Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Zoot at Bee Cave
So last night my boss took me and two other interns out to dinner at a restaurant I had never head of named Zoot. It's on Bee Cave pretty far out past Resaca at a little shopping center named La Hacienda. It just recently moved there from another location and when we got there it was pretty obvious, the place is very underdeveloped, looks like Zoot is one of the first restaurants to move out there. They don't have their liquor license yet so they only offer beer and wine, for now. Their wine list is extensive but they said they only had a few beers to offer.
The menu was very fancy fare - foie gras, duck and the like. The front side of the menu includes appetizers, salads, soups and entrees a la carte. The second side of the menu has two preset menus, a Chef's tasting menu and a Farmer's market menu which was vegetarian. They each include 5 smaller courses for $67 or for $97 you can have a wine paired with each course. My boss decided that the latter would be the best choice (I had no problem arguing with her!).
This week I'm trying not to eat meat. It's been actually... not difficult per se, but it definitely requires me to be aware. Meat is not something that I crave, unlike bread and chocolate, but it is something that I take for granted in all my meals. When I think of dinner or lunch, my planning usually revolves around a particular protein, and so when I cut out meat (including fish) it's hard! So far I've stuck to... well let's see. Monday I had a salad for lunch and then an english muffin with pb for dinner. Yesterday I also had a salad for lunch and then Zoot for dinner (I chose the Farmer's market menu, I'll get back to that soon!) and today for lunch I had some tabbouleh that I had purchased at Whole Foods brought in from Tom's Tabooley on Guadalupe. And for dinner I had some cottage cheese with yogurt with strawberries and then a little later I had a big salad. It's been interesting, and I feel like it's good to give my digestive system a little bit of a break (after the weekend I had of eating!). I'm trying to go easy on eating bread also. But I can't cut everything out at once! I'm already drinking no coffee, again. I went through a period of not drinking coffee, a few months, but I recently started drinking it again. Then this weekend I drank way too much and thought I'd give my body a bit of a break with no coffee and no meat!
Anyway, back to Zoot. I ordered the Farmer's market menu which was difficult for me because I absolutely love meat! And the Chef's tasting menu included scallops, marlin, NY strip steak... oh, it was difficult. But, I'm glad I stuck to my plan! And it was still delicious! (And it better have been for that price!). I'm not much of a wine drinker, to be honest. I find it very harsh on the tongue, and I definitely felt that last night, with some more than others, but I'll get to that!
To start - warm mini baguettes served with butter. I ate one, without butter, it tasted just as a well made baguette should taste - I tell you, sometimes there's nothing better than just simple bread. And it reminds me why I forgo pasta, rice and potatoes for bread any day.
They also served us each an amouse bouche, very cutely on a spoon for each of us. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but let me tell you. One spoonful of A LOT of flavor. We were all in pure shock at how much flavor they managed to get into that one tiny spoonful. It was absolutely, incredibly delicious.
First course: Cracked wheat and fava beans with dressed spinach. The fava beans were the best part of this dish. I love beans and these were so creamy and well seasoned. The cracked wheat, seasoned, was interesting. Similar to the cracked wheat in tabbouleh, very textured. It was a very healthful, vegetarian way to start the night off. They paired it with a sweet white wine, I think it was my favorite wine of the night.
Second course: Root vegetable soup with candied ginger! This was by far the best course. The soup was so flavorful, it was incredible. The flavor was superb. They paired it with a white wine which was quite smooth and went perfectly with the soup. It was just amazing... I could have just had a whole big bowl of that and it would have been a wonderful night!
Third course: Sweet potato gnocchi served with marinate beets! This was the coures that I was most excited about but which was the biggest disappointment! I absolutely love sweet potatoes, and I love gnocci. But they were very dense and pasty. Thick on the tongue, like it would stick to the roof of your mouth. The flavor was great but the texture, heaviness of it was too much. Gnocchi is tranditionally quite a heavy dish but this was just too much. The red wine they served with it was a Malbec blend from Argentina, still too strong for my tastes.
