epicuriosities

Happy Birthday to Me!

Filed under Events, Restaurant, Wine by christyluv on October 5, 2011 at 3:15 pm {no comments}

From left to right: Quita Culpepper from KVUE, Bettie Cross, and Leslie Coons, both from KEYE

What a wonderful week I had! I was bummed that I could not afford to jet away to my favorite tropical island (Jamaica!) for a luxurious getaway. The economy is squeezing my pocket like most American’s these days, so I had to be content having a “Staycation” in Texas. With a little luck and some good friends, I was able to swing a pretty decent time despite the lack of funds.

First came the luck. I watched the first Cowboy game of the season at my local Red Robin which offers happy hour specials during the games as well as always friendly staff. If you RSVP’d on Facebook for the watch party, it put you in a drawing with the grand prize being two tickets for the Cowboys vs Redskins game on Monday night September 26. I was lucky enough to have my name drawn at the top of the third quarter, even though Romo choked in the 4th for a loss to the Jets. One of my close friends assured me they would bail me out of jail if I found myself on the field in Dallas pimp slapping Tony for similar shenanigans, so I recruited a road buddy and was off to Dallas.

We stopped in Waco for lunch at the Elite. Waco is home to Baylor University which I attended as well as my parents before me. In fact, the Elite was one of their date spots in the late 1950′s and is still a popular meeting place today. My first tweet of the day was this picture with “Having CFS and DP at the Elite in Waco.” For you non- Texans that is chicken fried steak and Dr. Pepper. The soda was invented in Waco and the mascot Baylor bear was famous for swigging a cold one during games and for tourists. I don’t think PETA lets them do that anymore.

Getting to Jerry’s World for the game was an adventure in itself. My friend Dax commandeered a couch from a buddy for us to stay on. Parking for the game is minimum $40 but I heard about a shuttle they were running from Humperdink’s, a local brewpub, for $10 each. Dax talked me into parking in some random lot with a shuttle for only $8 but we ended the evening having to take a cab back to the lot because we could not find the meet up spot after the game. If you go, use Humperdink’s shuttle. We ended up there drinking beer after the game anyway and it would have cost less. Plus the beer is pretty good and the fans are friendly. Fortunately, Romo did not choke in the fourth this time and thanks to some phenomenal defense, the Cowboys won! And thanks to the plastic flask Dax snuck in, we did not have to pay $8.50 for a Coors Light.

On the way back to Austin we stopped at Ruby’s Cafe in Jarrell. It is less than a mile off the highway near the Flying J truck stop. I had heard this place had fabulous CFS (that’s chicken fried steak if you are paying attention) and they did not disappoint. The Elite’s was good but Ruby’s was slap your mamma good! They also do a large variety of veggies daily. You have to have mashed potatoes with CFS and I got creamed corn as my second side. The potatoes were delicious but I really loved the creamy sweet corn that had a just right spicy kick to them. I will definitely be making more trips to Jarrell to try more as well as some of the pastry items in the window of this picture.

I will finish birthday tales tomorrow including details of the lovely ladies in the picture at the beginning of the post. Time to head home for now!

UPDATE! Part 2

My actual birthday this year was on Wednesday and it happened to coincide with the Ambiente Wine Importing Co. portfolio tasting in Austin. I was invited to the tasting by my buddy in the wine biz Buckley Wineholt in celebration of my birthday as well as his ironing out the final details to open his new shop Urban Wine and Liquor at the Austonian. The store will offer wine, spirits, beers, barware, imported cigars and cigarettes, and a choice of artisanal foods including Texas-produced items. The shop’s 2,615-square-foot storefront on Congress Avenue will be designed by local design-build firm Bercy Chen Studio. I have had the pleasure of attending several wine tastings by Buckley and I cannot wait to see what he stocks his store with.

The Ambiente tasting was incredible. It was in the Sangerrunde Hall at Scholz Garten. There were well over 100 wines of all different styles and price ranges.

My absolute favorite wine is a Brunello. This was my first taste of the highly rated 2006 release.

Here are some of my favorites:

Cab from Stag's Leap

: Pinot Noir from Benovia

I spent my birthday dinner at the opening of a new Japanese restaurant near MLK and Lavaca called Lavaca Teppan. I was invited to the soft opening by the gorgeous Jette Momant who is always at the best parties, usually because she is throwing them. She seated me with 3 of my favorite media ladies in Austin, Bettie Cross and Leslie Coons from We Are Austin on KEYE and Quita Culpepper from KVUE. I LOVED hanging out with the media ladies over dinner!

