Asti

408 C East 43rd Street
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 451-1218

http://www.finoaustin.com/asti/

It had been a while since Mariah and I had met up for dinner. We were starting to miss our weekly excursions so we dusted off our recessionista skills and decided to use one of our restaurants.com coupons. If you aren't familiar with the site, they sell $25 coupons to area restaurants on the cheap - usually for $10. I had purchased several during a sale for $2 each. Stipulations are that you have to use the coupon within a year's timeframe, you tip your waiter at the pre-coupon cost, coupon does not count towards alcohol and sometimes they require a total bill of $50 or more. We thumbed through the coupons we collectively owned and decided on Asti in Hyde Park, the sister restaurant of Fino. I had been there once and had liked the atmosphere as well as the food. The menu is seasonal and it feels like a small neighborhood cafe.

The first sight upon entry to the restaurant is a nice sized bar area where drinks and apps are served. To the right and back are areas of tables for full dinner service. The hostess sat us awkwardly close to a couple that appeared to be on a first date. It felt a bit intrusive so Mariah and I gave each other "the look" and moved over to the next table.

We looked over the wine list and since we both felt like a glass or two, we decided on a bottle. This bottle of prosecco was decently priced and quite tasty - dry and very bubbly. Bread was brought out for us to munch on by a cute server who somehow we ended chatting up about post-apocalyptic societies.

For an appetizer, we went with stuffed mushrooms with fried breadcrumbs and truffle oil . They were delicious and presented well. They weren't a dish that someone with a decent knowledge of the kitchen couldn't pull off, but it was nice to have them.

Mariah ordered a pasta that she ended up really hating. I swear she only had two bites claiming it was too pepper-y.

I chose the tomato risotto with summer vegetables. The server recommended it over a pizza and I figure he knew best. It wasn't bad, just not what I was expecting. The tomato was overpowering. I felt like I was eating tomato soup and the vegetables were boring. I wouldn't order it again.

The server asked us how our food was and being the blunt bitches we are, we told him. A few minutes later a manager was coming by to discuss the food with us. We told him we knew the food did not match our personal preference but that did not necessarily make it bad. He was kind, saying he understood and that dessert was going to be on him.

I was starting to feel pretty awful for complaining. It wasn't an intentional complaint, the food definitely was not complaint worthy, but after you compare your plans for your post-apocalyptic society, you feel a certain bond with someone and sometimes end up blurting out that you didn't like the food. What? That's never happened to you?

We chose the vanilla panna cotta and fresh Texas peaches. It came with a cute little cookie. The panna cotta was very gelatinous. It wiggled on my spoon but tasted perfectly vanilla and went down smooth and delicious.

Despite disliking our main courses, I still think Asti is a good restaurant and would feel comfortable recommending it to others. Just don't get the tomato risotto.

Laura ~ 7.5

Pflugerville / Round Rock Vegetarian Roundup

It finally happened. The recession hit home. And by that, I mean I was laid off from my job. But no fear, I feel fairly positive about the change. First of all, I was sick and tired of driving to Round Rock everyday. Secondly, it just gives me more time to do the things I want to do for a while like blog, hang out at Barton Springs, plan vacations, read and think about exactly what it is I want to be when I grow up. I mean really, when was the last time I could make it to a noon yoga class? I can see you've stopped feeling sorry for me now. ;)

As a farewell to my daily adventures in Round Rock, I've decided to do a roundup of all of the restaurants I frequented but never got around to writing about because I was too busy, you know, working.

Firebowl Cafe

http://www.firebowlcafe.com/

150 Sundance Pkwy # 300

Round Rock, TX 78681

(512) 248-2695

A chain restaurant with some healthy options. As a vegetarian I was a fan of the stir fry. You pick your protein (chicken, beef, tofu, shrimp or scallops) Then you choose a vegetable mix, a sauce, and your type of noodle (ramen lomein, flat chow fun, vermicelli or rice sticks) or rice (white brown or fried).

Kung Pao Tofu and Spring Veggie Mix on Brown Rice

All vegetarian items are clearly marked on the menu. The atmosphere is nice, teetering the line between hip and casual with bright red and blue interiors marked by track lighting.

Maggie of Maggie's Austin is also a fan and has posted about it here.

Pho Hoang
http://www.pho-hoang.com/
399 W Louis Henna Blvd Suite 450
Round Rock, Texas 78728
(512) 238-8008

This place wins the "Most Annoying Website" award. Regardless, it is really a Round Rock staple. Pho is served piping hot and fast. Pho Hoang is always packed between 11:30 and 1, so get there at the beginning or the tail end of the rush if you don't want to wait for a table. If you don't mind waiting, I promise it won't be long. There aren't many vegetarian options but there are a few. I would order either the vermicelli noodles with tofu and julianne vegetables or vegetable fried rice. The vermicelli nooodles threw me off the first time I ordered them because the julienne vegetable were seriously cold. Apparently that is intentional. Once I got over this the first time, I never saw it as a problem. My coworker Drew would always finish off a meal here with an ice coffee concoction that contained condensed milk. I tried it once and it was super fierce. The buzz I got from the caffeine was punctuated by the sugar rush.


