Kent Wang

As a member of the fashion industry, I'd like to say that I do eat quite a bit.

How about sterling silver barware? Are they a pain to maintain? Can I run them through the dishwasher. This site has some mixed responses, slightly in favor of the dishwasher, if done right. I've been thinking about getting an antique sterling stirring spoon off of eBay.

Sharon, could you name some dishes that are unique to Tejano-Mex but are not so common in Mexico itself? I suppose fajitas are a good example, though that is popular with gringos as well.

La Regiomontona 1510 Town Creek Dr Austin, TX 78741 Located in the same lot on East Riverside as El Pollo Regio (and presumably owned by the same people) and Janitizio, La Regiomontana has both take-out and dine-in. Tacos al pastor, lengua. Doubled-up store-bought corn tortillas are pretty good. Al pastor is great, very boldly flavored. Lengua is a little different from most places and is sliced into large pieces; I dig it. Chicharrones taco, Tostada Siberia. Tostada Siberia. The chicken is the charcoal-grilled chicken from El Pollo Regio next door. Delicious, huge amount of food for the money.

Tex-Mex is a very wide genre, perhaps that is best divided into Gringo-Mex and Tejano-Mex. Gringo-Mex restaurants cater to the general population. They can be bad (Taco Cabana, Chuy's, Trudy's) or good (El Chile). Tejano-Mex is eaten mostly by tejanos and features such dishes as menudo (tripe), lengua (tongue) and chicharrones (pork skin) that would not appeal to most gringos. It is not actually Mex-Mex (aka interior Mexican, i.e. what's actually eaten in Mexican) as it is a cuisine that is native to Texas. On Chowhound there is a lot of discussion about authentic Tex-Mex, especially from the users MPH and scrumptiouschef. I have been following their posts but the format there is rather disorganized, so I'd like to document my own experiences here. A good start is MPH's best list.

Disclosure: My firm has been contracted to build the Fearless Critic website. Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide (website) is a print book that retails for $17.95. Our own Justin Yu (tetsujustin) is even one of the reviewers. Having read the Austin book and having met with the editor Robin Goldstein many times I place a high degree of trust in the accuracy of the reviews. I found the reviews for Da Marco and Nippon to be spot on. The reviews of the authentic Chinese restaurants is good, especially considering how little information there is on the subject from other sources. Justin's review of Fung's kitchen jives with my experience. The only disagreement that I've found is with Peking Cuisine, where my one meal there was quite poor -- the Peking duck was very dry.

Deviled eggs with double yolk eggs sound interesting as the yolk cavity would be, I assume, a strange shape.

Maybe they should implement some sort of multiple-choice written test to screen out the lamers on busy nights. Or a personal essay.

December 28, 2007 Austin Chronicle Taste-testing Texas liquors against the world. By Wes Marshall. Tito's Vodka, Paula's Texas Orange, Treaty Oak Rum and others are double-blind tested against major brands.

Rob Balon reports that Chinatown is now serving dim sum. The menu and the tea selection look very promising.

The razor clams with the green sauce, how much Sichuan pepper was in it? I've had versions of this sauce that had so much that it made my mouth way too numb and I couldn't finish the dish. I like Sichuan pepper, but not in such extremes.

This is absolutely bizarre. Sounds like you need to BYO limes!

Mmm... Ommegang is such an excellent value. 150 tequilas?! There isn't a proper tequila bar in Austin, I'm very jealous. Have a Del Maguey mezcal for me.

That's how a margarita should be made anyway. I use the exact same recipe, down to the Milagro Silver. Which ones? I'm a huge fan of Belgian styles and love the way they pair with food.

First Chinese BBQ also opened a location in Austin that I've posted about. I went back to Shanghai in Dallas last week and had their xiao long bao. The broth is brown, instead of clear like the traditional kind, which leads me to believe they use a beef mixture. The size is also a third bigger than traditional. I can't really tell the difference between the crab meat variety and the regular. Nitpicks aside, these are very good xiao long bao, better than any in Austin or Houston. They also have some other traditional Shanghai dishes like kao fu and jellyfish, though I didn't get a chance to try them. I believe there a couple of other restaurants in Dallas that also serve xiao long bao; I'll explore those next time I'm in Dallas.

Related to this, one should avoid getting the sausage to go as it will leak all its juices out before you get home. For to go, concentrate on the ribs first, then brisket, then if you must, the sausage.

I can give this tour if you pay for my food. It would be nice if they also have the owners of each joint give a little tour. I would pay for that.

Howdy, dear neighbor to the west! What is a Silver Coin?

What makes absinthe turn cloudy? Is it temperature, dilution? Now that I have this bottle of Lucid, what should I do with my half-finished Herbsaint?

The eyes are my favorite. You can also crack open the skull and suck out the brains, which are pretty rich and gelatinous.

It starts at the correct temperature, but that temperature will drop much faster than with a larger cup.

How is the Luling City Market that opened in Houston? How does it compare to the original in Luling?

This magazine is right up my alley! Do all Barnes & Nobles carry it, or just the big ones?

For reference, there is a topic Miyako which most people seem to dislike. I went to Nippon recently and thought it was excellent. The menu is rather humdrum, but you have to ask the sushi chef to give you the secret Japanese items -- and be very insistent about it. We told him to give us the most exotic items possible. We had the aji, which is a Spanish mackerel that is served whole with slices cut out (like in this photo). After you finish the raw parts, it is deep-fried and served to you. Also had sawagani (deep-fried tiny river crabs) and a number of pieces of sashimi and nigiri. Nippon is strictly a traditional Japanese place. You will not find Nobu-esque dishes here (though I like those too). The total came out to $100 for three people. That's a great price for quality sushi.

I had the $22 "executive lunch" three-course prix-fixe. I arrived just as they were opening and got a great table by the window. Specials board. Quaint, but perhaps a bit cumbersome as others have noted. Pheasant soup with zucchini and pasta. Extraordinarily rich broth. The zucchini had the right amount of crispness, and was sliced into strips to complement the shape of the pasta. Calf liver with polenta. Huge amount of calf liver. If anything, that was a bit of a problem as it got a little monotonous to eat so much of it. Perhaps an alternative would be to serve half calf liver and half sweetbreads, or even just some plain veal. Polenta was marvelously rich, with a thick texture that comes from a collagen-rich stock. Dessert (no photo): I had the panna cotta with balsamic. Certainly the best panna cotta I've ever had. I didn't even realize panna cotta could be this good. This was one of the best Italian meals I've ever had. I admit to have never been to Italy, but I feel this is more Italian than many of the Italian-American restaurants I've been to, especially the way the ingredients are treated in such a simple, non-overwrought manner. At $22 this is a steal. Double that is still a fair price. Service was also excellent, one of the best all year. Next time I come to Houston, I'm coming here again. I could try out some other restaurants, but why bother when this is such a steal?