Last night's dinner? Egg Biryani from Sarovar, an Indian restaurant in North Austin. I generally don't care for the food there, but it's probably the only place in town with good egg biryani - maybe even the only place in town "with" Egg Biryani!
Word of caution - their spice meter is from another planet. I believe the cooks/owners are from Hyderabad, a place in India where they traditionally make Indian food spicier than usual. However, Sarovar still needs to get the difference between "good, senses-stimulating, spicy" and "crazy, can't-eat-spicy".
But my best memories of egg biryani? "Gulistan", a Persian Hole-in-the-wall in Mumbai. Working at Channel [V] meant all kinds of odd hours and weekends at the little bungalow the music channel called home. It also meant playing road-racing games on the network, junk-food bingeing on food like Egg Biryani and Baida Paratha (Egg-bread) from Gulistan and going home bleary-eyed at the end of a weekend. Fun times. Fun people. Great memories.
I am still looking for a picture of that egg biryani. If I get lucky, I'll find one and post it here...
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Austin's best
From Valentine's Days to Birthdays and Anniversaries, and some "just-like-that" days, we've tried Austin's top-ranked "fancy" restaurants over the years and here's my list of must-dos. Bear in mind, this doesn't include Austin's good steak houses for obvious reasons;)
My TOP 5
1) Uchi
2) Aquarelle
3) Green Pastures
4) Fonda San Miguel
5) Kenichi
The NEXT FEW
6) Hudson's on the bend
7) Zoot
8) Mirabelle
9) Sullivan's (yes they have some nice veggie choices - more in a different article)
10) ...... yet to be filled (Will it be Wink, Paggi House...?)
My TOP 5
1) Uchi
2) Aquarelle
3) Green Pastures
4) Fonda San Miguel
5) Kenichi
The NEXT FEW
6) Hudson's on the bend
7) Zoot
8) Mirabelle
9) Sullivan's (yes they have some nice veggie choices - more in a different article)
10) ...... yet to be filled (Will it be Wink, Paggi House...?)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Hudson's on the Bend - a review
My husband and I finally visited Hudson's on the Bend after giving it a miss for many occassions and celebrations. My biggest questionmark was - what could they possibly have for a vegetarian? My husband on the other hand swore he wouldn't be at peace until he had eaten there... so I called them for his 33rd birthday and asked about veggie options. The Maitre D' rattled off salads ("we veggies aren't cows who graze on salads, grrrr"), then talked about a crabmeat appetizer. I cut her off ta tthat point saying, "Vegetarians don't fish..." Her response? "yeah they do...". At that point I was sorely tempted to hang up and say, "So much for a good first impression, lady." but decided to stick it out for my husband's sake.
We ended up going there on a Tuesday night when it wasn't too crowded and found it to be charmingly off beat for a top-ranked Austin restaurant. Of course the crowd inside was dressy and expensive-looking. While my husband and I argued over how we would define the interiors "rustic" or "Texan and wannabe rustic"... the friendly server started us off with some coconut-mang-melon shooters spiced with a tad of chili, courtesy of the chef, and to cleanse our palates. We loved it so much, we asked for it as a drink, but since they were only making courtesy shooters, our server winked at us and told us he would get us a couple more. Next, the unbelievably delectable bread served on a skillet with tasty butter (two types - one sweet and tangy, one herb-spiced).
Vikram noshed on the "Smoked Duck Diablos" (duck, jicama, jalapeno, fig in balsamic, wrapped in applewood bacon) appetzier while I ordered the Tossed Greens salad in a roasted poblano lime dressing. I am not a big fan of a bunch of greens tossed together with accoutrements and salad dressing, so only enjoyed it so much. Honestly, I couldn't even get the flavors of the dressing. But Vikram thought it was the best grass he'd ever grazed on! The chili-spiced, smoky glaze-dip served with his appetizer was palate-awakening, for lack of a better term. It's like the smokiness and spice twirled together and woke up my tongue from some deep sleep! Very different, very enjoyable!
I ordered the token veggie entree on the menu "Black bean tamale, roasted poblano stuffed with corn and veggies, served with mashed potatoes and corn bread", while Vikram was torn between every menu item and ended up ordering the "Grilled Pheasant Breast stuffed with Cliantro Pesto, seved with Duck Tamale and White chocolate Tomatillo Sauce". Of course he was making orgasmic sounds throughout his meal. I enjoyed my meal too, surprisingly... and loved the fact that almost everything had a roasty, smoky, spicy-chili flavor to it...
