Recent Eats

I spent Saturday, January 25th at Travaasa for Edible Austin's Jam and Jive, benefiting the Sustainable Food Center which featured local presenters discussing ways to use seasonal foods.  Thank you to Giant Noise PR for the media pass!

The first session I attended was with Travaasa's own executive chef, Ben Baker, who talked about fermenting and sprouting grains for breads, as they breakdown the cellular structure and make them easier for digesting. He gave us pieces of three different sourdough breads, a traditional, one with red wine and thyme, and one with rye, all outstanding in their crust, crumb, and most importantly, flavor.

The second session was from Hip Girl author Kate Payne who gave us four different ways to use grapefruit, apart from eating it! You can make a shrub (or drinking vinegar) from the peel, an infused salt from the zest, cleaning solutions from the pith and peel, and a natural thickener from the seeds. No waste!

After a happy hour a featuring some of the items made in the classes, we had dinner prepared by Chef Baker and his team. Pickled cauliflowers with hydroponic watercress, preserved trout and deviled egg. Pork tenderloin wrapped in ancho-cured pork belly. Pickled strawberries, chocolate bacon, and zabaglione. All delicious, and much of it grown there on the Travaasa property.

Other recent eats....if you follow me (and of course you should!) on Instagram, you may have seen some of these before.

-- A pleasant brunch at the Steeping Room (the one at 45th & Lamar). A quaint modern tea house that happens to serve an array of food. This was "the Morning Tea Service," one of the brunch options and quite a lot of food, and included tea, coffee, or chai. The ginger scone was outstanding (as was the crispy bacon, duh!), and yes those are miniature cookies on top of the fruit salad, along with a generous serving of clotted cream.

-- Barbeque from the Lone Star BBQ trailer, located at South Lamar and Bluebonnet. While I drive past this practically every day, a recent sunny Sunday during the farmer's market was the first time I had stopped, and the whole place was packed. The service was super-friendly, and I got my food to go. As you can tell, it's a bit on the greasy side. The brisket had a decent smoke ring, but was a bit bland in flavor; the sausage was good, nice medium-coarse texture and if I had to guess, I'd say the potato salad was pre-made from a grocery store. Not bad barbeque, but not outstanding.

 

-- Quite a number of people attended the soft opening/media preview for Chavez, Shawn Cirkiel's latest project, which replaces the TGI Friday's at the Radisson Hotel at Congress and Cesar Chavez. The food is a spin on modern south western cuisine, and the new interior is stunning! The evening featured very hard-working staff members cranking out drinks and passing trays of a number of appetizers which were miniature versions of menu items, including these lovely smoked cherry margaritas.

 -- The impeccable staff at Uchi and Uchiko should be the gold standard for which all other restaurants strive to achieve. The food and service is always flawless. One of my good friends and I went early on a Monday night to celebrate her birthday; we had a 5 pm reservation, and the place was essentially full by 5:30. The bacon steakie with the watermelon radish was pork belly perfection (so good, we ordered a second one, right before the end of social hour), and we were treated to the jizake creme caramel -- browned butter sorbet with a gingery flan and light simple syrup poured on top. I generally don't care as much for their desserts (a little too "modern" for me!), but this was a winner in my book.

-- I had lunch plans with a friend who is the parent of a toddler, so she doesn't get out much. She said "I want ramen! I've never had ramen and I hear you guys all talking about." So I opted for Kome (I really want to get back to Ramen Tatsuya, but I wasn't willing to stand in line, as this was on one of our recent "wintery" days.) Well, needless to say, she loved it (as did I)! She ordered the tonkotsu (pork broth) ramen bowl with pork belly and soft-boiled egg, and I had the chicken kara-age, their take on fried chicken, with an ultra-light batter. While the chicken looks a little washed out in the picture, it was piping hot, devoid of any grease, and very juicy! We also got the tsukemono (pickled veggies) and a longhorn roll (with steak) that were also perfectly prepared. Kome has different menus for lunch and dinner, and now having been twice for lunch, I think dinner there is in my near future.

 -- Yes, I've been on an Asian kick (though I almost always am!), and just days after ramen at Kome, I had dinner with a friend at Michi Ramen, which was better than I remember it from last summer -- maybe because it was colder outside now and hot broth just warms you up! We split the tempura which had a perfect batter on them and the gyoza, which were some of the best-seared dumplings I've ever had at a restaurant. I had the michi ramen bowl (pork broth) with the stout (or heavier) broth, with an extra topping of veggies. The broth has a nice porky flavor and the noodles had just the right firmness; because we had ordered appetizers, I ate about half my bowl, and took the rest home for lunch the next day. My friend ordered the Texas BBQ bowl with a tomato-based broth, which comes complete with pork ribs in it!

