The Dish: Share your tasty tips
Have a hot tip about a new restaurant or a long-standing fave? Want to weigh in on the ongoing quest for the best of cuisines like barbecue or Mexican food? Don’t be shy. Jump right in and share what you know. We all want to hear from you!
March 28th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
My favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant is Reales on 183 in Austin. It’s family run, and their motto is, “Your home away from Rome”. On our most recent visit, I had my favorite, Auglio Oglio. I’ve been told that this dish is a frequent midnight snack of Italians. It’s very simple. It’s just great pasta with olive oil, garlic, a little crushed red pepper, and a little zuchinni. I find it hard to steer away from my favorite dish. But, my husband , Terry is a little more adventurous. Terry loves Reale’s clam sauce, adores their pizza, and is nuts about their Chicken Parmesan. This night, though, he settled on Shrimp Scampi. Truthfully, I think they inadvertently brought Terry a version of Shrimp Alfredo, but once he started, he wasn’t about to send it back (or ask for a to-go box for that matter). The fettuccini was al dente, the sauce was creamy and exquisite (but not too rich), and the shrimp were plump and succulent. As always our home away from Rome didn’t disappoint. Delish!
March 29th, 2007 at 9:51 am
Hope you’ll check out a new restaurant in Wimberley. I admit up front that I am totally biased since I am the mother of the owner/ chef Matthew Buchanan, formerly executive chef at Inn Above Onion Creek. Matthew and his wife Rachel are opening The Leaning Pear Cafe and Eatery on River Road in Wimberley this week. Both Matthew and Rachel are Texas A&M graduates, and Matthew also graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. The Leaning Pear is housed in a quaint stone cottage, the second oldest building in Wimberley.
Leaning Pear, 1 River Road, Wimberley 78676, 512.847.7327
April 5th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
While working on our Gainesville story I ran across a real character. Johnny Glass is a retired peace officer from Alabama, who wound up in Gainesville opening a seafood restaurant called Seafoodville. It’s in an old gas station, and obviously was a popular place, at least on Wed. and Thursday evenings the week I visited. I asked him how he wound up in Gainesville from Alabama and he said “that’s a 12-pack story, man, and it involves a woman.”
He boiled up 30 lbs of crawdads, taking time to show me how to prepare the crawdads and cook them, although he wouldn’t divulge what the three main spices he used in the boil water was. I could detect a bit of clove, lemon, cayenne, maybe cardamon, but who knows what else was in the spice. .. After they cooked (never more than 8 minutes) he put a fair amount of crushed ice on the top of the cooked ‘dads, explaining that helped moisture condense inside the shell.
As soon as he started cooking the batch up, orders began coming in. He filled a bowl with a bunch, then after they cooled a bit, he gave an impromptu lesson on how to properly eat a crawdad, which of course begins with separating the head and sucking the juice out of it. He watched as I and two other novice ‘dad consumers went through it, offering advice all the way.
He told me later that he had a lot of fun running the restaurant, that while he didn’t really need the money, it did pay for three important things for him: beer, child support, and running a Harley.. ..
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
We spent a delightful two days camping at Abilene State Park . . . delightful because we were surprised on a number of counts: the scenery in and surrounding the park is gorgeous; a wind farm lies to the south of the park, great sleek structures towering in the sky; a flea market underway in Buffalo Gap; Buffalo Gap itself with countless yards abloom in purple and pink larkspur, red poppies, and yellow columbines; AND Perini's Steakhouse just outside of Buffalo Gap. I enjoyed a tender, tasty 6 oz filet that was the best I've had in a long time. The place was full (reservations are a must, especially on weekends), but the sweet hostess found a place for us outside, where we were as happy as could be. And the side dishes were spectacular, particularly the green chili hominy. We hope to return someday soon for the seafood buffet: 3 pieces of fried catfish served with unlimited quantities of blackeyed peas, mesquite-grilled corn on the cob, green beans, onion rings, and french fries. I can't wait. Oh, yes. Wonderful sweetened ice tea on request.
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Some friends and I had heard that Ciao Lavanderia in San Antonio offered divine Italian food, so we decided to check it out last night. There was a little bit of a wait, but once seated we began running through the delicious-sounding menu. We began with spinach and gorgonzola salad, one of us substituted goat cheese for the gorgonzola; and we were on our way to heaven. We followed with Pappardelle with sausage and spinach, eggplant parmesan, trout al pesto, and seared yellowfin tuna catalan with cippolini. Everything was completely delicious, especially the trout, which was perfectly cooked with a crunchy, done outside and nice, red center. Though we barely left room for dessert, we couldn't leave without sampling the chocolate cheescake with raspberry sauce and passion fruit gelato, both were simply scrumptious. The ambiance was intriguing, the service attentive and we had a thoroughly enchanting evening. We'll have to go back again, soon. (And don't forget to check out the wordplay on the restaurant's name! It's at 221 E. Almos, just off McCullough; 210-22-3990)
July 31st, 2007 at 7:38 am
I just want to tell everyone about where to get a great hamburger. A little town in East Texas called Longview has a restaurant named "JUCY's" and they make the greatest hamburger around. They live up to the name, they are really jucy and yummy.
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Hi guys!! I know this is unusual, but if you are ever down near Port A and not in the mood for seafood – go to Virginia's and order a hamburger. I promise you won't reget it.
August 12th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
I am looking for great tex mex food that can be shipped. I am a texan living in Illinois and I miss all that great food. I have already bookmarked sites for great Barbeque Brisket that can be shipped. Please can anyone fulfill my tex mex cravings???
