I’m a twitterin’!Rain or shine, Hell or high water, three local CrossFits are getting together to host a pre-St. Pat’s workout under the South First Street bridge tomorrow morning. DO IT!
[this includes you, boozy SXSWers! Pre-work-off-your-binge-drinking at a perfectly reasonable 10:30am!]
You will LOVE it. Even if it’s 43 degrees and raining.
Because I’m thinking of it today.
Through my exhaustive (and exhausting) SXSW research, I stumbled upon a party serving Vermont’s Magic Hat beer–to which I got super-excited, Twittered about, turns out Magic Hat is ON TWITTER, found me, and let me know that they actually already distribute Magic Hat down here! So some research revealed that Austin’s venerable fave the Gingerman has it ON TAP. The place moves into its new digs (a block away) March 21, so a cold Magic Hat could be the perfect farewell.
Others serving Magic Hat: Dog and Duck, Lovejoy’s, Jackalope, Red Eyed Fly and Stubb’s.
Appetizers are divine. I had heard such a thing, but after the food blogger happy hour, am totally convinced. Fried goat cheese balls with some sweet onions and honey on a little stick? Explosions of deliciousness in my mouth. My first taste of foie gras? [Don't worry, my foodie friend assured me that I am morally okay on eating it, because it's imported, and the ducks in France like being overfed]
A sweet, peanut-buttery-consistency smeared on baguette … far different than I imagined it tasting, too sweet almost, but I was glad to take the nibble.
And the smidgeon of food that might be an entree: a braised lamb on a celeriac puree with arugula microgreens in a cup, here’s a Before:
And after:
Yep, it was that good. And the coriander crusted tuna with mint tatziki? I nibbled on way more slices than is socially appropriate–I even tried to snag a slice without a fork.
The drinks were tasty, but only the Paloma Flower, a tequila, grapefruit, egg-white mix stood out from the pack–surprising, given that FINO’s bartender is a world-renowned bartending competitor.
So I feel that I need to go back to make sure all of this deliciousness is still delicious. The owner talked to me extensively about local sourcing, and they try to do it as much as possible. Most of their chicken is free range, as is their pork. Their beef is not usually, but lucky for me, there wasn’t any beef on the tasting menu!
Tried and true, simply one of the best patios in Austin … not that it matters much today. I have a gift card that expires today?
As I contemplated the Happy Hour list, a press release landed in my inbox announcing the arrival of happy hour at III Forks! Perfect. Details:
Now open for happy hour Monday through Saturday from 5 to 7pm, Sommelier Danny Payne will offer up some of his favorites from the 4,000-bottle cellar with a Sommelier’s Pick of the Cellar ($5/glass). Happy hour appetizers include Blue Cheese Beef Croustades ($5) with sliced USDA Prime beef; glazed, sesame-topped Ahi Tuna Skewers ($6); house-made III Forks Chips ($5) topped with sautéed onions and herbed blue cheese; Cured Blackberry Duck ($6); and seared Golden Sea Scallops ($6) with fresh herbs, toasted peanuts, coconut and shallots. Also look for cocktail specials and $5 martinis, including the Capital City Martini. 111 Lavaca St.
As usual, Thursday night is packed with stuff. Don’t let the cold, dreary rain keep you from partying! This particular Thursday is the last before the SXSW madness strikes, but Cuatro’s is getting in on the fun early with some sort of college party, see my spreadsheet (tab: SXSW 2009) for more details.
As far as the other events go, not gonna lie, often a jewelry launch or boutique party is just like every one before it. But this one features some snacks and drinks I particularly love, so I can’t help but be excited for local vodka Savvy, the delicious Blue Note Bakery I discovered at a wedding event, and the sushi of Imperia. Three things I like, jewelry is just an added bonus.