-- And finally, I was very excited to receive this in the mail the other day! It's CHOCOLATE! It's my "thank you" from local business Piq Chocolates for donating to their recent Kickstarter campaign, which allowed them to purchase a 3D printer that makes personalized designs on chocolate! I got to custom design my bar, and while just putting a logo on it is pretty basic, I think it's genius for many businesses out there! See their website for more details. Oh, and the dark chocolate tastes good too! After shooting this picture, I took a bite, and it's a nice bittersweet chocolate with some light fruity undertones, and good texture! Not chalky or dry.

What have YOU been eating lately?

Bits and Bites

Valentine's Eats -- make a reservation!
-- The Carillon is offering 3 or 5 course meals with or without wine pairings on Feb 13, 14, and 15, featuring Hawaiian blue prawns, wagyu ribeyes, and chocolate terrine.
-- Due Forni is offering a 4 course meal for $60, featuring buffalo mozzarella, lobster ravioli, pizza with prawns, and cannoli. 
-- Andiamo is offering a 4 course meal for $65 or $80 with wine pairings, with main course offerings such as porcini risotto and beef tenderloin, with many of the recipes coming from the owner's Italian family.
-- Peche Austin is offering a la carte choices, including roast bone marrow, and branzino with fennel and artichokes.
-- Liberty Tavern at the Hilton Downtown presents the Hater's Club, an evening for heart breakers and singles with a slow-roasted double bone pork chop and drink specials.

Openings
-- Chavez, the latest from Shawn Cirkiel, at the Radisson Hotel at Cesar Chavez and Congress. Modern Southwestern.
-- Porter Ale House and Gastropub, at 3715 South First (new apartment building just south of Ben White); owned by a trio who come from the Hyatt Lost Pines... menu looks fantastic!
-- The Hightower, at 1209 E. 7th Street in the former Karibu Ethiopian spot. Full bar. They will also hold monthly charity nights, the first Wednesday of the month. On February 5th, 20% of food proceeds will go to Austin Pets Alive.
-- Half Step Bar, at 75 1/2 Rainey Street, hand-crafted cocktails, petanque court and live music.
-- Diesel Foods is opening a brick and mortar shop at 2210 South First Street, where customers can pick up prepared meals, either just on a walk-in basis, or work with their staff to develop a nutritional program. They will also carry local produce and products like cold-pressed juices and protein bars.
-- Crave Restaurant, a national chain with about 10 locations, is opening at 340 E. 2nd Street.
-- Local burger favorite P. Terry's is unveiling a food truck for events later this month.
-- Titaya's....someday!
-- Phonatic, the locally owned casual Vietnamese chain has opened in Cedar Park at 1468 E. Whitestone Blvd.
-- Bar 79 in Perry's Steakhouse at 114 W. 7th Street is being redesigned and will reopen later this month.
-- New food trailer park called The Picnic at 1720 Barton Springs Road coming soon.
-- Later this spring, aRoma, an Italian spot at 3401 South Lamar (new apartment building next to the Broken Spoke)

Events
-- Mockingbird Domestics is hosting a chocolate and coffee pairing class with Houndstooth Coffee, Thursday, February 6th, 6 pm, $20/person.
-- RL Reeves of Scumptious Chef is hosting a pop-up dinner at Tamale House East on Saturday, February 8th, featuring exotic meats -- goose, alligator, yak and antelope.
-- Austin Food and Wine Alliance and David Alan of the Tipsy Texan collaborate on the Official Drink of Austin event, Thursday, February 20th, 7 - 10pm at the AT+T Conference Center, $65/person. 
-- Food truck throwdown between Chilantro and the Peached Tortilla, Saturday, February 22nd, 2 - 5 pm, at the Draught House, 4112 Medical Parkway, $20. 
-- The Edible Austin Bacon and Beer Festival will also be February 22nd, 2:30 - 5 pm, at the Marchesa Event Center.
-- Banger's will host a St. Arnold beer and chocolate pairing, with beers from the personal collection of St. Arnold's owner. Wednesday, February 26th, $50/person, ticket info here.

Regal Ravioli

Pasta is quite possibly the ultimate comfort food for me. And while I can make a pretty decent carbonara, homemade ravioli is something I rarely (okay, never) attempt to make. Fortunately, my neighborhood is home to Regal Ravioli, where I have become quite acquainted with the food. Owner Zach Adams has his trailer parked in a lot behind a blue house at 504 W. Oltorf (next to Church's Fried Chicken, just east of the intersection of Oltorf and South First). The house is the indoor seating for Regal Ravioli and my good friends at The Flying Carpet. Order food at either trailer, and they'll happily bring it to you inside the house, or you can dine outside at one of the picnic tables. Credit cards are accepted, and you're welcome to bring your own wine or beer.

