FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

My #SXSW2012 Visitor

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Ariel is in Austin!!  And shortly after picking her up from the airport, my friend Jenny called to see what we were up to.  We were up to food, naturally, so we made plans to meet up at Snack Bar on South Congress for a patio dinner and drinks.

All of us had the same want for fresh fare before another weekend of SXSW adventures, so we ordered a few dishes for the table to share.  Avocado quinoa, tomato lemongrass curry, brussels sprouts, and an assortment of beverages…  All perfectly fresh choices.

Jenny and I became fast friends as soon as I arrived in Austin, which has made my transition to a new city so darn easy.  And even though I’m sure that Ariel and I will bump into her plenty over the course of the next week, I’m super glad that my oldest friend and my newest friend got a chance to hang before the madness begins!

P.S.  How do you like the pictures taken with my new lens??

Some #SXSW2012 Eats

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SXSW has been filled with so much adventure already!  Thursday night I went to a kick-off happy hour at Molotov sponsored by Dachis Group, which led to a party at the W.  I had an incredibly great time getting dolled up and spending time with familiar faces.  And then Saturday was an entirely different story.

My friend Matt and I put on our warmest rain gear and headed downtown in search of something to do.  No leads, no invites, no cuteness.  We ended up at The Belmont, where we were informed that we could hang out briefly before the HP Cloud party started.  We were pleasantly surprised by freeness in the form of food and margaritas.  And each time the hostess was about to let us know that our brief stay was about to end, we were graciously given a time extension by a party-goer that was supposed to be there.

After a few hours of party crashing, we met up with a bunch of Matt’s friends and headed to Victory Grill to get our local music fix. We danced, danced, danced until it was time for more food.  I wanted pizza, but the group decided on Bomb Tacos at Lustre Pearl.  Matt and the Bomb Tacos guys are apparently buddies, so I hopped on the truck and chatted it up while my spinach and mushroom quesadilla sizzled to perfection.

Almost immediately after gorging myself on cheesy goodness, Matt decided he wanted a breakfast feast at IHOP.  I had a little “why not?” moment and decided to join.  Crepes for dessert?  Why not?

I woke up this morning feeling more stuffed than one could ever imagine, but put myself in a hungry mindset for brunch with Matt and Lauren.  We met at The Steeping Room where we guzzled Moroccan mint iced tea like it was going out of style.  I ordered a salmon, cucumber, and cream cheese sandwich with a side of tempeh bacon.  Faith is totally right, tempeh bacon is super yum!

Although my first experiences with SXSW have already been so, so fun-filled, I know the upcoming week is going to be eeeeeeeeven better!    Ariel will be arriving from LA on Tuesday and I’m so excited to explore the SXSW music scene with my best pal!

Back To The Press

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Look what I found!  I haven’t used my tofu press since well before I left Tampa.  And not because I didn’t want to, but because I may or may not have packed up my kitchen gadgets about a month too early.  So I was a little excited…

I stil have a pretty bare fridge since I spent most of last week in Dallas and this week in Portland, but I did have a lone brick of tofu waiting for me when I got back from yoga.  Tofu and a frozen stash of veggies totally equals a finally-back-in-town recovery meal.

I pressed the tofu for about an hour and then submerged it in ponzu sauce.  I let the tofu marinate while I unpacked some suitcase, which was about another hour.

I browned the tofu in coconut oil and then added frozen broccoli.  Solo ponzu sauce seemed a bit on the boring side, so I stared in my spice cabinet hoping something spoke to me.  Red pepper flakes and ground mustard?  Sure, why not?  It ended up being a pretty flavorful and slightly spicy combination – right up my alley.  This is a good recipe for a quick Asian inspired craving, but by no means compares to the thick ooey gooey sauces that typically come with take-out.

Hours In Portland

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As soon as I dropped off my luggage at the airport hotel, I changed out of business attire and into the adult version of recess clothes.  There was no level of exhaustion that was going to prevent me from spending a few hours in a town that topped my list of musts.

I have always heard such great things about Portland, but the city ended up being much more than I had expected.  There were restaurants, shops, and most importantly, pedestrians, on every corner of downtown.  I found a quick comfort within the bustling streets.

I also found quick comfort within this red coat!

I spent a couple hours adventuring before landing at Clyde Common, the first restaurant that grabbed my attention during a mini Google sesh before leaving the hotel.

I started with the golden beat soup, which was one of the more uniquely delicious dishes I’ve ever had.  I know there is absolutely no way I can recreate this at home, but I’m sure going to try.  Golden beats, apple cider vinegar, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper?  I could be way off, but that’s the starting point I came up with as I ate every last bite.

Next up was broccoli rabe with guanciale, lemon vinaigrette, pistachio, and fried egg.  Something about this dish was a little too bitter for me, but the egg was so cool I didn’t mind.  When I read fried egg I anticipated an ordinary breakfast egg, not the breaded and fried soft boiled egg that arrived on the plate.

And lastly, the cavatelli with root vegetables, crème fraîche, nutmeg, and celeriac espuma.  If this had been the only dish I ordered, I would have eaten it in its entirety.  The flavors were wonderful, but it was entirely too dense for my already full belly.

Even though I had a completely enjoyable evening, four hours in Portland was a total tease.  I would love to come back this year, especially for a mom/daughter trip when the weather warms up a bit.

Have you taken any family vacations recently?