Stand Out Dinner at Counter 3.FIVE.VII

Dinner at Counter 3. FIVE. VII

Counter3FiveVII
Austin, TX

Counter 3.FIVE.VII is an absolute luxury. My husband and I were in foodie heaven on our anniversary last September. The seven courses and unique pairings sent our taste buds on a true journey. It was so much fun! We started with a crudo of lemon, olives and grape verjus. It was fresh and smooth. A great way to begin. Then we had a Salute Bay Oyster with country ham, daikon (winter radish) and Korean pepper. The flavors were so complex and yet so delightful. For our next course, we had the Santa Barbara Sea Urchin. It was served on this special cornbread along with honey and horchata (beverage made of ground almonds). My husband wasn't completely sold on this one because of the texture of the urchin combined with the cornbread. But I found it very interesting. It was so unique that I really treasured every bite.  Up next was our favorite course and favorite bite of the night. On the menu, it's listed as Chicken Larb with cabbage, sunflower and huitlacoche (it's a fungus known as corn mushroom or a Mexican truffle). But it was served like a little taco. Just imagine the most amazing taco of your life with Asian flavors. That's what it tasted like to us and it was beyond amazing. The next two dishes were also as close to perfection as you can get in a meal. We gobbled up the Dolma served in grape leaf, curds and New Mexico green chili. It was tender, spicy and magical. Then we had the Akaushi Strip Loin with cocoa, onion and eggplant. It was definitely the best steak we've had... possibly ever. It melted in our mouths. And the flavors were incredible. The dessert was also sweet and refreshing. The next time you have a special occasion... this is the place to go in Austin. And please go all-in... get the seven courses with pairings. We had everything from champagne to beer to a Greek wine. And every combination worked beautifully. 

Bad Order at Cantine

Cantine Italian Cafe & Bar

Cantine Austin

Austin, TX

I went with a group of girlfriends to Cantine Italian Cafe & Bar in the new Lamar Union shopping center. The restaurant had a great buzz about it when we walked in. The service was solid. But wow, did I make a horrible order! I really felt like ordering a pasta. So I went for the lamb ragu with whole wheat pasta and goat cheese. It sounded perfect. But the lamb was fairly chewy and lacked any real flavor. The wheat pasta was also a bit tough and the goat cheese couldn't save the dish. Several friends of mine made this order and we all agreed it was a mistake. We went about a month ago and I'm glad to see the pasta is no longer on the menu. Hopefully it stays that way! I did like some bites from other dishes including the Bianca Pizza with prosciutto. So try Cantine out... but make sure you order carefully.

A New Pizzeria!

Powerful Flavor at Unit D Pizzeria

Unit D Pizzeria

Austin, TX

 My husband and I were too excited to find a new pizza place open up on Manor Road in East Austin. It's in the same shopping center as Dai Dui. And it is definitely worth a visit. The restaurant is small and intimate, but it also very inviting. We were able to sit down right away at a communal table and ended up hitting it off with the couple next to us (after a couple of glasses of wine and pizza of course). The restaurant has a wood-fired pizza oven inside... which made me especially excited to taste the pizza. By far the best bite came from the mushroom pizza. It comes with a white sauce, porcini powder, fontina (Italian cow's milk cheese), sherry vinegar and my favorite... truffle. This pizza is really something special. The flavors are so powerful and delightful. The truffle, the fontina and the white sauce just makes this a standout. We also ordered the wood-fired olives, carrots and the sausage pizza with lamb, tomato, fennel, mozzarella, fontina, pecorino and dill. They were also all solid orders. It's difficult not to compare this place to Bufalina Pizza on Cesar Chavez because they are both serving wood-fired pizza in an intimate setting... I would have to say overall Bufalina is putting out the best pies (mostly because they have a better crust), but the mushroom pizza at Unit D Pizzeria is one of a kind. You'll have to try it.

Dynamite Bites in Cancun

Dining at Live Aqua Resort

MB Restaurant, Hidden Garden & Inlaakech Lobster & Grill

Live Aqua Resort

Cancun, Mexico

Live Aqua is an all-inclusive resort and for the most part... it's worth it. We had incredible meals at MB Restaurant and Hidden Garden. In fact, we had the best meal of the entire vacation at Hidden Garden. It offers up a nice range of Asian dishes. All of them were packed full of flavor. In addition to tender meat, the sauces were a wonderful combination of sweet and spicy flavors. The biggest disappointment actually came from the special lobster and grill restaurant. We had to pay extra for it and it just missed the mark. Both the lobster and steak had large portions... but they were overcooked. It was unfortunate... especially given the gorgeous atmosphere. Overall, we would definitely visit the resort again. We just wouldn't pay more for the lobster. 

