These are MY three favorite Hatch chili recipes and the first ones I make when Hatch chili's come into season.
The first one is a fairly traditional take on Pico de Gallo. I love cilantro and lime and this gives it a good twist. If you don't like tequila you can use some cider vinegar.
The second adds the peppers to apple cobbler and gives it an interesting taste.
The third thing I make are quesadillas. I grill some onions and hatch peppers and cook some bacon. I use a mixture of cheese - two kinds of white and a little cheddar. I also have some cilantro. Get the freshest tortillas you can find - I prefer flour (I buy them raw - something you can get in Texas - and cook them before making the quesadillas) but corn will also work. Put the onions, peppers, bacon, cheese mixture, and cilantro in a tortilla and fold in half. Put a little butter in a hot pan and toast on each side until the cheese melts and the tortilla toasts.
There will be some more Hatch recipes as the days go along.
Enjoy!
PICO DE GALLO
Ingredients:
6 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 diced red onion
3 Hatch chili peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tequila
1 teaspoon cumin
sea salt and crushed black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in a big old bowl, as this recipe makes a lot. Remove the seeds and juicy parts of the tomato for better consistency. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours. As with any dish, you may add or delete ingredients to suit your personal taste. If you like avocado, chopped and slice one (or two) for this recipe. You can also add garlic, if desired. You can use any peppers (usually jalapeño) if Hatch peppers are not in season.
HATCH OATMEAL APPLE COBBLER
Ingredients:
3 cup apples, sliced (Granny Smith or Gala)
1/2 cup Hatch chili peppers, chopped
3 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
Topping:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Combine apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and cider vinegar. Place in a buttered (greased) casserole dish. For the topping - cut together with pastry blender the remaining ingredients and sprinkle on top of the apple mixture. Bake 35 minutes in 375 degree oven. Again, you can adjust this recipe as you'd like. I've used some other spices, and even more nuts, oats and butter.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
PLATES - Hatch Chili Peppers ... day 3
To be called a “Hatch" New Mexican pepper it must be grown in the area of Hatch, Doña Ana County, New Mexico (near Las Cruces). It is not a variety.
Because of the thick skin, the whole peppers are often roasted and the skin removed.
The most common methods:
- In the oven or broiler until skins blister ... about 7 minutes at 450 degrees
- Grill outdoors until skin blisters
- On the stove ... use a heavy pan and on high heat, roasting for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally until skin blisters
A friend suggests ...
“Quick way to peel lots of Hatch chilis - we roast them over the grill when we are cooking other things then let them cool, throw in a plastic bag, seal and freeze. To peel, run warm water over chilis and the skins come off ... works every time!"
Peppers last longer in the freezer with the skin protecting them and the skins will come off easily after thawing. Bacteria can grow on the peppers, so they should be frozen within a day of roasting and thawed in the fridge.
Otherwise, put peppers in a plastic or paper bag and wait till they cool then skin and remove seeds.
Then again - I use them, skin and all, chopped and raw.
Tomorrow - my favorite Hatch chili recipes ... and some suggestions. In the meantime you can simply search "Hatch chili recipes" and find some (but not mine).
Because of the thick skin, the whole peppers are often roasted and the skin removed.
The most common methods:
- In the oven or broiler until skins blister ... about 7 minutes at 450 degrees
- Grill outdoors until skin blisters
- On the stove ... use a heavy pan and on high heat, roasting for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally until skin blisters
A friend suggests ...
“Quick way to peel lots of Hatch chilis - we roast them over the grill when we are cooking other things then let them cool, throw in a plastic bag, seal and freeze. To peel, run warm water over chilis and the skins come off ... works every time!"
Peppers last longer in the freezer with the skin protecting them and the skins will come off easily after thawing. Bacteria can grow on the peppers, so they should be frozen within a day of roasting and thawed in the fridge.
Otherwise, put peppers in a plastic or paper bag and wait till they cool then skin and remove seeds.
Then again - I use them, skin and all, chopped and raw.
Tomorrow - my favorite Hatch chili recipes ... and some suggestions. In the meantime you can simply search "Hatch chili recipes" and find some (but not mine).
