reinadetostones's Profile
Toddler birthday party - healthy menu ideas
I love this - a bottle of mineral water and a bottle of organic juice (we like pomegranate/blueberry) in a punch bowl (or pitcher) with ice cubes (we have stars, flowers, hearts, etc) - they have never tasted a better or more nourishing soda! They drained the thing.
Might be lazy, but smoothie bar for a 2 year old party sounds like me spending a LOT of time explaining and blending.
The sandwich idea is a winner - I might do two or three platters based on age/tastes of guest. PBJ/Ham and cheese/cream cheese cucumber. Come to think of it, the first two might be great rolled up into puff pastry and sliced into rounds then baked into "fancy" little yummy bites.
My mom did an amazing rice casserole that was cooled and cut into little squares - it was rice, spinach, cheese....they disappeared first. Sounds like these might be like fritatta bites, which sound like my idea of munchie heaven.
I did carrot cake for the first three birthdays - then I needed to let him run with what HE thought was a true TREAT....hello chocolate, hello bright colors. Sigh....
A friend did a bunch of brownie bites iced into a big cake-like display - then everyone could grab one or two, or three - depending on their appetite.
And yes - happy birthday to you all!
Don't forget the fun and deliciousness of a big ol' watermelon, cut up so everyone can slurp and maybe have pit-spitting contests!
Deviled eggs?
My favorite things from MT Market
I have read recipes for red cooked pork belly, but this got me. I'm back to MT for another slab, and will report back on the Home Cooking board if I have success! THANKS for the recipe, glad we have a consistent and affordable place to get the ingredients!
My favorite things from MT Market
Did you say drinking vinegars? Please go on!
Looks like only three of us have favorites at MT....I was hoping for more recommendations!
Hello Northerners! I guess Northwest to be specific.....
WOW - this is great - I'm working my way through the recs (during an extremely busy time at work) and will report back....tomorrow is Teji's!
I just don't know what to do about Tomo - I agree that the sushi was the best I've had in Austin next to Uchi. I was salivating for the natto roll and ankimo on my next visit. But, the sushi chefs ignored me (actually made eye contact and looked away...never experienced this, especially not in Japan) and dod's story is pretty disturbing. Oh, the quandaries we 'hounds experience. Maybe a to go order is the best option? On a Thursday?
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Uchi Restaurant
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Teji's
1205 Round Rock Ave, Round Rock, TX 78681
Adios Austin Chowhounds
Yes Helind - best of luck finding delicious and reasonable eggs benedict (not to mention Spanish food) in your new location - Asheville is lucky to have a hound like you in their midst!
My favorite things from MT Market
Having recently been pulled back into sweet100s fun post on fav items from Central Market, I thought I would start a thread for MT Market - in the Chinatown Center. Some of my favorite things:
- seasoned spicy laver, or korean style salty crunchy nori that eats like a chip with way less calories.
- dumplings - I can't even keep track of the many kinds of frozen dumplings they have to offer. Bao too.
- fresh, live fish-including dungeness crab - in season, cheap, but you have to cook it yourself
- cheap slabs of pork belly
- pocky - every kind imaginable
- fresh snow pea shoots for sauteeing
- snacks a-plenty
- 25 or 50 cent rides for the kiddos!
- proximity to Lily's soups (er, I mean sandwiches) and other good places to eat.
Anyone else shopping there?
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Central Market
4477 S Lamar Blvd Ste 100, Austin, TX 78745
My favorite things from Central Market
The Westgate CM is where I worked and where I have purchased marrow bones. Yeah, they try to steer you to the prepackaged soup bones, but if you ask, they will cut marrow bones to order. For some reason, I think this needs to be addressed in the morning - haven't gotten any for a year or so, but I remember that mornings were slower and easier to do "special" things.
I bet if you call the meat market in the AM, talk to a meat guy about your meat needs, and show up shortly thereafter, that you will have your marrow bones. Post if you get 'em or if you don't!
