Snack Bar has been in the heart of South Congress (in the old El Sol y La Luna spot, next to the Austin Motel) for a few years now, but I had only ever been once before for a brief visit. I met a friend there earlier this week and got to relax with a drink (sangria!) and some various dishes of food as we caught up.
I would call Snack Bar as having an eclectic menu, ranging from eggs and French toast for breakfast, sandwiches and salad options for lunch, and smaller plates -- from pate to sardines to fries and larger plates -- ramen, steak, root veggies for dinner offerings. Largely, I see Asian and Mediterranean influences throughout the menu -- something for everyone. They are also supporters of local food resources, which is always good!
We started with the flash-fried Brussels sprouts, which were delicious! Crispy, savory, well-seasoned, and the herb aioli on the side added creaminess and a touch of sweet if desired. We gobbled these up and could have easily eaten more.
Next up was the Tamago Yoko, their take on the Japanese okonomiyaki -- think a large latke or shredded vegetable cake, this one made from cabbage, leeks, bacon, shrimp, with wasabi aioli and sriracha on top. It was not quite as good as the one I had from the Osaka Soul trailer last year (my previous post is here; Osaka Soul seems to be on a lengthy hiatus), but it was pretty darn good. The sriracha, as expected has a bit of a punch to it, but I didn't really get a whole lot of wasabi from the aioli; the whole thing could have been a bit crispier in my book, but the flavors were good. It does come with two over-medium eggs on top, which we asked for on the side; my friend is not an egg eater at all, and I am now just starting to like eggs with runny yolks. So the eggs, not pictured, were on a separate plate, and I DID eat mine with the Tamago Yoko. And I enjoyed it.
The mac and cheese (pictured above in the crock) was really the only thing that disappointed, as the macaroni was fairly mushy, and no discernible breadcrumbs (as advertised) on top.
For dessert we had Cookies + Cream -- house cookies with a scoop of vanilla Blue Bell ice cream; in this case, the cookies were a fluffy snickerdoodle style.
Overall it was a good experience, and we had a good server. I do wonder though if they can be consistently good in all of their food, as they are open B, L, and D and they serve such a range of foods. I know I've been a bit critical of places like Cafe Malta (and I was there two weeks ago, and it was the same story) of trying too hard with different dishes and/or flavors, and then not all of them come through on a dish. However, given their location, in the heart of a touristy area, they can probably get by without 100% perfection. But it does make me wonder why I don't ever really hear any buzz on Snack Bar. More tourists than locals? Not sure, but I would go back!
I attended a work function last week at Corazon, at 5th and Baylor. One of my main reasons for wanting to attend was to check out the food! I had not been since it made the transition from Castle Hill Cafe. Our group was in the upstairs private room, and we were offered an abbreviated menu.
My coworker and I were actually a bit early, so we enjoyed happy hour drinks at the bar -- she a (strong!) prickly pear margaritas and me a tasty sangria. Sitting at the bar allowed me to take in the decor, which I really liked -- lots of Moroccan lanterns that cast cool shadows on the walls and ceiling.
Once settled upstairs, we had a choice of sopa de elote or southwest Caesar salad. I had the soup, and as described on the menu, it was light-bodied. Nice whole corn kernels, and the green chile on top gave it a nice kick.
We had our choice of five main courses, steak, chicken, fish, shrimp, or vegetarian. I had the chicken mole enchiladas; the presentation was quite nice, but the mole sauce was weak. It was rather thin, and really only tasted of chiles and cocoa, and none of the bananas, raisins, almonds or pumpkin seeds that were listed in the menu description. {So if you've been paying attention here lately, you'll know I've had two chicken mole enchilada dishes and neither was spectacular.....someday....}
One coworker had the sauteed Gulf fish (no specific type was specified) served over a savory bread pudding.
They plated a trio of desserts, from the left, peanut butter pie, which was incredible, mocha toffee torte and white chocolate almond cheesecake. I wonder if they make their desserts in-house or get them from somewhere else.
Again, I loved the interior of Corazon -- there were interesting pieces at every turn. For me, the verdict is still out on the food, it does seem to have potential, but the mole sauce was the weak link.
Sorry for the lower-quality of the photos; they were all taken with my phone, and I didn't use flash for the food pics in an effort to be inconspicuous during our work presentation.
The first installment of 2013!
