Salty Sow

  Howdy folks, yesterday (Feb 16) my sister and I decided to try dining at Salty Sow (saltysow.com).  I chose this place after looking at the menu and being intrigued by the idea of traditional French cooking techniques being used on local produce and meats.  I know that there are plenty of restaurants that use local ingredients, but we chose this one because I wanted to see what the food from a 28 point out of 30 on the Zagat scale tasted.
   So first things first...on a Saturday night, if you're not willing to wait around for about an hour (our quote time for a table for walk-ins) then I would recommend you calling in for a reservation.  I'm usually pretty good about planning and thinking ahead but for some reason or another I didn't think to call and we waited about 45 minutes for a table.  But I can tell you that the wait was worth it.
   My sister and I started with drinks...I had my usual Long Island Iced Tea and my Sister had one of their signature drinks the "Mr Shaw" which is comprised of Jasmine Green Tea Liquor, Bullet Rye Bourbon, Honey and something else that we don't remember.  My Sister said that her drink was tasty and my Long Island went down smoothly.

   As far as appetizers go we had the "Triple Fried Duck Fat Fries: and the "Truffled Deviled Eggs."  Both the appetizers...or "Hors D'oeuvres" as the menu puts it, were delicious.  The Deviled Eggs were delicious and the truffle oil didn't overwhelm the delicate flavors of the stuffing (which didn't use mustard and a definite plus for my sister and I, whom do not like the flavor of too much mustard).  The Triple Fried Duck Fat Fries were awesome.  The fries were very crispy, while still being soft in the center (not as easily done as one might actually expect) and I contribute it to use of duck fat.  And the cold Bearnaise that accompanied the fries paired very well with the yolk of the "110 minute egg" that was on top of the fries.  I would absolutely recommend both of these dishes.

  

   For entree's we both had the "Beef Shoulder Slow Cooked" with "Yukon gold mashed potatoes, glazed root vegetables and neck bone gravy."  Sadly this dish wasn't that great.  The gravy and the vegetables were tasty and cooked well, but the actual Shoulder (which was slow cooked in what tasted like a red wine) was over cooked...dry.  The fried egg didn't really add to the dish either.  I don't really understand how a slow cooked piece of meat would be dry, but in any case, the flavor was good, I just don't think that I'd order it again.  The actual entree was served in a small metal pot, which was surprising to me.

   For dessert we had the "Bananas Foster Beignets."  I personally didn't like the actual beignet itself, it was way to heavy and oily for my tastes, but the nutmeg vanilla ice cream that came with it was outstanding.  If I could order dessert all over again, I would just order the ice cream, yes it was that good.  It was light, creamy with just enough nutmeg to recognize it was nutmeg. 

  Well bottom line is that Salty Sow has decent food and I'm glad I had a the opportunity to dine here, but I don't think that its necessarily a place that I would routinely frequent.  But I would recommend trying this place out at least once.  

Until next time...I wish y'all happy eating.

-Henry

Noodles and Company

   So I was planning on actually cooking tonight  after I got home from class, but after my back passenger window on my truck decided it wouldn't roll back up, I spent the time taking apart my door instead of actually getting a chance to cook.  Well long story short, my sister and I decided to go out and we decided to try out Noodles & Company (http://www.noodles.com/).

   So Julia ordered the Pesto Cavatappi with the pork (pork because they were out of chicken).: "Curry pasta, basil pesto, garlic, mushrooms, tomato, wine, cream, Parmesan and Italian parsley."  I'd have to say that the pesto was a little tame, but the whole dish was pretty good.  The pork was juicy and well...tasted like pork.  When I think pasta and pesto, I generally don't think pork, but it went surprisingly well together.  Not a bad dish.

    I ordered the Steak Stroganoff : Marinated steak, mushroom sherry cream sauce, fresh herbs, cracked pepper, sauteed mushrooms, egg noodles and Parmesan.  The steak was moist, not over cooked and actually had a decent savory flavor.  The noodles, though aren't in house made, were cooked al dente and the the scream sauce wasn't over powering, but I think it could have used some spicy (maybe some red pepper flakes) to give it a little kick to cut through the richness of the sauce.

   Now my sister and I also ordered and appetizer and in my opinion was the best dish of the dinner.  We ordered the garlic cheese bread.  The melted mozzarella and cheddar (yes cheddar) was perfectly intergrated on the nice slices of toasted baguettes.  Though I'm pretty sure the dipping sauce was from a can, the acidity of the tomatoes cut through the cheese very well ad yielded a more complete appetizer.
  
