Category Archives: Food

Hearty Party

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I had ulterior motives when I offered to host this year’s Super Bowl party–mostly I wanted to choose the menu. I’m not a picky eater but Heath and I have been on a health binge lately and I wanted to keep the menu tame-ish. Maybe some hummus instead of home fries and quinoa instead of queso. I carefully constructed a veggie heavy menu and set out for Central Market to acquire the ingredients. The menu would be a fresh (but still delish) alternative to traditional Super Bowl fix-ins.

The Menu
-Quinoa Tabbouleh
-Veggie Shish Kabobs
-Southwestern Bean Salad
-Guacamole
-Red Pepper Hummus
-Fresh veggies for dipping
-Jalapeño hot dogs (because, well this is still America and it’s still the Super Bowl)

I spent almost all day preparing. I was going to make fans out of my non veggie-loving friends even if just for one night.

“Oh no,” I told my guests. “You don’t need to bring anything. We’ll take care of it.”

Those were famous last words. Somehow during the course of the evening, things took a turn and I learned a valuable lesson: don’t tell your food-loving friends to bring “nothing” to a party.

The good…

The Bad…

The Ugly…

By the end of the night I had nibbled on a carrot or two, sure, but also downed a bacon milkshake, fist fulls of pizza dip, mac n cheese, creamy jalapeno dip, peking duck and more. I was grateful for the whirlwind tour of terribly unhealthy edibles, but I did have a killer food hangover the next day.

Maybe I’ll lose the weight by next year’s party.

La Condesa

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I COULD go to trendy new restaurants soon after they open and THEN blog about them, but I much prefer waiting a few years until everyone already knows how awesome Eating Establishment X is, and then write about it like I’m the first to know. I’m talking, in this case, about La Condesa.

I ventured to the downtown TexMex restaurant for lunch recently and was pleased to see the hype wasn’t for nothing. I have no trouble believing this place will be a regular contender when the mister and I find ourselves in the “where should we go for date night” predicament.

Right off the bat I liked La Condesa for the location (across from Austin’s super cool City Hall, The W Hotel, Moody Theater and Lamberts). At night the trees light up and the people watching is superb. So kudos, LC, for picking out some pretty prime real estate in which to serve tacos.

Besides being situated in the heart of mucho A-town action, the architecture and interior design is jaw dropping, astounding even. You could sit inside and stare at the textured walls, vibrant murals, swanky lighting, everything…before  you realize it has been 10 minutes and you haven’t even opened your menu. I’m not overselling either. In fact, the restaurant won a people’s choice restaurant design award from AIA Los Angeles. Pretty nifty.

If you weren’t already intrigued, allow me to go on. I’ve always heard you can tell how good a TexMex restaurant is going to be by the chips and salsa. Perhaps forecasting this very school of thought, the brains behind the La Condesa menu offer not one, but four salsas on which to over indulge before your meal begins. There’s a classic salsa roja, as well as a fresh and creamy avocado tomatillo, chipotle salsa and a super spicy but delectable option. Four salsa choices AND a generous helping of warm chips. Don’t mind if I do.

The main meal itself (fish tacos, my go-to taco when breakfast tacos aren’t an option) was splendid as well. The serving wasn’t too massive, but was still plenty filling and the tacos themselves really hit the spot. The best part about the entree, however, was the extra tortillas that come with the meal. Some places (no names) up-charge for extra tortillas (not cool), but La Condesa included two additional corn tortillas right on the plate, just like that. It was an unexpected treat and came in handy for scooping up extra salsa, black beans and rice. It’s such a small thing to do, but that alone would have tempted me to return for another visit.

By lunch hour’s end, I had been converted. The tasty array of  salsas, visually entrancing atmosphere, and surprise bonus tortilla had me singing the praises of La Condesa to anyone that would hear it. Unfortunately I can’t speak on behalf of their margaritas. I guess I should return for happy hour in order to tell that tale.

You are what you eat

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To start the new year off with a bang (and to undo some of the damage we inflicted upon ourselves over the holidays) Heath and I vowed to go on a two week binge of micronutrients. No savory poultry, no delectable cheese, no fluffy breads or creamy desserts or salty snacks. Just a lot of this…

this…

this…

and this.

Think blueberries for breakfast, salads for lunch and veggie stews for dinner. Snacks of Hershey’s kisses have been traded for fistfuls of Craisins, and desserts of red wine are being subbed out for freshly squeezed OJ. The dining  table is topped with celery and salsa instead of chips and dip, and a shiny, substantial juicer is taking up valuable real estate on the kitchen counter. Overhaul indeed.

