gastrotex

Some months back I watched a TV program about a California wine company's plans to replace wine corks with screwtops. I fail to remember the name of the company, but the wines in question were, one might say, in the higher mid-range price-wise - IIRC $25-50 a bottle. There are supposedly good enological reasons for doing this, but much of the discussion revolved, not surprisingly, around market acceptance of screwtops by discerning consumers of relatively expensive wines. I put this to the back of my mind until recently confronted with a favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay - which appeared to be in transition from corks to screwtops (about half of each in the case I bought). This gave me the opportunity to do a taste comparison, and I have to admit there was no difference I could detect - I found the same clear, lightly fruited taste with a slightly mineral touch regardless. But my subjective reaction is adverse - there is enjoyment per se in the act of uncorking a bottle - and you can't put a vacuum stopper in a screwtop bottle to preserve partially drunk contents. So I'm wondering how widely spread the screwtop experience has become, and what people's reactions are? Is this just the lament of an inflexible conservative resisting the inevitable tide of change?

Ah, yes....Brakspear's. Used to drink it regularly at Stevie's place in Tetsworth when I lived in Lewknor (Oxon), and when Steve had run out of anything better. I wouldn't call it noxious, but it's a mediocre brew, a bit thin in both taste and body. Mercifully they don't export it to Austin (TX).

T & S doesn't even start to fill up until tennish, and stays open until one most nights. It looks rough from the outside, and is spartan inside, but the food is excellent - the closest I've had in Austin to good Hong Kong and Singapore experiences. It is well worth the nearly half hour from our house - we live in Circle C. Wild Ginger sounds interesting - I'll definitely give it a try.

Would you consider that authentic or americanized Chinese cuisine? Do you know T&S on Lamar north of 183 (north of Rutland but still south of Waco)? If so, how would you compare the two?

There is a Green Mesquite in Oak Hill, near HEB. To my taste it's okay, but far better is Donn's Texas Barbecue, hidden behind Albertson's. Wood tables to eat at, but I normally take out since we're only five minutes away and they don't sell beer. The brisket is so succulent, and when they have sliced the ordered weight, I normally ask for some of the scrag end and they throw that in for free. Gotta get my fat feel good factor! The meat falls off the ribs. Agree on Thai Spice (Cap Tex) - closest thing here to eating in Thailand, although the Thai Noodle House (?) behind a gas station on the Drag is pretty authentic (within the limits of its menu). All is needs is an open drain nearby for olfactory realism. Walberg - macht man Schweinshaxe dort? Ich werde ganz fern für gute Schweinshaxe fahren!

Jaymes... I'd be interested in your feedback (or should that be foodback) on the Italian and Chinese emporia! I read your bio thread - I can't match the culinary input of a Southern grandmother (both my grandmothers were from Aberdeenshire), but I can trump your first ex-husband with a first and second ex-wife! However I do get an infusion of Southern cooking from my third and final wife, who comes from New Orleans. Shrimp gumbo and crawfish étoufée second to none. As well as roast lamb and mince and tatties to satisfy my Scottish cravings. She will also cook kippers on the rare occasion that I can find fresh ones in Austin (if there is such a thing as fresh smoked fish), but insists on using the barbecue to avoid stinking the house out for the next two weeks (she exaggerates). Other than T&S I'm not very familiar with the North Lamar area (north of 183 at least) since we live in Circle C (the erstwhile independent fascist republic latterly annexed by our city fathers). But someone did mention the Y Bar and Grill, which is the first attempt at competent dining in SW Austin. I think it's okay, but no more than that.

Perhaps because "chili" is English, and "chile" Spanish?

I'll never be a rich girl, but otherwise I'm on a similar track. Condo here in Austin (somewhere within walking distance from Cipollina, Robbie's Cajun Kitchen and Castle Hill, as opposed to Circle C), one in Oaxaca, another on Martinique, a small cottage in the Chilterns (for the rare roast beef, game pie, and proximity to London), and somewhere near the beach on Penang (for Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine).

