The Foodandbeermonger

Carnevino and Raku - Las Vegas, NV

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:16:00 +0000

I just returned from my second Las Vegas weekend in five months (which is way too often). Although forgetting to take a camera, I was fortunate to have two very good meals while I was there.

Carnevino

Mario Batali's steakhouse in the Palazzo was our dinner spot for the first night. It is a typical Las Vegas steakhouse. It's crazy expensive with a large, crazy expensive wine list. Fortunately, it cooks a very good steak.

Our table started with a plate of impressive house cured meat and then ordered four house-made pastas to share. Chris thought the pastas were significantly inferior to those at Batali's Babbo in New York and I definitely agreed. They were not impressive. Nevertheless, this is a steakhouse and our steaks were excellent. My cousin and I shared a $150 porterhouse. It was one of the better steaks I've had in the last few years. The only problem was that it was luke warm after being cooked rare and then carved tableside. If I had it to do over again I would order it medium rare but it terms of flavor this steak was phenomenal--salty, juicy, and beefy. Certainly not worth $150 (pretty much no steak is) but it was wonderful.

Carnevino

Palazzo Hotel

3325 Las Vegas Blvd.

Las Vegas, NV

www.carnevino.com

Raku: Japanese Charcoal Grill

Our second night dinner was at Raku, an off strip Japanese restaurant with about 20 seats. For $50 a person, we had roughly 12-14 courses of impeccably prepared food. The only downside to this meal was that I was neither prepared--physically or mentally--for the quantity nor the richness of the meal. Nevertheless, here are some of the highlights. A smoothly textured housemade tofu with tomatoes and seaweed; Crazy good pan-fried soft shell crab served with spinach and sauteed mushrooms; ridiculously flavorful grilled mushrooms; asparagus tempura; smokey grilled tomatoes; the most moist fried chicken imaginable, unbelievably rich and decadent Kobe beef livers; bluefin tuna belly soup; foie gras soup and noodles; salmon, salmon skin and salmon roe rice; Kobe beef filet with wasabi; and braised pork belly. An unbelievable meal for an unbelievable value.

I think the kitchen underestimated our desire to eat weird, unusual ingredients though. I was really hoping for some fish and meat guts and a pork ear. We asked the kitchen to just cook for us and by the time the meal was over there was no conceivable way I could have ordered anything else.

Any gastronomically curious person should make the 10 minute trip off the strip into Chinatown to eat here. The trek will not go unrewarded.

Raku

5030 Spring Mountain Rd.

Las Vegas, NV 89146

www.raku-grill.com

Obama Visits Ray's Hell Burger

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:53:00 +0000

The president visited Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington today for lunch. They put out what is by far the best burger in the D.C. metro area. This probably is the first respectable thing he has done since he became president.

Vino Vino - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:04:00 +0000

I hate wine bars that play off the word "wine" in their names. Vino Vino is a perfect example. It's so cheesy. Joe's Wine Bar would be an infinitely better name. Nevertheless, after reading that the mussels and fries were good, Sweetmonger and I decided to try it. The awful name is in no way an indication of the quality of the food. Our meal was very good.

It's seat yourself and not wanting to take up one of the larger tables we opted for a seat at the bar. The wine list isn't extensive but it's well chosen and our wines were very good. They also have 3 Real Ale beers and 1 Chimay on tap. After my wine I ordered a Real Ale Pale Moon Rye. I haven't mentioned this beer before, but I've been drinking a lot of it lately. It is very well done and has an assertive flavor and beautiful color.

Vino Vino's food was very good. We each ordered two appetizers for our meal. The portions are substantial, and I can't imagine how big their "main" courses are. Sweetmonger went with a lemony chicken soup. It was nice. I had Pork Belly, chard and a carrot gastrique. This dish had a lot of flavor. The Pork Belly was crispy and salty on the outside and fatty, moist and tender on the inside. Just like it should be. I almost loved it; however, it had one problem. I think it stayed in the kitchen a little too long as it was not as warm as it should have been. I am usually a stickler for correct temperature but it tasted so good that I didn't care that much.

For our main courses, we each ordered mussels and fries. The broth was classic: white wine and tarragon. And the fries were served with a delicious aioli. Although these mussels were good the broth by itself was a step below that which we had at The Clay Pit a couple weeks ago. However, when the aioli was mixed in, these mussels were almost every bit as good.

For dessert we ordered a sheep's milk cheese served with red grapes and black pepper. We don't order dessert very often, but I was glad we did this time. It was great.

Vino Vino may become a dining staple for me. I just hope the temperature on the pork belly was a one time screw up, because if they think that is the temperature at which it should be served, then the kitchen has a major problem.

Vino Vino

www.vinovinotx.com

4119 Guadalupe St.

Austin, TX

The Clay Pit - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:51:00 +0000

It always makes you feel good to walk into an Indian restaurant and see a large Indian family eating at a table. Whether it is an accurate predictor of what's to come is another story but it certainly gives you a little confidence that a really good meal is around the corner. Nevertheless, I did not expect anything great from The Clay Pit. I have been disappointed too many times with the food in Austin, and even after walking up to the restaurant surrounded by an amazing two block radius of Indian aroma, I wasn't getting my hopes up.