Fourth course: Ravioli with roasted artichoke hearts! The artichoke hearts were very strongly marinated. Flavorful but intense. The ravioli was simple, straight forward. Delicious but nothing exceptional. The filling was a ricotta or mascarpone mixture, I think. It was creamy, white and mild. It was pleasant, especially with such an intense side. The red wine that they served with it was extremely spicy and strong, too much for my tatstest!
Fifth course: Dessert! A very dense, dark chocolate pie with dried rose petals on top, a sprinkling of salt, and three roasted hazelnuts! Served with a scoop of... pomegranate (that would be my best guess) sorbet. It was delectable. The perfect combination of intense and light, bitter and sweet. The perfect ending. And they served it with a 20 year old Port wine which was... oh it was just intensely sweet and absolutely heavenly.
Apparently they change the tasting menus every so often and the sommelier chooses the wines each night depending on what he wants to serve.
So, obviously it's extremely expensive (and their tables were really wobbly, that's the only real complaint that I have!) but if you're looking for an indulgence, a peaceful escape from the city, this place was really wonderful. The food, the wine. The waitstaff are extremely polite and really know what they're talking about, which is always a really nice thing to have at a restaurant (and something not found often enough!)
All in all it was a wonderfully enjoyable meal. (And I still think the non-vegetarian menu would have been better! :P)
The menu was very fancy fare - foie gras, duck and the like. The front side of the menu includes appetizers, salads, soups and entrees a la carte. The second side of the menu has two preset menus, a Chef's tasting menu and a Farmer's market menu which was vegetarian. They each include 5 smaller courses for $67 or for $97 you can have a wine paired with each course. My boss decided that the latter would be the best choice (I had no problem arguing with her!).
This week I'm trying not to eat meat. It's been actually... not difficult per se, but it definitely requires me to be aware. Meat is not something that I crave, unlike bread and chocolate, but it is something that I take for granted in all my meals. When I think of dinner or lunch, my planning usually revolves around a particular protein, and so when I cut out meat (including fish) it's hard! So far I've stuck to... well let's see. Monday I had a salad for lunch and then an english muffin with pb for dinner. Yesterday I also had a salad for lunch and then Zoot for dinner (I chose the Farmer's market menu, I'll get back to that soon!) and today for lunch I had some tabbouleh that I had purchased at Whole Foods brought in from Tom's Tabooley on Guadalupe. And for dinner I had some cottage cheese with yogurt with strawberries and then a little later I had a big salad. It's been interesting, and I feel like it's good to give my digestive system a little bit of a break (after the weekend I had of eating!). I'm trying to go easy on eating bread also. But I can't cut everything out at once! I'm already drinking no coffee, again. I went through a period of not drinking coffee, a few months, but I recently started drinking it again. Then this weekend I drank way too much and thought I'd give my body a bit of a break with no coffee and no meat!
Anyway, back to Zoot. I ordered the Farmer's market menu which was difficult for me because I absolutely love meat! And the Chef's tasting menu included scallops, marlin, NY strip steak... oh, it was difficult. But, I'm glad I stuck to my plan! And it was still delicious! (And it better have been for that price!). I'm not much of a wine drinker, to be honest. I find it very harsh on the tongue, and I definitely felt that last night, with some more than others, but I'll get to that!
To start - warm mini baguettes served with butter. I ate one, without butter, it tasted just as a well made baguette should taste - I tell you, sometimes there's nothing better than just simple bread. And it reminds me why I forgo pasta, rice and potatoes for bread any day.
They also served us each an amouse bouche, very cutely on a spoon for each of us. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but let me tell you. One spoonful of A LOT of flavor. We were all in pure shock at how much flavor they managed to get into that one tiny spoonful. It was absolutely, incredibly delicious.
First course: Cracked wheat and fava beans with dressed spinach. The fava beans were the best part of this dish. I love beans and these were so creamy and well seasoned. The cracked wheat, seasoned, was interesting. Similar to the cracked wheat in tabbouleh, very textured. It was a very healthful, vegetarian way to start the night off. They paired it with a sweet white wine, I think it was my favorite wine of the night.
Second course: Root vegetable soup with candied ginger! This was by far the best course. The soup was so flavorful, it was incredible. The flavor was superb. They paired it with a white wine which was quite smooth and went perfectly with the soup. It was just amazing... I could have just had a whole big bowl of that and it would have been a wonderful night!
