Friday, October 19, 2018

What I have been eating

Here's a somewhat lazy blog post, but also some of the foods I have eaten this past month!

Leroy + Lewis BBQ


The Flying Carpet


Cruzteca


Fall menu media preview at Kerbey Lane


Media preview of the new Anthem on Rainey Street
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Huge thanks to @eatdrinkanthem for having me out last night to sample their menu. I was not monetarily compensated and all opinions are my own. Think Asia/Polynesia meets Texas and you'll have an idea of the diverse cuisine. Loved the fully loaded sweet potato fries, which I was shocked at how crispy they were for sweet potato! Would so eat these again and I actually really want to try their smoked tofu dish! Other dishes pictured: cocktails, raw oysters, tiki taquitos with kim chee, popcorn chicken + bubble waffle w white showy gravy, tempura cauliflower w Thai green goddess dressing, border salad and the Upside Down Pineapple Bread Pudding. Have to say all the fried stuff was exceptionally well fried, crispy and not greasy. Our server was excellent too. Rainey Street isn't my scene but it was a fun night out & glad we used @lyft! Lots of vegetarian/vegan options too. #texasian #polynesian #hawaiian #tikibar #aloha #howdy #umamiodyssey #raineystreet #downtownaustin #austinrestaurant #instafood #foodporn #foodstagram #austineats #igaustin #atxeats #512eats #austin360eats #foodie #foodblogger #austinblogger #southaustinfoodie #afba #sweetpotatofries #oysters #bubblewaffle #tempura #cauliflower #vegetarian
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Via 313 Pizza


Media tasting at Moden Market
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Big thanks to @modernmarket for setting me up with rewards points on their app! 🤗 It's a very useful app with a built-in QR code which you use to pay. No having to keep track of a separate gift card. 👍 (They also did not ask me for a post, just for my consideration.) I got take out once and then met @madbettyatx for a lunch date this week. Loved the cucumber lemonade and the bacon, corn & basil pizza. 🍕 Farmer's salad 🥗 was large and had chicken, avocado🥑, strawberries🍓 and cotija cheese. I will say both times, the grains have been mushy in the bowls but this Buddha bowl with tofu was only $8. It is fresh, affordable food, no hormones or additives, and also very budget friendly for what you are getting! And they do a lot of carry out business.Thanks Modern Market! #freshfood #lemonade #pizza #bacon #corn #salad #grainsbowl #buddhabowl #tofu #noadditives #hormonefeee #westlake #beecavesroad #westaustin #chainrestaurant #multiplelocations #instafood #foodporn #foodstagram #austineats #igaustin #atxeats #512eats #austin360eats #foodie #foodblogger #austinblogger #southaustinfoodie #afba
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Media tasting + viewing at Moviehouse Eatery at Lantana Place
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Did you know @moviehouse has opened in southwest Austin at Southwest Pkwy & Wm Cannon? 🎥A big thank you for having me out last week for a sneak peek of First Man 🚀🌛(go see it!!). Such big comfortable chairs to really relax in! My friend and I started with happy hour in the lobby bar. Then they treated us to a 4-course food and drink pairing menu🍷🍸🍺 -- the steak sandwich and roasted root veggies 🥕were my faves, with the burger🍔 being up there too because you know, bacon.🥓 Burger photo courtesy of Moviehouse. Get your ticket and relax in comfort for a couple of hours! New fall menu specials too. #movies #comfort #relax #putyourfeetup #wine #happyhour #craftcocktails #beer #burger #bacon #steaksandwich #rootvegetables #makesthemoviesbetter #southwestaustin #movietheater #lantanaplace #fallmenu #media
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My own cooking! Lamb osso bucco!



What's been on your plate lately?

Monday, October 1, 2018

Why Is Holy Roller Considered Holy?

I've heard nothing but praise for Holy Roller since they opened last year. I finally went for Sunday brunch a couple weeks ago. Loved the rockabilly decor and the general aesthetic of the spot, but I found the food to be lacking on many fronts.

Let's start with the positives. It's a super-creative menu, and I was really torn about what to order. (Grilled Cheesus? Mac + Cheese? Oooh Pot Pie, but only for dinner....) Service was good, and the runners were very attentive to refilling water glasses. My friend's frozen lemonade with rosé vodka was delicious and pretty, and the biscuits were adorable and near perfection.  But that was kind of about it in terms of accolades.
Pink gumdrop too!
Fabulous biscuits, no bigger than two inches square with soft honey butter and jam.
As for the the rest of the meal, I hate to be a complainer, but it was mediocre....my dining companions cocktail and soda arrived in reasonable time, but my iced tea never showed, so I had to ask for it. Follow the captions with each photo for my critiques.
I ordered the Green Goddess salad with a side of steak, medium rare. The original one brought to me (by a runner, not the waitress) had the steak at medium-well, so I sent it back. This is the second version pictured. The meat was flavorful and this one was cooked correctly, but no steak knife was provided and it was hard to cut with a regular dinner knife.
The BLT, with some very pedestrian French fries, precut food service ones certainly, and not very crisp. The crime here was the bread was not sturdy for a hearty sandwich, and it crumbled apart.



The Bombshell Burger. Now my friend asked for egg whites instead of a fried egg, and they definitely obliged! Buried under the clouds of egg is a burger with cheese and hash browns, but the main issue here was the nicely toasted bun was WAY too small for this burger, and also a bit soft for the contents.

The Choco Taco, with watery, flavorless soft-serve ice cream inside.  The waffle cone shells are made in advance (I get it), but given our recent high humidity levels, this was bordering stale.

The Bread Spread -- brownie bites, scone, muffin, and coffee cake, at $8, definitely a great value. The scone was more cakey than quick bread; the brownies were also cakey and not very chocolatey; and the other items also failed to impress in texture as well.
So overall Holy Roller is a fun, energetic vibe and the place was packed for Sunday brunch and we got there right when they opened. But the food -- isn't that the most important part of a restaurant? -- failed to impress. With the exception of the biscuits, the bread program seems off, as textures just aren't right. Nothing was horrible, which is why I would guess the majority of people really like it. But to a more critical palate, there are issues. I would give them a shot for dinner, as that pot pie may be calling me.

Who out there has eaten at Holy Roller and what did you think? Is it worth the hype?