To say the least, The Clay Pit is one of the better restaurants I have been to in Austin, Texas, and I will be returning again and again. The food is perfectly seasoned, perfectly prepared and ridiculously tasty. Sweetmonger and I started off with and appetizer of Mussels simmered in a garlic, red wine curry. I've eaten a lot of mussels at a lot of different restaurants. These were the best I've ever had. The whole wheat spinach and paneer naan was the perfect bread to soak up the remaining curry sauce too. This may very well be the best single dish I've eaten in since moving to Austin.

Needless to say, our main courses didn't quite live up to the heights of the mussels but they were still very good. I went with the goat curry. The goat meat was falling off the bone tender was a super moist. The curry of ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, tomatoes and onions was robust yet deeply flavored. I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. Even better, the meal went perfectly with my Samuel Smith India Pale Ale. Sweetmonger's main was a great Biryani with a delicious Raita sauce. We tend to be tough to impress, but The Clay Pit did it with room to spare.

The Clay Pit

www.claypit.com

1601 Guadalupe St.

Austin, TX 78701

Top Chef - Season 5

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:59:00 +0000

I will never watch another episode of Top Chef. The idea that they chose Hosea as Top Chef is ridiculous. His food is boring and unappealing. But I guess this is what you get when you choose contestants for a cooking competition based on how well they translate to TV and not on how good their food is.

Schwa - Chicago, IL

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:25:00 +0000

I ate at Schwa over a year ago, right before the now infamous Charlie Trotter dinner that preceded its closing. The dinner is chronicled in this interesting profile of Schwa's chef/owner Michael Carlson.

My meal at Schwa was extraordinary. Despite being served a short rib main course that was not my favorite (sweetmonger and I are the only people in America who don't like short ribs), Schwa at the time was the best meal of my life. It remains probably the second best meal I have ever had, second only to my February 2008 meal at Town House.

I still think about many of the dishes I had there. There was a cauliflower soup that was so rich and decadent. I had no idea cauliflower could taste like that. There was a panzanella with tripe which utilized the absolute most flavorful tomatoes imaginable. As I ate this dish, tears came to my eyes. The raw quail egg ravioli was a bold display of talent that is never far from my mind. And the pad Thai jellyfish. This dish is just amazing, perfect in every way.

Michael Carlson and his staff serve food that is, I don't want to say unparalleled, but certainly uncommon in its attention to detail and its ability to create crazy yet perfect flavor combinations. It is easily one of the best restaurants in America. I have not eaten at Alinea, Charlie Trotter's or Curtis Duffy's Avenues but if I was given the chance to eat only one more Chicago meal in my life, I probably would choose Schwa.

Schwa

www.schwarestaurant.com

1466 N. Ashland

Chicago, IL 60662

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon - Las Vegas, NV

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:17:00 +0000

Thanks to some unexpected blackjack winnings and spurred on by a horrible meal the night before, I decided to get dinner at L'Atelier in the MGM Grand before I left Las Vegas. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I don't know much about Joel Robuchon or the style of cooking (other than it's French) that goes on in his restaurants. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a really good meal. It certainly wasn't exceptional, but there were just enough superb courses so that I left impressed.

Foie Gras parfait with port wine and Parmesan foam

This was a knockout. It was richer than many of the amuses I've had but the flavors were incredible and each distinct component was distinguishable. Superb.

Lobster Carpaccio with delicate aromatics and shellfish oil

It was good. The frissee salad on top was distracting both texturally and flavor-wise. This dish needs some tweaking.

Poached baby Kusshi oysters with French butter

The oysters were served on top of some coarse salt. I ate the first one and thought it was pretty good but I added a little bit of the coarse salt to the other two and it completely changed the dish. The kitchen should instruct diners to do this. Really Good.

Seared fresh scallop on a bed of truffled macaroni

My waiter talked up how good the homemade macaroni was. He was wrong. Also, the scallop was not of high quality. Okay but shouldn't be served.

Carmelized duck foie gras with chestnut confit and truffle veloute

There was some Iberico ham in there too. Really Good.

Steamed Seabass filet with spicy confit peppers

This dish also had the L'Atelier take on potato chips. The fish was cooked perfectly. A solid course but nothing that I could not get at a less expensive restaurant. Good.

Peppered venison with quince puree

Wow. This is one of the best red meat courses I have ever had. It was a fairly simple dish but was executed to absolute perfection. The meat was out of this world good. Not gamey at all. The sweetness of the quince and the richness of the venison melded nicely. Excellent.

Pineapple infusion Tahitian cheesecake

Pineapple cheesecake topped with a graham cracker and pineapple sorbet. Ridiculously good.

Light coffee cream served with coconut mil and lemon from Corsica

After the first dessert, this was a huge let down. It was just a decent chocolate dessert. Nothing interesting or inspiring.