Hello Northerners! I guess Northwest to be specific.....
Hi dinaofdoom! I was hoping you would chime in. I saw the sign for Silver Grill, and I am glad that you steered me away.
I will check out La Tapatia...I wonder if it is any relation to the Tapatias that used to exist at Ben White and S1st (ish) or Ben White and Burleson...if so, I'm there like a bear. I remember a discussion of that kind of green sauce - it is like the one at El Pollo Regio IIRC.
I'm at Thai Cuisine tomorrow....any other recs?
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El Pollo Regio
704 W Stassney Ln, Austin, TX 78745
Thai Cuisine
4101 W Parmer Ln Ste F, Austin, TX 78727
Hello Northerners! I guess Northwest to be specific.....
Hi verily! Thanks for the suggestions. I went to Tomodachi today and as you reported - really fresh sushi, spotty service. You know what? This is the kind of quality, small scale sushi place I have only found in Sushi Niichi, and without the college students. I had the Chef's Combo C, which was amazing fresh and delicious sashimi array of salmon, lightly seared tuna, and scallop (you NEVER see that on a combo!) with a tekka maki roll and three pieces of some kind of crunchy roll I don't enjoy, so didn't eat. FABULOUS - fresh, delicious...and they offer tempura by the item, so I got a little side of tempura asparagus (only seen this at Uchi before !) and it was nice. I will be back! Thanks - Thai Cuisine tomorrow...and keep the recs coming!
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Uchi Restaurant
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Thai Cuisine
4101 W Parmer Ln Ste F, Austin, TX 78727
Hello Northerners! I guess Northwest to be specific.....
I have been working in Round Rock (McNeil between 183 and Mopac) for the last two weeks - two weeks to go. It has been fun reading posts by CH who live in/frequent that area...and cataloging suggestions, such as Asia Cafe, Maharaja Cafe, what's coming into the old Kahunas...etc.
So, I was thrilled to discover pani puri. Never had it before. Read the thread on best chaat in Austin, and I am a rabid fan. My first was at Hot Breads - and I have to say, I love it. I love that I got to punch my own puri, and I thought the pani was AMAZING (I googled pani puri for a better idea of what luckyfatima and others were saying). I had it again at Maharaja Cafe, and although I loved it, it lacked a certain je ne sais quois. BUT - I am headed back to MC for some other intriguing menu items... excited to learn more about Goan cuisine.
Hot Breads has a bunch of items I am unfamiliar with, and some I am. Not a big fan of idli or vada, but their goat khorma was AMAZING. Creamy, voluptuous, spicy sauce, nice tender chunks of meat - not too gamy, but stood up to the spices. Tandoori chicken was phenomenal - spicy, moist, incredible. I am a HUGE fan of Hot Breads, and will return. Maybe tomorrow, unless I get some suggestions I can't miss!
I'm going to do my research on the copious Asia Cafe posts (gotta unclick the 1 year limitation to get into the heart of this one) and figure out how to proceed. I went here twice after Sambamaster's robust reviews, and loved the top-level menu items. Spicy fish, twice cooked pork, etc. Seems like I should pay attention to a slip in quality....any current recs on what is amazing there these days?
I had made the pilgrimage to Chen's noodles once, and was unimpressed, so unless I hear otherwise, that and Sambets will go unrevisited.
Looking to try Deckhand (is that right?) for oysters soon.
SO - the question is - since I am there for lunches for two more weeks - where should I be swinging by at lunchtime? What should I be ordering? I think this area must hold many gems, most of which are out of the search engine of CH. Any and all suggestions welcome...this is a flavor wonderland compared to Mopac and William Cannon!
Thanks for any and all guidance...
Pacha
Thanks for the reminder! When I lived up there, I used to really love their empanadas - the spinach one in particular. Good coffee too, and yes - the nicest folks!
