Pretzel Date

Recently my parents agreed to watch Jackson and Olivia for a few hours so Tony and I could have a meal together. We headed downtown to Easy Tiger, a bakery/beergarden.

Literally a wall of bread. Be still my heart.

We each had a giant pretzel. Oh carbs. How I love you.

It was nice to sit and chat with my handsome husband over a couple of beers, about exciting adult topics such as getting our air-conditioning repaired.

Afterwards, walked around and enjoyed the constantly-changing wall art around 6th St.

Aww, friendly wasabi.

We also saw this. Yard art, or hoarding? Sometimes you can't tell.

On our way home, we stopped by Capital City Bakery to pick up some blueberry cheesecake and a lemon bar.

The kids were good for Grandma and Grandad, yay! 

Valentine's Day 2015

On Saturday, I woke up to the best Valentine's Day card ever, made by Jackson and Olivia.

This year? Hmm. Is it me, or does that sound vaguely ominous?

I'd picked up some Chocolove treats for them. Valentine's day is all about chocolate.

That evening, my parents babysat so Tony and I could go out to dinner. We were super excited because we had a reservation at Counter Culture's special 5-course Valentine's dinner! 

We drank local - a Zoe beer from Hops & Grain brewery for Tony, and a Buddha's Brew ginger kombucha for me.

The first course was a baked apple with caramelized onions and a "brie" cheeze. I loved how the savory cheeze contrasted with the sweetness of the apple.

Next up, borscht with a dollop of sour cream. Tony does not usually care for the earthy flavor of beets, but he admitted this soup was much better than he anticipated. I loved it; it was so thick and creamy.

Then we were served a raw dolma - a collard leaf filled with sundried tomato, raisins, and pine nuts. With raw food I'm often taken aback at how bold and intense the flavors can be. Each bite was totally satisfying, no need for a dressing or dip to make this dolma amazing.

We had a choice of two entrees, so I ordered one and Tony got the other. There was much sampling from each other's plates going on. I had the tofu scallops, very lemony with a nice crispy outer crust. They were served alongside rice and asparagus with a fantastic dill gravy, and a seaweed and cucumber salad. It was all so good! I love seaweed - so good for you!

Tony loved his mushroom and pea bourguignon, served with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. He said it was as rich and flavorful as any beef stew. An omnivore's high praise.

We had a choice of two desserts as well. Tony went with the flan, adorned with almonds, whisky-soaked dates, and salted caramel. I could've drank a cup of that caramel sauce, yum!

It's hard to say there was a standout since the whole meal was awesome, but if I had to choose, it would be the raw tiramisu I had for dessert. I guess I'm just amazed at the different flavors and textures you can achieve with raw ingredients. All the layers of a traditional tiramisu were represtened...the whipped cream on top, the sweet, creamy chocolate, and the dense, coconutty "ladyfinger" layer at the bottom. 

By the end of the meal, we were full, happy, and relaxed, yet not overstuffed. It was such a special treat to have such an elegantly presented meal that was entirely vegan!

Before heading home, we stopped at Capital City Bakery down the street and picked up some special Valentine's goodies to take home and enjoy the next day - a "Fauxstess" chocolate cupcake and a heart-shaped sugar cookie.

I love this dude!

Birthday Ramen

I wanted to eat someplace new for my birthday. Tony, lover of all Japanese food, talked me into Michi Ramen. We started with a bowl of salted edamame, Jackson and Olivia's favorite appetizer. It keeps their little fingers busy.

Most ramen bowls are made with pork broth, but Michi offers a vegan bowl as well. It comes with chives, sprouts, cabbage, green onions, and wood ear mushrooms. I added sweet corn and mayu (blackened garlic oil). From first slurp, I was in heaven. The noodles were chewy, springy, perfectly cooked. The broth was hot and delicious. I finished the entire bowl of noodles and veggies, then slurped down the rest of the broth! 

Tony had some kind of pork bowl, and the kids had plain noodles with broth. They love using chopsticks -- they get right in there!

A cute little placard on our table advertised mochi ice cream desserts, so we let Jackson and Olivia each choose a flavor. They went with blueberry and strawberry.

Little scoops of ice cream sealed inside a chewy, glutinous rice package...they had never had anything like it. Instant approval.

"Mom, I love Japanese food!"

After one visit, Michi Ramen is now vying with Elizabeth Street for my favorite Austin restaurant!

On the way home, we swung by Capital City Bakery to pick up some birthday cupcakes. Olivia chose a confetti cupcake, vanilla with vanilla frosting and sprinkles.

Jackson went for one of the seasonal treats, a chocolate cupcake with peppermint buttercream, and candy cane pieces sprinkled on top.

I couldn't pass up an eggnog cupcake. 

I had a lovely birthday, attending a "painting with wine" class with some girlfriends, finishing up all my Christmas shopping and wrapping, and spending lots of relaxing time with my family. Couldn't ask for a better start to 37!

Weekend Eats and Treats

The weekend is almost here but, before I forget, we had some great food last weekend! 

Friday night, it was just me and the kiddos. I made a quick pasta with basil pesto and cherry tomatoes. The garden has been going crazy with all the rain we've had this summer, it's wonderful! I made a big batch of pesto and froze it in ice cube trays, so I can pop out the amount I need. I topped the fettucine with a few shreds of pecorino romano cheese. Pecorino romano is so salty and has such a big flavor -- it's great if you're trying to watch your fat intake but want the richness of cheese, because you only need a tiny bit.

We got our grocery shopping done, then we stopped by the Capital City Bakery trailer for cupcakes. The kids had vanilla with sprinkles, and I had a black forest cupcake -- chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and cherries. Delicious, vegan cupcakes -- a perfect little treat after a week of eating light.

Saturday morning, we had to drop off Tony's car for some maintenance. While we waited to pick it up, we had brunch at Kerbey Lane. I ordered the vegan breakfast platter, which came with raspberry pancakes, tofu scramble, and vegan sausage patties. The tofu scramble was spicy and came covered in chopped tomato and scallions. The pancakes, although they didn't really taste like raspberry or have any visible raspberry pieces in them, were fine. The sausage patties were overcooked, hard and chewy. This has happened before, so I will probably find something else to order next time I eat breakfast there.

Tony ordered the migas. I may try them some time, so I thought I would take a picture. I've never been much of an egg eater, but the urge does strike me once or twice a year. He enjoyed these.

That afternoon, a couple of my friends were running a craft booth at the North Austin Trailer Yard, so we stopped by for a visit. While we were there, we checked out a trailer food competition, part of the Go Texan Restaurant Roundup. Each of the food trailers on the lot was offering free samples of a special dish made from local ingredients. You could try them all and vote on your favorite dish.

 

We were still pretty full from breakfast, so we only got one sample, but it was quite a sample. It was actually a full-sized pecan pie sundae from The Yogurt Experience, made with Texas pecans. It took a lot of restraint to just take one bite and allow Jackson and Olivia to finish off the rest -- it was so good! They loved it. Now I know where to take them next time they deserve a Friday night treat!

On Sunday, I cooked a sort of multicultural dinner. I made a couple of Ethiopian dishes from Appetite for Reduction -- Y'abesha Gomen (gingery collard greens) and Mushroom Tibs. I rounded out the meal with curried lentils and garlic naan bread. A light and healthy meal to make up for the weekend's excesses, but also a spicy and satisfying feast!