Talking Tamales

Oh,  this is right down my nerdy little alley. There is going to be a talk on “A Brief History of Tamales” on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (Reception to follow 7:00-7:30 p.m.) The speaker is Claudia Alarcón (she writes on food for the Austin Chronicle) and she’s going to reveal all [...]

Fresh: Hybrid Produce

A variety of fruits and vegetables have been crossbred to create entirely new fruits or vegetables. Some of these hybrids have only recently begun to gain popularity, as consumers are looking for more and more variety in the kitchen. While we love having new choices, we also have to ask a couple of questions when it comes to hybrids. How are they created? What hybrids are available to us?

tacocat is a halloween costume

Our buddy Phil gets the ultimate tacotown stamp of approval™ for his costume at Phish’s Festival 8…TACOCAT!!

here’s the original, in case you live in a cave.

cabeza

Juarez Mexican Bakery - Round Rock, TX

A few weeks ago, we all decided to try out tacos in Round Rock, TX. I thought good Mexican food was practically nonexistent in the Rock but I was wrong. I found one good place - Juarez Mexican Bakery. A not so close second was Speedy Tacos, at least from my flavor flaves. Check out the video on Juarez Mexican Bakery for my review.



For both taco joints, check out the reviews by Undercover Mexican Girl...

The Round Rock Excursion

Juarez Bakery & Restaurant

You’d think for being a native of Los Angeles, I would easily embrace driving 24 miles north on a major interstate highway. But I loathe driving, particularly on freeways. Fortunately, The Commish volunteered his Civic Honda as the Taco Journalist Mobile.

We arrived 15 minutes late to meet with Ian Morales of Austin Vida, for the video shoot that would make us famous. Due to unforeseen circumstance, our Round Rock expert was unable to meet with us. What were we to do? Between the four of us, I think our combined lifetime visits to Round Rock were not more than a dozen. Alas, we figured it out.

10:15 AM was rush hour at Juarez – we had no time to lollygag in line – make up your mind quick, and order quick! The line moves faster than you’d expect. Barely awake on a Sunday, I wasn’t ready for anything too experimental, so I settled for my standard eggless breakfast taco: bacon, potato, and cheese. (One morning, years ago, this combination occurred to me during a hangover, when the smell and thought of eggs seemed nauseating.) This taco is all about indulgence. If you want to be truly sinful, leave out the potatoes.

Now, breakfast on the weekends is something I like to take my time with, and as a first timer to Juarez, I did feel rushed and unable to properly make my decision. Given a little more time, I would have ordered a second taco, a cup of coffee, or even a pastry. Lucky for me, Mando ordered a pan dulce that was simply pan francés (French bread) slathered thick with rich, creamy butter and a generous layer of sugar. This he shared with the rest of us, and even though one of my aberrations is regularly turning down sweets – this just might be my downfall. Much to my mother’s dismay, my father taught me at a very early age this delicious concoction of bread, butter, and sugar. And now I discovered it comes ready-made, in a more spectacular form! I also had a bite of Justin’s concha. Both sweet breads were soft, warm, and fresh.

The salsa is not easy to come by – no squeeze bottles on the table and not included on the side in mini-containers with lids. The salsa, which to my delight was plentiful with cilantro, was in little ramekin bowls on the far left of the counter. The pressure to order quickly, along with the inconspicuous salsa, made me think you have to be a regular here to get the most out of the experience. The tacos were made very quickly and served wrapped in foil allowing for the cheese to melt nicely, but you don’t seem to get a choice between corn and flour. Call me crazy, but occasionally, I do like my breakfast tacos in the ancient maíz tortilla.

The potatoes were fried just rust right – crunchy on the outside and mushy on the inside – with the proper coating of herbs and seasoning. There were two dense, but not fatty, strips of bacon, and a suitable amount of shredded cheese. The experience itself was a bit impersonal, but if this place were in South Austin, I’d definitely go back.

4.0 stars – Undercover Mexican Girl

Speedy Tacos & More

For a place called “Speedy,” I was very amused by their subtle decorative humor – I counted at least half a dozen clocks in their establishment, ranging from classroom-style wall clocks to antique grandfather clocks. The heavy yellow overtones in the décor took me back to the 1970s. I almost felt I was at an old-fashioned ice cream parlor when the music turned to a rag-time piano version of Glenn Miller’s In the Mood, but when the curious musical intro evolved into a Tejano song, I realized I was still at a Mexican American taqueria.

