FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Lake Austin: Dam To Dam

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Lake Austin 2013

Perhaps it has something to do with my upcoming birthday (30!),  a couple months of ehh sleeping, or it being ages since Tut and I went on an adventure, but today… was exactly what I needed.  I headed up to the lake for some super strong coffee and then we hopped on the lake house’s newest addition: “Tom the neighbor’s” boat.  Like most of our adventures, I had no idea where Tut was taking me.  We ended up on a successful three hour tour, going from the Tom Miller Dam to the Mansfield Dam.  We cruised  beneath the 360 bridge (twice), smiled at all of our boating neighbors, explored some hidden canals, and spotted a celebrity house (or four).

And for curious eyes, a video of our dam to dam trip to the tune of “Secret Meeting” by The National.

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Pickled Egg Salad

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Egg Salad Sandwich

After 48 hours of pickling, the eggs and I were finally ready for Tasting Table’s Pickled Egg Salad.

Shredded Eggs

I pulled out the box grater and got to work shredding the eggs.  I would have never thought to shred eggs, but it worked really well with the eggs’ new consistency (the pickling process makes the whites much firmer than normal).  I poured the shredded eggs in a medium sized bowl and added 1/4 cup mayo (Vegenaise), 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.  I deviated from the recipe by halving the mayo and nixing the salt.

Picked Egg Salad 3

This egg salad was definitely a unique twist on a classic.  Between pickling and shredding the eggs, they took on the flavor and consistency of cheese or a cheese spread, which completely confused my tastebuds.  Did I like it?  Yeah, I think I did!  I ate three sandwiches over the course of a few days.  Would I make it again?  Probably not.  I’d like to dabble in pickling a bit more, but I love a classic egg salad too much to go through the extra effort of a 48-hour pickling.

Sway

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Sway Austin Sake

I have been anxiously awaiting Sway’s opening since I first saw construction activity while eating at Elizabeth Street Cafe a few months ago.  “Wood paired with a painted masonry exterior?  I must eat here.”.  Two sentences that, outside of my world, probably don’t frequent a pairing.

Shu Mai Sway Austin

A group of seven of us gathered around 4PM on a Saturday for a late lunch/early dinner before heading to the TX Roller Derby (ultimate girls’ night?).  I highly suggest arriving during an off-hour because there was zero wait.  And I have a hunch that from five to ten this place is more along the lines of zero available tables.

We started with the Shu Mai, which was a variety of seafood wrapped with noodles in lieu of a traditional dumpling.  I could have eaten about 24 of these dumplings and still wanted more.  What can I say?  Dumplings are delish.

Pad Kwetio Sway Austin

For my main course, I went with the Pad Kwetio, which I assumed would be similar to a pork belly version of Pad See Ew.  I found this dish to be incredibly salty with not enough noodles (dumpling girl likes noodles).  I’m not certain if I’m extra sensitive to salt or if someone tipped the salt container into this particular batch of Pad Kwetio, but this was not the dish for me.  I did, however, try my friend’s chicken fried rice and found it to be light, herby, and more my style.

Jasmine Panna Cotta Sway Austin

And then we ordered the Jasmine Tea Panna Cotta for dessert, which was one of the most pleasant desserts I’ve ever had.  The panna cotta was topped with coconut-lychee sorbet, crunchy amaranth, fruit, and thai basil.  The combination of temperatures, tastes, and textures was super appealing to my palate.  And this barely sweet and refreshing dessert left me feeling satisfied and without that “oh I ate too much” feeling that traditional desserts typically leave behind.

Overall, the goodness of the Shu Mai and Panna Cotta outweighed the disappointment of the Pad Kwetio enough to where I’d definitely go back.  So much, that I’m already thinking about their tom kha gai, pad thai, and blue crab fried rice!