Rating L'Atelier is difficult. It is certainly not 4 cutting board status. Really not even close although some of the dishes are certainly worthy of it on an individual basis. A meal consisting of larger versions of the foie parfait, the oysters, the venison and the pineapple cheesecake dish would have probably been one of the top 5 meals of my life. However, the inclusion of some of the other dishes certainly detracted from my dining experience. Overall, L'Atelier is not as good as any of the other restaurants I have given 3 1/2 cutting boards to but it is better than all of my 3 cutting board restaurants.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand

www.mgmgrand.com/dining/atelier-joel-robuchon-french-restaurant.aspx

Maggot Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:07:00 +0000

It's exactly what it sounds like. Russian Monger sent me this link today and I was a little freaked out. I consider myself to be a pretty adventurous eater and there are very few things I will not eat. However, I refuse to eat maggots.

This cheese sounds like it's more up Simplemonger's alley anyway.

If there is anyone out there who reads my blog who has had this, please let me know what it's like.

Mint Indian Restaurant- Bluefield, WV

noreply@blogger.com (cakemonger) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:50:00 +0000

I had an amazing authentic Indian dinner a few nights ago in the unlikely location of Bluefield, West Virginia. This place is right on par with, if not better than, many of the casual Indian restaurants I have frequented in cities and neighborhoods known for their Indian cuisine.

We learned that Chef Robbie has been cooking at Mint for around 6 months. He was trained as a chef in India, and cooked there for 17 years before coming to West Virginia to work for Mr. Patel, a family friend of his who owns the restaurant and the adjoining Economy Inn. Chef Robbie is incredibly talented, and Mr. Patel and his staff are welcoming and gracious hosts.

Everything we were served was fresh and homemade. There were 8 of us, so it was the perfect opportunity to sample a good variety of dishes on the menu. Started with some delicious shrimp and vegetable fritters, chicken chaat, then we were served a beautiful seafood chowder (was not on the menu), followed by a trio of south Indian dosas and uttapam. Our "main dishes" included a mixed grill of tandoori chicken, lamb, and seafood, lamb biryani and vindaloo, 2 types of dal, okra, and cauliflower - all were incredible. The homemade cheese in the saag paneer was also a standout - so much that as stuffed as we were, we could not resist ordering the two types of fried cheese dumplings (again homemade) that were offered for dessert.

It's more than an hour drive for me, but I plan to make the trip often. You just don't find Indian cuisine on this level in this part of the country . . . if at all.

Mint Indian Restaurant
3200 E. Cumberland Rd
Bluefield, WV
304-325-9111
Open Tues-Sun- lunch buffet 11:30-3; dinner 5-10 pm
They do not serve alcohol - next time I will inquire about BYO - not familiar with WV laws on this . . .

Jasper's - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:57:00 +0000

Sweetmonger and I celebrated my birthday (a few days early) on Saturday at Jasper's in The Domain. Jasper's is a place I have wanted to eat at for a while. A few months ago, I was lazying around on the couch one weeknight and saw an Iron Chef America rerun with Kent Rathbun battling Bobby Flay. Then, the very next night I caught a Bon Appetite TV special naming Jasper's barbecued ribs as the country's second best. Even though Jasper's is a mini-chain in Texas (3 locations and a fourth opening soon), this TV publicity (I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff) made Jasper's a must go and we finally made it up there this past weekend.

The menu is enticing (for the most part) and certainly conforms to the restaurant's tag line: Gourmet Backyard Cuisine. The only turn off is the inclusion of 5 or 6 "fine steaks" which range in price from $32 - $67. Expensive steaks are one of those things that rarely meet expectations and I prefer to just stay away from them. And at a restaurant like this where they appear to be nothing more than an afterthought and are certainly not consistent with the restaurant's theme, I would prefer they just be left off the menu.

That being said, Sweetmonger and I enjoyed out meal. We started off with prosciutto wrapped shrimp and grits. It's hard not to like this dish. Fat, juicy grilled shrimp wrapped in salty prosciutto served over top of creamy grits and blue corn chips. Really good.

Next, we split a grilled asparagus, tomato, red onion and blue cheese salad. The presentation was nothing to write home about but the tomatoes and asparagus had a lot of flavor and the blue cheese was definitely a compliment instead of being the unintended, overpowering centerpiece that it so often is. Well-done.

We also decided to share two main courses. First we opted, obviously, for the ribs. Are these the the second best ribs in America or even the best in Austin? Who the hell knows? But I will let the pictures do the talking.

Before:

After:

These ribs are excellent. They have a crispy, outer texture. The barbecue sauce is spicy and deeply flavored. And the meat is smokey, fall-off the bone tender and super moist. I could eat them again and again. Sweetmonger, who usually doesn't particularly like ribs, was in love with these. Additionally, they came with a pretty tasty "creamy baked potato salad," which can best be described as Jasper's take on cheese fries.

