The Joy of Austin

You know when your life is changing in a pretty big way but you have this trip that you planned months previously and you equally want to go and not want to go?  And you are also hoping that your anxiety won't become an issue for yourself and others around you.  Welcome to my life in September.  Thankfully, I had Amber waiting for me in Austin which made it the kind of trip I'm so happy I took.

I had been craving breakfast tacos so much that this was almost our first stop in Austin - Veracruz All Natural. So perfect.

The best kind of advertising.

Just hanging out with trucks in Texas.

The wonders of Target - cereal from our childhood and shelves of pumpkin Oreo's which are delicious.

Amber's cereal of choice.

Welcome to the Alamo!!  I just wanted to look at the sky all day long and all of the random animals we saw on our drive home from San Antonio.

Goofy ballerina pose in front of the San Antonio temple.  A woman in the bathroom was using essential oils to cure headaches and other ailments.  My worst nightmare is smelling patchouli in a room with no escape.

We met up with Johnny to wait under twinkly lights to eat at Thai-kun.  This was the kind of Thai food that reminded me absolutely of Bangkok and made me so happy.  I don't remember all of the dishes but they had khao man gai which really needs to be at every Thai restaurant because it's that good.

I read about this man in Austin who made such good gelato that he was the only American invited to compete in a gelato contest in Italy.  We also went there.  It's called Teo.

Charlie Bird's Farro Salad

Trish and I had our birthday dinner last year at Charlie Bird.  There was one salad that we couldn't stop eating and it's one that luckily others love also.  I found the recipe in the NY Times and I kind of replicated the salad of my dreams.  It's worth the effort.

The salad we ate and the recipe differs a little because of the winter/early spring vegetables that were available in March.  I highly recommend it with sweet potatoes instead of the tomatoes.  I think other vegetables would be equally delicious.

• 1 cup farro
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler 
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts
• 2 cups arugula leaves
• 1 cup parsley or basil leaves, torn
• 1 cup mint leaves
• ¾ cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced radish
• Maldon or other flaky sea salt, for finishing

In a medium saucepan, bring farro, apple cider, salt, bay leaves and 2 cups water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If all the liquid evaporates before the farro is done, add a little more water. Let farro cool, then discard bay leaves.

In a salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add farro, cheese and pistachio nuts and mix well. This salad base will keep for up to 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before serving). Just before serving, fold in arugula, herbs, tomatoes, radish and flaky salt to taste.

Summer Colors

I'm still catching up from earlier this year.  It's fun to look through photos and remember the summer without reliving the heat.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was the oldest and largest non-federal art museum in DC.   It was right around the corner from my freshmen dorm and I loved being in a city where I lived in such proximity to art.  It was a big change from small town USA.  The museum was sold this past year to GWU and the National Art Gallery and the institution will no longer be the same.  I made an effort to visit before it closed and I had forgotten the wealth that was in their permanent collection.  I'm curious to see how it will look in the future.

I still contend that the best tacos in DC are in Northern Virginia at Taco Bamba.  I have yet to be proven wrong.

So happy that Osteria Morini opened in DC.  I went with Jen for brunch and we both left very happy.

Restaurant week in August - I had forgotten about this but I did really like the food.  I'm craving the food from summer now that I have months until I'll eat corn and fava beans again.

Bishop Allen always makes me happy.  They released a new album earlier this year.  Such good indie pop music.

I Love These Nuts

I was invited to a party Saturday night where I knew very few people.  We were asked to bring food and the party was a very long trip on the metro. I decided to bring nuts as most people like them and they are easy to handle.  They were a huge success. 

I found three recipes for flavored nuts - two from One Good Dish by David Tanis and spicy brittled peanuts from Smitten Kitchen.   I think they would make the perfect holiday gifts.

cashews with indian spices

1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 lb natural raw cashews
2 tbs melted butter
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp turmeric
Sea Salt

Heat the oven to 400 F.  Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small dry pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Coarsely grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.  (I skipped this step and used ground coriander and cumin.  It tasted good but I wonder how much more intense this process would affect the flavor).

Spread the cashews in an even layer in a shallow baking dish. Roast for 7 to 10 minutes until barely golden (it took my oven 15 minutes). Drizzle with the melted butter, then sprinkle with the toasted spices, cayenne, and turmeric. Season generously with sea salt and toss to coat.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

salted almonds with rosemary

1/2 lb natural (unblanched) raw almonds
2 or 3 rosemary sprigs
Sea salt
1 tb olive oil

Heat the oven to 400 F.  Put th ealmonds in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with 1 tb water, and toss to moisten.  Strip the rosemary leaves form the stems and add them.  Add a generous pinch of sea salt and mix with your fingers to combine.  Drizzle the almonds with olive oil, toss once more, and spread in an even layer.

