Bits and Bites -- Food News

Happenings
-- Tonight (June 3) is the Austin Food for Life Seasonal Tomato Dinner at Springdale Farms, six courses, $100/person, with food from the chefs of Swift's Attic, Glass-2-Plate Catering and Cafe Josie. 
-- La Condesa is kicking off their Tequila Dinner Summer Series on Tuesday, June 4 at 6 pm, with the Ocho Tequila Pairing Dinner, which will feature a 5-course menu created by Chef Rene Ortiz. $100/person, tickets can be purchased here.  
-- Amy's Ice Creams annual Trick Olympics will be June 5 at 7 pm at the 6th & Lamar location; bring a chair and go watch! Benefits CASA of Travis County.
-- One of my favorite places in Austin (or on the edges of town, I should say!) and one of the area's best kept secrets is Travaasa Spa. They have added a 10 acre farm, with 3.5 acres for row crops, along with 100 chickens. Calling it the Farm at Travaasa, they are kicking it off with a BBQ Bash on June 15th, featuring some of the best BBQ purveyors in the state! $100/person, should be an incredible evening! 

-- Texas Tiki Week is coming, beginning June 23rd; drink.well will have a variety of events happening at their place.

Openings
-- Picnik Austin has taken over the old La Boite trailer/ box container at 1700 S. Lamar; they are "paleo, primal, gluten-free and grain-free."
-- The Spicewood restaurant It's All Good BBQ has opened a trailer at South First and Live Oak in the SoFi Food Court.
-- Contigo is changing their Sunday hours, and will now close at 2:30 pm after brunch. 
-- The Dallas-based chain Uncle Julio's will open it's 17th location at 301 Brazos Street downtown, From their press release: “Since opening our first restaurant in Dallas in 1986, we have prided ourselves in providing the freshest and highest quality Mexican food in a fun and warm setting. We look forward to sharing our signature dishes and drinks with Austin residents.” Their space will have different seating areas that will accommodate 400 guests. 
-- Jodi Elliot of Foreign and Domestic will open her own bake shop in the next year; location to be determined. Oh those Gruyere popovers!
-- Two new food trailer parks: South Lamar and Bluebonnet (photo by yours truly!) and on Lakeshore Blvd. along Lady Bird Lake, east of IH-35.
-- Noble Pig, er, Noble Sandwich Co.  is adding a second location, at 49th and Burnet Road; while I wish they were coming to South ATX, this sure beats a drive to Cedar Park! :) I think they will always be Noble PIG to me! 
-- Faraday's Kitchen Store has reopened in a bigger spot at the Shops at the Galleria.
  

Misc.
-- Confirming what most of us in Austin already know, Bon Appetit magazine has named Central Market one of the top grocery stores in the country. 
 -- I received a press release on the new Goodbee's Honey which is an affordable raw honey now exclusively in HEB's throughout the state. And it's sourced from Argentina. At least they're not claiming it to be local honey, though it IS packaged up in Round Rock.

Two New Italian Eateries -- Patrizi's + Umami Mia

In the past two weeks, I have attended two soft openings for Italian places, one a trailer, and the other brick and mortar. Both had their high points and a few things to work on.

Patrizi's is a trailer adjacent to the Vortex Theater on Manor Road; it is run by Nic Patrizi, who also runs the Jalopy trailer downtown. He's very welcoming and passionate about his food, and is sourcing from local purveyors as much as possible, like Salt and Time, Milking, Antonelli's, and Coyote Farms.

His family ran the original Patrizi's in Beaumont for years until they closed, and he has all the family recipes. He's got a nice set up at the Vortex, with a covered seating area, and planter boxes for a garden.

On the trailer itself, he invited local artists to come and paint, and then he's framed them all, including the menu. I loved the eclecticness of the paintings! The one below is actually done by one of my very talented co-workers.

Our tasting started off with a perfectly dressed Italian salad, and some antipasti, which included garlic cloves, confited in olive oil, white anchovies, a giardineria puree, and some tasty bread. Nic then brought us the first pasta dish -- the pomodoro with meatballs. Let me be clear: the meatballs were AMAZING. Some of the best meatballs I have had anywhere. Tender and moist and flavorful, made from pork trimmings and beef. I am still thinking about those meatballs!

Next was the Roma tomato sauce with fresh made ricotta with lemon zest. It was a nice heaping mound of creamy ricotta.

And the third, cacio e pepe, just your basic, clean dish with Parmesan and lots of fresh black pepper.

Nic told us upfront that the pasta we were being served was not the pasta that he would be serving once the trailer opened. He just got a new pasta machine that he hadn't even taken out of the box yet; the pasta we had was certainly on the dense side, but I heard from other bloggers who went to the next night's tasting that the pasta was really good.

I have high hopes for Patrizi's! The hospitality was all-around great, there's parking (at least when the theater isn't in session), and recipes that grandma used to make. Will certainly go back for the meatballs and I spied carbonara on the menu too!

Then last week, it was the media tasting for Umami Mia, in the old Romeo's on Barton Springs. Fun, funky design, but a lot of concrete inside. Clean lines, little pops of color.