Unfortunately, our other main course was an unmitigated disaster. It was some type of firm white fish along with grilled shrimp served with fingerling potatoes and some type of hideous green brie cream sauce. This was just terrible. The seasoning on the fish was ridiculously sporadic. Some bites had absolutely no flavor while others were unbelievably over-salted. Further complicating this mess was that the sauce was not only hideously ugly but also tasted like nothing. It was completely useless. A third of the fish went uneaten. The only thing it was good for was dipping the shrimp in the side of extra sauce that came with the ribs.

For dessert we went with a simple chocolate cake. The cake itself was good but a little dry. However, dipping the cake into the side container of what can best be described as melting vanilla ice cream turned an otherwise okay dessert into something very enjoyable. It was much like a hot-fudge brownie.

Jasper's is good, and we would definitely go back for the ribs at some point but as good as they were there are plenty of other rib places that we must try first. Ultimately, 4 of the 5 dishes were good enough to warrant a 3 cutting board rating; however, the horrific entree cannot be overlooked.

Jasper's at The Domain

www.kentrathbun.com/jaspers/austin

11506 Century Oaks Terrace

Austin, TX 78758

Kyoto - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Sweetmonger and I went to the happy hour at Kyoto last night. So far, we have found Austin sushi to be sub-par and drastically overpriced relative to its quality (Musashino being the most high profile offender; at few places have I had blander fish) so we were excited to get some "cheap" sushi.

The line outside waiting for the restaurant to open seemed promising and suggested that the food must be somewhat tasty. Then again, a place like Musashino is inexplicably one of Austin's most popular restaurants. So, we were not really sure what to expect.

Overall, we found the food to be pretty tasty: better than most of the sushi places I've eaten in Austin but no where near the level that would bring me back on a regular basis. And if I had to pay full price, I would never go back.

The best thing we had actually wasn't sushi at all but rather some steamed pork dumplings. They were pretty good and were similar to (although nowhere near as good) the mind blowing dumplings at Marco and Luca's in Charlottesville, Virginia. The fish was fine. I had no complaints about my snapper or salmon. However, the sauce on my eel was way too thick and syrupy. It was very distracting. The rolls turned out fine, although I advise ordering the longhorn roll so that it comes out last because its spicy sauce, while good, tends to linger in the mouth.

We will return for the happy hour. Although it is not a great value, it is about as good as it gets in Austin.

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

www.kyotodowntown.com

315 Congress Ave.

Austin, TX 78701

Town House - Chilhowie, VA

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:15:00 +0000

One of the perks of being from Southwestern Virginia is that when visiting family one is able to dine at one of America's very best restaurants. Sweetmonger had to go back to Austin a few days early so she and I snuck away from the family to dine at Town House on Saturday night. As expected, it was an interesting, excellent meal.

The opening amuses were the best I've had at Town House. First was an Asian spiced walnut which left the taste of Chinese food in the mouth (trust me, a very good thing). Next was the Town House black olive cookie with Parmesan cheese. These cookies are just amazingly good; they should be packaged and sold. The last was a crab chip. We had had a version of this a few months ago but this one was topped with an incredibly succulent morsel of crab.

Before the main courses began we got a palate cleanser of spiced Asian pear tea. Amazingly refreshing. I could have drunk a gallon of it.

I was a little hesitant about the first course after reading the menu: King crab on top of a Kaffir lime gelee and grapefruit with tamarind and a coconut foam side topped with a crispy muscavado sugar shell. I had a version of this dish a few months ago and did not particularly like it. It was too hard to eat and the grapefruit was too prevalent. However, after eating it last night, I have done a complete 180. It was just about perfect. The crab was really flavorful, the coconut foam and the Kaffir lime gelee were wonderful and in perfect balance and the sugar shell's texture brought everything together. This dish should never leave the menu.

The second course was even better if that is possible. Black truffle puree, bacon ice cream, celery, celery foam. It was just a wonderfully executed display of bold flavors, textures and aromas. Insanely good.

The third course was chorizo bouillon with three different types of gnocchi: manchego cheese, egg yolk and cuttlefish. It had a wonderful presentation and was pretty tasty but was probably my least favorite dish of the meal.

Sous vide squab with coriander, Thai basil, foie gras golden egg jam and a root beer consume was the fourth course. This was an exquisite dish, both in taste and presentation (the picture does not do it justice). The squab was very moist and super tender and was certainly the focal point of the dish. The foie gras jam (which tasted like sweet butter), coriander, basil and root beer consume created a wonderful, subtle compliment. A restrained yet excellent dish.

The fifth course (what is usually the final savory course on the menu) was one bold, decadent and absolutely amazing plate of food. Lamb loin wrapped in saddle fat and sous vide in nicoise olive oil for 36 hours and served with carrot taffy (exactly what it sounds like), pistachio croutons, mustard seeds and an herb and red wine foam.

Sweetmonger and I requested the barbecued pork shoulder with a pickled prune, bread ashes and shallots cooked in black butter. This is such a cool dish. The pork is sous vide, cooked on top of coals and then painted with squid ink. The result is a piece of tender, moist meat that looks exactly like burnt tree bark. It tastes like really good BBQ. The prune and the shallots were also quite tasty; however, the focus of this course is definitely the presentation. Such a fun course to eat.

