yehudimenuhin's Profile
Where can I get a good steak quesadilla without going downtown?
Ranch 616 has winner quesadillas. Practically downtown, but much better parking options.
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Ranch 616
616 Nueces, Austin, TX 78701
Great food with veggie options and music for couple in their 60's
Artz' Rib house. Early music and good food. Get the grilled vegetables and sides...quite good. Or talk some sense into them turn them onto the baby back ribs.
Who makes the best coconut cream pie in town?
Agreed about Upper Crust's pie. A recent addition. The custard itself is also very lightly set and the whipped cream isn't hard, so the entire thing is very well done. A good rendition.
Help wanted – Texan Longhorn Beef (preferably grass-fed)
I know Wink gets their beef from Bastrop Cattle Co, among other local farms. If you're looking for a steakhouse, however I don't have any ideas.
Help wanted – Texan Longhorn Beef (preferably grass-fed)
In Austin, there are a number of local-focused restaurants that serve beef from grass-fed texas cattle, but I've never seen any described as longhorn. I'd imagine they're mostly Brangus and Beefmaster. Good luck.
New Peruvian Food restaurant in Austin? Anyone tried it?
Yes...would love more detail. Is it a food court place? In or next to the mall? BYOB? etc....
El Arbol
We went as well, on Friday night. They were a bit bottlenecked in the kitchen and our wait was long, but that's what a soft opening is about. I'm sure they'll have the kinks ironed out soon. The servers themselves where great.
As for price point, I believe it will be relatively high. But the food was excellent. And their wine markups seem very low.
They are definitely aiming higher than the typical neighborhood restaurant. For long-timers in that area, the feel is more like Jean Pierre's Upstairs than Brick Oven.
FLIP Burger coming or not
Heard several months back that Richard Blais (of Atlanta) is opening one of his FLIP Burger Boutiques in Austin, but never heard another peep. Any idea of when and where?
http://www.flipburgerboutique.com/
Little Thailand owner/legendary good guy passes on
RIP, Dick. Thanks for the blackjack, Garfield Water, fun and food!
My deepest condolences to Surin and family.
Hat Creek Burger Co
Good stuff. I prefer it to most other skinny burger places (P. Terrys, etc...).
Best Margaritas in Central Austin?
Ranch 616's house marg is yummy, tart and strong. 100% agave tequila, real lime juice. Short glass with coarse salt.
Also, they do a fancy one with a Del Maguey mezcal floater. And they're famous for their Ranch Water (marg with topo chico), but I'm not a huge fan.
90% of the time I go there, it's just to drink margs at the bar.
Single-origin drinking cocoas?
I've tried a bunch of them (for free). I was able to taste a difference among the different estates, but they didn't WOW me.
I don't think it's worth the difference over (Dutch Processed) cocoa with a pinch of salt.
Besides, many of them already have sugar added, so a lot of your $13 is going toward $.01 worth of sugar.
My two bits.
By the way, there was an article in the New Yorker by Bill Buford on "extreme chocolate" recently. Look it up if you're a chocoholic.
Cabrito
In a nutshell, you cannot get Monterrey-style cabrito here unless you do it yourself. You can buy a kid from the local mexican markets and give it a shot. Otherwise, you're in for a long drive. Best case, you can get tacos or cabrito al horno. Sorry.
Tex-Mex on Austin’s Southeast and East Sides, Part 11
Thanks for your noble service in the name of comida buena.
P&K Grocery
I saw a NY Strip in their meat case for over $23/lb. Not dry-aged prime, or anything so fancy. Coleman's beef. Should go for about $11-16/lb max.
Best Margaritas in Austin--on the rocks with salt
Ranch 616 's house margarita is great. tart and fresh, and their well tequila is 100% agave.....Jimador, I believe.
Their Ranch Water is popular. A margarita with Topo Chico, basically, but the margs are cheaper and better.
I usually just go to the bar and drink....maybe split a quesadilla for sustenance.
Paila Peruvian?
It's a buffet of Peruvian cuisine. Criollo = creole, more or less--indicating the variety of influences (spanish, indian, french, and chinese).
Peruvian buffets rock. My second favorite restaurant in Lima (Costa Verde) has the World's Record for the most expansive (and it's one of the best) buffet.
I've been waiting for a Peruvian place to open up here for years.
Paila Peruvian?
Drove by there last night and they were closed. Looks like a nice, newish building. Large parking lot and handsome trees.
What's the word? Are they closed for dinner? Are they closed on tuesday nights? Is it family holiday time.
Or are they just closed?
I lived in Lima for a year and am jonesin for some lomo saltado and real pisco sours.
Hudson's Early Summer Menu - a head's up?
