Austin360 blogs > Dale's Table > Archives > 2007 > July
July 2007
Ararat makes a comeback
Ararat, the popular Middle Eastern restaurant that had closed in North Central Austin, is reopening this weekend in East Austin. The restaurant will celebrate its reopening at 6 p.m. Saturday at Hot Mama’s on 2401 E. Sixth St., where it will be a part of the coffeehouse, according to a note from restaurant staff. The new partnership should make a lot of Ararat fans happy; they have continued to write and call, asking for any word on a new location.
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Mi Colombia shuts temporarily
Mi Colombia, a popular eatery on East Seventh Street, has closed temporarily, according to notes posted on the door and windows of the homestyle Colombian restaurant. It will reopen soon as Casa Colombia, according to the postings by restaurant founder Emilia Hurtado and a banner on the side of the building.
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Aggie jerky touted
In a story on the renaissance of beef jerky in today’s New York Times, the jerky made at Texas A&M University gets big praise. Part of the meat research at the university, this jerky is actually brined, smoked (over hickory ash) and dried for days, rather than flavored with liquid smoke and dried in commercial ovens in a few hours.
According to a report from the campus in College Station, A&M has been inundated with orders for the jerky. How will the Longhorns top this?
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Fondue downtown
Fans of fondue won’t have to drive northwest any longer. The new downtown Melting Pot is set to open Aug. 1. The dinner-only restaurant is across the street from the Austin Convention Center, at 305 E. Third St. With more than 6,000 square feet, it will have seating for 190 diners.
The restaurant is owned and operated by Mike and Kelly Swartz, who also have the Melting Pot at 13343 U.S. 183 N. The new, upscale spot will be open 5 to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are accepted at (512) 401-2424.
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Noodle-ism closed
Noodle-ism, the wonderful little noodle house on West Fifth Street just off Congress Avenue, has closed. Opened five years ago by Jeff Liu, chef-owner of the four-star Bistro 88, the casual restaurant’s fare covered six countries: Thailand, Japan, Singapore, China, Malaysia and Italy. All the food was freshly made, most with a lot of effort (eight hours, for example, to prepare the broth for the Szechuan beef noodle soup). Liu said business was going well there, but he wanted to spend more time with family.
Waterfront dining
I have to admit that I came up pretty dry after driving along much of Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ and Lake Marble Falls over the weekend looking for places to dine on the water for an upcoming story.
Got a favorite place that I may have overlooked? Where do you like to dine in the Highland Lakes area, especially on or near the water? Please let me know. We don’t want to leave a great place off the list.
Vandalism continues
Jeffrey’s is the latest victim in a string of violence against Austin restaurants. A brick was thrown through one of the windows at the upscale establishment early Thursday morning. This comes after seven other Central Austin restaurants were spray-painted last week with obscene slogans opposing the serving of foie gras and veal. Although the brick can’t be linked directly to the protest movement, Jeffrey’s owners assume it is connected since it follows on the heels of the other vandalism.
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Colonial banquet
Step back in time gustatorily next week with “A Captain’s Banquet” at the Bull and Boar, the new Del Valle restaurant that emphasizes locally grown produce and meats. The banquet, which will be served buffet style, includes pickled salmon, smoked rainbow trout, buckwheat pancakes, corn and onion relish, veal and ham pie, spinach fritters, venison pasty and roast pollo, along with vegetables, potatoes, breads and desserts. The price is $25 per person, seating is at 6:45 p.m. Thursday (July 19) and reservations are necessary (385-2855). Seems like a great way to celebrate the bounty of summer.
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More peacocks for Green Pastures
The next time you’re at Green Pastures, the lovely old Victorian mansion-turned-restaurant on Live Oak Street, make sure you take a few minutes to walk in the area just west of the driveway leading into the property. There, three old cedar tree trunks have been transformed into carved peacocks by chainsaw artist Doug Moreland. The sculptures echo one of the restaurant’s trademarks: the peacocks that stroll the landscaped grounds (which are beautifully lush after all the rain and which have benefitted from a new soil aeration and organic feeding program, not to mention the planting of a couple hundred rose bushes earlier this year). A few minutes in the garden will serve as a relaxing aperitif to the meal.
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Divine meal in San Antonio
After a celebratory dinner last night at Le Reve in San Antonio, I can see why the restaurant has steadily climbed on Gourmet magazine’s list of the top 50 spots in the United States. It is now No. 6.
An exquisite tasting menu by chef Andrew Weissman included, in order: an amuse bouche of shrimp and watermelon ceviche flavored with basil and mint; a tart of caramelized onions and goat cheese; spaghetti with Fiore smoked cheese (from Sardinia), bacon dust and black truffle; foie gras with tropical fruits; crab and carrot salad; a palate cleanser of grapefruit-and-vermouth sorbet; Australian baramundi (the evening’s line-caught fish) over peas, watercress, roasted red peppers and herb broth; a beef tournedo with potatoes mousseline and lacquered shallots; a cheese plate with Fontina and blue; a pre-dessert of a mini creme brulee; a dessert of chocolate mousse garnished with candied kumquats; and a mignardise of cream puffs and chocolate truffles.
Service at the small French restaurant was extraordinary. I counted eight staff members serving the 29 diners, and the extensive wine list held dozens of reasonably priced bottles, including the one recommended by the wine steward.
The dinner, nearly four hours long, was worth every enjoyable minute.
Foie gras restaurants vandalized
Two restaurants that serve foie gras were vandalized early Tuesday morning, the owners reported. Aquarelle on Rio Grande Street and Restaurant Jezebel on Congress Avenue had vulgar anti-foie gras slogans spray-painted on the buildings. The slogans were painted on the glass windows at Jezebel and on the antique wood doors and sign at Aquarelle. Fortunately, Aquarelle co-owner Teresa Wilson said, the staff was able to clean the paint off without a great deal of permanent damage.
Noah Cooper, one of the leaders of Central Texas Animal Defense, which has singled out Jezebel in its campaign criticizing the serving of foie gras, said his group does not condone vandalism. In fact, he said, those kinds of acts hurt the group’s cause when it is concentrating on education and outreach.
It’s sad to see what should be a respectful debate over a controversial dish descend to criminal acts. A vandal’s voice may be loud, but that doesn’t mean anyone is going to listen to it.
Rats in the kitchen
It might not be the most appealing premise for a food-related tale, but the rodent chef of “Ratatouille” adds a delightful spice to the latest animated fare from Pixar and Walt Disney. The movie, which drew applause from the audience at the showing I attended over the weekend, might feature old-fashioned slapstick and some warmed-up stereotypes, but its clever and funny moments outshine the dull spots.
Besides, what’s not to love about a movie with a loathsome restaurant critic, Anton Ego (voiced by Peter O’Toole). I howled at Ego’s response to the question of how he could be a critic and still be so slim. He replied that if he doesn’t love the food, “I don’t swallow.” Gee, now why didn’t I ever think of that.
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