Home > Forklore
More Kebabalicious on the way
(Trailer photo by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Restaurant Recipes: Vivo’s Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 chicken breasts
Canola oil for sauteeing
3 cups chopped tomatoes
3 cups chopped onions
1.5 bunches cilantro, chopped
8 serrano peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
24 oz. chicken stock
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Fried corn tortilla strips
Sliced avocado
In a 5-gallon pot, bring 4 gallons of water to a boil. Add chicken breasts and simmer for about 40 minutes (chicken should be fully cooked).
In separate pan, coat bottom with thin layer of canola oil and heat. Saute tomatoes, onions, and serranos until cooked through (onions should be clear). Add cilantro and sauté until just wilted.
Add sauteed veggies and chicken stock to pot. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for another 15-20 minutes. Chicken should shred easily at this point.
Dish into serving bowls. Add tortilla strips, Monterey Jack cheese and sliced avocado just before serving.
— Vivo (2015 Manor Road, 482-0300; 12233 RM 62,0 Suite 105, 331-4660; www.vivo-austin.com)
(American-Statesman photo)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Free Grand Slam this Tuesday
And the cheerleaders go: “Two-Four-Six-Eight. That’s how much is on the plate. Denny’s. Free Grand Slam at Denny’s.”
Spend millions on ads, give away millions in food. Denny’s has made the Super Bowl its loss leader for the second year in a row by offering anybody who shows up on Tuesday (Feb. 9) between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. a free Grand Slam breakfast.
Two pancakes, two eggs, two bacon, two sausage, zero dollars.
Here’s where the Denny’s Web site listed the stores in our area. Call ahead to be sure.
— 7100 N. Interstate 35, 453-3617
— 2700 N. Interstate 35, Round Rock; 238-7705
— 2320 S. Interstate 35, 447-4584
— 10930 Lakeline Mall Drive, 401-0628
— 7619 E. Ben White Blvd., 385-1350
— 1601 N. Interstate 35, 499-8700
— 1035 Highway 1650 S., Fredericksburg, 830-990-2806
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
The Super Bowl at Cajun Pizza Place
Restaurants with a Louisiana connection will be electrified on Sunday, as the Saints and Colts square off for the Super Bowl at 5 p.m. on CBS. Good luck getting anywhere near Shoal Creek Saloon.
But a new player on the New Orleans transplant circuit is ready for a little “Who Dat” action, too. Starting Sunday at 5 p.m., the new Cajun Pizza Place at 7318 McNeil Drive (291-7997, www.cajunpizzaplace.com) will be taking 50 percent off pizza and beer for the game.
Cajun pizza? It’s a family shop, a waitress told me, run by people who’ve sold pizza in Louisiana for three decades. Love and life’s little sideroads have led them to resettle in Austin. The place has a good family vibe, with friendly service, music posters, a few cushioned booths and a spread of tables with views of a couple flat-screen TVs.
The pizza reminds me of junior-high victory party pizza from Pizza Inn some 30 years ago, with a cracker-thin crust and dense, chopped piles of toppings with a more assertively spiced edge. We tried a large pie, split half-and-half with Andy’s Favorite (pepperoni, hamburger, jalapeno and little tiny shrimp) and the Cajun Pizza Special (pepperoni, sausage, olives, mushrooms and green pepper).
We couldn’t make out the shrimp against the background spices, but every bite carried every topping. The Special was tart with olives like a muffuletta. At $18.45, it would feed two great big guys.
Beer is cheap, cold and domestic by the pitcher for $9 and change, less than $3 by the frozen mug.
For half-price with the Saints, I can’t think of a better time to try the Cajun Pizza Place.
(American-Statesman photos by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners
- Closing and Coming soon: Thai Tara restaurant at 601 W. Sixth St. Replacing the longtime Thai restaurant will be a new project from Mulberry owners Michael Polombo and Zack Northcutt. Northcutt, who will be in charge of the kitchens at both locations, says they will be starting almost from scratch to create an as-yet-unnamed “modern American tavern with British influences.” They are hoping to open the new restaurant by September.
- Open: Kung Fu Saloon, a ‘barcade’ with vintage arcade games, skee-ball and a full bar at 510 Rio Grande St. 469-0901.
- Opening Monday: Quattro Gatti, an Italian restaurant at 908 Congress Ave. 476-3131.
- Closed: Geaux Burger, a sports bar at 9070 Research Blvd., Suite 303.
- Closing: The Cafe Mundi location at 1704 E. Fifth St. On Facebook, Mundi says, ‘It is our deepest regret to announce the closing of Café Mundi.The final day will be Sunday, March 21 … at this location. We do not see this as an end, but as a new beginning.’ Stay tuned.
- Opening Thursday: Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, slated to open Thursday at 4220 Duval St. www.antonellischeese.com.