Third course: Sweet potato gnocchi served with marinate beets! This was the coures that I was most excited about but which was the biggest disappointment! I absolutely love sweet potatoes, and I love gnocci. But they were very dense and pasty. Thick on the tongue, like it would stick to the roof of your mouth. The flavor was great but the texture, heaviness of it was too much. Gnocchi is tranditionally quite a heavy dish but this was just too much. The red wine they served with it was a Malbec blend from Argentina, still too strong for my tastes.
Fourth course: Ravioli with roasted artichoke hearts! The artichoke hearts were very strongly marinated. Flavorful but intense. The ravioli was simple, straight forward. Delicious but nothing exceptional. The filling was a ricotta or mascarpone mixture, I think. It was creamy, white and mild. It was pleasant, especially with such an intense side. The red wine that they served with it was extremely spicy and strong, too much for my tatstest!
Fifth course: Dessert! A very dense, dark chocolate pie with dried rose petals on top, a sprinkling of salt, and three roasted hazelnuts! Served with a scoop of... pomegranate (that would be my best guess) sorbet. It was delectable. The perfect combination of intense and light, bitter and sweet. The perfect ending. And they served it with a 20 year old Port wine which was... oh it was just intensely sweet and absolutely heavenly.
Apparently they change the tasting menus every so often and the sommelier chooses the wines each night depending on what he wants to serve.
So, obviously it's extremely expensive (and their tables were really wobbly, that's the only real complaint that I have!) but if you're looking for an indulgence, a peaceful escape from the city, this place was really wonderful. The food, the wine. The waitstaff are extremely polite and really know what they're talking about, which is always a really nice thing to have at a restaurant (and something not found often enough!)
All in all it was a wonderfully enjoyable meal. (And I still think the non-vegetarian menu would have been better! :P)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Siena
So last night for Austin Restaurant Week Amy and I chose one restaurant to go to and we finally decided on Siena. We chose it for the price, which was markedly lower than what we would have paid for each dish separately any other night, and because the menu sounded delicious. And it was.
I had the salad to begin. Quite small, mixed greens in a light sweet vinaigrette with a generous portion of perfectly crisp bacon, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and a few slices of apple. It was the perfect size to begin the meal with. We also each got a roll with olive oil to dip into. The bread was night, almost the texture of a traditional baguette but more ciabatta-y? The crust was seasoned and yummy.
For dinner we both decided on the trout. Initially we each wanted to get something different but neither of us wanted chicken. They had a pork dish but I've eaten pork recently so I didn't want pork and Amy ordered the fennel sausage and cannelini bean soup so she didn't want pork either. The third dish was a handmade ravioli, which wasn't really calling to either one of us. So the trout it was, and can we just say wow?
A huge fillet of trout delicately crusted with walnuts, topped with a very rich lemon butter sauce and four sauteed shrimp. With a side of sauteed spinach with garlic. Wow. It was incredible. The butter sauce was almost too rich, and we definitely took our time getting through the whole thing! We didn't want to rush and we didn't want to leave leftovers so we sat and waited til we fit it all in! With dinner I had a glass of Riesling, which was heaven, Amy had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
After we had taken at least an hour and a half with our entree and waited at least another half hour just chatting and letting our food settle, we finally ordered dessert. We decided to share the panna cotta and tiramisu -- initially we both wanted the chocolate torte but upon seeing it it looked so small and run of the mill that we decided to get the less than common desserts. We also each got decaf lattes with Bailey's.
They brought the Bailey's in a separate small apperitif glass -- is it wrong if I say that that might have been the best part of the evening? The frothy latte was served in a big mug with a biscotti on the side, it was absolutely indulgent and delicious. The desserts were a nice sweet ending to the night but nothing amazing. The panna cotta, which I've never had before so I don't know what to compare it to, had a lovely texture and a tangy flavor, a result of being made from yogurt. It was served with a port wine reduction with figs which was heavenly, the figs may have been my favorite part. I'm a fan of all things custard, pudding, flan, creme brulee so I really enjoyed the panna cotta.
