The juicy juicy meat was served with steamed rice, a quick cucumber pickle, kimichi, and lettuce leaves for wrapping.  Needless to say, everything was polished off swiftly by our eager friends.

Homemade Korean galbi short ribs with sugar snap peas, mushrooms, and okra

To kick everyone’s appetite off, I whipped this simple chilled tofu appetizer up.  It was inspired by an amazing meal at a Tofu restaurant in Tokyo.  It’s creamy, savory, with just a touch of acidity. It’s so utterly easy to make, especially if you’re serving a crowd. It just so happens to be vegan too…

Simple chilled miso tofu appetizer – perfect for hot summer nights

Andrew Zimmern was especially involved in this year’s Austin Food & Wine Festival

The move over to the manicured Butler Park was a good call too.  (Attempting to quench my thirst on dusty cocktails during mini sandstorms at Auditorium Shores last year was the low-light).  I appreciated how the organizers actually paid attention to our feedback and implemented changes.  Bravo!

Paul Qui’s team from his soon-to-open restaurant, Qui, served up kimchi grilled cheese

Once again, there was no lack of excellent food and drink.  The highlights were the Taste of Texas Kickoff Event and the Rock Your Taco Showdown. The chefs all stepped up their game with increased innovation and flair.

Tyson Cole’s (Uchi/ Uchiko) winning hamachi tacos on yucca shells at the Rock Your Taco Showdown

After long days of shooting, I was relieved to kick my feet up at the indulgent after parties: Sips & Sweets (desserts and cocktails bash at Mellow Johnny’s) and Sel et Gras (a Parisian soirée at Trace at the W Hotel).

Salmon and beef tartare at Sel et Gras party at Trace at the W Hotel in Austin.  Other favourites included fried frog legs, foie gras donuts, and absinthe cotton candy.

My only wish for next year is that they would allow the media into the VIP tent again.  That’s where we were able to socialize and catch up with other professionals, especially out-of-towners.  This year, it was replaced by an uninspired media tent that nobody wanted to hang out in.  #FirstWorldProblems

Head on over to Serious Eats to see my recap of the weekend.  It’s loaded with plenty of photos – enjoy!

My first time baking cheesy mini popovers.  They’re ridiculously easy to make.

But alas, I learned that Laura Sawicki (La Condesa and Sway) won best pastry chef.  That reminded me of a shoot and interview that I did last month for Serious Eats that I forgot to tell you about.  I always save room for her desserts.

When Laura was nominated for a 2013 James Beard Foundation Award, I followed her into Sway’s kitchen and documented her making one of my new favourite desserts, Soy.  Check out: Behind the Scenes: Making ‘Soy’ at Sway in Austin, TX.  There are some sexy, up-close shots of her… hands.

Pastry Chef Laura Sawicki in Austin Texas

“Soy” at Sway, with kabocha squash ganache, roasted Nashi pears, chocolate mousse, brown butter streusel, soy sorbet, sweet soy sauce

Another favourite: miso white chocolate panna cotta at Sway by Laura Sawicki

And in case if you’re wondering, the 2013 CultureMap Tastemaker winners are:

Restaurant
Lenoir

Chef
Todd Duplechan, Lenoir

Pastry Chef
Laura Sawicki, La Condesa

Sommelier/Beverage Director
Mark Sayre, Trio

Brewery
Jester King

Craft Bartender
Tacy Rowland, Drink.Well.

Read more on CultureMap.

Pieous serves Neapolitan style pizzas.  Admittedly, that’s the only style that I enjoy, especially after traveling in Italy.  I find American pizzas too heavy and topping focused, even though the toppings are not always high in quality.  American cuisine’s mentality of “more is more” does not vibe with me.

The only other contender in the Neapolitan ring is Backspace, who also fires up fantastic thin crust pizzas.  Pieous has Backspace beat in two simple ways: a more flavorful and resistant crust (thin, crisp on the bottom, great “pull”), and more variety (with classic and unconventional toppings).  That said, Backspace offers a fantastic happy hour, an array of novel antipasti, and is much closer to our home in East Austin.

Anyways, head on over to my article on Serious Eat’s Slice column to learn more about Pieous’ story and to see more tasty photos.  Whether this truly is the best pizza in Austin is up for you to judge.  For me, the short pilgrimage is more than worth it.

Margherta Pizza – fresh tomato sauce, house made mozzarella, fresh basil.  Simplicity at its best.

Bacon Bleu Pizza – house made bacon marmalade (which I can eat on anything), Gorgonzola cheese, peppery arugula.  This is a clear winner.

Pastrami smoked on site – the moist cut is fall-apart tender, beautifully brined, with just the right touch of smoke.

Josh Kaner – accountant turned pizza chef poured his heart into Pieous and his craft.

Pieous

Look no further, here are my very best restaurant and bar recommendations for SXSW 2013, written in 140 characters or less.

Welcome to Austin, food lovers!

Note: If the description says brunch or happy hour, it assumes that dinner and/or lunch are also served.  I just wanted to point out places that have especially swell brunches and happy hours.

