We were in Wimberley this past weekend to visit my folks, and to attend a high school football game that my niece as a band member participated in (way go to go KJ).
We drove into the Austin outskirts on Saturday for lunch at Mandola's Italian Market/Kitchen, which has three locations in the Austin-area; and is a fun, inviting and good place to eat. They are an Italian Market, with wines, and perishables, and cheese and meats, and gelato, and pastries; plus a full-service restaurant w/great menu items. I had the Spaghetti Carbonara and it was rich and delicious, with al dente pasta, green onions, creamy and buttery egg yolk sauce, Romano, and pancetta.
The thing I like about Mandola'a, but more importantly Austin-area restaurants, is that a place is not regulated to a hip area and thus one location. If I want a place like this here in DFW, my best option is Jimmy's Food Store in Uptown? I am sure there are other places, but Mandola's has a vibe about it, that is hard to copy; I hear Jimmy's is much like it or vice versa. Why cant DFW-area hip places spread the love?
If you are unaware of Damian Mandola, he is the uncle of Johnny Carabba as in Carabba's Italian Grill (the restaurant chain was founded by Johnny and Damian)! Damian has staked a claim on the Austin-area restaurant scene w/three restaurant/markets, plus a flagship restaurant and winery in Driftwood. Several years ago, Damian and Johnny hosted a PBS show on the Houston-area network, called Cucina Sicilia; which was a very fun show to watch, with their antics; but more importantly their innovation and love of food.
Oh, for an Austin tradition of spreading the love in DFW...
Monday, August 29, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Is it Done?
We went to Pappa's Brothers Steakhouse last night as part of restaurant week ($7 of every purchase, went to a local food bank), and as such that have a prix fixe menu of $35/head. The menu at PB for restaurant week is smaller/shorter than some other places we've been before, but for what you get and where you are, it's pretty good. I had the dry aged strip, probably about 8oz along with the haricort verts and garlic-mashed potatoes; an awesome Caesar salad, a decent bowl of lobster bisque and the raspberry sorbet for dessert (oh and about 15 glasses of water).
My steak was good, I ordered it medium well knowing full well that I would get it medium, and it was tender and full of flavor. Everyone else at my table, ordered the filet w/butterflied shrimp and a mushroom sauce on top that was salty and just too much. Too bad, so sad. We all had the same meals for the most part, except at dessert, everyone had something different: key lime pie, chocolate peanut butter cake and cheesecake.
My #1 issue w/high-end steakhouses is that their medium temperature and look is not the same as the textbook answers; hence the medium well order. I like my steak medium, maybe a little under that too; but I just don't understand when you order something medium and it comes back medium rare to rare. The worst example of this for me was a time at III Forks, it came out seared on all sides and almost raw on the inside, and that was an order of medium! I guess it will be a mystery or someone like Alton Brown will have to explain it to me.
My steak was good, I ordered it medium well knowing full well that I would get it medium, and it was tender and full of flavor. Everyone else at my table, ordered the filet w/butterflied shrimp and a mushroom sauce on top that was salty and just too much. Too bad, so sad. We all had the same meals for the most part, except at dessert, everyone had something different: key lime pie, chocolate peanut butter cake and cheesecake.
My #1 issue w/high-end steakhouses is that their medium temperature and look is not the same as the textbook answers; hence the medium well order. I like my steak medium, maybe a little under that too; but I just don't understand when you order something medium and it comes back medium rare to rare. The worst example of this for me was a time at III Forks, it came out seared on all sides and almost raw on the inside, and that was an order of medium! I guess it will be a mystery or someone like Alton Brown will have to explain it to me.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Shaped Burgers?
Why are hamburgers always round, why cant we ever get real, and go with octagonal, you could get Chuck Norris to do your marketing since he was in the movie, The Octagon! Or a pentagon, or a triangle??
Saturday afternoon, we tried a typical-round burger at Square Burger in McKinney, so named because it is on the square in McKinney.
If you are a beer drinker, they have lots on tap and many more in bottles, including the hard to find Jester King label! The burger was okay, I say so, because it was $9 and because it just was not the best burger I ever ate.
$9 is a lot to pay for an average burger; think of it this way, at In 'N Out, you can get a double-double w/cheese for $3.50. At Twisted Root, it's $6 for a regular hamburger, and specialty burger's are $8, and I think Twisted Root makes a very good burger. Or how about a 1/3 # burger at Chip's for $5!
So, all of this jib-jab to say, Square Burger is a bit square for me.
Saturday afternoon, we tried a typical-round burger at Square Burger in McKinney, so named because it is on the square in McKinney.
If you are a beer drinker, they have lots on tap and many more in bottles, including the hard to find Jester King label! The burger was okay, I say so, because it was $9 and because it just was not the best burger I ever ate.
$9 is a lot to pay for an average burger; think of it this way, at In 'N Out, you can get a double-double w/cheese for $3.50. At Twisted Root, it's $6 for a regular hamburger, and specialty burger's are $8, and I think Twisted Root makes a very good burger. Or how about a 1/3 # burger at Chip's for $5!
So, all of this jib-jab to say, Square Burger is a bit square for me.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Robert's Way
I have no new food news at this time; but I will say that I rather enjoy Robert Irvine's show on the Food Network called Restaurant Impossible. If anything, it gives you a great glimpse of what not to do when you own a restaurant. Yet what is really sad, is that there are hundreds if not thousands of restaurants in this same situation across America.
Robert is a bit harsh in his way, but he knows what works, and is very good at it...worth the watch.
Robert is a bit harsh in his way, but he knows what works, and is very good at it...worth the watch.
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