We even ordered desserts - mine a chocolate mouse (since I had been obsessing for chocolate mousse ever since I saw it the previous day on a Food Network show) and Vikram's was a Belgian-chocolate covered Pecan Pie. Needless to say we almost had to unzip our jean buttons when we got back into the car! Hudson's also says goodbye to everyone with goodie boxes (each with a special chocolate in it).
Was a delectable, enjoyable, 3-hour birthday dinner!
We ended up going there on a Tuesday night when it wasn't too crowded and found it to be charmingly off beat for a top-ranked Austin restaurant. Of course the crowd inside was dressy and expensive-looking. While my husband and I argued over how we would define the interiors "rustic" or "Texan and wannabe rustic"... the friendly server started us off with some coconut-mang-melon shooters spiced with a tad of chili, courtesy of the chef, and to cleanse our palates. We loved it so much, we asked for it as a drink, but since they were only making courtesy shooters, our server winked at us and told us he would get us a couple more. Next, the unbelievably delectable bread served on a skillet with tasty butter (two types - one sweet and tangy, one herb-spiced).
Vikram noshed on the "Smoked Duck Diablos" (duck, jicama, jalapeno, fig in balsamic, wrapped in applewood bacon) appetzier while I ordered the Tossed Greens salad in a roasted poblano lime dressing. I am not a big fan of a bunch of greens tossed together with accoutrements and salad dressing, so only enjoyed it so much. Honestly, I couldn't even get the flavors of the dressing. But Vikram thought it was the best grass he'd ever grazed on! The chili-spiced, smoky glaze-dip served with his appetizer was palate-awakening, for lack of a better term. It's like the smokiness and spice twirled together and woke up my tongue from some deep sleep! Very different, very enjoyable!
I ordered the token veggie entree on the menu "Black bean tamale, roasted poblano stuffed with corn and veggies, served with mashed potatoes and corn bread", while Vikram was torn between every menu item and ended up ordering the "Grilled Pheasant Breast stuffed with Cliantro Pesto, seved with Duck Tamale and White chocolate Tomatillo Sauce". Of course he was making orgasmic sounds throughout his meal. I enjoyed my meal too, surprisingly... and loved the fact that almost everything had a roasty, smoky, spicy-chili flavor to it...
We even ordered desserts - mine a chocolate mouse (since I had been obsessing for chocolate mousse ever since I saw it the previous day on a Food Network show) and Vikram's was a Belgian-chocolate covered Pecan Pie. Needless to say we almost had to unzip our jean buttons when we got back into the car! Hudson's also says goodbye to everyone with goodie boxes (each with a special chocolate in it).
Was a delectable, enjoyable, 3-hour birthday dinner!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Not the same as Mexican tortillas;)
I usually shred local little community newsletters after quickly scanning through them for important news. But this time, the names of some new restaurants in the South Austin area caught my eye and we decided to try out "Segovia" a Spanish Tapas Bar and restaurant with live music, Flamenco Dancers, et al. While Austin's music scene is diverse, deep and happening, I don't believe I had ever seen or heard of live Flamenco acts... Of course we would still be missing that because this was going to be a Sunday afternoon sojourn as opposed to a Friday night spent in an obscure strip mall off a freeway junction (71 and 290 Y) in Southwest Austin.
As we sat down, we had memories of having visited the same location for years trying out each new restaurant that opened at the same location, before it invariably failed. "This place looks so charmingly done and I love what I am reading on the menu, so I hope this place lasts," I voiced to Vikram. Before we knew it, the vast space was filled with post-Sunday church families looking to try something new rather than the appallingly bad Cannoli Joe's italian buffet that gave me a headache, loud 20-somethings watching the Packers game in the bar room, and the odd discerning Texan who had traveled internationally and was just curious to try a local Spanish restaurant in Austin.
I started munching on very delicious Patatas Bravas (""Fierce Potatoes" fried in olive oil & tossed in a spicy smoked paprika tomato sauce") that were slightly undercooked and overwhelmingly many in number on one small Tapas plate and Tostada con Higos y Queso, that was basically a local fig spread on well toasted ovals of bread, topped off with just the right amount of not-so-stale Cabrales goat cheese and piquillo peppers. I noticed Vikram's Patatas a la Riojana ("potatoes, chorizo, onion, garlic, red bell pepper & serrano peppers sauteed in olive oil, splashed with white wine & sprinkled with smoked paprika") had the same problem - a well presented, tasty dish with an overwhelming number of potatoes!
