From the pages of Real Simple

Last night, Melinda and I made our version of this recipe, 20-Minute Shrimp with Carrot Slaw. M made the shrimp as described, but with added garlic. I cut the carrots into discs instead of chopping them julienne and, since I had no cayenne in the house (!), I added a touch of pepper and extra lime for a kick.

Overall, the meal was okay. It was a easy-to-make dish for sure, and we didn't spend more than 20 mins making it. I have a lot of leftover sour cream now, so I have to figure out what to do with it. I'm not sure I'll make carrot salad again, but I certainly don't regret trying it.

Fogo de Chao

Melinda and I went on a "meat date" last night to Fogo de Chao. We called it that because that's the main attraction of this place. You pay $45 a head and flip over your 'cue card' to green, and waiters bearing various cuts and varieties of meat come by your table and slice off servings onto your plate.

It was awesome!

We started off at what appeared to be the world's largest salad bar, then sat down to await the meat purveyors. I sampled pork ribs (which were mouth-wateringly good), chicken wrapped in bacon (yum!), and savory beef and lamb. There were also little sausages, but they were over-seasoned for my taste.

Our waiter was very nice and explained how everything worked. He was prompt and checked in with us often but wasn't obtrusive. Three sides come with your meal, mashed potatoes, plantains, and fried polenta (which I simply couldn't get enough of!). We also ordered a half-bottle of wine to wash everything down. The selection we enjoyed was a Merlot from the vineyards of one of the Coppolas.

This place is certainly not cheap and had Melinda not had a gift certificate, we probably would never have been able to try it; however, I enjoyed every minute! I would go again if I had the cash just lying around. The service was excellent and the food was so tasty. We stuffed ourselves so we didn't order dessert; but the fried plantains were sweet enough to serve as an after-dinner treat.

Conan's Pizza: A review

Actually, I won't be reviewing the pizza. I will be reviewing the best salad of all time: the Conan's Salad.Just look at it!! The mound of cheese, the black olives, the Club crackers. The only thing that is missing are the pepperoncini peppers and the anchovies, available on request. From their website:
"The original, a mix of Romaine, Leaf and Iceberg Lettuce with black olives, onions and green bell peppers, topped with shredded mozzarella cheese."
I've ordered this salad at least half a dozen times and nary an onion or bell pepper has made its acquaintance. That's o.k..you don't need them, especially if you add the peppers and the anchovies. I also recommend you get either the Bleu Cheese or Caesar dressings. Both are great and very creamy.
I usually get two salads and that is more than enough for a meal. As you can see by the picture, the salad is overflowing the bowl so we usually dump the salad onto the plate. It's a little bit more manageable.
Conan's itself is an interesting restaurant. I've been to all three locations and I have to say the one up north is the nicest. The south location is o.k...just small-ish. And the booth seat was weird. The central location has barely any seating and lacks in the decor part in a major way.
The decor...what can you say??? The decor is comprised of mostly fantasy themed posters, keeping in line with the Conan the Barbarian tradition. I have noticed that the ladies bathroom always has the same dolphin posters...not sure what is up with that.
Bottom line: go try this salad!! You could also get the pizza...I don't even remember it so that's not saying much. But since I get the salad every time I go, it's easy to see why I would forget the pizza.
Tip: you can make this salad at home. Just procure all the ingredients (I got deli-slice mild peppers). I bought Newman's Own Creamy Dressing and it was pretty good. The only complaint: incredibly salty. The whole salad is incredibly salty. But worth it...so very worth it...

A Review: Outback Steakhouse - South

Mr. Wonderful celebrated his birthday a week ago (god, was it only a week ago??? I feel like it was a million years ago!)

Anyway, I told him for his birthday that I would take him out and make him a cake. While the cake turned out awesomely (Thanks Duncan Hines!), the birthday dinner was disappointing.

He narrowed down his choices to BBQ and steak. I opted for steak since I never get steak (we just don't eat it but we should) and we could try a nicer restaurant for his special day. I read reviews, looked at menus, tried to find prices, and I wanted to take him to a uniquely Austin restaurant that didn't break the bank. After I got off work, I called him up and presented his options. He said "How about Outback?"

I said "sure" and off I went to battle downtown, 5:00 traffic.

