Dolce Neve Gelato

My little Bouldin Creek neighborhood has undergone quite the transformation in recent years. South First Street is starting to look like South Congress, and a plethora of quality eateries have been popping up along the way. While we still have "the Mexican Mile" (El Mercado, Jovita's -- RIP, El Chile, La Mexicana, Polvo's, Little Mexico) and a couple food trailer lots, we now have a triumphant trio of sweet shops within a two block radius -- Sugar Mama's Bakeshop (cupcakes and other baked goods), La Patisserie (traditional French pastries), and now Dolce Neve Gelato.

Dolce Neve is owned by three Italians (Marco, his sister Francesca, and her boyfriend Leo) who all moved to Austin last year to specifically open up this shop. I met Marco back in December at the shop when it was still under construction. He told me they looked long and hard to find what they felt would be the perfect location for their shop. Gelato is what they are passionate about; Francesca went to gelato school back in Italy, and placed in a national gelato talent competition. They use an old-fashioned method to make their gelatos. Ingredients are sourced locally, and everything is made from scratch, as opposed to a mix, and they make everything out in the open, so hence their slogan "We do it in front of everyone." No secrets here!

Last night was their official media tasting. On a daily basis, they will have 20 flavors, including vegan and savory choices, as well as cookie sandwiches, gelato pops, and semifreddo gelato cakes. I tried the pistachio, salted caramel, tiramisu, meyer lemon sorbet, and Parmigiano Reggiano, which tasted just like a cold piece of nicely aged parm.

Their passion translates to the quality of their products, and the quality is high. So whether you live in the neighborhood or you're coming to eat, stop by Dolce Neve. Your sweet tooth will thank you.

Polvo's

Just before New Year's, I met a group of friends at Polvos, a place haven't been in probably 7 or 8 years, even though I live nearby. The South First Street Mexican food joint (and member of the "Mexican Mile") is well-known for it's relatively cheap but potent margaritas, but I've never known the food to be their stronger suit. Would I be proved wrong?

Fortunately, we had a reservation, because on a Saturday night, the place was packed. We were seated at an eight-foot plastic folding table with plastic folding chairs to match, and there was hardly any space to maneuver around the room. Being a colder night, there was a lot spill-over inside of folks waiting for tables, which certainly contributed to the noise levels. I arrived a few minutes late, and the margaritas, chips and salsas were already flowing when I sat down.

"Old time" Austinites may recall that the location that Polvo's took over used to be a restaurant called Seis Salsas, which had a salsa bar in the middle of the floor for customers to help themselves. Polvos has continued that tradition, with a number of salsas available. I didn't go up to the bar myself, so I am not certain on the exact names of what was at our table. On the left, is the roja, which I liked. Good bright flavor. The contrast, on the right, was a salsa that tasted very burned and overly roasted to me; looking online at their list of salsas, this may be the ahumada, or smoked, salsa. Others at our table liked this particular one, but it didn't do anything for my taste buds. Here you can see the festive lights and the salsa bar, though I have a feeling these lights may be up year-round.

One hungry eater got the Goliath Burrito; unfortunately from the picture, you can't really tell the size of this thing, but it was huge! A good 10+ inches long, and well-stuffed with your choice of meats.

The Guacamole Salad comes looking beautiful, nice chopped pieces of avocado, tomatoes, onion, cilantro. You can either eat it as is, or mash it up and make your own guac. Unfortunately, the kitchen threw a handful of salt in it, and it was practically inedible, and the person who ordered it is a salt fiend, so if she says it's too salty, it's too salty. The waiter was very apologetic, and handled the situation well; overall, given the crowds I thought he did a good job. Not his first time at the rodeo.

 

 The Camarones Diablo are shrimp in a tequila and chipotle sauce, which was rather spicy.

I ordered the Combo Plate, and my selections were a chicken enchilada with mole sauce (on the left) and an al pastor soft taco. Overall, it was good, but nothing to write home about. The mole sauce had decent flavor but no depth...honestly, I have made more satisfying mole sauces, and yes, they take time and a lot of ingredients. This one was a bit sweet and it had the cocoa undertones, but I couldn't really get any other flavors -- no raisins, or nuts, or even much of a lasting chile flavor. Now the al pastor was a bit better. The pork was nice and tender, juicy; at first I didn't see any pineapple pieces, but then I realized there were some in there. That's what I love about al pastor -- the savoriness of the meat combined with the sweet twang from the charred pineapple. The beans and rice were your average Mexican establishment fare.

So do I feel that I was proved wrong about Polvo's food? No. It honestly doesn't cut it for me. If I am going to have interior Mexican in this part of town, I am going to pick Habanero on Oltorf, just east of South First, or Sazon on South Lamar, just north of the light at Hether/Mary Streets, or Borrego de Oro (no website) on South Congress, just before Ben White/290. Life's too short to eat sub-par food!