Out came chef Jerry with a fresh, hot frying bowl of the "Oak Hill Paella" - a spanish saffron rice dish with shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage & spanish chorizo. Paella is a thicker rice that absorbs 3 times the amount of water compared to regular long-grain rice. And Chef Jerry is part Lebanese, part-Spanish so we had high expectations. The first thing Vikram did after a taste was to reach out for the salt and liberally sprinkle his bland Paella. "Quite flavorful, but needs salt," he claimed.
Later, as I was polishing off a fresh and tasty tapas plate of Tomato Fritto (olive oil fried tomato, onion & garlic atop 4 pieces of perfectly toasted bread), the owner a Professor of English who had spent 15 years teaching in Spain, stopped by to chat. Amid praises of the tasty tapas and listening to his history, I provided my "constructive" feedback on the overwhelming potatoes. We also asked him whether Spanish chorizo was traditionally that hard and chewy, he agreed and proceeded to explain how Mexican chorizos were softer, fresh, greasy and basically made of "anything from a pig", while Spanish chorizos were aged and harder.
"It's almost serendipitous how I found the Flamenco dancing group that does floor dances here on Friday nights. Pete and his family are Spanish and had spent years as dancers and singers in parts of Spain, Mexico City and finally Vegas. They decided to move to Austin and try out the music scene here, which unfortunately does not contain anything for Flamenco singers and dancers. They literally live 5 miles away from here and were shopping at the HEB in this same strip mall, when they looked up and saw our restaurant and stopped by to talk. And here we are, with a relationship we hope educates Austiniites to the big difference between Mexican and Spanish food ..."
www.segoviaaustin.com
As we sat down, we had memories of having visited the same location for years trying out each new restaurant that opened at the same location, before it invariably failed. "This place looks so charmingly done and I love what I am reading on the menu, so I hope this place lasts," I voiced to Vikram. Before we knew it, the vast space was filled with post-Sunday church families looking to try something new rather than the appallingly bad Cannoli Joe's italian buffet that gave me a headache, loud 20-somethings watching the Packers game in the bar room, and the odd discerning Texan who had traveled internationally and was just curious to try a local Spanish restaurant in Austin.
I started munching on very delicious Patatas Bravas (""Fierce Potatoes" fried in olive oil & tossed in a spicy smoked paprika tomato sauce") that were slightly undercooked and overwhelmingly many in number on one small Tapas plate and Tostada con Higos y Queso, that was basically a local fig spread on well toasted ovals of bread, topped off with just the right amount of not-so-stale Cabrales goat cheese and piquillo peppers. I noticed Vikram's Patatas a la Riojana ("potatoes, chorizo, onion, garlic, red bell pepper & serrano peppers sauteed in olive oil, splashed with white wine & sprinkled with smoked paprika") had the same problem - a well presented, tasty dish with an overwhelming number of potatoes!
Out came chef Jerry with a fresh, hot frying bowl of the "Oak Hill Paella" - a spanish saffron rice dish with shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage & spanish chorizo. Paella is a thicker rice that absorbs 3 times the amount of water compared to regular long-grain rice. And Chef Jerry is part Lebanese, part-Spanish so we had high expectations. The first thing Vikram did after a taste was to reach out for the salt and liberally sprinkle his bland Paella. "Quite flavorful, but needs salt," he claimed.
Later, as I was polishing off a fresh and tasty tapas plate of Tomato Fritto (olive oil fried tomato, onion & garlic atop 4 pieces of perfectly toasted bread), the owner a Professor of English who had spent 15 years teaching in Spain, stopped by to chat. Amid praises of the tasty tapas and listening to his history, I provided my "constructive" feedback on the overwhelming potatoes. We also asked him whether Spanish chorizo was traditionally that hard and chewy, he agreed and proceeded to explain how Mexican chorizos were softer, fresh, greasy and basically made of "anything from a pig", while Spanish chorizos were aged and harder.
