Official Foodie Thread

[MidwestGolfBum]

Originally Posted by i dunno

turkey avocado sandwich

That's a damn good looking sammich.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by MidwestGolfBum

That's a damn good looking sammich.

Indeed

[kingofthedemo]

Originally Posted by i dunno

turkey avocado sandwich

That looks awesome, nice presentation!

[NemesisX]

P1et have you ever been to La Traviata? If you're a fan of spaghetti carbonara, I personally think they have the best rendition of carbonara in Austin.

Here's the kicker - they actually don't make their pastas in house. From what I can tell, they use cheap, $1 store bought pastas from HEB. However despite that fact, the sauce is really well done and the pasta is still cooked to a perfect al dente. Their subtle use of lemongrass is absolutely masterful.

Personally I always get it without the egg yolk but it's probably good either way.

Sagra used to have my favorite carbonara dish back when they were at their old location on San Antonio st. They made their pasta in house, and they used a wonderfully fatty guanciale where they rendered the fat into the sauce.

Since moving to their new location, they use simple pancetta and the sauce isn't quite the same, but it's still O.K. It's probably worth a try.

Do not get their pasta "il grosso." It's absolutely inedible.

Sagra offers their Carbonara during brunch on Sundays for $12, while La Traviata offers their Carbonara for dinner every night @ $15.

Personally, I think the carbonara at La Traviata is overpriced for the portion size which is a little irritating, but the flavor is wonderful and most yelpers and google reviewers rave about it. Sagra used to be slightly overpriced @ $10 per carbonara dish, but they've increased the price to $12 because they're really struggling to make ends meet as a restaurant. They may not be open 1 or 2 years down the road, so try it while you can!

Blue Dahlia is next on my list whenever I get some free time.

[P1]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

P1et have you ever been to La Traviata? If you're a fan of spaghetti carbonara, I personally think they have the best rendition of carbonara in Austin.

Here's the kicker - they actually don't make their pastas in house. From what I can tell, they use cheap, $1 store bought pastas from HEB. However despite that fact, the sauce is really well done and the pasta is still cooked to a perfect al dente. Their subtle use of lemongrass is absolutely masterful.

Personally I always get it without the egg yolk but it's probably good either way.

Sagra used to have my favorite carbonara dish back when they were at their old location on San Antonio st. They made their pasta in house, and they used a wonderfully fatty guanciale where they rendered the fat into the sauce.

Since moving to their new location, they use simple pancetta and the sauce isn't quite the same, but it's still O.K. It's probably worth a try.

Do not get their pasta "il grosso." It's absolutely inedible.

Sagra offers their Carbonara during brunch on Sundays for $12, while La Traviata offers their Carbonara for dinner every night @ $15.

Personally, I think the carbonara at La Traviata is overpriced for the portion size which is a little irritating, but the flavor is wonderful and most yelpers and google reviewers rave about it. Sagra used to be slightly overpriced @ $10 per carbonara dish, but they've increased the price to $12 because they're really struggling to make ends meet as a restaurant. They may not be open 1 or 2 years down the road, so try it while you can!

Blue Dahlia is next on my list whenever I get some free time.

I have been to La Traviata quite a few times, but it's not a place I've been to in years. Probably because it's not easy to get close to when you have to drive downtown. My parking spot is on Lavaca, so suppose I should give it another try.

On the topic of good Italian food: my favorite spot for a quick bit is currently Enoteca. Reasonably priced, but the dishes have more flavor than any other Italian restaurant I've had the pleasure of eating at in Austin.

I started with the Suppli, which was perfect. I also tried the Zucchini Fritti which, in hindsight, was overkill because I was already full after that. Then we had the Melanzana & Zucchini and the Rigatoni con Polpette and the I almost fell off my chair. Definitely highly recommended.

[TXSTYLE]

Pork Chops, Sweet Peas & Carrots, Olive Oil & Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Cornbread (sweet corn kernels baked inside)




#soulfood

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by P1et

I have been to La Traviata quite a few times, but it's not a place I've been to in years. Probably because it's not easy to get close to when you have to drive downtown. My parking spot is on Lavaca, so suppose I should give it another try.