Roast the almonds for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally for even browning.  Take care not to get them too dark - check them frequently, since you don't want them on the verge of burnt.  (I checked them every 3 minutes and it took close to 15 minutes in my oven).  The interior should be golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

spicy brittled peanuts

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sugar
1 tb unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
2 cups shelled raw or roasted unsalted peanuts, papery skins removed

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda, sea salt and cayenne, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar, butter and water over medium-high heat until it just begins to turn golden, about 7 to 12 minutes.  Add the peanuts and start stirring, coating them with the sugar mixture.  After a minute or two (or five in my case), the sugar will seize up a bit, making the peanuts look grainy and crusty, and it will be harder to stir them - you'll be convinced that something is wrong but keep stirring and it will melt back into a golden caramel after 3 to 5 minutes.  Keep stirring, breaking up any clumps with your spoon, until th enuts are evenly coated, then remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the baking-soda-spice mixture as fast and evenly as you can, then spill the caramelized nuts onto your prepared sheet, spreading them in a single layer and breaking up any clumps that you can before they set.  Cool completely.

Once they're cool, break the nut clusters into smaller pieces and put them in a serving dish.  The nuts will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Rose's Luxury: America's Favorite Restaurant

Tuesday was a very good day for a few reasons -

1) I finally had dinner with Kim and Kimber after we first discussed this last December.

2) I was able to eat again at Rose's Luxury even after it was named America's Best New Restaurant by Bon Appetit earlier this month and I read that the no reservation policy restaurant had waits of hours and hours for a table.

3) It was my Dad's birthday and I didn't feel the intensity of grief as I have previously.  I've had an interesting experience where one of my closest friends also lost her father recently and our conversations have helped me greatly.  But more on that later.

Kim, Kimber and I planned to meet at Rose's Luxury at 6:30 on Tuesday night.  I knew to expect a long wait but I still had hope.  I was the first to arrive, put my name on the list, and was told it would be a 2.5 to 3 hour wait.  I texted Kimber and Kim the news and Kimber was up for finding another restaurant.  Kim arrived and when I explained to her Kimber's thoughts, her face just fell with disappointment.  She wanted to eat at the restaurant I had been talking about for months now.

We drove to Kimber's house which is near the restaurant and decided to wait for the table.  We were warned though by the staff that we only had 15 minutes once I received the text that our table was ready to get to the restaurant.  The text came at 8:15 and we ran to Kim's car.  I set the stopwatch on the phone for 15 minutes and we ran lots of pink lights to get there with 3 minutes to spare.  The true miracle though was finding a parking space right in front of the restaurant.

We were shown to our table and felt immense success at finding ourselves finally in the restaurant.

This lovely challah bread with honey and butter was like eating home.  It was warm and delicious.  Kim found true happiness while eating this bread.

We ordered the pork sausage, habanero and lychee salad which I had loved at my previous visit to the restaurant.  Kim and Kimber decided it was their favorite dish at this meal.  Rose's Luxury changes their menu often so it was complete luck on our part to find this still on the menu.

The summer peach salad with shiso, mint and ricotta was nice but all of us felt like it was something that we could have made at home.

I did like the peach salad paired with the sfoglini rigatoni with tomato, basil and eggplant because it tasted like I was eating a garden.  The tomatoes were perfect - tangy and sweet but not too sweet.  

We did not order the jerk chicken with pickled mango raita and green papaya salad because we felt that we had enough dishes but the kitchen sent us an order anyway.  Delicious and a very nice surprise.

The Mexican grilled corn salad with guajillo, lime and cilantro did not look very special but it was my favorite.  I loved the flavor and it was again like eating a garden.

The pickle-brined fried chicken with honey and benne seed was perfectly cooked and seasoned. There were a couple of dishes on the table with honey including the honey-glazed carrots, mascarapone, matzo meal and dill (below) and it was all very well used to showcase the meats and vegetables.  Kimber said that the carrots was one of her favorite matzo dishes that she's eaten.

Dessert was not even a question and we let Kim decide since it is her birthday later this month.  We ordered the first two which are not traditional desserts.  Kimber said it succinctly in that both desserts were like an elevated cheese course - the savory and sweet represented equally.  I loved both and we kept eating them but it may have not met a dessert expectation for someone. 

The English pea cake with mint curd, pistachios and buttermilk.  It was a beautiful plating.

And the smoked celery root mascarapone with chamomile honey ice and brown butter walnut crumble.  I loved how each bite of both desserts was different.  The ingredients worked really well together.

My Monday in NYC

I think I wrote earlier that this was a very short trip but I did stick around through Monday thank goodness.  I always need at least a full 48 hours in the city.

Right around the corner from Uncle Boons is this place which I knew would live up to expectations.  The same folks that own Mile End and Mile End Delicatessen opened Black Seed to spotlight Montreal bagels. Who knew they were worth an entire shop? They've started serving egg sandwiches since my visit and also bagel pizzas but only from 10 pm to 4 am on specific days.  I will return for an egg sandwich.

Yes it was early before 10 am but I believe all good ice cream shops open at 8 am.  So many reasons to love Morgensterns.  This could be an "every visit to NYC must" kind of place.  Today's flavors were chocolate oat (love) and sesame caramel.

Any photos of the actual exhibit were strictly forbidden but I loved Charles James.  Absolutely gorgeous dresses that had the architecture to be studied and honored. He was a genius.

I also stopped in the Garry Winogrand exhibit that is closing later this month.  I walked into a group of experts discussing the legacy of Winogrand.  Regardless of their decision, a very worthwhile exhibit of an artist who took very good street photos.