"It's almost serendipitous how I found the Flamenco dancing group that does floor dances here on Friday nights. Pete and his family are Spanish and had spent years as dancers and singers in parts of Spain, Mexico City and finally Vegas. They decided to move to Austin and try out the music scene here, which unfortunately does not contain anything for Flamenco singers and dancers. They literally live 5 miles away from here and were shopping at the HEB in this same strip mall, when they looked up and saw our restaurant and stopped by to talk. And here we are, with a relationship we hope educates Austiniites to the big difference between Mexican and Spanish food ..."
www.segoviaaustin.com
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Eastside Cafe - an Austin tradition
Our friends suggested Eastside Cafe this weekend and mentioned how it was an Austin tradition. I was surprised I had almost not really heard of it... but we agreed to go anyway; most of the old gang was getting together after a long time... so it seemed like it would be worth it.
Eastside Cafe is located on Manor Road, further down from El Chile Cafe Y Cantina in 2 small houses. From the restaurant's website:
The Eastside Café sits on an acre of land surrounded by dozens of pecan trees. One third of the land is home to a gorgeous organic garden. For 15 years vegetables, herbs and flowers have been organically grown and harvested for use in the Eastside Café kitchen.
The restaurant also boasts of a gardening center, shop and culinary center - need to research more into those, though.
The food itself was pretty unexpectedly good. I am a huge loved of baked bries especially when paired with chutneys and this one had an apple chutney to go with it. But I decided to stick to the entree especially because it was served with two sides.
Surbhi ended up picking the special that I originally had pondered over - Honey Roasted Pecan Ravioli with Lemon cream sauce. So I went for the Manicotti stuffed with cheeses, almonds, etc covered with a creamy tomato sauce. Daisy and Vikram shared salmon dumplings in coconut curry sauce and Vikram's main course was the salmon and shrimp cake salad. One word for everything - YUMMY!
Vikram was not to thrilled with either dish because the "curry" was thin and watery and the salad dressing was too "lemon-y". The rest of the food though was quite an experience. I bit into Subrhi's ravioli and was subtly overpowered by the delightful flavors of pecans and the tangy-ness of the lemon cream sauce. My own Manicotti dish was one of the best ones I've had! As for the sides - there were several to pick from - including soups and garlic mashed potatoes. But the two that stood out for me were Daisy's picks - the sweet mashed potatoes and the uniquely put together acorn squash with a soy ginger sauce in it.
As for the wines, I liked my white (an organic Cava the name for which I should've written down) but I've not had a chance to discuss the others' picks. The food is completely made from organic ingredients and the servers are pleasant, even when we hung out late after their closing time. The atmosphere is very Austin; an eclectic (can I really use that word in this context? ha!) collection of diners eating in a charming old house with it's eccentric little wall hangings. Overall, an enjoyable experience!
Eastside Cafe is located on Manor Road, further down from El Chile Cafe Y Cantina in 2 small houses. From the restaurant's website:
The Eastside Café sits on an acre of land surrounded by dozens of pecan trees. One third of the land is home to a gorgeous organic garden. For 15 years vegetables, herbs and flowers have been organically grown and harvested for use in the Eastside Café kitchen.
The restaurant also boasts of a gardening center, shop and culinary center - need to research more into those, though.
The food itself was pretty unexpectedly good. I am a huge loved of baked bries especially when paired with chutneys and this one had an apple chutney to go with it. But I decided to stick to the entree especially because it was served with two sides.
Surbhi ended up picking the special that I originally had pondered over - Honey Roasted Pecan Ravioli with Lemon cream sauce. So I went for the Manicotti stuffed with cheeses, almonds, etc covered with a creamy tomato sauce. Daisy and Vikram shared salmon dumplings in coconut curry sauce and Vikram's main course was the salmon and shrimp cake salad. One word for everything - YUMMY!
Vikram was not to thrilled with either dish because the "curry" was thin and watery and the salad dressing was too "lemon-y". The rest of the food though was quite an experience. I bit into Subrhi's ravioli and was subtly overpowered by the delightful flavors of pecans and the tangy-ness of the lemon cream sauce. My own Manicotti dish was one of the best ones I've had! As for the sides - there were several to pick from - including soups and garlic mashed potatoes. But the two that stood out for me were Daisy's picks - the sweet mashed potatoes and the uniquely put together acorn squash with a soy ginger sauce in it.
As for the wines, I liked my white (an organic Cava the name for which I should've written down) but I've not had a chance to discuss the others' picks. The food is completely made from organic ingredients and the servers are pleasant, even when we hung out late after their closing time. The atmosphere is very Austin; an eclectic (can I really use that word in this context? ha!) collection of diners eating in a charming old house with it's eccentric little wall hangings. Overall, an enjoyable experience!
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