First Look: The Shore Raw Bar + Grill

Hello! I am back! I know it's been a hot minute since I have blogged. I hope you are keeping up with my eats (yes, still eating!) over on my Instagram page (and don't forget the Stories).

Snapper crudo 

Last week I met some friends for happy hour at Shore Raw Bar + Grill, which is on Hwy 71, just a little past the original Jack Allen's. That area of southwest Austin is booming (okay, really ALL of Austin is booming, who am I kidding?) and Shore has been open about 8 months. I didn't get any great shots, but there's a huge covered (I think) patio area, that on this drizzly day had heaters blazing. Would be a lovely spot when the weather is decent. I liked the interior too, high ceilings, large-scale art work (even fun stuff in the restroom), and a great mosaic floor when walking in.  Though I am not sure I'd want patrons to see a skull when first arriving. 😉 Very large bar, and multiple televisions but the sound was off (thank you!).

Beautiful design, but how it relates to a seafood spot, I am not sure.

Here's a look at what we had.

Calamari. Good but could of been fried a teeny bit longer, breading didn't stay on real well. 

Blue crab fingers (also below) were quite delicious in their lemon butter sauce. They're small, total length of one of my fingers. You pull the pincher part and then suck the meat off and out from the remaining claw. Little messy but fun.

Three types of raw oysters. My friends enjoyed these as well as oyster shooters, but raw oysters just aren't my thing.  They said the sauces (horseradish, mignonette and cocktail) were very good. 

Decent ceviche with really great thick tortilla chips. Not sure what type of fish was used. 

Our waiter wasn't the most knowledgeable about what the prices for happy hour items were, but he made up for it with this crudo recommendation. THIS WAS AMAZING! I would order it again in a heartbeat.  Fresh snapper with orange segments in a leche de tigre sauce (Peruvian origins: liquid from the marinated fish, lime juice, touch of oil, and probably some secret ingredient.... I'd almost say I detected a hint of coconut milk, but I wouldn't swear my life on it). So fresh and lovely. Fish may change depending on what's fresh, as it should.

Skillet cherry cobbler with a fantastic buttery crumble topping. The three of us could barely finish this. 

All in all, The Shore is a welcome addition to the Oak Hill/Bee Caves/Galleria area. Happy hour Monday - Saturday, 3 - 6 pm. 8665 W. Hwy 71, at Covered Bridge Drive.

Toss Pizza: New York Style Pizza in South Austin

There are no shortage of pizza places in Austin, but last summer welcomed Toss Pizza into the mix. This New York-style pizza place is at 2901 South First Street, and offers on-site parking and an outdoor, dog-friendly seating area.

Somewhere between a restaurant and a bar, there was a laid-back vibe on a recent weeknight. Multiple televisions are positioned throughout, but fortunately they were not blaring. Each day has a different drink/happy hour special, and there's also a window to the kitchen where you can watch them toss pizza dough.

I started with beer and my friend and I split the garlic knots. Looking back at the menu, it says "choice of garlic butter, marinara or ranch." I realize now, the waiter didn't ask our preference, and just brought all three sauces with the order. Except the ranch wasn't ranch; it tasted more like an alfredo, though it congealed quickly, making me now wonder if it was the beer cheese that's mentioned in the pretzel appetizer. But it tasted more like an alfredo than a beer cheese. Oh well. The garlic butter was my favorite of the three.  Who doesn't like soft chewy bread and melted butter?

Toss makes big 20" pies. That's the only size. Fortunately, you can order a HALF pie. So we picked our own toppings with sausage and roast garlic, though some of their specialty pies sound delicious. As you can see, the half pie is still four very large slices, so we each ate one and took one home. I really liked the pizza. It was sort of easier to eat it with a fork and knife, at least initially, but it's also very foldable for those who like to eat their pizza that way.  Crust is pretty thin on the bottom, with a decent edge to it, almost like a Neapolitan. It crisped very nicely in the toaster oven when I reheated it.

We also ordered the warm Brussels sprout salad, with beets, pancetta, walnuts, and balsamic. The flavors were fantastic, but the execution was poor. The Brussels were completely soggy, and after a few bites, I just couldn't do it, and we set the tray to the side. I told the waiter, who sort of apologized, but didn't really appear to take any corrective action, and left them on our check. So I was about to leave a little disgruntled when someone who I assume was a manager came over to the table. He said the waiter told him what I said about the Brussels, so he went back to the kitchen to check, and  sure enough, he felt they were sub par. He apologized and gave us a card for 10% off our next visit. I felt vindicated, and appreciated the manager's efforts, and that of the waiter for reporting it.

You can order online for pick up or delivery; this will come in handy. I will happily return to Toss for the pizza. So while I hope the kitchen gets the Brussels perfected, the pizza is pretty much perfect as is.

June's All Day Shows Promise

June's All Day opened last summer at 1722 South Congress (at West Annie Street) in the former Wahoo's/Texas French Bread space. With a moniker of "new American," its multitude of twinkle lights gave it a comfortable feel and for me at least, kept it from taking itself too seriously.