Apparently Austin has two Outbacks: one south on Lamar and Ben White and the other up north...maybe Arboreteum area?? Whatevs, we live south east so we opted for south.

I have been to Outback numerous times and I've never really been disappointed. Good beer bread, good steak*, good sides, etc. That was not the case this go-around.

I can't speak for Mr. Wonderful but I did not enjoy my experience. First: beer bread was too hard. Second: a table of "business guys" sat next to us and the one guy in direct line with my ear did not SHUT UP, the ENTIRE meal. I'm pretty sure he talked while he ate. And it wasn't even interesting. Third: we both got Caear salads and they were both too salty. Fourth: my potato was too dry. When I tried to get Worcestershire sauce, Mr. Wonderful had to physically get up and find a waiter, despite the fact that they were corralled behind our booth having a gabfest. Our waitress was good at first but after our food was delivered, she disappeared. Fifth: Mr. Wonderful had to flag someone down for a refill. My steak was good but.....

I was very disappointed. Not only was this his birthday meal but we were throwing $50 towards it. I've never had a disappointing time at Outback..at least, not to my memory. In hindsight, we should have gone with an Austin original. Next time, we will know. Until then, stay away from the Outback in South Austin!!!

*I have never really had lots of bad steaks and I'm certainly no steak connoisseur.

Taverna: A Review

Taverna is a restaurant in Austin's trendy new 2nd St section of downtown. It was Easter Sunday and we weren't starving so we went in knowing we'd nosh on appetizers and share a bottle of wine. We didn't have huge expectations, and I think that attitude served us well. We ordered these three dishes:

• Tagliere ($12 for the table) Mortadella, Prosciutto, Sopressata, Parmesan, Speck & Polenta Crostini. The meats were delicious, as was the fried cheese. The Parmesan chunks were too hard to chew, so I didn't finish mine.
  
• Bruschetta ($6) Chopped fresh tomatoes on three large pieces of bread soaked with Garlic & Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was delightful and filling. The toast was crusty on the edges, soft in the middle....just like I like it.
• Fritto Misto ($9) Calamari, Shrimp, Shallots, Zucchini & Carrots with Spicy Tomato Aioli in a ramekin. These were lightly fried and delightful. The shrimp were large and juicy. I think this was my favorite.
  

All of the food was delicious the presentation was also nice-- the Tagliere arrived on a wooden chopping board covered with butcher paper. The Bruschetta was in a large bowl and featured huge servings. The Fritto Misto came heaped on a big platter with a healthy side of aioli for dipping.

For dessert we had

• Balsamic Ice Cream ($6) Sauteed Strawberries & Biscotti. It sounds weird, but it was actually quite nice. It was a sweet ending to our trio of savory dishes, but the balsamic gave it a pleasant edge. The strawberries complimented the flavor quite nicely and the two chocolate biscotti did not overwhelm.
  

The restaurant itself is pleasantly decorated in traditional Italian-style dark wood, with the walls done in burgundy and gold paint. The main room is not large, but the high ceilings and the open kitchen make it feel bigger than it is. The bathrooms were okay -- nothing to write home about, but at least there were no holes in the wall or any tacky wallpaper.

Our waiter was really the only bad thing about our dining experience. He was overly chatty and flirted openly with the three of us. I don't mind a little flirting, but this guy just wouldn't shut up. He didn't know anything useful about wine and he over-explained the dessert tray. After sharing his life story sprinkled with many DOA attempts at humor, we learned he'd been there since the morning, had served the brunch crowd, and wasn't getting off work until much later. (We arrived for our meal at 7pm.) I got the distinct feeling he was either high or had one too many cups of coffee. While our waiter's stream of consciousness was quite quick, the service was unfortunately pretty slow. After we ate, it took a long time to get our check, then even longer to get processed as the credit card machine was down. They had to make a physical impression of my card.

This place isn't cheap, but it isn't outrageously priced either. We ended up spending $82 (before tip) for one bottle of wine ($40), three apps, and one dessert. Taverna isn't exactly a place I'd go to regularly, but I'm not against trying it again. Hopefully Chatty McChatterson won't wait on me next time.

