A Food Dilettante's Musings

Madeleines!

2011-12-23T12:10:00.001-06:00

I couldn't resist buying a madeleine pan once I decided to go on my DC baking binge. I only managed to make 2 kinds of madeleines before departing, but I will definitely be making more once I get settled in Madison. I'm eyeing matcha madeleine recipes right now...

My first madeleines were not quite as successful as I wanted. I forgot to add honey so my lavender madeleines turned out on the dry side. Luckily Jamie made delicious chai for us to dip the madeleines in. The lavender butter was tremendous though. I would definitely apply the technique of melting butter with lavender in other recipes. The smell is irresistible!

Lavender Madeleines

(Recipe Adapted from PurpleFoodie)

Melting butter with lavender

Ready for the oven

Lavender madeleines with chai

My second batch of madeleines was much more successful because, well, I didn't forget any steps, and the parmesan helped make the madeleines both moist on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. Instead of ground pepper called for in the Williams-Sonoma recipe, I added cayenne pepper because I love the bit of tang it has that's lacking in black pepper.

Rosemary-Parmesan Madeleines

(Recipe Adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

Rosemary-Parmesan Spicy Madeleines

Picnic at the National Cathedral

2011-12-22T22:35:00.006-06:00

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Washington National Cathedral

One of my favorite places in DC is the Washington National Cathedral. It's free to visit, the cathedral and the grounds are beautiful, the view from the top is awesome, and it's a great picnic spot! I toured the cathedral a couple weeks before the earthquake hit Virginia in August and came back post-earthquake for a picnic when the cathedral was closed for repair.

It wasn't a great idea coming to the cathedral after the earthquake because a large part of the grounds was also closed off to the public. It seemed like an especially bad idea when what was supposed to be a sunny day turned cold and rainy after we arrived. Jamie and I were not about to be deterred though. We made a damn good picnic and were determined to eat it regardless of the weather!

We managed to dine al fresco by pulling our blanket under a big tree after it started to rain.

Our picnic consisted of the following:

Spring Mix Salad with Fennel and Pomegranate Seeds

(Recipe Adapted from Saveur)

Spring Mix Salad with Pomegranate, Olives, and Fennel

Instead of orange slices as called for in Saveur's recipe, I added pomegranate seeds. This salad is tangy and refreshing.

Chicken Satay

(Recipe Adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

Chicken Satay with Lemon-Chive Tzaziki

This chicken satay recipe from Williams-Sonoma is the best recipe I've encountered while living in DC. The chicken is extremely addictive. The flavor combination of fish sauce and coconut milk is magical. TRY THIS RECIPE if nothing else from this blog!

Jamie and I paired the chicken satay with a quick tzaziki we made by dumping the leftover lemon zest and chives from making the lemon-chive deviled eggs below into a couple generous spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. We also squeezed some lemon juice into the yogurt to thin it. It's good to have the tzaziki to cool of your tongue if your satay turns out super spicy.

Lemon-Chive Deviled Eggs with Capers

(Recipe Adapted from Williams Sonoma)

Deviled Eggs with Lemon Zest, Chives, and Capers

The deviled eggs were a little bit underwhelming. I wanted either add some spice or more tartness. I think next time I'll add more capers.

Radish Tartines with Chive, Ginger, and Sesame Butter

(Recipe Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Radish and Chive-Ginger-Sesame Butter Tartine

I've never been much of a raw radish fan, but this tartine converted me. Fresh, crunchy, buttery, with a radishy kick. Yum!

Plating

Do you see why we were willing to endure the rain to have this picnic?

Picnic with a view

After our delicious but wet picnic, we decided to go to a coffee shop to warm up. We picked Politics and Prose because, well, we both studied politics and we've heard that it has character.

Politics and Prose

It seemed liked everyone who studied politics/IR/policymaking got the same memo, and they all decided to mix and mingle here too. We had to stand around for 30 + minutes before we were able to steal a table.

Reading and Sketching at Politics and Prose

By the time we walked back to the National Cathedral, the sun decided to show up right before setting. Nice!

Ray's Hell Burger

2011-12-22T21:47:00.002-06:00

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I arrived in DC during the peak of summer, which happened to be the time of year when I seek out good burgers. I remember reading about Obama taking to Medvedev to Ray's Hell Burger earlier in 2010. I didn't get excited about the place until I read their menu, which is packed with luxurious toppings like roasted bone marrow with persillade!!!! How can you not get excited by that?

Decisions, Decisions!

Ray's Hell Burger Team

Strawberry Shake

Au Poivre Patty with Gouda and Cognac and Sherry Sauteed Mushrooms

Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at Ray's for an early bird dinner, they had already run out of bone marrow for the day. Utterly downtrodden by that, I comforted myself with an awesome complimentary topping - cognac and sherry sauteed mushrooms - and paid extra for gouda.

The burger was hearty, flavorful, and juicy, but it's truly humongous. I couldn't finish all of it, and burgers just don't taste right reheated. I recommend sharing with a buddy at Ray's to avoid wasting the delicious and pricey burger.

Beet, Apple, and Cheddar Tarts

2011-12-20T23:52:00.001-06:00

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When autumn arrived in DC, our ovens began working overtime!

Once I started seeing apples arrive en masse at Wegmans, I immediately wanted to cook with apples, but in more interesting ways than in pies. I figured that pairing beets with apple would be a good way to ease me into cooking with beets and do something creative with the good ol' apple. I've never cooked with beets before. Its earthy smell and intense red pigment intimidate me. Thankfully, I found the awesome tart recipe below from MarthaStewart.com.

Beet, Apple, and Cheddar Tarts

(Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 thinly sliced Empire apple

1 thinly sliced red beet

2 shallots sliced

1 thawed frozen puff pastry

3/4 cup shredded colby cheese

1/2 tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste

I added shallots to the recipe to make the dish slightly more savory than the original.

I feel like this tart can be eaten as an appetizer, breakfast, entree, side, or dessert. Its size and flavors can fit in any course of a meal! I decided to reheat a couple of the tarts for dinner one evening to go with a bowl of homemade Tom Yum soup.

Beet, Apple, and Cheddar Tarts with Homemade Tom Yum Soup

Fruity Focaccias

2011-12-20T23:22:00.003-06:00

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I went on a baking binge after moving into a townhouse with 2 ovens. I've never been a baker, but I thought that I should give it a go anyways and make good use of my roommates as taste-testers.

Some of my favorite baked goods to come out of my binge were the sweet and savory focaccias topped with various fruits.

The first focaccia recipe I tried was with figs that grew from a tree in the backyard, sage, and some sauteed shallots. The following recipe is adapted from lick my balsamic.

Focaccia with Sage, Shallots, and Figs

(Recipe Adapted from lick my balsamic)

3 cups flour

1 2/3 cups room temp water

2 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

2 teaspoon sugar

5 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoon sage leaves chopped

3 shallot bulbs thinly sliced

sea salt to taste

The only thing that I did differently than lick my balsamic is that I topped the focaccia with shallots that were sauteed in balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt before popping the whole thing in the oven. I highly recommend the shallots if you have a savory tooth.

The dough from this recipe turned out wetter than I expected. When I tried to make indentations with my finger on top of the uncooked focaccia, the dough had the texture of mud. The result, however, was deliciously thick, fluffy, and moist. In contrast, the dough for the following grape and rosemary focaccia was thin, fragrant, and crunchy.

Grape and Rosemary Focaccia

(Recipe Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons milk, slightly warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups halved seedless grapes
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Apart from not using concord grapes, I also didn't top the focaccia with course sugar. Otherwise, I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe fairly closely.

The grape focaccia tastes amazing, but you better finish it quickly because it doesn't retain its crunch-and-chew ratio very well when reheated. The fig focaccia dough holds better when reheated.

Update

2011-12-20T22:21:00.001-06:00

Ok, it's time to 'fess up. After my move to DC, I became too lazy to keep up with the blog.

I thought that I would have plenty of time to catch up on the blog during the Thanksgiving holidays, but before I knew it, I was packing up a storm again to start a new life and career in Madison, Wisconsin.

While in the DC metro area, I've eaten at some of the more affordable but delicious restaurants, but because my roommate and I clicked so much in the kitchen, I found myself cooking more than ever.

I will try to cram as much of my DC restaurant and cooking experiences as possible before I start blogging from Madison in 2012!

Jalisco's

2011-08-21T14:32:00.001-05:00

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For my last Tex-Mex meal in Austin, my dad and I checked out Jalisco's in south Austin. They offer pretty standard Tex-Mex dishes at very low prices. I wish I came here earlier on. This would've been my go-to place for comfort food and queso!

Chile con Queso

Chicken Quesadilla

Steak Taco

Hwa Yuan Asian Restaurant: Surprisingly Awesome Korean BBQ!

2011-08-21T14:22:00.001-05:00

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My mom's co-worker told her that she had to check out an amazing Korean BBQ restaurant that provides diners with thin slices of daikon radish for wrapping cooked BBQ meat. At first, we had a hard time accepting that Hwa Yuan, a Chinese buffet/sushi bar place, could actually serve good Korean BBQ. Well, the restaurant is indeed owned by a Korean family and they do serve Korean BBQ even if no one was eating BBQ when we got there.

Condiments and Banchan at the ready!

daikon slices with which to wrap BBQ meats

Sea Salt in Oil; Spicy Bean Paste Sauce

Meat Platter

Grilling

Meat Wrapped in Lettuce and Daikon

Rice Wrappers

Meat and Kimchi in Rice Wrapper

Spicy Seafood Stew

Grilled Mackerel

I highly recommend this restaurant for authentic Korean BBQ. Their banchan weren't great, but the rest of the meal was awesome. It's a little out of the way but worth a visit!

Le Soleil

2011-08-15T16:55:00.001-05:00

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These final posts of my last mad rush to cram all the Austin restaurants that I've always wanted to try and can afford on my meager post-grad-going-out-into-the-real-world budget before leaving town will be hurried and lacking in details because I'm already in DC and have been here for a month now and need to start updating this blog on DC eats before I give up blogging altogether from being hopelessly behind!

I heard a while back that the couple who owned Sunflower together divorced and that the husband opened up Le Soleil on N. Lamar. Since I love Sunflower so much, I was naturally curious about how Le Soleil fares in comparison.

The menu is substantially bigger and offers banquet-style meals. The food was very tasty, however, every dish we had was quite salty. I prefer Sunflower.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Shaken Beef

Vietnamese-style Sweet and Sour Soup

Five Spice Chicken Lunch Special

Fried Soft-shell Crabs

Pork Chop Lunch Special

Taiwanese "Xiao Chi" at The Rice Bowl

2011-07-02T14:35:00.002-05:00

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Coco's was my go-to Taiwanese xiaochi (snacks) restaurant during undergrad in Austin. However, I outgrew the place by the time I entered grad school. The Rice Bowl opened its doors this year and it offers quite a broad mix of Taiwanese and Northern Chinese dishes. I'm not impressed by the listing of generic Chinese dishes, but their menu was saved by the awesome Roast Beef Rolls! I believe it's the only place in Austin that serves this! By "roast beef" they mean soy-marinated beef with tendon, which gives the beef a gelatinous marble surface. Even if you're not into beef tendon, I promise that you won't even notice it when you bite in.