Can't help there, I'm afraid.

I was profoundly moved by the comment that Gastrotex sounds like an intestinal affliction contracted in Galveston ;-) I definitely need to try Sarovar. I've been to the Clay Pit but incline away from their fusion approach coming, as I do, from the second home of Indian cuisine and having a slightly purist attitude. On analysis, my attitude does fail the logic test (often the case) since Indian food is itself a fusion cuisine -for example, potatoes and chile peppers originated in the Americas. I ponder on the derivation of "aloo", the Hindi word for potato. Madras - subtle and exquisite flavors, and I'm anything but a vegetarian. Bellagio - fantastic osso buco (not available every night).

I divine that the eclectic membership of eGullet includes a number of fellow Austinites. I have lived in this cool city (that's cool in a profoundly non-thermal sense) for eight years and consider it a great place to eat. And drink. And live, too - but that's beside the point. I had dinner the other night with the sommelier at one of Austin's most expensive establishments (not necessarily the best); he expressed the view that, in terms of innovation and culinary fusion, Austin lags somewhat behind New York and London. This is undoubtedly true, but the thousand plus eateries listed on Austin360.com are conveniently closer together in this city of 700,00 (or so) that in any megacity. And so, in the hopes of flushing out some Austin dining gems that I have so far missed, I thought I'd throw up a list of my top 10 favorites, plus the top 5 on my "need to visit very soon" list: Top 10 Favorites: Chez Nous - authentic French bistro Fonda San Miguel - interior Mexican Madras Pavilion - South Indian vegetarian Robbie's Cajun Kitchen - Cajun/creole home cooking Vespaio - North Italian Cipollina - funky Italian deli Guero's - if only for the queso flameado Louie's 106 - Mediterranean and tapas Austin Land & Cattle Company - good old steakhouse Mother Egan's - fairly genuine Irish pub Top 5 "Must Do": Habana - Cuban/Caribbean/Puerto Rican T & S Chinese Restaurant - dim sum and seafood Sarovar - Indian Gumbo's - upscale Cajun/creole Kenichi - Japanese Informed comment welcome - also prejudiced outbursts and scathing criticism.

Chios, a Greek island five miles from the Turkish coast west of Izmir, is famous for its huge exports of gum mastic. This gum or resin with an exquisite aroma is exuded from the bark of the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), which is a Mediterranean evergreen. Harvest starts in July/August when the gum mastic producers make incisions in the trees to yield the transparent resin, which is collected and rinsed in barrels. It is then spread out and set to dry while a second cleaning takes place by hand. There are two kinds of mastic, immaculate, first-class crystals which are called ‘dahtilidopetres’ (flintstones) and soft ones with spots which are called ‘kantiles’ (blisters). Mastic is used in cakes, ice-creams and other dishes, especially in Arab cuisine, as well as in cosmetics - hair and skin lotions, toothpaste and perfume. Mastic may also have medicinal properties and was used in the past to treat illnesses such as stomach ulcers, abdominal pains and heartburn. It appears to have even wider applications since, according to the Mastic home page (www.mastic.com), "Contractors and homeowners all over America know Mastic as the premium vinyl siding ..." - versatile stuff indeed ;-)

Ravago left in 1996 and set up in competition in the Bertram Building (what is now the Clay Pit). When I next visited Fonda San Miguel, I asked whether they were now calling the place "Fonda sin Miguel" which I thought was excrutiatingly funny. I didn't realize there had been a significant falling out between partners - my humor was frostily received! Ravago has now been back at Fonda for a year or so and it's as good as ever. The Sunday brunch is outstanding - a wide range of interior Mexican dishes arrayed on tables set in a square, with Ravago and an assistant standing in the center explaining their provenance (the dishes, that is), and serving where necessary. I have eaten myself to a standstill on the barbecued pork, and two different chicken moles, one dark and rich with chocoloate, and one a mole verde. About 30 green drinking coupons a head.

