A Cause For The Cottage- Texas Food Laws Reexamined
Check out my friend Amber's project on the Cottage Food Laws in celebration of the law getting into committee today.
Then check out her stop-motion project on Jackie and me making some jam at the bottom!
messy little things
20.4.11
12.4.11
Il Sogno
So it was my first birthday not on the East Coast. Now I would normally be in New York or New Jersey and my parents would come into the city or I would go home to Raritan to celebrate and there will always be an Italian restaurant involved. Unfortunately, I moved my ass out here to Austin and sadly couldn't be with my parents which left me pretty bummed. Fortunately, my surrogate and second family lives an hour away in San Antonio so I packed up to go spend my 25th birthday with Jackie and the Dizinnos.
After a birthday eve night of sandwiches, an entire bottle of Riesling (which Jack only had half a glass by the way), and a slew of Zach Galifianakis' "Between Two Ferns," we woke up to do my birthday lunch the only way I know how- Italian style.
Ah, Il Sogno in San Antonio. A fancy little Italian place in the Pearl Brewery which also houses the new home of the Culinary Institute of America. This Italian food was executed pretty flawlessly and the attention to detail was extraordinary. The service was incredible and subtle.
When do you get offered a citrus platter with your water to choose from orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime? Seriously and when do you eat food that looks like this?
The antipasti bar and prosecco. We had the server choose his favorites from the antipasti bar which included braised red bell pepper with rosemary, an apple, onion, and fennel salad, artichoke and white beans, wild rice with raisins, and caprese with pinenuts and capers. Exactly how an Italian meal should be: showcasing the flavor of the ingredients. It was nothing fancy. It was just flavors enhancing others flavors so that they all could shine.
Complimentary white bean puree with house made foccacia...
... and all of our fresh, yes fresh pasta dishes. Mine with saffron cream sauce, mussels, shrimp, and pancetta. Holy grandmothers of Italy- the sauce was never overpowering and the mussels were creamy and meaty and the shrimp had some serious bite. Although mine was the voted favorite, we also had some pulled wild boar with spaghetti and pesto, tagliatelle and meatballs, and bucatini with squid and shrimp.
It didn't end there. I'm usually not a fan of tiramisu but this tiramisu- I could eat it at any time of day that you put it in front of me. It was subtle coffee flavor, light mascarpone, and fluffy cake. Dare I mention the Americano with a choice of regular sugar, raw sugar cubes, or house infused vanilla bean sugar? Perfetto.
I had a birthday to remember. I miss my family terribly but looking back on my 25 years I feel that coming to Austin has really rounded it out. If I didn't, I'd be safely on my way to a quarter-life crisis. Instead I feel like I'm celebrating and building a foundation for the next 25.
All I really have to say to that is salut!
After a birthday eve night of sandwiches, an entire bottle of Riesling (which Jack only had half a glass by the way), and a slew of Zach Galifianakis' "Between Two Ferns," we woke up to do my birthday lunch the only way I know how- Italian style.
Ah, Il Sogno in San Antonio. A fancy little Italian place in the Pearl Brewery which also houses the new home of the Culinary Institute of America. This Italian food was executed pretty flawlessly and the attention to detail was extraordinary. The service was incredible and subtle.
When do you get offered a citrus platter with your water to choose from orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime? Seriously and when do you eat food that looks like this?
The antipasti bar and prosecco. We had the server choose his favorites from the antipasti bar which included braised red bell pepper with rosemary, an apple, onion, and fennel salad, artichoke and white beans, wild rice with raisins, and caprese with pinenuts and capers. Exactly how an Italian meal should be: showcasing the flavor of the ingredients. It was nothing fancy. It was just flavors enhancing others flavors so that they all could shine.
Complimentary white bean puree with house made foccacia...
... and all of our fresh, yes fresh pasta dishes. Mine with saffron cream sauce, mussels, shrimp, and pancetta. Holy grandmothers of Italy- the sauce was never overpowering and the mussels were creamy and meaty and the shrimp had some serious bite. Although mine was the voted favorite, we also had some pulled wild boar with spaghetti and pesto, tagliatelle and meatballs, and bucatini with squid and shrimp.
