Travaasa Spa

I hadn't intended to write about my stay at Travaasa Spa when I went last week for the first time. But it was such a wonderful experience, I feel that everyone should know what a great place it is! Mostly, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....these are all from my camera phone, as I didn't take my real camera.

My food blogger friend Christy, of Epicuriosities won an overnight stay for four people through a contest on Mix 94.7 -- thank you Mix! Each person received a $125 spa credit, and we had all of Travaasa's daily classes available to us, as well as the pool, hot tub, and sauna. So Christy, her friend PJ, our food blogger friend Kristina of Girl Gone Grits, and myself had about 24 hours to indulge at Travaasa. Formerly known as The Crossings, Travaasa has new ownership, and will celebrate their first full year in May. (To get to Travaasa (map), take 2222 west of 620, where it turns into Bullick Hollow; this dead ends into FM 2769, go right, and it's about a quarter mile on the left.)

For me, it started with a 50 minute hot rocks massage at the spa. This is the first stone massage I've had, and this one is designed to balance your chakras. A nice and relaxing way to get away from it all! The spa does facials, massages, and body treatments; I think next time, I will try the avocado body wrap! The radio station hosted a happy hour in our honor, so we were treated to Gruet sparkling wine and some healthy appetizers, mushroom caps and lettuce "tacos" with a mushroom saute inside. 

Travaasa's general manager, Tim, chatted with us on the patio with a gorgeous view overlooking Lake Travis -- nice to see some water in it! He said that most of the visitors are people from within driving distance -- Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, but they are working to get the word out. They are currently rated the number one spa in Austin by Trip Advisor, no small feat, given the fame of Lake Austin Spa nearby, so congrats! Granted our time at the spa was comped, but I feel the prices for Travaasa are more affordable than that of Lake Austin. And Kristina put it very well, Travaasa has the feel of an intimate bed and breakfast. All of the staff we encountered were so genuinely friendly and welcoming!

We checked into our rooms which had great canyon views, and luxurious beds and linens! Our rooms were in the Longhorn building, to the left of the main check in.

The restaurant, known as Jean's Kitchen, is a great big huge room with an open grill and prep area at one end, and a lounge (where we had happy hour) at the other. I started with a mixed green salad. We had a bottle of Matsu Tempranillo, and nice big red, that complemented everything extremely well.

For my main, I had the antelope scallopini, my first foray into antelope, and it was delicious! It was pounded thin, and served with a bit of goat cheese and pecans, and served with mashed sweet potatoes. I would SO eat that again!

Kristina had the grilled mahi over kale, both cooked perfectly, and Christy and PJ each had the ribeye, which was a little fatty and smoky, but beautifully grilled, and good flavor.

For dessert, we had the chocolate chipotle tarte.... this was my fave of the three -- it was a perfect chocolate and spicy balance, and the flavors even more enhanced by the tempranillo.

 ... the blackberry pie.... the top crust had been baked as a separate piece, and then added -- smart!

And the pound cake with soft fruit (on the inside).

Hearing we were "food people," the food and beverage director, Edward, sent over glasses of port to go with dessert. Turns out, it's a Bogle Petit Syrah port, that none of us were familiar with, and it was extremely tasty, though a touch sweet.

After dinner we took advantage of the hot tub, sauna, and pool, and chatted with some of the other guests who were doing the same. In the morning, various classes were available (yoga, challenge course, horseback riding, cooking class...), and Kristina and I went to the chakra meditation, which was held in a beautiful building with huge wooden doors, medieval chandelier, and a calming garden outside.

Then to breakfast, which was good, but not as good as dinner. My fritatta with mushrooms, potatoes and turkey sausage were all well prepared; the polenta French toast could have been crispier. Did have a bite of an apricot scone which was exceptional!

I wish I could have had some time by the pool, but it was then time for a shower, and gathering my stuff up. Hard to leave this lovely place! And now that my chakras have been (apparently!) balanced and mediated upon, I need to find out what that all means! Very excited to come back later this year, as -- *lo and behold*-- there was a coupon on Travelzoo for Travaasa this past week, so I am already plotting my return trip to this little bit of paradise a mere 20 miles from home.

