_5zxvp9iUHsoIZSj4mWWjbfzf3Ul0qaA94u41k3-5vbNCtVdn1f2jYUMWCfIiY6N5QqHH6GyrdIflFHeQhvYB7Ihfftnfl/s200/IMG_2969.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335876368221533842" border="0" /></a> really like their take on grilled cheese and tomato soup (served in a shot glass).<br /><br />Of course the prices for this "dive" food are maybe the other half of the joke, but more on that later.<br /><br />I was definitely pleased that the space in the Austin location is much more opened up. Whether you have single stamina and like working the room or you have couple's coma and are just looking to settle in with your ribs and shiraz, everyone here feels included. Max's Wine Dive also likes to push the party atmosphere -- at the Houston location there were often House DJ's spinning, even during dinner hours -- so don't go expecting a quiet dinner experience. The jukebox, I've heard, is pretty darn amazing.<br /><br />And of course the other side of the coin is the bar's extensive wine selection. If you're like us and enjoy a good glass but have no idea how to pick one out, the bartenders are all very knowledgable and courteous. <br /><br />Now if there's one thing to be aware of at Max's, it's that prices do add up. At most other bars, you'll order a few appetizers and a couple of drinks for you and your date and be just fine. At Max's if you aren't paying attention you could be walking out with a three digit bill easily. (And to be clear, their wine prices are actually quite reasonable, they just serve REALLY nice wine there.)<br /><br />The good news is Max's features not only a happy hour from 4 to 7pm, but also the DOUBLY COOL "Reverse" happy hour from 12am to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, with discounts on both food and wine. <br /><br />All in all, I think the happy hours are going to be the time to go. Not just for the prices but for the atmosphere that really takes advantage of what Max's does best. Call it just a hunch, but I think Austin is going to have many a good time to come at Max's Wine Dive.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Max's Wine Dive</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">207 San Jacinto Blvd</span><br /><a href="http://www.maxswinedive.com/austin/index.php"><span style="font-style: italic;">http://www.maxswinedive.com/austin/index.php</span></a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-54143590091558848452009-05-07T20:06:00.004-05:002009-05-07T20:41:42.886-05:00The Austin Crawfish Retrospective<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl-4ytz66AIT-nm1frZUUrcn-CQSnYnuAyGZFk0ACSAc3xPP2cMe8By1IM-dTpi6arqJ3OCLW_FwnDDVD_bHGMc3EMO_JW60ALj2CqWVgSRh-dIUCDGBvKpdStLnD5OdCx125dPivGx0/s1600-h/IMG_2975.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl-4ytz66AIT-nm1frZUUrcn-CQSnYnuAyGZFk0ACSAc3xPP2cMe8By1IM-dTpi6arqJ3OCLW_FwnDDVD_bHGMc3EMO_JW60ALj2CqWVgSRh-dIUCDGBvKpdStLnD5OdCx125dPivGx0/s200/IMG_2975.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333262269293416946" border="0" /></a><br />It all started when I was a kid growing up in Michigan. My mother would buy frozen crawfish from the seafood counter every once in a while. When I moved down to Houston, a.k.a. the Dirty South, I learned so much more about crawfish (not "crayfish").<br /><br />The crawfish boil is a big excuse to hang out outdoors, get messy, eat delicious seafood, and drink a lot of beer. Gotta love the 3rd coast. Crawfish in its real form is a hot, juicy, steamy fresh miniature lobster tail. In fact, the chinese word for lobster is actually "crawfish."<br /><br />Although Austin is a mere 2.5 hours from Houston, the available of good quality crawfish is like night and day. So I set upon a mission for the best crawfish in town, and this is what I found.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Quality Seafood</span><br />Already famous for their, well, quality seafood, we were delighted to find the freshest and the cheapest crawfish in town. Service is fast, you can see them weighing out the crawfish behind the counter so you know you're getting your money's worth. Seasoning is spicy but not too salty. And at $5.99 per pound, it sure beats $6.99, the rest Austin has to offer.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">5621 Airport Blvd</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">www.qualityseafoodmarket.com</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crawfish Shack & Oyster Bar</span><br />One of my favorite things about crawfish is that they're high in protein and low in fat. The perfect weight-loss food. Although Crawfish Shack & Oyster Bar, some of this was lost in the greasy boil they used. Butter was unnecessary with their recipe. However, they also had BBQ blue crabs. As you from my "Mama Ren's Blue Crab" post, they are my favorite. Nowhere else have I found such a fare.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2013 Wells Branch Pkwy # 106 </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">www.crawfishshack.net</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fish City Grill<br /></span>This is the only place in town found that serves crawfish every night of the week. Delicious and convenient, I just wish "spicer" didn't just mean "saltier." At $6.99 per pound you pay for the convenience. