Joe MacBu's Profile
Live Crawfish finds and price check for 2012
I saw them at the Fiesta on Stassney last weekend. Didn't pay attention to the price or size.
Austin Commercial Kitchen Spaces
Bird's Nest Bakery in South Austin sometimes has kitchen space for rent.
http://www.birdsnestbakery.com/index2.php
Best Croissants?
I find Barrie's croissants to be too chewy (overworked gluten?) and greasy. Buttery is one thing, but it seems like these croissants are leaking the butter from the layers. However, I don't doubt that they could be the best in town, unfortunately.
Easy Tiger's croissants are inconsistent and need work. The ones I've tried have been too dense - they really seem amateurish right now. Their pain au chocolate usually looks better, but I haven't tried one yet.
Village Baking Co. at the Barton Creek Mall farmers market has some good looking croissants.
Almond croissants are pretty hard to screw up. They were created as a way to use up stale croissants, so the structure of the original croissant is less of an issue. You can basically take any croissant from a mediocre bakery and make it into very good almond croissant.
Oysters (unshucked) near Williamsburg Bridge?
Why are the C. gigas not suitable for eating raw on a half shell? Do you have specific places in Chinatown that carry them? Thanks!
Oysters (unshucked) near Williamsburg Bridge?
I'm desperately trying to find some live, unshucked oysters for a party. I'm in south Williamsburg, with access to the train and a bike, but no car. Is there a market nearby where I can get about 3 dozen oysters (and not pay dearly?). I tried Manhattan Chinatown, but struck out there...but perhaps I missed a place?
Help!
Where I can find purple/black barley?
I found a bag at Hana World Market, but it's a mostly polished version. Does any store carry the hulless/whole version?
Are there any Asian Markets south of the river?
Man Prasand Indian Grocery 3601 W William Cannon Dr
Fiesta on Stassney/35 has some Asian essentials.
Filipino Asian Mart 615 W Slaughter Ln
Where to find fancy flour in Paris?
Thank you for the advice.
I agree that the US has good flour available - I regularly use Sir Galahad, Giusto's and Central Milling's flours to make great bread. My interest in trying out the French flour is just due to curiosity.
Where to find fancy flour in Paris?
I have a friend visiting Paris for a few more days. She's willing to bring back some French flour for me. Where can she find the following flours?
* Retrodor T55
* Viron Classique Bleu
* Bagatelle T65
* Etc...
Thanks!
I'm going to cook a bone-in leg of lamb... where do I get one?
Long Horn Meats on MLK has bone-in leg of lamb for $4.89/lb.
Goat Tacos In Austin Texas
I got my goat on at Taco More this week. While the goat taco is good, it must be said that the consome de cabrito is spectacular. For $2.50, you get a 12oz cup full of the rich and bold broth. Lurking at the bottom is a generous amount of shredded meat and chickpeas. It's a dish that makes me wish for cold, rainy, blustery days ahead.
-----
Taco More
9400 Parkfield Dr, Austin, TX 78758
Loy Kratong festival at Del Valle Thai temple right now
Wikipedia does a better job of describing the Loi Krathong festival than I can: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong
The food at this event at Wat Buddhananachat was incredible. There were close to two dozen vendors serving up the type of fare that one has to travel to Thailand, Laos or Los Angeles for. I'm new to Austin, and if this is representative of the Thai cuisine available in this area, please let me in on the know!
There were a ton of offerings. A partial list: Freshly steamed sticky rice, sour sausage, grilled skewered meats including chicken heart, whole fish, fish cakes, ho mok pla, larb, made-to-order papaya salad, curries, squeezed-to-order sugar cane juice, deep-fried banana, yen tau fu, beef noodle soup, and yes, even pad Thai. And dozens of sweet dishes based on coconut, rice and palm sugar.
I did a CH search and found zero mentions of this temple - what gives? Most Thai temples seem to have two large fests per year (now I'm definitely looking forward to the one in April for Thai New Year). I heard this one has a smaller monthly event with food as well. Anyone have more details?
Chupacabra Burger - Cat Mountain Grill - Anyone else had this?
I tried it last week. Yes, it's hot, but not overwhelmingly so. I finished it off easily. The waitress was impressed. I guess I better move on to In The Buns.
It should be noted that, past the hype, it was a great burger. Seems like it was smash-griddled. Nice crispy edges, medium in the middle, perfectly buttered-toasted buns, excellent fries.
Loy Kratong festival at Del Valle Thai temple right now
Tons of good Thai food being served up for several more hours. Street food style.
