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

A Little Rain and Ravioli

Aleza and I were walking on the east side one evening and stumbled upon something glorious. A food trailer that serves hand made ravioli. Major mental notes were made to come back. So on a girl's outing,  we went to get our fill. AND we braved a downpour, which shows our devotion. 

The owner is this great guy who is super friendly.  And even gave us towels to sit on. I think he got a kick out of how devoted we are to food. We even made their facebook page! Check it out!

Located on east 6th,  I think when you see the pictures below, you will be craving some ravioli. YUMMO! 

Cheese ravioli!

Mushroom!

The rain can't keep these ladies away!

Happy Eating!

Deepika

It's Your Birthday Baby!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year! No. It is NOT my birthday but it IS the day one of my most favorite people on the planet was born. Aleza Marie Berube!

                      The puppy on her lap is the newest addition to the family: PENELOPE!!

In honor of her birthday, Justin made a lovely Ethiopian dinner with a couple dishes obtained from Aster's. Check out their website. I hope to make it over there soon to give you all a detailed look at their food.

Seriously though. This was delicious. The chicken was so tender that it was practically falling off the bone. The sweet potatoes were just divine. And there was a cheese based dip so I was in heaven. And you eat Ethiopian with your hands which for me is reminiscent of Indian food. And it was such a beautiful night so we ate outside on the deck with our meal highlighted by sweet twinkling lights.

My contribution was dessert. As you may know if you read this post, Aleza and I and our Carbondale girls have a tradition of indulging in dessert at Global Gourmet. Our weapon of choice? Peanut butter cups! So Aleza's dessert request was just that. I had made a peanut butter pie for Thanksgiving so I had an idea of what I'd need to do. I will say I'm pretty happy with the result.

Easy Delicious Peanut Butter Cups (for Grown ups!)

Peanut Butter Filling:
8 oz of cream cheese

1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 cup (estimated) of crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup (estimated) of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of whipping cream
2 tablespoons of mexican vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache
Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips
whipping cream

For the peanut butter filling: Using an electric mixer, blend cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter (crunchy and cream) and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream till solid. Then in thirds, fold in the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. When completely blended, spoon the peanut butter mixture into individual bowls or ramekins. Refrigerate for minimum of 3 hours. I choose to refrigerate over night.


                                                                                                          




After the proper amount of refrigeration, it's time to add the ganache. On the stove, heat a medium saucepan. Now the amount of chocolate chips and cream you want to use is all relative in how thick you want your chocolate sauce. I prefer mine thicker so I used about of a bag of chocolate chips with about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cream. Melt  chocolate in saucepan and add cream gradually. Stir. When finished, spoon onto the individual peanut butter cups. Garnish with fruit of choice. I used raspberries. Refrigerate till ready to serve.

Happy birthday beautiful girl!

Obsession: Trudy's Stuffed Avocado

Well, me! Seriously. And it all began a year ago, when I walked into Trudy's...

Trudy's. It's sort of an Austin tradition. There are four locations now but originally it began with the one that is in Central Austin in 1977. (It's also the one I frequent the most) There is a large seating room in the front and then a bar downstairs with additional seating. There is also an enclosed porch. 


I have been to the North location as well and it's definitely more swanky. They also have a nice outdoor patio area. I'm partial to the south location because it's the original and it's near my house but it's the same the great food.


And honestly...It's probably the best Tex-Mex I've ever had. I've never ate anything here I haven't enjoyed. 


In my opinion they are known for two things. Their mexican martini's... basically 3 margaritas in a shaker - so if you order this prepare to be a little buzzed - and my favorite the stuffed avocado. Yes. Stuffed Avocado!!!!


I talk about these so much. I love them. So much. I mean I can't even express how good they are. If you don't live in Austin you might want to get on a plane right now. I will take you!


So our friends from home Keith and Katie (with their sweet as pie baby boy Jonah) came to visit for New Year's we decided to start to 2012 with a trip to Trudy's. Plus I think I have raved about it forever.


So Carbondale gang along with our friends Hana, Vinny and Jasmine and her adorable sisters Rose and Marigold, headed out. What resulted was a ridiculous amount of delicious food...including multiple stuffed avocados.

Katie = happy :)

Mexican Martini!

Stuffed Avocado...OMG. Anyone want to go to Trudy's?

I've been raving about them...I should explain what's in them! It's a fried and breaded avocado stuffed with spiced chicken and cheese. It is topped with suiza sauce and more cheese and a little fresh avocado. Comes with a side of beans and mexican rice.

Just an FYI...suiza sauce is a blend of Trudy's special New Mexican green chile sauce and sour cream. Yum. A little bit of a kick but YUM.

Tortilla Soup

Nachos!

Smoked Chicken Chimichanga

A absolute delicious looking flour tortilla filled with rotisserie smoked chicken, monterey jack cheese, green onion and cilantro. It's drizzled with sour cream and placed in a sea of chipotle sauce. Come with a side of spanish rice,  chile con queso and your choice of beans. 