Your Favorite Weight Loss Tricks and Recipes
Have you tried the whole range of green teas by Stash? IIRC, they have mint, pomegranate, lemon....they are pretty tasty hot or cold.
True hang over (hangover) remedy
Back in the day, a baby breakfast burrito from El Faro (SF - ham, bacon, chorizo, eggs and cheese in a tortilla) with a breakfast cocktail of OJ and ginger ale combined with copious amounts of black coffee would get me through....even through a work day. Ahhhh....to be young and resilient.
Now, on those cherished, rare occasions...I have found, like MFK Fisher, that an egg, particularly with a runny yolk, works as a brilliant restorative. Black coffee. Mineral water.
Have I found the best BBQ in Houston?
Be sure to check the Austin board for a discussion of the omni-present line, and the accompanying possibility of leaving unsatisfied.
Funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZx6kGs7pg
I thought it was as good as Snow's. Gulp. Not much experience with Houston 'cue ( had Goode Co. once and once only) - I'm too busy with Chinese, Japanese, Dolce Vita and oysters. And banh mi. And Venezuelan lunch trucks. I wish Fu Fu and Franklin could work out some kind of cultural exchange - the first week of each month, we get those insane dumplings, and you get the kind brisket.
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Fu Fu Cafe
9889 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036
Lunch in Austin
I'm with you, although the OP's request is perplexing. Accustomed to fine dining, happy with a dive, anywhere in Austin....I think AZ was trying to come up with some "fine dining" options for lunch, although the tepid recs are pretty sad. If following the downtown/fancy impulse, I would recommend Haddington's (quite nice little pots of pate/truffled egg custard with GREAT grilled bread, nice pickled veggies, a weird but yummy carpaccio with a chipotle aiolli, terrific fresh mussels) or Lamberts.
I think Eastside Cafe (paternite's suggestion) might be the ticket - Austin-y vibe, good food (don't care what people say - LOVE the mushroom crepes) and a comfortable place to gab.
Real Store-bought French Bread
Yay - I was never able get my hands on the other ones. Which HEB? Were they in the bread aisle, or in the bakery section?
Good Dim Sum?
+1 on T&S - I think they are the best in town, and usually are so nice! I agree on Shanghai as well. They also push the high ticket items hard, which makes me uncomfortable. Sad about Fortune - that had become a Lunar New Year tradition for us.
Lizano Salsa
Old thread, but might be helpful:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/592826
LIGHT Sunday brunch
What about the Eastside Cafe?
http://www.eastsidecafeaustin.com/menus/brunch.html
Houston visit report from a grateful 'hound (oops - long!)
Yeah, but I haven't been to YOUR places! And I'm gonna....slowly but surely
Looking forward to your review on Dolce Vita. Besides what I had this time, I have fond memories of the salmon crudo, and the prosciutto and arugula pizza. That crust is just a miracle. You can get a sunny side up egg on almost any pizza which on some is a great complement!
Mmmmm.....a fried chicken trifecta.....
Houston visit report from a grateful 'hound (oops - long!)
I know! I know....6 year old who tolerates some salsa, but wouldn't be down with the jalapeno, plus a ridiculous amount of food for a four day trip (I get so panicky when I go to Houston...like I will never be back -gotta hit it all!) made me shy away from the deep fried. Not the fatty sausage, you ask? Good question....next time....
Houston visit report from a grateful 'hound (oops - long!)
DoobieWah, I had at least 5 places from your posts on the list, and had planned on the duck dumpling noodle soup at Sinh Sinh....but when I told my son we might go to a place called "Fu Fu" he was hooked.
I'm going to google map your "I Love..." threads and pick a more convenient hotel next time!
Houston visit report from a grateful 'hound (oops - long!)
I love Houston. I love reading about people who love living and eating in Houston. I love reading about people who love visiting and eating with people who love living and eating in Houston. I just got back from a precious few days in your amazing city with my 6 y ear old houndlet, and although I won't be breaking any new ground, here is my report.