Shoal Creek Saloon

Shoal Creek Saloon offers up delicious Louisiana-style cookin'. Fried seafood, piles of boiled crawfish, and gumbo. We went to this cajun place last Saturday night and found a table by the bar. The room was crazy packed because of the annual seasonal crawfish boil so service was exceptionally slow. The food was quite tasty, however. They had run out of shrimp earlier in the evening so we split a basket of fried oysters, crawfish and catfish. The four accompanying hushpuppies went fast. Mark had a huge serving red beans and rice with sausage. He cleaned his plate easily and hungrily. We shoveled satisfying spoon after spoon of garlic mashed potatoes and Southern-style green beans into our mouths.

Shoal Creek Saloon has a full bar, but we opted for the cheap and wonderfully cold cans of Pearl for $2 a pop. It was a hot night for February, even by Texas standards and I welcomed the perfectly chilled Pearl sliding down my throat. There's something about cheap American beer that really hits the spot sometimes.

I would like to go back when there isn't such a huge crowd. SCS is a laid-back kinda place that caters to all kinds of folk. There are multiple TVs so no matter your favorite team, they're probably on one of them. The waitstaff, although slow when we went, were really nice guys. I give this place a thumbs-up.

Kashi makes pizza?

Yep, they do. In three varieties, to be exact. I tried the Roasted Garlic Chicken pizza last night. It's a smaller-sized pizza that will run you about $5.00 or so. It has a whole-wheat crust and a fair amount of toppings and an even serving of shredded cheese. I put it in the oven, directly on the rack and waited to be amazed.

I have to say, I wasn't. While Kashi has done a good job with the flavor combination and offering a wheat crust, the pizza was just kind of "ehh." It was on the dry side and had barely any sauce. I don't think I'll bother with the other varieties next time I buy a frozen pizza.

For an alternative, may I recommend the Digiorno Thin Crust pizza? It bakes wonderfully and is very yummy. I like to get the 4-cheese kind and top it with my own organic mushrooms, peppers, and pork sausage. Delicious! Oh, and apparently they're coming out with two new varieties --- Spinach, Mushroom & Garlic and Pepperoni, Mushroom & Bacon. Both sound quite tempting.

Oaxacan Tamaleo: a review

Mr. Wonderful and I decided to try out another Farmer's Market favorite: Oaxacan Tamaleo.

This place hardly needs more publicity (a quick Google search yielded many hits from foodies of a professional and amateur nature) but when I'm impressed, I'm impressed. And I can't keep my mouth shut.

Tamaleo's story is a feel-good, only in America type story with a happy middle (which I hope is what is occurring right now). It's family run with local food and authentic flavor. We were greeted by Leo's stepson greeting us and her husband taking orders from the other tables. It's small and only three people were working on Wednesday night (no dine and dash for this place!). But the reason everyone loves Tamaleo?? The food! My God, the food.

I had a chicken mole tamaleo. Tamaleos are Leo's specialty. It's a tamale, made with less lard and some other things her stepson told me but I have forgotten :(, wrapped in a banana leaf. The banana leaves are huge and I asked her stepson if I was supposed to eat it. He said "no, it's indigestible" and we all laughed at my ignorance. Hey, I was willing to try anything!

Mr. Wonderful had lamb barbacoa. Fall off the bone wonderful!

We both got rice and beans and they were as flavorful as the meal. My only regret was that I did not order two tamaleos with my dinner. I thought they would be really big but they weren't incredibly huge. Next time: I'll order two.

The great thing about this place is that it's authentic. I couldn't put my finger on it but everything is flavorful and simple. I feel like Tex-Mex is too much sometimes, especially compared to this. Like they have to outdo themselves by deep frying this and refrying. Tamaleo didn't need to do that. It is perfectly able to let each item taste magnificent in it's own way.

I highly recommend Oaxacan Tamaleo. It's less than the price you would pay for Tex-Mex and you feel better after you leave it. Not only do you eat some outstanding food, you just supported a local business!!

Special note: Mr. Wonderful doesn't like rice and beans. He ate every last scrap of the ones at Tamaleo because he enjoyed the flavor so much :0)

Star of India

Last night I dined at Star of India over on Anderson Ln. I was starving when we arrived so I went the buffet route and was not disappointed. I had veggie korma and rice, a divine salad with chunky seasoned cucumber, and 3 wedges of naan, my most favorite bread in the world.

