Friday night we met a friend for dinner at Brooklyn Heights Pizzeria, a neighborhood restaurant that we frequent. Our friend grew up in New York and was eager to try it out.

This restaurant was originally a great little coffee shop called The Coffee Plant (funny, the website is still up). They served great deserts all day, but my only complaint was the service was slow. One day Coyote Mercury stopped in for a latte and got to talking to the owner, who was about to close the coffee shop and redesign the space as a “Texas-style pizza pub.” He was even putting in his own water filtration system to balance the ph to the neighborhood in which he grew up in Brooklyn.

So we eagerly awaited its opening, and that day finally came. For the first several months they did not have a liquor license but would give you a beer or a glass of wine on the house. Most of the waitstaff seemed to be brand new to waiting tables, but everyone was really friendly and that made up for any slowness in service. 

In addition to some of the best pizza in Austin, the great thing about Brooklyn Heights is the variety on the menu. You can choose from about two dozen specialty pizzas, do-it-yourself toppings, hot wings, and even onion rings. They even have cheesecake shipped from New York’s Carnegie Deli.

On this visit we ordered “The Mad Italian,” a 16-inch pizza complete with banana peppers, Italian sausage, bell peppers, red onion, and garlic. This usually also comes with pineapple but we skipped this last night. The sausage is slightly spicy and sliced finely, which is a nice complement to the slightly sweet red sauce that is not overly thick but also does not allow toppings to slide off the slice.

When Brooklyn Heights opened I would often tell people that it was equal or superior to Home Slice, but slightly different. I liked the crust at Home Slice better, as it was a little thinner and more akin to pizza I have eaten in New York, but the sauce at Brooklyn Heights was better.

But today I’m not so sure. The restaurant has undergone some management and menu changes, and today the pizza is a little thicker than before and not quite as greasy. Grease is a good thing in pizza in my book, but nevertheless Brooklyn Heights still makes a fine pie that is worth the drive to check out.

Technorati Tags: Austin, restaurants, pizza

Yesterday I went with a friend to Vivo for lunch. It’s a great place for me to dine with former co-workers from my old job, as it’s about halfway between there and my current company. Plus, they have an outstanding salsa that has more black pepper than most restaurant salsas and is packed with flavor. But be careful: During the week it’s best to try to get there before noon or you’ll have to wait for a table.

We had a lovely lunch of puffy tacos and enchiladas. My only complaint is that they smothered cheese over just about everything but the rice on my plate. Now I’m a big fan of cheese, but there was practically more cheese than beans. That’s just a little much for lunch.

As I was leaving I noticed the following written on a dumpster outside in huge white letters:

“GO WEST YUPPIES. STOP GENTRIFYING THE EAST SIDE.”

Technorati Tags: food, Austin, restaurants, urban

Despite the rain, we went to Iron Cactus Sunday night. My husband had been craving a margarita for quite some time and I really didn’t want to keep walking in the rain, so Iron Cactus seemed like a good stop.

We arrived about 7 pm and were seated immediately, being probably the only two people in the restaurant without a SXSW badge. My husband ordered that margarita he had been wanting, and I ordered a Negra Modelo (which was listed as a Negro Modelo on the menu).

I ordered the Ancho Chile Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, a very tender piece of pork that had been seared so that the rub is basically burned onto the meat. It was presented sliced into five pieces with a chipotle demi glaze sauce, which did have a smoky flavor but lacked the kick of most chipotle sauces. The tenderloin was served with a heaping side of mashed potatoes, which were lightly mashed with skins and green onions. They did not appear to be too heavily loaded with butter or cream, making them courser and more flavorful than most mashed potatoes. The plate also came with sauteed zucchini, squash, and broccoli, which were very lightly cooked and retained most of their crispiness.

The food arrived within 10 minutes and was all very good. The wait staff was friendly and polite, and also very knowledgeable of the menu. I don’t know how busy Iron Cactus is on a weekend, but recommended for a weeknight.