Rosie's Pho Asian Noodle
2400 S IH 35
Round Rock, TX
(512) 828-3838

It took me a while to discover Rosie's Pho. Mostly because I already had a pho shop that served pho I couldn't eat (meat stock used) and I figured this place would be the same. A coworker convinced me to give it a try and found it actually to be completely awesome. I was impressed by the extensive menu with many vegetarian choices and the quality of vegetables. The portions are large, so watch out, but at $7-$10 a meal, it really is a steal. The delivery of the food can be a little slow, but it is worth it.

Taste of Ethiopia Restaurant and Cafe
http://www.tasteofethiopiaaustin.com/
1466 Grand Avenue Pky
Pflugerville, Texas
(512) 251-4053

I found this place one day after a quick trip to AutoZone. I figured that I could snake my way back to I35 using a side road and on the way this place caught my eye. I forced my coworkers Joel and Brandi to accompany me there one afternoon and I was not sorry. Not only was the food delicious, but it was fun to watch Ethiopian food virgins struggle with the concept of Injera and eating with their hands. There is a lunchtime vegetarian buffet but patrons are also welcome to order from the menu. The owner, Woinee is from Ethiopia via Washington DC and she really knows her food. Just be careful if you are in a hurry at lunchtime, this meal could take a while. Woinee likes to chat with her customers and has some pretty interesting stories to tell. Also, do not turn down the gratis coffee at the end of the meal. It is absolutely amazing and strong. Boots in the Oven posted about Taste of Ethiopia here.

Grapevine Market
/www.grapevinemarket.com
2400 South IH-35
Suite 160
Round Rock, TX 78681

Have a need to pick up some wine / liquor / gourmet specialty items? Grapevine Market has a really nice cafe in the back that is open for lunch. The last time I was there I had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich with grapes for $4. They do mostly pizza, sandwiches and salads there and have a pretty good vegetarian selection. There's a patio outside that's nice for good weather, but you mainly just have a view of the parking lot. The hardest thing about this place is convincing coworkers that it is OK to go to a liquor store during their lunchbreak.

Gumbo's
http://www.gumbosroundrock.com
901 Round Rock Ave
Round Rock, TX
(512) 671-7925

mmmmm... Gumbo's. When someone else was paying the choice of restaurant defaulted either to North at the Domain or Gumbo's on 620, depending on time constraints. I can't say that there were a lot of vegetarian options at Gumbo's but they will gladly make you a very nice vegetable pasta and the salads are pretty rockstar.

Zorba Greek Restaurant
2601 S IH 35
Round Rock, TX
(512) 716-0100

There is one thing I find really confusing about this place. Is it a chain? Or is Zorba's just an extremely common name for Greek Restaurants? I snapped this picture while I was in Amsterdam, and I swear it has the same color sceme and graphics of the one in Round Rock.

Anyway, for about $8 you can get a vegetarian plate. You pick a soup or salad and then four sides. I usually ended up with lentil soup, hummus, spanokopita, eggplant and falafel patty. It turns out to be a whole lot of food. If you aren't that hungry, you can have a falafel with pita, lettuce, etc for $5 or $6. It is also nice to note that the place is BYOB. Cork fee is $3 for the first bottle and $1 for each bottle after that.


That's all I have for now. Of course there are those establishments that have already been written about here. Did I miss your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Perla's

1400 S. Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78704
512 291 7300

http://www.perlasaustin.com/

(All delectible photos are courtesy of Maggie's Austin. Thanks Maggie and Josh!)

Boy life has been amazingly busy lately! It seems like I’ve been running at full steam for a month now! Bachelor #7 and I didn’t work out, so I’m back on the dating bandwagon again. I’ve even been on two dates this week, but more on those in future posts. I spent a weekend in Seattle, I went to an awesome Bloggers Potluck, I managed to see Star Trek at the IMAX not once, but twice (and I’m totally in love with 4 of the characters). I went to a Derby Party and a BBQ where Lee smoked about 30 pounds of meat (both on the same day no less). And in the midst of all that, I’ve had to arrange the move to my new shiny downtown apartment AND fight my evil health insurance company who thinks the ability to climb 1 flight of stairs on my bum knee is recovered enough deny me any more physical therapy.
I feel a little stretched thin to say the least. It’s hard to believe It’s been almost a month since I last posted! But to be honest, I haven’t been venturing into many new restaurants lately. It seems the bad economic hurricane has finally hit Central Texas, and its effects have been particularly harsh on early 30-somethings. Apparently we’re getting to the age where we’re no longer college-new-hire-cheap but we don’t have enough experience and are thus the first to get cut when the economy takes a dip. Of all my friends in Austin, probably a good 75% are either currently out of work or have been out of work. And while I haven’t been hit by Hurricane Geitner, I have been feeling the effects of its refugees in the form of fewer dinners out with friends.