Thai Tara photo by Ha Lam for the Austin American-Statesman.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment Categories: Openings, Closings
Hot dog digest: Mike & Mike’s near UT
As part of today’s hot dog onslaught at austin360.com/food, here’s a look at Mike & Mike’s on the drag near UT, written by Emily Macrander, a UT journalism student and intern at the American-Statesman:
I recently spent a week living off of hot dogs. As a junior at UT, I’ve become acquainted — maybe too well acquainted — with nearly instant food of all types: Lean Pockets, macaroni in a box, popcorn. For the last four days, hot dogs have been what’s for dinner.
Done well, a hot dog is a steaming torpedo of flavor, but it can also be a pale freezer-burned time capsule. It’s all about execution. I prefer my dogs prepared on a grill, but a pan on the stove can also achieve the near perfect, taught-skinned, slightly browned look. I also toast the buns.
I was excited when Mike & Mike’s Austin Chicago Dog cart wheeled its way to 24th and Guadalupe streets last semester. It’s open the college-friendly hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. (There’s also a location downtown at 722 Congress Ave.) The dogs are priced at $2 and the menu offers some variety, from melted American cheese to the nearly aqua-green relish on the Chicago Dog.
The hot dog guy was speedy and friendly and swaddled my dogs like infants in white parchment paper even before I could scrounge enough change out of my book bag to pay the bill. I ordered an Austin’s Chicago Dog and a Cheesy Dog with chopped onions.
The Chicago Dog — loaded with a pickle spear, hot peppers, relish, mustard, two tomato slices and celery salt — sagged under the weight of the condiments before I could take my first bight, not a good omen for the flavor.
Just moments after ordering, the poppyseed bun was soggy. The first bite didn’t deliver the pop of flavor I was expecting from the hot dog, and all those extras did little make up for the lame meat.
When I shop for hot dogs at the H E B, I look for a certain signature touch. I’m a sucker for Ballpark because, well, they plump when you cook them. I look for anything that makes my dog the better choice over the others. Jalapenos and cheese? Grain-fed beef? Yes. Yes. Call my expectations high-brow, but when I get a hot dog from a stand specializing in them, I expect a little something special from my meat.
I dismissed the initial disappointment and unwrapped the Cheesy Dog. The gooey cheesiness, lightly accented with onion gems, brought a smile to my face. But I was let down. Yes, there was the melty-sweetness of the toppings, but even those couldn’t make up for for the flavorless hot dog and, again, wet bun.
When it comes to fast food, there are few options that provide more opportunities for customization than a hot dog. By changing up the toppings it’s possible to eat a slightly different meal every day — though for health reasons I don’t recommend this as a permanent option.
The fact of the matter is that Mike & Mike’s is better than ramen, it’s easy to grab on the way to class and at $2, it’s among the cheapest fast-bite options near campus.
(American-Statesman photos by Emily Macrander)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Valentine’s Day dining: The big list
A big list of Valentine’s Day options, plus all of our previous V-Day postings, in one entry. Call ahead, enjoy and good luck.
RESTAURANT SAMPLER
• Andiamo Ristorante (2521 Rutland Drive, 719-3377, www.andiamoitaliano.com): Italian, four-course menu for $50.
• Asti Trattoria (408 C E. 43rd St., 451-1218, www.astiaustin.com): Modern Italian. Special dinner menu in addition to the regular menu Feb. 12-14, featuring dishes like lamb ragu and porcini sea bass.
• Blue Star Cafeteria (4800 Burnet Road, 454-7827, www.bluestarcafeteria.com): Roasted beef filet with red wine chocolate sauce stands out on this three-course menu at $52 a couple, $35 per person.
• Cannoli Joe’s (4715 U.S. 290, 892-4444, www.cannolijoes.com): Italian, all you can eat filet mignon and chocolate-dipped strawberries, $17.99 per person.
• Central Market (Westgate, 899-4343; North, 206-1024; www.centralmarket.com): For those staying in, take home this ready-made, four-course meal, complete with candles and a movie for $49.99-$79.99. Beef tenderloin and lobster tail are among the menu options.
• Chez Zee (5406 Balcones Drive, 454-2666, www.chez-zee.com): Choose from a variety of made-for-two dishes, including Chateaubriand and smoked trout salad. Live music.
• Ciola’s (1310 RM 620 S., 263-9936, www.ciolas.com): A variety of specials are offered including shrimp, lobster and beef short rib.
• Corazon at Castle Hill Cafe (1101 W. Fifth St., 476-0728, www.corazonatcastlehill.com): A la carte dinner menu for Feb. 13 and 14 includes peppercorn-crusted tenderloin and Madeira-braised pork shanks. Brunch on Feb. 14 is $24 for three courses and a glass of cava.
• Cru - A Wine Bar (238 W. Second St., 472-9463; 11410 Century Oaks, 339-9463, www.cruawinebar.com): Four-course menu, featuring ahi tuna, lobster and chocolate lava cake for $45 per person.
• European Bistro (111 E. Main St., Pflugerville. 512-835-1919, www.european-bistro.com): Seatings from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. for a five-course fixed-price menu of German, Hungarian, French and Russian dishes. $75.
