FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

So. Much. Food.

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This past weekend, a few of us gathered at Green Pastures here in Austin for Lauren‘s babyshower.  I had never heard of Green Pastures and, in a very un-me fashion, I didn’t even look the place up before heading that way.  But as I pulled through the gravel parking lot and saw a beautiful early 1900s home with a lush lawn and wraparound porch, I knew that this brunch was going to be something special.

We gathered in a semi-private dining room and caught up on Lauren’s latest pregnancy news.  Some of us heard the baby’s name for the first time.  Some of us learned a thing or two about birthing centers.  But mostly, we sat around the table in our Sunday finest anticipating the all-you-can-eat buffet.  Oh and milk punch.  We slurped up milk punch, a divine mixture of ice cream, bourbon, brandy, and rum, before heading into the main dining hall.

When we set eyes on how extensive the buffet actually was, we were overwhelmed.  Big time.  They had everything from quiche to gaspacho to ahi tuna to kale salad to chocolate covered bacon to eggs benedict.  I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say there must have been 200-ish dishes to choose from.  And then the sneaky servers that filled up your milk punch while you weren’t looking.  It was glutton to the max, but it was wonderful glutton.  This was the kind of brunch you left feeling happy full, spoiled full, not why-did-I-eat-that full.

And then we sat our full-bellied selves around the table and watched miss Lauren open up presents that she and Matt will soon share with their precious little boy.  A little boy who is already so loved and who all of us are so excited to finally meet!

Dinner at Lenoir

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Lenoir Austin

The inspiration behind my restaurant to-do post, Lenoir, has been on my mind every time I craved restaurant for quite some time.  There were problems though.  It’s a pretty small, reservation-only space that has a fairly pricey pre fixe menu.  That rules out friends that are picky, on a budget, and are opposed to planning ahead.  I guarantee that most of anyone’s friends fit in one, if not all three, of those categories.

Lenoir Field

Luckily I have three very lovely friends that were ready to give it a go.  We coordinated our schedules and made reservations a couple weeks in advance.  We tried so very hard to vary our selections, but were all drawn to similar dishes in each category.

Lenoir Sea

My selections from each of the categories:

Field – aleppo spaghetti / smoked ricotta salata / broccoli rabe / crisp garlic

Sea – drum crudo / avocado / loquat vinaigrette / honeysuckle gelee

Dream – bleu d’auvergne / walnut & pistachio ‘baklava’ / roasted sweet potato / smoked honey

Lenoir Dream

I was so thankful when the house-made spaghetti was set in front of me.  My appetite, besides a brief desire to cleanse, has been insatiable as of late.  But this blip of flavorful and delicate noodle was instantly satisfying and prepped my very hungry belly to appreciate the dishes to come.

The crudo was delicious, as expected.  All of the accompaniments added texture and flavor without compromising the freshness and lightness of the fish.  If I hadn’t just eaten noodles, I could have eaten this for miles.

The dessert, in the most butchering of simple descriptions, was essentially baklava with blue cheese, sweet potatoes, and honey.  I liked this dish because I dig salty/crunchy/sweet.  I didn’t like this dish because it didn’t feel like dessert (it would have been just as fitting had it been categorized as an appetizer).  But I also did like this dish because it didn’t feel like dessert.  Desserts, in my mind, are partly desserts because of the sickeningly sweet taste that leaves you feeling ehhh afterward.  The lack of ehhh smooshed any dessert envy before it formed.  Overall, I was pleased with my selection.

Lenoir is such an adorably tasty spot and I look forward returning for another lovely evening!

.@Peche_Austin

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Oh how I love, love, love Péché!  My friend Nathan took me here the second weekend I lived in Austin and it’s held a special place in my heart ever since.  And the only thing that’s kept me from blogging about this love is that it’s pretty darn dark in there and I typically don’t fancy carrying around my camera after an absinthe or two.  If you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve seen a Péché post or seven.

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This was my first Sunday visit, so Skylar and I were able to take advantage of all day happy hour which consisted of select $5 cocktails and half off  some bar food items (this is the case on Mondays too).  Naturally, my cocktail of choice wasn’t on special, but I ordered it anyway.  I refuse to deviate from the Absinthe God or Silver Monk (top left).  They both contain egg whites and they are both my most favorite cocktails in all of the land.  Seriously.

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And typically I’d order something very Kristin-esque, like the sage gnocci or a seafood dish on the daily menu.  But today I wanted something on sale something adventurous, so I went with the burger du jour, which was topped with duck liver and housemade picked vegetables.  And although I’ve ordered few burgers in my lifetime, I can tell you with certainty that this burger was more melt-in-your-mouth amazing than any burger I can recall.