    Anyway, this was a short blog, because I'm still getting over what ever I had yesterday.  But anyway, until next time, I wish y'all happy eating.
-Henry

Second Bar and Kitchen

  So Julia and I ended the evening by dining at Second Bar and Kitchen (http://congressaustin.com/second/) with Jason and his wife Jen.  We decided to come here because the menu was more diverse than the other place we were looking at visiting (that will be another blog whenever we decided to finally go there).  So onto the blog
   Appetizers/Snacks: Black Truffle Pommes Frites: grana padano, truffle aioli and seard Foie Gras (don't yell at me for adding the Foie Gras)

   I can now say that I've had Foie Gras.  And I can now honestly say that I will never order it again.  If you don't know what Foie Gras is, let me tell you...but before I do, if you really like animals just skip the next few sentences and just go on and read the rest of the blog.  3...2...1...Okay so Foie Gras is french for "fat liver."  Its made from the liver of a goose, sometimes duck, that has been fattened by being forced fed through a feeding tube and when the goose is fattened just enough and then ...well you know.  The Foie Gras was really rich and buttery...way to rich for me and way to fattening for me.  I would tell you what all types of ailments accompanied my ingesting the Foie Gras, but that wouldn't be very appropriate dinner conversation.  Well anyway the Pommes Frites with the black truffle was really good and the truffle aioli wasn't overpowering like it can be.  So I would recommend this "snack"...just without the $14 add on.

  Small Plates: Baked Brie: cranberry mostardo, toasted ciabatta, fried sage
                      Avocado Fundido: avocado, chipotle, grapefruit, crisp tortilla

       I didn't get a chance to taste the Baked Brie because I was too busy digging into the Avocado Fundido.  The dip was creamy, rich and the chipotle gave it a nice kick and balance.  The crisp tortilla chips were at times a little flimsy, but they were well seasoned and tasted great with the avocado dip.  As for the Baked Brie, from the lack of Brie left on the plate, I am assuming that it didn't taste disgusting.  :)

     Large Plates: Vertically Roasted Chicken Breast: mascarpone polenta, braised kale
                        Braised Beef Short Rib: mascarpone polenta, cippolini onions, brandy balsamic glaze
                        Congress Burger: house ground brisket+chuck, shallot confit, gruyere, greens, tomatoes,
                             horse radish pickels add avocado and crisp pork belly
                        Congress Burger: house ground brisket+chuck, shallot confit, gruyere, greens, tomatoes,
                             horse radish pickles add another patty and crisp pork belly

    The Braised Beef Short Rib was fork tender and had excellent flavor.  It was moist, seasoned very well and wasn't too fatty.  The Tabasco onions on top didn't really add anything to the dish except maybe some color and the Marscarpone Polenta wasn't my cup of tea.  I can say the the Polenta was very creamy and if I liked polenta I probably would have enjoyed it more.  So why did I order the Polenta if I didn't like it?  Well originally the ribs came with black truffle grits...I'm not a big grits fan so the lesser of two evils (to me) was the Polenta.  Yes I know, Polenta and Grits are basically the same thing and the only difference is how they are made and the liquids used...but I digress. 
    The Congress burger didn't disappoint.  The patties were juicy, not over seasoned and had a great sear.  And the addition of the crispy pork belly just added another flavor dimension to the burger.  The bun was buttery and soft, but was strangely sturdy enough to contain the meat and condiments.
    From what I understand, the chicken wasn't bad and actually tasted very good.  From where I sat, the chicken looked perfectly cook and very moist.  I didn't hear the orderer of this dish have any complaints so it leaves me to believe that the chicken was very appetizing.

    Dessert Plates: Black Forest Cheesecake in a Jar: heering cherry cream, cocoa wafers
                 Bites: Chocolate pudding pop: vanilla meringue, graham cracker crunch
(Sorry I forgot to take pictures of the desserts, I blame the Foie Gras for not being able to think straight and remember to snap a couple of shots of the food)

    At this point of the dinner I wasn't in the mood for dessert, but that didn't mean that the other three diners weren't.  From their critiques, the cheesecake was thicker than they expected, but still very good.  But the Chocolate pudding pop was not received very well; let's just say that two come in an order and by the time we left there was still one pop left on the table.

    Except for the hour wait for a table (because you can't make reservations for parties under 6) and the Foie Gras, the meal was quite good and I would recommend Second Bar and Kitchen.  Though this place is pricy, there are worse things you can spend your money on.  And I'm more than willing to pay for good food, but with that being said...there are still a bunch of great places that don't require a second mortgage on your house to visit.

So until next time, I wish you happy eating!
-Henry

  

The Noble Pig

So normally I let my brother do the restaurant reviews...but I'll take a stab at it today.  We've been trying to try new places here in Austin and stumbled upon the Austin Eater 38 a few weeks ago(http://austin.eater.com/archives/2013/01/08/eater-38-january-13.php)...so since then we've been chipping away at it.

Today I decided to head to the Noble Pig (http://www.noblepigaustin.com/), it's on the top of the Austin Eater 38 and it was on Diners Drive-Ins, and Dives and big plus?  It's about 10 minutes away from my apartment.

This amused me when I walked in.  I think it says Guy was here. Anyway, onto the sandwiches.  The first one was the Fried Egg, Potato, and Cheddar. Henry wanted to add bacon and I wanted to add sausage.  I enjoyed mine, the bread was toasted nicely, the sausage and potato was seasoned well and overall a nice filling breakfast sandwich.  Henry's is below, he had bacon and told me the flavor was nice but he needed just a little something extra just to add a kick to the sandwich and cut through the flavors, so he added a bit of Sriracha.