However, I have managed to get to a few new restaurants (entirely for your benefit of course), by using stealth, guile, and downright trickery. Take Mother’s Day, for instance. Sure, my family could have been thrifty and settle for a perfectly nice meal at home. We could have grilled some salmon, had some fresh fruit and salad, and called it a day. But I, fellow foodies, was looking out for your best interests. I thought why settle for brunch at home, when I could try (and review) a new restaurant! So I sneakily made reservations at Perla’s, a new seafood restaurant on South Congress (where Mars used to be). Who would say no to my Mom’s favorite type of food, seafood? No one!

Now, the first thing we noticed was that parking was a little tricky. My Father and Aunt, who always manage to get rock star parking, found spots in front of the restaurant on the street. I, however, knew about the free parking garage behind Cissi’s, and opted to park there (yes you read that right, there is free parking on SoCo). My brother, however, has neither luck nor SoCo know-how and ended up parking down the street. Use the parking garage, it’s there for a reason.

The second thing you’ll notice about Perla’s is their amazing patio. If you dig back in your memory, you may recall that Mars had a very nice people watching patio, and Perla’s has managed to take that trendy see-and-be-seen patio and transform it into something comfortable and a lot less snooty. The zen and BDSM inspired décor of Mars has been replaced with the softer, gentler feel of a mid-Atlantic boardwalk. The tables are reminiscent of smooth 1950’s wooden speedboat hulls, the sunny yellow chairs and blue and white striped umbrellas remind you of flags on a schooner, and the white painted sisal stools are oh so Atlantic. There’s even a white sanded shuffleboard you can try your hand at. The inside of Perla’s is equally mid-Atlantic and 1000% transformed from Mars’s old décor. Instead of metal and black lacquer, there is distressed wood, sunny yellow paint, and an enormous (and pristinely kept) fish tank.

We seated ourselves in the corner table right next to the patio and surveyed the gigantic menus. Seriously, the menus took up the whole table, and then some. But we managed to balance the menus without a major incident. Everything on the brunch menu sounded really amazing too. Note to oyster lovers – there finally an Austin restaurant offering more than one kind of oyster! There were also smoked fish dishes, egg and fish dishes, fish sandwiches, and an assortment of sides that sounded almost as good as the main dishes. I decided on the Lobster Coddled Eggs. My mom went with the Lobster Rolls and several other folks ordered the Big Blue (a blueberry and banana pancake). My dad, being ever sensible ordered several sides to eat as a meal.

I love, love, love oysters, and even though its not technically oyster season anymore (May is not a "R" month), I thought, what the hell, if they’re offering, I’ll try them. I honestly forget which oysters I picked, but they were tasty. Not as awesome as the oysters I’ve had in Seattle and Vancouver, but better than the gulf oysters we normally get here. There were even accompanied with Mignonette sauce, something you rarely see in Texas. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to really love a good, musky vinegar and shallot mignonette sauce with my oysters, but it used to be a treat I’d only get in coastal states. Not anymore. I’ll definitely be going back to Perla’s for an oyster and mignonette dinner in the future.

My father ordered several hush puppies and fried okra as an appetizer and both were very good. The hush puppies had a nice bite to them and were deep fried to a nice golden-brown crispness. I liked them so much a snuck a second one when no one was looking. The okra was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole meal. They were coated in a crisp cornmeal batter and had a very satisfying crunch before the okra goo covers your tongue (okra goo is called mucilage just fyi).

My mom opened her Mother’s Day gifts while sipping a nice (but pricey) mimosa. We all laughed at the silly cards people had given her (while I stole yet another hush puppy, shhh). When the plates arrived, we were greeted with a lovely, light seafood smell. My Lobster coddled eggs were amazing. Layers of baked egg, generous chunks of lobster and the delicate flavor of tarragon all mingled together perfectly. When placed on a crisp home baked cracker, the entire dish was perfection. My mother’s Lobster roll was another story. The generous bread roll was soft on the inside and crispy on the inside and absolutely brimming with large chunks of lobster. But a bite of the mayonnaise covered lobster was rather bland and uninteresting. My mother really loved it though, so I guess if you’re looking for something bland, creamy and fresh, this is the sandwich for you.