Roast Beef Rolls

Below are other dishes I've tried but weren't particularly great, except for the awesomely tasty Stir-fried Green Beans with Ground Pork! The most disappointing dish was the beef noodle soup. The noodles were chewy and kind of luke warm and the broth tasted like just water and soy sauce, no depth whatsoever. Taiwanese beef noodle soup is supposed to have a very rich, deep beef flavor. This broth was unfortunately flat. The green beans and beef rolls, however, make the Rice Bowl worth frequent visits!

Pig's Ear

Taiwanese Beef Noodles

Green Onion Pancakes

Stir-fried Green Beans with Ground Pork

Hong Kong Food Street in Houston

2011-07-01T19:19:00.001-05:00

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I've complained repeatedly to friends about the lack of good Chinese food in Austin relative to cities with a large Asian population. Check out Hong Kong Food Street in Houston, which I tried earlier this summer that specializes in Cantonese food. It has a huge menu with dishes I haven't even heard of! They offer dishes that range from simple but addictive street snacks to banquet-style cuisine.

Remember the steamed crab over glutinous rice that I raved about in New York? Well, HK Food Street has a lobster version over seasoned rice. It's really decadent and oh so good!

Steamed Lobster with an Egg Sauce over Seasoned Rice

I'm addicted to stir-fried green beans (they're like green french fries but not starchy!), so of course I had to have a plate at the table if it's on the menu! I don't think I've had a bad version at any Chinese restaurant.

Stir-fried Green Beans with Ground Pork

My parents craved clams so we ordered a hot pot of clams doused in rice wine. This was ok. I think I prefer sauteed clams in spicy black bean sauce except in the case of Japanese sake clams.

Clam Hot Pot

The best dish of the day was the fried tofu covered with dried scallop gravy. The fried tofu soaked up the sauce like a sponge so that each bite was an explosion of scallop juice, but the outside retained the dry texture of fried foods. YUM!

Fried Tofu with Scallop Gravy

Birthday at Enoteca Vespaio

2011-07-01T16:04:00.002-05:00

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Enoteca Vespaio

I celebrated my birthday back in June by having Italian at the cute Enoteca Vespaio on South Congress in Austin. I had previously only gotten their desserts to-go. It wasn't until I was sure of my imminent move to DC that Enoteca came up on my list of "Austin restaurants I'll regret not having eaten at." I can't afford Vespaio next door, but at least Enoteca gave me a taste of how delicious pasta and seafood can get in Austin.

Cozze - PEI Mussels Steamed with White Wine and Patate Fritte

My parents and I shared the Cozze as a starter. The mussels were plump and juicy. The white wine and garlic broth was so good that mom and I ate it up like soup. The garlic fries are the best fries in Austin. Yes, even better than the ones from Izzoz Tacos, which I was obsessed over, because Entoeca's is crunchier on the outside yet fluffy on the inside.

Cozze

Patate Fritte

Mom and Dad ordered the pan-seared halibut and wagyu beef pasta, both specials of the day. The quality of ingredients is especially noteworthy.

Chisholm Ranch Wagyu Beef Sugo with Fusilli, Cipolline, Onions, and Reggiano

Pan-Seared Halibut with Sweet Corn, Tealla, Yukon Potatoes, and Shrimp-Caper Aioli

I ordered the rich and luscious linguine misto mare. The tomato-based broth is so full of the sweetness of seafood and the pungency of garlic and herbs. Heavenly. What's very different about this pasta dish is that the sauce is as thin as soup rather than thick like regular pasta sauce. This was great because I ate the sauce like soup after consuming all the seafood and linguine.

Linguine Misto Mare - Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels, and Linguine in a Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce

I ended the meal with a cafe latte not knowing that this was the best cafe latte I would ever taste in Austin! It was a great surprise.

Cafe Latte

House Pizzeria

2011-07-01T09:13:00.001-05:00

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After reading great reviews on House Pizzeria, I was determined to get a bite of what some say is the best pizza in town. However, this was one of the biggest disappointments I've experienced in Austin!

Lemon-Rosemary Italian Soda

Let's start with first impressions. There's a good variety of Italian soda flavors, which got me all excited. The lemon-rosemary soda was light, refreshing, and had a strong rosemary scent. Nice.

The first pizza we tried was the Subterranean with caramelized onion, fontina, mushrooms, rosemary roasted potatoes, basil. This was pretty good, but the really burnt bottom made bits and pieces of the pizza difficult to consume. Other than the burnt crust, the intermingling flavors of the fresh ingredients made the pizza quite enjoyable. I never thought that I would like potatoes on my pizza! Carbs squared!

Subterranean - Caramelized onion, fontina, mushrooms, rosemary roasted potatoes, basil

The big disappointment came in the form of the Sausage and Mushroom pizza. It was lacking in sausage, and the crust had an abundance of completely burnt air bubbles. I had to remove all the burnt parts of the pizza before eating. I wasn't impressed.

Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

Paciugo: Rose and Lavender Gelato!

2011-06-19T13:31:00.001-05:00

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After spending a day out in the sun exploring the Texas Sculpture Garden in Frisco, which apparently is the "largest private collection of contemporary Texas sculpture," my brother and I met up with his grad school friends at Watters Creek, an outdoor mall in Allen, TX.

I'm not too fond of the collection at this business park, but I did enjoy the tar roses!

After stuffing ourselves at the Cheesecake Factory, we walked around, listened to an outdoor concert, and cooled off with delicious gelato at Paciugo. I noticed on their website that they'll be opening a store in Northern Virginia Spring 2012! Yay! Looks like I will get to treat myself to some awesome gelato flavors like the ones below a year from now!

Rose Chocolate Chip

Lemon Poppyseed

Vanilla Lavender

Lemon Poppyseed, Vanilla Lavender, and Rose Chocolate Chip

Went to Dallas and Visited Sushi Robata Yet Again

2011-06-18T10:23:00.001-05:00

Right after my last day of classes, I rushed to Dallas to hang out with my brother. I'm going to miss us being in the same state! :-( Who am I going to share a dish of chicken hearts with?

Well, we did just that at Sushi Robata (my 3rd time!). My brother's friends either ordered sushi plates or very filling dinner entrees. However, bro and I focused on just appetizers to diversify our dining experience.

You can't go to Sushi Robata without ordering the Asari Sakamushi (baby clams steamed in sake), Agedashi Tofu, and Hamachi Kama. These three dishes are the best versions I've had anywhere outside of Japan (I've never been, sadly). Other dishes are delicious as always (check out more dishes here and here)!

Asari Sakamushi

Agedashi Tofu

Soft-shell Crab Karaage

Hatsu - Grilled Chicken Hearts

Gindara Kasuzuke - Sake Cod

Chawanmushi - Japanese Egg Custard

Hamachi Kama

Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream

My brother views food in a very utilitarian way, but even he exclaimed that the meal was delectable! Believe me. That means more than any compliments I bestow on a restaurant.

Dim Sum at Shanghai Chinese Restaurant

2011-06-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

I've always felt like Chinatown at Mopac offers the best quality and variety of dim sum in Austin. However, many have recommended Shanghai Chinese Restaurant's dim sum. I tried it out twice in two months and found it to be pretty good! Chinatown at Mopac is pricier but the portions are bigger, they offer some dishes that are outside of the dim sum repertoire but are tasty nonetheless, and there's notably more attention to details. Shanghai Chinese Restaurant has a good amount of variety, the dishes aren't drenched in nasty corn starch, and the quality of ingredients is high.

Here are some of the things from the first visit:

Shu Mai, Fried Tofu Stuffed with Shrimp, Char Siu Bao, Mushroom and Pork Wrapped in Bean Curd Skins

Lo Bak Gao (Turnip Cake)

A Cart of Fried and Pan-fried Dishes

Jalapenos Stuffed with Shrimp

Ma La Gao (Steamed Sponge Cake)

Green Tea Fried Sesame Balls with Black Sesame Paste

Photos from the 2nd visit:

Shu Mai, Curry Squid, Mushroom and Pork Wrapped in Bean Curd Skins, Ha Gao, and Chicken Feet

Char Siu Pastry

Beef Tripe

Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce)

Shanghainese Soup Dumplings (very bad version) and Fried Tofu Stuffed with Shrimp,

Ma La Gao

Fried Sesame Balls with Red Bean Paste

Sustainable Food Center Farmers' Market Republic Square Park and Bola Pizza

2011-06-14T09:07:00.000-05:00

I've been in Austin for around seven years, and I finally made my way to the Sustainable Food Center Farmers' Market in downtown two weeks ago. I can't believe I've been denying myself this weekend pleasure for so long!

Just look at the gorgeous veggies!

The reason why the idea of finally visiting SFC Farmers' Market in downtown dawned on me was because I wanted to get a taste of Bola Pizza, which I read about on Austin Chronicle's 2011 Restaurant Poll.

Bola Pizza

Bola Pizza offers freshly made pizza hot from their mobile wood-fired oven 9 AM - 1 PM Saturdays at SFC Farmers' Market downtown and Wednesdays at the Triangle 4 PM - 8 PM.

I chose The Godfather from the vegetarian-friendly menu because I can't seem to ween myself away from meat ingredients on my pizza. I behaved like an annoying fly, fluttering about my pizza, capturing each step of the pizza-making process.

Making our Godfather Pizza

The Sauce

The Mozzarella

The Hot Fennel Sausage

The Caramelized Onions

In the Mobile Wood-fired Oven

In the box with the smell wafting out and drinking it all in with a peach ginger lemonade from another vendor

The Godfather

The result? Beautiful! The pizza dough is the best I've tasted in Austin! It's slightly chewy, with a tint of sourdough-like tartness. Each bite of caramelized onions and hot fennel sausage was a balanced explosion of sweet and spicy juices. I'm glad I got to try Bola before leaving Austin!

East Side King at the Grackle

2011-06-09T06:33:00.000-05:00

East Side King at the Grackle

I've been hankering for a taste of Asian comfort food from chef Paul Qui's affordable East Side King for a very long time. However the evening hours of the one at Liberty Bar never worked out for me for some reason so I was delighted to learn that the one at the Grackle serves lunch! When two friends proposed to have a farewell trailer lunch, I seized the opportunity to check out this spot.

The menu of East Side King at the Grackle focuses on grilled, Asian-inspired flavors.

We each ordered 3 different lunch specials that all came with rice and grilled Romaine salad: B. had the yakitori (chicken), pork ribs, achara, and kewpie mayo; M. had the yakitori, nasu (eggplant), achara, and kewpie mayo; and I had the yakitori, pork belly, apple, and kimchee.

Lunch Specials A, B, and C

Grilled Nasu (eggplant)

Pork Ribs

Yakitori (chicken) and Pork Belly

This might sound terrible, but these lunch specials remind me yakitori vendors in mall food courts. However, it's a gazillion times better! The meats are extremely flavorful but isn't drenched in some ridiculous, gooey, starchy "teriyaki" sauce. The condiments made everything extra fun to eat. The meats were grilled to perfection, but the grilled Romaine with Tom-Yum mayo was a surprising hit to us. It was buttery, nicely wilted, but still retained a bit of a crunch.