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
PLATES - Hatch Chili Peppers ... day 2
Today I'm across town at Central Market. You can smell the Hatch chili peppers the moment the doors open. Bammmm! hits you in the face.
Actually, you can smell the peppers the moment you get our of your vehicle as they have two huge gas fired chili roasters going.
And all kinds of Hatch food products being demonstrated inside ... from corn chips, corn bread, tortillas and scones, to sausages, salsas, enchiladas, and more!
CM is the H.E. Butt Grocery Company's answer to Whole Foods.
Both stores are born (and based) in Texas. Yes, Texas IS big enough for two similar style stores (even 3 or 4 if you count Sprout's and Sunflower) ... and other smaller ones ... ??? Face it - Texans eat ... Texans cook .. and sometimes we cook and eat healthy.
Central Market is kicking off their 16th Annual Hatch Chili Festival today - August 17.
They’re on the lookout for the most creative Hatch chile recipes. Starters. Entrees. Desserts. Drinks.
Originality counts. From five ingredients to 50, nothing’s out of bounds if it involves a heavenly
helping of Hatch.
Here's the low down ...
Enter your recipe by August 22, 2011 at 10:00 am. Central Market will select eight winning recipes — one for each of their stores. Entries are judged for creativity, tastiness and presentation by Central Market Partners, local celebrities and Hatch chile fans — (I'm thinking I could be a judge???)
Main prizes ...
Winning entries will receive 75 pounds of Hatch chile peppers and a $100 Central Market gift card.
but look ...
You receive a one-time offer for a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase just for entering.
(okay ... I'm working on MY Hatch recipe entry just for the $5 coupon.)
I know people who can spend $25 at Central Market just in the candy bar (neon sour orange worms) ... or on coconut water ... or in beer and wine ... or desserts ... or seafood ... or ...
Ciao!
Actually, you can smell the peppers the moment you get our of your vehicle as they have two huge gas fired chili roasters going.
And all kinds of Hatch food products being demonstrated inside ... from corn chips, corn bread, tortillas and scones, to sausages, salsas, enchiladas, and more!
CM is the H.E. Butt Grocery Company's answer to Whole Foods.
Both stores are born (and based) in Texas. Yes, Texas IS big enough for two similar style stores (even 3 or 4 if you count Sprout's and Sunflower) ... and other smaller ones ... ??? Face it - Texans eat ... Texans cook .. and sometimes we cook and eat healthy.
Central Market is kicking off their 16th Annual Hatch Chili Festival today - August 17.
They’re on the lookout for the most creative Hatch chile recipes. Starters. Entrees. Desserts. Drinks.
Originality counts. From five ingredients to 50, nothing’s out of bounds if it involves a heavenly
helping of Hatch.
Here's the low down ...
Enter your recipe by August 22, 2011 at 10:00 am. Central Market will select eight winning recipes — one for each of their stores. Entries are judged for creativity, tastiness and presentation by Central Market Partners, local celebrities and Hatch chile fans — (I'm thinking I could be a judge???)
Main prizes ...
Winning entries will receive 75 pounds of Hatch chile peppers and a $100 Central Market gift card.
but look ...
You receive a one-time offer for a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase just for entering.
(okay ... I'm working on MY Hatch recipe entry just for the $5 coupon.)
I know people who can spend $25 at Central Market just in the candy bar (neon sour orange worms) ... or on coconut water ... or in beer and wine ... or desserts ... or seafood ... or ...
Ciao!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
PLATES - Hatch Chili Peppers
Okay ... so I gotta get my act together and start posting something on a daily basis.
How about something I found today.
Hatch Chili Peppers are 39¢ a pound at Whole Food Markets in Sugar Land.
I don't know if they;'re that price at YOUR Whole Foods, but they are at mine.
Jay Leno joked about Whole Foods again last night ... the US has a $14 trillion debt. To get a handle on $14 trillion, imagine grocery shopping at Whole Foods every day for a month ..." (audience laughs) ...
Well audience, the laugh's on you this time. Hatch chili peppers are 99¢ to $1.49 elsewhere in town. And their quality is considerably less than here at Whole Foods.
