foodie52

Pretty sure Central Market carries their port.

Lyle: when you come to Austin, make a point of eating at Vespaio on South Congress and ask for Aaron to be your waiter. They do take reservations but I try to get there as soon as they open ( 5:30) so that I won't have to wait for a table. I'm very fussy about Italian food , having lived there, and Vespaio delivers. Another nice Italian is La Traviata on 4th and Congress. The food isn't as innovative or exciting as Vespaio, but it's reliably delicious. For Chinese, try T&S Seafood on North Lamar. Order from the back of the menu. Even better, let us know ( on the Austin egullet thread ) when you are in town, and you can join us at our monthly getogether! ( Any excuse to nosh with friends!) Any of you eaten at Lonesome Dove Bistro in Ft. Worth? Tim Love is a fabulous chef.

I ate there last October. The ribs were good. They'll Fed Ex them overnight to you. Corky's was great, too...I actually preferred theirs. Also dry rub but a better flavor I thought. They will also mail. I bet they are even on line.

We get White Mountain here in Texas: it's Greek style. If you read the yogurt labels, two things will turn you off: the addition of gelatin and the sugar content. Stoneyfield is good. I used to like Yoplait until it got sweeter and sweeter...

It's almost that time of year again, when marshmallow peeps make their appearance. The only thing I know how to do to them is to bite off their heads one by one and then eat the bodies. What else could you do with a Peep?

Everyone see John Kelso's column about European Bistro this week? Funny how that happened!

I'm first generation American: my parents came over here in 1950 from Europe. I grew up eating "different" food from my friends. Cabbage rolls. Roast chicken with paprika. Green salads. No Velveeta...no Twinkies...no white bread....no frozen dinners. Consequently, all of that was very exotic to me and I snuck bites of these "forbidden" foods whenever I visited friends' houses! And my dad drove a VW bug in 1955. Now that I think about it, it must have been the only one on the block. I only became aware of how lucky I was when I started watching Julia on TV. Hey: my mom's cooking was actually OK: in fact, it was now trendy! Fresh ingredients! Real herbs! I glommed onto Julia like white on rice: here was a chef I understood...food I could happily recreate because it tasted like home. I think part of Julia's success was that she revealed the cooking that is the mother of many of our cuisines. She brought me back to my Eurpean roots. I didn't find her cooking exotic. Now Martin Yan...now THAT was exotic!!!

Thanks for the review: I ate at Craft in November: there were 10 of us. We actually ended up sharing almost everything ( although I was reluctant to share my exquisite beet salad...and nobody wanted to share my fresh, marinated sardines ) The mushrooms were a revelation: I had the roasted chantarelles and the hen of the woods. Unfortunately, they made their way around the table and everyone partook. I also feasted on an excellent porcini risotto. I had decided to skip the meat and was very happy with my choices. Portions were quite fair, I thought. We had wine. Our bill came to $100 each: that included tip. My only very mild complaint is that our server was rather aloof and it took longer to feel at ease. Maybe because I'm not from NY, I felt it more? It was a good meal: and way better than the evening before at Washington Square or whatever that restaurant is called. ( I'm blocking....)

I am SO jealous.....

Luggage: you are too kind! It's so nice to be able to come on line and see wonderful posts from Austin egulleteers: I'm really enjoying this!

Wow: do I ever feel like a doof!

Welcome, Luggage! Wanna join us for dinner on the 19th? It's Thai this month!! ( See the Austin get-together thread.) I imagine Fitz may know of the closest eastern European restaurant in this neck of the woods: her SO may know of something, too.....it's probably in Detroit. Not a lot of Hungarians in this neck of the woods. But I can tell you how to make goulash... Keep in touch!

I want to see him cook. I'm tired of seeing him eat. I know how to eat too. I just don't have the cash to travel and to do it on camera. I enjoyed your book.

Rail Paul.... that was pretty clever!!