On the topic of good Italian food: my favorite spot for a quick bit is currently Enoteca. Reasonably priced, but the dishes have more flavor than any other Italian restaurant I've had the pleasure of eating at in Austin.

I started with the Suppli, which was perfect. I also tried the Zucchini Fritti which, in hindsight, was overkill because I was already full after that. Then we had the Melanzana & Zucchini and the Rigatoni con Polpette and the I almost fell off my chair. Definitely highly recommended.

Yeah I hear you. Parking around La Traviata (or any restaurant around that part) is a nightmare, not to mention ridiculously overpriced. I usually park in the lot at the corner of Guadalupe St. and 3rd st. but I cringe every time because it's like $8 or $9.

I took a snapshot of Sagra's carbonara today -



The noodles are fresh, doughy, and perfectly al dente. They have a nice bite to them.

I've been to both Enoteca and Vespaio. I think Vespaio has among the best risottos in Austin. They don't give enough, but the quality of the stock is excellent and they know how to make risotto properly runny.

The former head chef of Enoteca Vespaio now works at Peche, and it really shows in Peche's "daily menu" food. Not surprisingly, Peche also has among the best risottos in Austin. Peche's service is horrendous, though, but I don't really care about poor service. I'm all about the food.

[NemesisX]

Peche has both twitter and facebook accounts where they post their daily menu. For example, tonight's daily menu is:



http://ow.ly/i/59qI1/original
https://twitter.com/Peche_Austin

Unfortunately for me I'm not a big fan of sweetbreads so no Peche tonight

But yeah Peche's strength lies with its tremendous variety. They actually change their "daily menu" daily or at least every 2 or 3 days.

[i dunno]

brunch from today

irish carnivore scramble - bangers, bacon, ham, onions, cheese


i made rice with chinese sausage for dinner

[TXSTYLE]

Just a big ass platter of Seasoned & Marinated Grill Chicken!!!

[TXSTYLE]

I take my "Southern Cooking" very seriously and enjoy certain dishes in particular. Such as this Collard Green recipe I'm preparing as you read this.

Ingredients:

Collards
Ham Hocks
Bacon
Onion
Garlic
Olive Oil
Red Chilies (dried)
Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper

Saute the oil, onions, garlic, chili and bacon for @ 10min
add Chicken Stock and Hocks continue cooking for 20-30 min over med heat to let all that yummy goodness create a broth full of flavor!
Then add your Greens or Cabbage (works just as well) and cook on low heat for 1.5hrs.
Enjoy with your favorite meats and sides and especially Cornbread!




Finished dish coming soon...

[AW335TT]

.

[i dunno]

chicken tikka masala with rice for lunch

[BKap08]

Originally Posted by i dunno

chicken tikka masala with rice for lunch

MMMM love this stuff, being indian this and lamb curry are my favorite indian dishes

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by BKap08

MMMM love this stuff, being indian this and lamb curry are my favorite indian dishes

What are your thoughts on the seemingly pervasive urban myth that chicken tikka masala is a "British" dish and not an Indian dish?

[BKap08]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

What are your thoughts on the seemingly pervasive urban myth that chicken tikka masala is a "British" dish and not an Indian dish?

people say that because in india 99% of curries dont actually have any cream added where butter chicken and tikka masala have. Its a lot spicier in india and if anything yogurt is used instead to cut the fat count.

I know in my house when we make any type of curry theres no cream/yogurt added into the dish. We do have yogurt on the side to cut the heat but thats in nearly every indian household. I know curry is a popular dish in UK but dont know to the extent of how its made over there. Also in india when you try to order chicken tikka masala off the menu its traditionally never offered at authentic restaurants. Its westernized like crazy. When I eat indian food out i enjoy the heavier cream based curries but at home I think the way my family makes it is soo much better

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by BKap08

people say that because in india 99% of curries dont actually have any cream added where butter chicken and tikka masala have. Its a lot spicier in india and if anything yogurt is used instead to cut the fat count.