The food was delicious, too.

Thanks again to all my wonderful friends who made my birthday special this year!!!

: Beautiful space at Lavaca Teppan designed by Austin architect Jamie Chioco

: Beef tataki- charbroiled filet with ponzu dipping sauce

: Tempura vegetables and shrimp

: House soup with mushrooms and tempura flakes

: Teriyaki chicken

: Tori kara don- Japanese fried chicken and eggs over steamed rice

Handy List of Farmers Market

Filed under Events by christyluv on October 4, 2011 at 12:34 pm {no comments}

I did a list a while back with local farmers’ markets and thought I would link to this list that the Austin American Statesman just posted which is a little more updated. It includes a link at the end for map of them all. Thanks Addie!

http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/1037776.html

Austin Restaurant Week Fall 2011

Filed under Events, Restaurant by christyluv on September 13, 2011 at 9:22 am {no comments}

It is that time of year again, Fall is in the air, temperatures plunging into the 70′s at night (do not laugh at us, Northerners, it has been a dry sauna of a summer here in Texas.) As a budget conscious (cheap) diner, I LOVE Austin Restaurant Week. It gives me a chance to try a wider range of menu items plus try places I have not gotten around to yet. At $35 for 3 courses for dinner, some places are a real bargain while for others it is pretty close to their price point on a regular evening, so it takes some research to locate the true bargains. With $15 lunch and some brunch options as well, I am able to justify a few extra tastes around town. I am a little worried that more of the menus are not posted yet with less than 2 weeks to plan but I will update as soon as more information is released.

Based on previous ARW dinners, some past favorites were Austin Land and Cattle, Carillon, Uchi, Uchiko, Fabi and Rosi, Green Pastures, Olivia, and Parkside. Some of the restaurants I would like to explore further are Braise, El Arbol, Foreign and Domestic, Kenichi, and III Forks. Restaurant I wish was on the list? Congress, of course. At least, Second Bar and Kitchen should be. I never thought I would see Uchi and Uchiko on the list but I believe this is their third time participating. Before ARW, I thought I could never afford Uchi. While I wish I could visit more often, I think the restaurant week menu encouraged me to explore and now I dine their on a semi regular basis.

Remember fellow bargain diners, whether it is a Groupon, Austin Restaurant Week, or other social media deal you are dining on, tip your waitstaff well. You are saving enough money on food, they should share in your windfall. I always tip at least 20% of the undiscounted cost or 30-40% of a specially priced menu. Tip in cash if you can, not on the card. Also be patient, Restaurant Week can be overwhelming to a place being swarmed by bargain hunters. Try to be understanding. If you must cancel a reservation, please do so as far in advance as you can, do not just pull a “no show” as this is not only rude but adds to an already confusing evening. Finally, use some of that savings to have an extra glass of wine. Be good diners so they will have us back next time.

Vodka Fest

Filed under Events, Restaurant by christyluv on August 30, 2011 at 11:09 am {no comments}

One of my favorite events of the year is tomorrow night at Cool River near Mopac and Parmer from 7-10 pm. $20 in advance and $25 at the door gets a tasting passport to sample a few of the more than 30 vodkas on display. Way too much fun for a weekday. The different brands usually give out swag which allows me to bribe my boss into letting me come in late on Thursday. Hope to see you there!

Pie Safe for Safe Place

Filed under Events by christyluv on August 16, 2011 at 2:32 pm {2 comments}

I have been working very hard with some lovely ladies (and Tequila Bob!) in the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance to help organize a fundraiser this Sunday benefitting SafePlace Austin. We are selling tickets at $10 each for a screening of the movie Waitress at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar at 1:00 PM on Sunday August 21. You can also buy a slice for $10 of the award winning pecan pie from Michael Chu of Cooking for Engineers during the movie or a whole pie donated from over a dozen local businesses, which will be sold outside the theater. So click on the flyer and buy your tickets now. I’d love to see you there!

*****Update***** Thanks to a lot of hard work from a lot of people, we raised over $2000 to benefit SafePlace. Thank you for all of your support!

Addie’s So Cool

Filed under Events by christyluv on July 23, 2011 at 8:32 am {6 comments}

Addie Broyles is a food writer for the Austin American Statesman. She is also a mother, daughter, blogger, feminist champion, chicken farmer, social media ninja, and a million other things too numerous to list. I first read Addie’s words when she was brought to the Statesman soon after Kitty Crider retired from her post at the Statesman. Big shoes to fill indeed. I first met Addie at a blogger’s happy hour at Opal Divine’s on South Congress that Addie organized in a continuing effort to bring together the online foodie community in Austin at a time when bloggers were seen by most traditional media as a direct threat. Instead of treating the online community as competition, Addie’s approach was to organize a real dialogue and foster a personal connection that I hope she has profited from as much as we have.