• Fino Restaurant Patio & Bar ( 2905 San Gabriel St., 474-2905, www.finoaustin.com): Brunch comes mostly by sea with salmon tartare and crab florentine. Finish the morning meal off with a mimosa and cinnamon doughnut holes with chocolate hazelnut crema, $15 per person. The restaurant also features a special dinner menu, available all weekend a la carte.
• Green Pastures (811 W. Live Oak St. 444-4747, www.greenpasturesrestaurant.com): Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $40. Dinner starting at 5 p.m. with a five-course dinner (prime filet, seared duck, lamb medallions and more) for $80.
• The Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar (1287 Gruene Road, (830) 625-0684, www.gristmillrestaurant.com): For $24.99 per person, you get a 6 ounce sirloin, bacon wrapped shrimp, stuffed serrano and a slice of turtle cheese cake.
• Jack Allen’s Kitchen (7720 W. Texas 71, 852-8558, www.jackallenskitchen.com): Entrees, all priced under $20, including $19.99 heart-shaped lobster ravioli. Most menu items prepared with Texas-grown ingredients.
• Lakeway Resort and Spa (101 Austin Chalk Way, 261-6600, www.dolce-lakeway-hotel.com/): Unique options on this three-course menu include Gulf oysters with cactus pear, licorice glazed corned duck breast and butterscotch brulee for $49 per person, or $69 with wine. Day-care for families, $35.
• The Landmark (701 East 11th Street, 404-6909, www.sheratonaustin.com): Start the evening off with roasted red bell pepper soup. Entrees include seafood stew and grilled fillet of beef.
• Linda’s Fine Foods (500 FM 2325, Wimberley, 847-5464, www.lindaallencatering.com): Grilled quail and seafood pasta are among the options on the fixed four-course menu, $39.00 per person.
• Max’s Wine Dive (207 San Jacinto Blvd., 904-0111, www.maxswinedive.com): special Valentine’s weekend menu, featuring all you can eat fried chicken $19.
• NoRTH (11506 Century Oaks in the Domain, 339-4400, www.foxrestaurantconcepts.com/north.html): Extensive three-course menu allows for customization. $35 per person before 4 p.m. and $55 after.
• North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery (10010 N. Capital of Texas Highway, 467-6969, www.nxnwbrew.com): Four-course dinner including pumpkin ravioli, veal scaloppine and more. $40 per person or $75 for couples. Also offering a red Barton Kriek Lambic beer.
• Opal Divine’s (www.opaldivines.com for locations) is doing a no-reservations beer dinner for $65 per couple.
• Roaring Fork (701 Congress Ave., 583-0000; 10850 Stonelake Blvd., 342-2700): Each location is offering different chef-chosen menu options. Courses are available at individual prices.
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House (107 W. Sixth St., 477-7884): They’re opening at 3 p.m. with a six-ounce filet and lobster tail for $39.95.
• Sagra (1610 San Antonio St., 535-5988, www.sagrarestaurant.net): A mix of classic and contemporary Italian. Fixed-price menu with options such as Alaskan halibut, ginger sorbet, and chocolate mouse cake $35 per person, optional $20 wine pairing.
• The Steeping Room (11410 Century Oaks Terrace in the Domain, 977-8337, www.thesteepingroom.com): Fixed-price menu served all weekend with gluten-free and vegan options available. $25 meat / $20 vegetarian.
• Stories (575 Hyatt Lost Pines Road, 308-4860): Five course fixed menu, beginning with foie gras, including Kobe beef and passion fruit chocolate cake, $90 per person (Feb. 13 only).
• SWB at Hyatt Regency Austin (208 Barton Springs Road, 480-2035): Sample this fixed menu featuring local ingredients, $40 per person. The menu includes pan-seared king salmon and wild mushroom cake.
• 34th Street Cafe (1005 W. 34th St., 371-3400, www.34thstreetcafe.com): Sparkling wine, salad, and a choice of beef or sea bass are included on the menu for $45 a person.
V-DAY WEEKEND
• At the Carillon (AT&T Executive Conference Center, 1900 University Ave., www.meetattexas.com/restaurants.html), choose one of two five-course prix fixe meals on Feb. 13 by Chef Josh Watkins and his team.
• Celebrate DÃa de Los Amantes at La Condesa (400-A W. Second St. 499-0300, www.lacondesaaustin.com) with a $50 four-course menu — each course has three choices except for dessert.
• From Feb. 11-14, the spy who loved you can order the James Bond Valentine Special at Max’s Wine Dive (207 San Jacinto Blvd. 904-0111, www.maxswinedive.com). The package includes a bottle of Bollinger Rose Champagne, two bottles of wine and four chocolate-covered strawberries. $99.