A Bit of Disappointment at Jeffrey's

A Bit of Disappointment at Jeffrey's

Jeffrey's of Austin

My husband and I had a wonderful meal at Jeffrey's for my birthday. Almost everything was incredible... but the fact that the steak missed the mark was incredibly disappointing. We ordered the steak because it is what Jeffrey's is known for delivering and delivering well. We ordered the 26 ounce bone-in ribeye from the Beeman Family Ranch in Yoakum. It's USDA prime all-natural Wagyu Beef and it was dry aged for 32 days. Just reading that on the menu wet my appetite. So we ordered the steak to share. It was overall good, but not great. I was expecting the best steak of my life and it was far from that. Many of the bites were inconsistent. One bite would be incredible and the next bite was chewy and consumed by fat. Now I know ribeye is the fattest cut of steak, but some of the bites I had just weren't right. Beyond the steak everything was perfect. My favorite bite came from the truffled deviled eggs. Everyone should go to Jeffrey's just to try the little hors d'oeuvres. We also enjoyed the savory ricotta and roasted tomato tart. The yukon gold potatoe puree (aka mashed potatoes) may have been the best I've ever tasted. And the chocolate souffle was heavenly. It was rich, decadent and delicious. We look forward to returning for drinks and appetizers... but we may steer clear of doing a big dinner here. 

Superb Classics at Italic

A Girls' Dinner at Italic

Italic

Austin, TX

I enjoyed this lovely meal with six other great girlfriends at Italic the other night. When we are all together wine is the most important item on the menu, but the food did not disappoint! Italic is located in a nice little spot off of 6th and Congress. Bar Louie use to be located there. Italic has a great vibe and is full of activity right now. It was actually pretty loud even for us when we got seated. We ordered several appetizers and a couple of pastas and pizzas to share. It was plenty for the seven of us. My favorite bites came from two well known dishes:  Soppressata (Italian Salami) Pizza and Penne Rigate Alla Bolognese (Pasta with meat sauce). The Soppressata is extra special because in addition to some traditional ingredients like fontina (Italian cow's milk cheese) and basil, it comes with honey and chili flakes. The pizza is savory, sweet and spicy all at the same time. And one flavor doesn't overpower the other. I loved it. I also really enjoyed the bolognese. It's made with beef, pork, white wine, cream, mint and parmigiana. The meat was tender, juicy and packed full of flavor. It was positively delicious. The Prosciutto Pizza with egg, salsa verde and arugula was also solid. The Orecchiette & Italian Sausage was also nice. It just wasn't a standout like the rest. It's definitely worth another visit.

Dinner at The Hightower

Highs and Lows at The Hightower

The Hightower

Austin, TX

When you walk into The Hightower for the first time it feels like you're at a pub, but it's really a restaurant. There's a dark and homey atmosphere inside. It gives you this vibe that you can disappear for a little awhile... which is sort of nice. My husband and I ordered six dishes to share. The waitress told us most of the plates are designed to be split. I must confess a couple of the dishes were average, one was fairly poor and the rest were top notch. So if you go to The Hightower... be very selective. The ricotta toast sounded delightful. It comes with house-made lemon ricotta, soft cooked egg, white bean puree and salsa verde on a grilled bolillo roll. But it was a mess. It looked rough and it tasted rough. There was a lot of mush all piled together and no real flavor. It was the biggest disappointment of the night. The pretzel and pimento cheese was pretty average. The cheese was actually pretty tasty, but the pretzel was soft and too gooey on the inside. The gnocchi with brussel sprouts, butternut squash puree and almonds tasted adequate. But nothing stood out in a positive way. Thankfully the final dishes really brought some flavor. My favorite bite came from the roasted pork jowel. It's the last photo above. It's served with rice, soft egg, burnt avocado, cucumber, pickled shallots and sriracha sauce. The pork was tender and sweet and when we mixed all of the ingredients together it was incredible. Sweet, spicy and savory all at once. The hangar steak was also tender and packed full of flavor. And the brussel sprouts were incredibly tasty. A lot of Austin restaurants do a special take on brussel sprouts and this is definitely one of the best. It's made with peanut butter, golden raisins, sambal and lemon. The depth of flavors in that one vegetable dish is impressive. Overall, we would def visit The Hightower again... but we would be very careful about our orders.