November 12th, 2007 at 11:57 am
I'd like to draw your attention to our restaurant and some very young but determined wineries here in central Texas. We'd like to invite you all to visit us. I own the Turtle Restaurant. We are on the half way point in a two driving tour of the wineries. We are young and raw and off the beaten path but worthy of discovery. The Turtle Restaurant http://www.theturtlerestaurant.com is owned by Mary and David Stanley. They are members of Slow Food USA. The restaurant was named The Turtle because the turtle symbolized longevity and persistence, completion is more important to a journey than haste, especially on the road of life. They offer slow fresh locally grown foods supporting farms such as Novella Newman and cheese maker Veldhuisen. http://www.veldhuizencheese.com/ They bake all their breads, desserts and make gelato in house. The Turtle Restaurant is located in historic downtown Brownwood, Texas. Brownwood, Texas is in the geographic center of the state a two to three hour drive from Austin, San Antonio and the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. Mary and David recently recruited Eric Aldis as their Executive Chef. Chef Aldis was Chef de Cuisine at The Ritz Carlton in New Orleans. Chef Aldis moved to The Ritz from The Bellagio, Las Vegas, to help reopen The Ritz, New Orleans after the great flood. At the Ritz's signature restaurant Melange, he introduced a menu featuring classics from top New Orleans restaurants, while giving credit to that particular restaurant and the chefs who created them. Chef Aldis worked with some of the most beloved chefs in New Orleans to learn their recipes. At the Turtle, Chef Aldis will create a new cuisine based on central Texas products. Brownwood is at the half way point on the Way Out Wineries wine tour. http://www.wayoutwineries.org/ W.O.W. is an organization of eight central Texas wineries http://www.wayoutwineries.org/map.html The Turtle waives the corking fee on any wine brought into the restaurant from the wineries who have W.O.W membership. When asked why Chef Aldis would leave a rock star position at The Ritz for a way out place like Brownwood, he responded that he is a native of Katy, Texas and missed his home state. He felt he could live a slower life style while using Brownwood as his base of operations. Brownwood is on the Pecan Bayou, one of the five major tributaries of the Colorado River of Texas. The Pecan Bayou is a beautiful area of Texas which supports many kinds of animal and plant life. Since the days of the Tonkawas and Comanches the Bayou has been know for it's rich hunting and fishing. These features and the design of the restaurant by owner and architect, David Stanley, sold him on the idea of making The Turtle a culinary legend. Chef Aldis has been on the premises two months and has spent that time organizing the kitchen, making contacts with growers and developing the menu. Probably the biggest challenge is finding wait staff that understands food and service in this remote part of Texas. He hopes one day to have his own vineyard. Lunch menu caters to locals with seasonal soups such as curried pumpkin made from variatel pumpkins, Fairy Tale and Apple Dumpling, grown in De Leon, Texas with cilantro infused yogurt topping, or Nouvella's grass fed beef hamburger on house-made black sesame buns topped with cheeses made by Stuart & Connie Veldhuizen in Dublin. Chef Aldis believes that the freshest and the best come from local producers. Travelers and road warriors have begun to drive off the beaten path to discover The Turtle for dinner meetings and an alternative to highway food. Dinner is more formal and coursed and may feature roasted beet salad, Texas Bar-B-que shrimp with Veldhuizen blue cheese coleslaw as an appetizer, venison flank steak with broccoli rabe and mushroom macaroni and cheese. Sunday brunch is the staff favorite with classic eggs benedict or fried chicken and Belgian waffles. The menu changes with the seasons and availability. Reservations are suggested. There is a private dining room which holds 44. The restaurant seats 88. It is handicapped accessible with street parking. Next door to the restaurant is The Turtle Gelateria. Our gelato artisan makes classic Italian flavors like Lemon Sorbetto and Chocolate Hazelnut and plays with local flavors such as jalapeno peanut brittle and Brennan Vineyard Muscat http://www.brennanvineyards.com/flash/index.html – canteloupe sorbetto. Hours are Sunday Brunch 10:30 am- 2:00 pm Lunch Monday – Saturday 11:00 am – 2:30 pm Dinner Tuesday – Thursday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm Friday – Saturday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm Reservations: 325-646-8200 Prices range from $7.50 for a sandwich to $22.00 for King's Market ribeye with roasted fall vegetables and mushroom fond. There is a very nice B&B near by http://www.star-of-texas.com Another good place to eat lunch is http://www.stevesmarketanddelli.com right around the corner from the Turtle.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
June, several years ago in the Fort Worth Star Telegram you wrote about your family Thanksgiving recipies. Any chance of a reprint? I live in Austin now but would love to hear from you. Mary Lou Brookman-Bryant
November 26th, 2008 at 11:49 am
In your recent article, "Candy or Sherbet?" you left out a great, old Tex Mex hangout – El Gallo on South Congress. I went to St. Edward’s University starting in ’59 and El Gallo was already established. Being right across the street from St. Ed’s, it was the local eatery for many of us. El Gallo was a converted, wooden home with a couple of bedrooms and a living room made into eating areas. The guys always went into the back bedroom so we could dive out one of the windows if the LCB showed up! The food was excellent and the family atmosphere was unsurpassed. St. Ed’s was all male at the time, and most of the 700 student body came from states across the union. There were only 145 Texans enrolled during my time there. Consequently, Tex Mex was introduced to all corners of the U.S. a long, long time ago. A few years ago, I stopped in for a bite and the food was excellent. The old house is long gone, but the atmosphere is still there. Just wanted you to include El Gallo on your list of very old Tex Mex restuarants in Austin. Neal Harrison, Collinsville, Texas