I have visited Regal Ravioli a number of times in the past two years, and there is always a nice variety on the menu that would please vegetarians and carnivores alike, not to mention adults and children. Basically, you pick your ideal ravioli and the type of sauce you want to go with it.                      

Zach starts everything out though with homemade pasta, which I happened to catch him making on my most recent visit. One batch of pasta dough will make about eight servings of ravioli, I believe he said, so he makes multiple batches throughout the day. He also makes different doughs for different dishes. It's a very well stocked and organized trailer, and he makes everything right there in the trailer.

Regal Ravioli's logo proclaims they are the king of ravioli in Austin, to which I would add king of gnocchi as well! Their sweet potato gnocchi with bolognese sauce is something I crave and it's hard for me not to order it every time I am there! The individual gnocchi are consistently light and pillowy, and rival any gnocchi I've had at Enoteca or Buenos Aries Cafe, two area brick and mortar restaurants with generally outstanding gnocchi.  (And even if you're not a sweet potato fan, you wouldn't know you're eating sweet potatoes!) The meat sauce is hearty without being heavy, and accompanies the gnocchi nicely. I'd love to see what other kinds of gnocchi dishes they could make!

This is the sausage ravioli with a gouda veloute sauce; simple and clean presentation with outstanding body and flavor.

This is one of their recent specials, a roasted beet ravioli with caramelized onions and a touch of orange zest. Zach's suggestion was to pair it with the pecan pesto sauce, and it was terrific. Earthiness from the beets, a little bit of zip from the pesto, it was a great combination. One special that I've had in the past that's not pictured was a cheese and spinach ravioli with a blue cheese sauce that also had great flavor. They also have a few salads on the menu, including a pear and lentil, which I've tasted and really liked.

As with many trailers, Regal Ravioli is a one-man operation. Zach owns it, does all the cooking, etc. Occasionally I have seen a helper in the trailer, but Zach's the main guy. If he can't go, then the trailer won't open that day; check their Facebook or Twitter accounts for status updates and specials. Zach and his business partner have recently purchased a second trailer that they will use for mobile operations at events, festivals, and the like. He also told me they're working on some new dishes, like roast pork, and they do catering too!

So if you're looking for a great food trailer experience, go check out Regal Ravioli for a big bowl of freshly made pasta and sauce that are as good, if not better (and certainly a better value) than some of the well-known Italian restaurants in town. The ravioli truly is regal!

Habesha Ethiopian

I am hardly an expert on Ethiopian food, but I do enjoy it. I've always felt Aster's was okay, Karibu was better (but now closed), and had heard of a place up north in Pflugerville (Taste of Ethiopia) that the local food bloggers are rather enthusiastic about, but I rarely get that far north. Then a friend suggested Habesha to me, and I had never heard of it. It's on the northbound feeder road of IH-35 at Hwy 290 on your right (6019 N IH-35), in a small strip center, and apparently they've been open a year. My friend really likes Ethiopian and had been once before and loved it.

We got there about 7 pm on a Saturday evening. The decor inside is lovely -- some separate seating areas for having tea or coffee, as well as a bar, and an outdoor patio. It didn't feel like an old Mexican restaurant which is how I have felt when I've been in Aster's. There was only one table of six filled in the entire restaurant, but as our dinner progressed, the place began to fill up, which is always nice to see.

We started with the Ethiopian tea; when I asked our server what was in it, she said it was cinnamon. However upon tasting it, I could tell the predominant flavor was cloves. Our waitress was very sweet, but I don't know if she was new or just helping out, because she wasn't real knowledgeable about the menu, but she was willing to go ask.

From the appetizer menu, we had the sambusas, which I'd say are similar to Indian samosas, in that they are a light dough stuffed with a filling (your choice of beef or lentil, and we had the latter), and fried until crisp. They were delicious! I have no idea what the sauce was, but it was tasty too.

I ordered the Beg Key Wot, or #3 on the lamb portion of the menu. I was immediately interested because of the berbere spices, which is kind of like curry powder or garam masala -- there's no exact recipe. Commonly found throughout the Horn of Africa as a dry spice blend or a paste, each family has their own unique spice blend, which primarily include chiles, ginger, and garlic. The chiles usually give a berbere dish a nice reddish brown color as evidenced here. My friend ordered the Gomen Besega, or beef with collard greens (#6). The dishes come in this wonderful basket (this one is probably close to 30" in diameter and pretty much takes up the whole table), "lined" with a piece of injera, or their version of flat bread. Injera is made from teff, an ancient grain (and naturally gluten-free for those who need it); it takes a couple days for the batter to ferment before it's made into crepe-like bread; it has a very spongy texture, which can be an acquired taste, but I like it! You typically use the injera in place of a fork to eat your meal with, and the waitress did come by with more injera for us.

