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!

Odd Duck in April

Odd Duck in April

Odd Duck
Austin, TX

Our latest visit to Odd Duck was to dine with Ben's Mom Penny. She visited us last week and we had an incredible time dining at some of our favorite restaurants in Austin. The Odd Duck menu in April was yet again sublime. It's a little bit lighter than some of the other menus we've tried at Odd Duck. But all of the dishes were packed with a lot of flavor... the main reason this is our favorite restaurant in Austin. This time around the waiter recommended 2-3 dishes each plus dessert. So we shared 11 plates between the three of us. That includes three desserts! My favorite dish hands-down was the duck egg migas, green chile, escabeche and goat feta. I didn't expect too much because it sounded like a brunch menu item, but wow... I was surprised. It was rich, decadent and powerful. The chile and the goat feta also played amazing well off of each other. Everything came together in a single, glorious bite. My second favorite dish was the goat lasagna, spinach, bechamel and brussel sprouts. The goat was tender and all the veggies were colorful and light. Plus the sauce in the skillet really made everything work together. We were also all big fans of the desserts that night. I love that the chefs deliver more than just sweet and creamy flavors... they really go above and beyond. For example, the chocolate ice cream came on a bed of cocoa bits, sea salt and olive oil. It just gave it that extra punch that is often hard to find at other restaurants. Another magnificent feast at Odd Duck is in the books.

East Austin Urban Farm Tour - April 12th

East Austin Urban Farm Tour 2015

East Austin Urban Farm Tour

Springdale Farm

HausBar Farms

Rain Lily Farm

Boggy Creek Farm

I just arrived home after gobbling up some amazing dishes at the East Austin Urban Farm tour. I went last year... and this year all of the tastings and dishes were very impressive. I think all of the vendors really stepped up their offerings. First of all, the urban farm tour is an incredible little Sunday afternoon. For $50, you get to tour these four amazing farms in East Austin. They offer up fresh, local ingredients from a number of restaurants all over Austin. I have to say my favorite bite actually came from the Driskill Hotel. They were stationed at the Springdale Farm. They had this incredibly tender venison on top of a rustic risotto, hot sauce and beets. It was fantastic. I love the hotel and bar, but this dish really put its restaurant on my radar. I look forward to trying it out soon. There were several other standouts including a pea and carrot parfait from Odd Duck. We also enjoyed some incredible local beers, cider, wines and liquors. I look forward to attending next year.

Dinner at Asti Trattoria

Dinner at Asti Trattoria 

Asti Trattoria

Austin, TX

My husband and I found time to have a little date night at Asti Trattoria in Hyde Park. The service, food and atmosphere were all solid. Although we didn't really come away with a wow factor. My favorite bite came from the bruschetta. It's just a bit different from your typical bruschetta. It comes with garlic confit, blistered tomatoes, goat cheese and Italian white anchovies. The saltiness from the anchovies and the creamy goat cheese really makes the flavors stand-out. We also enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms... although they weren't anything special. There were nice flavors in the seafood risotto, but it felt more like a rice dish than actual risotto. The pasta was probably the second favorite of the night. It's called the Capellini Neopolitano with Asti's home made sausage. There were a lot of nice flavors and the sausage was really tender. Finally, we finished the meal with some house made gelato. Everything was really solid, I just wish they cranked up the spices a bit more.  On the plus side, it's pretty easy to make a booking or even walk-in without waiting more than 10 minutes.