Bits and Bites

As I posted yesterday on my Facebook page, I am dismayed at the closure of Artz Ribhouse. It's always been my favorite spot in town for BBQ, especially their baby back ribs. I am crossing my fingers and hoping and praying a pig will rise from the ashes, and Art Blondin will be able to continue on, whether it's at this current location, or somewhere else close by. Yes, us food people have certainly given attention to some of those "other" places now in town, but Artz, with it's food and live music, is a true South Austin mainstay.

Openings

-- With a bit of disgust, I see there is a Chipotle under construction on South Lamar, just a hair north of Artz, in the old Golf Shop location. Really?? While I haven't eaten at a Chipotle in a couple years, I have thought their food to be decent..... I am just not in the habit of supporting national chains, even if they are using good quality meats.

-- Urban Wine + Liquor in the Austonian building at 200 Congress Avenue.

-- Cenote Coffee at 1010 E. Cesar Chavez
-- Bahn Bahn, a new Vietnamese place, at Jessie Street Eats.

Closings

-- East Side Drive-in, a trailer park eatery on East 6th, just past IH-35, is closing to make way for the development of apartments/condos. Even though I've only been there once I constantly rave about Bits and Druther's fish and chips. Hopefully all the current tenants will live on....when I hear where they've landed, I'll let you know. 

-- Kick Butt Coffee at the Triangle.

Events/Happenings

-- A beer collaboration, to be unveiled tonight at Drink.Well -- a beer from the brew masters of Hops and Grain and Thirsty Planet, an imperial Belgian brown ale.

-- A five-course beer pairing dinner with North Coast Brewery at 24 Diner on Monday, April 2; $65/person.

-- Austin Beer Guide Spring Release party, Monday, April 2, at Black Star Co-op beginning at 6pm.

-- Easter brunches (yes, it's NEXT weekend!) at Urban Grill ($45/person), Paggi House ($35), Sagra ($24).

Bits and Bites

Opening

-- Con Olios is building a second oil and vinegar store, this one smack downtown, at 215 Lavaca. Opening soon, here's the link to their Facebook page.

-- Fresas Chicken al Carbon, a Mexican rotisserie chicken joint, from the Lambert's/Perla's/Elizabeth Street Cafe people, at 915 Lamar Blvd (old Emerald City Coffee). Chickens, tortas, salads, and homemade ice cream will be available at the drive thru.

Closed

-- Estancia Churrascuria, the Brazilian meat house, on Hwy. 290 by Brodie Lane

Events/Happenings

-- Foodways Texas annual symposium is March 23 - 25, here in Austin. It "will explore the ways we preserve Texas (as a region, as an idea) in our food and the ways we preserve food in Texas." More info, including tickets, on their website.

-- Sagra's Sunday Supper Club is in full force, another meal this Sunday, March 25th, 5 courses for $55 with complimentary wine pairings. And they will have Easter brunch coming up as well.

-- Slow Food Austin is holding an Austrian dinner with food from Wolfgang Murber of Fabi + Rosi, March 27th at Springdale Farm. More info and tickets. 

-- The first Texas VegFest, on March 31st at Fiesta Gardens. Lots of vendors!

-- CultureMap Austin's 2012 Tastemaker Awards will be held April 12th at the Driskill. Tickets available.

-- Tickets have gone on sale for Live Fire!, part of the Austin Food and Wine Alliance's annual Festival. Live Fire takes place April 26th at the Salt Lick Pavilion, and features some of the best meat-masters around, including Aaron Franklin (Franklin BBQ), Bryce Gilmore (Barley Swine), Andrew Wiseheart (Contigo), John Bullington (Alamo Drafthouse) and a whole bunch more! The Festival is April 27-29.
-- San Marcos is home to an on-line bakery (via Etsy) and local catering company, called Um, Yum! They are looking to expand their business by converting ("up-cycling") two shipping containers into an actual storefront, a la La Boite here in Austin, and recently launched a fund drive via Kickstarter!

Cafe Malta

In the few months that Cafe Malta has been opened, I have heard some really good feed back from food bloggers and from some other friends, whose food opinions and palates I trust. So I was excited to check it out for dinner on a recent week night with two friends. And while we had a great time catching up, ultimately the food was somewhat disappointing.

Two of us started with cocktails, as we waited for our third member. Catchy names -- I had "I Can Explain Everything" and my friend the "Blue Ruin."  When the drinks arrived at the table, our waitress, Jessica, apologized because they were out of the gorgonzola-stuffed olives that were supposed to come in the Blue Ruin. After my friend expressed disappointment as that's what had attracted her to the drink, Jessica returned a few minutes later with a couple of olives she said she had just stuffed herself. Overall, she was a very good server, was knowledgeable about the menu, and provided specific flavor profile information about the nightly specials without being asked.

