Flavors of the Month is a monthly feature of some of the dishes and restaurants I enjoyed. Check out this post for restaurant and menu recommendations!
All the Food in the Cayman Islands
I started the month getting my fill of jerk chicken and seafood in the Cayman Islands. Read all about the things I ate and drank here.
All the Food in Miami
We then hopped to Miami and there we ate all the Cuban food and so much more! We ended up going to three breweries. Read all about it here.
Complimentary Bites at Bento Picnic
I joined my friend Caitlin at Bento Picnic’s media preview before their grand opening. This shop is so cute and their food is great! I love their concept of Japanese-inspired bites, focusing on customized bento boxes or grab-and-go options. They also do family-style portions for dinner and catering.
Craft Beer at Oddwood Ales
This new brewery on the east side is a place I definitely want to return to! Wolf Shirt, their pale ale, and Atonal, one of the saisons, are both beers I want to drink again. Be sure to come here for lunch or dinner because their pizza looked and smelled delicious. I also love their rustic, southwestern, and wild interior design.
Homemade from the Grill
Did I tell you Boyfriend bought a grill? It’s been put to good use for beef and lamb steaks, Portobello mushrooms, beets, and asparagus. This grilled shrimp was so good! He made a spicy pineapple mango dipping sauce that went perfectly with it.
Cupcake from Luciole Bakery
This just might be the prettiest cupcake I’ve ever eaten. The Persian Love flavor features rosewater and pistachio, and yes, that is edible gold foil. I saw Luciole Bakery at the Crafther Market and it was a must-have!
Dinner at Guild
The restaurant, food, drinks, and even their bathrooms are beautiful. The staff is great. The oysters and the gnocchi and shrimp dish were tasty. But it all seemed overpriced to me, and I’m not sure the value is there. I think if I’m looking for a seafood-centric restaurant in Austin, I would go to Mongers, Alcomar, or Salt Traders Coastal Cooking.
Dinner at Hopfields
Have y’all tried the burger at Hopfields? It is pretty amazing. I love Hopfields because it’s a solid choice that doesn’t disappoint. They’re like the boy you’ve been best friends with and finally realize he’s the one you’re in love with. He’s been there all along. On this occasion, we had the burger and fries (highly recommend) but I’ve never been disappointed by their mussels and fries. We finished dinner off with the bananas foster crepe, which was fantastic, though next time, I might tell them to hold the lavender.
Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries
I love summer berries! When you eat organic berries, you can’t go back. They have so much more juice and flavor!
Dinner at Il Brutto
Ah, the Italian restaurants continue to open in Austin. After a first visit, I’m a big fan of Il Brutto. They have the burrata dish of my dreams and I will probably order it every time I visit. I indulged Boyfriend by agreeing to the anchovy pizza, and though it wasn’t my favorite, I think I would like their other pizzas that don’t have anchovies. We also liked the sautéed mussels and clams. Their pici pasta dish was fabulous and I was sad I had to share it. It’s creamy and cheesy with mushrooms.
We made it to dessert at Il Brutto! We got the chocolate caprese torte that comes with blood orange and fior di latte gelato and the ricotta semifreddo, which was my favorite of the two. Isn’t that chocolate torte dish beautiful?
Dinner at Loro
New Austin restaurant Loro combines the talents of Tyson Cole (Uchi) and Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue), and after our first visit, I’m sure we’ll be back. For drinks, they have a handful of batch cocktails, including vodka lychee Arnold Palmer, peach margarita, ginger old-fashioned, and lemongrass daiquiri. The vodka lychee Arnold Palmer was my favorite.
For food, we had the Kale and Asian pear salad, oak smoked salmon with the amazing coconut rice, smoked brisket, and the chicken karaage. All fantastic, though I’ll be sure to order the oak smoked salmon again next time.
Cookies from Teddy V. Patisserie
I finally tasted these cookies everyone has been raving about. Elisia makes these huge, soft chocolate chip cookies (with or without walnuts). I love the texture with walnuts. What’s your favorite cookie?
Homemade Ramen
What do you do with a chicken carcass? That was the start of what became ramen night. We (ok, boyfriend and housemate) had made beer can chicken earlier in the week and we saved the bones to make broth. We added mushrooms and leftover chicken, made ajitama, and topped with laver (seaweed sheets). The fresh ramen noodles from H-Mart were fantastic. We’ve got some improvements to make, like perfecting the ajitama and giving the broth a fuller flavor, but making ramen at home is definitely something I want to try again!
Brunch at Sway
For my friend Kathy’s birthday, we had brunch at Sway. Since we were a big group, we reserved the tasting menu ahead of time. We tried the spinach and chive dumpling, Thai basil chicken and waffle, mapow biscuits and gravy, and the brioche French toast. The Thai basil chicken and waffle was my favorite followed by the brioche French toast. It was my first visit for brunch but I think I’ll be coming back here for dinner instead. My dinner experiences have always been stand-out! (Psst, the new Sway location at the Domain is now open, so all you Northies should go for dinner!)
Other Food Things
- Soup Empanadas? Yes, please.
- My friend Jessica posted this Chunky Monkey Pull-Apart Bread recipe and it looks amazing!
- Have you ever made kimchi pancakes?
- Sobriety changes the way Chef Sean Brock cooks.
- Looking for food books that aren’t cookbooks? Here are some recommendations!
What’s one thing (food/restaurant) I should try this month?
P.S. Want to see the best foodie events in Austin? Check out this list.
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