FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Drink. Well.

July 6, 2013 by Kristin

Drink Well Austin

After a day full of completely Austin activities (Greenbelt, Tacodeli, Barton Springs), my pal Billy suggested we all head north for dinner.  Drink Well was the first place he suggested and, just as he was about to describe how great it was, I said “done.”.  Drink Well had been on my list since one of their bartenders won a bartending competition that I attended last year.  I felt embarrassed that a year had passed.

Drink Well Pickled Eggs

Our party of four arrived sometime around 7:30, carpooling from downtown.  It was a 6.2 mile trek that most of us weren’t used to, after all.  We found an open spot at a community table and quickly befriended our neighbors.  Our new friends watched our belongings while we hopped up to the bar to order cocktails and dinnerness.

Drink Well Beet Salad

I started with the Pisco Inferno, pickled eggs, and beet salad.  The cocktail, tasting both light and complex, arrived in a tiki cup, which felt appropriately like vacation.  I discovered that if eggs are on a menu, I’ll order them (even if my dinnermates subtly tilt their heads with a look of confused disapproval).  And the beet salad was a wonderful starter salad, I’d order it again.  But, next time, I’d order it in addition to a carby main course.  Upon finishing this salad, I had order envy to my left and to my right.

Drink Well Ratatouille on Rye

Billy and Molly went with the Ratatouille on Rye, which arrived with good lookin’ salad between each half.

Drink Well Gnocci

And Anna, whose order I envied the most, had the sweet potato gnocci.  I stole a bite.  This will be what I order next time.

After another cocktail, absinthe this time around, we decided a cheese plate and homemade chips were necessary.  We snacked, bopped around to the 80s jams that were gladly filling the space, and discussed how much we loved Drink Well and how we would be coming back again.  Soon.

Filed Under: restaurant reviews Tagged With: austin, cocktails, dinner, drink well, north loop

Foreign Cinema

June 12, 2013 by Kristin

Foreign Cinema San Fran

We went out with a bang on our last foodie adventure in California!  We sat at a cozy, little table at Foreign Cinema and began to analyze the menu.  What was special?  What couldn’t we get in our respective hometowns?  What hadn’t we already experienced on this trip?

Foreign Cinema San Fran 2

Although my mom can get seafood a plenty in Florida, I’ve been struggling to find oyster-seeking friends in Texas.  My eyes lit up when I saw Plateau de Fruits de Mer.  I saw her see me and then say something like, “well, I’m sure this is Pacific seafood that wouldn’t be as fresh near me.”.  Moms are the best.  We ordered it.

Mom Daughter San Fran

We ordered the plateau, zucchini soup with porcini, dungeness crab gratin, and chocolate pot de crème.  And everything, to the very last drop, exceeded any positive word I could manage to dig up from a thesaurus right now.  So I’ll leave it at that, indescribable in the best way ever.  Just like the time spent with my mom, how fitting.

Filed Under: restaurant reviews Tagged With: best restaurant, crab gratin, dinner, foreign cinema, plateau de fruits de mer, pot de creme, san francisco, seafood

The Last Of Our Sonoma Eats

June 11, 2013 by Kristin

LaSalette Sonoma 1

Prior to traveling to Sonoma, I had little expectation of anything other than drinking wine with family and friends.  I didn’t plan this trip to a tee like I typically would.  Heck, my mom and I even forgot about the whole rental car thing until the day before.  We made reservations at Cafe La Haye and Foreign Cinema and that was the extent of our planning.  And it all worked out.  I should make note of that.

LaSalette Sonoma 2

The day of the wedding, we walked through Sonoma Square and stumbled upon a trail and a few wineries to visit later in the day.  By the time we cleaned up, we were ready for another meal.  LaSalette was another restaurant that was recommended to us, so we headed that way.  We had a wonderful and wonderfully light lunch of mussels, cucumber gazpacho, asparagus, and a few tapas (not pictured).  In addition to having tasty fare, LaSalette was off the beaten path and had a bustling lunch crowd.  I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again.

Community Cafe 1

Fast forward to after the wedding, I woke up fairly well rested.  It came in awfully handy to have my mom on call to pick me up from the wedding when I was at the point of feeling done.  And because of that, we were able to check out of the hotel early and get a nice breakfast before the hour trek to San Fran.

Community Cafe 2

We had a wayyyy heavier than anticipated breakfast at Community Cafe, where a few friends had eaten the day before.  Truffled eggs with asparagus, mushrooms, and cheese on top of a hearty slice of bread and a NY strip breakfast burrito.  Holy cow.  We were in a total food coma until we arrived in San Fran, when we just so happened to be ready for our next meal.

Filed Under: restaurant reviews, Travel Tagged With: breakfast, community cafe, lasalette, lunch, sonoma

Cafe La Haye

June 8, 2013 by Kristin

Cafe La Haye 1

After a long day of wine tasting, my mom picked me up and we headed to dinner at Cafe La Haye.  We parked smack dab in the center of Sonoma Square and walked only a block or so before arriving at this super quaint spot.  Crisp white linens and subway tile laced with local art – we were into it even before menus arrived.

Cafe La Haye 2

The restaurant was described to us as “REAL farm to table, fantastic food!” and it met every expectation that came from that description.  My mom and I were both drawn to the seafood heavy specials board and ordered solely from that list.  Seared dayboat scallop with corn ravioli and creamed spinach, grilled ahi tuna with sauce gribiche, frisee, artichoke and peppers, and Alaskan halibut with smashed yukon potatoes and lacinato kale.

Cafe La Haye Tuna

Every dish we had was pretty spectacular, but my mom and I both agreed that the scallop starter took the prize.  There’s something about creamed spinach that we’re both very much drawn to.  And if you mix a favorite with carb and seafood, well you’ve got yourself a winner in the Vrana book.

Cafe La Haye Halibut

We were both so happy with our first meal in Sonoma and highly recommend this place to future visitors.  Another trip to Sonoma is already on my list and dinner at Cafe La Haye will be another must as well.

Filed Under: restaurant reviews, Travel Tagged With: ca, cafe la haye, dinner, farm to table, seafood, sonoma

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