Essentials!

So... I guess I took a LONG summer vacation! Thanks to all of you who still check in to see if I'm alive and to my friends for encouraging me to start blogging again! So I'm back! And I'm so excited to be!

During my summer vacay, Andrea showed me an article that was in Eater Austin. Highlighting 38 of Austin's essential restaurant's, the article made me curious to a) try all these places! b) find out from you, my dear readers, what are some of your Austin essential eateries. Check out the article here.

I was pretty psyched to see the East Side Kings was on the list! And a few places I've been dying to try were on there too...including the place I went to eat at this very night! So stay tuned as I will be reviewing it tomorrow... I wonder which restaurant it was! Any guesses?


Happy Eating!
Deepika

The East Side is King

I'm a big fan of Asian fusion food. It may be my favorite genre, if that is possible. So it was quite a delight to discover a food trailer that fell under this theme. Plus, it's on the back patio of a bar on East 6th. (Not dirty 6th!)

East Side King sets in the back of the outside sitting area at the Liberty. I have to say, it's pretty awesome to have food trailers set up at a bar. I mean, a beer and some food. Super winning.

Aleza, her mommy Jill (my second mother) and I went there recently, while Jilly was visiting for Mother's Day. We ordered an assortment of food, including rice, sweet potatoes, the Chicken Kara'age, both plain and the pho buns. Yum. I'd say our favorite of the evening was definitely the Chicken. It was crispy on the outside but moist and tender on the inside. 

Some little facts about East Side King. It was started by three of the chefs from Uchi, a fancy, gourmet restaurant down South which is supposed to be AMAZING. One of the chefs, Paul Qui, just won Season 9 of Food Network's Top Chef.

To learn more about East Side King, check out their website and their Facebook page.

I mean, look at our faces, I think we are enjoying ourselves.

Happy Eating!

C is for Cookie

Want a really awesome shortbread cookie that is decorated with cool animals?!

Check out Quack's Bakery, located on 43rd and Duval. They have always have an assortment of cookies, cakes, pastries and pies. And great coffee, though I am partial to their hot chocolate. It's amazing.

Momma Modali's Chicken Curry

When I really start to miss my parents, I cook. Indian food. That intense curry smell, that some people can't stand, is one of the most comforting aromas and my nose craves it. The other night was no exception. I missed my Mom and I decided to make a dish that she didn't practically like making because it was a chicken dish BUT would make because I loved it so much. The ever simple, but so delicious, chicken curry.

So I'm gonna share my momma's recipe, along with some options, if you are like me and like to mix up sometimes.

You will need:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Water
Chicken, cubed (1 package of chicken breasts will do the trick!)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tomato chopped
Sour cream
Cilantro (optional)
Spices: turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin, garam masala, chicken curry spice (optional)

Heat a saute pan on the stove. Toss in onions with a spoonful or so of oil. After onions become translucent, add a teaspoon of turmeric. Saute and then add tomatoes. Then add chili powder (amount is up to you depending on your spiciness level), a teaspoon each coriander, cumin and garam masala. If you want a more stereotypical, tastes like the restaurant, you can add chicken curry spice. I have recently been adding just a pinch or two, just for a different blend of flavors. Mix well, then add chicken. If you like sauce, this would be the time to add some water. Again, this amount is up to you, but I would start tentatively. Cook on low heat and let chicken simmer. Stir periodically. When chicken is cooked (to test, cut open a piece and make sure it isn't pink), add sour cream. This is make the sauce more creamy. I also have started to add cornstarch, which makes the sauce thicker but doesn't affect the taste. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.

Along the way, while the chicken is cooking, I am constantly taste testing and adding more of the spices. This is where Indian cooking is very personal. My mom always tells me not to get so hung up on recipes and to just cook how you feel. And this is coming from a woman who only cooks for necessity (but her food is soooo good --- Mom, if you are reading this, I love you and your food! Come to Austin and feed me please!) So feel free to add more of any spice.

I like to serve this on a bed of basmati rice. It is also good with a side of Naan, a thick Indian bread. It can be garnished with cilantro.

I hope you get a chance to try this!  Are there any other Indian recipes you would like to see on here?

Happy Eating!
Deepika

South Congress Cafe

Since I mentioned South Congress Street yesterday, I thought I'd follow that up with my favorite restaurant in that area. Hands down, South Congress Cafe. I've eaten there several times and have never been disappointed. Not only does it have a really cool atmosphere, almost stark in decor, the food is to die for.

        

Aleza and I played hooky one day and had a girl's play day which included shopping, the Big Top Candy  Shop and having a lunch at South Congress Cafe. We had this planned for a while and we were both jumping out of our skin in excitement. I can't even tell you. We had to wait an hour and it didn't even matter, despite our hunger. Worth every minute.




Once we were sitting, it was on. Seriously, I was so anxious to order that I wanted to rip the menu out of the waiter's hands. Have I not expressed how amazing the food is here? I mean, even the bread and butter they serve before hand is amazing. Sometimes the butter is flavored with herbs and sometimes it's just rich and creamy but regardless it literally melts in your mouth.

Another amazing this here? The drinks. They are fancy and fresh and full of fruity goodness. Aleza had a cucumber martini without the tini and plus tea. It was so cool and refreshing. And I had the elderflower martini. St. Germain is my favorite liquor so anytime I see it on a menu, I get super excited. Plus, the word elderflower is very romantic.

Honestly, despite how famished we were, I have NO idea how we finally made our food decisions. We went back and forth. I mean, honestly, I usually have a bit of a hard time with menus since I'm naturally indecisive but food is something I know. I know what I like or if I feel like trying something new. But when everything on the menu is something I want to eat or try, what do I do?

