Pinthouse Pizza -- South Lamar

As with many things, the adage "if you build it, they will come" holds truth. The new Pinthouse Pizza on South Lamar in the Brodie Oaks shopping center is certainly no exception. It's sister location on Burnet Road has always been well-liked by friends, but I have never made it there myself. This brew pub/pizza joint opened in South Austin in late October, and when I went the beginning of December, it was packed.

Five of us decided to meet there on the first Thursday in December. I was the last to arrive at just after 6 pm, and I walked into a buzzing hive. Fortunately, my friends already had a table (or, a spot within the bank of picnic tables), AND one of them had been there before, so she knew how it worked. And thus, here lies my rub with Pinthouse: there's no host/hostess, so it's up to you to stumble in and figure it out for yourself. There are two separate lines you will have to get in, one for beer and one for food. Or maybe you only want one, and not the other, which will save you time. My friends had already ordered this flight of beers when I arrived; I liked the holder and the chalkboard for names.

We were ogling our neighbors nacho tray, and they gave it high marks, so we started with that. Very tasty queso and nice thick tortilla chips, and I think a decent quantity for just under $8.

The wedge salad was a disappointment, as the blue cheese vinaigrette was very weak in flavor, as it really lacked the promised blue cheese. It just tasted like an oil and vinegar dressing. But it was very fresh iceberg lettuce.

We got three 10" pizzas so we could try a variety. So they're not quite Neapolitan-style pizzas, but they are a thicker, doughier crust. They come in 10", 14", and 16" sizes. Three small pizzas plus the nachos and salad were perfect for five people.

The pepperoni and basil turned out to be my favorite; the meat was sliced really thin, so it was a bit crispy around the edges and not at all greasy, plus there wasn't too much tomato sauce (I am not a fan of heavy tomato sauce on a pizza).

The Armadillo pizza with sausage, poblano, ricotta, and cilantro. I love a white pie, but this didn't do it for me. In my book, it really really needs a drizzle of a balsamic reduction or some other acidity on it to really make it stand out. Fresh and good quality ingredients? Yes. Great tasting pizza? No.

And this other white pizza, with mushrooms and arugula; I think this was a build your own option, I can't remember and someone else did the ordering. This too suffered from lack of acid, whether it's balsamic or tomato sauce or fig jam. Overall is their pizza good? Yes, but just not as good as it could be to my discerning palate.

But hands down, the best thing we had was the chocolate fudge brownie with Amy's ice cream. So rich! And smooth, and really chocolaty. And when split five ways, even better!

I was real glad to have a "veteran" with us, who knew how the system worked, as walking into a new place for the first time can be a tad overwhelming when the place is packed. And a beer and pizza joint with ample parking is sorely needed in this area. They are really good about updating their Facebook page regularly, and I see that a house-brewed "Hefewhyzen" will be tapped later this month (one of my favorite beer varieties). Plus the January pizza of the month is a Thai peanut chicken, which I know won't appeal to everyone, but it does to me! Now I feel that I can enter Pinthouse with confidence, as I at least know how the system works. If my one weeknight experience is any indication, they have no trouble attracting business.

Your Mom's Burgers -- Delivered!

** Editor's update: I think they are working on a brick + mortar in Smithville; not certain if the mail order burger is still around.

Your Mom's burgers is back! This time in the comfort of your own kitchen, as they now offer home delivery meal kits. They contacted me back in November, and asked if I would be interested in trying one of their kits. This is a sponsored post, and all opinions are my own.

While their restaurants unfortunately closed in 2014, they have reinvented themselves in this new era of home delivered meals. Go to their website, Your Mom's, and scroll down; I did the Stuffed Burger Meal Kits with blue cheese stuffed burgers, but you can also just get the stuffed burger without all the extras. But I was glad I got the kit! You'll see when you go online you have lots of options: what kind of cheese you want it stuffed with, type of bun, sauces, sides, etc.

It came in a cardboard box with two separate packages, one with the dry goods and the other, with all the perishable goods, in an insulated bag with a couple ice packs. Here's what everything looked like when unpacked.

As you can see, everything is very well labeled, which is good to make it as idiot-proof as possible.  The burger itself kind of flattened out during transport, so I reshaped it a bit before cooking. I also hardly every fry things at home, so making the sweet potato fries was a treat! They included flour and soda water for dredging the fries; all you need is the oil. There was a "sweet tater bling" seasoning for them once cooked, which was really delicious with it's chai flavors, and they suggest a little homemade caramel sauce (also included) drizzled over.

I don't have any fabulous pictures of my Black Angus beef burger cooking, but really, you know what a burger cooking looks like!  Here's my plate, and I was QUITE pleased with how everything turned out! You can kind of see the blue cheese starting to squirt out the edge of the burger! I normally like a good medium rare burger, so I was being careful not to overcook these, and I succeeded. They were delicious!

And check out their Instagram page , because when you register on their website, you could win an upcoming burger giveaway!!!

