Recent Eats, Part Two

(See my last post for Part One!)

Arro
I attended the soft opening of Arro with some food blogger friends. The week before their official opening, they offered meals at half price, so we happily took advantage. Arro is the latest from Chef Drew Cullen of 24 Diner/Easy Tiger, and his pasty chef wife, Mary Catherine, and is located in the old Haddington's on West 6th Street and Nueces.

We started with the Chef's bread board, with an assortment of fresh breads, regular and anchovy butter, a nice piece of French cheese, pickled veg, and an incredibly creamy and velvety pork mousse. We followed this with mussels and frites, which had a nice broth with it.

For the main courses, there was a mix up with mine; instead of the lamb and sweetbreads dish I ordered, I was given the grilled antelope (with figs, cherries and endive), which was very tasty, but not the lamb I had been anticipating.

Croque monsieur

Steak frites

Desserts, from 12 o'clock: a chocolate creme brulee cake, chocolate pot de creme, walnut napoleon, and lemon goat cheese tart. The pot de creme was the hands down winner, given its fudge-like quality and the sheer smoothness of it.

The interior decor is gorgeous, and the staff was working very hard throughout the evening. Arro is also offering a $25 three course menu, which will be a great value, plus they serve late, Sunday through Wednesday until midnight, and until 2 am Thursday through Saturday.

Mueller HEB
A group of us foodie-types went to check out the new HEB grocery store in the Mueller development a week after their grand opening. The building itself is stunning, and is the largest eco-friendly building HEB has built. And given the summer heat, the mostly-covered patio felt very nice at one in the afternoon.

The cafe menu is a bit all over the place, from Texas BBQ to pizza to Asian bowls to salads and sandwiches. It is certainly trying to please a broad range of palates. Unfortunately, the only thing that they really did well was the brisket, and while it was good brisket, it's not Franklin or Snow's quality by a long shot. The chicken in the Asian chicken salad tasted like it was previously frozen, the egg roll was dripping in grease, the Brussels sprouts were good, but very salty, whereas the Asian rice bowl was under seasoned. And all of the sauces and dressings taste like bottled ones, not freshly made. One of the cafe chefs did come by asking people how the food was, and we gave her some feedback. Again, first week, and when you look at the fact this is a grocery store, they've done a good job. I don't think they will have any problem attracting customers, even if the food doesn't improve.

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom (Barton Creek Mall)
I met a friend at the mall to go walking (beats the outdoor heat!), and we ended up also having lunch at Nordstrom. I had never eaten there before, and actually left fairly impressed for what it is. According to their menu, they are using local and organic whenever possible and my Warm Asian-glazed Chicken Salad was just the right size and more to the point, tasted great.

Recent Eats, Part One

Oh, there are a few places I've eaten in the past couple months that probably deserve their own individual write up, but somehow that's just not gonna happen. Here is part one of the abbreviated version.

Via 313
I went to the Via 313 trailer location near Slaughter and South Congress back towards the end of June, but they have just moved this one to Rainey Street (boo!). This Detroit-style square pizza with a thick crust was great! Really liked it a lot. I had the Hawaiian with deli ham, bacon, pineapple, and feta cheese; I ended up taking half of it home for lunch the next day, and in the toaster oven, the underside of the crust got really nice and extra crisp. My friends were equally happy with their pizzas as well. Via 313 also has a truck on E. 6th Street.

Michi Ramen
Michi Ramen started out as a food trailer, but then graduated this past winter to a brick and mortar operation. They are on North Lamar, directly across from the Yellow Rose (and whether you've been to there or not, EVERYONE seems to know where the Yellow Rose is located!). A friend and I went for dinner on a Saturday night in July; I had no idea if it would be super-crowded or not. Fortunately, when we got there, the place was only about half full.

We got the seaweed salad and the "burnt ends" of the chasu pork to start with. It was a bit odd, because the waitress said it takes a little extra time for the chasu, was that ok? We said sure. But in less than 5 minutes, both dishes arrived at the table. The seaweed was good, but it didn't really seem any different from what you'd get at Central Market. And the pork really wasn't burnt at all, and to me had a bit of a spongy texture, and it was also extremely salty from the shoyu marinade.