OK...I read through the entire thread and didn't expect to contribute, but I changed my mind. I had the opportunity to work with Alice Waters in a cooking school kitchen about 4 months ago when she was doing her book tour (Fruit). She is an American icon. I am in awe of her passion for local foods, her knowledge and her respect for food: she handled the vegetables as though they were newborn babies. I ate at the bistro years ago and, although I don't remember what I had ( hey...it was the 70's...I think) I do remember thinking that it would be an honor to meet her. And it was, nearly 30 years later. She mesmerized her audience. She is unequivocal about the quality of her ingredients. She used only Texas-grown ( preferably Austin-grown) organic veg and fruit in the class.But get this: she hasn't cooked in the restaurant since her child was born, 18 years ago! She said so in class... Maybe it's time for CP to call it quits. I know it doesn't make her any money. I think it's still open because, like Jim Morrison's grave, it's a destination. And I'd go back if I could afford it!

Anyone eaten at Lonesome Dove Bistro in the stockyards at Fort Worth? I'm curious about it.

Mr. Catfish on Springdale Rd. is great. But it's in a dubious area of town. I go with a couple of friends who live in that area. As for the best meals I had this year in Austin: Thanksgiving at my house Thai food cooked by my sister-in-law....at my house Potluck party hosted by the cooking school at Roger Mollett's house. You can probably tell that 1. I don't go out much, and 2. I love to eat at home and at other people's homes!

Oh damn, damn DAMN! I am such a Michael Caine fan, from way back in the late 60's, living in England......I would love to have met him and gotten to grovel at his feet or something. Shoot.....

Anyone else been to Michael diGeorgio's restaurant, Il Cortile? We had a splendid meal there. He has a great menu, attentive waitstaff and a beautiful room. One of the Sopranos lives upstairs and eats there all the time. Any opinions?

I was there last weekend: M. Torres was there and chatted with us for quite a while. What a gracious man! I had the hot chocolate, too: the spicy version which had ancho and chipotle ( I think) in it. Very intriguing! Only thing, as it cooled, it thickened and soon I was "eating" the hot chocolate! Couldn't finish it to save my life. Tired a couple of the chocolates too ( I had come so far....of course I had to!) They were exquisite. Lovely place: M. Torres says that it is packed on the weekends.

Chances are you won't find that wine in any retail outlet. Some wines seem to have two allocations: either restaurant OR retail...not both. So if you like a particular one, there's a good chance that you'll never get to buy it! When I find a wine at a restaurant that I'm excited about, I usually go to my wine steward at the store, give him the name of the wine, and get him to find me something similar. It also helps if you can give him the bottle price at the restaurant: then he can do a mental markdown and figure out what price range the wine is in.

ron: yes, Rhodes is a beautiful campus. Cafe Society has a lovely little shop attached to it now, run by the wife of the chef. It is called Epicure...and my daughter just this week applied for a part time position there! ( She told the owner that she was familiar with about 3/4 of the products sold there....one of the perks of being the kid of a Central Market foodie!) We enjoyed Corky's bbq by the way....I thought it was excellent. And the service was incredibly friendly and helpful. I'd eat there again ... and again... Next time, gonna find that Wally place!

Well, frank, I don't REALLY care if anyone shops at the Houston CM or not! However, even though I DO work at the Austin one,(surprise surprise) I believe that it IS a destination. It's our passion for the store that makes it so cool, I think. I'm proud of it, on the whole. SO .....enjoy!!!

Well, here we are! Ate at Cafe Society: it was good, but pricey. I 'd go again. I had grouper that had a sweet crust : brown sugar, which sounds weird, but worked with the balsamic reduction served with it. We also ate at Rendezvous, which, to be honest, was a disappointment. OK OK:: you gotta go once. But I won't go back. I wasn't real impressed with the rub on the ribs.

Damn right it should be a destination! If you're a true foodaholic, you'll go crazy there. Remember to take a cooler with you so that you can get your fresh stuff home with you! The store is easy to get to: it's on Westheimer. Try one of their freshly made sandwiches at the grill, in the chef's case area. Have a good time!