Nakhash's Profile
New Years Challah
I think it would depend on how kosher the OP keeps. Manny's and Katz's both carry kosher-style food, but aren't actually kosher. I believe you're right that Manny's sells challah.
New Years Challah
Check the HEB on Far West Blvd. It's near the DJCC (Dell Jewish Community Center) and several synagogues. They have a kosher bakery/deli and carry lots of other supplies.
Italian Food in Austin?
If you like Tuscan style, Siena is pretty good.
http://www.sienarestaurant.com/index.htm
Los Reyes Mexican Grill Grand Opening
Hubby and I went to Los Reyes yesterday for supper. Let me begin by saying that in a city like Austin, with as many Mexican restaurants as we have, if you're not going to bother doing at least acceptable food, don't bother opening.
We found the menu to be odd and confusing. Truly, they probably have a dozen or so selections, but then offer them in a dizzying array of choices with cutesy names. They have an insert for seafood...which has no connection with Mexican cuisine. The sides offered are fries, baked potatoes, rice, steamed veggies and salad.
On to the dinner.
Meh tortilla chips served with pureed and chunky tomato sauce. Left uneaten.
Hubby ordered stuffed flounder. The waitress did not ask him what sides he wanted or even dressing for salad. The salad was the palest version of iceberg and tomatoes artfully presented with sliced radished encircling it that I've ever seen, served with Ranch which hubby doesn't care for. Unused sauce from above called to duty. Fish arrives with steamed Normandy veg (hubby says over-cooked and bland), Mexican rice (woohoo something Mexican!) which is bland but edible and the fish. Ahhhh...the fish...two fillets with stuffing holding them together. Top layer was very fishy smelling. Hubby says that one has actually started to go bad. He slides it to the side. Bottom layer is okay, but very oily from cooking method. It only gets a few bites. Stuffing is sorta reminiscent of Stove Top with shrimp and (hubby swears!) pasta (???) Shrimp is okay. He picks these out and is his main dinner.
My selection was one of the specials: Golden poblano with grilled shrimp. I ask the difference between the chili rellenos and golden poblano. It's the sauce. CR has ranchero and melted cheddar and GP has queso. I want shrimp so... Sides are refried beans and rice. Plate arrives very, very hot. Beans look dried and cracked around edges, rice looks dried on top, GP looks okay. When offering cool enough to eat, beans bland, rice exceeding dry, shrimp in GP are overcooked and very chewy and...the cheese inside is...mozarella??? Okaaaay. Queso actually helps flavor the rice and beans. Shrimp ends up left on side. Dinner consists of GP. I'm guessing the whole thing was run under a broiler to melt the mozarella. Here's a hint to chefs. Don't put the sides on first or grill the shrimp and over-cook them attempting to melt cheese. The sides should have been plated afterward.
Other peeves: my dinner arrived about 5min before hubby's. Good thing it was so freaking hot. Flour tortillas, while they looked homemade, were crispy, chewy and greasy. What's up with the basket of bread and Shedd's spread? And your iced tea - ugh!
Waitress stayed away (probably due to unhappy faces we wore), presented check halfway through "meal" and didn't ask if we wanted dessert.
Oh, and this was my birthday dinner (hubby has promised we'll re-do it later this week). On the way home we went through a Wendy's drive-through and were home in time to nosh on burgers and watch "Terminator: the Sarah Conner Chronicles"
any Azoran restaurants in Austin or Texas?
My mom's from Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel. The only Portuguese restaurant I knew of in the entire state of Texas was in Houston (closed now) called A Taste of Portugal. The owner was from one of the former African colonies.
Fall River, MA, Providence, RI, Provincetown, MA and the Boston area (Cambridge/Somerville - where most of my family live) tend to have the restaurants you're looking for. Other major Azorean populations are around San Diego, CA and Hawaii.
The food is really easy to fix. The chourico does not taste like the Mexican type found down here. There are several places that mail order. My current fave is out of RI: http://www.portuguesefood.com/
The Molho de Figado is pretty good (chunks of pork in spicy sauce made of liver). This would be served with rice, french fries and perhaps a fried egg. I usually go for the hot chourico and linguica. Haven't tried their morcela (blood sausage), but that's usually a pretty good item. Sambel Oelek and the Vietnamese chili garlic sauce are very good subs for the crushed pepper sauce used extensively in cooking/eating.
The pateis de nata (egg custard tarts) are what you'd find on a dim sum cart. AFAIK, they spread to parts of China and Taiwan from Macau. Asia Market sometimes has some for sale in the grocery.
Many of the other ingredients are substituted fairly well with local products. Fiesta is a good source.
And yeah, I made the kale soup (Caldo de Verde) for supper last week. ;-)
Kolache Shoppe...what happened?
If you ever drive toward Dallas, stop at the Czech Stop in West. Awesome kolaches: large, lots of varieties.
I've Driven By There A Thousand Times
That's too bad. It used to be an okay buffet. Not great, but at least fresh. Haven't been there since the SUV crashed through the front and killed some guy standing in front of the register.
Vietnamese food in Austin
A very popular place is Tan My (formerly Tan Tan). Many Vietnamese eat there (imho a good sign). They have a very nice menu with lots of choices, including Hue-Style pho with pork blood and knuckles (hubby's fave). They also have the "dessert" bean drinks.
It's a busy place, nothing fancy at about it at all, but the service is fast and friendly. I think you would enjoy giving them a try.
