Olive and June (Austin)

When Hannah and her sweet mother invited me to Olive & June for dinner last Thursday night, I could not have been more excited to eat a delicious Italian meal with a great group! Our dinner was a lovely kickoff to our sorority's Mom's Weekend - three days of nonstop food and family fun. Look out for another critique of Clark's Oyster Bar, coming soon!

ambiance
Olive & June was warm, spacious and beautifully candlelit. The scene was more than appropriate for an intimate date or family gathering. We were surrounded by couples, girls' nights out and families with adorable babies. The dark wood and dish cloth napkins showed the comfortable twist to a sophisticated space.

food
Our waiter first offered freshly baked, sea-salt encrusted focaccia with homemade ricotta. Yes, please. Keep scrolling for the most fabulous dishes I've had in a while....

We loved the seafood frito misto with arugula and lemon - the jumbo shrimp, calamari and fish were somehow flash fried so lightly, that you could barely see the breaded layer. It provided the perfect crunch without overwhelming the seafood. Zucchini involtini was my personal favorite; not just because it had mushrooms, but because the choice of ingredients and presentation were so creative. The mushrooms were pureed with pine nuts, almost like a pesto (not like the one I attempted in December), and wrapped in thin strips of zucchini. The tomatoes and golden raisins were both citrus-y, but provided completely contrasting textures and flavors. So interesting and so freaking yum.

Brenna and I ordered two entrees to split - my favorite way to order at any restaurant, as you may know. The whole wheat ravioli was a winner; stuffed with goat cheese and sprinkled with pistachios, the rich flavor of the filling balanced well with a light olive oil and parmesean topping.  Spring risotto was also a delicious choice.  We ordered it without proscuitto to truly highlight the sweat peas and asparagus with savory mascarpone cheese.

Hannah and her mom also ordered the grilled branzino with citrus and hazelnut. While I didn't get a bite myself, the fish was cooked to perfection and paired well with grapefruit segments and watercress. For sides, the four of us chose the baked eggplant with mozzarella and roasted baby beets, served family style. Both were unbelievable.

Hungry yet? Make a reservation soon and enjoy the beauty of North Italy right here in Austin.

Cochon (New Orleans)

With Superbowl Sunday this past weekend and Mardi Gras in full swing, I simply cannot get my mind off of New Orleans, Louisiana.  I miss the city, its unmatched spirit and delicious diversity of food.  I have not been back to New Orleans since early January, but I can still taste the savory flavors that Cochon offered us on New Years Day.

So now, in honor of this month's festivities in good ole Louisiana, here's a critique of the yummiest spot in town.

Cochon has been recognized as one of New Orlean's Top 10 restaurants for years now, so I had to give it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed.

Warning: If you are a vegetarian, do not go to this restaurant.  Cochon means pig; and boy, does this restaurant hold true to its name. But you’ll leave happy as a pig!

ambiance
Extremely laid back and rustic, the southern comfort was in the air. We were sandwiched between two other couples at a teeny-tiny wooden table—and while I was uncomfortable at first with how closely the tables were placed, I soon got over it. Because all I could focus on was the food.

photo credit

food
Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, so please don’t judge! I had to order enough to sample for my wonderful readers, so let’s just use that as the reason why Alex and I ordered such a quantity for only two.

yummy yeast rolls to start. | photo credit

wood-fired oyster roast | photo credit

For starters, we chose the wood-fired oyster roast and smoked pork ribs with a watermelon pickle. I also had to get the pork & black eyed pea gumbo—why, might you ask? Well, it was New Years Day…so I had to eat black eyed peas for good luck!

smoked pork ribs with watermelon pickle | photo credit

I chose the oven-roasted gulf red fish “fisherman’s style” for my entree. The portion was outrageous, but the preparation had just the right amount of seasoning with pickled onion and lemon on the side. It was a simple and light entrée, which is what I needed after so many starters. 

red fish "fisherman's style" | photo credit

dumplings and mac.

Alex ordered the opposite: rabbit and dumplings. Served in a root vegetable and potato stew in a single-serve cast iron skillet, the dish was extremely rich. I couldn’t handle more than a bite, but Alex was satisfied. A side of baked mac and cheese casserole took us overboard, but we were happy. Very happy.

Needless to say, Cochon was a fantastic way to kick off 2013. I hope you try it on your next visit!

Hash House A Go Go (San Diego)

It's a given that girls weekends are the key to keeping sanity in the whirlwind of school work, internships and career-planning; and when Brenna suggested a weekend at her condo in Coronado, California...well, that sounded simply perfect.

While the weather did not cooperate, we managed to find the eatery gems in La Jolla, Coronado, Carlsbad, San Diego, Point Loma, and Del Mar without trouble. Hannah took the most beautiful photos, a few of which I'm sharing here!

Fresh acai bowls, sea salt chocolate chip cookies, coffee ice cream and Sprinkles cupcakes satisfied our sweet tooth in between meals. And when I say meals, I mean FEASTS.

there's nothing like a sprinkles cupcake. top left [red velvet] was my favorite!

I'll critique True Food Kitchen, our Friday night dinner, in my next post. For now, I'll give you a taste (HA, no pun intended) of my other meals in Cali.

a sneak peek of true foods kitchen

At Hash House Ago Go on Saturday morning, I couldn't keep my jaw closed. If you thought your meals were ever portioned too large, I dare you to come to this breakfast spot in Hillcrest. The plates are approximately 2 feet in diameter. Does that give you an idea?  I was in constant disbelief.