For those who haven't tried them, Hatch Chili Peppers are like Vidalia Onions - truly one of a kind. It's the soil in Doña Ana County, NM that makes it unique.
Most suggest roasting the peppers over an open flame to bring out their flavor. You can do this is a skillet or on a grill. The stores have special pepper roasters and they made a big deal out of it on Friday's saturdays and Sundays.
They are also good "raw" ... chopped and diced and used in recipes like you would a bell, jalapeño, anaheim, or poblano peppers.
There are two kinds of Hatch chili peppers, mild and hot. Believe the billing (and just hope the peppers aren't mislabeled when you buy them).
Grab the recipes at the stores ... from Hatch quesadillas (and tortillas), to cornbread and scones and cookies!
I'll give you MY favorite Hatch Chili recipe tomorrow.
How about something I found today.
Hatch Chili Peppers are 39¢ a pound at Whole Food Markets in Sugar Land.
I don't know if they;'re that price at YOUR Whole Foods, but they are at mine.
Jay Leno joked about Whole Foods again last night ... the US has a $14 trillion debt. To get a handle on $14 trillion, imagine grocery shopping at Whole Foods every day for a month ..." (audience laughs) ...
Well audience, the laugh's on you this time. Hatch chili peppers are 99¢ to $1.49 elsewhere in town. And their quality is considerably less than here at Whole Foods.
For those who haven't tried them, Hatch Chili Peppers are like Vidalia Onions - truly one of a kind. It's the soil in Doña Ana County, NM that makes it unique.
Most suggest roasting the peppers over an open flame to bring out their flavor. You can do this is a skillet or on a grill. The stores have special pepper roasters and they made a big deal out of it on Friday's saturdays and Sundays.
They are also good "raw" ... chopped and diced and used in recipes like you would a bell, jalapeño, anaheim, or poblano peppers.
There are two kinds of Hatch chili peppers, mild and hot. Believe the billing (and just hope the peppers aren't mislabeled when you buy them).
Grab the recipes at the stores ... from Hatch quesadillas (and tortillas), to cornbread and scones and cookies!
I'll give you MY favorite Hatch Chili recipe tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
PIX-For some, photography still means film
saw this article and felt the need to share ...
For a few holdouts, photography means film
Digital march has transformed market rapidly
By BEN DOBBIN Associated Press
May 30, 2011, 11:13PM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — At Image City Photography Gallery, Gary Thompson delights in pointing out qualities of light, contrast and clarity in one of his best-selling prints - a winter-sunset view of Yosemite National Park's El Capitan peak shot with a hefty Pentax film camera he bought in 1999 for $1,700.
His wife, Phyllis, a latecomer to fine-art photography after they retired from teaching in the 1990s, favors a Hasselblad X-Pan for panoramic landscapes, such as a time-lapse shot of a harbor in Nova Scotia.
Of 11 partners and resident artists at the private gallery in Rochester - the western New York city where George Eastman transformed photography from an arcane hobby into a mass commodity with his $1 Brownie in 1900 - the Thompsons are the only ones left who haven't switched to digital cameras.
But that time may be near.
"I like the color we get in film, the natural light," says Phyllis Thompson, 70, who married her high-school sweetheart 50 years ago. "But digital cameras are getting much better all the time, and there will come a time when we probably won't be able to get film anymore. And then we'll have to change."
A billion rolls a year
At the turn of the 21st century, American shutterbugs were buying close to a billion rolls of film per year. This year, they might buy a mere 20 million, plus 31 million single-use cameras - the beach-resort staple vacationers turn to in a pinch, according to the Photo Marketing Association.
Eastman Kodak Co. marketed the world's first flexible roll film in 1888. By 1999, more than 800 million rolls were sold in the United States alone. The next year marked the apex for combined U.S. sales of rolls of film (upward of 786 million) and single-use cameras (162 million).
As for film cameras, domestic purchases have tumbled from 19.7 million cameras in 2000 to 280,000 in 2009 and might dip below 100,000 this year, says Yukihiko Matsumoto, the Jackson, Mich.-based association's chief researcher.