We started with the mussels from the appetizer menu. The description reads: PEI mussels in white wine, garlic, tomato, preserved lemon, harissa, and onion. Looking back, there was no preserved lemon in it at all; I didn't realize it was supposed to have it in there, or I may have asked the waitress about it.  The plate was a gorgeous looking dish, that was tasty enough, but didn't have a lot of "oomph" to it, perhaps because of the missing ingredient that would have provided some acidity. Loved the Moroccan-inspired bowl they were served in, though it turns out to be from World Market, and still had price tag residue on the underside. We also ordered two of the dolmas from the evening specials board; from where we were sitting (by the windows), I couldn't read the board at all (on the wall opposite where we were). I was surprised by their large size (think hearty eggroll), and because I generally don't care for dolmas (it's a texture thing) I let my companions dig in....and forgot to take a picture! They use napa cabbage leaves, which are stuffed with rice that's mixed with chives and currants, and served over a zesty tomato sauce. I did try them, and we agreed it was a good dish.

I had a hard time deciding on what to get for my dinner; I had eaten a large lunch that day, and wasn't starving or feeling particularly in the mood for meat. Ultimately, I opted for the gnocchi, from the appetizer menu; I am think this is a dish I had previously heard was good. Unfortunately, these were not. They were dense, not light and pillowy, which tells me the dough was over-worked. Also, the menu description says they are tossed in a gorgonzola-white wine sauce and topped with parmesan. The restaurant must not have gotten their full order of gorgonzola in, because this was the second dish with problems with the gorg, and do you see any parmesan on top?  What little sauce there was had some nice flavor, but overall these gnocchi were dense and dry.

One friend had the house-roasted pork shoulder with date demi-glace, over fennel pearled couscous and haricot verts. This dish came out looking spectacular. The haricot verts were prepared perfectly. I thought the meat and sauce were fairly good, though the couscous was a touch gummy. My friend though, was rather unimpressed with it.

My other friend had soup du jour, cream of broccoli and spinach salad with fresh mozzarella. We're all people who like salt, and this soup was very salty. The salad looked good and fresh, and got good marks from my friend.

Two of us had lemon curd shortcakes for dessert. It's a good thing the lemon curd was amazing, because the shortcake was not. Not that there has to be a touch of sweetness to a shortcake, but in this case it would have really helped, because you could taste the excess of baking powder when you tasted the cake on it's own, and it's not a good flavor.

Cafe Malta is located at the southeast corner of Brodie and William Cannon, in a strip mall, in what apparently used to be a Double Dave's Pizza. And it's certainly a mixed bag. Liked the atmosphere, ambiance, and our server. Nice to see that the tables were mostly filled as the evening wore on. The food had it's ups and downs though, and that's what you're there for. I did tell our server about the denseness of the gnocchi, and she said she'd tell the kitchen. Hope they got the word. Based on what I had heard from others, I had high expectations. Was this just an off night for them?

 

Bits and Bites

Open

-- Sonya Cote's Hillside Farmacy at 1209 E. 11th. She's also the 2012 winner of the Edible Communities Local Hero Award.

-- Drink.Well, a bar specializing in craft beers, at 207 E. 53rd

-- New Chinese foods trailer, Wok Around Austin, on Brazos, between 5th and 6th Streets.

-- Parkside and the Backspace will both be staying open late for SXSW eaters.

Closed

-- Estancia Churrascuria in Sunset Valley

Events/Happenings

-- Fado Irish Pub will of course be celebrating St. Patrick's Day in style with Paddython, a day long celebration, beginning at 7 am.  Pace yourself is an understatement!

-- Jester King Craft Brewery will have their second annual Danish Day Festival, March 17, $20, beer and bands, away from the SXSW madness. 

-- Chef Parind Vora of Braise will be hosting a cooking class at Whole Foods, March 22; $50, reservations required.

-- Theatre Action Project will be holding their annual fundraiser "Big Hair Country Fair" at Salt Lick, March 24th. TAP is an Austin based non-profit that uses the creative arts to activate the academic, social and emotional development of young people. Tickets to the event are $75, and are available here.

-- Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee is now available at Central Market stores.