8105 Linden Rd.
Del Valle, TX 78617
Re-visiting Raw Milk In Austin Texas: Raw, Low Temp, Real Milk From A Grocery Store
I've been looking into getting raw milk in Austin, and it seems legal only if you buy it directly from the dairy farm. Here's a list of raw milk farms in TX: http://www.realmilk.com/where5.html#tx .
The closest alternative I've seen at stores is the Texas Daily Harvest mentioned above. It's unhomogenized, goes for about the same price as the Promise Land stuff (at least at Whole Foods), and is a notch above in flavor. I'm sure it'd taste better in the springtime when the cows are actually eating fresh green grass.
Guide to the New World Mall Food Court
That stuff is so trippy. It belongs in Flushing Park, between the Unisphere and the Jetsons Towers.
I'm going to cook a bone-in leg of lamb... where do I get one?
McGeary Farm at the Saturday Barton Creek Farmers Market has grass fed lamb. You should be able to request a bone-in leg.
512.484.8821
Goat Tacos In Austin Texas
What are the other 6 places?
I've been getting cabrito at El Borrego de Oro, but that's just a quick fix. A friend likes the goat tacos at Taco More.
Kimchi Specialist?
Han Yang carries the Goshen/Chun Ju brand kimchis, including my favorite made with mustard greens. It'll hold you over till you find your friend's place (and I can't wait for you you to report back on that).
-----
Han Yang
150-51 Northern Blvd, Queens, NY 11354
Blood Sausage
I apologize if this violates posting etiquette, but it seems relevant. I saw that Kocurek is having a blood sausage making workshop on Oct 30: http://www.kocurekfamilycharcuterie.com/classes/
Bakery suppliers?
Thanks for all the recommendations!
So far, I've only made it to Costco. While they have 25lb and 50lb bags of flour, they're unfortunately bleached and possibly bromated (ConAgra stuff). I'm specifically looking for unbleached/unbromated/artisan-grade flour. Fortunately, Costco does carry Central Milling's Organic AP Flour which goes at $11 for 20lb - not cheap, but it is good stuff.
What type of flour do the other places carry? I'm looking for quality along the lines of King Arthur, Central Milling, Giusto's, etc.
Also, are there local farms that sell baking-grade whole grains? Wheat, rye, spelt, etc.
Thanks.
Flushing Review: Feng Mao (丰茂), 41st Ave
Photo attached.
It's the dish in the lower right.
Bakery suppliers?
I'm a former NYC hound who just moved to Austin. I do a lot of baking and need help finding bakery and restaurant suppliers around here. Basically, places to get 50lb sacks of flour, pans, etc.
Also, where are the places making great bread?
Thanks for any tips.
Flushing Review: Feng Mao (丰茂), 41st Ave
Have you tried the "shark belly" at RiFu? If not, definitely do it.
Besi Bela Bath in Jackson Heights?
It's a South Indian (Karnataka) dish, so your chances of finding it in a Jackson Heights restaurant are slim. Perhaps at one of the S. Indian joints in Manhattan? The grocers in Jackson Heights do sell a decent mix for preparing at home though.
Chupacabra Burger - Cat Mountain Grill - Anyone else had this?
No I haven't, but I will be in Austin next month and am always looking to get my goat on. But I'll keep this in mind for sure.
Chupacabra Burger - Cat Mountain Grill - Anyone else had this?
"Chupacabra"
"kiderrific "
Saddened that this is made of beef and not goat. Sigh.
who has the best donuts in queens?
I couple of years ago, six of us of blind-tasted 4 kinds of donuts from the four top donut places in NYC (plus DD and Tim Horton's as baselines), all at once. Peter Pan was unanimously voted the best classic-style donuts, including for raised glazed and old fashioned cake.
Little Pepper's 'Pork Meatball'
The muslim lamb ribs at Fu Run has always been a hit with visitors.
-----
Fu Run
40-09 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354
Farrington Street (just north of main drag in Flushing)
I went to Spicy King several months ago. They have items on the menu which I don't remember seeing at the other Hunan places nearby. Overall, the food was good, the staff friendly (despite limited English skills), the prices a bit cheaper (the atmosphere is a notch or two downscale compared to Hunan House). But I have not returned - Hunan House remains my default choice for quality. I'd return for the items not available elsewhere.
I have vague recollections of liking the "Crispy pork fat & chili pepper in black bean sauce".
Some interesting options: House special sauteed pork skin; Spicy chicken gizzard; Hunan style pork tongue; Scorched rice w sea cucumber.
-----
Hunan House
137-40 Northern Blvd, Queens, NY 11354
Spicy King
35-34 Farrington St, Queens, NY 11354
