One Good SPIN deserves another

  Yes, I know that I just blogged on SPIN the other day, but this place deserves another go around.  But, I'll try to make this shorter than the last.  Let's cut to the chase.  The first thing I want to recommend is to sit at the bar, the middle of the bar, so you can watch these chefs work.  Its amazing how fast, calculating and yet almost whimsical they make cooking complex dishes seem.  I recommend sitting front and center because all the chefs (from what I'm told) use to be sushi chefs at other esteemed restaurants before venturing to SPIN and if you've ever been to a sushi bar you know that every once in a while the chefs will give you tastes of other dishes...free.  And the last I checked, getting food for free is good.  Anyway, long story short...sit front in center, you'll get dinner and a show...and maybe if you're lucky some free grub.  So now for the rest of the blog.

   Appetizer:  We ordered the "Gai Tot Nuggest: fried chicken bites in a spicy, salted soy bean and ginger vinaigrette with rhizome and sesame seeds."   In a word....Delicious, two words...mouth watering, in three...well you get the point, its good.  The chicken was nicely breaded and lightly fried and had a nice clean crisp texture.  The nuggets were topped with sesame seeds and rhizomes which cut through what little oil that remained in the batter (A rhizome is...its basically a relative of ginger). Dip the nuggets in the plum sauce that its paired with, you won't be disappointed.

  Tasting Plate:  We didn't have one of these last time.  It was describe to us as "bigger than an appetizer, but smaller than a full plate that is meant to be shared."  So we ordered the "Quail: whole quial marinated with rosemary and lemongrass, seared and served green apple puree, shaved fennel, yellow zucchini, grilled sous vide leek, Thai stir fried kimchi and house boudain panko balls."  The quail had a very flavorful crispy skin and was juicy and not overly cooked.  The green apple puree actually accentuated  the rosemary in the Quail and gave it another dimension of flavor .  The stir fried vegetables weren't extraordinary, but still quite tasty, but the fried boudain panko balls were just about as good as the quail.  My only criticism was that they didn't give us more.  Give the Quail a try, it shouldn't be missed either.

   Full Plate: My sister ordered the "Full SPIN:  Slow roasted brisket, marinade in garlic, lemongrass, rosemary and Thai spices, with seasoned rice and a house chili paste, candied bacon, fried egg, grilled negi, purple cabbage salad and side sauce of ume, Thai chili, mint vinegar and cilantro."  Now from what the Executive Chef told us (that's another plus to sitting at the bar, you can converse with the chefs) the "Full Spin" will be soon off the menu to be replaced with something new.  According to the Chef, the menu is continuing evolving and when new items are introduced, other items are removed.  But I'm getting off topic.  To enjoy the full spin, you need to get a little bit of everything from the plate onto your spoon, at least that's what we were told....again by the Chef.  Well instead of describing every single item on the plate, I'll just describe the combination of all of them in one bite.  It was like introducing your tongue to parade float of flavors that combine the individual intricate tastes to become a unique and awesome single flavor.  So get your FULL Spin on while you still can.

 

   Full Plate (2):  I ordered the "Seared Duck in Pineapple Curry: Duck breast, cured with 5-spice, pan-seared and served with a spicy pineapple curry, kaffir lime, grapes and pieces of pineapple, garnished with Thai basil and toasted bread."  Though this was a still a very good plate, I think I liked the "Belly on Fire" that I had last time better.  The only reasons why I say that is because the Duck Breast, though very moist and perfectly cooked and had a good amount of flavor (when eaten by itself) was lost in the spiciness of the curry.  And the only other criticism I have of this dish is that it wasn't as spicy as the Belly on Fire, even though they both have the same spicy rating (two chilis).  Overall the seared duck with the pineapple curry worked as a dish, I just wouldn't choose it over the Belly on Fire.

  Remember how I said sometimes chefs give you stuff for free....well the Sous Chef did just that...he gave us the "Kabocha: crispy tempura Japanese pumpkin topped with green onions and a side of ajad cucumber sauce."  Ajad cucumber is just pickled cucumber.  Anyway, though I was already pretty full, I "forced" myself to try and finish off the Kabocha.  The pumpkin flavor was very prevalent even after being lightly fried.  I highly recommend saturating your pumpkin into the dipping sauce because the sauce brings out the pumpkin flavor even more and it cuts through the savory aspect of the dish with its acidity.

  Dessert: Read my last blog on SPIN...We ordered the Coconut Pannna Cotta. ... here's yet another pic

   Well since this is the first time I've ever blogged about the same place twice, you should definitely try this place out.