I've never been a big fan of tiramisu, I always just think it's okay, and this was no different. The genoise, isntead of lady fingers, were very moist, soaked, alledgedly in espresso and liqeuer and rum, although I couldn't taste any semblance of alcohol. The menu said it used mascarpone cheese, which I've also never had before so I couldn't tell you if it was the real thing, but whatever it was it was delicious. The entire dessert was very delicately flavored and really enjoyable. It was nice, especially with the latte. Amy really din't like the texture, but I enjoyed it. Like I said, nothing incredible, not a dessert that I would say "Oh I looove tiramisu!" but of all th ones I've had, this one is up there, and it was worth every bite (and every dollar!).
All in all the ambiance was wonderful, the location was beautiful, the restaurant was beautiful, our waiter was super patient with us (we were there for FOUR hours!). We really took our time to enjoy each little morsel, and we did. It wasn't the best meal I've ever had, by far, but it was the most enjoyable, by a long shot. If every restaurant would let me have a three course meal over the course of four hours, I would be a happy woman (I just need to work out and make a lot more money first!).
I had the salad to begin. Quite small, mixed greens in a light sweet vinaigrette with a generous portion of perfectly crisp bacon, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and a few slices of apple. It was the perfect size to begin the meal with. We also each got a roll with olive oil to dip into. The bread was night, almost the texture of a traditional baguette but more ciabatta-y? The crust was seasoned and yummy.
For dinner we both decided on the trout. Initially we each wanted to get something different but neither of us wanted chicken. They had a pork dish but I've eaten pork recently so I didn't want pork and Amy ordered the fennel sausage and cannelini bean soup so she didn't want pork either. The third dish was a handmade ravioli, which wasn't really calling to either one of us. So the trout it was, and can we just say wow?
A huge fillet of trout delicately crusted with walnuts, topped with a very rich lemon butter sauce and four sauteed shrimp. With a side of sauteed spinach with garlic. Wow. It was incredible. The butter sauce was almost too rich, and we definitely took our time getting through the whole thing! We didn't want to rush and we didn't want to leave leftovers so we sat and waited til we fit it all in! With dinner I had a glass of Riesling, which was heaven, Amy had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
After we had taken at least an hour and a half with our entree and waited at least another half hour just chatting and letting our food settle, we finally ordered dessert. We decided to share the panna cotta and tiramisu -- initially we both wanted the chocolate torte but upon seeing it it looked so small and run of the mill that we decided to get the less than common desserts. We also each got decaf lattes with Bailey's.
They brought the Bailey's in a separate small apperitif glass -- is it wrong if I say that that might have been the best part of the evening? The frothy latte was served in a big mug with a biscotti on the side, it was absolutely indulgent and delicious. The desserts were a nice sweet ending to the night but nothing amazing. The panna cotta, which I've never had before so I don't know what to compare it to, had a lovely texture and a tangy flavor, a result of being made from yogurt. It was served with a port wine reduction with figs which was heavenly, the figs may have been my favorite part. I'm a fan of all things custard, pudding, flan, creme brulee so I really enjoyed the panna cotta.
I've never been a big fan of tiramisu, I always just think it's okay, and this was no different. The genoise, isntead of lady fingers, were very moist, soaked, alledgedly in espresso and liqeuer and rum, although I couldn't taste any semblance of alcohol. The menu said it used mascarpone cheese, which I've also never had before so I couldn't tell you if it was the real thing, but whatever it was it was delicious. The entire dessert was very delicately flavored and really enjoyable. It was nice, especially with the latte. Amy really din't like the texture, but I enjoyed it. Like I said, nothing incredible, not a dessert that I would say "Oh I looove tiramisu!" but of all th ones I've had, this one is up there, and it was worth every bite (and every dollar!).
All in all the ambiance was wonderful, the location was beautiful, the restaurant was beautiful, our waiter was super patient with us (we were there for FOUR hours!). We really took our time to enjoy each little morsel, and we did. It wasn't the best meal I've ever had, by far, but it was the most enjoyable, by a long shot. If every restaurant would let me have a three course meal over the course of four hours, I would be a happy woman (I just need to work out and make a lot more money first!).
