Wholy Bagel

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.

Lake Travis and Soleil Media Event

When I received an invitation to Soleil's grand opening party, I decided that this was a perfect excuse to trek out to Lake Travis and enjoy a warm December day.  I spent the entire afternoon walking around the lake and lounging out on the terrace at Oasis to watch the sunset.  Ahhhh....this is how to spend winter break, but alas, this is not how I'll be spending the rest of my winter break.  I'm off to conduct field research for school soon in Beijing, where I'll be stressed and freezing!

Sunset View from Oasis

Sunset View from Oasis

After sunset, I went next door to the grand opening party of Soleil.  I can't believe that it took this long for another restaurant to open around Oasis at Lake Travis!  Soleil is a restaurant with a great view and a Mediterranean-inspired menu. 

Soleil

Soleil

The restaurant was served up super fresh oysters and delectable hors d'oeuvres.

Raw Oysters Bar

Salmon with candied fennel, granny smith apple, and yogurt

Jumbo Cocktail Shrimp

Lump Crab with chorizo and potato

Tuna with tomato, and black olive mousse

Unfortunately, the buffet that was set up to showcase the entrees on their regular dinner menu probably did not do the restaurant justice.  The chicken turned dry, the pork tenderloin tough, and the beef tenderloin overcooked.  I can't tell if it's because of the actual cooking or if it's because all meats became dry at buffets.  The only truly delicious entree offered that evening was the pan seared trout with crab meat, which was flavorful and tender.

Bruschetta

Seared Tuna with cannellini beans

Smoked Mussel

Soleil Arranged a Buffet Station so Media Guests Could Sample a Little Bit of Everything

Lemon Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and feel that Soleil will finally give Lake Travis visitors an alternative to Tex-Mex at Oasis.

Zoot: Dining Half Off Thanks to Booming Online Coupon Deals!

I jumped on the Groupon, Living Social, and Localitor bandwagon when spring semester started.  My grad school friends have been enjoying dining out using Restaurant.com gift certificates.  However, I find the deals on Restaurant.com complicated and in the end bad deals.  Almost all the gift certificate denominations require that you make a minimum purchase above the gift certificate amount that you purchase.  If you pay $10 for a $25 gift certificate, you'll be required to spend at least $35. 

I prefer Groupon, Living Social, and Localitor deals because there's hardly ever a set minimum purchase that is above the amount of the gift certificate.  I would still read the fine print before purchasing though.  One of the deals I purchased was $30 for a $55 5 course dinner at Zoot.  I bought 4 and invited the family out for a wonderful multi-course dinner in May. 

Zoot at Bee Caves

My brother came to Austin, and it's been a while since the family had a nice meal together.

Food Dilettante and Bro

I read one review on Yelp that complained about the price and portions of the dishes at Zoot and how he had to stuff 3-4 mustard seed rolls to finally feel somewhat full.  Well, it's expected that the portions of each dish would be small for multi-course meals, but I didn't know what to expect after reading that review, so I indulged on 2 mouthwatering, fluffy, mustardy rolls before the first course.  Yes, it's worth it to eat as many rolls as you want, but it was, nonetheless, a mistake for me because the portions of the dishes are just right.  I was stuffed to the max by the end of the meal. 

Mustard Seed Roll

We are all carnivores and thus ordered the chef's tasting menu instead of the vegetarian farmer's menu.

The amuse-bouche that evening was a refreshing ball of strawberry sorbet with cracked black pepper.

Amuse Bouche-Strawberry Sorbet with Cracked Black Pepper

The first dish was a piece of crispy pork belly with strips of fried pig's ear on sweet corn grits.  Like most preparations of pork belly, the pork was too salty.  I was glad that they countered the savory with the sweet corn grits, otherwise this dish would've been unbearably salty if paired with something savory.

Sweet Corn Grits with Crispy Pork, Cilantro and Lime Vinaigrette

Next came the tasty but uninventive salad (right down to the Caesar dressing).  The only thing that stood out were the sweet croutons. 

