zephyrus

The fatefull night of the new millenium I was still a foolish senior in high school. Having had waaaaaaay to much to drink i decided to creep into my house and obscound with more champagne. after bumbling through the living room, teetering down the hall and smacking my head against the wine closet door i reached the promised land. Bottle upon glorious bottle of Perrier Jouet Fleur 1993 entered my arms and prepared itself for the short trip too my stomach. While snatching four bottles of bubbly was bad enough, it was what i dropped on my mad dash out the front door that truly killed my mother, her two "special" bottles of Yquem, an 81(my birth year) and an 82(my parents 10 yr anniversary). The worst part is that they were grabbed only because we thought it looked like golden syrup, which we knew had to be tasty. Well that and it was in French and I thought it must be good. Little did our high school minds know of fine wine...Ah the fun of and stupidity of youth i still have yet to live this down with my mother... casey

I find the american statesman reviews to be less than informative at best and worthless at worst. Dale Rice(the reviewer) does not ever serem to have a firm grasp of the food at any restaurant, and as foodie52 said he does seem to enjoy calamari. for reviews that are at least a little more informative check out austin monthly. ken rubin, who is a chef at the texas culinary academy, does a good job with most of them. casey p.s. has dale rice ever given any restaurant "forks down" in the little blurb reviews?

The wagyu was spectacular, i am trying to get this damned digital camera to upload the pictures to my computer and am not having an success. I took many pictures and as will post them very soon. casey

At culinary school today one of our chef's mentioned The Meat Shop/Harrell Gourmet. It is owned by the same people who own Harrell Ranch, the only American producer of Wagyu beef. (In Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything it is the Wagyu beef he mentions that is being developed at Texas A&M) I ventured up to the shop after class today and purchased 2 1/3 lbs of Wagyu ribeyes for 75.00, much cheaper than lobels( even without the shipping). Am eating it tomorrow so will report back on the quality then(it loks nearly identical if not a bit a slightly better red color). The Meat Shop also sells their own Harrel Ranch dry aged Prime Beef. They are located across from Lanier high school at 948 Peyton Gin Road which is about a 1 mile north of 183. If anyone would like me to fax them a copy of their product list please PM me. Cheers, Casey p.s. their phone number is 512.837.6331 (I would call ahead before driving just to make sure that they have Wagyu in stock as the gentleman who helped me said that they do periodically run out.

for those of us live out west in the hills there is a fairly new pizza place on bee caves, in the old five star que space, called Yaghis New York Pizzeria. while not quite as good as saccones they are pretty damned close. oh and they also serve up one of the best gyros i have had in austin. casey

eraticninja: if you look around the site a bit i think that you will see the anthony bourdain is pretty damn cool....i know that my fellow austin egulleters had a damn good time with him... bourdain in austin casey

texas certainly does not have a finite number of liquor licenses(thank god!), though the texas alcoholic beverage commission does make it hard to get one.... casey

here ya go....yahoo casey

4 eggs fried in bacon grease, 5 strips of bacon and 2 pieces of toast....mmmm..

maybe a bit of a foolish question but when the stock is simmering over night should i cover the pot? thanks so much... casey

the pub in question in dallas tx is trinity hall...a fun place to drink during my alcohol soaked year at smu... casey

who produces the best bread in austin? central market? some bakery i wish i knew about? bread alone? i personally have not a clue but would love to hear what others think, so i can go try it thanks, casey

ATX..Austin, Texas...just a bit of slang casey... p.s. i am trying to compile a list of the wines from the meal

Just got home back here in ATX after an amazing meal at Le Reve. While it was probably the first truly three star(michelin) meal I have had it really was spectacular. Since I am but a wee lad and this is the first time I have ever tried to write about a restaurant experience and i have had a bit too much wine hopefully ya'll will all be able to bear with me....(my mother was kind enough to treat me to the chefs tasting menu but alas i was not intelligent enough to bring a notebook in which to make notes...also i will add more detailed comments about the dishes in the morning...) The Amuse: a tiny serving of gazpacho, perfectly smooth with a great balance of tomato and garlic flavors... First Course: an oyster with wasabi, some form of noodle( if i remember correctly) and iranian caviar...the oyster was i believe lightly poached in white wine Second Course: artichoke heart soup with shrimp and coarsely ground nuts Third Course: yellowfin tuna and haraki(?) served like sushi with an applemango side Fourth Course: a Fois Gros club, by far the greatest dish i have ever had...fois gras lightly seared served on toasted bread with caramelized onions and duck mousse...absofuckinlutly unbelievable... Fifth Course: Lobster in a sour yet somehow sweet sauce..again by far the best lobster i have had Sixth Course: beef tournade(sp?) with shallot and balsamic reduction(i think), perfectly prepared asparagus and mashed potatos Seventh Course: raw milk cheeses, all of whose named escape me eighth: chocolate carrot cake with ice cream...this part was really a bit fuzzy as all the glasses of wine as well as a few cocktails before going had taken effect.. the more i think, i do believe i will call the restaurant on the morrow and ask if they can clarify a few items on the menu so this post will be a bit more complete...if nothing else i do reccomend a meal here any time you can, as it was truly wonderful... p.s. tommy lee jones and the screenplay writer for amores perros were seated next to us....pretty damn cool if you as me

ed, as an owner of a signed copy of your book, purchased at foxy's when on spring break visiting my parents(who are cruisers as well) i congratulate you on the article. good luck and keep writing...us 21yr olds need all the info we can to show off for our friends casey fannin s/v zephyrus kemah tx s/v bliss austin tx

another que option that is closer to town..John Muellers on Manor rd. (pronounced Maynor). best que in austin and comparable to kreuz and imho better than blacks. also dont miss some local mexican food, gueros on south congress or maudies on lake austin. more expensive options that are always wonderful are castle hill cafe on 5th or Jeffrey's (dubyas favorite) on west lynn. enjoy....