Hi guys,
I'm heading to Hudson's this weekend and was wondering if there are any favorites from the current menu.
I'm leaning toward:
Seared Foie Gras
and for mains
lavendar crusted lamb rack
guajillo crusted snapper
herb horseradish halibut (lot of alliteration)
and d-zert
the peach and dewberry cobbler w/ buttermilk IC
Am I missing anything? Any standouts? Any salads worth trying?
[AUS] Just moved down South and feeling food despair.
Deep south Austin.
So far from heaven, so close to El Meson.
AUS -- Anyone checked out Woodland yet?
I went on Saturday night (7ish) and was seated immediately. The scene is slacker/hipster/diner/comfort food. An unusual genre, but a growing one. The B Side in Cambridge comes to mind.
Service was attentive and up to task. We weren't very demanding, so that's not a high hurdle.
Love the selection of Live Oak.
Our salads (Woodland and the Endive) were great. The Woodland was the better of the two. Her meatloaf was average, but my Roasted Chicken Thighs were crispy and moist. The roasted beet side was quite yummy. Creamed spinach (in a cup, gladly) was creamy but otherwise non-descript.
Overall, it was a fine meal for the price. Cost less than the appetizers and wine that we started the evening with at Vespaio.
Cake
Everything (baked) at Upper Crust is magical.
Yes, also, to Chez Zee. The lemon rosemary cake is awesome.
Whole Foods can be spotty because of turnover or whatever, but their Berry Chantilly cake is great. White layer cake wth berries and great frosting between each layer. The berry "syrup" drips into the layers and makes for a very moist cake.
Texas French Bread's Hyde Park Chocolate cake. Super rich and wonderful. Bundt shaped and weighs a ton!
soggy Meuniere
Thanks.
I do pat the fillets dry. I wonder if maybe I'm not being thorough enough.
I take the fish out while making the sauce.
I'll try drying the heck out of the fish next time.
Any comments on how much flour is beneficial? Or if higher heat might be called for. Or perhaps more butter?
soggy Meuniere
So I made my 6th fish meuniere last night (previously with trout, last night with orange roughy).
Ittasted great, no problems with the sauce either, but I can't get the fish's texture right.
When I've had it in restaurants, there's a nice crispness to it. When I cook it, however, I can't get any cripsness. If I do, it often doesn't last (i.e., it gets soggy).
I'm using a cast iron skillet, small amount of butter, light dredging in all purpose flour, and cooking on med-high.
Any ideas on how to get a more lasting crispness?
Is Guerro's done for
The ante-room / dining-room structure always depresses me. Kind of like Chuy's.
You get a few margaritas in the front, and they taste nice. There's a certain amount of energy in the bar area. Fine.
Then, you move to the dining area and it's a letdown. Hidden in the back. Full of 12-tops getting average service and being loud. The entire flow of the place makes dining seem like an afterthought.
Santa Fe: Rehearsal Dinner recommendations?
I think the Pink Adobe has a private dining room above the main restaurant, but don't know the size.
Other places I know of that can be rented for private dining are The Compund, Cottonwoods, Vanessie, Ristria, Andiamo, and the Inn of the Anasazi.
Any recommendations among these? Is there anything else? I lived there until 1996, but haven't been back much, and I'm sure I'm missing something.
Santa Fe: Rehearsal Dinner recommendations?
Any suggestions for a wedding greeting/rehearsal dinner in Santa Fe this winter?
I expect we'll be between 35-50 people
I've been to one at El Farol and that was pretty nice.
We'd like to do something casual. I've always loved Maria's for typical fare and margaritas, but it can be crowded and loud on a weekend night.
Any places y'all can think of? A private room is great, but not requried. Places close to downtown are a bonus.
Thanks.
Tito's Vodka
Titos is the greatest.
L-o-v-e it. Especially at the price.
I'm sure demand will drive the cost up, but it's a bargain at 2x the price.
Tried & True Crawdad Etouffee?
A word of caution to roux-makers. I made a roux at a friends house with a Calphalon non-sick pan and ended up ruining it.
Took the non-stick coating right off of the pan. Yes, it was high heat, but that's how I start my roux.
Start high, then gradually lower the heat as the color approaches.
Also, ditto the comments about whisks. Useless. Whisks are for volume. With 1/4 inch of burning liquid, you need to move the mixture off the surface, not stir it. Flat spoons (or wooden spatulas) do the trick very effectively. The longer and wider the better.
FINALLY. DON'T MAKE ROUX IN BARE FEET. Jeans, shoes, and even long sleeved shirts are recommended.
[Aus] Good Vegetarian Meals at Non-Veg. Joints?
Not yet. I learned that last tidbit while making reservations.
I'm going tomorrow night and will report back.