FuFu Cafe - loved it. I had the spicy beef noodle soup - it was wonderful. Broth was rich, complex and flavorful, pickled/preserved veggies almost smoky in their counterpoint to the toothsome, awesome, noodles. Got the beef sesame pancake, and weren't that thrilled - the "pancake" was pretty thick and dry, the beef wasn't moist enough to offset. Flavorrific, though. The pork dumplings (I can't remember which ones we ordered) were like little cannoli - open on the ends, with the fabulous pork (and chive? something green) forcemeat spilling out. Crunchy where the wrappers hit the pan, light and chewy everywhere else. Divine, and an enormous amount - I think they gave us 8 or 9 HUGE dumplings. The soup dumplings were also great - I don't have that much XLB experience, but the wrappers were not thick (to me) and the loose meat and broth within was wonderful....my kiddo ate THREE of the four we ordered, and commented that enjoyed the pronounced ginger flavor of the broth (before translation, this was something like "mmmmmmm....Mama......so ginger.....yum........." Also loved the otherworldly red vinegar - something I haven't come across before in SF/NY/Austin. Very nice people, very wonderful experience.
Empire Cafe - I have been here before (thanks to CH) and enjoyed it again. Kiddo had a whole wheat pancake with strawberries - he approved - although last time they embedded the berries in a face-motif into the pancake, this time not....sigh....I have been a huge fan of the eggs Roma there - focaccia, pesto, grilled tomatoes, mozzerella, topped by eggs any style (over easy for me). Not being a fan of the cheddar hash browns, I asked if I could sub bacon. The answer was yes, for an upcharge. When I pointed out that as sides, the cheddar hash browns and bacon cost exactly the same, the charming gals at the counter were flummoxed. No biggie - enjoyed some organic Peru coffee, the great patio, the cool people, and left satisfied.
T-Bone Toms - I took my son to Space Center Houston, and was drooling for Gilhooley's grilled oysters. Luckily, as he was shooting asteroids with foam balls, I called to check their hours and learned that they don't allow anyone under 18 in the place! I was crushed, but as we accidentally passed the Kemah boardwalk I spotted T-Bone Tom's, and remembered reading something about it here. The server said that Guy Fieri had flipped for their housemade sausage, so we split a sausage sandwich with beans and coleslaw. The sausage was very, very good, and they must have stuffed the equivalent of two linear feet of beefy porky snappy yum into a very nice roll. Loved the pop of the coriander seeds. According to the kid, the server was "the nicest man ever!"
Fiesta Bahn Mi - I love that you can get cheap bahn mi at Fiesta near Reliant Stadium, and I wasn't expecting the best bahn mi in town. It was fine - I got the combo, and it had one tired flavorless slice of jalapeno. Serviceable. Houndlet saw bahn bao on the menu and ordered it himself and it was awful. Awful. Old, gross, poorly formed, sad.
Frenchy's - I hadn't done any research on Frenchy's, but we saw it when we were at Fiesta, and then a Groupon popped up for it, so I had to grab it. I really liked it a lot - the skin was crisp and flavorful - not too spicy, with a terrific crunch. Meat was moist - not as flavorful as some I've had, but very, very good. The biscuits, however, were AMAZING...I will forever hold the memory of this biscuit (well, the three I ate) as the high biscuit point in my life. Honeysweet, buttery, shatteringly crisp outside, savory pillowy steamy heaven inside.
HK Dim Sum - NO LAMB! Maybe I misunderstood the previous discussions, but there was mention of a lamb and squash dumpling that I considered destination-worthy. Is HK Dim Sum the same as HK Dumpling? Anyhow, we got a bunch of dumplings, and they were all wonderful. Really wonderful. In particular, the siu my (sp) had very tender wrappers and a great filling. The "shanghai-style" were shaped like mini XLB - they had no soup, but had an exceptionally delicious filling.
