Paciugo: Rose and Lavender Gelato!

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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

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

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.

Dallas: First Emperor Chinese Restaurant

Having to rely on Coco's for Taiwanese food in Austin sucks.  The menu is very limited, and as tasty as the fried pork chop is, it's absolutely too unhealthy to eat over and over again.  We were eager to finally try another Taiwanese restaurant while in Dallas.  Everything was still coated in oil (check out the soup), but First Emperor Chinese Restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes, including some that are hard to come by (sliced liver soup doused with sesame oil; fried yin2 si1 juan3). 

The sliced liver soup was super tasty, especially because of the generous amount of spicy ginger.

Sliced Liver Soup with Sesame Oil

We ordered my childhood favorite, fried yin2 si1 juan3, which is just fried dough.  While I was in China in 2009, I ate fried man2 tou2 with condensed milk, which I think would definitely work with the yin si juan as well.  Too bad it's not served this way in Taiwanese cuisine.

Fried Yin2 Si1 Juan3

I love Thai basil.  I'm tempted to stir-fry everything with Thai basil.  The Taiwanese like to use Thai basil (jiu3 ceng2 ta3) to stir-fry with Japanese eggplants, chicken, or baby clams.  I opted for eggplants, which came piping hot.  The skin of the eggplant was tough and smokey from being brutally fried in the wok, but the flesh melted in my mouth like chocolate. 

Eggplant Stir-fried with Thai Basil

Another staple in Taiwanese cuisine is mei2 cai4 kou4 rou4 (preserved vegetables braised with pork belly).  This is a good dish to eat with rice because you can let the sweet sauce seep into the mound of rice. 

Mei2 Cai4 Kou4 Rou4 (Preserved Vegetables Braised with Pork Belly)

Another good dish to pair with a bowl of rice is the famous Sichuan dish, ma2 po2 dou4 fu3.  I highly recommend this dish at First Emperor's although it isn't a Taiwanese dish.  The sauce isn't numbingly spicy, but this tofu is extremely flavorful and tender.

Ma2 Po2 Dou4 Fu3 (Numbingly Spicy Tofu or Madam Pockface Tofu...depends on how you want to interpret the origins of this dish)

Dallas: Sushi Robata 2nd Visit

I last visited Sushi Robata December 2009 and vowed to revisit it whenever I'm in Dallas.  I kept that promise, and my mom and I had another wonderful dinner Summer 2010.

I love how they provide free amuse bouche!  I'm always excited when I can enjoy an extra dish, and it's such a bonus when you don't know what it's going to be.  I love the surprise.

The fish quenelles in chilled fish broth was savory-sweet.  The broth can be described by what my mom would call "sweet" in reference to the natural taste of fresh seafood in Chinese. 

Amuse Bouche: Fish Quenelles in Chilled Fish Broth

Baby clams steamed with sake is my family's favorite warm Japanese dish, and if a restaurant has it on the menu, you can bet that we'll order it!  It's a simple dish to make at home, but this dish is like an old friend who you would never hesitate to invite to dinner.  It's comfort food!

Asari Sakamushi (steamed baby clams with sake)

I love sitting at the bar at Sushi Robata because you get the best view of all the sashimi action and the gorgeous works of piscine art that other folks order.  Just check out the colors of our super fresh sashimi combo platter A!

Sashimi Combination A

Since this is a robata restaurant (grill), I felt that we should at least try a couple of grilled meats.  These were surprisingly the only flawed dishes at this beloved restaurant!  The grilled beef sirloin was too tough and lacked flavor.  The grilled squid turned out dry and rubbery and also lacked seasoning.  I'm willing to give their robata dishes another chance when I return to Dallas.  Hopefully, this was just one bad night at the grill.

Grilled Gyu (Sirloin)

Ika Sugatayaki (grilled whole squid)

The hamachi kama brought the dinner back up to a high.  This dish is top-notch.  The meat on the yellowtail collar is tight and juicy.  Lemon juice perfectly enhances the smokiness of fish. 

Hamachi Kama (yellowtail collar)

I ordered the fried river crabs out of curiousity and to take photos of the cuties.  These were fun to pop into my mouth, but they weren't especially tasty.  Soft-shell crabs are definitely the more delectable option.

Kogani Karaage (fried river crabs)

I thought that I could get by a meal without substantial carbs, but I finally succumbed to the rice ball filled with salty fish roe.  It's simple, but fancier than a bowl of rice!

Onigiri (rice ball) with Fish Roe

We finished the meal with a bang.  Instead of dessert, mom and I decided on the succulent sake black cod.  This along with the hamachi kama are the absolute must-haves at Sushi Robata.  I can't believe my brother hasn't tried this place yet.  I'm taking you here next time I'm in town, bro!

Gindara Kasuzuke (Sake flavored black cod)

Dallas: JS Chen's BBQ

Dallas has a much bigger Asian population, which means more and better Chinese food venues!  My brother took us to JS Chen's BBQ for a dim sum brunch in the late summer.  They do not offer a wide selection of dim sum dishes, but the few dishes they offer are quite tasty.  In addition to dim sum dishes, we also ordered stir-fried water spinach and Chaozhou-style duck (Spiced Soy Sauce Duck).

Stir-fried Water Spinach

Chaozhou-style duck (Spiced Soy Sauce Duck)

Pan-fried Taro Cake

Turnip Cake

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Ha Gao)

Stuffed Bean Curd Skin

Steamed Sweet Sponge Cake (Ma La Gao)

BBQ Pork Pastry

JS Chen's BBQ serves standard pan-Chinese dishes that will not knock your socks off, but the food will sufficiently satisfy any hankering for Chinese food in Texas.

Sushi Robata

Sushi Robata

 Sushi Robata is the other wonderful restaurant recommended by Jessica.  This sushi joint is the real deal.  There isn't a traditional Japanese restaurant in Austin of this caliber and at these prices.  I'm definitely starting to like Dallas. 

The dishes here are honest, simple Japanese food that highlights the quality and freshness of the ingredients.  I'm going to be tacky and list prices.  I had the baby clams for $5.99 and sake cod for $6.99.  It's impossible to find these dishes at these prices at any Japanese restaurant!

The food was beautiful in presentation and taste. 

Asari Sakamushi-Steamed Baby Clams in Sake Broth

Tara Kasuzuke-Sake Flavored Cod

Mom shared a yellowtail collar, a sashimi plate B, tako, and nabeyaki udon with dad.  Yellowtail collars are usually $12.99+ and this was only $6.99!  I tried all of mom and dad's dishes and loved everything.

Hamachi Kama-Yellowtail Collar

Sashimi Plate B

Tako

Nabeyaki Udon

Green Tea Ice Cream

I'll be coming back for more.