Our first dessert was a Gorgonzola custard. I really cannot remember what was in here. It was very complicated. Some type of Gorgonzola pudding and maybe some cranberry ice cream. It tasted great though.

Next came what Town House calls Crab Apple. This is a stunning dessert. The flavors are familiar (apple pie, vanilla ice cream and funnel cake) but they are so much more intense than anything I have ever had. Wow!

Our final course was the night's most intricate and was absolutely delicious. It had curry ice cream, Hubbard squash, white chocolate and granola. It was a spot-on perfect ending to another great meal at Town House.

I also went back to Town House for New Years Eve. The menu was similar but there were a few new dishes. The night's opening course was Marinated oysters, osetra caviar, sorrel and jalapeno. This was a light, well-balanced first-course. Everything was there to heighten the senses and the use of the jalapeno was perfect. It was subtle and added no heat.

The main entree was Wagyu beef with bulgar wheat, snail caviar and the flavors of parsley. The beef was perfectly cooked: insanely tender and oozing with flavor. Everything else created an earthy flavor and texture. I really enjoyed this course.

I also had two new desserts. The first was Textures of Milk with honey and nutmeg. I truthfully don't really know what was in this dish. But suffice it to say it is a tough course (dessert or otherwise) to top. It was excellent.

The other new dessert was Pumpernickel, chocolate, seckel pear and sangria. It was the richest dessert I've had at Town House and it worked well because it was the third dessert in the progression. It was very chocolaty and utilized multiple textures. All around, it was a great way to end 2008.

In the two meals, I had a glass of wine with almost everywhere course. Charlie, Town House's wine guy, does a great job pairing beverages. The wines he chooses are always very good and appropriate, and he even throws in a few unexpected beer pairings (which I of course love).

Furthermore, at what other modern, progressive restaurant can one dine on some of the country's best cuisine while listening to background music including Robert Earl Keen? Town House is just an amazing restaurant. Every part of the meal from the amuses to the desserts are superb. There is not a let down anywhere. Thus, there is little doubt that it remains The Monger's favorite American restaurant.

Town House

www.townhouseva.com

townhouseblog.blogspot.com

132 E. Main St.

Chilhowie, VA 24319

Fonda San Miguel

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 04:08:00 +0000

"Exemplary Mexican." "Austin's premiere Mexican restaurant." "Overrated and overpriced." People have used all of these to describe perhaps Austin's most famous restaurant. Sweetmonger and I have been here for four months, and we finally decided to see for ourselves where Fonda San Miguel stands. Nothing there was as good as the exotic taco at Polvos but then again few culinary creations are, and the overall impression we came away with is that it's good but certainly overpriced.

Obviously, we started with chips and salsa. The chips themselves are unexceptional but the accompanying salsas are pretty good. They mix sweet and spicy very well and are a great way to start a meal. We both decided to order a corn and pablano soup. Its texture kind of reminded me of polenta which was a little surprising to say the least. However, flavor wise it was a very good soup. Probably the second best I've had in Austin behind the smoked tomato soup at Zoot.

Our main courses were good but disappointing. We split something with crab that was actually very good. However, Sweetmonger went solo with a trio of tostados. One topped with chicken, one topped with pork and one topped with guacamole. They were okay. The guacamole was a little weak and the chicken was not very well seasoned. The pork though was pretty tasty. My main course was a nightly special: shredded duck stuffed enchiladas topped with a spinach something cream sauce. I hoped for more. The duck tasted good but the sauce was . . . . well there just wasn't much there.

Although slightly disappointed in the food, we did enjoy some good Margaritas and Fonda San Miguel does appear to be a good place to meet for drinks and grab a couple appetizers. However, given the many excellent Mexican restaurants located throughout Austin, it is unlikely we will be returning often to Fonda San Miguel. There is simply better food at a lower price point elsewhere.

Fonda San Miguel

www.fondasanmiguel.com

2330 W. North Loop Blvd.

Austin, TX 78756

Wink Restaurant - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:39:00 +0000

Thanks to a very nice gift certificate, Sweetmonger and I decided to try Wink for the second time. The meal was very much like our first. Wink is not a hard restaurant to figure out. The kitchen uses somewhat uncommon ingredients to prepare simple food which it plates elegantly.

Two meals have produced six savory courses. Nothing has been exceptional but everything has been tasty and the occasional dish has been very good. This weekend I went with a braised veal cheek and whipped potato appetizer. Our waiter described it as a decadent pot-roast, which was a very spot-on description. The meat was amazingly tender and the flavor was nice. Something crunchy would have been a nice textural contrast with the tender meat and the smooth potatoes but overall this was a successful creation.

For my entree, I went with the grilled antelope. Three slices of medium-rare antelope were served on top of Siberian kale, a baked baby yam and a parsnip-turnip puree. The antelope had a nice, gamey flavor, although one slice was tougher than the other two. The baked baby yam, the crunchy kale and the puree were delicious accompaniments.