• Plan a romantic outing to Fall Creek Vineyards (1820 County Road 222, Tow. www.fcv.com), which is offering a Wine Lovers Lunch Pique Nique on Feb. 13 and a Like Wine for Chocolate Pairing Class on Feb. 14. $30. Lunch reservations are being accepted for two seatings (11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.). The pairing class, $18 a person, is scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Reservations: 325-379-5361.
UNIQUELY AUSTIN SWEETS
• Red, pink and white sweet treats abound in Austin dessert shops this week. At both locations of Teo Gelato (500 W. Canyon Ridge Road and 1206 W. 38th St.), you’ll find heart-shaped sugar cookies filled with chocolate, strawberry or vanilla gelato (below, $5.95). Amy’s Ice Creams is churning out chocolate-covered strawberries by the dozen ($16). Pre-order at www.amysicecreams.com and pick up starting Friday.
• Holy Cacao (1311 S. First St. in the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery. 851-2253, www.theholycacao.com) is selling two specialty cake balls: Devil (cherry-filled devil’s food cake dipped in dark chocolate) and Angel (strawberry-laced angel food cake covered in white chocolate). Both cost $2.25 each or 3 for $6.
• If you can’t make it to Paris this Valentine’s Day, Luxe Sweets is bringing one of the city’s most treasured treats to Austin. Unlike coconut-filled macaroons, French macarons ($22.50 for a dozen ) are bright sweets made with meringue, cookie and buttercream or ganache. Luxe Sweet’s pastries, which include biscotti, cookies, fudge and brownies, are available online or at shops including Royal Blue Grocery, Halcyon, Spider House Cafe, Garden District Coffee House and Dolce Vita. 241-1544, www.luxesweets.com
FIVE DATEWORTHY RESTAURANTS
Putting together a much bigger date-map-of-the-Austin-universe, the Austin360 editor asked me to write a sentence on five nice date-worthy restaurants. Here they are, just in time for us not to have a prayer of getting a reservation on Valentine’s weekend:
• Justine’s: Why do we love you when you treat us so cruelly? The long waits, the indifference, the cramped little place? Because when the steak frites, the Cotes du Rhone and the Delta blues hit just right, it’s Paris on the East Side.
• Wink: In this temple of the simple, everything on the plate shows up, but nothing shows off. The flavors of venison, lamb and Bordeaux speak softly, so you can, too.
• Fabi and Rosi: Dishes from Germany, Italy and France “meet cute,” as they say in the movies. Twinkly lights, big sash windows and West Austin cool reflect the young-love esprit of the husband-and-wife team who run the show.
• Uchi: When it’s time to swing for the fences, nothing says “I heart you” like this little house’s big-ticket blend of next-level sushi and ain’t-it-cool Austin insiderism.
• Aquarelle: The knocking of wooden floors, the tight embrace of small rooms and impossibly delicate sauces. When people say, “that romantic little French house off West Sixth,” they mean Aquarelle.
(Photo at top: Valentine cake balls from the Holy Cacoa and French treats from Luxe Sweets. American-Statesman photo by Alicia Mireles.)
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment
Hot dog digest: Man Bites Dog
Preparing for Thursday’s four-stop hot dog onslaught at austin360.com/food, here’s a sneak peek at Man Bites Dog:
It’s impossible to tell a hot dog story without something on wheels. Man Bites Dog is a recent addition to the rollable feast known as the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery, which also corrals Torchy’s Tacos and a dessert trailer.
For $4.50, the Bird Dog arrives — after a full 12 minutes for it to be cooked fresh — with fat chicken sausage on an industrial strength roll with a flaky crust and a dense, sweet crumb. Corn relish and herbed mayo play off each other with sweet and aromatic notes.
One of these would fill up anybody of reasonable appetites. But reason has no place in the Cuban, a big $6 pork sausage wrapped in ham, finished with Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. It’s a two-handed pork-bomb, sure, but it’s about as subtle as pro wrestling.
Dogs top out at $6, and the roster of extras includes mango chutney, baked beans, bleu cheese and pepperoni. The choices are fairly slim for sides and drinks, but the beauty of this trailer park is that a red velvet cake ball is just $2 and 20 paces away at Holy Cacao.
Man Bites Dog. A trailer at 1311 S. First St. in the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery. www.manbitesdogaustin.com. Hours: Open at 11 a.m. daily. Until 4 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 9 p.m. Thursdays, 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 9 p.m. Sundays.
(American-Statesman photo by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Hot dog digest: Chris’ Little Chicago
Preparing for Thursday’s four-stop hot dog onslaught at austin360.com/food, here’s a sneak peek at Chris’ Little Chicago:
There are dog people and then there are ‘Chicago Dog’ people. This is their little red trailer.
The relish is greener, the sport peppers bigger, the Vienna beef … Vienna-er. Poppyseeds will dot your smile like black-hole constellations the rest of the day. And it’s a bleacher-seat steal at $3.75. I could stop there.
Except that I can’t, because it’s tough to resist a sampler of four minidogs for $8.50 that represents the depth of Chris Miller’s lineup.