The fruit/veggie cleanse/fast was inspired by some friends who endured a juice fast (and swear by its powers) and further spurred on by agenda-pushing documentaries like Food Inc., Supersize Me and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. We realized over the last few months we ate far too many processed Cheez-Its and far too few fresh spinach salads. We wanted to do something that would make us more conscious of what we put into our bodies and perhaps influence our future eating habits. Boy has it.

It’s day 10 of vegging out and here’s what we’ve discovered:

-It’s nearly impossible to dine out. I’ve heard vegans make this complaint before, but didn’t understand just how saturated modern menus are with the things we have declared temporarily forbidden. You can be hard pressed to find a salad without cheese and croutons or a soup made without chicken broth. The diet has certainly pushed kitchen creativity to the limit.
-Fresh foods–turns out they really do keep you fuller longer.  On lazy days, or days where I thought I earned a treat, I’d be known to grab a breakfast taco or two to start the morning. About 4,000 calories and 2 hours later I’d be hungry again…and usually for something equally greasy and icky. But on the fruit/veggie diet I can stay full for hours on a freshly blended smoothie or guac salad. It really gets you thinking about how your body digests food.
- I really miss cheese. I miss bread and eggs and fish too, but cheese…that’s the kicker. I know cheese rounds out the the top of the list of foods that are pretty horribly unhealthy, but I can’t help but fantasize about chomping down on a slice of cheesy goodness. I have even dreamed of swimming through pools of queso. It’s been the hardest habit to kick, hands down.

With 4 days of apple juice drinking, pistachio snacking and salad munching left, I feel pretty good about the whole experience (and by “pretty good” I mean, confident I can survive the remaining days without cheese). I know we are no heroes; we didn’t endure a month of vegan-ing, or a 60-day juice fast or 2 week Master Cleanse, but we did find a way to incorporate more of the good stuff into our routine and think differently about how the food we eat affects our mood, mind and waist line. I think it’s the beginning of a major diet overhaul and hopefully a longer life.

Happily Handmade

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Handmade Christmas gifts are the best. I like to give ‘em, I like to receive ‘em. Something about putting the finishing touches on a mediocre craft and boxing it up to distribute to family who are obligated to love it just feels über Christmasy. This year I was lucky to receive my fair share of handmade trinkets and goodies.

A favorite might have been these ornaments my mom made to resemble Stella and Wyatt. Our tree was lacking in doodle-themed ornaments–something that clearly had to be remedied. See the resemblance?

My sister and brother-in-law, of StormulaOne Photography fame, put together these coasters featuring his photography. I’m a big fan of his work, so getting to glance down at mini prints of his photography on my coffee table is really exciting. I might have to commission more.

Heath’s mother made this reversible hobo bag that I can’t wait to use as a travel pouch.

And of course, let’s not discount all the jellies, jams and baked goods from my mother and from Ranjana that will carry us into the new year.

So, too soon to start working on next years gifts? The wheels are already turning.

Food Heads

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If I started a restaurant, it would probably be exactly like Austin’s Food Heads; partly because sandwiches and salads are all I would be qualified to make and partly because I’m obsessed with the cozy and eclectic atmosphere they have created both inside the cafe and out. Though, my version probably wouldn’t be as precious or palatable.

It’s not hard to make me love a sandwich. I love bread and most things that accompany bread, but Food Head’s finds a way to make the art of sandwich eating a little more extraordinary—namely by getting wonderfully creative with the fixin’s they pack in between bread slice one and bread slice two. I wouldn’t have thought to combine a portobello mushroom, bleu cheese and blackberry balsamic vinaigrette, for instance, but thank goodness a genius at Food Heads did. And thank goodness, too, for someone behind the counter dreaming up a sandwich made of pork tenderloin, jalapeno relish, swiss cheese and tabasco slaw. That, my friends, is a sandwich.

And why not enjoy your Gypsy Grove Sandwich or Fish Torta in a quirky urban garden–a space where old windows are refurbished and used as porch decor and every piece of accouterment from the tables to the saltshakers are mismatched? The walls are brightly painted, the cacti are bigger than your car and if you choose to dine alone there is always a shelf full of books to keep you company. Food Heads, you might just be my new favorite lunchtime treat.

 

 

 

Not your grandmother’s farmers market

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How, HOW can I possibly make my life appear as exciting and exotic as possible? I mean, I’m competing with the entire internet. Have you seen the internet lately? There is some crazy stuff happening there. So how can I  make a trip to the farmers market sound invigorating and modern and sexy? Maybe by mentioning some of the more interesting details of  the HOPE Farmers Market.