I hope I'm lucky enough to try East Side King at Liberty Bar before I leave! The Thai Chicken Karaage (Deep fried chicken thigh with sweet & spicy sauce, fresh basil, cilantro, mint, onion, and jalapeño) and the Curry Buns (Peanut butter home made curry in deep fried bun, fresh basil, cilantro, mint, onion and jalapeño) are calling out to me!

Dining on Tapas at Fino

2011-06-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

I guess I'm glad I didn't name my blog "Austin Food Dilettante" as I will be leaving Austin and relocating to the DC Metro area very soon. Last year around the same time, I went through rounds of dinners to send my grad school pals off into the professional world. It's finally my turn now!

I shared a relaxing farewell meal at Fino with a dear friend whose courses I've had the pleasure of taking in undergrad and in grad school.

We wanted to check out tapas in Austin and found out that Fino had a nice tapas selection.

I enjoyed every dish, but nothing in particular stood out. I remember feeling this way when I tried Fino for the first time during Austin Restaurant Week spring 2010.

We started with a complimentary amuse bouche of beet gazpacho. This was funny because I've recently began a fruit and veggie smoothie breakfast regimen, and red beets are required in every kind of fruit and veggie combination. I felt a major liquid beet overload, but Fino shouldn't be faulted for my own high consumption of beets.

Beet Gazpacho with Coriander Seeds

The piquillo pepper tasted like a regular red bell pepper. Stuffing it with crab definitely made it an exciting treat.

Piquillo Pepper with Gulf Crab and Basil

The grilled pork pinchitos was a heavy and smoky contrast to the crisp and summery taste of the stuffed piquillo pepper.

Pork Pinchitos with sea salt

During my last semester of grad school, I discovered that I love hummus, all kinds of Mediterranean spreads, and pita bread. Fino offers quite a few different spreads that are served with grilled pita. The walnut, red pepper, and pomegranate spread was awesome! I wish they would sell their spreads in tubs at grocery stores!

Walnut, red pepper, and pomegranate spread with grilled pita

The grilled octopus was cooked just right. It was chewy but not rubbery. Pairing it with fennel and grapefruit salad lightened up the smokiness and meatiness of the seafood.

Grilled octopus with fennel, grapefruit, parsley vinaigrette, and pimenton

The garlicky Gulf prawns were super flavorful. It was my favorite tapas dish of the evening. You can tell that the prawns are really fresh by the snap from each bite.

Gulf Prawns Ajillo with olive oil, lemon, and garlic

The salmon crudo was a bit dull, perhaps because I felt like the flavors in this dish seemed like a variation of the other dishes. The piquillo peppers, coriander, and orange were present throughout the course of the meal.

Salmon Crudo with piquillo peppers, orange, yogurt, and coriander

The highlight of the mussels is the fragrant broth. Because I didn't have French bread to scoop up the broth, I dipped my fries in it to get as much of the broth as possible.

PEI Mussels with harissa, fries and lemon aioli

I couldn't wait to get to the desserts because I wanted to try the olive oil ice cream that came with the donuts and the pistachio-polenta crust of the Meyer lemon tart. The subtlety of the olive oil got lost in the sherry and golden raisins. It was delicious nonetheless. The pistachio-polenta crust was definitely different in that it was really loose and nutty. The sandy texture worked nicely with the creamy, eggy filling.

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts with olive oil ice cream, sherry, and golden raisins

Meyer Lemon Tart with pistachio-polenta crust, blueberry compote, and lemon sorbet

Even though we had fun tasting the different tapas offerings at Fino, we were too focused on conversing about the past, present, and future to give the food the attention it deserves for a food blog post.

I'm going to miss our long talks Prof. H.!

Wholy Bagel

2011-06-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

Wholy Bagel

I admit that I never felt like there was anything wrong with Einstein Bros. Bagels. In fact, I love them! I like how they're soft and remains so even after refrigeration. Being more than satisfied with Einstein's, I never hankered for another bagel joint in Austin. Almost all the bagels I've had in my life are too heavy, dry, and hard.

After reading the Austin Chronicle's 2011 Restaurant Poll, where Wholy Bagel was named best NY bagel, I decided to give the critics' pick a try.

My first impression was that there are pretty good selections of bagels and cream cheeses. I'm a variety kind of gal, but I'm also a texture kind of gal. Will Wholy Bagel be hard and dry like the horrendous kinds from supermarket bakeries or soft and pliable like Einstein's?

Bagels: Cherry, Blueberry, Egg, Garlic, Salt, Rye, Jalapeño Cheese, Sesame, Poppyseed, Everything, etc.

Cream Cheeses: Veggie, Garlic & Herb, Scallion, Spring Berry, Pimento, Blueberry, Strawberry, Choco Chip, Walnut Raisin, Sun-dried Tomato, Lox, and Jalapeño

My breakfast companion and I shared a Taylor ham, American cheese, and fried egg sandwich on garlic bagel and a plain bagel with walnut raisin cream cheese. I appreciated how much care was put into the bagel sandwich as demonstrated by freshly slicing the Taylor ham. I don't know how much this adds to the overall taste, but it's nice to know that your food isn't being handled haphazardly.

Taylor ham, American cheese, and fried egg sandwich on garlic bagel

The end product? The bagel sandwich was fantastic! The bagel was definitely sturdier than Einstein's but not hard or dry.

Toasted plain bagel with walnut and raisin cream cheese

On the other hand, the toasted plain bagel with walnut and raisin cream cheese wasn't particularly interesting. The cream cheese was surprisingly bland. It was basically plain cream cheese with only a few raisins and almost no walnuts.

I bought half a dozen bagels and a tub of sun-dried tomato cream cheese home to see if I would still like these bagels after a day or two. The bagels became harder and drier day-by-day and the cream cheese still tasted dull.

I strongly recommend ordering the bagel breakfast sandwich at Wholy Bagel, but I think I'll stick with Einstein's for bagels and cream cheese to-go.

Ryu of Japan on Mom's Birthday

2011-05-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Mom and I celebrated her birthday at Ryu of Japan after reading an awesome review by Boots in the Oven. My parents' favorite cuisine is Japanese. Dad can't get enough of sashimi and sukiyaki while mom can't do without hamachi kama.

We decided to skip ordering dinner entrees altogether in favor of several courses of appetizers.

We began with a small dish of monkfish liver, which unsurprisingly has a texture similar to foie gras but on the drier side. It was quite delicious but I kept wishing I could pair each bite with a carb like rice or baguette!

Ankimo (monkfish liver)

The Ryu Special was basically a trio of sashimi (tuna, salmon, and yellowtail) rolled up in cucumber. This was light and summery, delicious but hard to keep intact.

Ryu's Special - salmon, yellowtail, and tuna sashimi wrapped in cucumber with shiso and roe

Agedashi tofu is as standard as udon at Japanese restaurants but Ryu's is heavenly. The broth that the fried pieces of tofu was soaking in really made this dish sing.

Agedashi Tofu

I was a bit underwhelmed by the ginger eggplant. It was good, but a little bland even with the lovely curling bonito shavings.

Nasu No Shogayaki - ginger eggplant with bonito shavings

Mom and I always reminisce about the whole grilled squid served at the cafeteria in the Japanese department store, Shirokiya, in Honolulu. I grew up scarfing down Shirokiya's smokey ikayaki. We were super excited to see ikayaki on Ryu's menu, but this version just can't compare to Shirokiya's. It's a bit tough and although it's grilled, Ryu's ika doesn't have that intense smokiness present in Shirokiya's version.

Ikayaki - grilled squid

No Japanese meal is complete without hamachi kama for my mom. This was simply prepared with a sprinkle of salt and grilled. This dish never falters.

Hamachi Kama - yellowtail collar

The next few dishes were fillers for the meal. The trio of sashimi were fresh, the spider roll was a bit heavy on the eel sauce but otherwise quite satisfying, and the hotate hokkai was my one regret. Instead of whole scallops, we got scallop bits that were indiscernible among the bigger chunks of chopped krab and smothered in spicy mayo. It was a wreck.

Salmon, Tuna, and Yellowtail Sashimi

Spider Roll

Hotate Hokkai - broiled scallops with roe and mayo

But rather than leave you with a bad impression, the overall meal was delicious and affordable. I've complained about how I can't seem to find a traditional Japanese restaurant that doesn't break the bank in Austin, and Ryu has given me a reason to stop whining.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

The Noble Pig

2011-05-21T21:58:00.000-05:00

Noble Pig

After classes ended, I decided to finally treat myself to the much talked about sandwiches at the Noble Pig. Noble Pig makes everything in-house, from the bread to the pickles and to the house-smoked meats. They really take ownership of the quality of the sandwiches!

When I researched their menu, I knew that I had to try the duck pastrami to satisfy my duck addiction.

Duck Pastrami Sandwich with potato salad, chips, and housemade pickled veggies

Smoked Duck Pastrami Sandwich with Russian dressing and rye pickles

The duck pastrami tasted very earthy and the rye pickles gave the sandwich a nice crunch and tang.

The Noble Pig with spicy ham, pulled pork, bacon and provolone cheese

The Noble Pig sandwich was packed with porcine goodness and ended up surpassing the tastiness of the duck pastrami in my humble opinion. But that's a bit unfair; this sandwich has 3 kinds of pork in it!

I'm really curious about the delicious looking breakfast menu. I might just have to fight some traffic in the morning to try it out!

Second Bar + Kitchen and Google Places

2011-05-14T10:59:00.000-05:00

I attended a food blogger cocktail party hosted by Google Places at Second Bar + Kitchen almost a month ago. Apologies for the long delay in posting. Finishing grad school got in the way of food blogging!

Spicy Mango at Second Bar and Kitchen

Food Bloggers

This event was the first time I heard of Google Places and my first taste of Second Bar + Kitchen. Google Places is a recommendation engine of local restaurants and businesses that's tailored to the preferences of each user. Users can link their Google Places profile and recs to their own blogs and websites.

While we learned about how Google Places works, we also enjoyed a cocktail and food tasting with the focus placed on rating 3 different off-menu mixed drinks created by Bill Hankey. The winning drink of the evening is now on their cocktail menu!

First, the spread:

Cheese Board

Beef Short Rib with truffled grits

Beet, Watermelon, and Blue Cheese Skewers

Queso Fundido with avocado and sausage and chipotle masa chips

Veal Meatball

Black Truffle Pomme Frites; Buffalo Fried Pickle

Pomodoro San Marzano Pizza (mozzarella, basil, and olive oil)

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

On to the drinks!

The first cocktail we tried was Forever My Queen which was a strega concoction with lemon juice, tequila reposado, and orange liqueur. This was really strong and really sweet.

"Forever My Queen"

Next was the Dickle Daisy, which I thought would contain pickle juice (just shows you how much I know about alcohol...). It's George Dickey sour mash whiskey with lemon juice and powdered sugar. This was surprisingly good. I was ready to vote for this until I got a taste of the last cocktail...

