Steak Supper

I was at my dear friends Rachel & Lydia's parents house last night planning an upcoming bridal shower. We discussed bridal details, and shortly after their Dad mentioned he was cooking steak for dinner. He asked if I'd like to join, but I needed to head home so I declined the lovely offer. Though I couldn't join, his idea inspired me to try a Steak Supper por uno. I stopped by my local grocery, Fresh Plus, to check out the goods. Fresh Plus isn't exactly the deal spot of the century, but I'm usually impressed by their meats. I decided to go big or go home, and well that would have just let me hungry. I chose a beautiful Rib Eye from the meat counter. It was pricey, but a hunk of a piece of meat. About a pound. I picked up some red potatoes, green beans, and the pièce de résistance, blue cheese. I jumped in my car with great excitement to get my Julia on and make a meal. I walked in the door, greeted by a very sleepy puppy (thanks to his doggy play date with the girl's pups earlier), and began my feast. I'm a big fan of googling recipes if I don't feel like flipping through cookbooks. I found a Pan Seared Rib Eye from Alton Brown. He's not one of my favorite Food Network personalities, but I went for it. I left the meat out in order to get to room temperature, and pre-heated my oven to 500 degrees. A hot one, but a must. I washed the gorgeous red potatoes and sliced into even-sized chunks. I boiled and salted water and threw them in. I then got my oven-safe pan and popped it in the oven for about 5 min. While that was heating up for my pound of pleasure, I ran outside to grab some rosemary. I'm lucky to have an apartment complex with rosemary bushes in front. Once inside I coated my steak with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I took out my pan and immediately put it on high heat. I put the seasoned steak in the pan and cooked on each side for 30 seconds. After it was seared, I placed the pan in the oven and cooked on each side for about 3 min. That temp allowed the steak to be medium. If you prefer medium rare, try 2 min. each side. Once my steak was finished, I took it out of the oven and placed on a plate covered in foil to rest. Many of you know that resting meat is so important, it allows the juices to redistribute. If not, you'll have one juicy bite and that's it. No bueno. With my meat resting, I drained my potatoes (they boiled for about 10-15 min) and placed them on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, pepper, chopped garlic, and rosemary. Mmmmmmm. I turned my oven down to 400 and let them roast for about 15 min. I'm not a patient in the kitchen, so I'm sure longer would get a bit more crisp, but they were great. I chopped up my green beans and boiled them for about 10 min. I topped a portion of my steak with blue cheese crumbles and got myself some vino. Everything was so so so so so so good. I was impressed. I've always been hesitant with meats, and thanks to an easy recipe, it was fool proof. The simple seasoning of the meat and natural juices were excellent. The blue cheese added a boost to the steak. Creamy, soft and a burst of tangy flavor. The potatoes, with their classic garlic and rosemary, were tender and divine. The green beans still had a bit of crunch to them. Tossed with a little olive oil and salt, they were excellent. Try it for yourself, date night, or a good meat eating friend. They will definitely appreciate your steakhouse supper at home.

Alton Brown's Recipe

Aquarelle

It is no lie that I love French cuisine. I am so happy that Austin now has several French restaurants to choose from that range from reasonable to extravagant. My wonderful friend Casey and I needed our usual date night, and I was pleased as punch that Austin Restaurant Week was in full force. If you live in Austin and go on W. 6th street, you may or may not have noticed the little bungalow that is Aquarelle. This place has been calling my name since it opened, and I've never had the chance to try it. Well, last night was the night. Casey and I were ecstatic. We walked up past the tiny courtyard (perfect for the upcoming Spring weather), and into the dimly lit house. We were seated at a table for two, which had a perfectly set table including China. Our hostess presented us with the Restaurant Week menu and wine list. Aquarelle was offering a 3 course dinner for $35. Amazing. We chose a bottle of Malbec, and enjoyed the crusty bread with butter (French places ALWAYS have the best butter, hands down). We talked life and careers while we were served the Amuse-Bouche, a cold polenta with creamy sauce. Lovely. We then made our menu selections. Casey chose the Tuna Carpaccio for her first course (avacado Mousse, mango coulis, and brunoise of vegetables). I went for the Countryside Farms Rabbit Puff Pastry (with local greens and walnut cream), which was originally a ravioli but changed when we dined. Casey's tuna was cool and refreshing. My rabbit was a surprising combination of deep yet sweet flavors. The walnut cream was to die for, such a great change from typical creams with a slight crunch. For our main course, Casey chose the Pan Seared Day Boat Scallops with potato compote, artichoke nage, and pancetta lardons. Her scallops were extra large and the most perfectly cooked I've ever had. The pancetta lardons were little cubes of saltiness that worked so well with the scallop flavors. I decided on the Boneless breast of duck with pommes Anna, haricot vert (French green beans), and passionfruit rum sauce. While the duck was a tad chewy, it was still great. The sauce was amazing and I soaked up every bit. Our final course happened to be our favorite. Casey chose the Coffee Poached Pear with caramel cake and chocolate ganache. INCREDIBLE. The pear was robust and held up to the coffee flavor. Add caramel and chocolate, and honey you've got one heck of a dessert. I was quite excited about the Parfait of Passionfruit custard and fresh fruit. It was amazing. Tart but sweet, creamy but light, and I wanted more. Passionfruit needs to be used more and more and more. Aquarelle's atmosphere, IMPECCABLE service, and cuisine were top notch. I will visit as much as I can in the future to see what this little house produces. A major NOT to miss opportunity in Austin.