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Pot roast -- SUCCESS!
So here's how it all went down... I bought a slow cooker! I didn't grow up in a household that used things like slow cookers or rice cookers - my mother's a chef who grew up in a very traditional Brasilian household where everything was handmade from scratch and time to make things like gnocchi was in abundance.Unfortunately, I no longer live in a world where I have that time, so I finally gave into my long time desire to own a slow cooker. And my first experiment? A pot roast! It was so exciting, I couldn't wait! I had read a couple of recipes but I really just threw into the pot what I had.
1 onion chopped2 carrots chopped
4 cloves of garlic, whole
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 lb lean beef top round roast
about 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
scant 1/4 cup ketchup
scant 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Mustard powder... maybe a teaspoon or 2?
Plenty of salt
Dried parsley
A couple of shakes of salt-free all purpose seasoning
Throw all of that in the slow cooker pot and set on low! I switched it on around 9 am and switched it off at around 7 pm when I ate. At the last minute I added 2 zucchini, chopped.
And can I just say... it was amazing. I was scared it'd be too... salty? Not too salty enough? Not flavorful?
Firstly let me say that when I walked into my house it smelled... unbelievable. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I took the whole piece of meat out of the slow cooker and it just fell apart. I pulled it all apart into smaller pieces and returned it to the pot and mixed it in with the sauce and vegetables. It was so flavorful and moist. Not too sweet, which I was also worried about because of the barbecue sauce and ketchup.
I just couldn't believe how easy and delicious it was! And so many leftovers! (I'm sending some home with my sister tomorrow because my mother is salivating to try it!) Now I can't wait to try every other recipe from Cooking Light - there's a paprika braised chicken that looks amazing, and chili of course. And there's a recipe for over night oatmeal from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. I can't wait!
I went to Target today and FINALLY got my hands on the new copy of Eating Well, time to go read and sticky note all the recipes I must try.
Oh, and for Austin Restaurant Week Amy and I have decided to go to Siena on Sunday. I can't wait! I just don't know how I'll eat an appetizer, entree and dessert without feeling sick! I'll need to pace myself!
Quesadillas
From Cooking Light I got the recipe for goat cheese and corn quesadillas.
I bought extra thin corn tortillas and used them. They were quite small but ended up really being the perfect size for lunch paired with half a cup of refried beans and some slices of tomato.
2 corn quesadillas
1 oz. goat cheese
1 oz. corn kernels
A few pieces of caramelized red onion
1 tablespoon tomatillo sauce (I bought a mild fire roasted green sauce from Arriba, all natural ingredients, and it is DELICIOUS!)
Just spread the goat cheese on one of the tortillas, scatter the onions and corn, top it with tomatillo sauce and the other tortilla. Heat the griddle pan to medium-high heat and toast each side. I think I started with my pan on too low heat because the tortillas didn't really crisp up like I wanted them to. But regardless of the slightly too soft tortillas (which made it hard to eat like a quesadilla) the flavor was amazing! I also added about 2 tablespoons of the tomatillo sauce to the refried beans. It was all heavenly.
I bought extra thin corn tortillas and used them. They were quite small but ended up really being the perfect size for lunch paired with half a cup of refried beans and some slices of tomato.
2 corn quesadillas
1 oz. goat cheese
1 oz. corn kernels
A few pieces of caramelized red onion
1 tablespoon tomatillo sauce (I bought a mild fire roasted green sauce from Arriba, all natural ingredients, and it is DELICIOUS!)
Just spread the goat cheese on one of the tortillas, scatter the onions and corn, top it with tomatillo sauce and the other tortilla. Heat the griddle pan to medium-high heat and toast each side. I think I started with my pan on too low heat because the tortillas didn't really crisp up like I wanted them to. But regardless of the slightly too soft tortillas (which made it hard to eat like a quesadilla) the flavor was amazing! I also added about 2 tablespoons of the tomatillo sauce to the refried beans. It was all heavenly.