Photo courtesy of the Austin American Statesman

I recently was invited to celebrate Addie’s birthday at a gorgeous spot near the pedestrian bridge on North Lamar known as Open Room Austin. Mando Reyes from Tacojournalism grilled up some delicious tacos and brought his beautiful wife and cute as a button daughter to socialize. Addie invited us all to this ” Pay it Forward” dinner where the attendees where asked to enjoy the evening but instead of inviting Addie to a reciprocal event or bringing a gift, she requested we do something nice for someone else in a typically selfless act. I have been racking my brain for my “Pay it Forward” event and I think I came up with a good idea.

Austin is suffering from a record breaking heat wave that currently has us in our 37th day of 100+ temperatures. I seem to live right now going from my air conditioned car to a hopefully air conditioned building. Unfortunately, there is a large need, especially among the elderly in Austin, for donations of fans to help deal with the extreme heat for those that do not have air conditioning . Family Eldercare Austin is down to a dozen fans and in desperate need of donations to help people literally survive.

Addie’s so cool, I think we should show her our appreciation for her many contributions to the Austin foodie community by donating to this worthy cause in her name. You can bring a new fan to any fire station in Austin, San Marcos, or Georgetown through August or you can contribute online here to Family Eldercare. You are more than welcome to donate anonymously but if you would like to add a comment documenting your gift, I would be honored to share these with Addie in an effort to show her how much we appreciate her.

Now I know Addie did not intend for our “Pay it Forward” acts to be done in her name but I am hoping my shameless use of the goodwill she generates will inspire my fellow foodies to act just like she has inspired me. I will be dropping a fan off this weekend at the fire station closest to my house. Hope you find the time to do the same.

Thanks to all of you in advance!

Congratulations, Tyson Cole!

Filed under Events, Restaurant by christyluv on May 19, 2011 at 10:37 am {no comments}

For the first time since 1991, Austin has another James Beard award winner with Tyson Cole, chef/owner of Uchi and Uchiko. I remember the first time I tasted something of Cole’s. It was strawberry scented salmon at the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival’s Stars Across Texas several years back. Cole had recently opened Uchi and was receiving rave reviews so I was anxious to sample from the new Wunderkind. The salmon was so subtlely flavored and fresh, the first thing I tasted was the fatty meaty salmon with just a breeze of strawberry fields on the back end. So simple and so good.

Flash forward seven or eight years to the present. Tyson has a gorgeous new cookbook out, a new sister restaurant, Uchiko, on North Lamar, a James Beard Award for best chef Southwest (tie with Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas), and just recently announced that he will be teaming up with fellow chef Tim Love, C3 events, and Food and Wine magazine to takeover the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Fest and turn it into the Austin Wine and Food Fest. Think Austin City Limits for foodies.

I love the irony that the festival I have loved so much, the fest that I first tasted Cole’s food at is now his new project. So congratulations to Tyson on a well deserved win and best of luck with the new venture. It will be very interesting to see what this new fest turns into.

The Austin Brew Bus

Filed under Events by christyluv on May 11, 2011 at 12:31 pm {no comments}

With the number of breweries in Austin growing almost as fast as the number of food trailers, a tour was sure to come. I have not been on one of these yet but plan to soon and I will update with a review. It is such a good idea, though, I had to spread the word. For $50 you get to visit 4-5 breweries and taste 12-18 beers. There is a lunch offered for $10 or you can bring your own. Bus size varies depending on the size of the group. Pick up and drop off is at 7th and Trinity for conveniently expanding your tasting experience to some of Austin’s downtown watering holes.

Austin Bakes for Japan

Filed under Events by christyluv on March 25, 2011 at 1:19 pm {no comments}

AUSTIN BAKES FOR JAPAN ON SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2011.

Several Austin Locations to Hold Bake Sales with All Proceeds Going to Japan Aid Charity.

Austin, TX (March 24, 2011) — On Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. until at least 2 p.m., hundreds of bakers, bloggers, businesses, and consumers will unite for “Austin Bakes for Japan,” a bake sale fundraising event to help survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Over 70 home cooks and dozens of local bakeries will be contributing baked goods at locations throughout Austin with proceeds going to AmeriCares work in Japan.