1601 Ohlen Rd
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 832-9585
Anyone Tried Nuevo Leon (Austin)?
It's okay. Not great. The only thing I really liked on the menu was the panchos appetizer with beef fajita meat. It was a huge plate of bean and cheese nachos and, at least when we had it, a good amount of beef. It pretty much filled up my husband and myself. That and a big margarita was plenty.
The rest is okay. Nothing great but not bad. Pretty average fare.
Who's selling local tomatoes?
These guys get hold of a lot of local veg, herbs, dairy, meats, etc. as well as local artisan products like bread and cheese. They deliver to your door.
http://www.greenling.com/
What happened to Din Ho?!!
I SO feel your pain. My husband is like this. He loves spicy and exotic foods, so it's not that it's impossible to get him to various restaurants. His problem is with bad service. One bout of it can keep him away from places that use to be faves.
Example: One of our fave (used to be) Mexican restaurants near our apartment - we went fairly often - got his order wrong. He ordered Camarones Insalada and they brought Camarones Enchiladas. Apologies offered, new plate offered, remove from bill offered. Nope. Haven't been there in over 2yrs.
Red Bean Ice Cream
I've seen red bean ice cream at the Asia Market (the one with Asia Cafe in the back). It was in popsicle form.
Need upscale NW Austin Client lunch place
Just remembered a new one within the Arboretum. It appears to be pretty upscale, even has Kobe beef on the menu.
Kenobi Restaurant and Sushi Bar
http://www.kenobiaustin.com/
Need upscale NW Austin Client lunch place
Unfortunately, the upscale ones (Truluck's, Eddie V's) aren't open for lunch.
Some possibles:
On Jollyville Rd
Manuel's (Mexican)
http://www.manuels.com/
PF Chang's (Asian)
http://www.pfchangs.com/
a short trip down Cap of Tx Hwy
Siena Ristorante Toscana
http://www.sienarestaurant.com/index.htm
Shredded Beef Tacos
El Rey's in the Brodie Oaks shopping center has machaca tacos (shredded beef wrapped in flour tortillas and fried - a bit like a large taquito) and, if asked, will make their taco platter (various soft/crunchy tacos and the ones mentioned above) with the machaca beef.
That said, the last time hubby and I went - about a year ago - the quality and service had deteriorated, which was really too bad. The owner was very friendly, the waitstaff were fast and accurate, and the food was pretty good. I heard the owner sold the business. I can't say what it's like now...
Diners Drive-Ins or Dives in Austin?
Have to agree about the wait. Hubby is disabled (walks with 2 canes) and we had to leave. There was no way he could stand that long.
dunkin donuts in north austin?
I have to agree with the disappointing cofee. Though I'm not from New England, I did live in Boston for about 3yrs. Now they know how to do DD proud!
[AUS] Good DimSum in Austin Area.
I live in far NW Austin. Does anyone have any recommendations for dim sum in the area?
Tien Hong closing?
I heard that there's a notice on the door at Tien Hong that states they will be closing in June. Staff say the owners are retiring.
Anyone else heard this?
Fried Corn?
Are you talking about fresh corn you slice off the cob and fry in some bacon drippings? Or do you mean pickled corn that's been brined and then fried?
Where can I find slab bacon in Austin?
I've found it at HEB in the past. They also carry smoked ham hocks.
Local source for kaffir lime leaf?
You might try this place. They carry everything, often have specials, deliver quickly, and have interesting how-to videos of street vendors cooking.
Thai Supermarket Online:
http://www.importfood.com/
Visit to San Antonio - restaurant suggestions? [moved from the Austin board]
I'm afraid that would be quite a walk. I'd guess it to be around 5 miles or better.
Visit to San Antonio - restaurant suggestions? [moved from the Austin board]
One of my favorites is La Fonda Main. It touts itself as the oldest in San Antonio (1932). It's in an area that's mainly residential. The restaurant itself is an older hacienda-style home. Very quaint and casusal with a lovely patio (lots of trees) in the back.
I often see families there, so the kiddo will be welcome.
Though I'm usually a carnivore when dining out, their Enchiladas Espinaca is a personal favorite of mine.
http://www.lafondaonmain.com/#quickfacts
Any great places open on Christmas day?
I've not eaten at Kobe Steakhouse, so I can't attest to whether they're "great" or not, but I noticed a sign up yesterday stating they would be open Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
http://www.kobeaustin.com/
Vietnamese else where in NW Austin? SeaDragon II Closed
Sagiang is pretty good for grilled dishes. Decent lemongrass/chili pepper dishes, as well. Their special evening/weekend menu addition has some good grilled fish. They're near BB Rovers.
I've heard there's one in Lakeline Mall across from the theater (Dragonfly?). I've not tried it, so I can't say how good it is.
Otherwise, I suggest driving south a few miles to Peyton Gin and giving Tan My (Tan Tan) a try. Really good pho, including the hard to find Hue style.
Turducken in Austin?
They've had them (frozen) at Costco in the past. I didn't check if they had them this year. Once was quite enough. :-/
ISO dairy-free pie
I don't know for certain they have them, you could call and check, but you might try the Kosher Deli at HEB on Far West Blvd.
Kashrut law forbids eating meat and dairy together, so Jews who keep kosher and plan to eat turkey, cannot eat desserts with dairy. They MAY do a dairy-free pumpkin pie there. They're certain to do other types of dairy-free desserts.