Aquarelle
Twitter: @AquarelleATX

Austin Restaurant Week
Twitter: @AustinRestWeek

Full Aquarelle Austin Restaurant Week Menu

*I decided to refrain from pictures, but head there to see for yourself.



Photo courtesy of www.orthogonalthought.com

Max's Wine Dive

You've heard me exclaim my love for Restaurant.com and their extremely discounted gift certificates. Well, I loaded up a few weeks ago and snagged one for Max's Wine Dive in Austin. This place specializes in down home, fried, big serving goodness. My friend Lisa and I ventured for dinner this week to catch up. We walked into the long narrow restaurant and were greeted by a sweet laid back waitress. I ordered a glass of Jade Mountain Cabernet (one of their 9 glasses under $9, and a new favorite for me), Lisa went for a glass of Rose. After looking at the menu, we were set on some southern classics. I went for the Max & Cheese under the Max's Classics Small Plates (Cavatappi pasta tossed in truffle cream with fresh mozzarella, white cheddar, gruyere, and Grana Padano cheese blend). Yes, it was heaven wrapped in cheese sprinkled with the amazingness of truffle. I also got the Southern Fried Chicken (Three pieces of chicken with Max’s own jalapeno and buttermilk marinade, deep fried slow and low and served with chipotle honey, mashed potatoes and collard greens). Talk about juicy, spicy, crispy, perfectly fried chicken. Fantastic! The collard greens had a little too much kick for me, but the lumpy mashed potatoes more than made up for it. Lisa went for the Pork Belly under the Seasonal Sensation Small Plates (Coca-Cola braised all-natural Berkshire pork belly, roasted crispy, with micro German potato salad, and Lonestar Beer-steeped cabbage). Did you just read that description? Ugh, yeah! The small plate was not so small, it was huge! The pork belly was a thick piece of juiciness. Lisa also got the Damn...Yankee Pot Roast (Texas-raised Kobe beef cheeks slowly braised and served with roasted root vegetables, mushrooms and Yorkshire pudding – all swimming in a sumptuous red wine braising jus). We both DIED when the fork hit our mouths. Velvety, tender, taste each spice and flavor, kind of meat. You have got to try it, especially on a cold night. We enjoyed another glass of vino and marveled at our ability to consume comida. Impressive. We both got boxes to go, and vowed we'd stop by again. Their food is something you've got to try, but don't forget their extensive wine list too.

Max's Wine Dive
Twitter (Austin): @after_midnight
Twitter (Houston): @winediveMAX

Simplicity

A few girlfriends and I needed to catch up, and we have all wanted to try Simplicity Wine and Eats in Austin. This place is a rarity with $3.95 tapas and no glass of wine over $8. In love yet? The tapas are all about 3 ounces, but you will get your fill when ordering a few for the table. My friend Bailey and I each decided on the House wine, which is a small carafe that equals two glasses for $7 total!! A steal by far. Angie and Meredith went for Prosecco, great move! We began our order and went for Shrimp & Grits, Crab Croquetas, Brie, Fire Roasted Eggplant, Chicken Satay, Lentil soup, and the Curry Apple Mussels. First was the Shrimp & Grits, which I LOVE. Simplicity's were fantastic. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and plump, and the grits were creamy with a hint of kick. The Crab was like a mini crab cake, with plenty of meat and crunch. The Brie was some of the best I've had. Very creamy and not too overwhelming. The Eggplant was surprisingly good, but was the only dish we had leftovers of at the table. The Chicken Satay had a fantastic creamy sauce to go along with the spice of the chicken. The soup had tender lentils and plenty of woodsy flavor. The mussels were perfection. The curry was not too powerful and seeped into each little mussel. The slightly cooked apples marinated in the sauce and were such a great compliment to the seafood. We decided we hadn't had enough and went for one of the specials, Oysters on the Half Shell with beet jus and cucumber. Ugh delicious! They were gorgeous to being with, and you cannot beat cheap tasty oysters. Each dish was so tasty and flavorful. Definitely the perfect place for happy hour and conversation. The restaurant is also almost a "zero waste" establishment. They compost all of the paper plates (made of compostable & renewable corn & bamboo) & recycle all of the wine & beer bottles. Excellent for our little planet called Earth. Be sure to stop in as they have fantastic daily specials, and more than what's displayed on their menu online. Be aware, you may leave smelling like curry, but you'll be in a hurry to come back!

