AroundAustin.Com

Austin Restaurant Week - March 1-4 & March 8-11, 2009

 

The best way to try out some of Austin's top restaurants (and support the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas) is to attend Austin Restaurant Week. With over fifty $25/$35 prix fixe menus, Austinites can try some of the best food Austin has to offer at a reasonable price.

March 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th and then March 8-11, will be the second time Austin Restaurant Week has come to town. Check out participating restaurants and their menus and be sure to call for reservations.

Austin Restaurant Week - March 1-4 & March 8-11, 2009

Ring in 2009 at Roux and the Parish with Grupo Fantasma

Grupo Fantasma is nominated for a Grammy for "Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album" but on New Year's Eve they're premiering their new music video at The Parish.   The party includes appetizers, an open bar and of course champagne at midnight.   Tickets are only $100 for one of the best parties on New Year's Eve. 

Maki -- Roll your own Sushi

Maki, is a new concept for Sushi in Austin started by the Yung brothers--Yuen and Peter.  Peter was the Sushi chef at Azuma in Houston before starting this restaraunt.  Maki works to make sushi more accessible, creative and a bit less pretentious.  I have heard it described as the Chipotle of Sushi. 

Maki is a design your own Sushi place.  You have your choice of "traditional" (seaweed) or "modern" (soy) wraps, and several meats and "veggies" (veggies, fruit, and cream cheese) and the sauce.  For me, part of the fun at Maki is being creative and non-traditional--I like my Sushi to be spicy hot so I added jalapeno's to the soft shell crab;  adding mangos to my tuna roll added a unique kick.   The average tab for me at Maki is about $12--that's a roll, an order of edamame beans and tea (I'm addicted to the lemongrass tea). Miso soup and seaweed salad is also available as is green tea ice cream.  Since I'm a geeky engineering type, I was intrigued by the machines that helped prep...one to roll the rice on the wrap, another to cut the roll once it was made.

I also like that Maki includes ingredients that make sushi more accessible to folks who won't touch raw ingredients (or even fish)--there is cooked chicken and beef.   The ordering process can be a bit confusing the first time through but after that you do get the hang of it.  You can tell Maki newbies because they hang out at the beginning of the line trying to figure it all out. 

Maki is in a brand new space in the Arbor Walk Shopping center--you do have to look for it...it's easy to just drive by.  The atmosphere is contemporary casual, very clean, and has several tables outside to soak in some good weather.   Service is warm, friendly and professional.  I really liked the fact that they allow you to be a bit green and separate your trash--paper, plastic, glass and just trash. 

10515 N. Mopac Expy, Ste A165, Austin, TX 78759, (512) 243-8298, www.maki.us.com

Free Dinner at Roux

Roux Restaurant is celebrating its 1st Anniversary with a ridiculous offer -  It's buying dinner for every household in Austin, no strings attached!  Just go to www.rouxaustin.com, and click on the anniversary offer link in the top right corner of the page to get your coupon.  The offer is only good for a short time, so take advantage quick!

Deep's Happy Hour Deals

Our favorite Realtor, Deep Nasta from Deep in the Heart of Texas Realty sent us the Deep's Infamous Happy Hour list with permission to use it.  Add your favorite deal in the comments and I'm sure Deep will update his list.

Hudsons on the Bend Cooking School

by Joe Payton and Leslie Hall

Recently we got to attend Hudson's on the Bend's Cooking school at the home of Jeff Blank, owner of Hudson's on the Bend.   As you enter Jeff's home, you immediately descended in the pool area overlooking Lake Travis. Attentive waiters kept wine and appetizers flowing freely.  I anticipated an evening of slicing, chopping, and grilling, and came prepared to have my sleeves rolled up to my elbows. 

After the chefs had prepped and we had sampled scrumptious appetizers all while taking in an amazing view of Lake Travis, we were ushered into stadium style seating that perched us in front of two witting, entertaining, and knowledgeable chefs.  The two creative geniuses that made us both laugh and gasp were Robert Rhoades and Jeff Blank.  The menu included:  "deep sautéed" hot-n-crunchy shrimp; a glazed quail, prepared in a stovetop Cameron smoker (I want one!) over hickory chips, and served over a tossed baby spinach salad; and an herb butter grilled lobster tail sitting on grilled tenderloin of beef with a spicy cilantro and jalapeno hollandaise sauce. 