Good ones with sweet slaw and barbecue sauce, with old-school kraut and mustard, with clean-tasting chili and cheese.
And one obligatory hippie-dippie ‘Austinite’ dog with avocado and mango salsa that gets Austin wrong by the exact degree to which the Chicago Dog gets Chicago right.
The same trailer that turns out a dozen kinds of dogs for $4 or less also lays down hot fries and Italian sandwiches, ready to eat on picnic tables with a Greenbelt view on the horizon.
Chris’ Little Chicago. A trailer at 3600 S. Lamar Blvd. 300-1791, www.chrislittlechicago.com. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
(American-Statesman photos by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Hot dog digest: Dog Almighty
Preparing for Thursday’s four-stop hot dog onslaught at austin360.com/food, here’s a sneak peek at Dog Almighty:
During this brief window of comfort-food fantasy when we’ve decided that hot dogs are just fine, Dog Almighty takes it a step further by adding crushed potato chips. For texture, for nostalgia, for laughs, for $2.99.
Nobody takes things too seriously at this lived-in storefront shop with walls covered by colorful local paintings and kids’ crayoned hot-dog pictures. But that doesn’t mean they won’t share your excitement about a $3 frozen mug of Bootlegger Brown beer or a bottle of pumpkin-pie soda from Maine Root.
And they’re serious enough when it counts, like with a simple Broken Spoke dog of barbecue sauce and a braid of caramelized onions for $2.79. It’s nothing special to look at, but it’s twangy and sweet like the honky-tonk next door.
Chicago-dog geeks will say the bun’s missing poppyseeds and they can’t taste the celery salt, but it’s fine for $2.89. The meat itself has reasonable snap and good beef texture.
I won’t recommend the chili-cheese fries, which had a burnt-chili taste that hung on way past dinner. Corndogs, Frito pie and burgers round out the menu, and all the dogs are a square deal at less than $3.
Dog Almighty. 3005 S. Lamar Blvd. 912-1105, www.hotdogalmighty.com. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Noon to 9 p.m. Sundays.
(American-Statesman photos by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Austin Restaurant Week starts Feb. 28
Restaurants are gearing up for the spring edition of Austin Restaurant Week, an eight-day dining expedition that starts Feb. 28.
More than 50 participating restaurants will feature old favorites and new dishes from fixed-price menus ranging from $10-$15 for lunch and $25-$35 for dinner.
Diners can choose from a variety of styles, from seafood at Eddie V’s to barbecue at the County Line to artisan tacos at Garrido’s.
This year, the event has grown to include more lunch options and casual restaurants such as Bagpipes Irish Pub, Cuatro’s and Cannoli Joe’s, along with high-end spots like Parkside, the Driskill Grill and the Carillon.
Austin Restaurant Week, sponsored by Rare magazine, actually spans eight days in two Sunday-Wednesday bursts, from Feb. 28 to March 3 and March 7-10.
Menus and a full list of participating restaurants, searchable by type of cuisine, are available at www.restaurantweekaustin.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Five date-worthy restaurants
Putting together a much bigger date-map-of-the-Austin-universe, the Austin360 editor asked me to write a sentence on five nice date-worthy restaurants. Here they are, just in time for us not to have a prayer of getting a reservation on Valentine’s weekend:
• Justine’s: Why do we love you when you treat us so cruelly? The long waits, the indifference, the cramped little place? Because when the steak frites, the Cotes du Rhone and the Delta blues hit just right, it’s Paris on the East Side.
• Wink: In this temple of the simple, everything on the plate shows up, but nothing shows off. The flavors of venison, lamb and Bordeaux speak softly, so you can, too.
• Fabi and Rosi: Dishes from Germany, Italy and France “meet cute,” as they say in the movies. Twinkly lights, big sash windows and West Austin cool reflect the young-love esprit of the husband-and-wife team who run the show.
• Uchi: When it’s time to swing for the fences, nothing says “I heart you” like this little house’s big-ticket blend of next-level sushi and ain’t-it-cool Austin insiderism.
• Aquarelle: The knocking of wooden floors, the tight embrace of small rooms and impossibly delicate sauces. When people say, “that romantic little French house off West Sixth,” they mean Aquarelle.
(American-Statesman photos by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
A restaurant critic’s Q&A
Recently, our Newspapers In Education program interviewed me to give students and teachers an idea of what a restaurant critic does besides gain weight. Here’s that interview:
Newspapers in Education: What is your job at the Statesman?
Mike Sutter: I pull double duty as the Food & Life section editor and restaurant critic. I also have a restaurant blog on austin360.com called Forklore, I write about wine and I post Twitter updates through my @forklore account.
How long have you worked at the Statesman?
Since October of 1985. Ronald Reagan was president.
Have you always been a food critic?
I started as a copy editor, then became a page designer for the Metro section and the front page. The Los Angeles riots, the first Gulf War, the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan. I designed front pages for all of them. For the past 14 years, I was the art director for our entertainment magazine, XL, which is called Austin360 now.
