A Win at Dai Due

A Delicious Dinner at Dai Due's Restaurant

Dai Due

Austin, TX

My husband and I were very excited to see this new restaurant appear on Manor Road given we live very close. When you first walk-up to Dai Due you realize it is more than just a restaurant. The entrance facing Manor Road has an incredible looking butcher shop. I've taken a few peaks and found a wide-selection of unique meats. I'm looking forward to picking up something soon. As for dinner, I highly recommend making a reservation before hand. They take walk-ins, but the place appears to be buzzing full of people most nights. Once we sat down the waitress explained there are two menus. There is the A La Carte Menu and the other is what they call their Supper Club Menu. The waitress told us the owners were known for running their supper clubs throughout Austin for years. The Supper Club menu is really just a set of three courses. It's actually what we saw everywhere we went in France, so that was a fun treat when we were dealing with post-vacation blues. Ha! My husband decided to go with the supper club of the night which included a special assortment of melted cheeses and bread, beef stew and a dessert. I decided to order the grilled mushrooms with egg and toast as well as the crispy pork confit with apples and jalapenos. By far, the best bite came from the pork. It was incredible. The meat was very tender and sweet, but it also had this cloak of crispiness on the outside. When you added the sweetness of the apples and the spiciness of the jalapenos it was just a perfect contrast. The cheese and mushroom appetizers were also solid. Despite being a cheese lover, I think I actually preferred the mushrooms. And the soup my husband ordered was also very enjoyable. When you took a bite, you could taste an array of flavors. There was a strong dill taste to it, but it worked well with all of the other elements.The restaurant also does breakfast and lunch so I'm ready to try out those menus.  I look forward to returning. 

A Beer Dinner

A Dinner with Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver

7 courses and beer pairings at Whole Foods in Downtown Austin

Brooklyn Brewery

Garrett Oliver

Whole Foods Downtown Austin

My husband and I literally spent hours savoring these tasty dishes along with very impressive beer pairings. I must admit I prefer wine by leaps and  bounds, but this tasting gave me an entirely different point of view on beer. The beers were all packed with flavor without being too heavy. I was really surprised I was able to eat seven courses with beer, but I definitely succeeded. The Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver told some fascinating stories about the evolution of food and beer and how the quality has shot up dramatically in the last few decades. It was also interesting to hear how many of the Brooklyn Brewery's beers were developed. This was a great gift for my husband's birthday, but it was definitely a present for myself too! The best bite of the entire meal came from the grilled rack of lamb with paprika-spiced fingerling potatoes, chanterelles and garlic gremolata. The lamb was cooked perfectly and the quality was top-notch. It's something my husband and I appreciate greatly because it's so hard to find great lamb in the U.S. After living in Australia for years, we both hold lamb to a higher standard and really it's out favorite meat when it is done right. We also enjoyed the pork belly and brussel sprouts... how could you not? And we were surprised by the warm chocolate fig pudding. It was incredible and somehow really hearty... like something you want at a holiday dinner. It also went perfectly with the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. The dessert and beer are both so bold, yet the tastes complimented one another. I also really enjoyed many of the beers served including the Brooklyn 1/2 Ale, the Brooklyn Blast and the Brooklyn Brown Ale. The Blast was my favorite.

Le Petit Paris in Cannes, France

A wonderful meal at Le Petit Paris

Le Petit Paris

Cannes, France

We stuck with our strategy of walking just off the main Boulevard in Cannes and it worked! We saw Le Petit Paris was already packed at seven at night and thought this will be a good decision. The restaurant was full of life. It had a great atmosphere. My favorite dish came from the warm and crunchy goat cheese and caramelized apple salad. The combination of flavors worked really well together. The goat cheese was cooked perfectly. It had this delicious crust over it and I was just in love. My second favorite dish was the parmesan-crusted salmon. Salmon is not a fish I would typically order at a restaurant. In fact, my husband did. But given I love texture -- the parmesan crust made it stand-out. And the fish was fish was cooked just right on the inside. Everything we ordered at Le Petit Paris was fantastic... so much so... we almost went back on our last night.