So until next time, I wish y'all happy eating.  

-Henry

SPIN Modern Thai Cuisine

  My Sister, being the smarter of the both of us, recommended SPIN Modern Thai Cuisine (http://spinmodernthai.com/) for dinner, and my taste buds and stomach are elated that she did.  Its been awhile since we've been to a restaurant that all three courses(appetizer, main dish, dessert) were superb.  So basically if you don't want a dinner destination to have great food and ambiance do not read any further...go ahead, I'll wait...3...2...1....and here we go

    SPIN is a small, almost hidden, restaurant in North Austin / South Cedar Park that, upon opening the door, has inviting decor with wonderful aromas that hit you in the face like a flavor sledge hammer.  But what makes SPIN extraordinary is, of course, the food.  SPIN blends traditional Thai ingredients with Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and even French cooking methods that produce flavors that are very pleasing to the palate.

    Appetizer:   We wanted to order the "Gai Tot Nuggets" but they were sold out, so we ordered the "Sweet Corn Taro Tempura: Crispy fried taro and corn fritter in a sweet chili vinaigrette, topped with green onions and crushed toasted peanuts."  The vinaigrette had a sweet, yet tart flavor that blended very well with the crispy fried taro and corn fritters.  We actually found ourselves eating the small crumbs of fried taro and fritters at the bottom of the bowl that were soaking in the vinaigrette without even realizing it.  I highly recommend this appetizer.

   Main Course:  My sister had the "Rib Ping: char-grilled pork ribs with Spin's herb BBQ sauce topped with yellow onions sauteed in butter and balsamic vinegar." The flavors were outstanding!  There are a lot of people out there that can say that their ribs are fall off the bone, fork tender....but I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant that had ribs that are fall off the bone, chopstick tender.  Yes my sister and I (being full Chinese and are very proficient at using chop sticks) found that when picking up the ribs, the meat literally fell off the bone while trying to pick them up with the chop sticks.  The 1/3 rack of rib meat itself had a nice little kick and the BBQ sauce made it even better.  Its not your regular BBQ ribs, but it will not disappoint.

   Main Course (continued):  I ordered the "Belly on Fire: Panko breaded pork belly, smothered in Spin's special curry sauce, with fresh julienne green beans, sauteed cipollini onions, Thai basil and toasted chili."  The pork belly was moist, full of flavor and melt in your mouth with a perfectly seasoned crunchy/crispy crust.  The curry sauce was delicious and had a nice bit of heat.  I found that the entree actually became spicier as I ate, by the time I was done with the dish, my mouth had a nice burn.  The sauteed cipollini onions when eaten with the pork added a nice snap texture on top of the crunchy and crispiness of the panko.  And the fresh (the chef actually hand picks the micro greens in front of you) micro greens add a light touch to the fatty pork. But, again, I would highly recommend this dish, you taste buds will thank you if you do.

   Dessert:  There are only two desserts on the menu, so we decided to get both. 
and the "Fried Ice Crea: scoop of strawberry ice cream rolled in a pound cake and tempura batter then deep fried.  Served with candied pecans, marshmallows and gold raisin puree."  Though the concept of this dessert was good, I think that this dessert could have been better if a thinner batter were used.  Though it still tasted good, the ice cream shell was a little think and therefore absorbed a lot of oil.  At least too much oil to me for a dessert.  The candied pecans and marshmallows, as well as the raisin puree was actually inside the shell.  But if you don't mind an oily dessert, the combo of ingredients melded together tastes decent.

 

  

    Dessert (Continued):The "Coconut Panna Cotta: panna cotta made with coconut milk, ginger consomme gel, candied pecans, preserved lemon, mint and carmel tuile,"  It was just delicious.  I have to admit that I do not like coconut or coconut milk, or coconut water, or coconut flesh...basically anything coconut, so when I say this dessert was fantastic, you'll understand how good it really is.  It was sweet, had a great texture, had a distinct, yet mellow coconut taste (yeah I know, I didn't think something could be mellow and distinct at the same time either) and if you add the ginger consomme...just pure coconut dessert perfection.

   Well folk's that it for SPIN Modern Thai Cuisine. I for one will visit this restaurant again.

So until next time, I wish y'all happy eating.  

-Henry

(Oh and if you're reading this Elysha, I think you and Bart would  really enjoy this place, there are dishes that you and he would be able to have that have some nice heat to them and flavor to them).