Fish Tacos


Katie and Keith got the fish tacos and they were amazing. I was sitting next to Keith so I stole a bite :)

Chicken Fajita Queso... which is exactly as it sounds. 

A chicken fajita just smothered in chile con queso.

'

Inside the avocado...

Aleza is also on the stuffed avocado band wagon with me.

Seriously if you want some good tex-mex...Trudy's. Learn more about them here. And the other day I went to get drinks at the Trudy's  up North with my friend Tina and we got this deliciousness:

Cheesecake Flan! YUM!

Happy Eating!!

P.S. It was so fun to spend time with Keith and Katie when they were here. Aleza, the boys and I are trying to make sure they are the newest Austinites from Carbondale. Also, they have the cutest little boy I've ever seen.

I mean, look at him. And yes he does like to give kisses. It's the sweetest ever.

Deepika Eats Carbondale: Peanut Butter Cups!

In my hometown of Carbondale, IL, there is this sorta too nice for Carbondale restaurant called Global Gourmet. Dimly lit with a international swanky vibe, this has become our go-to dessert and drinks place every time there is a birthday or someone comes to visit. Now that I have become an out of towner, I dream of this place as it has something I have yet to find anywhere else. The adult version of a peanut cup. Seriously.

That being said, don't judge me as I admit I came here three times in the 9 days that I was home this Christmas. Aleza and I ran there for a drink on Christmas Eve. Seriously, the best bellinis ever. Then us four girls (Aleza and I as well as the current Carbondalites Colleen and Danie) went for dessert one night. And on my last night in town, I went there for my goodbye to Danie and you know, dessert round dos.

Global Gourmet: Round 1

Met there the night after Christmas for some post Christmas chat, drinks and of course, peanut butter cups. .Seriously, I can not STRESS how amazing these are.

Basically, they are peanut butter mousse with a shell of chocolate ganache and a sweet strawberry for garnish. Yum.

Colleen and Aleza decided to come a little out of the comfort zone and order a peanut butter cup AND a piece of rasperry Chocolate cake. Which I have to say, was delicious. A nice blend of tart and sweet

After eating dessert, Colleen decided to order an appetizer of Spinanch and Artichoke dip. Delicious as always. Global serves theirs with chips and I tend to prefer toasted bread. However, after eating an entire peanut butter cup (yep, not sharing), it was a nice lighter alternate.

Oh my adorable Lez :)

I love these two so much...wish we all lived in the same town again!

Global Gourmet: Round Two

The day before I left, I had to get in some quality time with my Danie. On the phone, driving around town, trying to pick a spot, we just decided, alright, fine, Global again. I mean, there is really no such thing as too much dessert. Atleast not in my mind!

Of course, again we got a peanut butter ball. But we decided to share one and get a slice of cheesecake as well. I LOVE cheesecake. Seriously. Danielle really loves it too and if we aren't at Global, it is usually what we both order.

Someone could not wait to eat while photos were being taken...

That someone is Danielle...

Hi again you delicious thing! Get into my belly!

If you are ever in Carbondale, please try Global Gourmet. It's located in the town square, which is one of the prettiest parts of the Dale. The inside is dark and romantic. In the back, is a great patio area lit with twinkling lights. It's a little magical.

Happy Eating!
Deepika

Sweetest Birthday Gift

For those of you who don't know, when I was 22, I moved to New York and lived there for 2 1/2 years. A crazy, exhausting but absolutely enthralling time in my life. I so miss it there sometimes, especially around the holidays. My heart hurts for the cool crispy winter air of the city, the sight of yellow cabs everywhere, of endless noise and massive waves of people. I could seriously go on and on and on...
And of course, this should go without saying, but I miss the food. I am sort of  a sucker for the unknown so I loved finding those little hole in the wall places that celebrities would not be spotted at. However, there are some places that just scream "New York!" and you have to try them while you live there.

One of those places is Magonlia Bakery. Originally downtown on Bleeker Street, a second location was opened uptown due to the popularity.  Even though it opened up in 1996, lines still are around the block just to get a cupcake. Seriously. A legend in its own right, Magnolia Bakery is a must have treat for a visitor and can become quite a habit for those who call themselves New Yorkers. It's a place I refuse to dream about anymore because it's so delicious and cupcakes (tied with cheesecake) are my favorite dessert and it's hard to find a cupcake better than one from Magnolia Bakery.

 Fast forward to  Christmas a few weeks ago. One of my best friend's, Colleen, who totally gets my unwavering love for New York and cupcakes, surprised me with this for my birthday:

True story. I was and still am so excited. Not only is it an awesome cookbook but it's a piece of New York at a time where I am craving it so.

Please expect tons of posts from this book! Thanks Col! What a sweet present!

P.S. For those of you who don't know my Colleen, check out her blog here! It's full of fashion and paper and babies...including my favorite little girl Eloise! :) Who is about to be one years old on Saturday! Happy Birthday Eloise Anne!

 Me and Eloise...love her!