Austin Bakes for Japan locations:

Downtown: Woof Gang Bakery Austin, 1204 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78703 (10am-2pm)

North Central: Foreign & Domestic, 306 E. 53rd Street, Austin, TX 78751 (10am-2pm)

South: Hotel San Jose, 1316 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704 (10am-2pm)

East: Nomad Bar, 1213 Corona Drive, Austin, TX 78723 (10am-2pm)

Austin Bakes for Japan location open later as part of a Community Block Party:
West: Shops at Mira Vista, 2785 Bee Cave Road, Suites 336 & 341, Austin, 78746 (10am-5pm)

Baked goods will include Japanese-themed cake pops, homemade pop tarts, classic chocolate brownies, cookies of all kinds, and more. Among the homemade offerings will be locally sourced, organic, vegan and gluten-free items. In addition, customers may purchase gourmet pastries that have been donated by some of Austin’s finest professional bakers.

All funds raised at the bake sale will go to AmeriCares, a non-profit organization committed to providing emergency relief to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. All baked goods will be sold by donation, so buyers can pay as much as they like.

Get Involved:

A team of food enthusiasts and bloggers is organizing Austin Bakes for Japan, and those interested in providing baked goods and/or volunteering to help with the bake sales should contact Kathryn Hutchison at austingastronomist@gmail.com.

We encourage everyone to visit the bake sale locations to support this effort through donations and to spread the word through e-mail, liking Austin Bakes on Facebook, following us on Twitter (@austinbakes), or whatever medium they prefer.

Austin Bakes for Japan is part of a national movement of bake sales for Japan on April 2. Our goal is to raise $10,000 or more to help the people of Japan in their time of need. Twenty-three cities across the U.S. are hosting fundraisers for Japan that day, including Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle.

AmeriCares is non-profit organization committed to providing emergency relief to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. AmeriCares has been bringing essential medicines and relief supplies to the region since the early 1980s, and they have consistently received high rankings for their work from Charity Navigator, Forbes, and The NonProfit Times. For more information about AmeriCares, visit http://www.americares.org/.

*****UPDATE***** Thanks to the team of folks but especially organizer Kathryn Hutchison, more that $11, ooo was raised during the bake sale.

Contact Info:

For more information about the sale or to make a gift online, visit www.AustinBakes.wordpress.com

Kathryn Hutchison
AustinGastronomist@gmail.com
Phone: 512-695-2242
Twitter: @AustinBakes

I got this press release from the organizer Kathryn and wanted to post that I will be participating. Not 100% sure what I will make yet but I have caramel/bacon marshmallow trimmings left from Bacon S’mores, so I am thinking Caramel Bacon Marshmallow fudge would not suck. I will probably have my stuff at Foreign and Domestic but I will update if that changes. Hope to see you there!

Bacon S’mores from Bacon Takedown 2011

Filed under Events, Sweet by christyluv on March 23, 2011 at 1:46 pm {2 comments}

Recipe: Bacon S’mores

Summary: Winner of the 2011 Bacon Takedown Best Sweet at SXSW in Austin, TX. These candies start with a layer of graham cracker caramel, topped with bacon marshmallows, dipped in dark chocolate, and finished with a sprinkling of bacon powder.

**** Hint **** Cook the bacon for the marshmallow layer BEFORE you start the caramel layer.

Bacon Smores Layer 1: Graham Cracker Caramel

Prep Time: 2 days
Total Time: 2 days
Ingredients
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks melted)
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 sleave graham crackers- approximately 1 cup of graham crackers, crushed
Cooking Directions
Line an 18\\\" by 13\\\" sheet pan with ungreased parchment paper.
In a medium to large pot, cook sugar and corn syrup over medium - low heat until candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees.
Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Add whipping cream(unwhipped) slowly.
Return to heat stirring constantly.
Cook until thermometer reaches 242 degrees. Remove from heat.
Add vanilla and graham crackers.
Pour onto parchment lined sheet pan and spread to an even layer.
Quick Notes

You can use 2 smaller pans but it is hard to pour liquid caramel evenly in 2 separate pans. One layer may be thicker than the other. Also if you use foil instead of parchment paper, you must grease it with butter or cooking spray. this causes the caramel to pool in spots and hard to spread evenly. Spring for the parchment paper. It will change how you cook and clean!

Variations

I found that using all dark corn syrup was a little too molasses like in taste. You could easily use all dark if you prefer or all light corn syrup for a lighter caramel.