"Dickle Daisy"

The Gin and Jam (housemade raspberry preserve) appealed to me with its presentation, and it tasted fresh and moderately sweet. This made voting a no-brainer.

"Gin and Jam"

Ballot Jars

And the winner is...
*
*
*
*
*
Gin and Jam!

Spring 2011 Austin Restaurant Week: Sunday Brunch at Garrido's

2011-04-24T11:23:00.001-05:00

I really enjoyed this year's Austin Restaurant Week. Unfortunately, it had to end on a so-so note. I checked out my very first Garrido's Sunday brunch and thought that the food didn't come close to the awesome ARW kick-off party.

First, when we were seated, the ARW brunch menu was no where to be found. When I asked for it, the wait staff did not know about whether they were even serving an ARW brunch though it was clearly listed on the website. Our kind waiter went on a search for the ARW brunch menu but could only find their ARW lunch menu. He offered to look the menu up on the ARW website, but luckily, I did my homework and memorized what everyone wanted to order.

Free Chips and Salsa

The most prominent difference between the ARW brunch at Garrido's from the meals I have had at other restaurants participating in ARW is that the portions of each course is cut down. I ordered the queso because I enjoyed it tremendously at the kick-off party, but the queso came in a condiment cup that was smaller than the one containing the complimentary salsa! Seriously? The pork quesadilla was underwhelming. The filling was a bit too mushy and bland. In contrast, the mushroom quesadilla was quite tasty.

Pork Quesadilla with mango pico and tomatillo-habanero salsa

Mushroom Quesadilla with ancho crema and cilantro

Tiny cup of queso

The main course was a big improvement from the generally lackluster appetizers. The snapper blt was light and fresh. The bacon helped make this dish. The lamb sausage omelette was a bit heavy on the cheese, but pretty good. The lamb sausage tasted almost like chorizo. The smoked salmon was pretty standard.

Snapper BLT Tacos with habanero aioli and pico de gallo

Lamb Sausage and Cheese Omelette with asadero cheese, caramelized onions

Smoked Salmon with cilantro cream cheese, capers, and cucumbers and toast

Well, the meal got progressively better with dessert marking the high point. The creme brulee would have benefitted from more mango flavor, perhaps if the creme brulee was infused with mango rather than using just diced mango as an accoutrement. The Patron Cafe XO was powerful in the chocolate tres leches, which my mom enjoyed. My favorite dish of the meal was the zucchini bread pudding. Zucchini doesn't really have a strong smell or taste, but somehow, you can really pick out the fragrance of the zucchini in this dish!

Creme Brulee with habanero mango honey

Pastel de Calabaza (Zucchini Bread Pudding) with lemon crema

Patrón Café XO Chocolate Tres Leches with chocolate whipped cream

Spring 2011 Austin Restaurant Week: Aquarelle

2011-04-19T00:37:00.000-05:00

Aquarelle

I always lamented how Austin lacks French restaurants. We have an abundance of inventive establishments that have successfully woven together a variety of culinary traditions, but sometimes, I get a hankering for authentic cuisines. Ever since I left Paris, I haven't had another experience comparable to L'Os à Moelle's amazing prix-fixe dinner in the U.S.

My first visit to Aquarelle last Friday brought back a hint of that French magic, the bright colors and palatte of the dishes leading up to the main course, the uncomplicated taste of a piece of well cooked meat against the backdrop of an exquisitely balanced sauce, and the dainty portion of subtley sweet dessert to bring the dining experience to a comfortable close. However, the main thing that prevents Aquarelle from capturing more than just a hint of that French magic is the sometimes heavy-handed use of salt and the over-cooking of some minor ingredients.

Austin Restaurant Week Menu

Aquarelle really made it convenient for restaurant-goers by offering their Austin Restaurant Week menu on Thursday and Friday evenings in addition to the regular ARW days.

Interior

I love the quiet, cozy yet elegant atmosphere at Aquarelle. It's a slightly sterilized take on French hospitality, but it still manages to be one of the most charming and inviting dining rooms in Austin.

Chilled Asparagus Mousse with Baked Prosciutto

Dinner started with an amuse bouche of chilled asparagus "mousse" with a piece of prosciutto that was baked to a crisp. I was actually a bit worried about cracking a tooth on the prosciutto after producing a hollow wood sound when I knocked my spoon against it. I soaked the prosciutto in the asparagus mousse for a few seconds in an attempt to soften it. That didn't help, but at least it didn't break my teeth when I decided to chomp on it. Although the amuse bouche was light and delicious, the contrast between liquid and solid was a bit much.

Crusty French Roll

The French roll also prompted teeth concerns. Similar to the prosciutto, the roll made a hollow-sounding thud on the plate. It certainly didn't quell my toothy fears when the roll felt like a baseball in my hands. Fortunately, the roll was just a slightly crustier version of the baguette, but it didn't wow me.

Pork Ravioli with apple compote, grilled Swiss chard, almond brown butter

I picked pork ravioli for the first course. The ravioli itself was cooked just right and it was a very tasty version of the common pork and apple complement. However, the almond brown butter was overly salty. It killed the sweetness of the pork and apple. I usually scoop up all the sauce from a dish, but I found myself deliberately pulling the raviolis away from the puddles of butter on the plate.

Lump Crab Salad with zucchini, ginger and leek vichyssoise

My dining companions' lump crab salad, which was presented in a shallow pool of leek vichyssoise, turned out to be the lighter and more balanced dish, but it was still slightly too salty.

Filet of Red Snapper with chickpeas, tomato confit, kale, and garlic butter

I was super happy that a party of three meant being able to try out all three main course and dessert dishes offered on the restaurant week menu. I was especially happy when I found out that the main course was the turning point of dinner, and the food started to impress. I ordered the red snapper, which was perfectly cooked with a crunchy skin. The garlic butter this time wasn't overwhelming like the almond brown butter on the ravioli. The tomato confit under the snapper gave the fish a delightful sweetness instead of the expected tartness of tomatoes.

Filet of Flounder with orange orzo, spicy pickled cucumbers, watercress salad, and orange beurre blanc

The winner for me that evening, was the flounder. The texture of the fish was buttery and tender. The orange beurre blanc was perfectly light and sweet. I haven't had a fish this good outside of Uchi and Uchiko in Austin. The spicy pickles were a bit random. I didn't quite understand how it contributed to the overall dish.

Beef Tenderloin in Cinnamon Demiglaze with farro, sundried cherries and marscapone, wilted spinach, and parsnip curls

The beef tenderloin was a close second to the flounder. It was beautifully pink, moist, and tender. The cinnamon demiglaze was not overpowering. The focus of this dish was really about the high quality beef.

Lemon Fromage Blanc Tart with raspberries and lemon cream

The desserts were all not too sweet, which is perfect. I thought that the lemon fromage blanc was going to be like a cheesecake, but it turned out more like a cake in a tart crust. Regardless, it was a very tasty treat.

Profiteroles with rum raisin and chocolate sauce

The rum raisin cream in the profiterole was sublime, but the puff was a bit too tough and chewy.

Nocello Crème Brulee with candied walnuts

The creme brulee was the simplest but the best dessert of the evening. It was creamy, smooth, nutty, and not eggy.

Overall, Aquarelle has a lot of potential to be a great French restaurant. It just needs to make each dish consistent, season the ingredients delicately, and watch out for over-cooking.

Austin Restaurant Week Spring 2011: Uchi

2011-04-12T17:14:00.001-05:00

When I attended the "Uchi, The Cookbook" signing party a couple of months ago, I was overjoyed to score a $25 gift card when I purchased a signed copy of Chef Tyson Cole's book! What better way to use it than during Austin Restaurant Week!

Austin Restaurant Week Prix Fixe Menu and Sake Social Menu!

I made early dinner reservations because I wanted to be able to get home early to do a boat load of school work. This turned out to be another great deal because knowing how I can never be satisfied with just 3 dishes at Uchi or Uchiko (see the ridiculous amounts of food consumed during Sake Social and Austin Restaurant Week Fall 2010 at Uchiko and 2008 Chef's Tasting at Uchi), I'm bound to exceed the prim and proper 3 course meal. I unabashedly added 4 sake social hour dishes to 3 orders of the Austin Restaurant Week prix fixe dinner so that our party of 3 shared 13 dishes. Yes...3 courses just turned into 13 courses. I have no self-control. I got an inkling that this was a wee bit insane when the waiter thought that we wanted to share one order of the prix fixe menu in addition to the sake social dishes. Nope. That's not how I roll.

Even with all this food, the bill came out to be a 1/6 the amount I paid for the chef's tasting for a party of 4 back in 2008. An aweome bargain! And yet we managed to eat a feast that Louis the XIV would undoubtedly envy.

Zero Sen - yellowtail, avocado, shallot, yuzu, golden roe, cilantro

Sakana Carpaccio - sliced daily selection of fish, citrus, olive oil

We started off with the Zero Sen Roll with a sweet and spicy tamarind sauce and the Sakana Carpaccio. Although I've never had the Zero Sen Roll, it tasted familiar and comforting, but did not have the "wow" factor of other makimonos I've had at Uchi, like the Pitchfork (wagyu beef, avocado, caviar, leek crisp) or the Toledo Makimono (big eye tuna, chorizo, fried almonds, grilled garlic) at Uchiko. On the otherhand, I don't think every dish at Uchi has to have a "wow" factor to be considered a great dish. The quality of the ingredients and execution of the dish matter even more than creativity, and I think this is what makes Uchi so consistent. The Sakana Carpaccio was a simple and elegant dish. The flavor is crisp, cool, and clean. It's the perfect way to wake up your appetite.

Walu Walu - oak-grilled escolar, candied citrus, yuzupon, myoga

The next dish was astonishingly amazing. This teensy weensy, humble-looking "main course" was impeccably cooked. The escolar was super crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. I loved how the super citrusy yuzupon was used instead of regular soy sauce. This was my absolute favorite of the evening.

Hamachi Baby Yellowtail, (I forgot the type of fish of the sushi in the middle), and the Hotate Spicy Scallop with Avocado

The be-lated first course (trio of sushi) from the Austin Restaurant Week menu came after the luscious grilled escolar. Fresh and simple, but it's too bad that this dish isn't conducive to sharing.

Hama Chili - yellowtail sashimi, thai chili, orange

Machi Cure - maplewood-smoked hamachi, yucca, asian pear, marcona almonds, white soy

Next up were the Hama Chili and the Machi Cure from the Sake Social Menu, which turned out to be a great pairing of yellowtail sashimi, one tangy and spicy and the other smokey, crunchy, nutty, and sweet. I noticed that Uchi is partial to using yellowtail. I think 6 of the 13 dishes that we ordered had yellowtail! No complaints here, just an observation. Well, I guess it's a great occurrence because I just learned from Sushi Encyclopedia that yellowtail is considered a luxury fish!

