Flavors of the Month: January 2020

Austin restaurants and dishes are featured in my monthly Flavors of the Month posts. Check out this post for recommendations on where to eat next!

Homemade Khao Soi
I kicked off my mission to cook through a cookbook (cook as many recipes from one cookbook this year) with this homemade khao soi. I ended up cooking 17 out of the 138 recipes – a great start!

Raclette Night
This cheesy night with friends was delicious! So delicious, it got its own post, so read about it here.

Chinese Dinner at China Family Restaurant
This restaurant location has changed hands a few times but I think China Family Restaurant is here to stay. We loved the dan dan noodles, fried eggplant and green beans, and grilled lamb. All the dishes were so good and I can’t wait to go back!

Tacos at Vaquero Taquero
There are so many taco places in Austin, so one by one, I’m trying to cross them off the list. I need to go back because they had already run out of al pastor when I went plus their breakfast tacos are calling my name. But their bistec was delicious and I highly recommend getting a quesadilla, which has toasty cheese on it.

Homemade Barton Springs Mill + SRSLY Chocolate Brownies
Barton Springs Mill is a local miller and do you remember my visit to SRSLY Chocolate? Last year, the two partnered up and created a brownie mix. We made it at home and it was decadently delicious!

Lunch at Provision
Will and I had a little weekday lunch date at this North Austin restaurant. I loved the elegant design in this new restaurant. We enjoyed the pimento cheese and crab puffs as appetizers, and Will got the Provision Greens while I got the Provision Burger. It’s a tasty burger!

Dessert at Dipdipdip Ice Cream
My friends Kathy and Amy hadn’t tried Dipdipdip Ice Cream, so it was the perfect opportunity for a meet-up and photo time. Their cones have unique flavor combinations and are very photogenic. My Lime in ‘da coo coo nuts cone was my favorite. From left to right, here’s what we tried:

MATCHA CHA-CHA: Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream with Sweet Beans, Azuki Puree, Creme Fraîche, and Matcha Dipped Cone
LIME IN ‘DA COO COO NUTS: Coconut-Lime Sorbet, Mac Nut Brittle, Coconut Chips, Lime Juice, Mango Boba, Coconut Dipped Cone
SUM YUM YUZU: Black Pepper-Yuzu Mascarpone Ice Cream with Meringue Kisses, Berry Preserve, Shiso Leaf, and Pink Lemon Dipped Cone

Dinner at District Kitchen
I’ve wanted to visit District Kitchen for a long time after tasting their bites at different food events and trying their sister restaurant Oasthouse Kitchen. We tried a bunch of dishes, including the hamachi crudo, unami meatballs, beets salad, and wild mushroom fettuccine. The hamachi crudo and the fettuccine were my favorite dishes. We ended dinner with their chocolate special dessert. District Kitchen is a solid choice in North Austin.

Drinks from Bishop Cider Company
We were looking for a beverage at the grocery store and grabbed this variety pack from Bishop Cider Company, a cidery in Dallas. We liked our visit a few years ago and we liked the few we tried.

Lox Deluxe from Biderman’s Deli
I don’t typically get out for breakfast but I was in the area one morning, so I had to make the most of it! This Lox Deluxe sandwich was everything I wanted. I really don’t know how you eat a bagel other than with lox and the works. Biderman’s sources Rosen’s Bagels, which has been one of my favorites in town.

Homemade Dumplings
It’s been a long time since I made dumplings. Maybe this party a few years ago? But since it was Chinese New Year and there was a recipe in the cookbook, we made dumplings! They were delicious. I still love the interactive aspect and think it’s great for a party.

Cookies by The Cookie Counter
Look at these cute Lunar New Year cookies! The Cookie Counter is a custom cookie maker in Austin, and I thought these would be a great way to celebrate.

New Menu at Last Straw (Complimentary)
I joined my friend Janna at a tasting of Last Straw’s new vegan menu. It was full of flavor and I didn’t miss the meat. My favorite dish was the fried mushrooms, and we also tried the queso (made with butternut squash and the flavor reminded me of chili), tostada, and shishito peppers. The cocktails are consistently good and I loved the Strip and Go Naked.

Happy Hour at East Austin Hotel (Complimentary)
Our blogger group, Austin Food Bloggers Alliance, was invited to a tasting at East Austin Hotel’s restaurant Sixth and Waller and The Upside. We had a fun time trying their full-service dinner menu, beginning on Valentine’s Day. They’ll keep their counter-service breakfast and lunch menu, and now they’ll have a special menu in their beautiful restaurant.

We tried the whipped goat cheese, portabella reuben, Texas pastrami reuben, charred sesame-garlic edamame, muhammara, vegan kale caesar salad, chilled garlic-sesame udon noodles, shrimp and truffle grits, and roasted chicken and charred corn panzanella. Most of us agreed the grits were our favorite with the udon as a close second, though we were impressed with everything.

Dinner at Odd Duck
Date night! We typically go to Barley Swine because it’s closer to where we live, but we decided to venture out since we hadn’t been to Odd Duck in a while. The restaurant is consistently good and we loved the dishes we had. What we enjoyed: tuna ceviche, pretzel sticks, sweet potatoes, grilled antelope, and the carrot cake for dessert.