For comparison’s sake, I ordered a bacon-potato-cheese breakfast taco, and being closer to the noon-time hour, I decided also on a beef fajita taco. The tortillas – flour, of course – (corn seems to be more prevalent in South Austin) were quite delicious. Thick, puffy, and homemade.

The taco fillings, however, were not as impressive. I always frown upon a higher-to-other-fillings potato ratio, and while I can often appreciate simplicity, these potatoes were on the blander side. Also, there was only one strip of bacon that didn’t extend the entire diameter of the tortilla. This is important, you see, because otherwise, about 1/5 of your bacon-potato-cheese taco ends up being simply a potato-cheese taco.

I was visibly impressed by the thick cuts of beef fajita, but they were almost too thick for the palate. A bit too Tex-Mex for my tastes. For my tacos, I prefer smaller chopped meat. The grilled onions, too, were cut into hearty strips, and were quite juicy, which I enjoyed. While the taco didn’t excite me on a first try, it was tasty as a leftover the next day.

On a final note, I’m never too sure when a taco place also serves “more” (hamburgers, fried catfish, etc.). I’m a firm believer a restaurant should pick a niche and become an authority. Then again, I do appreciate post-modern hybridism. I’d have to try their “more” items before I could truly judge.

3.0 stars – Undercover Mexican Girl

Juarez Mexican Bakery - 4 Stars
1701 S. Mays Street P
Round Rock, TX 78664
512-255-6262

Speedy Tacos & More - 3 Stars
2000 N. Mays Street #300
Round Rock, TX 78664
512-246-3881

Olivia chef James Holmes: What's in Your Fridge Friday?

James Holmes is a West Texas boy who has found his way to the top of Austin’s dining scene.

Holmes has cooked at a number of restaurants, including the famed Perini Ranch Steakhouse outside his hometown of Abilene. After helping start the student-run Ventana restaurant at the Texas Culinary Academy, he created film-themed feasts at the Alamo Drafthouse before opening Olivia on South Lamar Boulevard last year.

Olivia, named after one of his two daughters, was named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit earlier this year, and Rachael Ray fell in love with Holmes’ dedication to using local, sustainable ingredients.

Holmes has already gained a reputation for “nose to tail” cooking, and he’s even figured out that he can use pig skulls as scarecrows for the restaurant’s on-site garden. (Did I mention he’s into composting, too?)

Now the only question is when is he going to open another restaurant named after his littlest daughter, Lucy?

What three things are always in your fridge? There is always Lone Star beer, a variation of pickled jalapenos and bacon grease in the fridge.

What’s the first thing you pull out of the fridge in the morning? Whatever my 4-year-old daughter, Olivia, is drinking, which is what I’ll end up drinking, too. Usually apple juice, orange juice or cranberry juice.

What’s your favorite condiment? Tears of Joy’s “August in Austin” hot sauce

Photo by James Holmes.

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Olives

The recipe below came about through social networking at it’s best. I follow @laurasrecipes and she tweeted about goat cheese and olive pasta. As you may know, I’m not the most regular cook but these two ingredients caught my eye after our visit to both goat and olive farms the day before. I followed the link, which led me to Saveur’s “Best of the Web” — handpicked links to the staff’s favorite recipes and articles. This led to a blog called food & style. The recipe that inspired me to whip up ...

Beer Cheese

We brought this to the Beer-themed Food Bloggers' Potluck and served it again at Han's birthday party last week and both times it seemed to go over really well. At Han's birthday specifically, the whole bowl was gone before all the guests had arrived, and at both events, I had people asking me for the recipe.

Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes w Cream Cheese Frosting

A coworker and friend of mine loves any and everything pumpkin related. Last week was her birthday and she turned the young age of…. PFF I’m not telling you how old she is! Ladies don’t tell that sort of thing. However, I will let you know that I prepared a batch of  mini pumpkin cupcakes [...]

