Fortune

Two foodies and a wine guy went in search of dim sum on Sunday evening at Fortune, but upon arrival, discovered yours truly misread their website, as there was no dim sum in the evenings. But we easily decided to stay for dinner, and were excited by the variety on the menu. Our young, very efficient and knowledgeable waiter was a little surprised by the number of items we ordered, but we did decent damage. Overall we agreed that while everything was very fresh, some things were lacking in flavor.

The rundown, consumed with a bottle of Chateau St. Michele Riesling, which was at a good price at $24/bottle:

#13 -- Pan Fried Dumplings -- Great sear on them, the pork filling was bland, needed ginger, scallions, etc.
#18 -- Grilled Lamb Satay Skewers --Satay? Does that mean it comes with peanut sauce? Well no, because these came with hoisin. Meat had decent flavor & great texture, but the hoisin did pump it up a little. (Not as good as the lamb skewers at Chen's Noodle House, not even close!)

#21 -- Crispy Duck -- A decent duck, not the best ever, but nice crispy skin and not too greasy.
#39 -- Crab Meat & Sweet Corn Soup -- Probably the biggest disappointment of the meal. Apart from the sweetness from the corn, there was no flavor to it what so ever. My foodie friend noticed the longer the soup sat unattended in the bowl, the more it separated, with watery stuff on top and gelatinous on the bottom. Not really appetizing.
#110 -- Chicken w/ Hot Garlic Sauce (had wanted # 129, Chicken with Honey & Ginger, but they were out) -- really good, though certainly not "hot" in the spicy sense. Very fresh, not an overpowering garlic flavor -- could have used more garlic.
#165 -- Fried Crispy Bean Curd with Special Sauce -- Another disappointment. What might at one time actually been crispy tofu was negated by the sauce which is poured all over the fried slabs of silken tofu back in the kitchen, so by the time it reaches your table, it kills the crispiness. Sauce was nothing special either. Doesn't hold a candle to Java Noodle's Crispy Tofu with Brown Sugar Sauce.

#178 -- Malaysia Fried Flat Rice Noodle -- I love stir fried noodle dishes (and can't master the art of cooking with fresh rice noodles....), and we asked our waiter about this one. He said it was in a curry sauce with pork & shrimp, and we said sure! It turned out to be great! The noodles were a hair on the dry side, as in needed more sauce, but good flavor. I think I detected Szechuan peppercorns in it, because I had a little of that tingling on the tongue that I've experienced when eating dishes with them. (In picture, duck at the top, noodles to right, chicken to left.)

We asked what hamsur on the dessert menu was, as none of us was familiar. Our waiter told us it's the crispy fried fat from under a frog's skin. They were out for the evening, and will take advance orders via a phone call if you want it. I am completely curious about it, but not sure I would have been prepared to eat it that night! (And a subsequent Google search unveils that in some places hamsur can be the ovaries or the egg sack of the frog.... so not entirely sure which part of the frog it us, but consensus says it is frog.)

And though we didn't order it, our waiter brought over 3 bowls of a dessert porridge, a coconut milk base with little tapioca balls and taro root cubes. Decent flavor, but not in love with it. It was a nice gesture though, but still not sure WHY it was sent over. I know he saw me taking pictures of the dishes, and he may of overheard us talking about food blogging.

On a side note, the physical appearance of the restaurant is a little bit of a dichotomy. The entrance room has old wooden carved doors, dark flooring & tables, and a beautiful wall of ceramic teapots. You then enter the main dining room, which is filled with light, and 5 rather gaudy crystal chandeliers. My foodie friend who attended culinary school in San Francisco and is well acquainted with that city's dim sum establishments, commented on how the main dining room felt that it was set up for dim sum service -- plenty of room between the tables for the carts to maneuver. It reminded me of hotel banquet rooms. And by the time we left, the place was filling up, and I'd say 75% of the tables were filled with Asians.

So bummed there was no dim sum, and a little disappointed that the regular menu was kind of bland. It's certainly a trek for me to get up to Chinatown, but it is usually worth it, and I am determined to get back for dim sum, as I have it on the authority from 2 food people their dim sum is fantastic.

Somnio's Cafe

Along South First street in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood there are lots of little cottage houses that have been turned into businesses -- hair salons, vintage shops, head shops, and restaurants.  Somnio's Cafe is one of those houses, on the east side of South First, between Annie and Mary Streets, backing up to the creek itself.  You park in the back and then enter on the side. It's pretty small inside, with a bar/counter with about 4 stools on the opposite wall from the door, the kitchen on the left, and a mix of table sizes (I counted 28 seats total) in the middle and to the right. Small, but cute. Hardwood floors, light green walls with a light blue ceiling, funky light fixtures... it has a good South Austin vibe to it. There's also an eclectic collection of chairs from the edge of the parking lot to the trickle of a creek.