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

Baguette Et Chocolat(sorry no pictures)

  This might be one of my last blogs for awhile, but I wanted to make sure to mention that my sister and I visited Baguette Et Chocolat (http://www.baguetteetchocolat.com/).  Though we didn't exactly eat here, we bought a couple loafs of bread and a chocolate croissant, I would recommend stopping by if you happen to be in the area.
   My sister and I bought a sourdough loaf and a loaf of brioche.  Both of these breads had excellent flavor and perfect texture.  My only regret is that I didn't buy more than one of each.  I also wish that this authentic French bakery wasn't so far away.  We live up in North Austin so driving to the Bee Caves area isn't exactly on our way to anything.  BUT, if I'm around the area, I will make sure to drop by and actually have a bite to each and enjoy the little restaurant/bistro/cafe/bakery whatever it is.
Until next time, Enjoy your food,
-Henry
   I've been informed that I forgot to describe the chocolate croissant. Oops, it was delicious. The actual croissant was very buttery and flakey without being oily and the chocolate wasn't overly sweet and complimented the savory aspect of the pastry very near perfectly.

Hemingway Restaurant and Bar

My sister and I love to find new places to eat.  With that being said, sometimes we're lazy and don't want to drive too far to try something new.  Since my sister and I live up in North Austin we didn't really want to drive back to the down town area or to south Austin to try out some local fair, so we searched for something up north and found ourselves at Hemingway Restaurant and Bar (http://www.hemingwayrb.com) in Cedar Park.
   Small Plates(Appetizers):  For an appetizer we had the Fried Portabella & Avocado Strips.  The breading was had a good crunch and was seasoned well and the portabella mushroom tasted very good.  It reminded me of the flavor of Plucker's Wing Bar's fried mushrooms (that's going to have to be a different blog).  The Avocado was breaded with the same breading, which was fine, but the avocado itself didn't have any real flavor, it needed some seasoning.  The avocado was creamy and buttery, but with the fried breading, it needed something that would contrast the flavor.  The orange marmalade sauce that came with the appetizer was awful.  To me it tasted like a Chinese plum sauce that had red peppers added to it, not a good pairing, at least not by my taste buds.  Overall the appetizers were decent.

  And that's pretty much the best part of this meal.  For the entrees my sister went with the  double chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and a salad.  As for me I selected the Gulf Coast Two Step.
   Let's start with my sister's dish.  "Country Fried Steak: Third pound of tender steak, topped with old-fashioned seasonings, lightly hand breaded and smothered with scratch cream gravy."  The breading was thicker than was on the appetizer, but essentially it had the same flavor.  However the breading fell off the steak as soon as a knife was applied to the steak.  The steak itself was chewy and wasn't seasoned or at least wasn't seasoned well.  The gravy wasn't spectacular and added nothing to the steak except a gelatinous mass.  Now the mashed potatoes; tasted like they were rehydrated from from a box.  The potatoes were dry and flaky instead of smooth and creamy and again wasn't very pleasing to the palate.

   Gulf Coast Two Step: "Three Gulf Coast shrimp and three farm raised catfish fingers served with a double order of french fries."  If you can believe it or not, my sister's entree was better than mine.  Everything on my plate tasted like it came freezer section of HEB.  I guess I was expecting too much when I read, "Fresh from Texas and the U.S. coast whenever possible."  I would've thought that a restaurant that has only recently opened would use fresh ingredients instead of ingredients that have been frozen.  To add insult to injury, I don't believe that the oil was hot enough when they dropped my food in the frier.  The reason I say this is because the shrimp, catfish and fries were greasy.  I know, I know, the food is fried, it should be greasy.  There is a difference between frying at the correct temperature and frying at a lower temperature, the food becomes more oil soaked than it should.

   Conclusion: I'll probably never come back to Hemingway Restaurant and Bar and I do not recommend this place to anyone who actually enjoys good tasting food. 

Jack Allen's Kitchen

   One of January 2013's 38 essential Austin restaurants, Jack Allen's Kitchen is well deserving of being on this distinguished list of eateries...It also doesn't hurt that they source most of all their ingredients within 150 miles of the restaurant.   I'm going to make this blog short so here's the meat and potatoes of our experience (my Sister and I).
   House made Pimiento Cheese spread with flatbread crackers:  I didn't much like the cheese, because well I don't really like pimiento, but Julia seemed to enjoy the flavor.

   Appetizer: Smoked Beef Rib Quesadilla With pepper jack cheese, onions, peppers, and JAK’s slaw:  The slaw wasn't as good as I was expecting, kinda bland.  But the beef ribs were very tender and the spicy honey bbq sauce that it was glazed with gave it an even better flavor than just the smokiness of the rib meet.  The pepper jack cheese, onions and green peppers/chillies gave the quesadilla's a nice little spicy kick as well as some contrasting texture. So a very good appetizer.