It didn't end there. I'm usually not a fan of tiramisu but this tiramisu- I could eat it at any time of day that you put it in front of me. It was subtle coffee flavor, light mascarpone, and fluffy cake. Dare I mention the Americano with a choice of regular sugar, raw sugar cubes, or house infused vanilla bean sugar? Perfetto.
I had a birthday to remember. I miss my family terribly but looking back on my 25 years I feel that coming to Austin has really rounded it out. If I didn't, I'd be safely on my way to a quarter-life crisis. Instead I feel like I'm celebrating and building a foundation for the next 25.
All I really have to say to that is salut!
6.4.11
New Orleans.
Something I love to do is cross cities and states off of my to-do list. I know sometimes that defeats the purpose of experiencing a place but since I've moved to Austin- I've heard nothing but amazing accolades for New Orleans especially from my food and cocktail gurus. I feel as if there's some kind of underground culinary railroad connecting New Orleans and Austin and someone who knows one needs to know how to get around to the other.
I finally made my pilgrimage road trip out to New Orleans when I had one of my best, Cordelia, come out and visit me from DC. We spent two whole days wandering through mazes of French and Spanish architecture, old Southern and colorful homes in the Garden District and traveling by cabs for food, drink, and jazz.
Day 1
Cafe Du Monde- The only comment I've ever gotten about Cafe Du Monde is 'alright, well it's tourist-y, but you have to go.' This is why:
My first experience with beignets- sugary, soft, dough-y, messy, and completely satisfying. Cafe au lait with chicory coffee! I came to New Orleans wanting to try chicory coffee. Apparently, chicory root (yes, the root of the same plant that gives us endive and chicory greens) was added to coffee during the French revolution when coffee was scarce in order to add a little body and volume. It traveled way of Acadians in Canada and then to their settlement in New Orleans. Awesome flavor especially when mixed with 1/2 hot milk. I was very happy to have this experience under the gorgeous awning waiting for the rain to pass in the French Quarter.
Luke- I have been excited to try a John Besh for a long time. He's a great supporter of farm-to-table and just opened up a new restaurant on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. So I took the advice of some peers to head to Luke for happy hour. I made reservations for 6 but apparently the hour was already over. The best part of the meal was the crawfish bisque and my beet salad. Yes- not fresh and unfortunately a salad you could find anywhere. The duck and rabbit liver pate was difficult to eat and my shrimp farci was unfortunately the dish I was picturing in my head. It came out fried which it didn't specify on the menu and the hollandaise that came on the side wasn't the greatest. I was a little disappointed in the experience but I'm also now looking at their La Petite Plateau Raw Bar and I'm thinking I should maybe give it one more chance. It may have been me. What I didn't order right at Luke I made up for at Cure...
Cure- A bit of a cab ride through some not-so-happy areas and you manage to stumble into a romantic building holding a candlelit bar with comfortable leather booths and an accommodating staff. The cocktail and spirits list is beyond. I started with a Chink In The Armour- Bols Genever, Lillet, Mole bitters (yes, Mole bitters), honey, and lemon:
Full-bodied and an awesome finish. My second was a Ghosts of the Room- Plymouth gin, Campari, lemon, and Rabarbaro Amaro. Oh yes- an Italian liqueur with a rhubarb base, cardamom, China fruit, and bitter orange peel. A bittersweet drink but went down easy.
I finished it all off with a Beefeater's Aviation. To accompany: cajun-spiced popcorn and dates stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in pancetta. Hi, I'm a beginner wannabe cocktail geek in the making who finished the night off in a buzzed and hazy happy kind of way.
Day 2
Parasol's- Recommended by a regular at Fino and also mentioned a couple times over by others and tour guides, we stopped off at Parasol's while making our way around the Garden District. After a quick tour through Lafayette Cemetery and giving googly eyes to the exterior of Commander's Palace...
...we found a hole-in-the-wall Irish bar with the regulars ordering beers and peanuts and watching the DC-Atlanta baseball game. There was nothing else to order but a po'boy- the half and half fried oyster and fried shrimp. I can see why New Orleanians can get into this and I realized it's pretty much about the bread which mostly ends up in your lap but hey- worth it.