Bacon Steakie - pork belly, watermelon radish, citrus, thai basil

I had a version of Uchi's Bacon Steakie (twice baked kurobuta pork belly with green apple onion salad and Indonesian soy sauce) in the past, and thus thought that it would be the same. The one I had in 2008 was sweet and caramel-ish. Surprise, surprise! This one is baked or fried to a flavorful crunch on the exterior, and the heavier preparation is countered the flavors of citrus and Thai basil. I'll take either version anyday.

Uchiviche - salmon, striped bass, yellow bell pepper, tomato, cilantro

We never had the Uchiviche, which appears to be a staple dish at Uchi, so we went ahead and ordered it from the Sake Social menu. This was delicious, but I preferred the complexity of the Machi Cure or the clean taste of the Sakana Carpaccio or Hama Chile. The salmon had a rich, buttery texture as opposed to the sleek Sakana Carpaccio and Hama Chile.

Hamachi Nabe - baby yellowtail, koshi hikari rice, farm egg, soy broth

The Hamachi Nabe smelled divine even from afar. I was taking deep breaths to savor the aroma until the last spoonful of rice.

Shag Roll - salmon, sun-dried tomato, avocado, squid ink sumiso

Craving one more rice dish, we squeezed in one last savory dish, the Shag Roll, from the Sake Social menu. This was a popular move because our server was balancing 4 wooden planks of Shag Rolls when he set our order on the table. This is fried makimono done right! The batter was thin and crunchy rather than bready, soggy, and chewy at the majority of other establishments. Forget the nasty "Dynamite Rolls" out there.

Jizake Crème Caramel with brown butter sorbet, ginger consommé

Lemon Gelato with pistachios, white balsamic, golden beet

Coffee Panna Cotta with mango ‘yolk,’ white chocolate sorbet

Ah, dessert. Uchi's pastry chef, Philip Speer, is a genius. His creations never taste or look like their names or menu descriptions. It's always a gastronomic surprise and delight. I enjoy the guessing game before the dessert arrives in trying to picture how it will be plated, and I relish in the twists and turns of flavors. We are so complacent about our dessert expectations - desserts are sweet, duh! Well, I get a wake-up call everytime I taste the desserts here. There's always some other flavor that balances out the sweet. The most prominent example is the Coffee Panna Cotta, which is accented with an earthy chocolate and coffee "soil" that is speckled with something that tastes savory.

The lemon gelato was my favorite but is perhaps the more straightforward dish. I was able to pick up the subtle sweetness of the beet from the glace, but I would've liked to taste more of the golden beet coulis.

The most impressive dessert dish we had that evening was the Jizake Creme Caramel. The brown butter sorbet floored us. It really tastes 100% like brown butter! On top of the tremendous deliciousness of the sorbet that was sitting on top of some crushed and toasted almonds, the server poured over it ginger consommé. While cooing over the sorbet, we almost forgot about the star of this dish, the creme caramel! When we finally got to it, we were treated to one of the smoothest creme caramel (or of anything in the flan category).

I can't wait to come back for my graduation dinner!

Spring 2011 Austin Restaurant Week Kick-off at Garrido's!

2011-04-10T23:52:00.003-05:00

Garrido's

It's finally Austin Restaurant Week (April 10-13 and 17-20) again! I've been waiting impatiently for what may be my last ARW to sample restaurants that are still on my yet-to-try-out list. Just when I finally feel like I'm starting to know a lot about the food scene in Austin, I find myself at the cusps of leaving town. Well, all the more to seize the day and hit my yet-to-try-out list.

Garrido's has been on that list forever, and I'm glad that I'll finally be able to check it off my list after having its ARW brunch next Sunday. I got a little preview Thursday evening of the delicious food that I have been missing out on all this time.

Here are some notes from the tasting:

Chips and Salsa

Although I didn't take a picture of the wonderful vat of queso served that evening, I believe Garrido's queso gives Kerbey Lane a run for its money in the vegetarian white queso category. It is thinner than Kerbey's queso, which helps coat the chips better (queso distributes evenly across the surface of the chip instead of bulking up the dipped part and breaking the chip). The tomato chunks give the queso a burst of fresh tartness. I look forward to ordering it for my brunch!

Beef Tostada with Truffle and Beet Aioli

My favorite tasting dish came out right at the beginning. Like with any dish with truffle in it, I smelled it before I saw it. Upon being presented the beef tostadas, I was thrown off by the magenta sauce drizzled over the perfectly cooked slices of beef. Did my nose fail me? Shouldn't there be a truffle sauce rather than this uncharacteristic red liquid? It turns out that the beef was dressed in an amazing truffle and beet aioli. These tostadas were out of this world! Unfortunately these are no where to be found on Garrido's regular menus and ARW prix fixe menus. Please let me know if I just missed seeing it!

Oyster Tostadas on Yucca Root Chips with Honey Habanero Aioli

I was excited to see the famous Oyster Tostadas. I would eat more oysters if all oysters tasted like this.

Pork Tacos

Chicken Quesadillas

The pork tacos and chicken quesadillas were enjoyable but were quite overshadowed by the beef and oyster tostadas.

Almond Bread Pudding

I finished out my first Garrido's experience with a warm, comforting bite of nutty, chocolately, pillowy bread pudding.

Han Yang Korean Market Prepared Foods

2011-03-29T11:39:00.000-05:00

Han Yang has been my go-to store for Korean ingredients (usually frozen salted mackerel, kimchee, and sweet potato starch noodles for Japchae). Every time I go, I can never resist buying a package of prepared food as a way to explore more home-style Korean food.

The colorful Korean mochi always looked appetizing, especially the ones covered in peanut powder. However, this package of mochi is flavorless. Mochi is usually super sweet, but these were barely sweet! And although it looks like there's an assortment of mochi in the package, they all taste the same. If I remember correctly, the multi-colored cake-like variety in the middle had a different, more cornmeal-like texture, it still tasted similarly bland. I really can't recommend these sweets.

Korean Mochi

On the other hand, I loved and highly recommend the giant package of cooked pig feet with tiny dried shrimp preserved in brine! I love the combination of savory, briny, and sweet flavors. I would've never thought to use the pungent preserved dried shrimp as a condiment to pig feet, but it really makes this humble dish even more delicious and memorable.

Pig Trotters with Fermented Dried Shrimp Condiment

Another prepared food you can find at Han Yang is Gimbap, which is Korean sushi rolls. It seems to have more of a rice to filling ratio than Japanese sushi rolls, and it usually has cooked ingredients. It is also never served with soy sauce and wasabi. Gimbap here is a quick, filling,and inexpensive solution to satisfying sushi roll cravings.

Gimbap

What Do You Eat after Skydiving and Flying?

2011-03-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the online discount certificates to restaurants and fun activities around Austin, I have been able to do things that I never thought I could afford!

My brother and I spent some quality sibling time learning how to fly a helicopter and airplane last week in Seguine, TX. I also went skydiving November 2010 in Lexington, TX! These two activities were among the highest ranked activities on my bucket list, and it feels so good to be able to check them off my list!

My biggest concern was what to eat after piloting a plane and jumping out of one. For both activities, I made sure to have a super light breakfast to so that I don't regret eating before doing the activities. However, this made me super hungry after I finished doing each activity.

I was a bit queasy after skydiving because the gliding part was a bit disorienting. The sudden change in direction when my tandem instructor showed me how to turn by tugging on my left arm made me want to vomit into the vast span of farmland below. I survived and put on a brave, if weak, smile upon landing. By the time I recovered a little bit from the motion sickness, I was definitely hungry. But I didn't know what I could eat that would not make me feel worse. My skydiving partner and I settled on sushi because it's a somewhat light option.

Getting ready to jump

Getting into position

Free Fall!

Parachute opening up

Gliding

Back on land

On the drive from Lexington back into Austin, we discussed all the inexpensive sushi options in Austin, and there really weren't a lot. There was Sushi A Go Go, which we opted against because at that time, they only operated out of one trailer at Medical Arts, which was a bit inconvenient for us. Finally, we decided to try Haiku in the Southpark Meadows strip mall.

For non-traditional maki rolls, these were pretty good! The portions were huge, so one roll for each of us would've sufficed, but we ordered 3 just in case. The sauces were a bit too sweet for my liking, but I just ate the rolls without the sauces. My favorite roll was the South Park Roll because it was spicy, packed with my favorite maki roll ingredients, and didn't come with any sauce.

South Park Roll - crawfish and fried tempura batter wrapped with snow crab, spicy tuna and wasbitobiko with avocado

Longhorn Roll - tempura shrimp, snow crab, cream cheese, smelt roe, and fresh tuna with spicy mayo and eel sauce

Tropical Roll - tempura shrimp, snow crab, wrapped in soy paper with salmon and fresh mango

Flying a helicopter and a plane was thrilling but definitely not as nerve-racking as skydiving. However, so much adrenaline pumped through me while piloting for 30 minutes in the air that I felt weak again, this time from hunger!

Bro ready for take-off

Bro about to show off his hovering skills

Landed

Yup, the wing is my step...I feel super safe

Flying over New Braunfels

Landing

My brother suggested that we drive 30 minutes to San Marcos to have an early lunch at Red Lobster. Now, now, I know foodies out there balk at the idea of eating at the Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains, but it's just like how I think about the numerous Americanized Chinese food joints across the U.S. They're not authentic; they're mutated versions of the original cuisines that should be taken as is and not compared to authentic ones. It can still serve a satisfying meal, and we should let go of attaching "guilty" to "pleasure" when aligning ourselves with some of these establishments. While growing up, my family frequented the neighborhood Red Lobster on weekends. Hey, affordable seafood that tastes pretty good! We're not going to put our noses up in the air!

I recently tasted their awesomely addictive lobster pizza, so I didn't hesitate to order it again for my post-flight nourishment. Judge all you want!

Lobster Pizza

Johnson City: Benini Sculpture Ranch and Silver K Cafe

2011-03-15T11:11:00.001-05:00

Our school has organized countless trips to the Hill Country, and they all seem the same: wine tasting, LBJ ranch, and German food in Fredericksburg. That's all great, but I figured that there has got be other things around the Hill Country for it to be such a highly acclaimed destination!

After some searching on the internet, I found out that the metal bull, which I've passed by a gazillion times in the past on the way to Fredericksburg, is actually a sculpture ranch that's open to the public Friday - Sunday.

The Benini Sculpture Ranch is 140 acres of open space with sculptures by various contemporary artists.

This was a great break from the routine Texas Hill Country day trip!

Benini Sculpture Ranch

Artist, Jonas Perkins, working on "The Great Benini"

After a long day of climbing and walking, we settled on Texas-style comfort food at the Silver K Cafe in Johnson City. The Honey Pecan Fried Chicken Breast was awesome! It's super crunchy, and the sweetness of the honey isn't overwhelming.

Prickly Pear Iced Tea

Honey Pecan Fried Chicken Breast with Green Beans and Scalloped Potatoes

Chicken Fried Steak with Cabbage and Green Beans

Enchanted Rock and a Texas Saloon in the Middle of Nowhere

2011-03-14T21:26:00.001-05:00

Sadly, I have never really used my Spring Break to do fun things. I can't remember actually having fun on any of my Spring Breaks in grad school, no thanks to the profs, who tend to pile on assignments the week before.