Technorati Tags: dining, austin, restaurant

My birthday celebration continued into yesterday. I received a phone call from the front desk to come pick up a package. Inside that package was several dozen warm cookies, a pint of ice cream, and a couple of cartons of milk, courtesy of some of my girlfriends. A gift from their office to mine.

The cookies came from an interesting little company called Tiff’s Treats, a cookie delivery service serving Austin and Dallas. A very nice touch was that the cookies were warm when they arrived. We enjoyed very moist, very rich white chocolate chip and almond, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisin cookies all afternoon.

I believe I had six cookies in total yesterday. For the rest of the week I’ll be restricting myself of green tea, water, and some nice salads.

Technorati Tags: birthday, desert, cookies, delivery, gifts

I met some of my girlfriends for appetizers and drinks Friday night at Mesa Ranch, a seemingly quiet but upscale neighborhood restaurant.

We arrived about 6 pm and were seated immediately outside so we could enjoy the nice evening before the cold front. The hostess (who may have also been the owner of the restaurant) was very polite and enthusiastic about their signature drinks, so we took them up on the offer:

• I ordered the Mexican Martini with the middle grade Hurradurra tequila. The twist here is that they use a splash of Spite in the mix, and I have to say that it gives the drink just a hint of sweetness that I really liked.
• My friend ordered their version of The Manhattan, which she liked but said it was a lot sweeter than what she’s used to with drinks.
• My other friend who doesn’t drink asked for something that would look like a “big girl” drink - club soda with a splash of cranberry juice and a twist of lime. They were very nice, but her drink arrived in literally an iced tea glass, which sort of made her look like a lush but overall we thought it was a little endearing.

The menu is heavy on wild game, somthing that none of us really like, but we chose the location based on proximity to everyone’s houses. We ordered a round of appetizers, careful to avoid things like elk and venison. We ordered:

• Mesa Ranch Quesadillas with Chicken - These are standard quesadillas, but came with about 12 slices on the plate, a much larger portion than standard appetizers. The highlight of this was a corn relish, which was added cold to the quesadillas just prior to cooking.
• Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms - This was two portabello mushrooms stuffed with a poblano stuffing and topped with cheese, and looked to have been baked. I’m not a huge mushroom fan so I only had a bite but my friends raved about it.
• Fried Jalapenos - These were fresh (not pickled) jalapenos stuffed with - get this - goat cheese and bacon. If that sort of richness doesn’t make a person feel sick I don’t know what will, but they were very good when I ate them. The jalapenos appeared to have been dipped in a corn meal batter and then flash fried to create a very crisp outside with a tender middle.

So all that was good and well and I would recommend the restaurant as a slightly off the beaten path, not entirely unlike Ranch 616 date place, but of course no quiet evening is complete without a little excitement. The patio section had several tiki torches light to create a warm ambience, and it was very windy. With one wind gust kerosene spilt onto a lamp and we then had a nice torch that was quickly snaking down the torch to the deck railing.

I went inside to let the waitstaff know that the fire department may make a surprise visit if they didn’t do something, and the hostess from earlier came out to investigate. She found a planter with potting soil (and no plant), and poured that on the fire to put it out. Now, I don’t know what was in that planter, but I’m assuming it must have been full of fertilizer because the minute she did that the fire got bigger and managed to make it down to the ground.

Then the calvary came in. Several waiters came with pitchers full of iced tea and water and began pouring it on the flames, but with each pour the kerosene spread making the fire worse. My friend started handing them our glasses of water, but to no avail the fire wouldn’t go out. Finally the hostess instructed a waiter to grab the tiki torch, take it out to the parking lot and lay it down, and I believe they poured sand on it and the fire went out.

We politely asked them to put out the other tiki torches and proceeded to enjoy the rest of our visit.

