Austin highlights

Here are some highlights from my recent trip to Austin -

My first meal in Austin had to be BBQ of course! Iron Works BBQ just happened to be a block from my hotel.

Iron Works BBQ - beef brisket plate

Next up, a great $26.50 three course prix-fixe dinner at Chez Nous:

Chez Nous - chilled canteloupe and ginger soup

Chez Nous - trout

Chez Nous - creme caramel

I metup w/ a friend for lunch at Olivia. Olivia was named by Bon Appétit as one of 2009's Top Ten Best New Restaurants in America. The restaurant is beautiful, and the food was delicious. First up, some pictures of the restaurant (I loved the design):

On to the food:

Crispy Eggplant - garden pepper rouille

Potato Gnocchi - tomato sauce, shaved pecorino, puttanesca garnish

Quail - spicy cucumber salad, mint, toasted peanuts, fried shallot

Every dish was fantastic. The flavor and seasoning of each item was spot on. Definitely one of my favorite meals this year.

After lunch, we went to Central Market for some gelato. I happened to be there during their "Hatch Chile Festival"! (lucky me!) Central Market is like a food heaven. It was somewhat similar to Whole Foods, but in a more "natural" market setting. Here are a few miscellaneous pictures:

This was a "Kids" size portion for $2.99 - extremely generous portions!!! On the left is toasted almont; on the right is coconut w/ hatch chile

I loved this quote on the wall

Gelato case

roasting hatch chiles

Since I was in Texas, I had to have some more barbeque (this was a direct order from my sister). This time, I tried County Line:

1/4 rack, 2nd cut marbled brisket, mac & cheese, fries

I love farmers' markets, so on Saturday morning I went to check out the Austin Farmers' Market - Downtown. My first stop was a food cart - The Zubik House, for some breakfast:

Grilled asparagus omelette w/ bacon & montasio cheese

After the farmers' market, I went to Flip Happy Crepes. Flip Happy Crepes has been mentioned in Food & Wine and the Food Network a few times.

Nutella w/ banana crepe. Perfection.

Flip Happy Crepe is a very popular place!

I was so impressed w/ the gelato at Central Market, that I had to have some more before leaving the city.

From left to right: dark chocolate w/ hatch chile, pineapple w/ hatch chile, panna cotta

Right before heading to the airport, I stopped at Gourdough's.

Porkey's - canadian bacon, cream cheese, jalapeno jelly

The "Porkey's" at Gourdough's is one of the tastiest things ever.

Austin is a fantastic food city. There are so many dining options, and come to think of it, I don't recall seeing a single chain restaurant (w/ the exception of PF Chang's, which was next to my hotel). I'm sure those chains are around somewhere, maybe just not as prevalent in the downtown area. Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions. J - I'll definitely hit Salt Lick next time I'm in Austin. B&T - same thing for the "migas" at El Chile.

Placed mentioned:
Iron Works BBQ
100 Red River Street
Austin, TX 78701

Chez Nous
510 Neches Street
Austin, TX 78701

Olivia
2043 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704

Central Market (multiple locations)

County Line (multiple locations)
6500 Bee Caves Road
Austin, TX 78746

The Zubik House
Austin Farmers' Market - Downtown (4th St/Guadalupe)


Flip Happy Crepes
400 Jessie Street
Austin, TX 78704

Gourdough's
1219 South Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704

First impressions of Houston

After 45 hours in Houston, here are some initial impressions of the city:

1. It's massive. Yet another victim of urban sprawl, similar to Phoenix...
2. Traffic is pretty bad. Traffic during peak periods in the Galleria area is awful, especially on the arterial roads adjacent to I-610. At 5:15pm on a weekday, it took me 30 minutes to drive .8 miles. Frustrating!
3. There isn't much to see, in terms of tourist attractions. I asked a few people, including two Houston natives, and they couldn't really think of any major tourist attractions.
4. As you may have heard, summers in Houston are hot and HUMID. The weather reminds me of the tropical climate found in Southeast Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.).
5. Houston seems like a solid food city. In terms of Chinese/Asian food, it's paradise. Driving along Bellaire Blvd, I would put the city right up there with LA, New York, and San Francisco.

#4 and #5 might explain the huge population of Asians in the area.

On to Austin!

Fall travel

The fall travel season has arrived! That means it's "nomad time".

I'm off to Texas tomorrow for my first trip of the fall. Over the next few months, my teammates and I will be visiting over 90 cities in 31 countries. Personally, I'll be visiting cities 25 cities in 11 countries (including 5 countries that I've never been to before!).

Here's where I'll be heading this fall:

• Houston, TX
• Austin, TX
• Washington, D.C. (twice)
• Seattle, WA (twice)
• Vancouver, Canada
• Pittsburgh, PA
• New York, NY
• Philadelphia, PA
• Chicago, IL
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Denver, CO
• Portland, OR
• Beijing, China
• Taipei, Taiwan (three visits, one of those for work)
• Hong Kong, China
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Manilla, Philippines
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Singapore
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Chennai, India
• Dubai, UAE
• Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Manama, Bahrain

Time to pack my bags...

SoCal trip highlights

Here are some random food highlights from my recent trip to SoCal (Feb. 17-26):

Kogi - LA (truck was @ Sawtelle/Olympic): short rib taco

I had just finished my dinner and as I was walking out of the restaurant, I noticed a crowd of people near a truck. hm...11:30pm and a crowd of people standing outside? As I got closer, I saw that it was a Kogi truck! I've read so much about Kogi and since it was right in front of me, I had to try it. The taco looks like a mess in the picture, but it was delicious.

Furaibo - LA: grilled mackerel

gr/eats - LA: tilapia w/ pesto

This was the special of the day - it was fantastic deal at $8.50!

gr/eats - LA: chocolate cake w/ ice cream

LAMILL - LA: passion fruit gelee

This was my second visit to LAMILL. I also had the same dessert on my previous visit. It is one of the best desserts EVER!

LAMILL - LA: flank steak salad

Hurry Curry of Tokyo - LA: chicken cutlet curry

Bella Pita - LA: fried cauliflower

Absolutely delicious. Definitely the best preparation of cauliflower I've had...fried food rocks.

MILK - LA: coffee toffee sandwich

The coffee toffee ice cream was fantastic on its own, but I loved the macaron top and bottom. Chewy goodness...

Cube - LA: truffle burger

Serious Eats named the burger @ Cube as one of their favorite burgers in 2009. I agree. It was amazing.

Another article on Cube @ Serious Eats:
Going to the Source at Cube in West Hollywood

Yakitoriya - grilled chicken wings

Orris - fried smelt

Simbala - LA: white radish cake

On nearly every visit to LA, I eat at Simbala, which specializes in Taiwanese food.

Simbala - LA: braised pork, tofu, and bamboo shoots

Glorious pork belly...

85C - Irvine: rose cheese bun

My friend told me I had to go there...so I went. The place was incredibly busy. There was a line out the door and it was around 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon. Inside, there were stanchions setup to control the flow of people.

85C - Irvine: sea salt coffee

This drink was sooooo satisfying. The sea salt is in the foam and the flavor and texture of the drink is incredible.

BCD Tofu - Irvine: original premium tofu stew

Champagne - San Diego: three layer chocolate mousse

Little Sheep Hot Pot - San Diego: mongolian beef meat pie