Since I'm hoping that this is my last Spring Break ever (no more school...until I'm ready for academic torture again...), I decided to finally treat myself to some fun with friends.

I admit that I'm a Type A kind of person, who needs to plan out everything before taking action. I even plan for spontaneous things that may present itself in my itineraries. I had a packed itinerary and thus told my friends to meet at 7 AM sharp on the same day as Daylight Saving Time when we all lost one hour of sleep. That's how I roll, folks!

Good thing we departed Austin early because by the time we arrived at Enchanted Rock, there were already a lot of visitors, and by the time we left the park, lines of cars spilled out onto the ranch road trying to enter.

Enchanted Rock

After 3 hours of climbing the rock, we headed out to Willow City for some burgers at the eccentric Knot in the Loop Saloon. It's a saloon that serves fantastic burgers and doubles as a "Wild West-o-rama Museum." I love the kookiness.

Knot in the Loop Saloon

Dollar Bills on the Ceiling

Restrooms...it's a mini-museum inside...

Darn Good Cheeseburger!

2009 Fredericksburg Day Trip: Lunch at the Auslander

2011-03-14T20:47:00.000-05:00

Auslander

I had a feeling that German food in Fredericksburg is meant for tourists, but at the same time, it just doesn't feel right to go to Fredericksburg for tacos. We settled on dining at the Auslander because the name aptly describes us Austinites.

The food isn't grand, but I think the point of the German restaurants in Fredericksburg is to fill up your bellies, give you a break from your normal work day, and give you a generic taste of another cuisine. They don't take themselves too seriously and neither should the diner. With that mentality, Auslander provided a comfortable setting and a satisfying meal at the end of an awesome Texas Hill Country day trip.

Kassler Rippchen - smoked pork chop with green beans and spaetzle

Wienerschnitzel with Apple Sauce, Green Beans, and Potato Salad

Wienerschnitzel

Beer Battered Mushrooms with Ranch Dressing

Fredericksburg Day Trip 2009

2011-03-14T16:18:00.002-05:00

In the summer of 2009, I took a leisurely trip out to Fredericksburg for a good dose of the Hill Country and the Texas sun before I departed for China. I was in such a hurry packing for Shenyang that I forgot to post about that beautiful day. Here are some of the highlights.

Odd Trees around Dripping Springs

Miller Creek Lavender Farm

Picking Lavender

Becker Vineyards

Becker Vineyards Wine Tour

Free Tacos at Becker Vineyards

The National Museum of the Pacific War

Cutie Pie Wagon

2011-03-05T18:33:00.001-06:00

Cutie Pie Wagon

After a day of classes, I decided to buy a snack. I craved something...I didn't know what, just something from a trailer I haven't visited before. After menu-shopping at the various trailers parked on South Congress, I settled on the award-winning Buttermilk Pie at Cutie Pie Wagon. It was pretty expensive for this miniature pie, but it was quite delicious. Not mind-blowing, but enough to satisfy my cravings and allowed me to re-fuel before a night of readings and papers.

Buttermilk Pie

Haddingtons Media Opening

2011-03-05T18:19:00.004-06:00

Haddingtons

Haddingtons Interior

Haddingtons is a new gastropub on 6th Street with a beautiful, rustic wooded interior. The menu leaned on heavy, rich food with a creative twist...and the "creative twist" usually entails foie gras! I really enjoyed the atmosphere, but the food is a bit too rich for me. The quality of ingredients is top-notch, but I personally prefer a more varied palette rather than rich and heavy throughout the course of a meal. I definitely liked each dish on its own though, particularly the fragrant cheese and the earthy truffle of the smoky TLT, which tingled the senses. The foie butter with duxelles made the grilled steak strip taste absolutely luscious!

Farmhouse Cheese with Honey and Toast and Pickled Veggies

Moscow Mule (vodka and housemade ginger beer), Chenin Blanc (South Africa),

and Fireman's #4 Blonde Ale (Texas)

Duck Liver Mousse with Golden Raisins

TLT - Smoked Tomato, Brun-Ostoo Cheese, Lettuce, and Truffle Aioli

Rabbit Rillette with Whiskey Cherries

Foie Link - housemade foie sausage with pear moutarde relish

Grilled Steak Strip with Duxelle and Foie Butter

Heirloom Carrots and Hummus

2011-02-26T13:04:00.001-06:00

On my recent trip to Central Market, I saw a bunch of beautiful heirloom carrots and couldn't help buying some and tasting them immediately when I returned home. I bought some Purple Haze, Purple Rain, White, Yellowstone, and Atomic (orange) carrots.

Variety of Heirloom Carrots

I wanted to eat the carrots raw so that I can taste the difference between the different colored carrots. I made a mid-afternoon snack plate composed of these heirloom carrots, the Oregon-based Lilly's Hummus, sliced gourmet baby cucumbers,soy-wasabi toasted almonds and honey roasted almonds, and UnieKaas Parrano, a gouda-parmesan hybrid cheese.

Lilly's Roasted Jalapeno Hummus

A Mid-afternoon Feast!

The Yellowstone and White carrots were a bit dull; the Purple Rain and Purple Haze (purple on the outside, orange on the inside) are the sweetest varieties of the bunch. The roasted jalapeno hummus is really spicy. The heat hits you mid-throat. It's really good though!

Gorgeous Multi-Colored Carrots

I decided to make my mid-afternoon snack into something of an afternoon tea, complete with Central Market muffins!

Chocolate, Pistachio, and Cherry Muffin; Blueberry; Apricot and White Chocolate; Strawberry and Goat Cheese

The creative combination of ingredients were intriguing, but the muffins are way too sweet. I appreciate that Central Market packed the muffins with a bunch of stuff, but the abundance of chocolate chips in the Chocolate, Pistachio, and Cherry Muffin and the Apricot and White Chocolate was overkill.

Leftover Carrots for Tomorrow's Work Snack!

Shopping at Central Market

2011-02-21T21:15:00.000-06:00

I love going to Central Market to simply look at food products. My eyes soak up the vibrant colors and fun shapes of the fruits and vegetables. I get to learn some of their faraway origins and imagine what they taste like. Sometimes, I'll even treat myself to buying a couple of rarities. Thank you Central Market for expanding my sensorial knowledge of food!

Here are some photos I've taken in the past. From now on, I will try to bring my camera with me everytime I go to Central Market and continue to add more fun pictures to this post. Enjoy!

Kishu Mandarin

Brussel Sprouts

Golden and Red Beets

Watermelon Radish

Maroon Carrots

Heirloom Carrots

Siamese Twin Heirloom Carrots

Buddha's Hand Citrus

Pepino Melons from Ecuador

Golden and Red Raspberries

Pixie Tangerines

Baby Pineapples from South Africa

Fiddleheads

Purple Peppers

Peppers

Macarons

New Muffins Counter with AWESOME Flavors!

Cherry Chocolate Pistachio Muffins

Mammoth Cheddar

A Tribute to My Half-Semester Stint in Michigan Pre-Recession

2011-02-18T21:33:00.004-06:00

I made a wonderful mistake of going to graduate school in art history a few years ago. I say "wonderful" without sarcasm, and I say this because I was given the opportunity to finally understand why I decided to study the arts as an undergraduate in the first place. I didn't come to this realization while still in Michigan. My decision to leave Michigan was based on intuition and a lack of will to follow-through a possible mistake. I could not vocalize why I needed to leave, how I knew I was making the right decision, and what I wanted to do afterwards. My lack of justification and inability to explain myself made me feel like an utter failure. Through all of this, I was fortunate to have really supportive parents, who took me on a road trip throughout the entire State of Michigan to help me let out my frustrations. It has not been easy for me to talk about Michigan, and I feel like that part of my life will always remain a sensitive spot for me. In the beginning of this year, I was finally able to undust this memory and appreciate what I had originally felt was time lost.

The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor

Beautiful Trees at the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor

Maya Lin's The Wave Field in Ann Arbor

Fair Lane - Henry Ford's Home in Dearborn

Detroit

The Deserted but Beautiful Belle Isle Park

Canadian Geese at Belle Isle Park

Michigan State Capitol in Lansing

View of Lake Michigan from St. Joseph, MI

Farmers' Market in Holland, MI

Autumn on the Road

Lighthouses

Cranberry Farm

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Miner's Castle and Lake Superior

Mackinaw Bridge

Mackinac Island

Lake Huron

Farewell

Coreanos

2011-02-16T17:40:00.000-06:00

Early this semester, I found out about Coreanos, and was a bit confused because the menu online looks an awful lot like Chi'lantro's. M and I decided to check out Coreanos' take on Korean-Mexican fusion tacos before dorking out by going to class even though the prof. had cancelled it.

Huge Crowd

We ordered a bunch of stuff to-go and ate in the classroom so the food was no longer hot. We noted that Coreanos' beef short rib has a better texture than Chi'lantro's beef bulgogi, but I preferred Chi'lantro's lettuce and kimchi topping over Coreanos' bland slaw. I also preferred Chi'lantro's pork taco over Coreano's spicy twice-cooked pork belly. Chilantro's fries were more golden and thus more aesthetically pleasing. Overall, Coreanos offers satisfying Korean-Mexican tacos and is conveniently located.

Marinated Beef Short Ribs Taco and Spicy Twice-Cooked Pork Belly Taco

Three Wise Fries - French fries, grilled onions, marinated beef short rib, spicy marinated chicken, spicy twice-cooked pork belly, cheese and el scorcho sauce

Seasoned Fries - with el scorcho, spicy ketchup and Korean BBQ sauce

Brunch at South Congress Cafe

2011-02-16T16:39:00.001-06:00

My good friend, E, treated me to a delicious brunch at South Congress Cafe. I've always wanted to try their Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict, but somehow never found the right time to brunch until this past December. I thoroughly enjoyed my eggs benedict. They're the best I've had! I loved that the eggs are like mini omlettes rather than poached eggs (I'm not a fan of poached eggs).

Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict with Smoked Gouda Potato Pancake- topped with spinach bacon quiche and crispy prosciutto

Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict - topped with spinach bacon quiche and crispy prosciutto

E got a dish that I really want to try next time, the Quail Sandwich with Truffled Remoulade. Mmmm!

Quail Sandwich with Truffled Remoulade - with bacon, caramelized onions, roasted portabella mushrooms, baby arugula and roma tomatoes

Quail Sandwich with Truffled Remoulade

Thanks, E!

Sake Social at Uchiko

2011-02-15T21:26:00.001-06:00

I recently realized that Uchi and Uchiko both offer happy hour or "Sake Social" prices on select dishes everyday from 5 PM to 6:30PM! I was psyched and Chinese New Year + the Friday Austin snow day put me in a celebratory mood. We tried everything on the Sake Social menu at Uchiko plus a few dishes from their everyday and today's menu.

Everything on the Sake Social menu is $3, $5, or $6. And the lovely waitress informed us that they were offering a quail dish that wasn't on the menu for $8 during the Sake Social hour. I had a blast eating everything! I can't wait to check out the Uchi, The Cookbook launch party March 1st!