Bottom line: This is a nice little place that seems to be good for dinner and conversation, and has an interesting menu if you like game. The wait staff is friendly and solid, and you really feel welcome in this establishment.

Technorati Tags: austin, restaurants, food, happy hour

Saturday night we had tickets with some friends to see Karl Denson at La Zona Rosa. We had all seen Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at Austin City Limits Music Festival a couple of years back and all became fans of his music. Besides, Austin has very few jazz acts come through each year, so if you’re a jazz fan you really don’t want to pass up opportunities to see live jazz.

Two years ago the four of us had seen Stanton Moore with Nicholas Payton, and before the show we stumbled upon Ranch 616, which is a short walk from La Zona Rosa. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience then, and we decided to go back last night.

Ranch 616 takes reservations, a great thing for a weekend night. We arrived early and were promptly seated. My husband and I ordered a round of Mexican beers, which were served with tiny glasses with what looked like art from prayer candles. On the next round, our friend had to have one as well since it was so fun to drink from these glasses.

For starters, we ordered the Camarones Rellenos, which is shrimp wrapped in bacon with cheese and peppers and lightly grilled. Four come to a plate, but they are large shrimp and this is actually plenty of food. Next came a round of homemade biscuits, which I believe were cooked in butter. These are very heavy biscuits, but also some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

Most of us ordered items from their specials. I had the Hawaiian snapper, a meaty piece of fish that was rubbed with fresh chopped garlic and grilled. This was one of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever eaten. It was flaky but also very tender, and had a nice light flavor without any fishiness. It was served with mashed potatoes that were infused with some sort of pepper, making them spicy and a nice compliment to the fish. The entree also came with fresh green beans that had been sauteed with shaved summer squash, and a crab cake. It was a lot of food but I found myself eating most of it.

My husband ordered the grilled mahi mahi from the specials menu, and also thoroughly enjoyed his. This was a fillet of mahi mahi that topped two seafood and sour cream enchiladas… very tasty.

We split the grasshopper pie, which had a creme de menthe and vanilla liqueur ice cream base with an Oreo crust. It was served with fresh strawberries and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The pie was definitely big enough for two people. Despite the alcohol infusion, this pie was light and an easy cap to a great meal.

The wait staff was top notch and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We arrived at La Zona Rosa about 8:45 for a show that was supposed to start at 9 pm. The Karl Denson Trio didn’t come on until well after 10 pm. The show was good but by the time he came on the meal and alcohol from dinner had started to weigh on me and I was pretty tired. But nevertheless Karl Denson didn’t disappoint and the crowd really enjoyed the show.

technorati tags: austin, restaurants, music, food, dining

The Soup Peddler, an awesome local business that makes wonderful soups and other goodies, is donating 5% of all sales to Greyhound Pets of America Central Texas if you order through through this link.

How does it work? It’s simple… you order your food, and the Soup Peddler delivers it to your door if you live in delivery areas, or you can easily pick it up. The food is tasty, healthy, and cheap.

This is a great and easy way to support a great local cause while supporting a great local business. Please check it out!

technorati tags: austin, texas, dining, food, greyhounds, charity

Tuesday night a very old friend of mine — one that dates back to kindergarten and 1979 — came to Austin for the evening to go to a show. We had the pleasure of meeting her and her husband for dinner, and to try to catch up on the 12 years since we last saw each other.

The thing I love about old, dear friends is that it doesn’t matter how much time passes… you can pick up right where you left off. As I expected, it was a great visit with great conversation.

We took them to Malaga Tapas & Bar for dinner. This is a great place to take people when you’re not sure what they like to eat and drink, and you anticipate a lot of talking during dinner.