I was a little concerned about the pancakes when they came out. They looked kind of gross and dumpy - a huge blueish brown lumpy mess. But one slice into the steamy pancake revealed large chunks of banana and blueberry and an amazingly fresh, naturally flavor. The most disappointing (side) dish were the lobster stock cheese grits my father ordered. I was expecting something amazing and lobster infused, but got run of the mill cheese grits akin to something you’d get at a back-water Texas diner. There wasn’t even a hint of lobster stock.

The dessert, however, was an existential experience. The Wild Blueberry shortcake was nothing less than spectacular. Crisp, butter shortcake and tiny fresh blueberries in a sweet syrup with crème fraiche and sugared thyme. Everything blended perfectly and left for a plate-licking experience that I will definitely be repeating again.

On the whole, the dishes they got right, they got REALLY right, and the dishes they got wrong turned out being so-so. But nothing was outright aweful and the atmosphere is lovely.

Bottom Line: Fresh and Tasty Coastal Favorites with a great patio
Mariah: 8.5

Old Pecan Street Cafe

310 East 6th Street

Austin, TX 78701

(512) 478-2491
http://www.oldpecanstcafe.com/

Since this weekend is the Pecan Street Festival, it only seems fitting to talk about my last dining experience at the Old Pecan Street Cafe. Despite having lived in Austin for 10 years (give or take a short break here and there) I only recently ventured to this restaurant for the first time.

It was a Saturday morning and the evening before I bicycled down to meet some friends at Lavaca Street Pub. At the end of the evening, I was not in the right mental state to ride my bike home through downtown, so I had a friend drop me off at home. This meant that I had to return the next day to retrieve the bicycle.

Boyfriend was in town and we were a bit hungry. I did some quick research for good Saturday brunches at restaurants that we had yet to try and came up with Capitol Brasserie. This was odd as I certainly did not remember this place existing, but I shrugged my shoulders and we ventured there anyway.

The good news: my bike was still there, thanks bike lock! The bad news: Capitol Brasserie was not. Despite all it's online accolades, the place had shut down and been replaced by Imperia. I scrambled into the depths of my mind to remember other places in the area for brunch. To my understanding Sagra and Moonshine were only open for brunch on Sundays. I wasn't in the mood for Taverna and their bottomless mimosas. Driskill - not feeling it. What about the rest of dirty Sixth? Does Parkside do brunch? Then I thought - ah yes, we've never been to Old Pecan Street Cafe.

Walking up to the restaurant we spotted pleasant looking entrees gracing the outdoor tables lined up at the sidewalk. This was a good start.

We entered into the place with lots of natural light and an old timey wooden feel. Antique framed maps and vintage photographs cover the walls and the tables are set with small simple flowers. The restaurant romantically takes you back to a time when Sixth Street was nothing like it is today. No vomiting college students or bride-to-be's in condom veils, just a shady lane with lots of pecan trees and a few restaurants and businesses.

Unfortunately, we would find that the dishes hadn't been updated much since then either.

Boyfriend ordered a raspberry chipotle pork chop that was served with a salad, rice and mixed vegetables. He said the food was alright but that the raspberry sauce was just a bit too sweet for him and the vegetables were overcooked. It looks OK.

I ordered the Crepes d' Epinard- egg crepes filled with fresh baby leaf spinach and blended imported cheese, served with a garden salad, broccoli and cantaloupe. Sounds delicious, right? Well... I'll just make you a diagram.

I appreciate American food and it wasn't terrible per se, but it really could use some sprucing up. A menu revamp or new chef would not at all endanger the charm old-timey feel that the restaurant delivers.

Bottom Line: A really cool and charming well preserved physical space that serves food like your grandmother used to cook if she cooked average quality food in the just barely post-depression era.

Ugh, I feel like I've just punched someone's grandma by saying that.

Laura ~ 5.5

Health Department Failures

So, fellow foodies, I recently saw an article on a local news site about restaurants that fail health department inspection. I thought to myself, 'Mariah, you recommend restaurants all the time, but you hardly ever tell people which ones to avoid.' And while some people may disagree, I generally steer clear of places that fail Health Department inspection.

So whats a good Health Department score? Anything over 70 is considered passing. The Austin Health Inspector's website says:

"If more than 30 points are lost, a re-inspection is required and corrections must be made to bring the score above 70, in accordance with the Texas Food Establishment Rules. If subsequent inspections score below 70, compliance actions will be taken. Re-inspection scores are not posted here, but can be obtained by calling: 972-5600, or by emailing: echu.service@ci.austin.tx.us."

Below are a list of the food providers (restaurants, gas stations, vendors, etc) that received initial Health Inspection scores less than 70 points.