Nick T Eats His Way Down the West Coast

Sharing a love for food with Laura and Mariah, I feel compelled to share another guest blog. Generally, this blog will focus on local restaurants and eateries, but we are going to step outside ourselves today and take you to the West Coast. Coastal dining experiences are by far some of my most memorable ones. I might be a little bias simply because it’s likely I will spend my entire life in pursuit of the perfect sea creation.

To give you a quick overview of where I’m headed, Kristen (my loving girlfriend who will be referred to as K in this blog) and I went on a week long vacation throughout central California from August 15th-23rd. We started our journey in San Francisco and made our way all the way down the One to Big Sur w/ our final destination in Carmel, CA. As we ate our way through California, we also created a new restaurant rating system in which we call “fork worthy.” Simply, if after the meal, all parties at the table collectively agree that they were wowed by the experience and the meal exceeded all expectations, then one dinner fork can be removed from the establishment, thus deeming the restaurant, FORK WORTHY!! Over time we will have compiled a collection of forks from throughout the world each with unique experiences and happy pallets attached. (Disclaimer: Dining In Austin does not endorse this behavior.)

Our first meal of the trip was a hit and definitely set the foundation for many more to follow. Scalas was recommended to us by our bell hop at our hotel in San Francisco. Scalas is Italian fine dining located at the bottom of the Drake Hotel in Union Square. Dimly lit and full to capacity, we were quickly sat next to each other by a pleasant hostess. Upon entry, it was apparent that this was a well oiled machine. Things were looking up. Like many menus at some of your finer eateries, you know right off the bat that it will be difficult to order the wrong thing. After scanning the menu and trying to determine which direction we were to go, our waitress came over and made a few suggestions. Inevitably we completely followed her lead. We started with the Earth and Surf appetizer which consisted of lightly battered and flash fried crisp calamari, rock shrimp, fennel, green beans and spicy aioli. The portion was more than generous, quickly delivered and was single handily responsible for the creation of the Fork Worthy concept. Shortly after receiving our app it was followed by the Heirloom Salad which we split. It is the Scalas version of the caprese salad. Heirloom tomatoes, Mozzarella de Buffala, basil, rucola, and extra virgin olive oil, create a wildly explosive salad that makes you smile and doesn’t break the bank. We split a dinner entrée of crab stuffed ravioli with peas and lobster butter. Oh god, let me say that again, LOBSTER BUTTER..I was thoroughly convinced that I could have bagged this stuff up and sold it on the streets. I mean, if you had some right now, I would give you a 20 for a quick hit, without question. We decided to skip out on desert because we knew that we were going to try to have a few drinks around town and thought that we could save room for some booze. In quizzing our waitress about entertainment options in the area, we were sent to a couple of near-by live music spots . Simply put, GREAT SERVICE, ambiance, food quality, reasonable price.

Fork Count = 1

Another MUST EAT breakfast recommendation (according to the waitress from Scalas) was Dottie’s True Blue Café. Fortunately, it was just a few block walk from our wonderful hotel. As we approached Dotties, we could see a line about 30-40 deep pouring out the door. Of course, with this kind of attention they must be doing something right. There was a small level of hesitation to wait in the line, afterall our time in SF was limited. We decided to get some coffees and wait it out. The restaurant was small, seating about 40-50 people max. (Including the bar seating that was for dining only) We were excited to see some of the plates that were being delivered complete with oversized portions, lots of colors, HUGE biscuits, got me randy right off the bat. The menu was overwhelming, but in a good way. If the biggest dilemma I am forced to deal with on any given day is rather or not I want to order the omelet with lamb-fennel sausage, goat cheese, roasted garlic, and spinach or the pulled pork omelet severed with roasted potatoes and tortillas, then I’m doing pretty well!! Those two dishes are, in fact, exactly what we ended up with and worth every second that I waited, and every penny that we spent. This is not the cheapest place you will eat breakfast in you life, but you can definitely split a plate with someone if you’re on a shoe-string budget. If light, fluffy frittatas, pumpkin pancakes, world famous waffles and beautiful, delicious, baked goods create blood flow for you like it does me, Dotties is where it’s at. I can honestly say it is in the top 2 best breakfasts I have ever had in my life.