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">4616 Triangle Ave # 200</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">4200 S Lamar Blvd</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">www.fishcitygrill.com</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Cypress Grill<br /></span>Good if you are south of the river, however they only offer on Tuesdays. The crawfish was delicious, although on the light side of weight. Not sure if we got all 3 lbs that we ordered. At $15.99 per 3 lbs., even with the thumb on the scale this was a great deal. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">4404 W William Cannon Dr # L</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">www.cypressgrill.net</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Shoal Creek Saloon</span><br />It's claim to fame was its cajun food, but the quality of their crawfish says otherwise. Seasoning was on the light side but the biggest disappointment was how many dead crawfish there were in the mix. Approximately half were dead or had crushed head. Not so appetizing. Maybe it was a bad day, but at $6.99 per pound it's not worth it even if it wasn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">909 N Lamar Blvd</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">www.shoalcreeksaloon.com</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HEB Seafood Counter</span><br />It's hard to heat this up to the proper temperature but in a nostalgic way, this reminds me of my mother's crawfish. For the price of $2.49 per pound, this is certainly a good choice when you crave crawfish right now. After freezing the "wang" (crawfish innards) the mustard in the head comes out easier, yet freezing does something to change the quality. Not a bad choice for the price in a pinch.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Various Locations</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">www.heb.com</span><br /><br />Summary: Quality Seafood FTW, as it tends to be. Nothing yet compares to my favorite Houston crawfish joint. Mardi Gras Grill remains #1 in my heart forever.Hanstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398153543534168854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067808102444826802.post-44206659441980471512009-04-30T16:08:00.004-05:002009-04-30T16:44:59.117-05:00Kentucky Grilled Chicken<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGJVClSu8djbuBP7Cj2A8mR3-aLL9SiiiT4rwd_IQFQE-Phnb_dGALL755Xi6tnfLGgJ00K913vEo5SccVTcCabuvwwDcUQT3yQdOxV0EukrGMLT4c3ZOsimXZHtg4Dvvth-SlRKY88ZJ/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 127px; height: 73px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGJVClSu8djbuBP7Cj2A8mR3-aLL9SiiiT4rwd_IQFQE-Phnb_dGALL755Xi6tnfLGgJ00K913vEo5SccVTcCabuvwwDcUQT3yQdOxV0EukrGMLT4c3ZOsimXZHtg4Dvvth-SlRKY88ZJ/s200/images.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330599955382593698" /></a><br />Since moving to Austin, we've been trying to eat healthier and we've largely given up fast foods. But, old habits die hard, and ever the consummate consumer, I was pretty intrigued by KFC's new approach into the trend of healthy eating. <div><br /></div><div>The commercials certainly looked promising. The colonel's 11 tasty herbs and spices combined with the healthiness of grilled chicken instead of fried? Today I decided to give it a shot finally. <div><br /></div><div>The results were a bit of a mixed bag as you can probably imagine. First of all, the pieces are not nearly as big or delicious-looking as the ads (I should have known better). Second of all, "Kentucky Grilled Chicken" is a pretty egregious misnomer-- the pieces are still fried in oil, just not with all the batter. I have no idea where the "grill marks" are coming from. </div><div><br /></div><div>Still, no one can say it doesn't make a difference. A "grilled" drumstick is only 80 calories, as compared to the original recipe (110 calories) or the Extra Crispy (150 calories), and a grilled breast (180 calories) is a HUGE improvement over the original recipe (370 calories) and Extra Crispy (490 calories). </div><div><br /></div><div>As for the flavor, it wasn't bad. Certainly not as tasty as the KFC you're used to, but the fact that it's actually friend instead of grilled was probably redeeming in this regard. </div><div><br /></div><div>What got me, though, in the end was the sides. I haven't had KFC in forever, so I couldn't pass up the usual favorites: cole slaw and mashed potatoes. Like any dining out experience for the health conscious, the sides can be just as dangerous as the main course, if not more. Luckily, there are better options on the menu, including green beans, mean greens (whatever that is), and good old-fashioned corn on the cob. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, this new KGC will not and should not be considered healthy eating by anyone (no surprise there). But for people with kids who are coerced into eating more fast food than they'd like, or recovering junk foodies like myself, it provides options, and for that KFC should be applauded. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now if you'll excuse me, Han and I are getting ready to go get chicken fried steak at Hoover's. (Which way is the gym?)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15238174581352931841noreply@blogger.com1