On one of these recent warm January days, my friend and I dined at one of the sidewalk tables for dinner. Given the noise from the evening traffic, I am not sure I would choose to sit there again, but c'est la vie. They have happy hour from 4 - 6 pm EVERYDAY with ALL FOOD 50% off (yup) and discounts on various drinks. We sat around 5:45 pm, and our friendly waitress said she'd give us a few minutes but wanted to be sure to get our orders in before 6 pm.

We both had a glass of Weinert Malbec, and wine of course makes everything better! There's the wine list that's with the food menu, and then there's the Wine Zine list that's in a cute hand-drawn booklet. It should be noted that June's is named for June Rodil, master sommelier of the McGuire Moorman Hospitality group.

Food-wise, we started with the salt cod croquettes, which were perfectly fried and come with a laurel leaf aioli and mojama. Mo-what? Yeah, had to look that one up. It's salt-cured tuna, which explains why I thought it was a buttery prosciutto when I first tried it. Not sure I got laurel flavor in the aioli, but there was garlic, and it was also real good with the accompanying rustic bread.

Next, the French onion soup, which had a really nice thick crusty layer of Gruyere across the top. The broth was a touch on the sweet side; I would have loved a little more thyme or sherry in there or something, but the cheese pretty much made up for everything.

My friend had the matzo ball caldo, which had a really nice spicy broth. I didn't try to matzo balls but I didn't hear any complaints from the other side of the table.

I had the bone marrow bolognese, made with fresh tajarin, or thin Piedmont-style egg noodles. Silky smooth noodles and a wonderfully savory sauce that wasn't overly rich. And given the previous courses, I took over half of the bolognese home, where it made an outstanding lunch the following day. I would order this again in a heartbeat. And I didn't think about light for photos when we choose to sit outdoors; I was forced to use my flash as it got darker out!

We finished off the meal with a Meyer lemon tart. Fantastic lemony flavor to the tart but the bottom of the crust was a bit soggy, which dampens my enthusiasm for it. But the tartness of the lemon was nicely complimented by the fairly neutral meringue.

All in all it was a fine evening, and at happy hour pricing, that certainly sweetens the deal. We encountered very friendly waitstaff at the bar and our waitress Alyssa was spot on.  I hear June's has an incredible creme fraiche donut for breakfast, which sounds just up my alley. A welcome addition to South Congress; glad to have June's nearby and I look forward to returning.

Trailer Food Tuesdays: Guest Post from Everfest

Guest post from Everfest -- a new site to help you locate festivals all over the country -- on one of my favorite topics: food trailers! The first Trailer Food Tuesday of the summer is tonight (June 9th) at the Long Center.

Trailer Food Tuesdays…om nom nom 

While Austin has long been established as an iconic culinary destination for foodies and chefs alike, it is the local food truck scene that has come to dominate the food-sphere in recent years. Characterized by drool-worthy culinary crossovers and gourmet street eats, the fleet of Austin food trucks is ever expanding, with new trailers constantly popping up around the city each month. In addition to satisfying the appetites of hungry Austinites on a daily basis, many of these trucks have become staples at the numerous festivals held in The Live Music Capitol of the World. 

 

One such food-centric event is the upcoming Trailer Food Tuesdays, which will play host to some of Austin's finest eateries on wheels over the course of three days this summer. Featuring outstandingly innovative dishes and some of the city's finest food truck chefs, this fest is truly a celebration of culinary creativity. Check out some of the participating trailers below, and be sure to add this festival to your calendar of fun!

1. The Peached Tortilla

Combining elements of Asian cuisine with the down-home flavors of Southern comfort food, this Austin staple specializes in dishes such as Chinese BBQ sliders and bacon jam fries.

Spotted At: Austin Food + Wine Festival, Austin City Limits Music Festival

 

2. Dock and Roll

Serving up a menu solely focused on creative interpretations of the classic New England lobster roll, this truck will have any seafood lover coming back for more.

Spotted At: Trucklandia

3. DFG Noodles

This Malaysian and Singaporean-inspired truck has truly become a favorite of Austin foodies, because who doesn't want to dive into a steaming bowl of Damn Freaking Good (DGF) Noodles.

Spotted At: Euphoria Music and Camping Festival, Tour de Vin

4. Burro Cheese Kitchen

An entire menu of gooey, oozing artisanal grilled cheese... 'Nuff said.

Spotted At: Levitation, Fun Fun Fun Fest

As an Austin startup, we at Everfest are lucky enough to have some of these delectable delights right in our neighborhood and just couldn't resist giving a shout out to one of our favorite lunch spots!

Everfest Staff Pick: Chi'Lantro

Whether you stop by for lunch or after a night on Dirty Sixth, this Korean Mexican fusion truck is dishing out some of the very best eats around. We, as a staff, have agreed that we would simply have kimchi fries every single day if it was socially acceptable.

South Austin Foodie Note: All the food trailers featured here will be at the Long Center tonight, as well as about 10 more! Thank you to Everfest!