Cochon- Favorite meal of the trip. First off- they put crack in their table bread. Or it's just warm brioche. With something else. Then- we have pig cheeks and grits topped with a beef tongue salad:
The plate is light- for eating the heads of two different kind of farm animals. All I remember is creamy pig cheeks and tender beef tongue. This has so sparked my new obsession with offal. I feel ready to dive into more gruesome parts of pigs and calves and deer, oh my. Le sigh- vegetarian no more. Did I mention the rabbit and dumplings? I do believe this picture speaks for itself:
Ah, New Orleans. I feel closer to you, extremely intrigued by you, and I promise to be back again. For gumbo, jambalaya, boiled crawfish, calas, and pralines... so until the next time.
I finally made my pilgrimage road trip out to New Orleans when I had one of my best, Cordelia, come out and visit me from DC. We spent two whole days wandering through mazes of French and Spanish architecture, old Southern and colorful homes in the Garden District and traveling by cabs for food, drink, and jazz.
Day 1
Cafe Du Monde- The only comment I've ever gotten about Cafe Du Monde is 'alright, well it's tourist-y, but you have to go.' This is why:
My first experience with beignets- sugary, soft, dough-y, messy, and completely satisfying. Cafe au lait with chicory coffee! I came to New Orleans wanting to try chicory coffee. Apparently, chicory root (yes, the root of the same plant that gives us endive and chicory greens) was added to coffee during the French revolution when coffee was scarce in order to add a little body and volume. It traveled way of Acadians in Canada and then to their settlement in New Orleans. Awesome flavor especially when mixed with 1/2 hot milk. I was very happy to have this experience under the gorgeous awning waiting for the rain to pass in the French Quarter.
Luke- I have been excited to try a John Besh for a long time. He's a great supporter of farm-to-table and just opened up a new restaurant on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. So I took the advice of some peers to head to Luke for happy hour. I made reservations for 6 but apparently the hour was already over. The best part of the meal was the crawfish bisque and my beet salad. Yes- not fresh and unfortunately a salad you could find anywhere. The duck and rabbit liver pate was difficult to eat and my shrimp farci was unfortunately the dish I was picturing in my head. It came out fried which it didn't specify on the menu and the hollandaise that came on the side wasn't the greatest. I was a little disappointed in the experience but I'm also now looking at their La Petite Plateau Raw Bar and I'm thinking I should maybe give it one more chance. It may have been me. What I didn't order right at Luke I made up for at Cure...
Cure- A bit of a cab ride through some not-so-happy areas and you manage to stumble into a romantic building holding a candlelit bar with comfortable leather booths and an accommodating staff. The cocktail and spirits list is beyond. I started with a Chink In The Armour- Bols Genever, Lillet, Mole bitters (yes, Mole bitters), honey, and lemon:
Full-bodied and an awesome finish. My second was a Ghosts of the Room- Plymouth gin, Campari, lemon, and Rabarbaro Amaro. Oh yes- an Italian liqueur with a rhubarb base, cardamom, China fruit, and bitter orange peel. A bittersweet drink but went down easy.
I finished it all off with a Beefeater's Aviation. To accompany: cajun-spiced popcorn and dates stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in pancetta. Hi, I'm a beginner wannabe cocktail geek in the making who finished the night off in a buzzed and hazy happy kind of way.
Day 2
Parasol's- Recommended by a regular at Fino and also mentioned a couple times over by others and tour guides, we stopped off at Parasol's while making our way around the Garden District. After a quick tour through Lafayette Cemetery and giving googly eyes to the exterior of Commander's Palace...
 |
| shameless I know but still... |
Cochon- Favorite meal of the trip. First off- they put crack in their table bread. Or it's just warm brioche. With something else. Then- we have pig cheeks and grits topped with a beef tongue salad:
The plate is light- for eating the heads of two different kind of farm animals. All I remember is creamy pig cheeks and tender beef tongue. This has so sparked my new obsession with offal. I feel ready to dive into more gruesome parts of pigs and calves and deer, oh my. Le sigh- vegetarian no more. Did I mention the rabbit and dumplings? I do believe this picture speaks for itself:
 |
| yes that was a "swinekiller" cocktail in the empty glass. |
Ah, New Orleans. I feel closer to you, extremely intrigued by you, and I promise to be back again. For gumbo, jambalaya, boiled crawfish, calas, and pralines... so until the next time.
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