There were several establishments that I frequent on occasion and a few big surprises for me. I generally will recommend Madam Maam's (69), Elsie's (68), Sarovar (68), Jeffrey's (68), Taverna (67), Lambert's (67) and Katz's (64). While none are on my Must-Eat-Favorite's list, I've generally had good experiences at all. And while I don't recommend them, because I work in SW Austin, I will eat lunch at Thai Spice (65) and (cough) Taco Bueno (64). I was extremely surprised that such fine establishments as Jeffrey's or Lambert's could even be on this list. But alas, even the mighty must be flawed. Probably the funniest surprise on the list was Mr. Natural, which came in waaaay down at the bottom. Maybe it was a little *too* natural for the Health Inspector.

Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival

Wow. I had the most amazing afternoon, Sunday, at the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival (I know, its a serious mouthful). We blogged about the Media event they threw at the Hotel Saint Cecilia so now we're going to discuss a little event called the Sunday Fair. I have to admit, I'm a bad foodie. I've never been to the fair before, in fact, I'd never even heard of it before last month. But in all fairness, I've only been back living in Austin for a year and half.

But, after hearing all the hype from the other food bloggers, I was very very excited to go to this years Sunday fair - 55 wineries, 14 local food vendors, 7 restaurants, 4 farms, 3 distilleries, 2 Chocolatiers, and a partridge in a pair tree. What's there not to like?

I braved the traffic down to the Salt Lick winery with my friend Christine. It was horrific! One side of the road was the Old Settlers Music Festival, the other side of the road was the Texas Hill Country.. (yada yada).. Festival. Who in their right mind schedules two large events across the street from each other?? But we got there in one piece and were amazed at how huge the event was. There were 4 extremely large tents filled with fine food and wine vendors, and lots and lots of mud. Not a stick-to-your-shoes-make-you-dirty kind of mud, but mud none the less. Note the boards you had to walk across to get from tent to tent:

But we dealt with the mud as best we could, and in the end, it didn't effect our day one bit. When we first started walking through all the tents, it was a little overwhelming. Where do we begin?? With the food. Duh (does anyone even say that anymore?). I mean, we are food critics.

We headed to the Whole Foods table where they were dishing out brased duck mole on crackers (covered in the same tasty pickled onions as the Hotel Saint Cecilia party). Yum! Then we went over to the Cafe Jose booth (across the mud no less) for their SPICY jerk pork and rice. It was good, but way too peppy for even my tastes. We then headed to Maudie's in the next booth. Now when I think of Maudie's, I think of average tacos and migas. Their cochinita pibil mini-tacos were actually pretty innovative for Maudie's, but not the best cochinita pibil I've ever tasted. But, they looked pretty on their tray. Two please!

Now that we had some food in our stomaches, we started onto the MULTITUDES of wine. Holy crap! I have never, in my life, seen so many wineries under one roof. 55 to be exact. Where do you start? Confucious says "You must start every journey with a single step." Mariah says "You must start every festival with a single glass of wine." So we sauntered up to the first table and asked for a glass.

One by one, we worked our way through all the wineries. At first we started out going table to table commenting on the ones we liked and didn't like. Well after about 20 wineries, all the wine started blending together. So we snagged a pad of paper from the Da Vinci winery and started taking notes and pictures of the wines we liked (after going back and retrying the first 20).

Now, just so y'all know. I totally took one for the "Dining in Austin" team. There were 55 wineries, and each winery had, on average, 4 wines. And between Christine and I, we tried them ALL for you, just so you wouldn't have to. Well ok, we didn't try them all, but we tried at least one wine at each winery. And if we liked that one enough, we tried the rest of them. After about 30 sips, I started to get pretty drunk. So drunk that I started doing something I've never done before at a wine tasting, I started spitting. Seriously. And a small THCFaWF miracle occured.. by the time we left, I was sober. I know, hell just froze over.


So out of the 500 or so wines that were at the Festival, of which I tried about 100-200, these were by winners. And because I'm not a wine reviewer, and don't even consider myself a wine expert, I've given them all nicknames so you can better understand the feel I got when I had each wine

Da Vinci - Reserva Chiant - $27.72 (Specs) - Balanced tannins, spicy fruits, a plum finish. That hot doctor you meet with an Italian accent that seems great, but you're not really sure if he's Italian or a doctor and he might be after your savings.



Paso Creek - Cabernet Sauvignon - $15.27 (Spec) - Robust and intense, black cherry flavors with a nice floral bouquet. A brawny football player who cries when he watches Steel Magnolia's.
Paso Creek - Zinfandel - $16.99 (Google) - Big, bold, but fruity. This was Christine's favorite and she went back for a full glass as her last of the day. That big Bear at Kiss & Fly.