  Main Course: Seared Scallops and Crispy Pork Belly: "Richardson" house cured pork belly, Texas butternut squash puree, "Oak Hill Farm" crispy fennel chip, Local greens:  The scallops had a great sear on them and were cooked perfectly.  The Pork Belly was fork tender and jam packed with flavor.  Add the butternut squash puree to either the scallops or the pork belly and your tongue will thank you.  The puree itself seems to be seasoned with curry powder, which gives it some spice.

   Dessert: Well apparently I don't remember what this dessert was called, but it was outstanding.  It was a peanut butter, chocolate, graham cracker crust pie with a raspberry and caramel sauce, topped with peanuts.  This dessert...one minute it was there...the next it was gone.

Alrighty, So this place has great food, an excellent waitstaff and was reasonably priced for the quality of food that your receive.  I'll definitely visit this place again. I hope you enjoy this eatery location like Julia and I did.
Enjoy,
-Henry

Gourmands Neighborhood Pub

    So today after class a few of my classmates and I decided to grab a few beers after a long hard week of studying, quizzes and exams.  One of my classmates suggested a little pub that was down the street that he'd seen on the way to class, but had never been, so that's where we went, Gourmands Neighborhood Pub (http://www.lovethysandwich.com/).
    At first glance and because of its location, the pub itself looks kinda shady, but traverse inside and you'll be rewarded.  This is a bar that is what is it, a bar.  It has a few 4 seat bar tables, a few actual sit down tables and a juke box.  The box plays good music, but that's not why you're reading this blog...you want to know about the food and or beer.
   I honestly can't voice my opinion of the entrees because...well...I didn't have any of the main courses.  I did however have the Double Decker Nachos..."Double layered tortilla chips smothered with queso. Topped with poblano peppers, diced onions, chopped black olives. Dressed with sour cream & pico de gallo."  The nachos were delicious, but of course I have to put my little twist to it.  After the first order was devoured in a mere 5 minutes, I opted to buy another plate...except instead of using tortilla chips, I substituted their homemade potato chips.  The potato chips gave a better crunch than the tortilla and gave the appetizer one more dimension of flavor.
   Now I have to admit that I am not a big beer drinker, so I'm not the best person to ask about the selection here.  I can tell you that if you go during happy hour 4pm-7pm they have pretty good specials.
   Anyway, sorry I didn't remember to snap any pictures.  I promise to have some for my next blog.  But to sum up everything, this place is a great hole in the wall pub that I would recommend to anyone that lives/works close by to south east Austin.
-Henry
  

Chez Zee

   I'll try to make this blog shorter than my last two.  Chez Zee, my sister and I came here for brunch today and the food was absolutely unbelievably delicious.   Though this place was more expensive than I originally expected, I'd gladly come back.  I don't mind paying a bit more for good food.  My sister and I both had a peach Bellini (I know, I know, not the most manly drink, but hey whatever) and we both ordered and individual triangle of Creme Brulee French Toast with Meyer's Rum Sauce.  And for our entrees, my sister ordered the Beef Tenderloin Benedict and I ordered the Surf and Turf Benedict.

 

   The Creme Brulee French Toast: a little dense, but it was extraordinary.  It's safe to say that I could've just eaten slices of that French Toast for the rest of the meal and I would've been completely content.  I would've never thought to make french toast by soaking it in creme brulee custard.  Genius

Because I had the Surf and Turf I was able to get to enjoy both the Beef Tenderloin Benedict and the "Southern" Crab Cake Benedict.  Let's start with the Tenderloin Benedict; the beef was cooked perfectly, the poached egg had a text book poached texture; the creamed spinach wasn't drenched in heavy cream like most creamed spinach dishes that I've had; and the Bearnaise sauce was way above par.  Now for the "Southern" Crab Cakes Benedict: Again, the egg was poached perfectly, runny in the middle and firm jacket of egg white; the actual crab cake was delicious.  I love me some crab cakes and this was probably one of the best I've ever had.  To put it in perspective, Julia (my sister) doesn't like very much seafood and crab cake isn't an exception, but she loved the crab cake.  The cake is indeed that good, seasoned perfectly, the lumps of crab stood out, but not so much to where it masked the other ingredients.
As for the home style potatoes that came as a side dish with the Benedicts, great crispy exterior with a soft interior that were seasoned so well that no dipping sauce (IE. ketchup) was needed to enjoy.

   This is a must try restaurant.