La Toque D'Or in Cannes, France

Dining at La Toque D'Or

La Toque D'Or

Cannes, France

Our first real dining experience in Cannes was at La Toque D'Or. The restaurant is a short walk from the main Cannes boulevard. And I'd say generally speaking -- we found better quality restaurants a little bit further away from La Boulevard de la Croisette. We really enjoyed the meal. The waitress was very attentive and the restaurant was small and cozy... like many of the fabulous restaurants in Beaune. My favorite bite at La Toque D'Or came from the dessert! It is now my second favorite of all time (you'll hear about my top favorite soon). The chocolate and the raspberry flavors were so rich and delightful. It was heavenly to eat. My second favorite dish was actually the entree. It says a celery milk shake on the menu. Even though that didn't sound especially appetizing, I decided to go for it. I'm so glad I did! The flavor was so unique and special. It had pears and figs and all sorts of extravagant spices. It also had perfect texture through the celery and nuts. We would happily visit the restaurant again. Hopefully it won't be too long before we return to the French Riviera! 

Another gem in Beaune, France

Le Comptoir des Tontons in Beaune, France

Le Comptoir des Tontons

Beaune, France

Just a few doors down from Caves Madeleine, you'll find le Comptoir des Tonton. We went there after several locals told us it was the place to go. The restaurant did not disappoint. There were so many delicious bites. My favorite came from the lamb special. It was tender and almost a little sweet. Perfect. The close second for me was actually the tuna tartare. The presentation was fantastic and the citrus sauce brought out the tuna's flavor and made you want more. We also really enjoyed the crab and black rice risotto. Everything was a real treat. The perfect way to end our time in Beaune, France.

A night at Swift's Attic

A great night at Swift's Attic

Swift's Attic

Austin, TX

Swift's Attic is a great restaurant for small groups. I went recently with four other people and we all shared these amazing small plates. I wasn't as impressed as I was with Odd Duck, but I think there are still a lot of stand-outs. I also think everything we had was solid. My favorite bite came from the "haute country shrimp boil." It packed a range of flavors and the shrimp were cooked perfectly. I was also very impressed with the simple snacks on the menu. The charred edamame with chili oil and pop rocks is irresistible. Same goes for the blistered shishitos with this amazing dip. The warm tender belly farms pork cheeks was also a top-notch dish. It comes in a surprising way: a bowl filled with the pork cheeks alongside sourdough toast, fig and mustard. If you order this dish make sure to use all of the options together. It's a wonderful combination. We also enjoyed the sweetbread and fois gras mousse, the egg and the pea, the braised windy hill goat shoulder, the warm brussels, and desserts: popcorn and a movie, commander crunch and nanner pudding. My favorite element of the desserts was this house made candy bar on the popcorn and a movie. The only thing that really disappointed was the brussel sprouts. They were combined with a lot of great flavors, but they were slightly raw on the inside. Overall, I can't wait to go back. Oh and the whole set-up is pretty neat. You should definitely check-out the special ambiance at Swift's Attic.

The October Menu at Odd Duck

Another incredible meal at Odd Duck

Odd Duck

Austin, TX

Wow! Our second visit to Odd Duck may even be better than the first. This time we went for my husband's birthday and it yet again surpassed expectations. Every bite was so incredible I had to take a break from my French blog posts to write about it. First of all, the October menu is all new with the exception of a few favorites. At first it made me feel a little uneasy, but then I started to dive into this new line-up. Hands-down the best bite came from the steamed dumpling. The waiter suggested we each order one (unlike most dishes) and we're so glad we did. The perfectly cooked dumpling combined with the marinated duck egg, mushrooms and broth made me want to sing. The flavors were so dynamic and powerful and yet it all worked so well together. Unbelievable. A close-second was the goat confit. The meat was tender and packed with goat cheese, red chile and popcorn on a gordita. It was absolutely divine. It also made me notice that the chefs often find special ways to give each dish a bit of crunch. I really appreciate that because it works! All the elements -- even some seemingly bizarre ones work. I would recommend all of the dishes we ordered, which also include: pork cracklins, spiced butternut, soft cooked duck egg on rice, grilled bacon, whole wheat spagetti with pig face and egg yolk and an apple cake doughnut.

Dining at Caves Madeleine in Beaune

Caves Madeleine in Beaune, France

Caves Madeleine

Beaune, France

All of the dishes at Caves Madeleine were seemingly simple, yet very complex. We started with a popular starter drink in Beaune. It's essentially champagne and blackberry juice. The drink definitely rivals Austin's famed mimosas (even the ones from El Alma). It's incredibly refreshing. Up next, a fantastic bottle of red burgundy: Nuits St. Georges. As for the food, we all decided to pounce on the rabbit starter. It was surrounded in this incredible jelly-type sauce. It tasted fresh yet powerful. The duck and veal were also top notch. Overall the best bite came from the duck. It was extremely tender and stood in a delicious sauce. The short-bread pudding dessert was also mouth-watering... especially because it was covered with a sweet yet salty caramel sauce. Yum!