Mount Veeder - Cabernet Sauvignon - $35 (Google) - Peppery with a currant flavor, very consistent and balanced. The dot com millionaire who wears a leather jacket and rides a motorcycle.
Pine Ridge - Chenin Blanc/Viognier - $10.52 (Specs) - Pear and citrus, with a touch of grass; sweet. The stable engineer who bought a house at 23 and loves to stay home and work on his yard (sometimes boring, sometimes perfect depending on where you are in your life).

Sofia - Blanc de blanc - $17.18 (Specs) - Fun, peppy, fruity, not yeasty. I didn't particularly like this one, but Christine went nuts for it. That surfer you had a fling with in Cabo. (P.S. they sell this in little cans with straws too, just FYI for tubing season)

Amayna - Pinot Noir - $23.98 (Google) - Mineral aroma, spicy, fruity, musky vanilla overtone. That hot South American architect you met at Pecha Kucha who has a trust fund and family in Spain.


Avinyo - Vi d' Agulla - $12.99 (Specs) - White with a clean, mineral aroma and a floral honeysuckle finish, bleachy overtone (not a bad thing). That guy who still starches his sheets and has a spotless bathroom.
Avinyo - Cava - $13.86 (Specs) - Dry, toasty, grapefruit, balanced, very effervescent. This is a spectacular find for this price. The really extroverted, funny, perfect, smart guy who's too good to be true.

Frank Family - Cabernet Sauvignon - $37.25 (Specs) - Ripe fruits, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, you name it, its there. Balanced tannins. That guy you went on a picnic with in college who fed you fresh fruit and rubbed your feet.

Sandstone Cellars - V - $?? (can't find it) - Really different, dark cherry with a strong smokey tobacco finish. The guy who hangs out at mens clubs, smoking cigars and making dirty jokes.

Cambria Estates - Tepusquet Syrah - $18.99 (Google) - Cherry, blueberry, bold tannins, cinnamon. That quarter back from Friday Night Lights (the movie), an all American football player with a dry sense of humor (wholesome but complex).
Cambria Estates - Bench Break Pinot Noir - $23.99 (Google) - Dark, dry, earthy. That tall, poet who wears tight black sweaters and may or may not cut himself when you're not looking.

Long Boat - Sauvignon Blanc - $?? (NOOO I can't find it) - Tropical passion fruit, green apple, grassy finish, clean. This was my favorite white of the festival. I heart this wine. The sweet, outdoorsy guy who loves kayak in Hawaii (and might be climbing K2 next year).

Louis Martini - Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - $21.44 (Specs) - Cherries, tobacco, balanced, herbaceous overtones. That hot marketing exec from California in a convertible.

Louis Martini - Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon - $11.66 (Specs) - Cherry, blackberry, vanilla. The boy toy marketing intern borrowing the execs convertible.

Helix Pomatia - $21.59 (Google) - Hearty cherry, very sweet, chocolately, but drinkable. The guy who brought you so many presents, it was a little too smothering, but you kind of liked it (until he started stalking you)

Carmel Road - Pinot Noir - $18.47 - Blackberries, strawberries, floral aroma, oak finish. A nice Agricultural Engineer (who's really a farm boy from Oklahoma).

Clayhouse - Cabernet Sauvignon - $14.99 (Google) - Fruity, mellony, soft tannins, with a caramel finish. The community theater actor who dreams of bigger things

Clayhouse - Petite Sirah $20.47 (Specs) - Full, tropical, anise, slightly burnt overtones - The Indiana Jones explorer with a hot scar on his chin.

Vina Calina - Carmenere Reserva - $8.99 (Google) - Spicy, peppery, black fruits, a little leathery. A Mariah best buy. That hot sweaty guy who fixes your car and wears a white wife beater (did we mention the muscles??)

In between all that wine, we made sure to try all the food. I mean, we had to have something in our stomachs to soak up all the wine. The bread at the Edible Austin table tasted gross, but looked really nice.

And the Mesquite Bean jelly by Texas Traditions was amazing!! It was like jellied honey. I am so getting some of this for my next party (put put on top of my next baked brie of course).

And Fino showed up here with a refreshing, but kind of boring gazpacho.

Oh, and did you know that Austin has a rum distillery? Its really really good. Its kind of woodsy, and is very tasty in a mojito. We have the awesomeness that is Titos Vodka, now we have Treaty Oak rum. Yum!

Oo, and my favorite purveyors of crack, I mean Texas chevre, Pure Luck, were there too. I hadn't had their feta before, but it was really nice. As was the soft, creamy mild blue cheese (I know, mild and blue cheese don't go together very often, but they've managed it).

Oh! And Wiseman House Chocolates had a booth. Their mocha chocolates and almond bark were good, but I managed to talk the guy into a dark chocolate truffle that was orgasmic. Order them NOW!
Lavender Farms of Wimberly had a lovely lavender lemonade that was quite refreshing in the heat. Who knew lavender and lemonade go so well together?