We ordered a few plates to pass around and share. Hot sticky granola with mango and berries was my favorite of the three. But we couldn't go wrong with the brown butter banana pancake; which, in case you were wondering, was the largest pancake I've ever seen. I also loved the smoked salmon scramble with spinach, tomatoes and melted Brie. Delish.

hot. sticky. granola.

I lucked out in the shopping category as well - California is surely blessed with beautiful boutiques and stores. I left with a flirty red dress from Theory (perfect for the upcoming Valentine's holiday, yes?), a Lauren Moshi blush sweater with a hand painted white flower and a mint Lululemon pullover jacket.

The sun finally peeked out for us over the Point Loma harbor during lunch yesterday.  After a simple crab sandwich (lump crab meat on sourdough, can't go wrong with that) we took a few photos to prove that we did, in fact, see some sunshine.

Now, I'm back in Austin and back to reality. But, indeed, I feel lucky. Lucky to have such incredible friends and spontaneous experiences that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my college journey and beyond.

California was surely a sweet touch to my spring semester. I'm looking forward to crossing off more items on my college bucket list: restaurants, trips, adventures, the works!

I would love to hear any ideas for your (and perhaps, mine) bucket lists this Spring! Share away.

Happy Monday!

Redfarm (NYC)

Anyone enjoy ordering General Tso's Chicken on any Chinese restaurant menu?   Well, the guy who invented that dish owns this restaurant, RedFarm.  Maybe it's just me, but I think that's a pretty big deal.

My family therefore knew that we could trust anything on the menu, so we went all out.  From spicy crispy beef to four different types of dim sum, I was continuously impressed with RedFarm's creative preparation and presentation of organic ingredients.  They truly take innovative Chinese cuisine with "greenmarket sensibility" to a whole new level.

ambiance
As my father wisely put it, you "feel like you've won the lottery" when your name is called for a table inside the 42-seater restaurant.  Basically, we had to call at 11 a.m. to put our name down for an 8 p.m. reservation on Christmas Day.  And the five of us still didn't sit 'til 9 - and when I say "sit," I mean squeeze in a four-person booth in the corner.

But please, do not let the wait turn you away from the West Village gem.  Clearly, the demand means something.  You will never experience such impeccable Asian fusion cuisine in your lifetime.  I promise.

food
While I could go on forever about every dish, I'll let you enjoy our meal through photography.  After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

steamed lobster dumplings with a mushroom ragu

chicken dumplings with basil, cashews, sweet & spicy sauce

diced lamb with chinese broccoli & white asparagus | asparagus, corn, brussel sprouts

shrimp noodle special

mushroom & vegetable spring rolls

katz's pastrami egg roll with dijon mustard dipping sauce

Big Bite of the Big Apple (NYC)

New York City is known as the "Big Apple"—but I ate everything in sight except the apple.

We all know that New York is a food paradise. But I never imagined just how fantastic the food could be until four days and eight restaurants later—from the Bowery to the West Village; from the Meat Packing District to the East Side.

So here's a taste of my New York.

When we landed in the city on Christmas morning, Pulino's in the Bowery was our first stop. Bloody Marys, mussels and creative pasta dishes kept us in the holiday spirit after a long morning of traveling. My favorite was the cappalletti di zucca: a sweet and savory squash-filled pasta with brown butter and pomegranates. Unbelievable.

Chinese food and Jews on Christmas clearly go hand-in-hand; so we just had to check out Zagat's top-rated Chinese spot for 2012. We were five of 42 people in the cozy West Village Red Farm NYC restaurant. And, oh, did this restaurant win the top spot in my book.  The highlight was the Katz's Deli pastrami eggroll with a spicy mustard sauce.  How "New York" is that?! It was so delicious that we had to order another halfway through our meal.

Chelsea Market, if you haven't been, is a gourmet food court of restaurants. I was having trouble deciding which to choose, until I noticed a woman walk by with a full lobster on a paper plate.  Decision made.  The picture below doesn't even do it justice.  The Lobster Place is the way to go.

The award-winning db bistro menu on Wednesday evening brought instant satisfaction before even tasting the dishes, simply because every dish included mushrooms (my favorite)! Their special db burger, stuffed with fois gras and black truffle, melted in your mouth (if you could manage to get your mouth around it!).

Todd English Food Hall, housed in the basement of the Plaza Hotel, was the most overwhelming lunch I’ve had in a while. Why? The “dining hall” set up offered everything from sushi to homemade pastas and salads.  Whoa.

BLT Fish served seafood elegantly and provided a fabulous dining experience, even with a cotton candy finale. The pacific hamachi appetizer matched the avocado and grapefruit with perfection. The cheddar cheese biscuits also hit the spot.  Our waiter provided us with the take-home biscuit recipe, so I'll be sure to whip up some of those before heading back to Austin.

The meat-packing district, a gem of the city I wish I had discovered sooner, became my favorite area for its quiet atmosphere and high-end scene of restaurants and shops. At Fig & Olive, we started with a cucumber martini in the middle of the day.  How fun is vacation!  I kept my eyes peeled for celebrities, since I have heard this was a hot spot; but no luck.  At least the crab salad was tasty.

Hungry yet? Some caramelized critiques are coming your way in the next few weeks! Put these on your list for your next visit to NYC.