The spa extraordinaire and apothecary is settling into new 5th Street digs and throwing a Spring Mixer to celebrate, featuring champagne and treats, chair massage, woods lamp skin analysis, & a gift with any $100 purchase. 1213 West 5th Street, Suite B1
TRIBEZA Happy Hour, 6-8pm
Join TRIBEZA at Austin’s newest upscale lounge Submerged. Located at 2nd & Trinity (333 E. Second St.) across from the Austin Convention Center, enjoy complimentary appetizers from across the street neighbor Fleming’s. DJ Ntenz spins.
Food porn. This post is nothing but unadulterated food porn.
I LOVE TRIO’s popovers, so much so that the PR director makes sure to have them available to me whenever I show up. See my previous post on TRIO’s popovers …
But most everything TRIO serves is divine too, including free range beef tenderloin of the Niman Ranch variety:
with a delightful balsamic-glazed onion, creamed spinach with parsley (Elmar told me the secret … it’s the cauliflower!), and shoestring potato crisps.
And the butterfish with quinoa:
Of course, dessert–a Blackberry Lemon Napolitan:
Sigh.
I’ve got an article in this issue–Picture This–so it’s definitely worth checking out! 
Round two of Austin’s second Restaurant Week is NOW, March 8-11, so try a restaurant on the cheap with prix-fixe $25 or $35 menus.
My G and I tried Jeffrey’s last week and were pretty happy. I went with beet salad, gnocchi (pictured), and chocolate cake.
He went crispy oysters, ribs (pictured), and crepes.
Luckily, the Statesman’s foodie Mike Sutter got the three things we didn’t (3 courses, 3 options in each) and wrote about it here:
Jeffrey’s
1204 West Lynn St. 477-5584, www.jeffreysofaustin.com.
• My Austin Restaurant Week dinner ($35): Crispy veal bone marrow with housemade pickles, milk-poached halibut cheeks with pea-shoot salad, inverted Coke float with pineapple fries. Other options include crispy oysters, sous vide short ribs, seared gnocchi and Meyer lemon crepe dumplings.
Adding to the subversive allure of a $35 tasting at Jeffrey’s is the spectator sport of catching the new guy in action. Chef Deegan McClung took over for Alma Alcocer-Thomas in February, and his Austin Restaurant Week menu showcases bold strokes for which owner Ron Weiss had to buy new kitchen technology: sous vide short ribs that emerge medium-rare even after 36 hours of simmering with their marinade in a sealed bag and a delicate, vacuum-poached fish. Beyond the flash of the new, Jeffrey’s is still an elegant escape, with a marvel of a 12-page wine list that includes clever nods to value, flatware so balanced the knives can stand on edge and bright paintings offering colorful vistas along dark-toned walls. Waiters work the tandem magic of invisibility and presence.
But it’s the newness that’s filling seats, along with the $35 price point. A starter taste of deep-fried carrot-ginger soup yielded to an assembly line of rich bone-marrow bites, tart salsa verde and pickled tomato, onion and baby cucumber on toast. For the main course, I had to try the halibut cheeks (who knew fish had cheeks?). The small, smooth-muscled ovals from just below the eyes are something of a delicacy, I’m told, and they were treated with simple respect: a pear-and-fennel emulsion and sweet peas with a pea-shoot salad. Pastry chef Courtney McBroom’s inverted Coke float with pineapple fries sounded too cute to be true, but it was a David Lynch-movie malt-shop of a marvel: icy Coke sorbet in sweet vanilla crème anglaise, with a side of fried pineapple sticks and three dipping sauces – coconut-curry, cherry-wasabi and boozy buttered rum – arm-wrestling each other for “favorite” status.
Weiss said response to the Austin Restaurant Week menu has been so strong that Jeffrey’s will put a Sunday-through-Wednesday $40 fixed-price menu into service starting March 15. Meanwhile, you’ve got this Sunday through Wednesday to catch the discount show.
I think we missed out on the Coke Float! While we had an excellent dinner, we couldn’t help but compare it to Olivia, the site of our last big dinner out, and both of us preferred her. The food at Olivia was tastier, the portions bigger, and the last time I asked Jeffrey’s, they didn’t serve free-range beef. While my foodie friend Beth at Texas Locavore found out through some investigative reporting that Olivia’s beef isn’t always local and free range, at least it sometimes is.