Our ramen bowls came quickly too. We had the Sapporo with  mayu oil (blackened garlic oil) and pickled ginger added and the Jungle with added chives, sprouts and cabbage (both of us had the "regular" strength broth; here you can get light, regular or stout). Both had nice flavor to the tonkatsu (pork) broths, but to me not as hearty or flavorful as what I had at Ramen Tatsu-ya. Also the Jungle bowl (pictured top) is described as a lemongrass tonkatsu broth, and neither of us could taste lemongrass. The consistency of the noodles is very nice, just enough bite to them.  All in all, it was good, but maybe not the best ramen I've had in Austin.

Verts 
Also transitioning from food trailers to actual sit down restaurants is Verts, a Berlin-style kebap place that now has a few branches open, including a new one on South Lamar. Kebaps are said to be the favorite street food of Berliners, and the German owners missed this type of food while studying at UT, so they set out to create their own.

At the counter, you have your choice between the bread (which I would most closely associate with a focaccia) tortilla, or plain bowl, and then your choice of meats and toppings. I opted for the traditional Doner Kebap, on the bread with the beef/lamb meat mixture (like gyro meat). It's a good hearty sandwich, and the flavors were good. The bread however is really too porous, and doesn't hold up well to the task at hand. They are a convenient location to me though, I would go back, though I don't know that I'd have the bread again.

Stay tuned for Part Two later this week!

Bits and Bites

Happenings
-- La Condesa's final tequila dinner for the summer is August 6th, tickets are $100, and can be purchased here.  

-- Crabbie's Ginger Beer, the UK's best selling alcoholic ginger beer has finally made it's way to Texas. To celebrate, Fado's will have a launch party on August 8th, beginning around 8 pm. The first 50 people get a free Crabbie's drink!  Full disclosure: their PR people contacted me, asking if I would mention on my blog, and sent me samples. I had never heard of Crabbie's before, but I am completely hooked! Serve over ice, with a twist of lime, and it's a perfect refreshing drink for this hot summer weather! Central Market Westgate has started carrying it as well. 

--  Pay It Forward with Daniel Curtis Benefit will be August 8th, 7 - 10 pm, $75/person at the AT + T Conference Center. The event benefits the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation, and has an amazing lineup of area chefs donating their time and talents.

-- Olivia will hold their 5 year anniversary dinner on August 8th, $125/person, TEN courses with drink pairings! Email for reservations: eat@olivia-austin.com

-- Houndstooth Coffee is holding a Japanese Iced Coffee brewing class at their downtown location at 401 Congress, on August 10th at 4 pm, $30/person. Tickets can be purchased at either Houndstooth location. 

-- Starting August 11th, if you sign up for Austin Cake Ball's e-newsletter, you will receive a $5 off coupon to use online, and another $5 to use at either of their shops (5310 Burnet Road or at the Domain). 

-- Summer Sparkler Dinner benefiting the Sustainable Food Center, August 13th at Parkside, 5+ courses with sparkling drinks to match, $100/person, buy tickets here.

-- Independence Brewing tasting dinner at Olive + June, August 15th, 4+ courses, $60/person, buy tickets here. 

-- The Carnivores Ball, "the ultimate Texas Hill Country BBQ Party" will be September 15th at Ceres Park Ranch, featuring the barbeque of John Mueller, banana bourbon salted caramel pudding from Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, beer from St. Arnold, and live music. Tickets are $44/person.

-- Plinio Sandalio, pastry chef at The Carillon restaurant at the AT + T Conference Center, has unveiled some new lighter summertime desserts and digestif pairings, such as corn fritters with salted butter ice cream, spiced lime curd and cotija crumbles served with bacon moonshine!

-- There's a Kickstarter underway for a digital thermometer called Range that hooks into your iPhone or iPad, making your smart device into a smart thermometer.  Developed by an Austin company called Supermechanical.


Openings
-- Planet Sub, a sub and salad shop has opened in the Brodie Oaks shopping center on South Lamar (by Sprouts); from their website, another location is in the works for downtown at 9th and Congress.

-- Smashburger opens its second location on August 14th at 14028 N. Highway 183 (Cedar Park), with plans to open a third location in the Mueller development in late 2013. 

-- Mighty Bird, a new rotisserie chicken concept restaurant will open two spots, one at 2900 Anderson Lane and the other at 12200 N. Highway 183.

-- Royer's Pie Haven will open in the old Toy Joy at 29th and Guadalupe.