How did you become the Statesman’s food critic?
While at XL, I worked closely with our former restaurant critic (Dale Rice) to assign photos for his reviews, and I managed our database of restaurant listings. When he retired in 2008, I interviewed for the job, wrote four reviews and organized the 2008 Dining Guide. I officially started in December 2008.
What is an average day like for you on the job?
On one Monday, for example, I wrote reviews of an East Austin seafood place called the Shuck Shack and a Vietnamese sandwich trailer on South Lamar called Lulu B’s. Then I processed five or six photos from the dozens I took while I visited those places. That night, I had a dinner of rabbit with thyme-infused sauce and a glass of Spanish red wine at a downtown restaurant.
How is critiquing different from reporting? Is reporting involved in critiquing?
Both disciplines involve gathering information. To report a house fire, you go to the scene, you take pictures, you talk to the homeowners or the firefighters. Then you write down the facts, the quotes and your observations of the scene. Same thing with a critique, except the food does most of the talking, and you use more adjectives.
What is your favorite part of your job?
This is where I say “eating,” right? Yes, that’s a magnificent fringe benefit. What I like best, though, is interviewing people who cook for a living. At taco trailers, in hotel kitchens, at fast-food places. Their food, their scars and their interactions with customers make for good listening and even better stories.
Would you recommend your career to someone else, why or why not?
Is there anybody who wouldn’t want my job? Creative writing, people-watching, double cheeseburgers. The work sells itself.
What advice do you have for someone who might want to be a food critic?
Always be aware that your work affects peoples’ lives. People who own restaurants and employ other people, people who work in them to support their families, people who might use your recommendations to spend the money they’ve set aside for special dining-out occasions. Build your knowledge of food by reading cookbooks (“Gastronomique”) and chef’s memoirs (Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential”).
What is the thing people most misunderstand about critics and critiquing?
Even some of my friends have asked, “How can you be objective about a restaurant when they know who you are and you’re getting all that free food?” I don’t tell restaurant owners where I’m going, and I don’t announce my presence when I get there. I don’t accept free food. I order, eat, pay and leave a tip. The American-Statesman reimburses me at the end of the month.
What is a memorable story that stands out to you from your critiquing?
An Austin food writer named Mando Rayo and I made a 10-stop taco tour of Austin, half in the morning, half at night. During that tour, we were panhandled, serenaded tableside (twice), offered “spare” power tools from a car trunk and invited into a steaming little kitchen next to a laundromat. We ate something like 40 tacos between the two of us.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I was surprised to learn from a Zagat Restaurant Survey that the No. 1 complaint people have about restaurants isn’t food. It’s service. Then noise. Then prices. Food is fourth.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Trailer Treasure: Odd Duck Farm to Trailer
The wood-sided meals-on-wheels assemblage that houses Odd Duck Farm to Trailer includes a grill room where the trailer’s white wood frame and screened window create a sort of tintype movie theater for Bryce Gilmore as he stokes the fire.
Hardly a throwback cowboy cook, though, Gilmore uses the smoky, log-chewing hotbox to flash-grill his vegetables and breads and to finish the duck and pork that started their road to the plate in a sous vide water bath housed at his father’s restaurant, where Gilmore does Odd Duck’s kitchen prep.
Bryce Gilmore is the son of Jack Gilmore, the former Z’Tejas chef behind the new Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Oak Hill (see the review Thursday in Austin360 and online at austin360.com/food).
So how did he keep from being dragooned into service at Dad’s place? ‘I came up with this trailer idea first. If I didn’t have this ambition, I’m sure I would have helped there,’ Bryce Gilmore said. ‘He’s an amazing chef. I just wanted to do my own thing.’
The fact is, Gilmore worked with his father at Z’Tejas before and after graduating from Westlake High School, setting the pace for a career that propelled him to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and time behind the stoves at Moonshine, Wink and the late Cafe 909 in Marble Falls.
But for now, the trailer is his changing-daily showcase for turning out dishes that might include duck on grilled focaccia with crimini and oyster mushrooms, diced turnips, and a shower of crisp greens for $5. Grilled romaine lettuce with creamy goat-cheese ricotta and a soft-poached egg on toast is $5, and $4 might buy a grilled broccoli salad with feta cheese or a hot cup of creamy cauliflower soup.
It’s rich food, tossed in and finished with a drizzle of oil from the Texas Olive Ranch.
Sometimes it’s nice to walk up to a place with $25 in your pocket and order everything on the menu. But this isn’t big-appetite food. You might still be hungry after two dishes, and ‘five-dollar quarter-foot-long’ doesn’t have the same Subway jingle ring to it.
Even so, Odd Duck’s little sandwich with pork braised in coffee porter from Real Ale carries a level of flavor beyond its diminutive size.
Gilmore, like his father, emphasizes buying local. ‘It’s important to know where your food comes from,’ he said. Odd Duck’s food comes from Richardson Farms (pork), Countryside Farm (duck and eggs), Moonlight Bakery (bread), Bella Verdi Farms (greens) and others.