Summary: The caramel layer can cool slightly while you prepare the marshmallow layer. If the caramel is too hot, it will melt the marshmallow but if it is too cool, they will not stick together. It should be warm to the touch but firm and not runny.

Bacon Smores Layer 2: Bacon Marshmallows

Prep Time: 2 days

Total Time: 2 days

Ingredients

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 pounds bacon cooked crispy and drained (reserve bacon fat and 1/2 pound of the bacon for bacon powder)

Cooking Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for 10 minutes.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees.
Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Beat for 12 minutes.
Add vanilla and 1 1/2 pounds bacon and incorporate into mixture.
Spray hands and spatula with cooking spray or lightly oil.
Scrape marshmallow mixture out of bowl and onto caramel layer. Spread evenly over caramel.
Lay a piece of parchment over the marshmallow and gently smooth it out into an even layer.
Let set up for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Quick Notes

I find the easiest and cleanest way to cook bacon is in a single layer on a parchment lined sheet tray. About 1 pound should fit per pan. In order to get the bacon crispy enough to contrast with the fluffy marshmallow, cook it about 275 degrees for approximately 1-1 1/2 hours. After 45 minutes, check it every 15 minutes until it is done. ***Remember to cook the bacon BEFORE you start the caramel***

Summary: Here is were the molecular gastronomy part comes in. This is my take on Grant Achatz recipe in the Alinea cookbook. The point of his powder is to be a total powder in contrast to actual bacon. I found I liked the contrast of the ground up bacon mixed with the powder for this application.

Bacon Smores- Garnish: Bacon Powder

Prep Time: 5 months, 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 months, 5 minutes
Ingredients
90 grams bacon fat
1/2 lb reserved bacon
35 grams Tapioca Maltodextrin
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
Cooking Directions
Combine the bacon, fat, powder, and salt in a food processor.
Transfer to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.
Depending on how well the bacon is drained, you may need to add some more tapioca maltodextrin to acheive a fluffy powder.
Taste for salt.

Quick Notes

I found the tapioca maltodextrin in a 1 pound tub on Amazon.com. This is more than enough to share with your adventurous chef friends. I want to try a foie powder next! Word of warning, this stuff is very light and fluffy like powdered sugar and it gets everywhere. Salt is also very important to bring out the right flavor. Too little and it tastes like powdered fat. Achatz’ recipe calls for pepper as well but that did not work so well for this.

Assembly

I used a small cookie cutter to make my candies into heart shapes. My caramel was initially too hard to cut into shapes, so I used a heating pad on medium set underneath the pan to warm the caramel but not melt the marshmallow. Melt at least 2 pounds of chocolate in a double boiler to dip candies in. I used 60% Ghirardelli chocolate chips. Ideally, you should use a couverture chocolate and properly temper it to acheive a sheen and snap to the chocolate. If the weather is not too warm out you can get away with good quality melted chocolate chips like the Ghirardelli which will not temper but hold their shape fairly well. The better your chocolate, the better your results. I would not use generic chocolate chips, even the Nestles do not melt well. They have additives to keep their shape when you bake them. Please do not ever use dipping chocolate. That stuff is just gross.

I used a fondue fork and a long wooden skewer to dip the candies. First use the fondue fork to pierce the side of the candy. It should be secure enough to stay on while dipping but keep in mind you need to get it off the fork once dipped. The wooden skewer helps with removal from the fork. Dip far enough up the sides so just the top of the marshmallow is exposed. Let the chocolate set up for several hours or overnight.

The funnest part of all! You must have a blowtorch to properly brulee the tops. The oven broiler will get the chocolate too melty. The blowtorch will soften the chocolate along the sides but after a few minutes, they should be stable enough to handle. You can use one of those cute little creme brulee torches but a full size torch is about the same price and WAY more efficient. Get one with a trigger and it is super simple to start and control your flame. You want the kind that comes wth a blue container for the gas. The yellow container is not for human consumption.

Sprinkle the bacon powder over the top and serve! Yes, I know these are way more complicated than marshmallow on a stick but I truly enjoyed the whole process and I hope you do too!

The House of Bacon Gattis made for me on glorious Bacon Day- This is the day my coworkers love the most, when I get my pre- Takedown package from Hormel.

Two of the gorgeous and talented judges- Hilah Johnson (l) from Hilah Cooking! and Claudia Alarcon (r), writer for Austin Chronicle and many other publications.

: That is Matt Timms with the camera. We are taking pics from the stage at Emo’s of the crowd at the Takedown.

More S'mores!

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