And did you know there is an olive farm in Wimberly? I know I didn't. Texas Olive Oil makes a mild, grassy, and very Texas tasting cold pressed olive oil, lime flavored olive oil, and a orange olive oil. All are excellent. They don't sell in any local stores (boo). You can only get them online or at the farm. But hey, it gives you an excuse to go on an olive tour!

TheShayne Sauce people came with their multitudes of pots of jams, jellies, and sauces. The best was the strawberry jalapeno. Yum!The absolute best food at the whole fair were the Cakes by Bridges cake balls. I thought the Holy Cacao cake balls were a tasty treat. Boy was I wrong. These are 40 times better. Fresh ingredients, firmer cake, delicious taste. The lemon and italian creme were my favorites.

And as we sat in the music pavilion, sobering up, we enjoyed our last glass of wine and the fine, fine musical stylings of Dan Dyer. AND we were very, very thankful we didn't end up like this poor guy:
See ya there next year!

Zocalo

1110 West Lynn
512-472-TACO
http://www.zocalocafe.com/

Mariah: So Laura and I have been gallivanting around local media events. Apparently there are PR people out there who treat bloggers like serious journalists. Little do they know, we're just weekend hobbyist. But who am I to turn down a free open bar and all the appetizers I can manage to stuff down my throat? This latest free shindig was sponsored by the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival. Apparently there is a whole festival in Austin every year dedicated to food and wine. If it weren't for the HEFTY entrance fee ($45 for the Sunday Fair alone), I'd have let y'all know about it long ago. But seriously? Who can afford to blow $45 in this economy? Not many people.

Laura: Yeah, we pretty much feel like we've hit the jackpot here. Free food and cool people just for doing what we love? What a great deal. I have to disagree with Mariah there on the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival entrance fee. Sure it's not cheap, but this particular orgy of food and drink in question happens once a year, features great chefs and wine and Sunday is a 5 hour event. $45 every weekend adds up, but on an occasion like this for a true foodie, one might be inclined to dig a bit between the couch cushions.

Mariah: Anyway, they hosted a special "Media" reception at the Hotel Saint Cecilia, that trendy new boutique hotel off South Congress. Its a lovely little space with hip rooms and divine grounds. But at $450 a night (yes, you read that right), who but P Diddy could afford to stay there? But, it was nice to poke around and gawk at the finery I'll never be able to afford in a million years. Its owned by the same people who are responsible for the San Jose. My cousin stayed there and it was really nice and hip, and at $250 a night, I thought *IT* was steep. But no, it wasn't expensive enough. They had to spawn an even more expensive and awsome hotel. Apparently there is a market in Austin for ultra rich hipsters. Who knew?

Laura: This place was gorgeous in a super hipster kind of way. Man oh man I want the designer to come revamp my home. I can't afford to spend the $450/weeknight ($550/night on a weekend) to stay there but if any of you out there do, please give me a call and I'll come hang out with you next to the awesome pool.

Mariah: We sat on the $27,000(!!!!) mattress. Actually, we jumped up and down on the $27,000 mattress with the hand embroidered duvet.

Laura: Was it really $27,000? Are you sure you didn't add an extra zero in there? Either way it was seriously comfortable. If I was staying there I probably wouldn't get out of bed all day.

Mariah: We shamelessly took pictures of the antique Chinese chests (reproductions available at 4 Hands)

Laura: Notice the record player on the chest. Every room comes with one and you can check out records from the office to play. You also can't see it in this photo but there's a super kick ass portrait of Neil Young on the wall.

Mariah: And since we ARE a food blog, I thought I'd let you guys see those $9 vintage looking candy bars you'll never get to eat.

Laura: Nom, nom, nom.

Mariah: And who knows where the hell they found this butt-cheek chair (thought the bathroom cabinets were all IKEA)

Laura: Yeah that struck me by surprise. Uber expensive bed and furnishings and IKEA bathroom cabinet and IKEA rug. I suppose if you can afford to stay here you'd never know some of the furnishing were IKEA because you probably don't shop there.

Mariah: We grabbed a glass (or 10) of the free Messina Hoff wine (their Chardonnay this year is better than its been) and strolled around the gardens. They had artfully crafted beautiful outside spaces. Including this fire pit that you too could sit around, enjoying a glass of wine, after ACL. Too bad there's a 3 year waiting list and a $600 entry fee. (P.S. That's Laura getting saucy).

Laura: It's my best "the world will never understand me" distraught melodramatic heiress pose.

Mariah: Or walk down this zen-like stone path

Mariah: To the even more zen-like lap pool (they're too good for a full pool - no one in a $600 bathing suit actually swims anyway).

Laura: Do you think they'll let me swim there in my Old Navy bathing suit?