Somnio's prides itself on a heavily vegetarian menu that can be adapted for gluten-free or vegan needs. They do have some meat dishes, just not a lot of them. And they use as much locally and organically sourced items as they can. There's a list of local suppliers on their website, and a statement on the menu describing their commitment to quality, sustainable foods and living. Also worth mentioning that nothing on the regular menu is priced over $13. 

At a little after 7pm on Friday of Memorial Day weekend, I didn't know how busy Somnio's would be, and they turned out to be rather happening.  We sat right inside the door, and I had my back to the kitchen, so it was a little hard to see the specials board. I have previously heard the orange pork tacos were really good, but since May 28 is National Burger Day (who knew?!), I opted for the bison burger with sweet potato fries from the specials board. My dining companion opted to go full-on vegetarian, and had the "salad & 3 sides" plate.

Her Uncle Bob's salad and peach & tomato gazpacho came out first. The salad is grated raw beets tossed with fresh ginger in a light soy vinaigrette. You certainly tasted the ginger! It was almost overpowering, and I do love ginger; refreshing though. The soup, from the specials menu, was room temperature (that's fine for a gazpacho), and had a nice sweetness to it from the peaches. I think there was fresh mint in there, and cayenne pepper hit you in the back of your mouth. My friend thought it was too much cayenne; I only took about 3 bites of it and thought it was fine, but I can understand her point, especially if eating a whole bowl of it.

Then my ThunderHeart Bison burger came, along with a spicy pickled slaw, whole grain mustard, mayo (at my request), and a roasted red pepper tahini dip for the sweet potato fries. And in my excitement to eat, I nearly forgot to take a picture of the burger until I was part way through it. Whoops! So not the best pic below, AND my camera batteries needed charging. Anyway, the burger was good; I realize now I wasn't asked how I like my burger cooked (medium rare), and while it looks it in the picture, what arrived was probably more of a medium. But all was not lost. Don't know what else they are mixing into the meat, or if it's just because it's locally sourced and really good quality bison, but it was tender and flavorful. I did one half of the burger with the mayo & mustard, and the other with the roasted red pepper sauce....both fared well on it. The sweet potato fries are lightly battered and well fried... not greasy, but certainly a nice, dark color. Needed a dash of salt on them, but the roasted red pepper sauce was a good accompaniment.

My friend's remaining veggies from her combo plate were the Asian green beans and sauteed red cabbage. The cabbage had some kick to it also, and I didn't try the green beans. The whole plate got eaten, and I kept hearing comments from my table mate on how much she loves cabbage! For dessert, we split the fair trade, vegan brownie. It was a huge piece, I think we may have gotten lucky there! A bit too cake-like for my personal brownie tastes, but the chocolate flavor was nice; there was a occasional pecan baked into it, which surprised me when I first found one, because I had already taken a few bites without noticing any nuts when I bit into one.


What became the only downside the latter portion of our meal was the noise factor. Two tables of two each finished their meals and left, to be replaced with tables of five and six people, both of which brought their own wine/beer. (It's a BYOB place with a corking fee.) Both those two new tables were really loud, and because of hardwood floors and being a small space to start with, there's no place for the sound to go, so it just reverberates. Our primary waitress (possibly the wife part of the husband & wife team who owns Somnio; I saw the husband/chef in the kitchen) was apologetic when she brought the check, saying it had just gotten really crazy, which it kinda had, but the busy-ness wasn't her fault. Overall, it was a solid meal, and I am glad to know a quality place that supports other local businesses in my neighborhood.

Justine's Brasserie

Deep in far east Austin lies a new mecca, an "if you build it, they will come" establishment. On East 5th Street, even east of Springdale, lies Justine's Brasserie, a renovated cottage house on a big lot, surrounded by warehouses, that has brought causal French bistro food to the gentrifying neighborhood. I had been to Justine's once before, in early October, on a Thursday evening, following a work function. As we were driving there at 10 pm, my first thought was "where the heck are we going?", followed by "is it even going to be open?". Not only were they open, they were packed. And on this, my second time there, on a Monday night, they were filled up inside, with only a few little tables outside available. 

Four of us arrived at 7:30 pm and told the hostess we were expecting at least 3 more people. It was crowded & noisy inside, and we followed the hostess out as she began to pull some small bistro tables together. Then the waitstaff realized there were only two women occupying the large picnic-style table, and they (smartly) asked them if they would mind moving to accommodate our large party. They graciously obliged.  

We started with some wine, and ordered the escargot and charcuterie plate while we waited for the rest of our party. You can smell the escargot coming, as a waft of garlic and olive oil comes drifting towards you. I am not an expert in escargot, and therefore couldn't tell you if they were fresh or canned (they don't taste canned!), but it hardly matters when they are in such a flavorful oil (and served in a proper escargot plate too). Simply delicious!  On the house-made charcuterie plate, from the top in the ramekin, we have a very smooth goose pate, to the right, a duck country-style, and on the left, a pork (and rabbit?) pate. All were very good; I think the duck was my favorite, largely because of the texture, and you could taste various spices in each (garlic, cloves, allspice). The cornichon (gherkins) in the middle of the plate were nice, as the acidity cuts the richness of the meats. I believe the charcuterie plate changes regularly, so it might be some different meats when you go.