In no particular order:

• El Naranjo | Interior Mexican, happy hour, tequila, brunch |  Exquisite Mexican in comfortable, airy setting. Extensive tequila list. Must try mole of the week, sea bass, and tres leches. Orange butter!
• Parkside | happy hour, cocktails, French inspired | Best happy hour in Austin. Cocktail specials, bubbly on Wed. Oysters, fried okra, blonde paté all killer. Transition into dinner, for sure.
• Backspace | pizza, lunch, happy hour | Cozy space, get there early. Neapolitan pizzas, antipasti, beer and wine. Easy, breezy.
• Haddingtons | American, happy hour, brunch | Indulgent comfort food, modernized. Eclectic decor with Austin vibe. Nice patio and bar. Order Duck Fat sazerac and truffled custard mmm
• La Condesa | modern Tex Mex, happy hour, brunch | Playful, fresh Mexican and Tex Mex. Inventive cocktail list. Mexican street corn! Must order desserts. Corn dessert is personal fave.
• Sway | modern Thai | Energetic, communal dining space. Robust, bold flavours, influenced by SE Asian cuisines. Crab fried rice, chili tofu. Absolutely must order desserts.
• Gourdough’s | dessert, donuts, craft beer | Over the top, fully loaded sweet and savory donut preparations. Fun, easy vibe. Salty balls and chicken fried steak personal faves.
• Barley Swine | farm to table, fine American | Be warned, go early! Incredibly inventive small plates using unconventional ingredients e.g. offal. Order everything on menu.
• Henri’s | wine, charcuterie | Top notch cheeses and charcuterie with wine pairings. Great on its own, or go if waiting for table at Barley Swine.
• Lick | ice cream | In same complex as Henri’s and Barley Swine. Small batch ice creams with unique flavours. Many dairy free options available.
• Takoba | patio, brunch, happy hour | Fun, casual Tex Mex dishes. Great patio seating. Nice cocktail menu with specialty margaritas. Awesome michelada. Menudo for brunch.
• Olivia | brunch, finer modern American | Airy room and spacious patio. On-site garden provides vegetables. Just-complex-enough farm to table dishes. Popular brunch spot. Mimosa trio
• Uchi/ Uchiko | modern Japanese, happy hour, saké | Multi award winning team and restaurant, for good reason. Fresh fish, delicate preparations, expertly executed. Worth the steeper price.
• Taco Deli | breakfast tacos, fast food | Just a personal fave spot for breakfast tacos, an Austin specialty. I appreciate their organic, fluffy scrambled eggs.
• Midnight Cowboy | cocktails | Revamped ex-brothel w private rooms. Refuge from 6th St craziness. Fantastic cocktail selection, expert preparation. Make resos.
• Weather Up | happy hour, cocktails | Beautifully crafted drinks, serious ice program. Extensive list. Nice patio for lounging. Tapas food truck on-site.
• Tigress | cocktails, beer | Easy, casual spot with smaller cocktail list, classics. Reasonably priced. Good spot to start before Foreign and Domestic
• Foreign and Domestic | farm to table, Modern American diner-esque | Grab a seat by the kitchen to catch the action.  Comfort style food, amped up. Love popovers and tartare to start.
• Biscuits and Groovy | food truck, breakfast, indulgent | Best. Hangover. Food.  Biscuits and gravy, spruced up with breakfast goodness.
• Bar Congress | cocktails, happy hour, modern American | Pristine, seasonal cocktails. Cozy room. Transition to Second for food and people watching or Congress for fine dining.
• G’Raj Mahal | food truck, modern Indian, BYOB | Wonderfully complex Indian dishes, not shy with spices or chilies.  Perfect for sharing in relaxed, outdoor atmosphere.
• Ms P’s Electric Cock | food truck, fried chicken |  Best fried chicken in Austin, IMHO. Cajun-esque spiced batter, consistently moist meat, yeast-risen waffles.  Bring beer.
• Juan in a Million | breakfast, Tex Mex, cheap |  If about to die from hangover, order Don Juan: mountain of potatoes, bacon, eggs, cheese w tortillas. Best $4.50 to turn stomach upright.  (Mr. Fury’s contribution)
• The Gingerman, The Brew Exchange, Banger’s | craft beer, pub | Lastly, I’m no beer guru but I do love a cold 1 every now and then.  These 3 spots all have extensive craft beer selections. The Gingerman is a lively, no-fuss pub that’s tucked Downtown. Brew Exchange’s prices change by demand and the time of day. Banger’s also specializes in sausages and has a dog park.
• Craft Pride | Texas Craft Beer | All Texas, all the time.  Drink up, my friends.  Read my article here.

Enjoy your stay in Austin and eat well, my friends.

There are many other places that I love (Fabi and Rosi, Olive and June, Peche…) and I know some Austinites may think that I’ve missed some others (Elizabeth St. Cafe, Lenoir, Contigo…).  I created this list by showcasing what cannot be easily found outside of Austin.  I also took proximity to popular areas into consideration.  Obviously, there are plenty more fantastic places to discover in Austin but when pressed for time, the list above will serve you well.

Locals, if your favourites were not listed, don’t freak out.  These are my personal picks, according to my palate, for my readership.  I respect yours.

What about barbeque, you ask?  To be honest, I’m no expert in this field.  We typically only eat BBQ on road trips, such as out towards Lockhart. I have also been to Snow’s, considered the holy grail by some.  The only time I’ve been to Franklin’s was while they were still a trailer and I cannot justify waiting in line for 3+ hours today.  (From what I’ve gathered from friends, their quality can be inconsistent.)

I enjoyed J Mueller a lot but have yet to visit his new spot since he recently reopened on the Eastside.  Still, my taste buds are not in tuned with BBQ yet so I’ll leave this category up to the serious fans.  (Check out Full and Content’s recent, comprehensive bbq round-up).

Enjoy your stay in Austin during SXSW, y’all!