Now, this isn't the best Indian food I've ever had, but it was still very tasty and falls neatly into my comfort foods category. The server was excellent, save for her shy quiet voice. She refilled my water glass four times! Yay! I left her a nice tip.

The buffet is $10. Not bad for a spread that includes salad, multiple main dishes, and choice of dessert. (I had the perfectly-sweetened rice pudding --- it was lovely.) Check this place out!

Dripping Springs Vodka

Last night at Grapevine Market, I saw a new vodka in the aisle: Dripping Springs Vodka. It was sitting next to the Tito's and it was $14.99. I thought, "Hell, why not?" I bought a couple bottles of Dr Pepper to get trashy with and headed home.

This is not sippin' vodka. It's got a clean but mean punch. The nice thing about it was it had no funky aftertaste like Tito's vodka sports. (No, I'm not a Tito's fan...) The not so nice thing was it kicked my ass. I'm no stranger to vodka, but this stuff is well-worth the money in terms of chemical escapism. You want a martini? Stick with the good stuff, your Grey Goose, your Belvedere (that's for you, Angela!). You wanna sing karaoke with your friends? Get some Dripping Springs.

A locally-produced vodka that's cheap and enjoyable? Sign me up!

Gorton's Tilapia...not that good

Blech. I was so keen to have a fish filet last night that I ripped open the box of Gorton's Tilapia. The breading turned a beautiful golden brown and the baking smell was inviting; however, the fish, while white and flaky, had a weird sweet taste to it. I was really hungry, so I ate it, but I was quite disappointed. Is this what I get for buying frozen fish patties?

Daxie (see left), on the other hand, ate three bites ravenously! It would seem he rather enjoys sweet fish.

Eating Locally in Georgetown

Mr. Wonderful and I stopped in Georgetown, TX on our way to Oklahoma (we took the new, delightful toll road. BELIEVE ME: it was worth however much we paid in tolls) for a bite to eat. Originally, we were looking for just food of the fast variety but then I recognized where I was and we found the Monument Cafe once again!!

Suppersister Theresa had told us about this wonderful place when we made our only other trip to Georgetown to accompany our wondermous niece Mandi on a college tour. Anywhoo, Monument, Monument, wherefore art thou Monument?

Besides being exceptionally good food, Mr. Wonderful and I were delighted to know (we are often delighted) that the food is locally grown and organic! We really had no intent of eating completely locally, we just wanted to go to a place that we remembered fondly.

I had a chili burger *oh yes, it was great!* and a mixture of onion strings and french fries. Truly "junk" food but Kobe beef burgers, organic everything, and locally grown onions makes it the best junk food choice we could make!

Mr. Wonderful had a club sandwich and the same mixture of onion strings and french fries. We didn't have room for dessert but some day, we will. All of the desserts sound fantastic!

Theresa can provide a much better review but I have nothing but glowing feelings about Monument. Definitely a place to stop when we make our way through Georgetown.

Eating Locally in Del Valle

Last night, Mr. Wonderful (aka my husband) and I ate at The Bull and Boar. Oh My GOD! Wonderful! I'm still tasting it, in a good way. We went all out and got dessert AND a beer apiece. I had the Skinny Dip...it was o.k. Mr. Wonderful had a Shiner 98 which he really liked. I thought it was o.k. I'm not a huge beer drinker and mostly stay on the wheat/pale ale side of things. Anyway, on to the food!!

I had the Pan-fried Rainbow Trout. It was served with a corn and onion relish with lime. I'm still salivating. It was served opened (like the split it down the back) with tail intact. :) My sides included macaroni and cheese and sauteed squash. The squash was exceptionally good. I have found a new veggie: squash!

Mr. Wonderful had the Country Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and a small Caesar. He said it was good. We split a creammmmmmy cream cheese icing carrot cake for dessert. It was served with a strawberry and the coolest orange syrup glazed thing on top. Yum! We also had sourdough bread that was baked fresh that day!

The Bull and Boar supports local farmers and makes many of their own dishes on site including frying their own chips, smoking their own salmon, and other things. They are owned by two brothers (we talked to one of them) who are also the chefs and their mother waited on us. They have been open for four months. A brunch occurs on Sunday: all you care to eat for $15. I remember Belgian waffles, made to order omelets, and a whole host of other things were on the menu, definitely enough to get your money's worth.