Fun at Fixe

Foodie Fun at Fixe

Fixe - Austin's Southern House

Visit Austin, TX

Fixe is a great addition to the Downtown Austin dining scene. It encourages sharing meals, which is always a lot of fun. The restaurant owners say they want the meal to seem like you're having a Sunday night supper in the South. There are a lot of Southern favorites with a twist. Therefore don't be surprised when you see three types of grits on the menu! This is my second time to visit and the chefs have really brought their A-game both times. The best bite of the night came from the biscuits. There is simply no question... they are the best you'll have in Austin and they only cost $6. It's hard to say exactly what makes them so special. But they're warm, buttery and they melt in your mouth. The biscuits are also very filling. Shortly after my husband and I devoured them we had second-thoughts about ordering six dishes. My second favorite dish was the Herbivore grits. It's the vegetarian option, but it's also the best (the first time I went to Fixe I tried all three types of grits). They work in this incredible salsa verde and it just sings with the grits, farm egg and kale. My next favorite was the Veal Brisket with the confit sweet potatoes, espelette marshmallow and pecan fois gras. The veal is tender and the seasoning on it was dynamite. There was also just a tad bit of sweetness, which worked really well with the sweet potato and marshmallow. The fried chicken was also fantastic - mostly because of the flavor of the batter. Though I will say they really talk-up the fried chicken and it's great... but it just doesn't live up to the expectations. The grilled shrimp with white beans, ham shank, arugula and horseradish was also really enjoyable. And finally the crispy beef tendon was fun to start the meal. They really have an interesting texture that puts it a step above a typical flaky chip. I look forward to visiting again in the near future.

Dining @ G A R D N E R

A Veggie Adventure at G A R D N E R

G A R D N E R

Austin, TX

For me, dining at Gardner was a very new experience. I love trying all different types of foods, but I don't think I've ever been to a place where vegetables are such a big focus - maybe even the primary focus of what is served. A good friend of mine who is a vegetable lover suggested we try it. It's from the same owners who started Contigo, which is part of what sold me. Contigo is one of my fave places for a casual, delicious and enjoyable meal. When you first walk into Gardener, the design is very minimalistic and modern. It's very pleasing to the eye. Then you begin and the menu is fairly unique. You have the options for bites, a first course, a second course, cheese and dessert. My friend Erica and I each got the Crudite for our "bites." Then we shared the Cabbage with Monkfish, Jalapeno and Marjoram and a special using Cobia (a gamey fish). Then we each had our own main course. I dined on the celery root, which was really like a risotto with black truffle and other spices. Erica enjoyed the Brassicas with grains, preserved lemon and chili broth. Finally, we ended the meal sharing a cheese option, which was covered in all sorts of herbs and spices. My favorite bite came from the Cabbage, which was the first course. It packed a lot of flavor and worked nicely with the jalapeno and fish. But the special was a bit of a disappointment. The Cobia was cooked nicely, but it was covered in popcorn. That really wasn't needed and took away from the overall meal. I also truly enjoyed the Celery Root dish. The rice packed a lot of punch and really highlighted the truffle that was used. My only complaint was that it was quite a small portion for an entree. Erica's entree was also excellent, but very simple. Too simple for me. It was the best grouping of vegetables you could taste, but it was still just vegetables. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the cheese dish - although Erica really enjoyed it. I'd definitely like to return to Gardner, but I also realize you need to order carefully. And I definitely don't think I'll be able to convince my husband to come... He's more of a meat and potatoes guy.

Stories Fine Dining - Hyatt Lost Pines

Stuffed at Stories Fine Dining - Hyatt Lost Pines Resort

Stories Fine Dining Establishment

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa

Wow! I haven't been this full walking out of a restaurant in quite awhile... and we didn't even get dessert! Of course my husband and I didn't do ourselves any favors by both selecting the Parmesan Potato Gnocchi and the 12 ounce Prime Ribeye with jalapeno-cream cheese mash potatoes, bordelaise sauce and smoked broccolini. It is extremely difficult to decide which dish provided the best bite, but I think I'm going to have to select the gnocchi. The texture of the gnocchi was perfect. Plus the baby cream leak sauce was divine. It worked incredibly well with the mushrooms. Then the chili-spiced shoestring potatoes helped provide crunch and round out a very rich and creamy dish. On the other hand, the steak was dynamite. It was extremely tender and contained just the right amount of pink in the center. It was also combined with honeycomb bacon butter and the bordelaise sauce. It was decadent and delicious. Despite the incredible meal, we will change our orders next time! The amount of food was just too much. For example, the gnocchi is on the list of starters, but I definitely could have enjoyed it as an entree.