We got a table immediately and ordered the following:

• Ensalada de Sandia con Jamon Serrano - This was a nice salad that combines watermelon with serrano ham. I’ve always found the saltiness of ham to be a nice compliment to fruit, and this was no exception.
• Atún Mallorquino - This was seared tuna with a horseradish cream on the side. Very tasty… the tuna was just cooked enough to be tender and not lose its flavor.
• Piquillos Rellenos de Brandada de Bacalao - This is probably one of my favorite things on the menu. The easiest way to think of this is pepper ravioli. It’s pimiento peppers stuffed with fish, potatoes, and garlic and topped with cheese.
• Portobellos Aliñados con Vinagre Balsamico - I’m not a huge fan of portobello mushrooms, but the balsalmic vinegar made this great. The mushrooms were surprisingly moist and did not have the strange texture that usually makes me not like mushrooms.
• Lomo a la Plancha - This was very thinly sliced beef tenderloin, served medium rare. I don’t really eat red meat but this was really good.
• Ravioli Madrileño - This was chicken ravioli with marinara sauce, and was a very good, safe bet for a wide range of tastes.

Overall this was a great evening, and everyone was happy with the food choice.

technorati tags: austin, texas, dining, food, restaurants

Saturday night we took my parents to Stubb’s for dinner. We had to pick my dad up downtown after the UT game, and as we passed Stubb’s my mother commented that they buy the barbeque sauce. The weather being too bad to go to The Salt Lick, an idea was born.

We opted to sit outside since it had finally cooled off, which was great because my parents got to check out the amphitheatre.

We started with an order of onion rings and fried green tomatoes. While both were fried, neither was greasy. The onion rings are sliced to about medium thickness and served with Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce. This sauce has a fluid consistency with a mild tanginess and lots of coarsely ground black pepper. The fried green tomatoes are sliced very thickly (about an inch thick) and are lightly fried in a corn meal batter, and served with ranch dressing. Both were very good, and an order of each was a little too much for four people.

I ordered the smoked turkey breast plate with mashed potatoes and fried okra on the side. The turkey was so tender that it crumbled upon touching it with a fork, and was not dry at all (as turkey breast can be at times). I also used a little of the Original Bar-B-Q sauce on this, which was a nice compliment.

The mashed potatoes had the consistency I liked — a little lumpy with skins every now and again. There was obviously a lot of butter and milk in the potatoes, as they were way too creamy to be only potatoes. The gravy was a nice, standard white gravy, which I had them serve on the side. Because of the creaminess of the potatoes I only needed a little bit. The fried okra was of course good, but it’s also hard to mess this up unless you put too much salt in the batter.

My family also enjoyed plates of beef brisket, sausage, and pork loin with additional sides of cole slaw and potato salad, and all complimented on how good everything was. None of us had saved room for desert this time around, but we’ll catch it next time.

Overall it was a great experience with great service, and I was amazed at how not crowded Stubb’s was at 7 pm on a Saturday. Highly recommended as a place to take visitors when there’s not a show.

technorati tags: stubb’s, austin, texas, barbeque, bbq, dining, restaurants

Today is my dad’s birthday. My parents will be in town this weekend to celebrate.

In honor of my dad’s special day, I’m sharing all things that he likes to do when he’s in Austin:

• Longhorn Football - My dad has been to more games since I came to Austin than I have. Plus, his friend has season tickets somewhere in the 30-40 yard line area. Sweet.
• CostCo - My dad has always liked discount stores, but we have been known to make two trips in one weekend when he’s here.
  
• The Salt Lick - Okay, I have to admit I like this one as much as he does. Plus it’s a great opportunity to have him visit with my friends and in-laws.
• PF Chang’s - We took him here for my husband’s birthday one year, and he’s been talking about it ever since. Perhaps we’ll try to do this tomorrow.
• Whole Foods - It’s all about the meat counter…
• Threadgill’s - Liver and onions.

As you can see, some of these are not Austin chains, but they are things that you can’t do when you live in the small town of Orange, Texas.

I suspect we’ll be hitting a lot of these over the weekend. Happy birthday, dad!

technorati tags: birthday, austin, texas, family