Gekkeikan - Warm Sake

Kakiage - crispy tempura fried sweet potato fritter, chili sauce

Uchi Salad - baby romaine, edamame jalapeño dressing

Nasu Nigiri - grilled japanese eggplant, sumiso, goma shio

Crunchy Spicy Tuna Hand Roll - big eye tuna, avocado, cucumber, aioli

The Yokai Berry was my favorite dish on the Sake Social menu. It was tart, sweet, fresh, crispy, and crunchy, a spectrum of flavors in one dish.

Yokai Berry - atlantic salmon, dinosaur kale, asian pear, blueberry, yuzu

P-38 Hand Roll - japanese yellowtail, avocado, yuzu kosho, grilled negi

Avofry - yama gobo, pickled red pepper, soy paper, lemon miso

Koviche - fresh diver scallop, tomatillo, kalamata, black lime

Bacon Sen - grilled kurobuta pork belly, green onion, fish caramel

Ham & Eggs - katsu pork belly, yolk custard, espelette

Grilled Quail stuffed with rice served with pickled strawberries

Last time I came here, I wanted to try the Gyutan Toro, but Uchiko ran out of it that evening. I made sure to order it this time. The waiter suggested that we flip the nigiri over so that the beef tongue touches our tongues. Sounds weird, eh? But it's a fabulous idea because our taste buds got a kick out of absorbing the the fish caramel!

Gyutan Toro grilled beef tongue toro, fish caramel

We agreed unanimously that the Ao Saba was the best savory dish of the evening. The grilled mackerel was incredibly juicy. I savored every bite and used the last few chunks of the mackerel to wipe up all the berry juice.

Ao Saba - norwegian mackerel, bluefoot mushroom, onion, juniper, huckleberry

The Skin and Bones was fun to eat but had a clean taste. It was a nice lead into dessert!

Skin and Bones - coriander cured salmon, candied pomelo, salmon skin crackling, cured meyer lemon

I almost passed on dessert, but I was too curious about carrot soup for dessert to really end my meal with Skin and Bones. This turned out to be the best surprise I've experienced at Uchi or Uchiko. The carrot soup arrived, encased in a chocolate shell. When we cracked the shell open, the soup flowed out onto a bed of dehydrated carrot cake pieces. Genius and delicious! My favorite Uchi/Uchiko dessert! Please make this an "Everyday Menu" dessert!

Carrot soup, cream cheese cremeux, black walnut, shiso

The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts Food Tasting

2011-02-09T21:07:00.001-06:00

The Natural Epicurean

I didn't know what to expect when I attended The Natural Epicurean's tasting event showcasing the newest graduates' creations. I'm not particulary health conscious when it comes to what I eat. Ever since I became more curious about the culinary world (c. 2006), I decided to try as many kinds of food as possible, especially the more adventurous stuff. Unfortunately, a lot of the exciting stuff usually isn't that good for you.

The Natural Epicurean offers a culinary arts program that centers around a plant-based diet (macrobiotic, vegetarian, vegan, and raw foods). Um. Yeah. My blog rarely features food that falls under those categories. You don't believe me? Please see the following posts: Pork Galore; Mutton, Mutton, and More Mutton; Banquet Food throughout Northeast China.

Regardless of my biases, I was really excited about tasting what Natural Epicurean grads can do with what I originally thought was a very limited cooking palette. I seriously never thought that vegetarian and vegan food could taste this good! I used to think that vegetarian and vegan dishes are generally dull and unfilling, and thus I avoid eating meals that don't have at least one meat dish. I don't even order Margherita Pizzas because I've convinced myself that nothing savory tastes good without meat! I actually never admitted this before because I feared that this prejudice against vegetarian dishes would reveal my utter lack of knowledge about what constitutes good food. But, at least I'm a self-proclaimed dilettante and not a self-proclaimed expert, so please don't hold this foodie flaw against me!

This tasting was unlike the other tastings I've attended in the past. This was a learning experience for me, my taste buds, and my body. Basically, my quest for culinary excitement has been satisfying my curiousity about food, people, different chefs' creativity, and various cultures. But I have not yet explored the more fundamental facets of food - how it nurtures the body. Yes, it's a "duh" statement. But it's true that I never thought twice about what I eat. I just thought that if I avoid junk food, then I'm taking care of myself. Well, that's a good start, but that doesn't count as healthy eating.

I don't know anything about macrobiotic, vegetarian, vegan, and raw foods, so I'm not going to pretend to explain what I ate, but I will say that everything I tasted at Natural Epicurean was delectable. The food was refreshing. Everything tasted clean. I felt like my body took in the food differently than the foods I normally eat. I won't say that I will immediately change my diet, but this tasting experience has made me more open to breaking away from my habit of avoiding vegetarian and vegan meals.

I thank the graduates, Nancy Ashton, Jenna Drewes, Cara Greene, Roni Johnson, Shannon King, Kerry Lane, Georgina Mayer, Leanne Valenti, Donnalyn Watt, and Reba Wiedner, for a wonderful vegetarian and vegan experience!

Fresh Bing Cherries with Pickled Ginger

Velvet Crimini Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil and a Rosemary Vegetable Kabob

Anjou Pear and Fig Goat Cheese with a Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

Spicy Garden Samosa

Daikon, Lemon, and Apple Bundle

Golden and Rouge Beets, Roasted Garlic Risotto, and Spinach Asparagus Pesto

Smokin' CLT - Smoked Coconut, Butter Lettuce, Heirloom Tomatoes, and Dill Aioli

Natural Epicurean Graduates

Blood Orange Infused Hand-rolled Truffles with Candied Zest and Dressed Blood Oranges

Mint and Red Pepper Infused Hand-rolled Dark Chocolate Truffles with Candied Mint Leaves and Cocoa Powder

Spiced Apricot and Date Truffles Rolled in Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, and Ginger

Pistachio Cherry Flourless Biscotti Bites

Thank you, Natural Epicurean, for opening my eyes! Best of luck to all the graduates!

Wangfujing Dajie: Stuff that I didn't eat

2011-02-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

Wangfujing Dajie

Wangfujing Dajie is known for selling all sorts of street foods, especially creepy crawlies. B and I weren't drawn to any of the vendors, and we wanted to save our appetites for Makye Ame...at least that was our excuse. For more about eating insects in China, check out Time Out Beijing.

Cicadas and Larvae

Seahorses, Starfish, and Scorpions, Oh My!

"Turkish Grilled Meat"

Beefballs, Fishballs, and Red Dates

Mutton Stomach (I think)

Chuanr (Skewered Meats)

Roasted Pigeons

Even Bigger Black Scorpions

Centipedes with Cicadas and Larvae on the Sides

Stinky Tofu

Stinky Tofu Vendor

Lazy Guotie

Baos

Sticky Rice Flour Cakes with Red Bean Paste and Peanut Powder

Spicy Seashells

Breakfasts in Beijing

2011-02-06T10:51:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos of my breakfasts in Beijing. I mostly ate breakfast zhou or bao zi at S's apartmet because it was too cold to go out early in hte morning.

Long line outside the Maido chain that sells hot savory pies (bing)

Pork and Green Bell Peppers Bing (the pork was way too fatty)

I couldn't resist having breakfast at Comptoirs de France again, but the traffic was horrible; by the time I arrived, they had already moved on to their lunch menu. I ordered a smoked salmon sandwich and a nice, big cup of coffee.

Coffee at Comptoirs de France

Smoked Salmon Sandwich for breakfast

The day of my departure, I walked to Field Home, a Chinese fast food chain. I ordered the #8 special which had a bowl of delicious pidan shourou zhou (hundred-year egg and lean pork rice porridge) garnished with youtiao and green onions and a side of guotie (pan-fried dumplings). YUM! It was kinda a crazy about of food for breakfast but I gotta get some culinary satisfaction before enduing a 13 hour flight full of crappy food.

Pidan Shourou Zhou

Guotie and Milk Tea

烤肉季 Kao Rou Ji

2011-02-05T13:55:00.000-06:00

Kao Rou Ji

On my last day, I wandered around Xicheng district and visited the Bell and Drum Towers. I knew that Kao Rou Ji, a famous Xinjiang restaurant, was in the area so I made my way to Houhai for lunch. This is not a place for dining on your own because the portions of each dish are meant for sharing. Oh well. That wasn't going to stop me from trying their famous grilled lamb!

Complimentary Pumpkin Xiaomi Zhou

The lamb with the extra order of condiments and shao bing made damn tasty Xinjiang burgers.

Grilled Lamb with Scallions

Grilled Lamb with Hot Chili Oil, Pickled Garlic, Cucumbers, and Shao Bing

Interior of Shao Bing

Making my Xinjiang Burger

Mmmm...Ready to dig into my burger!

Dadong Kaoya: My Second Visit

2011-02-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

After my awesome dining experience at Dadong Kaoya in Fall 2009, I decided to treat my hostess to their delicious Peking duck near the end of my research trip. I chose Peking duck because she hasn't had it since moving to Beijing. I also wanted to try dishes other than the Peking duck this time, and that's much easier to do with a dining companion.

We ordered Chef's Dong's Braised Eggplant. This version of braised eggplants is a sweeter variation. My favorite preparation of braised eggplant is the briny version with diced salted fish in as clay pot. However, because it's a much heavier dish, you have to pair it with copious amounts of white rice to tame the flavors. Dadong's braised eggplant is a lot more refreshing and is void of grease, which is amazing in China.

Braised Eggplant

Silly me insisted on ordering shrimp and insisted on the deep fried dish. It was a bad move on my part as it was poorly prepared. Instead of a light, crunchy batter, we got a wet skin-like batter. The sauce that coated the shrimp made it worse. It was some kind of rice wine vinegar sauce that tasted like mustard but not quite. I really didn't understand what the chef was going for in this dish.

Deep Fried Prawns

The next dish was the super adorable "Steamed Egg" with Crab Roe. We each ordered one (28 RMB / $4.50!!!). Although the egg looks like a soft-boiled egg, I think it's actually made from steamed eggwhite with a little bit of broth. The "yolk" is the crab roe. The light broth and lightly seasoned bok choy complemented the deliciously rich "egg."

Steamed Egg with Crab Roe

S and I are both tofu lovers and were immediately drawn to the "Two Flavor Bean Curd." One flavor was the tender bean curd with mei cai (preserved vegetable) and the other is yuzi bean curd with spicy XO sauce. I have no idea what an yuzi bean curd is. It tasted more like steamed egg custard than tofu. Both were awesome.

Two Flavor Bean Curd

Tender Bean Curd with Soy Sauce

Meicai and Yuzi Bean Curd with XO Sauce

S approved of the Peking duck! She was also amazed at how lean and ungreasy the duck was considering how most dishes in China are greasy.

Peking Duck

Duck Broth Made from Duck Bones

S was so excited about dinner that she was surfing the net for pictures of what other diners have ordered in the past. She said that she really wanted to try a cotton candy dessert she saw on someone's website. I'm not a cotton candy type of person, but S had been such a gracious hostess so I obliged. See how happy she was?

