Lunch at Sway

Best Meal To Date at Sway

SwayAustin, TX

This is my fourth time to visit Sway... and it simply was the best. My parents, Ben and his mom all shared these wonderful plates. They were bold, acidic, crunchy, spicy, sweet and salty. Everything you want in a meal. My favorite bite came from the Nashi Pear Chicken. It was the first time we had the stir fry dish and it was delicious. It was tender and spicy and somehow very light and refreshing. We all wanted more. My second-favorite dish is a long-running favorite. The Son-in-Law. It's braised pork shoulder with a crispy egg on top. You stir the egg in with all the rice and herbs... and it becomes this rich and robust meal. The prawn miange, the salt and pepper calamari and the specialty fish cakes were all so delicious. The only disappointment was that the peanut curry was just a tad too spicy. We were warned it would be spicy... and I love spice... but this was just a tad too much. Anyone who tried it out had to quit shortly thereafter. Overall it was a dynamite meal. It was also very nice to just walk-in with a group of five (something you won't ever find for a dinner on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday). It was about 2 pm on a Friday. I truly look forward to another visit. It's also important to point out that Sway Executive Chef Alexis Chong (who just left a few weeks ago) was also nominated for Best New Chef 2015 by Food & Wine. 

Dining at Olamaie

Some Solid Surprises at Olamaie

Olamaie

Austin, TX

Olamaie's Co-Executive Chefs Michael Fojtasek and Grae Nonas were recently named as two of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs for 2015. So when my mother-in-law came to visit... it was one of the places on the top of my list to try-out. We were able to squeeze in for an early dinner at the chef's table last Saturday night. The decor was southern & modern... just like their food. They use local ingredients and base a lot of their menu on the season. My favorite bite came from the scrumptious mushroom dish. It's the second photo from the top. It looked more like a soup... but there was a massive mushroom in the center. It was packed full of flavor and the soupy broth on top made it melt in your mouth. The dish provided plenty of earthy, yet sweet and creamy bites. It was wonderful! The crawfish and crackers dish was also solid. They served it with Tabasco sauce... which felt very fun. The broccoli and cheese appetizer was a little disappointing... just because there wasn't any punch flavor-wise. All of the main dishes were top-notch. My favorite was the snapper. It was super tender and served with this incredible, creamy sauce. The steak was cooked perfectly. And the Dewberry Hills Farm Chicken was the best chicken I've had in a long time. It was extremely tender and so full of flavor. My husband made the order... and it convinced me that sometimes it is worth ordering chicken. After all of those dishes, we were too full for dessert. But there will be a next time!