Nothing spectacular comes out of the kitchen at Wink but it does deliver high quality, tasty food. However, the restaurant is over-priced relative to the quality, especially the appetizers. Without the gift-certificate, it would not have been worth it. I seem to find this is the case with all fine dining in Austin. The city has great grocery stores and farmers' markets, excellent Mexican and wonderful barbeque. But so far, high-end restaurants have been a vast disappointment. If there are restaurants out there that I need to try, please let me know.

www.winkrestaurant.com

A Historic Night

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:23:00 +0000

November 4, 2008, will always be remembered as the night FX aired the third to last episode of The Shield. Vic Mackey v. Shane Vendrell is coming to a head. Vendrell has to die; it's the only way. I cannot wait for the finale.

Oh yeah, and the American people, in a slightly ironic twist, elected a Marxist as the Leader of the Free World. Let's see: higher taxes, greater regulation and drastically increased government spending. Sounds to me like the beginning of a once in a lifetime period of booming economic growth. Way to go guys.

St. Arnold Brewing

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:58:00 +0000

The beer transition to Austin has been a little tough. Not that the town is lacking in quality brews but mostly because America's greatest brewery is absent from the entire state. Bell's Beer and Larry Bell create the best beer in the country. There is nothing better than HopSlam or Two Heated Ale, and yet, they are missing for our second largest state. What gives?

When I moved, my former employer gave me a case of Two Hearted and I brought a second one along. I thought they would last forever but soon found out that I was down to my last one. Thus, a vigorous search began for a new go-to brewery. After many long days and numerous taste tests, I think I have finally found it: St. Arnold Brewing Company out of Houston.

This is a brewery operating at the upper echelon of its craft. The Elissa IPA is hoppy and robustly flavored yet near perfectly balanced. The Texas Wheat is wonderfully refreshing and the Lawnmower is a very nice American Kolsch. The Christmas Ale has just hit store shelves, and it will be the next beer in my fridge. Although not as good as Bell's, St. Arnold is a worthy successor.

www.saintarnold.com

One of the Best Hours of My Life

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:22:00 +0000

So, I possibly just experienced one of the greatest hours of my life. It started with watching the DVR of Tuesday's The Shield, which may very well be the greatest and most compelling show in TV history. What an eposide: an absolute game-changer. Only 5 episodes remaining . . . ever. To make it even better, during a commericial break, I was graced with the preview for the 24 movie next month. As soon as the episode was over, I got on the internet and almost immediately came across the preview for Lost season 5. And I finished this all off with a St. Arnold Elissa IPA. Oh, what an hour.

Zoot - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:09:00 +0000

Sweetmonger and I hit up Zoot a couple weekends ago. The restaurant is located in an unassuming, gray house just west of downtown. Fortunately, the food at Zoot stands out where the house does not. The restaurant is owned by the same people who operate Wink, and the food is very similar. Fresh, local ingredients are the key and each main course has essentially the same construction. A well-prepared protein is paired with a couple vegetables and a sauce of some kind. The presentations are simple and efficient (not necessarily a bad thing).

We each ordered an appetizer. Sweetmonger went with beef tartare topped with a poached egg. It was good. I ordered a smoke infused, beef brisket tasting tomato soup with a grilled mozzarella sandwich. It was borderline exceptional.

Sweetmonger's main course was pan seared escolar with sweet corn coulis, mushroom rice and a green bean salad. She really liked it. I had grilled hebi (tuna like fish) with mushrooms, braised greens and a red-curry sauce. Also on the plate was a completely unnecessary potato cake; it was terrible. Other than that, the dish was quite tasty.

I would definitely try Zoot again; however, without the gift certificate we used, I consider it slightly over-priced relative to its overall quality.

Zoot

www.zootrestaurant.com

509 Hearn St.

Austin, TX 78703

Green Mesquite and the Socializing of America

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Since moving to Austin (and for a few months prior), I have been attempting to eat healthy. Vegetables, fruits, fish and lean meats have been plentiful in my diet. However, if the Bush Administration can lose its mind and abandon the free market principles that have produced that greatest expansion of wealth and prosperity in American history during the last 27 years or so, I can surely abandon a few months of eating healthy, at least for a day. Such was the case on Saturday night, when Sweetmonger and I hit up Green Mesquite.

After a week in which Hank Paulson and the all-knowing Ben Bernanke pretty much abandoned the entire basis of the American economy, I needed some comfort food. And Green Mesquite is nothing but, although not the best I have ever had.

As an aside, it's surprising we're allowing Ben and Hank to craft a "solution" after a year in which every thing they have tried has failed. Perhaps one day people will quit being stupid and realize that maybe, just maybe, government doesn't have the answers. Furthermore, what in the history of the world gives anyone any confidence that government can craft a "solution" to a financial crisis. The history of government regulation is one of nothing but failure. (The great American Ron Paul says it better than I ever could) But I digress.

Back to Green Mesquite. It is a barbecue joint, plain and simple. Brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken and ribs make up the bulk of the menu. The restaurant also offers some delicious chicken wings smothered in a sweet, smokey sauce. After these, I was feeling a little better about my life and was looking forward to my pulled pork sandwich. Unfortunately, after a week like that, good things only come in small doses. The pulled pork was fairly dry and I smothered it in table-side barbeque sauce to make it edible.