So, since we haven't really been home to make anything and Henry had to work today.  I also ordered a few sandwiches for lunch.

First Up, The Noble Pig, which is their signature sandwich...well at least it's the one with a crown on it when you walk in and look at their menu :)

This sandwich was delicious.  It has spicy ham, pulled pork, provolone, and bacon.  The bacon was thin and crispy, the pork belly was cooked really well and the spicy ham gave a nice balance to the other two meats.  I'm not a mustard fan so I asked them to leave that out.  Henry will have to tell you if that added more flavor or not but mine didn't need it.  I only had a little less than half of it but that's because I also ordered another sandwich to taste as well.

Next was the Smoked Duck Pastrami with Russian Dressing and Rye Pickles.  I forgot to take a picture but this was a great sandwich.  I'm not a pickle fan but the acidity definitely fit in with everything and I enjoyed it.  The dressing was nice and a little creamy, the duck was cooked like nothing I've tasted before...in a good way.  Overall I only ate a little bit of this too since I was full...but I will have an amazing lunch and dinner tomorrow :)

I think this place is a must.  I wouldn't mind going again and trying the other sandwiches on their menu.  Oh and they also sell duck fat which I totally am a little excited to cook with.

Well that's my take on the place.  I would definitely recommend this especially if you are not in the mood for a typical sit down place.  There was a line when I went in but it moved pretty quickly.  I think overall I was there a total of 20-30 minutes that includes wait time for the line, order time, and of course wait time for the food.  There is an option to eat there, they have a few tables inside and quite a few on the outside. 

So I guess this crosses another one off the Eater list.  We have now tried 10 (9 we have tried together and one we have tried on our own) out of the 38 places on the list. =)

Happy Eating!
-Julia

Tomodachi Sushi

  Howdy folks!  For lunch today (because I completely slept through breakfast) Julia, Jason (friend from work) and I decided to get some sushi at Tomodachi Sushi (http://www.tomosushiaustin.com/index.html).
I love sushi and I've finally started getting my sister liking it again and so I was hoping that Tomodachi wouldn't push my sister back to the dark side of the non sushi eaters.
   For an appetizer my sister ordered the Mushroom Caps; "Stuffed with shrimp, crab, Serrano and Parmesan cheese."  Jason ordered the Pumpkin Tempura.  And I ordered the Crab Cakes; "Panko mozzarella breaded crab cakes served with spicy aioli" and the Cherry Blossom; "Soft-shell crab wrapped in avocado with Unagi sauce"

 The mushroom caps were good, but they really weren't anything special.  The shrimp flavor was masked by the crab and the Parmesan cheese pretty much drowned the Serrano and any other seasoning that may have been included in the stuffing.

    The Rock Shrimp Tempura was greasy, under seasoned and basically just bland.  I want to think that because we came right when the restaurant opened the oil in the friers weren't at temperature and that's why the tempura was soggy and greasy.  However that doesn't explain why the pumpkin was bland.  If you're planning on ordering this, make sure the restaurant has been open for a least an hour and has enough time for the oil in the fries to get to temp.

   The Crab Cakes tasted pretty good.  They aren't as good as the crab cakes at Chez Zee, but they still had good flavor, excellent crunch  and the spicy aioli gave it just enough kick to cut through the mozzarella that was melted on top.  Overall a very good dish.

   When the Cherry Blossom came out I was very surprised, I wasn't expecting to be served a tennis ball sized (not to mention same color) portion.  Though this was a good dish, the soft-shelled crab in the middle tasted exactly the same as the crab from the Crab Cake, except there wasn't a spicy aioli to cut through the rich creaminess of the avocado.  The Unagi sauce added a nice sweet flavor to the plate and even though I really enjoy Unagai (probably my favorite sushi) and the sauce, I found myself wanting the spicy aioli from the crab cakes.  But again, this was a pretty good tasting dish and I would recommend it, especially for those individuals who can't really handle spice.

   For the main course we ordered the xXx, Japanese Lasagna, 2 pieces of Sea Urchin, 2 pieces of Unagi  and Tempura Roll.

   Long story short; xXx was good; the Japanese Lasagna was really rich because of the cheese on top, but flavorful; The Unagi (though only Jason ate these, I've had them before here) was good; the Tempura Roll was crispy and tasty.  Do NOT and I mean NOT, NEVER, NEVER EVER, order the sea urchin.  It tasted rotten and texturally it was slimy and grainy.  The Urchin was one dish that I would only serve to my enemies, it was that horrid.  To get the taste off of my tongue I actually drank the Wasabi soy dipping sauce that I was using for other sushi.  I'll probably have nightmares later on tonight.
 
   Okay I stopped shuttering about the urchin.  Tomodachi isn't a bad place to go for sushi, but its not a place to go for spectacular sushi.  I'd give it a grade of "B-" because most of the appetizers were decent and most of the rolls and sushi were good, again not spectacular, but good.

Until next time, I wish y'all happy eating.
-Henry