Captain Benny's - Grieving the loss of Gilhooley's, we stopped in at Captain Benny's between the MFAH and the HMNS. Oysters were fine - I think people have discussed the lack of brine, but with a squirt of lemon they were just fine - cold, fresh, yummy. Boiled shrimp were GREAT - having been boiled in a flavorful cajun boil, they didn't need cocktail sauce. Fried catfish was good - a little heavy on the breading for me, but the fish was fresh and moist and flaky. Icy cold Corona was a perfect compliment - and the frosty mug was a treat. Oh, didn't care for the hush puppies, found them a little too dense.
Dolce Vita - I love this place. I had a perfect negoni (well, half....) and kiddo had an aranciata at the bar while we waited for our to-go order. I'm a fool for the calamari with orange, mint and olives... such an intoxicating blend of sweet, salty, and herby. The octopus with rapini was luscious, with the nicely chopped rapini soaking up the flavor of the nice crunchy garlic chips and chile flakes. Beets with horseradish, walnuts and chives was an awesome mix of flavors and textures, but it needed more nuts. The margherita pizza was great, as usual, but the vongole....I saved the best until last because this pizza was paradigm-shifting. The fabulous crust (crisp on the bottom, chewy at the edges, delicious everywhere) held the most mind-boggling mix of huge, plump clams, sweet little grape tomatoes (burst and charred and almost sugary), bubbling fresh mozzerella, and fresh Italian parsley. SOOOOOOOOOOO good.
Hit King Bakery on the way out of town - my son was tired, so I couldn't browse, but got half a dozen char siu bao. EXCELLENT - light airy bread, meaty chunks inside...fabulous.
I'm already planning the next trip. Thanks all - you have an amazing city.
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Gilhooley's Restaurant
222 9th St, Dickinson, TX 77539
Please tell me if you have experience with a CSA?
Sorry to return to this so late, but yes. I don't have a garden, I have a career. Kudos to those who do what every generation of women have done forever. I seem strange to you - well, I don't cure my own prosciutto either. I don't have a garden, I don't want a garden, and I am confident in my rejection of salting, smoking, curing and preserving myself. I am also confident in the more self-satisfying ways I choose to spend my time. The times, they are a-changing.
Harbin Cuisine, SF Richmond District - memories?
Robert, thanks for this. Eva Chang was our neighbor, and seems to hold the name (or something close - Harbin Shanghai Cuisine) in active status - hence my interest in tracking down a current restaurant that might serve similar food. Also, I found a nice cache of (nostalgic?) interest at archive dot org. Honestly - how can seeing what a past menu holds, compared to today's offerings, be nostalgic? I want to figure out why the 8 year old me liked it so much and find where I can get it now.
Harbin Cuisine, SF Richmond District - memories?
No Russian specialties that I can remember, although clearly dumplings and pierogies have a great deal in common. Interestingly, Cinderella Bakery was and remains just down the street, and our Sunday AM tradition was Russian pastries.
Here's something to bring it current - what is Manchurian cuisine, and is anyone serving it in SF right now?
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Cinderella Bakery
436 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118
Harbin Cuisine, SF Richmond District - memories?
Right - why I asked about a current place that might be carrying forward...
Harbin Cuisine, SF Richmond District - memories?
Hello,
I grew up around the corner from Harbin Cuisine restaurant, which was on Balboa between 4th and 5th Ave. It has been gone a while, I think the current restaurant in that spot is Bay Fung Tong seafood. I'm just wondering if anyone has any memories or information about this place - probably too much to hope that someone has a menu around....? I'm wondering if the people who ran this place relocated? I'm trying to dig deep for some idea about specialties to see if I can spark a sense memory of the food. I probably ate there every other week from 1973 to 1983, but even as I can pull up other childhood food memories, I'm having trouble with this one.
Any recollections? Any news about a current place that might have some of the legacy?
Thanks for any help!