The government spent the week socializing the risk in financial markets. I guess it was too much to ask that I would find a good place to comfort my horror. I will return to Green Mesquite. It is a 5 minute walk from my apartment. However, I will be staying away from the pork. Most of my attention will be focused on the chicken wings.

(this rating is due solely to the deliciousness of the wings)

Green Mesquite

www.greenmesquite.net

1400 Barton Springs Rd.

Austin, TX 78704

An Afterword: It is slightly ironic that the president derided by the left as the evil, ultimate conservative is going to go down in history as the greatest force for socialism in the United States since FDR.

Why Did I Move to Austin?

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:45:00 +0000

I love Austin, Texas. I've only been here a little over a month but can already say confidently that, all things considered, it is the best place in America for me to live. However, the only drawback is that I am a 16 hour drive or a double-connection flight from the Town House Grill in Chilhowie, Virginia. I haven't thought about this since I moved, but then I came across this: http://www.townhouseva.com/Town%20House090608.pdf

It's the menu from a 22-course foie gras and caviar tasting the restaurant did over the weekend. There just isn't anyplace like this in Austin, and I cannot wait until Christmas break.

Olivia - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:44:00 +0000

Olivia is a fairly new, French/Italian fusion restaurant on South Lamar near my apartment. After analyzing the menu online, Sweetmonger and I decided to check it out. The restaurant is located in a gorgeous, modern building and the interior is just as attractive. In addition, the atmosphere is upbeat and certainly fun. However, notwithstanding the aesthetic beauty, I had plenty of problems with this restaurant.

First, the smell. It was borderline uncomfortable. I walked in and was immediately reminded of a public restroom about 30 minutes after a fresh cleaning. I'm not sure that is the first impression a new restaurant should be attempting to convey. Next, the service. It was a little uneven which is to be expected at a new restaurant so it really didn't bother me. What did bother me, however, was one of the waitresses walking by our table while saying in a normal speaking voice, "I cannot f**king believe this." Again, not really what I'm looking for in a restaurant, at least a semi-upscale one.

Now, we get to the food. Sweetmonger and I asked for recommendations and were directed to a veal tongue (apparently it was lamb tongue . . . which just shows how much of a let down it was since I cannot even remember it) appetizer. It was okay but easily disappointing considering it is the most expensive app on the menu. Our recommended entrees were not any better. I had the duck confit risotto. Blah. There was minimal duck in the dish and what was in there was very, very dry. It was a lot like watching Friends reruns: you don't really enjoy them but they are good enough to mind-numbingly pass some time. Sweetmonger's seafood and tomato broth was equally as bland, maybe slightly more so.

There just isn't a lot of flavor at Olivia. I wish it was better because it is close to my apartment, but I will not be returning anytime soon. There are many more restaurants I want to try first.

Olivia

http://ovlia-austin.com

2043 South Lamar Blvd.

Austin, TX 78704

Titaya's Thai Cuisine

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:20:00 +0000

Eating Thai food is one of the most pleasurable activities I can undertake. The wealth of flavors and textures are staggering, and my best culinary fortnight was my time in Thailand last December. In Washington, D.C., I frequented three solid and one very good Thai restaurant, and I have been eager to fill the void in Austin. After my meal at Titaya's Thai, I feel that I am off to a very nice start.

Titaya's Thai Cuisine is located in North Austin in an unassuming building with an attractive and welcoming interior. I, of course, dined with Sweetmonger and our meal began with skewers of lightly breaded then grilled mushrooms topped with house sweet and sour sauce. It was one of, if not, the best appetizer that I have had in a Thai restaurant (America or otherwise). It was a perfectly balanced dish. The mushrooms were front and center, but the breaded exterior was expertly textured. The char from the grill added an outdoorsy feel and the sweet and sour sauce made the plate distinctly Thai. It was very good.

My entree wasn't quite as good. I've tried pad Thai twice in Austin and both times I have been slightly disappointed. The pad Thai here is redder in color and I don't know . . . less peanutty and more tomatoey than what I'm used to. I am not sure if it is more ethnically accurate or not, but it isn't at the top of my favorites list. However, Sweetmonger's entree may be. She had Pad Praram with brown rice, which is chicken and vegetables stir-fried and topped with with light but intensely flavorful peanut sauce.

Furthermore, the staff at Titaya's was extremely friendly. Service was great and our waitress ran out the front door with my left over pad Thai as I was backing out of my parking space. Very good food and extremely reasonable prices: I am very happy we went there and am eager to return.