Cotton Candy for Dessert

I admit that it was really fun to eat and that the added surprise in the middle of the cotton candy ball made the experience even better.

With a Candied Fruit Inside!

And Stuffed with a Red Date!

Free Fruit Plate

Noodle Bar at the Hidden City

2011-02-05T01:18:00.001-06:00

After afternoon tea at Green T. House with its hidden door, we enjoyed a dinner at Noodle Bar, which is one of a cluster of restaurants inside the Hidden City. The entrance is actually an art gallery! We enjoyed a really nice exhibit of Wu Guanzhong's paintings before entering a courtyard filled with contemporary artwork. Now this is the way to do culinary artsy-fartsy!

The Hidden City

Courtyard inside the Hidden City Walls

The menu at Noodle Bar is simple, which is a breath of fresh air after the craziness at Green T. House. You can choose from a couple of side dishes and 5 noodle choices: beef, tendon, tripe, combination, or vegetarian. You can also choose between thin or thick noodles.

Noodle Bar Menu

The side dishes were really not that great. S loved the pumpkin in plum juice, but I much preferred Din Tai Fung's pumpkin in orange juice.

Raw Pumpkin in Plum Juice

The wheat-gluten was way to sweet and salty.

Wheat Gluten, Shitake, and Edamame

The bean curd and soy egg were also way too salty.

Bean Curd and Soy Egg

The duck chuanr was the only good side dish, but it was so spicy that my lips felt like they were on fire for the duration of the meal.

Duck Chuanr

The beef noodle soup was seriously good, especially the broth, brisket, and tripe. S, B, and I all ordered the thick noodles, but we all felt that they were too thick and chewy. We should've gone with the thin noodles. Nevertheless, this was a very satisfying meal.

Beef Noodle Soup with Brisket and Daikon

Combination Beef Noodle Soup with Tripe, Tendon, and Brisket

Green T. House

2011-02-04T23:46:00.001-06:00

I really wanted to have afternoon tea in Beijing, somewhere quiet and not crowded, a sanctuary with tea and finger food. I should have known that B and I always get ourselves in some kind of awkward situation in China, even something as simple as having afternoon tea.

I read some terrible reviews about Green T. House on Tripadvisor, but it sounded so cool and absurd that I had to go see for myself. First of all, instead of a door, they had a "secret" door with no handles or knobs. You have to ring a door bell and wait for a hostess to open the door and greet you. That should've been the first sign of "let's look for another teahouse."

Mysterious Door

It was gorgeous inside, and our tourist instincts were to take out our cameras and start clicking away at the over-the-top long dinner table and chairs with sky-high backs. However, the hostess and waitresses told us that we couldn't take pictures. Darn. Well, that didn't stop us from sneaking pictures of our tea and snacks...

We chose to sit cross-legged on a wall-length white opium bed with big white Chinese screens. We took off our shoes and sat down to read the lengthy and confusing menu. The tea menu was written in prose. I kid you not. It looked like a book project made by design students from the Studio Art department at UT-Austin. I would have enjoyed it more had the waitresses in the empty restaurant gave us some privacy and allowed us to read through the menu at our own pace. But, instead, upon hearing my coughs, our waitress came and told me that I should drink something with pear in it because it's supposed to be good for my lungs. She suggested the green tea with rose and Asian pear for me and B ordered the green tea with rose and apple. We were flabbergasted when the waitress came back with two pho-sized bowls of tea and long bamboo branches and cinnamon sticks jutting out.

Pho-sized Bowls of Tea with Ridiculous Embellishments

Green Tea with Asian Pear and Rose Petals and Buds

The tea was not even good. B rightly observed that it tasted grassy. Blech. Our prix fixe afternoon tea came with a slate of tea snacks. And of course they felt that a gigantic branch was a necessary adornment.

Assortment of Tea Snacks

The cookies looked and tasted like the ones you can buy for cheap at a wholesale shop in Chinatown. Umm. Is this or is this not a restaurant?

Although I don't recommend this place, it was somewhat entertaining to be put through such awkward service and presentation.

Cooking with S and B in Beijing

2011-02-02T22:13:00.002-06:00

Meet the Chefs: S, B, S Freezing in Beijing

I was fortunate to have friends who were willing to endure living with a very ill person in close quarters. Several days I felt too sick to go out for dinner, or we all agreed that it was either too cold or that we needed to watch our spending a bit. We all took turns being head chef at S's apartment.

S had a box of gnocchi that she wanted to cook but didn't know how to cook properly. B came to the rescue with a lemon cream sauce recipe. We were able to make do with ingredients that we found at an international grocery store in a mall, and B proceeded to wow us with a delicious meal.

B Impressing the Heck out of S & S

Parmesan, Garlic, and Panko Crumbs for the Chicken

Lemon Cream Sauce for the Gnocchi

Pan-frying Panko-crusted Chicken Tenders

My Easy Spinach Stir-fried with Garlic

A Very Balanced Meal: Garlic Spinach, Lemon Cream Gnocchi, and Parmesan-Garlic, Panko-crusted Chicken

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Another time, S called from work saying that her colleague at work made some spicy braised pork ribs for her to bring back home as a dish for dinner. I took on the task of steaming some rice and preparing simple dishes to go with the ribs. I opted to make stir-fried youmai cai (a kind of Chinese lettuce) and a delicious winter soup of daikon, mushrooms, and ginger in beef broth.

Spicy Soy-braised Pork Ribs (made by S's colleague)

My Daikon, Mushroom, and Ginger Soup

Stir-fried Youmai Cai

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S is from Guangzhou, where there is an emphasis on the relationship between ingredients and human health according to Chinese medicine. Because I was coughing like crazy, S insisted that I eat plenty of white fungus, which is supposed to be good for my lungs. S, the master of soup, made all sorts of after-dinner soups for me. My favorite is a sweet and soothing one with goji berries, papaya, white fungus, longan, and Shanxi dried dates. S never adds any sugar to her fruity-herbal soups; everything is based on the ingredients' natural flavors. I felt very lucky to be taken care of by someone who's younger than me. Ah...Thanks S, and Happy Chinese New Year!

Papaya, Shanxi Dried Dates, Goji Berries, Longan, and White Fungus After-dinner Soup

Makye Ame 玛吉阿米: Tibetan Food in Beijing

2011-01-25T22:36:00.004-06:00

I don't know when I'll be able to travel to Tibet, so I decided that I'll just have to make do with lunching at one the oldest Tibetan restaurants in Beijing, even if it is a chain (2 in Beijing, 1 in Kunming, and 1 in Lhasa).

Unclear store front and sketchy, dark staircase

If you're ever interested in trying Makye Ame in Beijing, you'll need to know a few things.

First of all, bring lots of money because it's relatively expensive compared to other dining establishments around the city. I think it's because some of the ingredients are native to the Tibetan Plateau.

Secondly, don't freak out about the creepy staircase leading up the door; it's absolutely gorgeous inside!

Interior of Makye Ame

Fresh Pear and Apple Juice; Some kind of Tibetan Tea

I heard about the tasty but rare songrong mushrooms from Yunnan province while researching Beijing restaurants on the internet, and I didn't really think that I would encounter them at any of the restaurants I picked since Yunnan cuisine was not on my list. I think songrong mushrooms are the same as matsutake. This dish alone is 128 RMB (around $21). That's an astounding price for mushrooms. However, I felt that I wouldn't get a chance to try these any time soon, so why not eat a couple more homecooked meals in China to compensate for this splurge?

Songrong Mushrooms and Onions Cooked on Hot Rock

The songrong mushrooms were musty, rich, and buttery. But if you're not a mushroom fan, you may feel that they're not $21 bucks - good.

We were all really hungry, at least that was our excuse for ordering 2 meat dishes: Yak and Lamb Ribs.

Both had a tasty exterior, which was very appealing, but a bit too dry on the inside. The lamb ribs were very fatty. The yak meat was actually our favorite of the two because it was meatier, and tasted a lot like beef. No wonder the Chinese name for "yak" is just "hairy cow."

Tibetan Crisp Yak "Steak"...but looked like Ribs

Roasted Lamb Ribs

We ordered the Highland Barley dish because we wanted to be able to say that we've eaten something that's cooked in yak butter. Well, yak butter tastes like butter. No surprises there! But the slightly sweetened barley was especially delicious with the goji berries and weird red-brown root-like stubbs. S. and I didn't say anything at first because we both thought that it was dongchongxiacao (winter worm - summer herb), also known as cordyceps, a parisitic fungus. We didn't want to scare B., who was also enjoying the oddly shaped maroon things in the barley. S. and I were arguing about whether these things were actually cordyceps until the waitress finally put our question to rest. They were a kind of Tibetan ginseng root.

Highland Barley Grains Fried with Yak Butter

I can neither recommend nor advise against eating at Makye Ame. It was the first time I had Tibetan food, and it satisified some of culinary curiousity, but I couldn't help but think that this isn't completely representative of Tibetan cuisine. The restaurant was too clean, too comfortable, and too aware of being "Tibetan." I couldn't help but think that the food I ate was a sterilized version of the cuisine. I need to go to Tibet before I can pass any judgment on the food at Makye Ame.

Shanxi Food in Beijing

2011-01-24T15:33:00.001-06:00

Yan Bei Ren Jia (Shanxi Knife-cut Noodle House) in Chaoyang District

S, B, and I originally wanted to go to Datong in Shanxi province to celebrate New Year's at the awesome Xuan Kong Si (Hanging Temple). But the bitter cold and my respiratory infection led us to believe that that was a stupid excursion to go on in the middle of winter. S suggested that we walk to a Shanxi restaurant instead.

S with the Kitchen in the Background

S let me get away with ordering a cold dish even though she still frowned at me everytime I greedily reached for the "double crunch" salad.

"Double Crunch" Salad - Cucumbers, Radish, Green Onion, and Coriander Leaves in a light soy sauce and sesame oil vinaigrette

S recommended that we order a bowl of stewed potato "chips with Nippon Lily" soup to warm ourselves up. Either this is a ridiculous typo on the menu, or you really can eat Omoto Nippon Lily leaves or rohdea leaves. Regardless, it was a delicious comfort food type of soup. Good call, S! I guess this is to balance out the cold double crunch salad.

Stewed Potatoes and Omoto Nippon Lily Soup

I've learned that when there's eggplant on the menu in a Chinese restaurant, you just gotta order it because chances are, it will be the most addictive dish of the meal. The eggplant dish at this Shanxi restaurant is no exception. It is tangy, savory, spicy, garlicky, and smokey. What's especially cool is that they cut several vertical slits on two whole eggplants and fried them so that the eggplants remained intact. Very cool!

Fried Eggplant with Garlic

They were really slow in bringing out the noodle soups so by the time they brought out our freshly made knife-cut noodles, I was already full from pecking at the eggplant non-stop. I managed to eat only half of my bowl of delicious eggs and tomatoes noodles.

Scrambled Egg and Tomatoes Knife-cut Noodle Soup

B's Beef Knife-cut Noodle Soup