Flavors of the Month is a monthly feature of some of the best dishes and restaurants I enjoyed.
May brought many great eats, including trying Austin restaurants Salt Traders Coastal Cooking, Bonhomie, and Tumble 22 for the first time. I also added places to my Dallas eats list.
Oysters, Chowda Fries, Scallops, and Mousse at Salt Traders Coastal Cooking
I’ve been eyeing this restaurant for MONTHS, especially since Boyfriend lived in Round Rock for some time. But it took him moving away for us to finally get there. They have $1 Gulf Oysters, which was a nice surprise. I do love oysters, and they were a good size. The Chowda Fries are a big bowl of French fries drenched in clam chowder. It was tasty in the first couple of bites but felt very heavy. I like their take on the fries but wouldn’t order them again. The scallop entrée was delish, though the horseradish was strong. The scallops were cooked perfectly. The best part of the meal was the dessert, coconut mousse with strawberries. The mousse was a little hard/still frozen when it arrived, but we endured and licked the plate. Altogether, I think they do seafood very well and is a great restaurant option for Round Rock!
Birthday Cake Mimosa at Peached Social House
This drink was Instagram-worthy and looks delicious. However, I think Peached Social House needs to go back to the drawing board because it did not taste good and the cake left much to be desired. But I love the concept and it definitely has wow factor.
Watermelon Strawberry Juice at Soup Peddler
This refreshing juice accompanied my turkey pesto grilled cheese that I ate too quickly, hence no photo. This juice is my new favorite when I need something light.
Lunch at Bonhomie
I was looking forward to trying Chef Speer’s new restaurant Bonhomie. My favorite dish was the Crispy Octopus Lyonnaise with lardon. The octopus was strange at first but the crisp on it won me over. The Tunisian Carrot Salad was a nice mix of flavors, though carrots are not my favorite vegetable. The Lox, Dill, Caper, Tomato was on top of a very tasty hashbrown-like vessel. I got the French Dip Croissant with brisket and pho broth that wowed me with the crispy croissant but the brisket itself was dry. They do have fantastic onion rings. I would definitely be open to going back to this laid-back restaurant for some of the dishes I didn’t get, including dessert!
Hot Chicken Oysters at Tumble 22
Hot chicken has landed in Austin! Tumble 22, a new food trailer by the same people as Salty Sow, is a great place to try. Chicken oysters are the best, juiciest chicken “nuggets” I’ve ever had! Combined with the hot chicken flavor, they’re a party. The shoestring fries were weak but I’m glad they came with the dish. I want to go back and try the chicken sandwich with coleslaw next.
Om Gai at Dee Dee
Stopped by Dee Dee for some Thai food goodness and I tried Om Gai, the chicken dish with lots of lemongrass, dill, and basil. It’s a lighter spice level than the other dishes, which was nice on a hot day, but it was still hot temperature-wise. I like that they keep their menu short and simple, with a few unique offerings, though mainly pork dishes. It would be easy to get a group together and order all the dishes to try!
Craft Beer by Firestone Walker Brewing Company
I was excited to find a new favorite beer this month! My favorite beer is Lone Pint Brewery’s Yellow Rose, and after a bartender’s recommendation, I tried Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Leo vs. Ursus. So good! It’s an imperial IPA with a smooth finish. I’m looking forward to trying more from this California brewery.
Lord Nut’s Dill Pickle Ranch Peanuts
These nuts. I got these as a snack at a bar and I couldn’t stop eating them. The nuts are packed with flavor. They have plenty of seasoning, and the Dill Pickle Ranch flavor was satisfying! I need to find these at the store. It looks like they are carried by Spec’s and Target in the Austin area.
Tacos at Trompo (Dallas)
I was in Dallas for Memorial Day and stopped by the highly rated Trompo for tacos. There are three tacos on the menu and are $1.85 for one small corn tortilla taco. I’ll admit – I think I’ve enjoyed too many “Americanized” tacos because I had a hard time appreciating these simple “street” tacos for what they were. The street this restaurant is located on has no shortage of taco joints, so I wouldn’t mind a mini taco tour to compare them with others.
Soft Serve at Bubble Jipangi (Dallas)
Dessert trends are popping up everywhere (thanks, Instagram), so I tried out Bubble Jipangi in Dallas, specifically Carrollton. The cone is made of corn and both ends are filled with soft-serve (I got the mix of vanilla and chocolate) and then topped with a macaron, strawberry, and chocolate-covered sticks. The corn cone is an interesting combination with the soft serve. I probably wouldn’t go back but the dessert is cute.
Korean BBQ Lunch at Koryo Kalbi Korean BBQ (Dallas)
It’s been too long since I’ve had Korean BBQ and I quickly remembered why it’s so good. All the side dishes. We got brisket and marinated ribs, and the kind servers helped cook it for us because we didn’t know what we were doing. Granted, we had come straight from a couple of hours at the spa so we were feeling quite relaxed and lazy. The BBQ order also came with steamed egg and soup. PLENTY of food for two people.
Other Food Things
-Looking for beer outside of Austin City Limits? Check out this handy list.
-Mark my words: I will make this classic icebox cake this summer!
Try any new restaurants lately? Have a recipe I should try? Comment below!
P.S. Check out my latest Austin eats feature about one of my favorite burgers in town.
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