The cocktail menu was spectacular as were the drinks themselves! From left, we have Hibiscus Nectar Cosmo, Thyme Will Tell (I think) and the Blackberry Italian Soda, adult-style.

Once we were seated, the owners and chef introduced themselves and talked about the concept of umami -- that somewhat elusive fifth taste (along with salty, sweet, sour, and bitter). It's sort of hard to pinpoint WHAT umami is, but it's that savoriness, that flavor that just fills your mouth and makes you want more. It's found in foods that are high in glutamates, things like mushrooms, dairy (particularly cheeses), meats, nuts, and so on. Umami Mia wants their dishes to be an "umami bomb" in your mouth. They are also trying to source local, like Vital Farms Eggs and Johnson's Backyard Garden, and practice nose to tail butchering.

We started off with a roasted peppers and coppa salami appetizer, which had nice big shavings of Parmesan and white anchovies. This was a good dish! Great flavors, and you really can get the umami concept with this one.

Next up was the Italian Salad with large slivers of watermelon radishes, and hiding under there was some crispy pancetta, fried croutons, and a very light salad dressing; I would have liked a touch more of the dressing on it to bring everything together.  Love that they use sheet trays to serve some of the dishes.

The meatball sandwich with mission fig sauce and Gorgonzola cheese was a bit of a miss for us. For starters, ours came without the Gorgonzola, and the fig sauce was too sweet for this particular dish, though perhaps if it HAD had the salty cheese, it would have been a better balance. And while they're using oak to grill their meatballs, it just couldn't compare to the one I had the previous week at Patrizi's.

The pizzas were a little bit of a mixed bag. They are cooked for 4 - 5 minutes in an oven that runs about 600 degrees, and they will have a "slice window" for walk-up customers.  Their crusts are soft and a bit chewy. My hands-down favorite was the prosciutto and fig with Gorgonzola, with it's copious amounts of arugula. You really got the umami bomb flavors here, though I would have loved loved some extra Gorg on top to really kick the umami up! 

The mushroom pizza with shitakes, creminis, and caramelized onions might be a good option for the vegetarians, but it seemed a bit heavy. That's balsamic glaze drizzled across the top along with goat cheese.

Our table found the Mexican pizza to be a bit strange. Described as their house adobo sausage with corn, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime, and queso fresco, there was WAY too much going on here, but not enough flavor, especially from the sausage to associate it with Mexican foods.

Now the pasta itself was really nice -- thin, uniform strips that easily twirled on your fork. But when I think of carbonara, I really want the pancetta, egg, and Parmesan to shine, so the pine nuts, lemon, and herbs were a bit of a different take on it for me. It was hard to find any pancetta in this dish, though it tasted good. I don't know if this is the actual serving size you would get if you ordered it; I think for the price ($16) I would be a bit disappointed in the portioning of this dish.

And finally, the desserts. It's almost better if we don't go there because these were both very strange. I am noticing they do not have desserts listed on the menu that's on their website, and these were not the desserts that were originally planned for our meal (Citrus Prosecco Jello with Poteet Strawberries and Pop Rocks). What they served was a tiramisu with matcha tea powder and I believe chestnuts or hazelnuts inside, and then a chocolate pot de creme with orange, malted milk balls, golden raisins and togarashi, a Japanese condiment of chile flakes.  The tiramisu seemed like heavy whipping cream with squishy nuts mixed in; the matcha flavor was pretty minimal and got lost with the dense mouthfeel of the cream. I am not a huge fan of chocolate and orange together, so that was strike one, but it had a granular texture for strike two; pot de creme should be silky smooth. I hate to say this, but someone is trying WAY too hard with the desserts. Maybe the matcha and togarashi are a nod to the Japanese researcher who scientifically discovered the taste of umami, but I was not a fan. And it's not to say that Italian-themed restaurants all have to serve standard tiramisu or cannolis, because they don't, but golden raisins (strike three), really?

The waitstaff at Umami Mia hustled throughout the night, and were very professional and friendly. There will be an outdoor bar, as well as an herb garden, and the aforementioned slice window -- lots of possibilities there on Barton Springs!

So please take both of these reviews with a grain of salt because they were both soft openings. Patrizi's and Umami Mia both have tons of potential and once they each have a couple months to shake things down, I will happily go back to both and try them again. And while they are both Italian, they have very different focal points, and should both do well.

Fatback Boucherie

I was recently asked by Mike of Fatback Boucherie to try his food in exchange for my feedback. The short of it all -- his food is awesome! Keep reading if you'd like the longer version.

Fatback Boucherie (FB) is now doing catering and they are beginning to embark on a meal delivery service. (I had always heard good things about their food when they were operating as a food trailer, but I was never able to try them.) Last Sunday, Mike brought me fried chicken, greens, beans, a cane syrup gateau (cake), gravy, hot sauce, and a mustard-based sauce. These did not disappoint. Oh, and pickled turnips too!