The atmosphere was pleasant. It looked like an old diner inside. Everyone was very nice and we were the only people in there. We got out of there paying about $33. Overall, great experience!!

What do you say Suppersisters??? Care to brunch this Sunday?

**I forgot to add that the portion sizes were adequate (as in: I was served on a plate, not a platter so I could not overeat!) and the availability of food is seasonal so the menu is always changing. If you go to their website, you will notice the carrot cake and the Rainbow trout are not displayed. Even more reason to go!**

Torchy's: One Incredible Roach Coach

Perhaps you are offended by the endearing term "Roach Coach," but that's how I have come to recognize some pretty unique fare. That said, don't dare drive to South Austin for another meal (and certainly not to El Mercado) until you check out Torchy's Tacos on South First.

The milieu: a cute trailer setup in a parking lot, creekside; tables and chairs scattered around under pretty electric string lights. Screams "South Austin." Don't dare go across the street to crappy El Mercado when Torchy's awaits.

The Impulsive Diner

After a very long day of tree trimming and shopping, I craved a frosty beer and something to eat. What better to compliment said beer than a tasty hot dog on a bun? So we went to the grocery store and Ball Park turkey dogs caught my eye. Not only were they "bun size" dogs, but they had only 45 calories per frank! So I ate two!

Made from all-white turkey meat,
I took comfort in knowing I wasn't eating any "mystery" parts of cows or pigs. The flavor was a little different from the standard hot dog, but quite pleasant. So, toast some buns, get out the mustard, and enjoy!

Alamo Drafthouse: a review

I love going to Alamo Drafthouse to see a movie! Where else can you share a pitcher of cold beer, a basket of fried pickles, AND watch the latest flick or see a cult favorite? The menu is your typical American-fare type stuff, but it's usually expanded with yummy specialties for certain movies. (For example, when we saw The Simpsons Movie, Buzz Cola was on the menu.)

Last night we saw Stardust, a fairly entertaining film adaptation of the book by the same name. There were no fairy-related food stuffs*, so Mark and I split a frosty pitcher of Shiner Bock and Melinda helped us nosh on a basket of fried pickle spears. Alamo's pickles are quite tasty. For my meal, I ordered the "Over the Top Dog" which is a 1/4 lb hot dog in a toasted hoagie bun. The dog was great, but the bun was wayyy too big. I ended up eating only half the bread. Ketchup, mustard, and relish come on the side so you can dress it how you like. The fries were crisp and potato-y, just the way I like them. Overall, a very filling meal.

*What do fairies eat, anyway?

Wink (Theresa's take)

Last night we dined at Wink, a little restaurant tucked away behind Whole Earth Provision Co on Lamar. The place is tiny, but since we had reservations, we walked right in. The tables are very close together, so if you're claustrophobic, you'd best eat elsewhere.

Our server was a very knowledgeable woman who happily suggested wines and provided tastings so we could choose which wine we liked best. We decided on a bottle of chardonnay. I'll let the other gals go into detail about the wine, as I'm not really an oenophile, I just like what I like. Needless to say, I really liked this wine.

For starters we had cold gulf shrimp on a bed of Fuji apple, fennel, and minted cucumber. It was delightful. We also had four plump grilled sea scallops (1 each) that melted in my mouth. Warm square rolls and butter kept us sated until our main courses arrived.

I ordered the hanger steak with potatoes and fennel in a caramelized butter sauce. The meat was a delicate medium-rare and it disintegrated into a flood of flavor in my mouth. The potato wedges were tiny browned delights, especially when paired with the wilted greens. After, I was quite full, but we decided on dessert.

We enjoyed a piece of El Rey chocolate cake surrounded by whipped cream and zinfindel-infused cherries AND a wonderful orange lavender risotto tart. The chocolate was divinely rich but the orange lavender confection won me over with its sweet and delicate flavors. Yum!

OVERALL OPINION: I rather enjoyed Wink. The service was good, the food was better, and the lighting was nice. However, the bathroom was kinda crummy; I expected it to be nicer since we had just dropped $250 on our evening. The close nature of the dining room can be off-putting to those of us who don't like to be elbow-to-elbow with our dining neighbors. But if that's the worst of it, Wink should be around for a very long time!