For InfoTrends imaging analyst Ed Lee, film's fade-out is moving sharply into focus: "If I extrapolate the trend for film sales and retirements of film cameras, it looks like film will be mostly gone in the U.S. by the end of the decade."
Still hanging on
Just who are the die-hards, holdouts and hangers-on?
Among those who still rely on film - at least part of the time - are advanced amateurs and a smattering of professionals who specialize in nature, travel, scientific, documentary, museum, fine art and forensic photography, market surveys show.
Regular point-and-shoot adherents who haven't made the switch tend be poorer or older - 55 and up.
But there's also a swelling band of new devotees who grew up in the digital age and may have gotten hooked from spending a magical hour in the darkroom during a high school or college class.
Others are simply drawn to its strengths over digital and are even venturing into retro-photo careers.
"In everything from wedding to portrait to commercial photography, young professionals are finding digital so prevalent that they're looking for a sense of differentiation," says Kayce Baker, a marketing director at Fujifilm North America. "That artistic look is something their high-end clients want to see."
Kodak remains the world's biggest film manufacturer, with Japan's Fuji right on its tail. But the consumer and professional films they make have dwindled to a few dozen film stocks in a handful of formats, becoming one more factor in the mammoth drop-off in film processing.
Scott's Photo in Rochester this year stopped daily processing of color print film because fewer than one in 20 customers are dropping off film. A decade ago, "we could process 300 rolls on a good day, and now we see maybe eight or 10 rolls on the few days we actually process," owner Scott Sims says.
For the masses, there's no turning back the clock.
"There's so many digital images taken every day, especially with mobile media, that never will hit a piece of paper," says Therese Mulligan, administrative chair of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology.
An elective specialty
Even at major photography schools, film is an elective specialty.
"Our entire first two years' curriculum is digital in orientation," Mulligan says. "Those that follow a fine-art option are the first to gravitate toward film. Other genres we teach - photojournalism or advertising or biomedical - have a stronger digital emphasis because of the industry itself."
In a rich irony, film's newest fans - not unlike music aficionados who swear by vinyl records - are being drawn together via the Internet.
"The technology that enabled the demise of film is actually helping to keep it relevant with specific types of users," IDC analyst Chris Chute says.
Going downhill
But with the film market shrinking by more than 20 percent annually, most other signs point downhill. Analysts foresee Kodak offloading its still-profitable film division sometime in the next half-dozen years as it battles to complete a long and painful digital transformation.
Kodak will churn out a variety of films as long as there's sufficient demand for each of them, says Scott DiSabato, its marketing manager for professional film. It has even launched four new types since 2007.
While digital has largely closed the image-quality gap, DiSabato says a top-line film camera using large-format film "is still unsurpassed" in recording high-resolution images.
For a few holdouts, photography means film
Digital march has transformed market rapidly
By BEN DOBBIN Associated Press
May 30, 2011, 11:13PM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — At Image City Photography Gallery, Gary Thompson delights in pointing out qualities of light, contrast and clarity in one of his best-selling prints - a winter-sunset view of Yosemite National Park's El Capitan peak shot with a hefty Pentax film camera he bought in 1999 for $1,700.
His wife, Phyllis, a latecomer to fine-art photography after they retired from teaching in the 1990s, favors a Hasselblad X-Pan for panoramic landscapes, such as a time-lapse shot of a harbor in Nova Scotia.
Of 11 partners and resident artists at the private gallery in Rochester - the western New York city where George Eastman transformed photography from an arcane hobby into a mass commodity with his $1 Brownie in 1900 - the Thompsons are the only ones left who haven't switched to digital cameras.
But that time may be near.
"I like the color we get in film, the natural light," says Phyllis Thompson, 70, who married her high-school sweetheart 50 years ago. "But digital cameras are getting much better all the time, and there will come a time when we probably won't be able to get film anymore. And then we'll have to change."
A billion rolls a year
At the turn of the 21st century, American shutterbugs were buying close to a billion rolls of film per year. This year, they might buy a mere 20 million, plus 31 million single-use cameras - the beach-resort staple vacationers turn to in a pinch, according to the Photo Marketing Association.