The chicken was really well fried, very crispy, very moist, and had a hint of what I assume is a Cajun seasoning. The greens were tender with nice amounts of bacon, and the beans had ham in them too, and a bit of a vinegary flavor, which I liked. Prior to this meal, I was not familiar with a gateau, but as you can see from the picture below, they're small little cakes, make from cane syrup (like Steen's), and are Cajun staples. With meals like this, they take the place of cornbread, but cornbread can be ordered through FB as well.

FB uses many local suppliers, like Richardson Farm chickens and Tecolote Farms greens, and his pricing is still very reasonable. So check out their website, and take at look at the menu. I am not sure if they have a defined delivery area yet, but email Mike or send a message via their Facebook page. Delicious food! You'll be pleased!

Turkey Empanadas from the AFBA Cookbook

I've been in need of foods that I can take to work with me for lunch. Flipping through *our* new Austin Food Blogger Cookbook, there are certainly several recipes that caught my eye, but last weekend, I decided to make the turkey empanadas from my good friend Girl Gone Grits. I like to cook AND to bake, so these were right up my alley.

You'll find the recipe on page 69 of the book, and it's an easy one to follow. Again, having experience with baking, I enjoyed the process of making the dough. For those less-inclined to cover your kitchen in flour, you could use the frozen Goya empanada disks (though they're harder to find sometimes) or a pre-made pie crust dough that you find in the refrigerated section, like Pillsbury. If making your own dough, it definitely needs the time to chill in the fridge before rolling it out, so don't skimp on that step; you could even make the dough the night before.

For the filling, I didn't have fresh sage, so I used fresh thyme and a bit of fresh oregano; I used an all-purpose salt-free seasoning in place of the lemon pepper, and added a bit more garlic and preserved lemons.

Unfortunately when preparing my dough, I had turned my back to the kitchen counter for a moment to wash my hands, when my "assistant" got involved! *sigh*

Anyway, the end result is quite worth it! These empanadas totally remind me of my trip to Morocco in 2008 (one of the reasons I started this blog!), so I thought I'd photograph them on the plate I bought there. I did not make the yogurt sauce that Ms. Grits includes the recipe for, but it does sound good! You could even add some chopped olives to the filling to give it even more of a Moroccan flair. They freeze well too, so they have been convenient for lunch; I do prefer them reheated in the oven/toaster oven as opposed to the microwave.

I should also add that I tested the Bacon Corn Pesto Pasta (page 130) from Apron Adventures back in the fall when we were editing the book. I LOVED it, and can't wait for some good fresh summer corn to make this again!

L'oca D'oro Dinner

L'oca D'oro (the Golden Goose) is a private dining service that holds "Dinners to Rock," where each event is themed around a different musician, and the foods inspired by specific songs. They've covered a wide range of musical history, from Prince to the Clash to Radiohead. I attended this past week's Nina Simone event, held at Franklin BBQ, where L'oca D'oro Chef Fiore Tedesco works during the week.

We started with a lovely cocktail with rye and absinthe on Franklin's porch as they finalized things inside.

You wouldn't have known you were in a BBQ restaurant, with the lovely table settings and wine options. Nary a smoked brisket in sight!

The first course, a nest of delicately fried potatoes with zucchini, peach, basil, and dressed with a peach mostarda and a perfect egg on top. The contrast of flavors and textures was wonderful, and this may have been my favorite course. 

After which, came bread with three different types of butter -- with peaches, Double Devon Cream, and garlic. I love the Double Devon, having purchased it in the past (at Central Market); it's just a fabulous, fresh-tasting butter that's lightly salted. Great for good bread or your breakfast muffin; this is not butter to cook with, as you'd loose its nuances!

The second course, cuttlefish ink risotto, with charred cuttlefish, fresh porcini mushrooms, baby kale, golden beets, tomatoes, and topped with shaved truffle. The risotto was divine, and played nicely with the other ingredients, though I will say the truffle really didn't have much flavor, which was surprising.

The third course was a smoked pork tenderloin with fried green tomatoes, wheat berries and pickled blueberries. The pork was beautifully cooked, and while the breading on the tomatoes was a bit heavy on the salt (and I like my salt!), the tenderness of the pork, the crispness of the tomatoes, the squish of blueberries, and the softness of the lettuce really all complemented each other.

Dessert was a jasmine torte, poppy seed pudding, and a jasmine rice-smoked whipped cream. Unfortunately, this was the one course that wasn't quite on equal footing as the others. The cake was too dense, almost like cornbread, and the pudding had what seemed like a lot of stabilizer (agar, tapioca?) in it. 

I wished I had paid a little more attention to the music during the evening, but on the flip side, I enjoyed my dinner companions and conversations! Here's the menu, so you can see what songs inspired what dishes.

Apart from the dessert, my only other real issue with the event was the timing of the dishes; there was a lot of lag time (we were there a total of 3.5 hours). Otherwise, the plating of each dish was exquisite, the flavors were unusual combinations, and the service was spot on. It's $60/person, the first cocktail and gratuity included; they also offer the meal with wine pairings for $90, though other wines were available by the bottle or glass. Check their website or Facebook page for upcoming events, and see the flip side of Franklin BBQ. L'oca D'oro is sure to gain a steady following.