I really liked the lamb. It was tender, and the sauce had a lot of flavor, and while it was chile-based, it didn't set your mouth on fire, though you knew you were tasting chiles. I wasn't as crazy about the beef dish, as the beef was rather tough and chewy, and the collards were bland; the menu says they're cooked with onions and garlic, but I didn't really taste them. The collards were nicely cooked though.

We decided to try dessert, and I was intrigued by the offerings of baklava, cheesecake and tiramisu on the menu. We asked the waitress if the baklava was made in-house, and she went back to check, and found out it was. And while it looks nice, to me it was very soggy; I like a baklava with some crispness to it, and this was syrup soaked all the way through. While writing this up, I got curious about what typical Ethiopian desserts are, and found out there really aren't any, so it's common to have these offerings on a menu.

The atmosphere alone is worth it at Habesha, as was the friendliness of the staff.  There's a variety of options on the menu, including an extensive vegetarian section. When my friend was there previously, she had the veggie combo plate, which was six or seven different dishes! And they offer some combo plates with the meat dishes as well. Until I make it up to Taste of Ethiopia, I can certainly say this is the best Ethiopian food I've had in town.

Bits and Bites

 Upcoming Events

-- Peace Through Pie is "an Austin-based grassroots movement, which encourages all generations and cultures to honor and celebrate the peace-building legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. via old and new culinary traditions and shared pie." The first pie "social" was four years ago, and the movement has spread, and Peace Through Pie became a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. The movement has grown to include area schools, churches, and community centers. This year, over 25 organizations and businesses will hold pie social events beginning later this week, where participants will eat pie and engage in meaningful conversations. As founder Luanne Stovall, said “In our increasingly complex world, there is a great need to come together in an intentional way to celebrate diversity as a strength and cultivate trust. What better way to see the world as the pie and each of us as a piece, than to share our rich culinary traditions at the table?” Check out Peace Through Pie's website for a listing of events throughout the Austin community!

-- Central Market is holding Citrusational, their annual citrus festival, January 15-28, at all stores.

-- Salty Sow will be offering the menu they will serve at the renowned James Beard House in late February to guests at the restaurant on January 22 and February 5; $55/person or $75 with wine pairings. The 5-course menu includes Berkshire pork, swordfish, baked ricotta, and banana beignets.

-- The 8th Annual Jo's Chili Cookoff, benefiting the Sustainable Food Center will be January 26th at Jo's on South Congress. $20 to sample all 14 of the chili entrees from local restaurants and cooks.

-- Satay Restaurant will be featured on the Cooking Channel's Restaurant Redemption on January 28th. 

-- Jack Allen's Kitchen (Oak Hill) is holding the 4th Annual Lone Star Paralysis Bourbon Bash on January 29th; $150/person, and all proceeds to go the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. 

-- Sway will be hosting Night of 50,000 Lives, a fundraiser for the American Red Cross and their measles and rubella initiatives, February 13th, $250/person. 

-- The first Bacon and Beer Festival of Austin will be February 22, presented by Edible Austin in conjunction with Edible Boston.

Openings, etc.
-- The downtown outlet of the Memphis-based Gus's Fried Chicken opened last week at 117 San Jacinto.  

-- Juiceland has opened their 7th location at 620 and Lohman's Crossing.

-- The latest from ATX Brands, Vinyl (a music lounge) and Upstairs on Trinity (a wine bar) will hold their opening weekend January 16-18 at 607 Trinity. Tastings, drink specials and DJs!

-- A new pizza trailer, The Unconventional Oven, will hold their grand opening at the Breakpoint at the Boardwalk trailer park (2201 Lakeshore Blvd.). 

-- The new Whole Foods at the Domain officially opened January 15th. I attended an opening earlier in the week; it's a gorgeous store, just rather far from my South Austin home! ;)

-- Henri's Wine and Cheese will be adding a coffee shop next door (2026 South Lamar Blvd.)

-- P. Terry's is changing their oatmeal cookie, after a cookie challenge by a local fan! Ellie Livesay's own recipe was voted by customers to be the preferred cookie, and the local burger chain will now be using hers.

-- Andiamo has updated their menu to reflect colder-weather appropriate courses, including beef tenderloin with Gorgonzola, gnocchi with fontina cream sauce, and hot chocolate coup with a dash of hot pepper.

 Valentine's Events

-- The Flying Carpet trailer is selling "Moroccan kiss" cookies in Moroccan-inspired flavors for Valentine's Day. To preorder, click here.
 
-- Goodall's will serve a 4-course prix fixe menu for $109/person over V-day weekend.

-- Finn + Porter will serve a 4-course prix fixe menu for $75/person on Feb. 14th, which includes options as braised lamb, butternut squash soup, Gulf red snapper, and a dessert trio. 

-- Satay will serve a 3-course meal for $35, $49 with wines.