Okay, I will stop raving and finally share what we ate.

               


Miss Aleza ordered Braised Short Rib Pasta. Those who know me know that I'm super weird about meat and eggs. But wow was this good. The ribs were braised with an arbor chile burgundy sauce complimented with olives, capers, basil, grano padano cheese served with rigatoni pasta.

I finally decided on the Pan Seared Sea Bass which was served on top of chorizo refried blacks and  accented with shitake mushrooms and leeks. On the side came an avocado, corn and crab salad. And this dish was cooked with white truffle oil. A dead giveaway that something you are about to eat is going to be good is if you see the words "truffle oil" on the menu.

The portion of the Sea Bass was a little small (and our waiter did inform me of this ahead of time), but I thought it was perfect. If you have a big appetite, this dish is recommended with a side salad or a cup of soup.


 Now that I have made you extremely hungry and incredibly jealous of our lunch date, I think it's time you check out South Congress Cafe.  Do be aware that there will be a wait but it's worth it. Trust me. Plus, being that is on Congress St., you can just go shopping! Peruse their menus online and you will completely understand why ordering is such a dilemma.

For those you who have eaten there, do you have any recommendations of dishes for our newbies?

Happy Eating!
Deepika

Let Me Take You to the Candy Shop

South Congress St. is one of my favorite areas of Austin. There are great restaurants, bars, boutiques, food trailers and the list goes on and on. It's usually where we take out of town visitors, where we go when we need a fun pair of shoes or where we go to get a great margarita. But one of my favorite places to on South Congress St. is the Big Top Candy Shop. 

Candy shop? Am I 12? Nope, I'm 28 and proud to say that I love the Big Top Candy Shop. Candy is not just for kids, though I do feel like a giddy child when I walk in. Circus themed, it's basically like a cooler, more fun, more hip version of what Willy Wonka's Chocolate Shop looks like. Not only do they have tons of candy, ranging from the classic (M&M's), to the weird (chocolate covered crickets), to the fun (gummy worms), they also have a chocolate case that is to die for, filled with truffles and other yummy delicacies such as homemade peanut butter cups. The best part is that they have old fashioned soda bar where they make old fashioned sodas. My recommendation: Tiger's Blood with Mango.

Bins and bins of candy.

Chocolate!!!!

Lollipop tree

Salt water taffy by the buckets

Would you like a soda made from scratch?

If you aren't drooling right now or going into a sugar coma, 

you better get down to South Congress, specifically, 1706 South Congress, and get yourself a bag of sour straws, rock candy and treat yourself to something from that beautiful chocolate filled case.

I'm Back! With Burgers!

Hey all my loyal readers!

I'm back and armed with some great posts! This week, I will be posting every DAY! So make sure to be checking this week! You can look forward to a couple posts on goodies I've made in the past and some awesome places in Austin that I have been devouring. Plus, a restaurant I've already reviewed but now you'll get a take on brunch!

So onto the BURGERS! On the way to the gym today, Aleza and I decided to eat before.  Yes, I realize the irony of this statement. Anyways, we were driving past this building that had a bunch of shops in it and Aleza thought maybe they'd have a cool local place in there that maybe we should try. When we pulled in, we saw a small food trailer area! HOORAY!

I'm not sure why, but we bee-lined toward:

That's right, COW BELLS!

When we went up to order, we were met by the super friendly owner, Daniel. He just opened this place up 3 weeks ago! He explained the menu to us and immediately responded when I asked what his favorite burgers were. There are about 9 different burgers listed, with unique names.  You could also customize, which made me happy. AND, there's breakfast, served in the morning!

This is Daniel! I think he'd love it if you came by and said hi! (And ate a burger!)

Choosing was hard. Originally, I was drawn to the veggie burger (I'm a major veggie burger LOVER) but Aleza ordered it so it was decided that I should get the turkey and we'd split. Best decision ever! Aleza ordered the veggie as is, while I, being me, added cheddar cheese to mine, per Daniel's cheese suggestion.

Hungry? Here is the Veggie, which goes by the name of the Woody Harrelson.

Woody is served on a whole wheat bun with a black bean veggie burger dressed with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and pickles with honey mustard. Yumm-o. We didn't even get cheese on it and it was delicious!

And now, The Pilgrim. Adorable name for the Turkey burger, I must say. After one bite, it made me wish it was Thanksgiving...(seriously the cranberries! Amazing, what a creative idea! And most importantly, scrumptious!!!)

The Turkey burger is also served on a whole wheat bun. Complimented by lettuce and tomatoes with basil mayo (seriously), the turkey burger itself is the true treat as it has an infusion of herbs that I honestly could have eaten it plain. I'm seriously debating going and getting it tomorrow. The Pilgrim is definitely, hands down, the best turkey burger I've ever had!

Did I mention that they have awesome sides. I saw sweet potato fries on the menu and had a mini heart attack. I love, love, LOVE sweet potato fries. More than regular ones. Seriously. A-MAAA-Zzzzing!
And Cow Bells' was no exception. Plus, Daniel gave us this awesome dipping sauce, ranch bbq. And did I mention, I love sweet potato fries!

I did have a little left over but I'm eating it right now while I write this post.  Yep, that's right. And yep, it's still delicious.

Located off of Riverside, come experience great burgers, a super nice owner (he checked on us multiple times) and a nice outdoor setup with sweet picnic tables. Check Cow Bells out on Facebook and Yelp!