 A couple people got the French onion soup as a starter. We all agreed that it was good, but not as great as it could be. The beef broth in it lacked depth, and overall, the soup needed some salt. Certainly an edible bowl of soup, but not spectacular. (And there were mentions of how the Austin Chronicle {I think it was the Chronicle they referenced} said the soup was one of the standouts, so a little disappointing.) A couple people also got the Belgian endive, pear, & Roquefort salad, which I did not try, but it was said to be extremely good by both who ordered it.

For my main course, I ordered the duck confit, which came with thinly cut French fries  and an aioli sauce. It too, was delicious. It was a large duck leg, with fairly crispy skin, and very tender, moist meat (and lots of it!) underneath.  The fries & aioli were perfect. I don't really know what else to say about it, other than I pretty much licked the plate clean!

Continuing on the duck trend, one of my friends ordered the evening special, which was a seared duck breast with baby beets and apples. I had a bite of hers, and the sweetness of the apples matched wonderfully with the savory duck meat; the breast was perfectly cooked and very moist and the skin did not appear to be excessively fatty.

Our waitress was present but not obtrusive. She allowed us space as the remaining members of our party trickled in; she wasn't pushy, and she brought us the extra things we asked for, like bread, in a very timely manner. Apparently she was also attentive, because we were there to celebrate the birthday of one in our party, and when the birthday girl ordered creme brulee for dessert, it came with a candle in it. As we were asking each other "oh, who arranged that?!" our waitress quietly said "I overheard." Kudos!  And the creme brulee was lovely; good contrast of burned sugar top with velvety vanilla custard inside.

Apart from some mosquitoes and flies swarming around at sunset, and the sporadic exhaust from the oxygen tank place across the street, it was a lovely meal on a very lovely occasion. Justine's stayed filled up outside, and when I went inside to use the restroom (which you practically walk into the kitchen to find!), it was still buzzing inside. And remember, this was a Monday night! Clearly the neighborhood has embraced the idea of Justine's, as it's a gem in the middle of the East Austin warehouse district.

Austin Chronicle Restaurant Poll 2010

As if you need more places to go check out, here's the annual Austin Chronicle Restaurant Poll for 2010. 

Of course we're not always going to agree on things, and there are places listed on here I've never heard of, I never need an excuse to eat out! If you're up for a meal, let me know!

Borrego de Oro

A trusted foodie friend has eaten at Borrego de Oro multiple times, and has always spoken very highly about their mole. I LOVE a good mole, and am always on a quest to find good ones. I have made them before myself, but it certainly is time-intensive. I do have a pretty darn good recipe that's "only" about an hour of work once you have all the ingredients; if you're interested, email me.  While there are different types of mole sauces (as in, the seven moles of Oaxaca), it's the Coloradito Mole that's the most common amongst Mexican and Tex-Mex places in the US. What attracts me to this mole is its depth of flavors when properly made -- some spice from various chile peppers, nuttiness from ground almonds, sweetness from raisins, a subtle bitter savoriness from chocolate or cocoa powder (or both). It's a huge flavor party, but not everyone appreciates it. 

So I met a friend at Borrego at 7:30 on a recent weeknight; there was no one dining, but two guys at the counter placing a to go order. The friendly waitress immediately brought me water and warm tortilla chips and salsa, as I waited for my friend, who arrived shortly thereafter. Warm chips are darn addicting and go very well with cold Negra Modelo!  After studying the menu, I ordered the chicken mole plate (of course), and my friend got the shrimp fajita plate (a slight misnomer, but we'll let that pass!); we had our choice of charro or refried beans. 

The mole turned out to be okay, but not the billing I was lead to believe. My guess is this batch had been sitting in a container in the fridge, and they pulled some out, and heated it up in some oil. It was fairly oily, as can been seen at the top of the plate. The chicken still had it's rubbery skin on, so I pulled that off to the side. Taste-wise, it had some chile in it, so it was a bit spicy, and it was dark brown, so probably some chocolate in there, but there was no real special flavor to it; I couldn't discern any flavor other than chile with a hint of chocolate. No almond, raisin, cinnamon, allspice.... Just kind of meh. The rice & beans were fairly standard for a Tex Mex place. My friend really liked her shrimp dish, though I didn't try it. 

The two young ladies who were the servers were very friendly. And fortunately, about 4 more tables filled up, so the place wasn't a total ghost town. So while the food was fresh, the service really good, and the food came fairly quickly, the mole was a disappointment. Maybe there are other dishes on their menu that are real standouts that I missed. (Have you been?) But if I want really good mole, I'll stick to Manuel's or Sazon or make it myself.