Simplicity Wine & Eats
Twitter: @SimplicityWandE

*Not all food is shown, but feast your eyes on these (Crab Croqueta & Mussels)!

Yanagi Sushi

I was down in South Austin yet again, and was craving sushi like no other. Sushi is not prevalent down south, but I'd be wanting to try a place called Yanagi. It happens to be located next to a Gold's Gym in, what do you know, another strip mall (ah suburbs). I convinced my Mom to go with me and we stepped into something we didn't expect. The space was very well decorated and had a unique ambiance for a strip mall establishment. They had a bar, a sushi bar, and a regular dining area. Our waiter took our drink orders and delivered complimentary Miso soup. The soup only had miso, seaweed, and tofu. No mushrooms or flair. The waiter said they only use miso to make it, no chicken stock or extras. It was delish. Since my Mom is not a huge fan of raw fish, she chose the Salmon tempura roll, and I went for the classic Rainbow roll and a Seaweed salad. They had a HUGE selection of salads, sushi, rolls, specialty rolls, noodles, and bowls. It was hard to come to a final decision, but we went classic. Now, I've had plenty of seaweed salads in my day, but this was the mother load. It was gigantic and was served with sweet pickles, lettuce, and fried wonton pieces. YES. My Mom's Salmon tempura roll was fantastic. It had a sweet sauce drizzled and the crunch of the tempura was excellent. My Rainbow roll was a typical rainbow roll, and I would of liked a bit more variety for the raw fish, but it was still tasty. Our rice was a little on the chewy side, but not bad. The waiter mentioned that the restaurant had recently been compared to Uchi, which I had a hard time believing, but of course didn't try enough to decide. Another sushi place to add to your Japanese repertoire. May you be blessed with a heavenly experience!

Yanagi

*Unfortunatley I lost my camera and had to use a camera phone with no flash (tear). Enjoy anyway!

Hecho en Mexico

There has been a burst of Interior Mexican food in Austin lately. Several restaurants have taken on the tasks of straying from the beloved Tex-Mex of the city, and focusing on the old and new flavors of interior Mexico. One such place that has mastered the technique and skills of the cuisine is Hecho en Mexico. My favorite thing about new restaurants, is those I find in strip malls that you'd never guess were fantastic. Hecho happens to fall under this category. My Mom and I are big fans of Restaurant.com where at some times you can get $25 gift certificates for $2 a piece. Check it out for your city, you'll be able to try places you normally wouldn't go to. We luckily had one for Hecho, and that's what we ventured to the suburbs and alas the strip mall. As soon as we walked in we were greeted with the smells of authentic cooking. You can tell that the kitchen and cooks had been working all day. The bar with a plethora of tequila was also a good sign that they knew what they were doing. We opened the menu and our waiter (from interior Mexico) let us know the specials and favorites. I decided on one of their Mole specials, Mancha Manteles (Mole is an art only perfected by few). I chose the pork which is sautéed with plantain, sweet potato, & pineapple in a peanut and chile Ancho; garnished with sesame seeds. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated the time and effort put into this mole. It was spicy, with the hint of sweetness and was incredible when paired with the plantains and pineapple. The pork was tender and well cooked. My Mom decided on Chiles Rellenos, one of her all time favorite dishes. The dish was a Poblano pepper stuffed with either picadillo (beef) or Queso Monterrey Jack cheese. It is topped with an entomatada sauce and garnished with sour cream. She decided on picadillo (she happens to make her own and wanted to compare). Hecho did not let her down! The pepper was flavorful and the beef excellent. A large dish that did not disappoint. We finished our travels into Mexico with the waiter's favorite dessert, Nieve de Mole (Ice cream with Mole). It was unreal! The sweet creamy ice cream was delicious, while a kick in the back of your throat was provided by the Mole. A strange mix of flavors that worked like two peas in a pod. Fantastic! If you're up for flavors that make you say Ah, check out Hecho in Mexico. It will let you escape into homemade excellence.

Hecho en Mexico
Twitter: @HECHOENMEXICOU

*All photos taken with a phone! Left my camera at home. Enjoy!