So even though the holidays are past, give yourself or a loved one a gift of burgers! If you were a fan of Your Mom's restaurants, or if you just want a darn tasty burger, hop online and order (delivery within the 48 contiguous states). Your biggest problem will be deciding on blue, jack, cheddar, or mozzarella to stuff it with! Burgers up!

2015 Was Tasty!

Here's a little wrap up of some of the tasty things I ate this past year!

Top row: burger at Shake Shack soft opening, Indian food from Asiana, my mom's lamb chops at Christmas
Middle row: dim sum from Chinatown, cream puff from Cream Whiskers, LA BBQ
Bottom row: Gus's fried chicken, sandwich at Lucky Puccia's, pastrami plate at Pieous

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and very tasty 2016! Thanks for reading and following me on social media! Cheers!

Prevention R3 Summit is Returning!

Are you starting to think about some new year resolutions? Do you want to be revived, refreshed, and reinvented? Then consider the Prevention Magazine's R3 Summit  -- the Premier Summit Advancing Women's Health, January 15 - 16, 2016 at the Moody Theater.

I attended last year's (October 2014) event as a guest blogger (here's my recap from last year), and I have been invited back again (all opinions are my own). Here's a look at the upcoming programming, and more details are online.  

• Keynote speaker Joan Lunden will discuss her breast cancer fight, and her mission to educate and inspire others.
• Dr. Travis Stork and Dr. Jennifer Ashton of the Emmy-nominated show The Doctors will provide the road map to your healthiest year ever.
• One of the nation’s most sought-after meditation experts, Dr. Bob Roth, will be on-hand to help you harness your inner power to reach your full potential.
• Motivational speaker and activist Lizzie Velasquez, author of A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story shares her history.
  
• Top Chef Masters alum Monica Pope will create an inventive, multi-course menu for Friday night’s opening reception and dinner. 
• A leader in the fields of nutrition and fitness, Dr. Wendy Bazilian will take on eating clean in a dirty world. 
• Chef Chad Sarno, former head Chef of Whole Foods, will demonstrate how to achieve your health goals starting in the kitchen. 
• Celebrity Personal Trainer Larysa DiDio will lead a Fit in 10 workshop, a groundbreaking workout that maximizes results in only 10 minutes a day.
• Sex Doctor Lauren Streicher will answer your most intimate questions about sexual health. 

Get $20 off a weekend pass with the code: R3BLOG, and spread the word! Click here for ticket information.  Hope to see you at the Moody Theater!


Prevention R3 Summit
January 15-16, 2016
Moody Theater
310 Willie Nelson Drive (2nd + Lavaca Streets)

The Last Bits and Bites Food News of 2015

Places for Christmas Dinner
-- Goodall's Kitchen, $44/person
-- Prelog's, December 24-26, $49/person
-- Sagra, Dec 22-24, Feast of the Seven Fishes Dinner, $39.95/person + $25 for wine pairings
-- VOX Table (Christmas Eve), $89/person

Places for New Year's Eve Dinner
-- Arro, $50/person
-- The Carillon, $75/person
-- Contigo, $110/person
-- Dai Due, $95/person
-- Gardner, $65-115/person
-- The Hightower
-- Launderette, $65-85/person
-- Parkside, $90/person +$35 for wine pairings
-- Prelog's
-- Sala + Betty, $35/person + $15 for wine pairings
-- Texas French Bread, $50/person + $30 for wine pairings
-- VOX Table, $100/person
-- Weather Up, $145/person

Other Offerings
-- East Tiger has Stollen and Vörtbröd holiday breads.
-- Fresa's has tamales and posole through December 24th.
-- Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina has tamales through December 24th.
-- Gourmet By Numbers has a variety of meal kits/holiday gift packages.

Events
-- Sunday, December 20th, coffee and donut pop-up bakery in Lenoir's wine garden with their pastry chef, 10 am - 1 pm.
-- Monday, December 21st, Counter 3.FIVE.VII dinner with Apis and Apiary, $180/person or $300 with wine pairings.
-- Tuesday, December 22nd, Garbo's hosts a five-course dinner, $65/person.
-- Kitchen Underground has a full schedule of classes for December and January, all taught by local bloggers, chefs, home cooks, artisans, and professionals.
-- Oasthouse Gastropub now open for brunch and lunch.
-- SPUN liquid nitrogen ice cream now open.
-- The Prevention R3 Summit is coming January 15-16 at the Moody Theater; keep an eye on this space for ticket details and giveaways! 
-- Bacon + Beer Festival, January 24, 2016 at Fair Market. Tickets on sale. 

Openings
-- Central Standard, inside the South Congress Hotel, opened December 17th.
-- Chez Nada, a French brasserie and bakery will open in late 2016 at 110 San Antonio Street in the Northshore building, the latest from the New Waterloo group and Jesse Herman.
-- Amazon Prime now delivering food from participating restaurants to Prime customers.
-- Barley Swine moving to their new home on Burnet Road on January 2nd.

Closings
-- Blackbird and Henry
-- Congress (will make way for an expanded 2nd Bar + Kitchen)
-- Fork and Taco
-- Roll On Sushi
-- Short Bus Subs (trailers)

Happy holidays, y'all!!!