Bits and Bites

-- Along South First Street, longtime mainstay La Reyna at Mary Street has recently closed. New management took over within the past year, but I guess that wasn't enough to save this notch along the "Mexican Mile."  I live nearby, and will be incredible curious to see what happens to the property in what's becoming prime real estate. Sway, a new Thai spot at Elizabeth Street (from the La Condesa restaurant family) is still not open...


-- California Pizza Kitchen at the Domain location only will donate 20% of your check to Stiletto Stampede, an organization that promotes breast cancer awareness, on Wednesday, October 17; you must have a flyer to present to CPK. If you're interested in the flyer, please email me at southaustinfoodie@gmail.com, and I can forward it to you. 

-- I Spy Pie will take place at Central Market on North Lamar on Saturday, October 20 from 12 - 3pm. Local bakeries will be competing for best pie, as picked by both judges and audience. The event benefits Creative Action, formerly the Theatre Action Project; pie tasting tickets are $5, and it's a family-friendly event.

-- Tuesday, October 23rd, Lucy's Fried Chicken will have a pig roast in the parking lot beginning at 6 pm,  $17/person. These pigs have been feed a special diet, which includes (512) Brewery's brewers mash; southern side dishes and (512) beer will be served. 

-- Two upcoming events at Easy Tiger, a five course pairing with Ommegang beers on October 23rd, $70/person, and the Real Ale brewmaster will be present on October 25th with six casks of beer from their collection.

-- Uncle Billy's Brew and Cue will have a five course beer and food pairing at the Barton Springs location on November 4, 6 pm, $50/person.

-- Already a huge list of restaurants who are donating soup to this year's Empty Bowl Project, where your $20 donation gets you a one-of-a-kind ceramic bowl made by a local artist, you get it filled on the spot with a bowl of soup, and proceeds go to the Capital Area Food Bank and Meals on Wheels. Stop by Marchesa Hall (in Lincoln Village, across from Highland Mall) on Sunday, November 18th from 11am - 3pm.

-- You may have seen my recent post on dinner at The Carillon, which was absolutely fantastic. They are continuing their 3 course, $29 prix fixe menu during October when you dine before 6:30 pm. The courses: grilled Bandera quail with miso, Broken Arrow Ranch antelope with butternut squash, and sweet potato beignets. They are currently my new favorite fine-dining restaurant!

El Tacorrido

They don't call the stretch of South First street from Gibson to Oltorf "the Mexican Mile" for nothing. There's El Mercado, Torchy's & Izzo's trailers, Jovita's, La Mexicana Bakery, La Reyna, Polvo's, Little Mexico, and Habanero, though it's squarely on Oltorf. (Did I forget any?) And now, adding to the list, we have El Tacorrido, which took over the former Baby Greens drive thru spot at the northwest corner of South First and Oltorf. Did we REALLY need another Tex Mex spot?

I'd say the jury is still out.

I ordered a gordita with carnitas and a salad, which I don't see listed on their online menu. The very friendly young woman who was working the window asked if I wanted any salsa with the gordita; I asked for her recommendation, and she picked the verde -- avocado, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. Really nice and creamy, with a bit of a bite, but not overpowering. The salsa was the best part of the gordita! The carnitas meat was not all pulled apart/shredded. There were some chunks in there, and I hate to say it, I passed over a few of them, because they looked like they were a little past their prime, with a bit of that shimmery look to them. I sort of thought to myself "am I taking a chance here?", but I was fine, no illnesses to report. The gordita was fairly greasy, and the bottom portion of it was thick and soggy. Not the best gordita by a long shot.

The salad I saved til dinnertime. For $6, you get a bowl of spinach with tomatoes and avocados, topped with tortilla strips; you can add your choice of meat for $2 more, and I opted for the habanero-marinated chicken breast. Hate to say it again, but the honey chipotle vinaigrette might have been the best thing about it. Some of the greens were past their prime, and I didn't really get any habanero heat from the chicken.

For a Mexican/Tex Mex spot, I find their dessert choices to be a bit odd: ice cream sandwich (vanilla on chocolate chip cookies) or banana bread.

This location of El Tacorrido is the third installment around town, and it seemed like the site sat idle for months, with an "opening soon" banner on it. I have no idea who's behind these joints, and there's no additional info on their website. This was only their second day open, so I will give it a little time to shake down, and go back and try some of their al pastor and breakfast tacos. Their prices are reasonable ($2 for a breakfast taco with 3 ingredients, additional ones 25 cents each) and their hours are great (7 am - 10 pm, let's see if that lasts...). They also seem to be catering to both the traditional Mexican population as well as the gringos; there are some diverse meat options (cuerito, buche) on the board, as well as menudo on the weekends, and meat can also be bought by the pound.

 Let's wait and see if the Mexican Mile can sustain another place....