With just 150 square feet to work with, Gilmore has decided to drop lunch service and open only for dinner at the lot he shares month-to-month with Gourdough’s doughnut trailer and the Austin Brevita coffee stand. ‘This past week I was running out of food at 8,’ he said by e-mail.
Odd Duck Farm to Trailer: 1219 S. Lamar Blvd. 695-6922, www.oddduckfarmtotrailer.com. Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. 5 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
(American-Statesman photos by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
A new chef at Hudson’s on the Bend
“Robert Rhoades is on his way to Houston with Eddie V’s.. Hudson’s could not match the corporate bucks. The restaurant has always been a great launching pad for chef’s….Jay Moore - Ron Brannon - Becky Barsch Fischer & now Robert.
“Kelly Casey will replace him (we are very deep in the culinary talent pool). She has been at the restaurant for 9 years. Five years ago when Becky left it was a coin toss between Kelly and Robert …..we all learned a lot from Robert, but now it’s Kelly’s time. I have solid faith in her abilities as the Executive Chef at Hudson’s…..after all we have watched her skills for the last decade.
“She not only knows all the “ins & outs” - style - food - service - etc…..she created many entrees and desserts and knows “the Hudson’s style.” Her ability to create fine dining and Hill Country cuisine is superb. She will be joining me to bring spark to our cooking school as well.
“I look forward to many more years with Kelly.”
(American-Statesman photo)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Gourdough’s, Arkie’s, Progress Coffee in the media
• The cable network TLC will be filming at Gourdough’s on Thursday from 1 to 10 p.m. foran “America Eats” segment, according to a Twitter post from the gourmet doughnut trailer.
• That will come on the heels of the networking dropping by Arkie’s Grill on East Cesar Chavez Street for the same show on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to Steve Jones, who owns Arkie’s with his wife, Brandy. (I’m trying to wrangle the recipe for Arkie’s sweet cabbage salad from Steve.)
• In the January issue of Bon Appetit magazine, Progress Coffee at 500 San Marcos St. was named one of the top 10 Best Boutique Coffee Shops in the country. “Favorite coffee shops don’t just serve terrific joe; they also act as a modern-day meeting place. This Eastside spot with Owl Tree coffee and fresh biscuits is the best hangout in town,” the magazine said.
(American-Statesman photos)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Wine dinners at Andiamo & Ruth’s, Mobile Loaves & Fishes benefit
• The Italian restaurant Andiamo is holding a four-course pre-Valentine’s wine dinner at 7 p.m. Feb. 3. $40. (2521 Rutland Drive, Ste 325. 719-3377, www.andiamoitaliano.com)
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House will pair Stag’s Leap wines with a four-course menu at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27. $85. (107 W. Sixth St., 477-7884, www.ruthschris-austin.com)
• On Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m., Westlake United Methodist Church (1460 Redbud Trail) will screen the Andrew Shapter film ‘Happiness Is’ to benefit Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which feeds Austin’s homeless. Suggested donation $10.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Valentine’s Day dining, Part 1
Only 22 more shopping — and restaurant reservation — days until Valentine’s Day.
At Ruth’s Chris Steak House (107 W. Sixth St., 477-7884), they’re opening at 3 p.m. with a six-ounce filet and lobster tail for $39.95.
Opal Divine’s (www.opaldivines.com for locations) is doing a no-reservations beer dinner for $65 per couple.
If your restaurant is doing something special, e-mail me at msutter@statesman.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Restaurant Recipes: Roaring Fork’s Green Chili Pork
We’ll ask. For now, let’s start with Green Chili Pork from the Roaring Fork, with locations at 10850 Stonelake Blvd. and 701 Congress Ave. www.eddiev.com.
Send your recipe requests to msutter@statesman.com.
The Roaring Fork’s Green Chili Pork
2 cups diced yellow onions
1 cup diced poblanos
2 lb. diced pork
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. cumin powder
2 Tbsp. ground coriander
2 Tbsp. jalapeno powder
5 Tbsp. green chili powder
2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
In a stewing pot, saute vegetables until tender.
Add diced pork. Add all dry ingredients.
Stir well for a couple of minutes, blend well. Add chicken stock and let simmer on low to medium heat for one and a half hours or until fork-tender.
Skim fat off surface as stew simmers. Season with salt and pepper just before service, only if needed, to your taste.
Serve in a bowl with pepper Jack cheese, roasted serrano pepper and warm, buttered flour tortillas.
(American-Statesman photo by Mike Sutter)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Austin fried chicken: Southern Comfort food
As the full fried-chicken story hits austin360.com today, here’s a taste of Tony’s Southern Comfort fried chicken at Hyde Park Bar & Grill:
At Hyde Park Bar & Grill, fried chicken has turned the restaurant world’s slowest nights into an occasion.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, Tony Herring (at right) pays homage to the chicken that anchored his Tony’s Southern Comfort restaurant until it closed in 2007. And while Herring boils the oil at the West Gate Boulevard location, his brother Dwayne keeps an eye on Tony’s legacy at the Duval Street shop.