Mariah: No, Laura, they won't. The whole event was catered by Whole Foods. They had hand passed appetizers that were tasty, but surprisingly hard to eat. The sausage slices with slaw were hard to nibble in a ladylike fashion. You have to stuff the whole thing in your mouth and chew quickly. The watermelon with pickled onions was excellent, but again hard to eat. Blah blah, you'll never eat these, so why am I bothering to review them?

Laura: The appetizers I tried were really good. If you got there early enough you could actually have quite a few without much effort. Kudos must be given to the staff. They were incredibly hospitable. I know you are never going to eat them, but I'll make you jealous of them anyway.

Laura: The watermelon with pickled onions that Mariah was describing was also complemented by a dash of goat cheese and served in a cocktail glass. Very refreshing and the watermelon worked fantastically with the cheese and pickled onions. Yum. I had quite a few of the mini mushroom tacos in corn tortillas with micro field greens and a dollop of yogurt. There was also a smokey-like shrimp topped on a black eyed pea patty. A crispy quail with what looked like a honey mustard sauce and smelled like my childhood. And some sort of beef with blackberries and rich dark BBQ sauce. Oh and a few other items I can't even remember. As the crowd started piling in, the appetizers became more and more elusive.

Mariah: After appetizers, Laura and I were still a little hungry. The small bites of delectable food were just enough to whet our appetites, but we were just full enough not to enjoy a full meal. We threw around a bunch of options. Pizza? No, too filling. Ice cream? No, not filling enough. Lemon cups at Wink? We were getting closer. But I didn't think I would handle even more wine. Then Laura had a brilliant idea... Churros at Zocalo.

Laura: Yeah, I had to use a bit of psychology. I knew Mariah wanted something sweet, but I wanted something with substance. I needed to make a suggestion for something she would go for at a place where I could get something savory. Hence the suggestion of Zocalo. Plus, they have a really great patio and West Lynn is an extremely convenient area for me. Oops. Now I've given away all my secrets. Anyway, it's owned by the same guy who does Galaxy Cafe which happens to be next door.

Mariah: Zocalo has become one of our Had-Too-Much-To-Drink-Now-We-Need-A-Cheap-Snack kind of hang out. We've been several times now, and even eaten a few entrees, none of which I'd call particularly noteworthy. Plus, as we were parking, I noticed a bright yellow 350z in the parking lot. It's kind of a distinct car, and it just so happens that my friend Eric owns one. And sure enough, there he was on the patio, with a strange dark haired girl in a pony tail. I texted him to ask "At Zocalo too, are you on a date?" But I never heard back from him, so Laura and I decided we were going to walk up and say Hi and if he were on a date, we'd introduce ourselves, let said date know that Eric has hot awesome friends he happens to run into all the time, thus upping his single man status (hey, I've watched those douchey VH1 shows with Myster, I can be a good wing woman). But when we approached, we discovered that it was our friend Connie, and not in fact a date.

Laura: So we decided to join them and dig in. Zocalo offers a bit of a healthier twist on local Tex Mex. Of course you can go full on fattening, but you have the option for more fresh and healthy cuisine. They also have lots of vegetarian choices. YAY!

Laura: I've had a few items here and they that've been hit or miss. Hated the vegetarian stew- it's flavor was too plain and tasted like they compensated with salt. The torta was ok, but I wasn't a big fan. Too much bread with no pizzaz. I do like the chips they serve. They are the extra thick kind like you get in Mexico. I like to squeeze a dash of lime on them and chow down. The vegetarian tacos... OK, now we are getting warmer! Those were really good. This time, I ordered a big bowl of queso mixta - terrific creamy blanco queso with a scoop of guacamole and pico de gallo. It comes with a green salsa and a red salsa on the side. Not exactly the picture of healthy food, but I've been cutting back on dairy lately and after a few drinks I found it really hard to hold back.

Mariah: I know Laura liked the queso, but its a little more peppery and less creamy than I normally like, but, hey, its melted cheese, I'm not going to turn that down!

Mariah: But what they do have, that is probably one of the more amazing things I've ever put in my mouth.. Fresh, homemade churros. You get 5 mouthwatering, perfectly deep fried, covered in powder sugar, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, pieces of heaven. You have to eat fast around me because I can single handedly polish off a whole plate in less than 3 minutes.

Laura: This is why it's perfect for us to share a plate of churros. I think they are a tad too sugary. I suppose that's the point! After I dust a bit of sugar off them, they are just fine. They are warm and gooey and delicious and I usually end up fighting my way to at least one of them down before Mariah declares victory.

Mariah: Victory!

Bottom Line: Casual Mexican Cafe takes a refreshingly different spin on the cuisine with hit or miss menu items and a nice outdoor patio.

Mariah - 8.0
Laura ~ 7.5