I tend to regards beer as a producer rather than a neutralizer of gas. A random sample of amber foaming bellywash recently quaffed - Harp, Negra Modelo, Kirin Ichiban, Boddingtons - seems to confirm that. Certain foods act as a "force multiplier" - Fado's (Austin) Irish breakfast (with British baked beans) washed down with a couple of pints of Bass is a prime example. Although nothing beats Brussels sprouts. Back to migas. One of my favorite Austin eateries is Fonda San Miguel - maybe the finest "interior Mexican" restaurant in the country. The chef there - Miguel Ravago - collaborated with food writer Marilyn Tausend on a Mexican cookbook entitled "Cocina de la Familia" which has some great recipes. I like their "Easy Migas": 2 tablespoons canola oil ½ cup chopped white onion 3 fresh serrano or jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 6 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped sea salt and freshly ground pepper For the migas: 8 eggs 50 unsalted tortilla chips slightly broken up (approx 10 oz bag) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup shredded queso añejo or Parmesan cheese Warm the oil in a medium size skillet and sauté the onion and chiles over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add the tomatoes. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm (the food, not you). In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly and carefully fold in the tortilla chips. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet or earthenware casserole. Pour in the egg mixture and cook very briefly, stirring constantly, until the eggs are set but not dry. Remove from the heat and fold in the sauce. Taste and season more if needed. Scatter the cheese over the top before serving. Whole thing takes 20 minutes with practice.

Notes From An Inexperienced Chili Taster Named Frank, who was visiting Texas: Recently I was honored to be selected as an Outstanding Famous Celebrity in Texas, to be a judge at a chili cook-off, because no one else wanted to do it. Also the original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking directions to the beer wagon when the call came. I was assured by the other two judges (native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy, and besides they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted. Here are the scorecards from the event: Chili #1 Mike's Maniac Mobster Monster Chili Judge One: A little too heavy on tomato. Amusing kick. Judge Two: Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild. Frank: Holy smokes, what is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway with it. Took me two beers to put the flames out. Hope that's the worst one. These people are crazy. Chili # 2: Arthur's Afterburner Chili Judge One: Smoky (barbecue?) with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeño tang. Judge Two: Exciting flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously. Frank: Keep this out of reach of children! I'm not sure what I am supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. Shoved my way to the front of the beer line. Chili # 3: Fred's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili Judge One: Excellent firehouse chili! Great kick. Needs more beans. Judge Two: A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of red peppers. Frank: This has got to be a joke. Call the EPA, I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been sneezing Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now and got out of my way so I could make it to the beer wagon. Barmaid pounded me on the back; now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. Chili # 4: Bubba's Black Magic Judge One: Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing. Judge Two: Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili. Frank: I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Sally, the bar maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills so I wouldn't have to dash over to see her. Chili # 5: Linda's Legal Lip Remover Judge One: Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground adding considerable kick. Very impressive. Judge Two: Chili using shredded beef; could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement. Frank: My ears are ringing and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed hurt when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue by pouring beer directly on it from a pitcher. Sort of irritates me that one of the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Chili # 6: Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety Judge One: Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spice and peppers. Judge Two: The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb. Frank: My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous flames. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except Sally. Chili # 7: Susan's Screaming Sensation Chili Judge One: A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers. Judge Two: Ho Hum, tastes as if the chef threw in canned chili peppers at the last moment. I should note that I am worried about Judge Number 3, he appears to be in a bit of distress. Frank: You could put a hand grenade in my mouth and pull the pin and I wouldn't feel it. I've lost the sight in one eye and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My clothes are covered with chili which slid unnoticed out of my mouth at some point. Good, at the autopsy they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful and I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air I'll just let it in through the four inch hole in my stomach. Chili # 8: Helen's Mount Saint Chili Judge One: This final entry is a good, balanced chili, neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge Number 3 fell and pulled the chili pot on top of himself. Judge Two: A perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili, safe for all, not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence. Frank: (Editor's note: Judge 3 was unable to report)