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)!

FINO FINO FINO

It has been well publicized that the Cactus Cafe in Austin is shutting its doors. This small venue on UT campus has housed such acts as Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, Alison Krauss, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Townes Van Zandt. I decided we must get one last show in, and noticed country singer/songwriter Chris Knight was playing. My incredible friends Ashley and Laura were keen on joining me. The show started at 8:30, so we automatically assumed we'd go for happy hour somewhere. Since it was just "around the corner" from campus, we chose FINO. This Mediterranean mecca has a sister restaurant, Asti where we dined for New Year's Eve. We arrived and Laura immediately ordered a round of Bee Stings. She said it was a must, we did not argue. She knows her stuff. The waitress brought the golden martinis out, and we sipped away. They delivered quite a kick with Below manuka honey vodka, black pepper & meyer lemon. Great if you like tart with some ammunition behind it. Tasty little treat that definitely gets you "buzzed". Next came the ordering where we went all out. We got Mussels, Fried Goat Cheese, Pork Panchitos, Flatbread with hummus, and Pork Belly. The Pork Panchitos were first, and came highly seasoned on skewers. Pork with a wake your taste buds up spicy greeting. Next were the mussels, which were a favorite with all three of us. A smooth Sherry broth and perfectly cooked. Definitely recommended. Then it was the flatbread and walnut red pepper hummus. The bread was so soft and scooped up the crunchy hummus with ease. Very tasty. Next we tackled the fried goat cheese. This was my favorite. It was topped with Red Onion Jam and drizzled with honey. The cheese was impeccable, not overwhelming and matched incredibly with the honey & onions. After cheese was the pork belly, which I've had a lot of lately. It was served with Mandarin slices, fennel, chile, and green onions. The combo of all ingredients in one bite was excellent. The pork belly alone had great flavor, but not as others I've tried. We ordered another round of "stingers", and decided on two more tapas. Crispy Gulf Oysters with Harissa Aioli & Lime, and Chorizo Stuffed Medjool Dates with House Smoked Bacon, Valdeon Blue Cheese & PX Sherry Glaze. YUM! The oysters were winners, and the dates were a closely behind. Definitely makes your palate think, how did these flavors find each other? FINO's setting is fantastic for a sunset hour, or any other you can fit in. Go when your taste buds need pampering.

FINO
Twitter: fino_austin

Cactus Cafe
















Cactus Cafe for Chris Knight