Titaya's Thai Cuisine

www.titayasthaicuisine.com

5501 N. Lamar Blvd.

Austin, TX 78751

DK Sushi - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Sweetmonger and I ate at our first sushi restaurant since we moved to Austin, and it was not good. The unfortunate meal took place at DK Sushi Bar in South Austin. Without doubt, it was one of the worst sushi meals I have ever had. The fish on the nigiri pieces had almost no flavor. They were so bland that I sipped my lemon water after each one just so that I would have a little taste in my mouth. Our rolls were not much better. They were essentially just seaweed and rice, as the chef was very stingy on the amount of fish he put it in. This was a bad meal and I will certainly never return to DK Sushi. I only hope that this experience is not characteristic of the Austin sushi scene.

DK Sushi Bar

www.dksushi.com

6400 South First St.

Austin, TX 78745

Crisp and Juicy

noreply@blogger.com (Simplemonger) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:54:00 +0000

There are certain local restaurants that everyone knows (Clydes, Ben’s Chilli Bowl), and there are restaurants that everyone should know. Crisp and Juicy qualifies as one of those restaurants.

Located in the Lee Heights shopping center in Arlington, Crisp and Juicy offers the best rotisserie chicken in Washington. Please note the definitive use of the word best – this is not up for debate. The chicken is perfectly moist, the skin is perfectly seasoned and the house sauces served on the side could possibly be my favorite condiment (that may not seem like a big honor but I love BBQ sauce. For a side sauce to top a good BBQ sauce is an impressive feat). I usually opt for the hot sauce but the mild is just as popular.

Crisp and Juicy also offers a number of sides that come with your meal. I am not a big fan of rice and beans, but they’re supposed to be great if that’s your thing. I prefer to opt to make a meal as unhealthy as possible so I like to order the fried yucca. It’s nothing special but its serves its purpose as a flavorful complement to chicken.

Make the trip to Arlington to visit Crisp and Juicy. The chicken is as good as you'll find and that’s all I've got to say about that.

Wink - Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (The Monger) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:45:00 +0000

I have a problem with expectations. To begin with, I think I am a pretty tough critic to please, especially at high-end restaurants. When I pay a lot of money for a meal, I expect perfection. In addition, I read way too much about restaurants before I visit them and I get myself psyched up for a possible exceptional meal. Usually though, my expectations are not met. Sometimes they are, like at CityZen, Komi, Town House and Michael Mina. However, just as often, the meal falls well below my expectations, i.e. at Le Bernardin, McCrady's, Citronelle and Daniel. Thus, when Sweetmonger and I visited Wink last night to celebrate our engagement, I made sure not to expect greatness. I simply wanted a good meal to contribute to our excitement. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by what Wink put forth.

Choosing a restaurant in a new city (We've been here just over a week) to celebrate an engagement is difficult. I didn't want to do Uchi because we had already tried it, and the Driskill Grill was out because within the last year it has lost both its Executive Chef and his sous chef. Thus, I was not convinced its astronomical prices would be a wise investment. I settled on Wink because it specializes in the type of fine dining that I have been led to believe most represents Austin: allowing fresh, local ingredients to speak for themselves.

As mentioned above, Wink is about fresh and local. The menu changes everyday and according to the restaurant, "99%" of the menu's ingredients are sourced from two local farms. If this is true, it is quite impressive. After a glass of champagne courtesy of my cousin Cakemonger (who lives about 1,500 miles away), Sweetmonger and I opted for the five course tasting menu.

The opening course was a very nicely done scallop dish. A perfectly seared, large, juicy, silky and sweet scallop was served with a celeriac puree and house made pancetta. The puree balanced out the saltiness of the pancetta and they went great with the scallop. This was a very good dish.

Second, we had a bison tartare served with truffled toast, porcini mushrooms, pickled garlic syrup and one small sliver of tomato. This was another very good dish; however, I would recommend placing four or five more tomatoes on the plate. The tomato was fresh and burst with summer flavor. I just wish I could of had more.

The third course was braised, local rabbit with house gnocchi and shaved black truffles. This was essentially a very good stew. The rabbit was tender and delicious and the truffles added some luxury to what was otherwise a "homely" dish. As tasty as this dish was, I am not sure it was the best thing to serve on a Austin August night. Nevertheless, I had no complaints with the flavors.

Our entree was seared venison with onion rings, crushed potatoes and a butternut squash puree. Outside of the crushed potatoes (which was just a basic hash brown) that tasted fine but added nothing to the dish, the entree was great. The venison was cooked as well as it can be. It was tender and so very good, and the onion rings were worthy of the Dip Dog Stand. For those of you who don't know, the Dip Dog Stand (www.dipdogs.net) is the best food stand in the country. It is located in southwestern Virginia and serves corn-dogs unlike anything you have ever seen or tasted, and their onion rings are greasy and wonderful.

Our final course was a very good cheese plate, which we opted for instead of a sweet dessert. Nothing we had at Wink wowed us, but at the same time nothing was disappointing and we had few complaints. The meal was very good. Furthermore, Cakemonger had phoned the restaurant to let them know that we were celebrating our engagement. Needless to say, we were surprised when we got there and our service was excellent. Wink is definitely a restaurant to which we would return, but perhaps only for a special occasion because it is expensive and I am now a poor law student.

Wink

http://www.winkrestaurant.com

1014 North Lamar Blvd.

Austin, TX 78703