Lambert's
So yesterday for lunch I went to Lambert's with some work colleagues. We all ordered the one meat two sides lunch plate for $12 and then proceeded to share a coconut creme pie for $8 (which they described as individually sized but after lunch the three of us ate it up and it was more than enough!).
We went for a late lunch, around 1:45, so the restaurant was virtually empty so service was fast and our waiter was super nice and helpful, recommending the pie and greens (he was right on both counts).
I ordered the brisket (supposedly rubbed with brown sugar and coffee), the bacon braised collard greens and the carrot and jicama slaw.
When you first arrive they bring you little miniature cornbread muffins, the two bite kind, served with butter. They were moist and flavorful with little bits of jalapeno here and there.
The entree came and it wasn't as big as I had heard it described. The servings of the sides were each maybe 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup and the meat itself was maybe 5-6 oz. The collard greens were hands down the best part, perfectly wilted, perfectly seasoned, so delicious. I ate those right up! The slaw was really nice too, super crunchy because of the carrot, jicama and cabbage. The dressing was super light, nothing drenched in a creamy sauce. It was almost citrusy and minty, really refreshing complement to the spicy bbq.
Now onto the bbq. They serve house and hot bbq sauce at the table for you to use at your leisure. I went for the house and it was a nice blend of sweet and hot although a little too tomatoey for me. The meat itself tasted nothing of coffee, I'm not sure it was meant to, and although it was flavorful it was... dry. And that is unforgivable. Brisket is a meat which because of it's high fat content should never be dry, it should be juicy. And although the pieces I got were quite lean with just a little fat around the edges it still shouldn't have been as dry as it was! I doused it in house bbq sauce which made it absolutely delicious, though.
The coconut creme pie came not as a slice but as a mini whole pie. The crust was quite thick and had a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate before the coconut pudding filling which made it extremely difficult to cut through - the three of us were grappling with our forks and spoons drying to get through it! The pie had a generous dollop of whipped cream on top. Overall it was delicious. The crust was flavorful, not too sweet, not the best I've had since it wasn't flaky or buttery or melt in your mouth amazing, but it was nice. The caramel and chocolate layer added a delicate flavor, not overpowering. The coconut custard was amazing. The pieces of coconut in it were to die for (I'm a coconut lover!) and it wasn't too sweet which I appreciate. The whipped cream on top was simple and delicious.
Overall, from reading this post one would assume that I'd give this place a raving review, and I would, except that... the brisket was dry. Now, yes the sides were phenomenal and the dessert was good but... it's a bbq joint. It's star should be it's meat. You can go elsewhere for delicious collards, good slaw and you can definitely go to a million other places with as good as and better coconut creme pie. So for a bbq place... it failed me. I am still on the search for perfect brisket. Next stop one of these days: Salt Lick, I think.
Next up? Goat cheese ad corn quesadillas for lunch, Pot roast (in my slow cooker as we, or I rather, um, type) for dinner, Tabbouleh sometime tomorrow or Saturday. And then in the spirit of Austin Restaurant week either Friday night or Saturday night Amy and I will be going to one of the restaurants offering a special menu. We've got it narrowed down to Judge's Hill, Zax, Siena and Chez Zee. I narrowed it down from the long list by first eliminating anywhere we had already been or places that were very mainstream and we'd probably end up going to one day (Perry's, Truluck's). Then I went through the menus and eliminated anywhere with a boring sounding menu and without a chocolate dessert! Right now I'm leaning towards Judge's Hill or Siena, we'll see!
We went for a late lunch, around 1:45, so the restaurant was virtually empty so service was fast and our waiter was super nice and helpful, recommending the pie and greens (he was right on both counts).
I ordered the brisket (supposedly rubbed with brown sugar and coffee), the bacon braised collard greens and the carrot and jicama slaw.
When you first arrive they bring you little miniature cornbread muffins, the two bite kind, served with butter. They were moist and flavorful with little bits of jalapeno here and there.
The entree came and it wasn't as big as I had heard it described. The servings of the sides were each maybe 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup and the meat itself was maybe 5-6 oz. The collard greens were hands down the best part, perfectly wilted, perfectly seasoned, so delicious. I ate those right up! The slaw was really nice too, super crunchy because of the carrot, jicama and cabbage. The dressing was super light, nothing drenched in a creamy sauce. It was almost citrusy and minty, really refreshing complement to the spicy bbq.