Invigorating: The free cocktails and beer. Free drinks are becoming increasingly mandatory at Austin events and the HOPE market is embracing that idea tenfold. To ease the heat-related sorrows of midday market goers, HOPE offers obscenely delicious cocktails and local brews for the price of free–a good move considering the river of free flowing vodka lemonade kept us in the 100-plus degree heat about an hour longer than I would have normally planned. Live music…that didn’t hurt either.

Modern: The location. The setting of the HOPE market has an intriguing history. During the South by Southwest music festival, the small collection of art studios on East 5th Street is transformed from a mini artist colony into a hipster’s dream also known as  Fader Fort . But when the glitz and glam of SXSW is over, the East side art space transforms yet again. Only this time the change is less hipster, more hippie. Less one-week parade and more a 4-hour celebration of all things local, namely the HOPE market.

Sexy: The Art. One perk of hosting a farmers market within an artist’s paradise is the easy access to pieces by local artists. Fresh food and free art…sexy indeed.

So, yeah, Internet. I’m cool too. I can hang. My life, and specifically this blog, is  invigorating, modern and sexy. Deal with it.

They grow up so fast

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Little Francis Sue has joined the egg layers club. Yesterday we found two tiny bright white eggs in the coop.

Her egg laying days could not have come at a better time since Marion is on hiatus from her egg laying. Her embryos are nowhere to be found, at least not in the coop; although it’s possible she could have stashed them somewhere in the yard as she is known to do. If she did take a vacation from laying, I can’t blame her. It’s too hot outside to do anything but think about being inside.

At any rate, here’s a toast to Francis Sue’s coming of age and the promise of many omelettes to come.

Monumental

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Do I really want to drive an hour north on I 35 to Georgetown for good eatin’ when there are hundreds, nay, thousands of trendy eating establishments in Austin? It certainly doesn’t seem like a task I would volunteer for. But after consuming vast amounts of freshly made strawberry lemonade and more than my fair share of flaky, buttery biscuits, I dare say a return trip to Georgetown is in the cards. Monument Cafe, thou hath converted me.

The cafe’s organic backyard garden provides much of the restaurant’s produce, and what isn’t grown there is sourced from local farms. The same goes for the eatery’s meat, poultry and dairy products. The on-site garden and menu of rich comfort foods combined with the sleek and minimalist interior provides a unique atmosphere that feels simultaneously homey and upscale.

And the food is good, really good. The menu is simple: club sandwiches, chicken fried steak, catfish, etc. But it doesn’t need to be fancy or novel because the quality of the ingredients and attention to detail is what has kept people coming to the cafe repeatedly since 1995.

It may be in Georgetown, but I can always find an excuse to visit the Round Rock outlet mall or stroll Georgetown’s historic square if it means I can stop for lunch at The Monument Cafe.

fiestas and food

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Last weekend was our first back in Austin after our globe trotting adventures. The return to our state’s capitol had to be epic. Enter weekend extravaganza of fun times (working title).

Fortunately there was plenty of fun to be had. In 1 weekend, over 2 days, there were 3 parties—all with a common theme: food and fun.

Party 1
Host: Mark and Ranjana
Summary: In honor of a very special occasion–Friday–Mark and Ranjana, or Maranjanark, hosted a pizza-filled fiesta that included a pie made with a bacon crust  (courtesy Epic Meal Time), bacon-wrapped and cheese-stuffed jalapenos and “the salad bowl game” which is essentially the love child of Taboo and charades on steroids. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but had we won tickets for performing well in the game (circa the days of Chuck E. Cheese or Fun Time Pizza) I’d have walked out of there with an awesome water gun or magic kit. In layman’s terms…I did good.

Party 2
Host: Avee and Rajia
Summary: The Saturday day party (that inevitably went into the night) celebrated Rajia’s birthday with yard games like badminton and ping pong. And of course, there was beer, queso and party snacks to boot.

Party 3
Host: Candace and Chris
Summary: The party celebrated both a birthday and the couple’s recent decision to c0habitate.  Playing starring roles at the love fest was an abundance of hip home decor, homemade edible goodies, keg beer, hipster music and a 90-pound doodle-like dog that fell too much in love with one of the party guests.

Party on.

July 4

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When fireworks are banned across Central Texas, the only logical substitue for outdoor explosions is to watch Independence Day projected onto a sheet in your backyard while enjoying sliders, potato salad and watermelon. That’s what we decided to do, anyway. What’s more American than mini sandwiches, and excessively large TV screens? Nothing, that’s what.


A peek at our makeshift movie theater.

The Menu: Chips and salsa, watermelon and peaches, turkey sliders, BLT dip, curried potato salad and lots of beer.

Friends–also an important July 4 ingredient.

 

Happy b-day, America.