-- New food trucks I've seen in South ATX: Snap Foods (healthy!) at South Lamar and Bluebonnet and Potato.A (poutine) at South Lamar and Mary (behind Corner Bar). 

-- The new HEB at Mueller opened last week. Went to check it out with a few other foodies. The building is stunning, gorgeous architecture, and even sitting on the covered patio for lunch (close to 100 degrees out) wasn't bad at all. Gotta be honest though, the cafe food was mediocre (brisket and fried Brussels were decent) but other items were unexciting (egg rolls drowning in grease, chicken with strange texture in Asian chicken salad {probably previously frozen}, under seasoned salmon bowl). And the rest of the store is just like a regular HEB (though a nice one, like at Escarpment or 360/Bee Caves). Been there, done that.


Closings
-- To my major dismay, SPIN Modern Thai closed last week. I only ate there once, about 6 weeks ago, and it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. A very informative interview with the owners ran in the Austin Chronicle; basically, they made some bad financial decisions coupled with major repairs that they couldn't recover from. One of the chefs says he will be assisting his sister get Titaya's back open later this fall.

-- East Side King trailer at the Grackle Bar has closed. (Bring it south, though there has been steady construction on ESK's brick and mortar spot on South Lamar!)


Misc.

-- I had the pleasure of meeting former Top Chef contestant and Italian restaurateur Fabio Viviani at a food blogger meet-and-greet just prior to his book signing at BookPeople on April 30th. He oozes charm, talked non-stop, and was excited to meet a group of dedicated food bloggers. He asked for our cards, and said he was always looking for guest bloggers for his online magazine. Well, sure enough, about a week later, I was contacted by his PR team, asking if I'd like to write a guest post on lasagna, for National Lasagna Week. So if you saw my Summer Skillet Lasagna post from 2 weeks ago, that's the recipe I created for Fabio! You can see the entire issue here, and my lasagna is on page 12!

-- And now on Instagram! @southaustinfoodie

Bits and Bites

Events

-- Salt + Time Salumeria and Jester King Brewery are teaming up for a five-course beer dinner, Wed., July 24th, $70/person, ticket info here.

-- J. Blacks is having their 6th anniversary on July 25th, gift bags for the first 100 guests.

-- Area Jack in the Box restaurants (and no, chains and fast food usually aren't my thing) are holding a summer fan drive, July 27th; they will collect 20-inch box fans or monetary donations, that will be utilized by the United Way for Greater Austin and their clientele.

-- Banger's  will have their one year anniversary party on August 3rd, complete with live music, pig roast and some special beers.

-- Casa Brasil, along with South Austin Brewing Company, are offering their "Up and Down" Tours, a "backstage pass into the world of craft coffee and craft beer." You get tours of both facilities (next door to each other), lunch, and a goodie bag for $35! Next tour is August 10th.

-- This year's Pay It Forward with Daniel Curtis Benefit will be August 8th, 7 - 10 pm, $75/person at the AT + T Conference Center. Daniel was a food and beverage director at the AT + T/Carillon, who became a quadriplegic in a diving accident. The event benefits the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation, and has an amazing lineup of area chefs donating their time and talents (see the Pay it Forward link). I attended as a volunteer last year, and the food and energy in the room was amazing.

-- Parkside is hosting the Summer Sparkling Dinner on August 13th, $100/person, benefiting the Sustainable Food Center.

New and Updates
-- The Dojo, specializing in Japanese bar foods, has opened (yes, up north....) at 9070 Research Blvd.

-- El Pollo Rico, the Mexican-style rotisserie chicken place, has opened another spot at 1719 E. William Cannon.

-- Pelons Tex Mex, at 8th and Red River (the old Jaime's Spanish Village), is now offering Sunday brunch, complete with a Bloody Mary bar. I don't see the menu online as of this posting, but the press release mentions huevos rancheros, migas, breakfast tacos and burritos.

-- Coming this winter, Olamie, a modern Southern restaurant will open at 1610 San Antonio (the old Mars and Sagra location). Prior to their formal opening, they will host a series of pop-up meals at various establishments around town, starting at Lenoir, August 6 - 10.

-- Wheatsville Co-op's new spot on South Lamar is slated to open on/around August 28th.


In the past two weeks, I have attended three media tastings/soft openings (thank you for having me!), all very good!

The new PhoNatic in Southpark Meadows -- pork bun (vermicelli) bowl and eye of round pho.

