The day after Thanksgiving, a wonderful thing happened. The Noble Pig, a favorite local eatery of ours, opened their deli counter and began serving charcuterie. Shortly before that, we were fortunate to be invited to a preview event where we were able to sample a wide variety of these offerings for free.

Continue reading "No Common Pigs Here"

Yeah, we're totally still talking about things that happened in March. But no matter, this one is worth talking about. Second Bar + Kitchen. It's part of a trio of what I'm certain are top notch eateries tucked into 200 Congress Ave, but this is the only one we've managed to visit. And we've visited it more than once. Part of our SXSW respite was to take a break in the afternoon to rest our weary feet and consume grown-up beverages. Second Bar + Kitchen proved to be a lovely oasis. 

Continue reading "The Ass End of Behind"

There's a place in north Austin where, for a few dollars (very few), you can get a beautifully constructed Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. The filling of choice, often some sort of meat, is topped with lightly pickled daikon radish and carrot and sprinkled liberally with fresh cilantro. All this is encased in some of the most perfect French bread I've ever had the pleasure to eat. Some mayonnaise ties it all together and slices of fresh jalapenos are offered on the side so the heat may be adjusted to your liking. It may not look like much from the outside, but Baguette House is well worth a visit.

Continue reading "House Special"

I had been babbling about the opening of Haddingtons for a couple weeks before we finally made our way down to try it out. Sean and I had been deep in the throes of our new cocktail habit, and I tried to lure Sean downtown with the promise of “seeing how the professionals do it.” We were seated nowhere near the bar at the time, but we certainly enjoyed the fruits of the professionals' efforts. The craft cocktails were the draw for me, but the food is every bit as enticing. We’ve been back repeatedly, at all hours of the day and night, and have yet to leave disappointed.

Continue reading "Not Hipster Enough to Willingly Drink PBR"

It was only a matter of time before I talked about Imo's Pizza on this blog. People love or hate this pizza; there's rarely a middle ground. While I expect that some of you will never trust my taste buds again after this, I have to admit a love of this pizza that no span of time or leap toward adulthood can undo. Every year when we go back to see my family in Missouri over the holidays, we must, at least once, hit Imo's to partake of a cracker-thin bacon pizza with a side of toasted ravioli.

Continue reading "The Power of Imo's"

I didn’t catch on to Top Chef at the beginning of its life cycle, and I didn’t last beyond a couple of seasons before the drama seemed like it overtook the interesting cooking. In fact, the last season I watched was whichever one found Richard Blais and Stephanie Izard vying for the top spot. (I think there may have been others at the end, but for me, it was down to those two.)  After watching them cook through that season, I’d happily try food that either of them had a hand in, and at least with Mr. Blais, I found my chance while traveling over the holidays. Turns out, there’s a Flip Burger Boutique in Birmingham, AL.

Continue reading "Molecular Gastroburger"

It all started at a ham and bourbon party (the best things always do). We overheard someone talking about their friend's new trailer. That he was serving Asian street food type items and that he was thinking of branching into molecular gastronomy techniques. All from his little trailer. Naturally, we were curious, so one fine weekend not long ago, we headed over to the east side to check out Not Your Mama's Food Truck.

Continue reading "Definitely Not My Mama"

Our first night on our recent mini-vacation to Port Aransas, we snagged a reservation at Venetian Hot Plate. In doing my dab of pre-trip research, Venetian Hot Plate came up again and again and again as a recommendation. I was a little uncertain about a touch of Italy in coastal Texas, but figured, why not.

Continue reading "Misto Mare"

About a month ago now, we were invited to Fleming's downtown Austin location to check out their new menu additions. Sean and I have several times visited their north location for their very reasonably-priced happy hour, but hadn't experienced their proper sit-down menu yet, so we jumped at the chance.

Continue reading "New Menu Preview"

Last month, we attended a media event at Maria Maria in downtown Austin. I had no real expectations going in. It's a chain restaurant bearing the Carlos Santana name. One's gut instinct might be to expect the worst: perhaps a highly focused Hard Rock situation. But the price was right for giving it a shot, and the menu sounded interesting, so away we went.

Continue reading "Santanaland"