BCF Greens with Cauliflower, Zucchini, and Caesar Dressing

Our favorite dish of that evening was the snapper in five-spice broth.  The fish was so tender and light, quite different from the pork dish.  I guess it makes sense to start with a small, strongly seasoned dish for just a "taste" and ease into lighter, larger portioned dishes.

Sauteed Snapper with Snap Peas, Bok Choy, Fennel Salad, and 5 Spice Broth

The ribeye was also very well cooked.  However they went overboard with the mustard in the warm German potato salad.  It was too strong for a relatively large portion (or so it seemed to me because I could not eat more than a few bites).

Grilled Ribeye with Warm German Potato Salad, Mushroom Puree and Scallions

The meal ended with a very concentrated chocolate cake. 

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Candied Hazelnut, Orange Curd, and Raspberry Coulis

I admit that I probably would not have tried Zoot without the online deal.  I'm glad that I finally got to try it, but the food, although tasty, did not blow me away.  My brother's company outshone the food.  I guess that's an unfair and silly comparison since my brother's company will always come out above any food.   

Breakfast Near My Former Office

For my buddies still working at TCG Consulting, there are a couple of breakfast joints around the Westlake/Bee Caves area if you're ever in need of some yummy and unhealthy nourishment before heading to your desk and muddling through 8 hours. You know who you are, and I miss you already!


1) Rudy's BBQ breakfast tacos

I didn't take photos, but one taco will fill you up just fine. Ask the cashier to recommend some taco fillings combinations. Nothing beats Casa Maria's machacado breakfast taco though.

2) Lone Star Kolaches

I think this is the best kolache shop in Austin. The roll is not dry and hard to swallow like some places, and not greasy like the butter rolls that some places use to encase the fillings. Lone Star Kolaches is generous with their fillings that are whole and not minced into a texturally disturbing mess like those from some other establishments.

The Quartet-ham, turkey, bacon, and cheese ; Tuscany Chicken-chicken and mushrooms

3) Howdy Donuts

Fickle Foodie and I often lament about the absence of Shipely Donuts in Austin. We like the poofy airyness of their donuts. Ken's Donuts on Guadalupe close to campus isn't bad, Krispy Kreme is way to sweet, don't go near the supermarket donuts, Round Rock Donuts's donuts are huge and tasty, but Howdy Donut makes them the best so far.

A hard working Korean family runs this little shop, and it's nice to see the whole family working together. The children work the counters while the elders make the donuts right behind them. Mmmm. Fresh, handmade donuts...

The dough is light and poofy like Shipely's and is sweet enough to be a true donut, but just so. The free donut holes certainly help blow away the competition. The sausage croissant roll is particularly tasty.

Sausage Croissant Roll

Bountiful Bakery and Cafe

While pondering where to go for lunch at work, Amanda suggested a cute sandwich shop with a cause. The family that runs this local bakery once lost their daughter, Libbie, to cancer. A portion of the bakery's net profits goes to the Loving Libbie Memorial Foundation to help children with cancer.

Once we arrived at Bountiful, we both cooed at the country home, girl's fantasy pink decor. It's definitely a nice sanctuary away from the dull grays of the office. I guess others felt the same way too as the place was packed. Hours before coming for lunch, Chaille and I had consulted the menu online. I had my heart set on the Mango Jack Quesadilla and Chaille ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad.

Pink Case of Baked Goods; Chaille

Chicken Caesar Salad

Mango Jack Quesadilla

The Mango Jack Quesadilla was quite tasty. The mango and the jack cheese made a mouthwatering savory-sweet combination of flavors, but the quesadilla lacked body, which could be solved with some chicken meat, and so the overall effect was floppy and drippy.

I think I'll come back for the fried green tomato and bacon grilled cheese sandwich on my next visit.

We both ended our meal with a sweet treat. It was definitely sad heading back to the office after such spoiling.

Decorated Sugar Cookie