Flavors of the Month is a monthly feature of some of the best dishes and restaurants I enjoyed.
[This post includes complimentary eats from restaurants and affiliate links to products I recommend. All opinions are my own.]
One of my goals this month was to decrease the eating out and impulsive food buys. I had a few meals out (like ALL OF NASHVILLE), but overall, there were more home-cooked weekend meals and less “swing by because I need a treat” buys. This doesn’t mean there weren’t mouth-watering eats. Take a look.
New Year’s Day Brunch
Fresh into the “less eating out” goal, we made a big New Year’s Day spread with friends. Sweet potato crostinis, shakshuka, Caesar salad, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and peach bellinis!
New Year’s Day Brisket
Later in the day, we enjoyed this incredible brisket made in the Big Green Egg. Mouth-watering!
Dinner at Ajo
Round Rock is limited in their quality restaurant options compared to Austin but it’s been fun discovering new places. Ajo is located in downtown Round Rock and was a really good meal. We enjoyed the Beef in the Raw (beef tartare), scallop crudo, lobster mac and cheese with pork cracklins, and Ajo Salad (Grilled chicken thighs, mixed greens, spinach, bleu cheese crumbles, avocado, bacon, figs, candied walnuts, and heirloom cherry tomatoes tossed in a homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette).
Beef in the Raw at Ajo
Scallop Crudo at Ajo
Ajo Salad at Ajo
Lobster Mac at Ajo
Craft Beer at Zilker Brewing Company
FINALLY! Finally visited Zilker Brewing Company when we had family in town. I loved their Trapp Marco IPA with the Spruce Juice IPA and Elfie Sunshine (surprisingly, I liked this smooth stout!) close behind. They do four beer flights and buy by the pint. Their tasting room seemed a little small but that’s because it was chilly out and no one was on the patio.
Nashville
Did you see my post about the Best Restaurants in Nashville? We ate A LOT. There is so much good food in Nashville, I’d say it’s the next big foodie town!
Smoothies
There was a lot of breakfast smoothie making happening this month to curb the morning breakfast taco buy. I’ve been using the Ninja mixer I won at my company holiday party. [See more details about the Ninja QB3000SS Fit, Silver
Craft Beer at Idle Vine Brewing Co.
A new brewery, Idle Vine Brewing, opened up in Pflugerville! On this first visit, I really enjoyed their IPA with the Idle Mind Pale Ale close behind. They have half pint and full pint options.
Chocolate at Chocolaterie Tessa
I was so excited Chocolaterie Tessa invited me in to see the store and taste some chocolates! This a local Austin shop that makes fine, artisan chocolates free of artificial flavors, preservatives, and colors. Tessa was so sweet to let me try a variety of chocolates and my favorites were the dark chocolates and nutty chocolates. They have chocolates in shapes for Valentine’s and Texas, and they have small, medium, and large assorted chocolate boxes. For Valentine’s Day, they will have a special Belgian Chocolate Praline and bon bons in Strawberry Basil, Raspberry, and Cinnamon made with CatspringTea’s Yaupon. Love beer and chocolate? Check out their pairing Valentine’s event with Zilker Brewing Company.
Happy Hour at Isla
Austin Food Bloggers Alliance hosted a monthly happy hour with complimentary bites provided by Isla, a bar on West 4th Street. I loved the island vibes and Peruvian theme. While I wouldn’t come back specifically for the food, I wouldn’t mind ordering the chicken thigh anticuchos (skewered chicken thighs) and Bao Con Chicharron (steamed bun with smoked crispy pork belly) while having drinks. The Tituba drink is so good and they specialize in rum! Run flight, anyone?
Bao con Chicharron
Draft Mead from Meridian Hive
I finally got to try local meadery Meridian Hive’s mead. These draft meads are lightly carbonated and not too sweet. The Discovery is made with orange blossom honey, the Rhapsody has honey and blackberries, and the Haven has honey, peach, and ginger. Yes, all three are in cans and you can find them in stores all over Texas.
Sushi at Tomo
I wrote about Tomo last year [check out that feature here], and while this was the first visit back in a while, it still remains one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. I’ve been dreaming about that one monkfish liver with uni sushi bite ever since I swallowed it. The seared live eel bite was a dream too. I also loved the orange clam. And for sashimi, we always get: Japanese Madai, King Salmon with fresh wasabi, and a sashimi Nobu style.
What have you been eating lately?
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