Now onto the bbq. They serve house and hot bbq sauce at the table for you to use at your leisure. I went for the house and it was a nice blend of sweet and hot although a little too tomatoey for me. The meat itself tasted nothing of coffee, I'm not sure it was meant to, and although it was flavorful it was... dry. And that is unforgivable. Brisket is a meat which because of it's high fat content should never be dry, it should be juicy. And although the pieces I got were quite lean with just a little fat around the edges it still shouldn't have been as dry as it was! I doused it in house bbq sauce which made it absolutely delicious, though.
The coconut creme pie came not as a slice but as a mini whole pie. The crust was quite thick and had a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate before the coconut pudding filling which made it extremely difficult to cut through - the three of us were grappling with our forks and spoons drying to get through it! The pie had a generous dollop of whipped cream on top. Overall it was delicious. The crust was flavorful, not too sweet, not the best I've had since it wasn't flaky or buttery or melt in your mouth amazing, but it was nice. The caramel and chocolate layer added a delicate flavor, not overpowering. The coconut custard was amazing. The pieces of coconut in it were to die for (I'm a coconut lover!) and it wasn't too sweet which I appreciate. The whipped cream on top was simple and delicious.
Overall, from reading this post one would assume that I'd give this place a raving review, and I would, except that... the brisket was dry. Now, yes the sides were phenomenal and the dessert was good but... it's a bbq joint. It's star should be it's meat. You can go elsewhere for delicious collards, good slaw and you can definitely go to a million other places with as good as and better coconut creme pie. So for a bbq place... it failed me. I am still on the search for perfect brisket. Next stop one of these days: Salt Lick, I think.
Next up? Goat cheese ad corn quesadillas for lunch, Pot roast (in my slow cooker as we, or I rather, um, type) for dinner, Tabbouleh sometime tomorrow or Saturday. And then in the spirit of Austin Restaurant week either Friday night or Saturday night Amy and I will be going to one of the restaurants offering a special menu. We've got it narrowed down to Judge's Hill, Zax, Siena and Chez Zee. I narrowed it down from the long list by first eliminating anywhere we had already been or places that were very mainstream and we'd probably end up going to one day (Perry's, Truluck's). Then I went through the menus and eliminated anywhere with a boring sounding menu and without a chocolate dessert! Right now I'm leaning towards Judge's Hill or Siena, we'll see!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Cooking Light, inspired!
So my new copy of Cooking Light has a section of simple dinner, using 5 ingredients or less. So Monday night Amy and I decided to make the almond stuffed chicken. And can I just say, it was absolutely divine. And literally took me maybe 10 minutes to prep.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half (butterflied). Salt, pepper generously. Add a wedge of laughing cow light garlic and herb cheese and sliced almonds. Close it up, pop it in the oven. 350F for... 30 minutes? I added a little water in the baking dish to keep it super moist (and it did). Of course I missed one big step that my parents would both have killed me for doing -- I didn't sear before finishing cooking in the oven. I know, I know the caramelization adds such flavor and color but... I couldn't be bothered. :-/ So just think it could have been even better than it was, which is surprising! As a side I just boiled some haricots verts, added a little salt and balsamic vinegar and voila. Easy, nutritious and seriously seriously delicious!
I bought ingredients to make two other recipes from Cooking Light tomorrow: Goat cheese and corn quesadillas and Pot roast (I finally bought a slow cooker so I'm super excited to see how that turns out...). I also bought ingredients to make Tabbouleh so I may do that on Saturday!
Today I'm going to Lambert's for lunch with the girls from my work. I'm thinking I'm going to get the one meat plate with two sides -- brown sugar and coffee rubbed natural brisket, carrot and jicama slaw and collard greens. And plenty of bbq sauce, of course. Yum! I read that the fried green tomato salad is one of the best things on their menu and I really do love salads so it's really hard to pass up (especially since it has crab!) but I've been craving bbq for a while so I really feel like to review this place properly I need to eat their bbq. I'll go back and try the salad another day maybe!
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