Fork Count = 2

From San Francisco we headed down to Santa Cruz. Having done little research on places to dine it was any mans game. We went down to the boardwalk (the same one in the movie the Lost Boys) and did the touristy thing for a bit. Dinner was approaching so we started our journey. Adjacent to the boardwalk was a warf/ pier that was full of restaurants and bars. Our hotel clerk had recommended some places, but after listening to him for a while I began to think his idea of a solid meal was a hot pocket dipped in creamy ranch. Noting this, we tried to make our own educated decisions based on menus and ambiance. After choosing a waterfront restaurant, we were seated on the glass with a sunset view. The menu had decent options and the specials sounded scrumptious. Unfortunately, I was turned off by the unkempt bathrooms. As a result, we decided to order an appetizer and 2 glasses of wine and look for something with a little bit more character and cleaner restrooms. Thankfully for Facebook, my friend Kim had recommended a crepe place in Santa Cruz that she had dined at before. “Crepes for dinner? I asked myself. K assured me that it would be ok. Although, I can’t remember exactly what we ate, I know this place was solid. It was a definitely a local hang out and we even saw an Austin musician while we enjoyed our food and drink. I know that the in-house menu had around 40 different crepes to choose from and of course the ability to build your own. Great ambiance, drinks, music, food, along with SUPER NICE LOCALS would bring me back to this place in a two shakes of a lambs tail. Mmmmm, lamb. We didn't take a fork, but we should have!! Damn Tequila. The Santa Cruz Crepe Place was GREAT!!!

Descending down the One headed to the beautiful Big Sur we came across what I believed to be a small fishing town in Moss Landing, CA. Still having an unfilled craving for fresh coastal catches, I was on a mission to find a sashimi grade fillet that I could bite into like a piece of pie. As I looked around, I spotted a marina and boats. In an excited fashion I looked over at K and said, “This is where we will find fresh fish.” It seemed as if there was only one road that led down to the marina, so I slammed on the brakes and made the turn just in time. After K realized that her life was no longer in jeopardy, I had her roll down her window to ask a man walking if there was a seafood market nearby. We were pointed to a place, blocks away called Phil’s Seafood Market. Not knowing what to expect, we parked on the street and entered with caution. Immediately, we were greeted by glass cases packed with all kinds of fresh fish, delectable shellfish and other homemade creations. As it turns out, this place doubled as a restaurant. Two HUGE chalk boards hung over the counter, loaded with small font deliciousness. Since we were in Artichoke country, I chose a stuffed artichoke with seafood stuffing for an appetizer. I kept seeing signs hung throughout Phil’s for a dish called Cioppino. I had no idea what Cioppino was so I asked the counter girl who described the best of her ability that it was their most popular dish and everyone ordered it. I soon learned that Cioppino is a fish stew derived from the various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine. Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in the dish's place of origin is typically a combination of dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce. (Thanks Wikipedia.) You could order it by itself in a large bowl or have it served on top of a gutted sour dough roll. Take a look at my flabby belly and you can assume that I went for the roll. Long story short, Phil’s was AMAZING!! We stole a fork, took pictures, bought some smoked peppered salmon and smoked teriyaki salmon to-go which was literally sent down from the heavens. Truly a pleasure and located about 25 miles north of Monterey. If you in the area, GO, GO, GO…That’s all there is to it..

Fork Count = 3

Our last destination was Carmel, CA. We spent our last three days there to share in the celebrations of K’s sis and her new hubby. Without question, there was a large assortment of wonderful food digested.

For mere showmanship I will give an honorable mention to the $28 dollar hamburger that I ate at the Pebble Beach Lodge. It was Kobe beef, brie, caramelized onions served on an open faced sweet bun w/ potato wedges cooked in truffle oil. I order it med-rare and it was over-cooked. The only real reason why I am even mentioning it is because I had never had a $28 dollar hamburger and feel as if you do, you should talk about it. It wasn’t a complete tragedy but sadly, if it wasn’t for the potato wedges cooked in truffle oil it might not have even deserved a mention.

This trip and our dining experiences were by far some of the best I have ever had in my life. My company was an absolute delight and my palette was more than satisfied. I am sure that I put on some pounds and if I had the opportunity to do so again, would not doubt my decision. If being fat and happy is wrong…I don’t want to be right.

Until next time,
Nick T..