Greenling - Organic Groceries Delivered to your Door

Today we are talking to Mason Arnold, "Cookie Monster" of Greenling Organic  Delivery.  Greenling is an Austin based company that delivers fresh organic  produce directly to your door.

AroundAustin: Mason what does Greenling Organic Delivery do?

Mason: We deliver Organic and/or Local food right to people's door.  Everything  is done online.  You browse just like you would at a grocery store, pick and  choose what you want, then schedule it for delivery.

Sasha - Russian food in Northwest Austin

Our office is near Anderson Lane and Mopac and has been for twenty years.  We've eaten at almost every restaraunt over and over and over again.   Going to Jimmy John's one more time we spotted Sasha--hmmm..interesting...the Ukranian bank teller at my bank had mentioned that was her favorite place to eat.  Next time a couple of us headed out for lunch we decided to try it.

Fresh food and live music at the Austin Farmer's Market

Live Austin Music, unique food, fresh, locally grown produce--the Austin Farmer's market at Republic Square Park combines all of these ingredients every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  The Austin Farmer's Market is a growers-only market with dozens of local farmers from the Central Texas Region.  Generally, the market restricts its vendors to produce from a 150 mile region.  At the Farmer's Market you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs and plants.  There are also plenty of prepared foods--farm products turned into jams, salsas and honey.

It was mid-morning and I was hungry so I grazed on Breakfast fajita tacos, some savory kolaches, and for dessert, fruit filled turnovers.  I also sampled, some local honey, goat cheese, and the "world's best" hot sauce (which was a rather spicy sauce with a creamy base).  We bought a small piece of English Toffee Cake for dessert for the evening.  For dinner, we picked up some fresh kale and fresh beets.  We sauteed the kale in olive oil and garlic; the beets was made into a borscht with a lovely fresh color.  Both dishes highlighted the freshness of the ingredients.

We finished our shopping at the plant vendor--they had a gorgeous basket of container strawberries and lots of fresh herbs.  You get a wider variety of herbs at the Austin Farmers Market than you do at most nurseries.  Also, with a guarantee that they're locally grown insures that they will survive in the Texas climate.  We ended up picking some Greek Oregano.  It's flourishing on our deck.
The Austin Farmer's Market combines the best ingredients of the Austin lifestyle--the outdoors, live music, and great food. 

http://www.austinfarmersmarket.org/

Andersons Coffee - Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans

Last year my friend Jeff wanted some prints of Austin pictures that I had taken.  He offered to pay for the prints.  No way, friends don't pay for prints.  Instead, I asked Jeff to give me a pound of his favorite coffee--Jeff is a coffee aficionado.  Jeff gave us a pound of Ethiopian Yergacheffe coffee, and a pound of Kenyan Masai coffee and a very generous gift certificate to Anderson coffee. 

Andersons coffee is a bean roaster, founded in 1972, whose shop is located in Jefferson Square in central Austin (not far from Seton).  Jamie Anderson learned the basics of roasting coffee from Alfred Peet of Peet's Coffee & Tea in Berkeley California.  In fact, Andersons Coffee started out by reselling Peet's coffee until the volume became too high and it became a bother for Peet's coffee.  Alfred Peet generously helped Jamie find a roaster so that he could roast coffee locally.  Coffee is roasted fresh at Andersons' in small quantities, corresponding to daily demand. 

The cool thing is that quality doesn't cost more.  The beans are fresher than Starbuck's, but they are also cheaper.  Go by the store, buy a cup of coffee--they usually have two to three blends brewed.  Browse the different coffee, teas, sweets (I'm addicted to Strawberry Licorice), jams, jellies, tea pots, and coffee makers. 

Oh one of the nice things about Andersons Coffee is that they honored that gift certificate even after it had expired--don't you just love locally owned stores.

Andersons COffee, www.andersonscoffee.com, 1601 West 38th Street #2, Jefferson Square, Austin, TX  78731 (512) 453-1333