FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Justine’s Brasserie

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Since my mom has been in town from sweet home Safety Harbor, we’ve eaten at restaurants a plenty.  We hit up some downtown hip spots and a seedy Mexican dive, but I think we both would agree our favorite place thus far has been Justine’s Brasserie on the East side.

I wish I had more pictures reflecting how cozy, quaint, and Austin-esque the vibe was.  The furniture was creaky and cool.  There was a gynorm record collection behind the bar.  The light fixtures were worthy of snatching and placing in your favorite shabby chic room.  The overall ambiance at Justine’s was that just-rolled-out-of-bed-looking-that-hot kind of look.  I was a fan before the food even arrived.

I was an even bigger fan after gorging myself on a half a loaf of crusty, chewy bread.  If I had been with someone other than my current company, they would have given me a look of disgust.  Fortunately (unfortunately?) moms love you too much to pass judgement on strange behavior.

She ordered the soup du jour, which was a chilled potato soup that was loaded with fresh mint and perfect for a blazing hot day, and the crab salad (which had a way more French name on the menu), that was very fresh as well.  Avocados and cucumbers make great friends.  Noted.

I ordered the catch of the day which was a honkin’ fillet of grouper.  The fish was dusted with the perfect amount of seasoning, but most importantly, was super flaky and moist.  And as good as the fish was, the greens were even better.  The mustard-y sauce and tiny strings of onion were to die for.

Justine’s was just perfect for a weekday dinner, but I’m looking forward to heading back on a Friday night with friends for dinner con cocktails!

Busy Bee Weekend

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Saturday was jam packed with the good stuff.  I woke up bright and early with a task from my favorite 5-year old cousin:  Star Wars Legos.  We poured millions of teeny tiny pieces on his bedroom floor and went to town.  I didn’t think we would actually be able to put the thing together, but Nick always ended up knowing exactly where the hard-to-find pieces were hiding.

After finishing up QT with the cousins, I headed to brunch with Phil and Ginnean & Co.  The three of us were big time brunchers when I lived in Dallas, so our time together at Penne Pomodoro felt much like it did back in 2008.  Well, with one happily welcomed addition!

From brunch I headed straight to the mall to meet Nathan.  Meeting Nathan to go shopping always goes somewhere along the lines of meeting at Barney’s for a quick hello and then going our separate ways so we can power shop in our respective departments.  We each found a few gems (mine will be posted in tomorrow’s Cure For The Common Monday) and headed home to get ready for dinner.

We swooped up Morton and Jonathan for our reservations at Oak, a new hip spot that the boys have been dying to try on a non prix fixe occasion.  We slurped on some amazing cocktails while we waited for our table and then ordered, what seemed like, everything on the menu.

Nathan and I started out with the Potato Dumplings and then split the Rhode Island Monkfish and Rack of Lamb.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.

Everyone at the table passed around bites of their deliciousness and, I have to say, that EVERYTHING exceeded expectations.  The one clear winner at the table was the Moroccan Octopus & Pork Jowls, but I would be beyond happy ordering anything we sampled again.  And then there was dessert…  We ordered everything but the bread pudding and were amazed with each and every sweet treat.  Oak may be my favorite dining experience in Dallas to date!

First Weekender

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When I was driving down 6th Street one evening last week I spotted the cutest little spot with the cutest little name: Walton’s Fancy & Staple.  Later in the week I couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was called, but when I described it to my Austin foodie friend, he knew exactly which place I was talking about.  It’s that cute.

Also last week, my friend Nathan that lives in Dallas asked me if I was ready for my first visitor.  My response was somewhere along the lines of “umm heck yeah!”.  I’ve been dying to dive into the Austin restaurant scene (for all 8 days I’ve been here) and knew that eating my way around town with Nathan all weekend would be the perfect kick-off to this new life of mine.

First stop?  Walton’s!

Nathan started with a carrot cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting and darling little veggie art.

I’m not too fond breakfast sweets, so I stuck with a bite of cupcake and a piping hot cafe au lait.  I typically take my coffee black, but something about this soggy, gray morning called for froth.

Just as the last of the cupcake crumbs disappeared, our meals arrived.  Nathan’s plate was hearty bacon centric.  I mean, look at that stuff!  I hadn’t had bacon in ages, but reached over and broke myself off a piece.  Meat is going to happen for me at restaurants in the foreseeable future because, well, when in Rome?  There are too many amazing restaurants in this town to limit my living.

And for me?  Irish oats.  Although satisfying in the flavor department, both Nathan and I were a little disappointed that the oats were over-cooked.  I look forward to the chewy-ness of Irish oats and that was totally missing.  I pretended they were ordinary oats and kept on keepin’ on til the bottom of the bowl was staring back at me.

Now that we’re full-bellied, it’s time to get our shop on!

Leisurely Lunching

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My friend Katie flew in today for our friend Ryan’s 30th birthday bash and we took it upon ourselves to have a leisurely day before the festivities begin.  Lunch at noon?  Healthy?  Yes.  Oh how I love the new year!

And as much as I love the new year, I love Restaurant BT even more.  It’s the freshest fancy in town.  We know this.

We found a little table outside, caught each other up on the latest happenings, and sipped on refreshing cucumber water.  I dominated the conversation with news that I had just submitted an application for an AWESOME townhouse in downtown Austin.  Fingers crossed they accept the offer!

I stuck with my usual, the tofu Vietnamese salad with a side of hoisin and sriracha.  Katie went for the chicken pho, which looked flawless.

We cleared our plates and headed over to my friend Griffin’s boutique to continue with the lady of leisure theme we had not so accidentally fallen in to.

Hope your weekend is filled with the good stuff!