What do Olivia, Uchi, and weddings have in common? Well, the first two are two of the best restaurants in town, and the third is a place where I found the best wedding cake and my new fave app. So food is what we have in common here, glorious, delicious food.
Olivia
the locally-sourced, Michael Hsu-designed hipster joint that opened in late summer has long been on my to-do-list and did not disappoint when I finally made my much-anticipated appearance Friday night. My Valentine remembered how much I’ve been wanting to try Olivia and surprised me with a trip! We started with bar mussels as we waited and they were FANTASTIC–perfectly cooked, sitting in a buttery-pesto sauce with squishy, seasoned bread on the side for dipping. Mussels are dangerously easy to make too salty, but the chefs at Olivia did ‘em perfectly.
We then sat down next to a cute couple, whose lamb tongue arrived shortly after we did. She made an awful face, and I whispered to my date, “oh, we are not ordering that!” As we both continue to stare, the other couple notices and I have to explain that we were thinking of ordering the lamb’s tongue because it gets rave reviews all over town, but her face has put me off of it. She’s quick to defend the dish and says it’s outstanding. We opt for beet salad instead, and it is a lovely beet salad, vinegary with a topping of creamy goat cheese.
We (ok, I) can’t decide what to order, but upon learning that their cattle is indeed locally-sourced and free-range, I am determined to order meat. There are three veal options, so happy calves must have been ripe for the picking, if you will, and date and I decide to split the veal risotto and duck confit in oyster sauce. They arrive and we are both stunned: the portions are ENORMOUS. I could eat my plate of risotto for a week straight. The duck sits atop some sort of starch that neither date nor I can ever remember–but tastes great–and the duck is shredded thinly and not too gamey. Duck is hit-or-miss with me, you never feel in-the-middle about duck. But this duck was a hit.
And the risotto was a hit. So much so that my date insisted on finishing it–and I ate maybe 1/4 of it–so the poor boy was painfully full for the rest of the night, and refused to move from the couch. We both enjoyed the atmosphere immensely–the sloping ceiling and sharp pine detailing is interesting and much attention has obviously been paid to the acoustics of the place: we could easily talk without having to shout. Bottom line: stuff yourself silly, Olivia is as awesome as everyone says.
Uchi
Confession: I’ve only been to Austin’s sushi haven once before. It’s a lot of work: always an hour+ wait, intense decisions about which of the amazing things to order, sake or wine choices … so maybe I’m a bit lazy (and poor) about it. But I was invited for a food blogger tasting, so I couldn’t turn that down! While I can’t recount for you the exact dishes we sampled–and it wouldn’t necessarily be worth it anyway, for chef Tyson Cole makes things up as he goes along anyway–I can tell you that the flavors on everything were divine. Unique, but perfect. Watermelon and big eye tuna skewer with thai chilies? Whaaaaa? But perfection. The salty, lemon-y, fresh-tasting sashimi below? Perfection. Tyson’s excitable, friendly, engaging personality? Perfection.
My thoughts? Go to Uchi, and do/order/eat whatever Tyson says. He’s the master.
Note: the second Uchi is finally under construction but still won’t be open for another year or so. Cole had to work hard to find a good neighborhood spot in order to keep the aesthetic of his restaurant in balance. Don’t you love the guy?
Weddings
I ate a lot of cake last night at the Rare Weddings event. I mean, we’re talking a bite or half a bite here and there, but when there are at least nine tables of here and there, I ended up eating a lot of cake. (Post Valentine’s, this was SO not what my waistline needed … but alas) And as someone who generally likes icing more than cake (though I must admit that as I grow up and my palate becomes more sophisticated, icing doesn’t hold the allure it once did … or could my sweet tooth be fading?? THAT would be super), I consider it a real find when I like the cake of a cake. Last night’s winner: Blue Note Bakery. Espresso pistachio cake? Unconvential, but delish! Overall, their cakes had excellent flavors with complexities to the cake AND the icing … so good. Mmmm Blue Note Bakery.
On the wedding note, I should mention parkside’s ceviche. I’ve eaten at the 6th Street joint once before and liked it well enough, but not enough to suggest going back. But the ceviche (all raw) that they had out for us to sample last night at the wedding event was absurdly good. Lime-y and ocean-y, it was superb, even served on a Saltine, of all things. Who serves ceviche that good on a freakin’ Saltine?! Anyway, parkside regularly discounts their ceviche, so definitely stop by when it’s on special–it’ll be on the chalkboard placard outside the restaurant.
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