I know in my house when we make any type of curry theres no cream/yogurt added into the dish. We do have yogurt on the side to cut the heat but thats in nearly every indian household. I know curry is a popular dish in UK but dont know to the extent of how its made over there. Also in india when you try to order chicken tikka masala off the menu its traditionally never offered at authentic restaurants. Its westernized like crazy. When I eat indian food out i enjoy the heavier cream based curries but at home I think the way my family makes it is soo much better

Yeah that makes sense.

It's like when people call fettucine alfredo an "american dish." In reality, fettucine alfredo is just a slightly modified version of a classic italian dish fettucine al burro e panna or pasta al burro e panna (literally translated as pasta with butter and cream).

The only difference is that the american interpretations often use overcooked noodles and the ratio of butter and cream is totally off.

The classic italian dish uses more butter than cream, whereas the americanized version often drowns the whole dish in cream.

Nevertheless, I'll still hear people incorrectly claim that fettucine "alfredo" isn't an italian dish. It is. It's just not called "alfredo" in italy, and it's poorly done. That doesn't make it an american dish.

[Rotorocious]

[i dunno]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

What are your thoughts on the seemingly pervasive urban myth that chicken tikka masala is a "British" dish and not an Indian dish?

Originally Posted by BKap08

people say that because in india 99% of curries dont actually have any cream added where butter chicken and tikka masala have. Its a lot spicier in india and if anything yogurt is used instead to cut the fat count.

I know in my house when we make any type of curry theres no cream/yogurt added into the dish. We do have yogurt on the side to cut the heat but thats in nearly every indian household. I know curry is a popular dish in UK but dont know to the extent of how its made over there. Also in india when you try to order chicken tikka masala off the menu its traditionally never offered at authentic restaurants. Its westernized like crazy. When I eat indian food out i enjoy the heavier cream based curries but at home I think the way my family makes it is soo much better

wait i really thought it was a fact that chicken tikka masala was invented in the UK lol. i thought it was like how orange chicken and fortune cookies were invented here in the US.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by i dunno

wait i really thought it was a fact that chicken tikka masala was invented in the UK lol. i thought it was like how orange chicken and fortune cookies were invented here in the US.

Well that part might be true...

[P1]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

Well that part might be true...

I'd say that a proper curry, whether Indian or Thai, is a real treat for me. My wife makes a killer chicken korma at home, completely from scratch. I definitely have never had a better chicken korma in a restaurant. And she's not Indian, she was born outside of Ft. Worth...

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by P1et

I'd say that a proper curry, whether Indian or Thai, is a real treat for me. My wife makes a killer chicken korma at home, completely from scratch. I definitely have never had a better chicken korma in a restaurant. And she's not Indian, she was born outside of Ft. Worth...

nice. As far as restaurants go, the best curry I've had was at a place called Vij's restaurant in Vancouver, BC -

http://www.vijs.ca/

4.5 stars with 434 reviews on google reviews, and 4.5 stars with 501 reviews on yelp.

This was probably 5 or 6 years ago now but I still remember the lamb curry dish I had at Vij's. No restaurant in Austin comes even close in my opinion. Austin's indian fare ranges from stunningly mediocore (claypit) to abjectly disgusting (bombay grill), although my brother says Teji's on guadalupe is OK for the price. I have yet to try it, though, but we'll see.

Claypit used to be acceptable to me when they first opened, but their quality has taken a turn for the worst in recent years. A year ago I attended a friend's graduation party at claypit. Claypit offers their special "butter chicken" dish for catered events and I thought that tasted pretty good. Other than their butter chicken (which they don't offer during regular dining hours), I'm not much of a fan of anything else.

I swear, for catered events Claypit will prepare their curry from scratch. If you go during lunch hours, for example, the curry tastes like it's been frozen for days and heated up prior to serving.