Kenichi downtown -- seabass with grapefruit, seaweed + wilted spinach, prosciutto-wrapped big eye tuna, butterfish

Arro's soft opening -- mussels + frites, antelope, croque monsieur, four desserts (chocolate pot de creme on the right stole the show!).

And, the Austin Food Blogger's Alliance fundraiser for the ARC -- Cocktails and Cupcakes! Thanks again to all of our sponsors. Cupcakes: Blue Note Bakery, Butter Stick Bakery, Crema Bakery + Cafe, Delish, SugaPlump Pastries, Sugar Mama's Bakeshop. Cocktails: T1 Tequila, Treaty Oak Distillery, Hops + Grain.  Flowers: Central Market Westgate. Facility + Appetizers: Le Cordon Bleu of Austin. Additional support by Google+.

Summer Skillet Lasagna

It's hot. Whether you are in Austin or other warm climates, the summertime often means using the oven much less than at other times of the year. But what is a pasta-loving foodie like me supposed to do if I can't make mac and cheese or lasagna? Fortunately, I've come up with a good stove top skillet lasagna that minimizes some of the heat in the kitchen, and it's not real heavy so you won't feel weighed down in the hot weather. I use a premade tomato sauce, but if you are feeling industrious, make your own sauce with some fabulous summer tomatoes.

I started with fresh Italian chicken sausage, removed the casing, and crumbled it in the skillet, cooking all the way through. I am fortunate to have Central Market nearby, there's a ton of fresh-made sausages in the meat case, and again, I like a chicken sausage for this recipe, but pork or beef is fine too. And if you can't find a fresh chicken sausage, use a pre-cooked one that's been diced; saute it for a few minutes so the pieces crisp up a bit. Alternatively, if you are cooking vegetarian, get a couple portobello mushrooms, remove the stem and gills, cut into 1/2 inch strips, and then a 1/2 inch dice; saute in a little olive oil until lightly browned. Remove sausage/mushrooms from skillet. 

As the sausage cooks, I used a handy "y-peeler" to make zucchini ribbons. I find this works better than a conventional peeler, or you could use a mandoline slicer.

In the skillet, begin assembling your lasagna. First some sauce, then noodles, then zucchini, sausage, ricotta, and repeat the layers, topping it off with fresh mozzarella. 

I take an off-set spatula and spread the ricotta out into an even layer before adding the next layer.

Cover the skillet, and cook 20 - 25 minutes over medium-low heat (you want the sauce to be gently bubbling as it cooks); the cheese on top will be melty, the sauce will have filled the skillet, and the noodles should be tender. Remove the lid and turn off the heat.

Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting into it; serve with a generous sprinkling of fresh basil leaves. Once cooled completely, I cut the lasagna into single portions and freeze them for an easy meal later on. Enjoy and stay cool!

Summer Skillet Lasagna
 © South Austin Foodie 2013

approximately 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
8 ounces fresh chicken sausage, casings removed (or portobello mushrooms, diced)
24 ounces tomato/pasta sauce
6 full length (about 10 inches) no boil lasagna noodles, cut in half, making twelve 5" lengths
1 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ribbons
15 ounces low fat ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
3 - 4 leaves fresh basil, sliced thinly 
Parmesan cheese, optional

-- In a 12" covered skillet, heat 1 - 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-low heat; add crumbled sausage (or mushrooms), and saute until lightly browned and sausage is cooked all the way through. Remove from skillet.
-- In the same skillet (with heat on lowest setting), add about 1 cup of tomato sauce to the bottom of the pan. Place 4 noodle strips down, followed by zucchini ribbons, about half the sausage, and about half the ricotta. Take a knife or offset spatula and smooth the ricotta into an even layer. 
-- Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, a smidge of salt, and a grind or two of fresh black pepper; top with about a cup of sauce.
-- Now repeat: noodle, zucchini, remaining sausage and ricotta, olive oil, salt and pepper.
-- Add the final layer of noodles, the remaining sauce (make sure to cover all edges of the noodle with the sauce), and top with the mozzarella and a bit of Parmesan if desired. 
-- Put the lid on, and over medium heat, let it get all bubbly. Once it really starts simmering, turn down to medium-low, and give it 20-25 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through. Remove lid, turn off the heat, and give it at least 5 minutes before cutting. 
-- When serving, top with basil and Parmesan cheese.