The legacy? Gnarls of artery-defying crunch and a hot shot of garlic and pepper, with a wet sound in the middle, a sound Herring imitated with sonic precision on the phone.
‘A lot of people will trim the fat and trim the skin off,’ he said. ‘But if it’s done correctly, and you bite down to it, and you hit that KERR-IKKTCH, that crunch, that’s what that is.’
The chicken on the two-piece dinner special is flanked by curled knobs of fat and skin, a bonus unless you’d rather have more meat on the bone. For $9.95, the plate includes a big biscuit, mashed potatoes and another side.
Tired of half-hearted mashers, I was granted relief with rich three-cheese macaroni and impossibly green wok-seared collard greens with bacon. As star-powered as the chicken is, the sides warrant co-star props: spice-roasted sweet potatoes, corn tamales, a sauté of corn and edamame, lentil soup.
Herring went reverent when I mentioned chicken and waffles, the dish that put Tony’s on the map. What makes that work? ‘It’s the sweet and spicy. Just like you go out and have the Oriental dinner, the sweet and sour. It’s pretty much the same technique there.’
He hasn’t let go of bringing it back somewhere, someday.
Meanwhile, his work is cut out for him at Hyde Park, where demand has grown in the past year from 20 or 30 orders a night to upwards of 60, he says.
‘Mondays and Tuesdays are 75 percent fried chicken. It flies.’
Hyde Park Bar and Grill. Chicken on Mondays and Tuesdays for dinner at both locations. 4206 Duval St., 458-3168. 4521 West Gate Blvd., 289-2700. www.hydeparkbarandgrill.com.
(American-Statesman photos)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
An Austin fried chicken sampler: The List
While fried chicken from KFC, Popeye’s and Church’s is getting the critic’s treatment in this blog and in Wednesday’s Food & Life section. Here’s a list of the local places I’ll talk about in Thursday’s Austin360 magazine.
• Arkie’s Grill. Chicken Mondays through Fridays at 4827 E. Cesar Chavez St. 385-2986.
• Bill Miller Bar-B-Q. Chicken every day at multiple Austin locations. See www.billmillerbbq.com.
• The Highball. Chicken every day at 1142 S. Lamar Blvd. 383-8309, www.thehighball.com.
• Hoover’s Cooking. Chicken on Sundays, only at the 13376 U.S. 183 N. location. 335-0300, www.hooverscooking.com.
• Hyde Park Bar and Grill. Chicken on Mondays and Tuesdays for dinner at both locations. 4206 Duval St., 458-3168. 4521 West Gate Blvd., 289-2700. www.hydeparkbarandgrill.com.
• Jasper’s. Chicken on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 11506 Century Oaks Terrace in the Domain. 834-4111, www.jaspers-restaurant.com.
• Lucky J’s Chicken and Waffles. Chicken waffle cones from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays at Sixth and Waller Streets. Bone-in chicken expected to return in February in a trailer at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Rio Grande Street. www.luckyjs.com.
• Max’s Wine Dive. Chicken every day at 207 San Jacinto Blvd. 904-0111, www.maxswinedive.com.
• Nubian Queen LoLa’s. Chicken Mondays through Saturdays at 1815 Rosewood Ave. 474-5652, www.nubianqueenlolas.com.
• Paggi House. Chicken on Sundays for brunch at 200 Lee Barton Drive. 473-3700, www.paggihouse.com.
• Top Notch. Chicken Mondays through Saturdays at 7525 Burnet Road, 452-2181.
• 24 Diner. Chicken and waffles every day at 600 N. Lamar Blvd. 472-5400, www.24diner.com.
ALSO …
• Bountiful Cafe. Chicken for lunch on Sundays, only at the 3201 Bee Cave Road location. 402-0043, www.atriptobountiful.com.
• Royers Round Top Cafe. Chicken on Sundays at 105 Main St., Round Top. 979-249-3611, www.royersroundtopcafe.com.
• Olivia. Chicken for brunch on Sundays at 2043 S. Lamar Blvd. 804-2700, www.olivia-austin.com.
Latest comments
thai tara…good riddance. Poor excuse for thai food, and chincy portions…and charging for extra rice is lame.
please don’t reopen elsewhere…for the sake of our tastebuds
... read the full comment by james | Comment on Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners Read Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners
Very sad to hear that Thai Tara is closing. Any idea on the date they’re closing the doors?
... read the full comment by Thai Tara Fan | Comment on Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners Read Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners
Very upset. Thai Tara is/was my favorite casual restaurant in town.
... read the full comment by Monica | Comment on Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners Read Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners
Oh, no! Not Thai Tara! I’m eagerly awaiting your relocation.
... read the full comment by Anthony Haley | Comment on Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners Read Opening/Closing report: Thai Tara to be replaced with new concept from Mulberry owners
See more recent comments