-- Swan Dive and Chef Sonya Cote host "Farm to Disco," a 1970's era fondue and disco fundraiser for the Sustainable Food Center's capital campaign, January 14th. Tickets are $60.
-- Austin Food and Wine Alliance's Chef Wine and Dine series kicks off with Chef David Bull on January 17th at the Austonian. Tickets are $150, and include valet parking; proceeds benefit AFWA's culinary grants, which last year, gave $20,000 to three programs.
-- Jo's Coffee on South Congress hosts their 7th Annual Chili Competition on January 27th to benefit People's Community Clinic. Chili tasting will be $20/person.
Open
-- Epicerie Cafe and Grocery at 2307 Hancock Drive, serving a French-Louisiana inspired menu.
-- The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company has announced they will move into a warehouse space at 1305 W. Oltorf, about a quarter mile east of South Lamar (by the railroad tracks); it's founded by the former brew-masters at Uncle Billy's Brew and Cue.
-- River City Market, grocery store carrying local goods, at 2209 S. Congress
-- Casino El Camino is opening a south location at 1502 E. Ben White.
Closed
-- Agora Sports Bar
-- Mizu in Lakeway
-- Nuevo Leon on E. 6th will be closing in the coming month
Misc.
-- Read here for Matt Odam's best new restaurants!
Just before New Year's, I met a group of friends at Polvos, a place haven't been in probably 7 or 8 years, even though I live nearby. The South First Street Mexican food joint (and member of the "Mexican Mile") is well-known for it's relatively cheap but potent margaritas, but I've never known the food to be their stronger suit. Would I be proved wrong?
Fortunately, we had a reservation, because on a Saturday night, the place was packed. We were seated at an eight-foot plastic folding table with plastic folding chairs to match, and there was hardly any space to maneuver around the room. Being a colder night, there was a lot spill-over inside of folks waiting for tables, which certainly contributed to the noise levels. I arrived a few minutes late, and the margaritas, chips and salsas were already flowing when I sat down.
"Old time" Austinites may recall that the location that
Polvo's took over used to be a restaurant called Seis Salsas, which had a
salsa bar in the middle of the floor for customers to help
themselves. Polvos has continued that tradition, with a number of salsas
available. I didn't go up to the bar myself, so I am not certain on the exact names of what was at our table. On the left, is the roja, which I liked. Good bright flavor. The contrast, on the right, was a salsa that tasted very burned and overly roasted to me; looking online at their list of salsas, this may be the ahumada, or smoked, salsa. Others at our table liked this particular one, but it didn't do anything for my taste buds. Here you can see the festive lights and the salsa bar, though I have a feeling these lights may be up year-round.
One hungry eater got the Goliath Burrito; unfortunately from the picture, you can't really tell the size of this thing, but it was huge! A good 10+ inches long, and well-stuffed with your choice of meats.
The Guacamole Salad comes looking beautiful, nice chopped pieces of avocado, tomatoes, onion, cilantro. You can either eat it as is, or mash it up and make your own guac. Unfortunately, the kitchen threw a handful of salt in it, and it was practically inedible, and the person who ordered it is a salt fiend, so if she says it's too salty, it's too salty. The waiter was very apologetic, and handled the situation well; overall, given the crowds I thought he did a good job. Not his first time at the rodeo.
The Camarones Diablo are shrimp in a tequila and chipotle sauce, which was rather spicy.
I ordered the Combo Plate, and my selections were a chicken enchilada with mole sauce (on the left) and an al pastor soft taco. Overall, it was good, but nothing to write home about. The mole sauce had decent flavor but no depth...honestly, I have made more satisfying mole sauces, and yes, they take time and a lot of ingredients. This one was a bit sweet and it had the cocoa undertones, but I couldn't really get any other flavors -- no raisins, or nuts, or even much of a lasting chile flavor. Now the al pastor was a bit better. The pork was nice and tender, juicy; at first I didn't see any pineapple pieces, but then I realized there were some in there. That's what I love about al pastor -- the savoriness of the meat combined with the sweet twang from the charred pineapple. The beans and rice were your average Mexican establishment fare.
So do I feel that I was proved wrong about Polvo's food? No. It honestly doesn't cut it for me. If I am going to have interior Mexican in this part of town, I am going to pick Habanero on Oltorf, just east of South First, or Sazon on South Lamar, just north of the light at Hether/Mary Streets, or Borrego de Oro (no website) on South Congress, just before Ben White/290. Life's too short to eat sub-par food!