Anyway, try a new restaurant out this week! List is here. Matt Swinney, publisher of Rare Magazine and kickstarter of Austin Restaurant Week says of the past week:
Achachay! at Red Eyed Fly at 11:30pm. It costs $5 to get in. They only play for 40 minutes so you’ve got to get there early!
According to the lead singer:
Top ten reasons to come to the show tomorrow night (Garrett, consider this a convincing bailout suggestion email to be forwarded):(1) – It’s Friday night and you need some funk in your life(2) – The debut of TWO new songs. One is funky and one is dancy, both are achachay-y!(3) – We’ve got merch you might want to buy. T-SHIRTS!(4) – You’re going out anyway in the live music capital, and this is some DAMN GOOD local talent.(5) – Drinks are cheap at the Red Eyed Fly.(6) – You want to see our beautiful, smiling faces.(7) – And Charlie’s completely non expressive face.(8) – And you want to see Ryan drum in sunglasses.(9) – What are Rock people anyway?(10) – You’re going through an existential funk and you want to commiserate/celebrate itBring in all of your friends as well. The more people are there, the more fun it will be. Also, bring your dancing shoes and get ready to move. If you don’t know how to dance to our music you can take a cue from me on stage cause I’m always moving even if it’s just sliding back and forth with my boots.
Whaaaa? In a quick stop at Whole Foods last night I stumbled upon A.C. LaRocco’s Ultra Thin Crust Pizza Sprouted Grain with Old World Veggies. I told my G about it, and he insisted I post pics so he could know what I was talking about. Behold:
Sprouted grains are much better for you, higher in protein and lower in carbs, plus this WHOLE PIZZA only has 14 grams of fat and 340 calories, with 20 grams of protein! There’s no meat on this baby, so that protein is from the part-skim mozzarella and the crust.
I ate 2/3 of the pizza and was very full, so on sale for $5.39, this is definitely budget-friendly for a dinner and subsequent lunch! YUM!
Friday morning: 6 – 9 am at Auditorium Shores
Cowboy Breakfast is the official kick-off to the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo. Cowboy Breakfast serves up a breakfast of champions with live entertainment accompanying the Texas-size buffet. Live music, family entertainment and breakfast are all FREE to the public. Don’t forget your boots! Cowboy Breakfast also marks Dress Western Day in Austin–who knew we had one of those?
FREE parking will be available at the Palmer Events Center Garage.
Entertainment:
Country Singer Jeremy Steding
Trick Roper Kevin Fitzpatrick
Chainsaw Artist David Cox
“Cowboy” the saddled longhorn
Western Comedy Shootouts
T-Bone’s Puppet Show
Country Line Dance Lessons (American Academy of Music and Dance)
If you’re heading from downtown, pop into Estilo, then stop in to Twin Liquors Marketplace in Hancock Center for a free wine tasting on your way up north, where you’re headed to a denim & margarita bar.
Head to Estilo from 6-9p for an Art Show featuring the work of Stephanie Beard. David Garrido will be providing munchies–he launches his new restaurant, Garrido’s, in mid-May. Is it related to the 100-year-old Galveston staple known for the best seafood this side of, well, ever? The restaurant will be on Third St, near Mulberry, Blu, and the Austin Music Hall. Also enjoy cocktails, a live DJ, and hors d’oeuvres.
Then …
Then …
J. Crew’s older, less-preppy, more effortlessly chic sibling is hosting a celebration of all things denim, and it would behoove you stop by. Last time I was in, they had only two styles of jeans in lengths, which really put me off. Hemming, you see, will never be an issue for me, with my basketball/volleyball-player’s height. Nonetheless, if I had normal-length legs and/or lived up north, I’d definitely stop in for a look.
And then probably go down to the BCBG store (my fave brand of all time) for a stop at their sale racks … can’t beat 70% off.
7-9pm, The Domain
RSVP: austinevents@madewell1937.com
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