Eastman Kodak Co. marketed the world's first flexible roll film in 1888. By 1999, more than 800 million rolls were sold in the United States alone. The next year marked the apex for combined U.S. sales of rolls of film (upward of 786 million) and single-use cameras (162 million).
As for film cameras, domestic purchases have tumbled from 19.7 million cameras in 2000 to 280,000 in 2009 and might dip below 100,000 this year, says Yukihiko Matsumoto, the Jackson, Mich.-based association's chief researcher.
For InfoTrends imaging analyst Ed Lee, film's fade-out is moving sharply into focus: "If I extrapolate the trend for film sales and retirements of film cameras, it looks like film will be mostly gone in the U.S. by the end of the decade."
Still hanging on
Just who are the die-hards, holdouts and hangers-on?
Among those who still rely on film - at least part of the time - are advanced amateurs and a smattering of professionals who specialize in nature, travel, scientific, documentary, museum, fine art and forensic photography, market surveys show.
Regular point-and-shoot adherents who haven't made the switch tend be poorer or older - 55 and up.
But there's also a swelling band of new devotees who grew up in the digital age and may have gotten hooked from spending a magical hour in the darkroom during a high school or college class.
Others are simply drawn to its strengths over digital and are even venturing into retro-photo careers.
"In everything from wedding to portrait to commercial photography, young professionals are finding digital so prevalent that they're looking for a sense of differentiation," says Kayce Baker, a marketing director at Fujifilm North America. "That artistic look is something their high-end clients want to see."
Kodak remains the world's biggest film manufacturer, with Japan's Fuji right on its tail. But the consumer and professional films they make have dwindled to a few dozen film stocks in a handful of formats, becoming one more factor in the mammoth drop-off in film processing.
Scott's Photo in Rochester this year stopped daily processing of color print film because fewer than one in 20 customers are dropping off film. A decade ago, "we could process 300 rolls on a good day, and now we see maybe eight or 10 rolls on the few days we actually process," owner Scott Sims says.
For the masses, there's no turning back the clock.
"There's so many digital images taken every day, especially with mobile media, that never will hit a piece of paper," says Therese Mulligan, administrative chair of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology.
An elective specialty
Even at major photography schools, film is an elective specialty.
"Our entire first two years' curriculum is digital in orientation," Mulligan says. "Those that follow a fine-art option are the first to gravitate toward film. Other genres we teach - photojournalism or advertising or biomedical - have a stronger digital emphasis because of the industry itself."
In a rich irony, film's newest fans - not unlike music aficionados who swear by vinyl records - are being drawn together via the Internet.
"The technology that enabled the demise of film is actually helping to keep it relevant with specific types of users," IDC analyst Chris Chute says.
Going downhill
But with the film market shrinking by more than 20 percent annually, most other signs point downhill. Analysts foresee Kodak offloading its still-profitable film division sometime in the next half-dozen years as it battles to complete a long and painful digital transformation.
Kodak will churn out a variety of films as long as there's sufficient demand for each of them, says Scott DiSabato, its marketing manager for professional film. It has even launched four new types since 2007.
While digital has largely closed the image-quality gap, DiSabato says a top-line film camera using large-format film "is still unsurpassed" in recording high-resolution images.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
PLATES – Chicken Tortilla Soup
This is a recipe and a salvage. It turned out to be two good lunches.
I was given a can of Progresso chicken noodle soup by the good folks staffing a booth and promoting the foods of General Mills. I have not been much of a canned soup eater in my adult life but appreciate homemade soups for their warmth and goodness. One of the reasons for not eating canned soup is the high sodium content. The label says this can has 2 servings of soup and 690 milligrams of sodium per serving. That’s 29 percent of my daily allowance. If I ate the whole can – that would be almost 60 percent! Wow! I bet I don’t have that much sodium in four or five days of eating.
I could give the can away to a food drive (there are several coming up), but I was hungry. So I got creative. Here’s what happened:
I rummaged through the kitchen and found the following – spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, fresh lime zest), vegetables (cilantro, onions, tomatoes), chicken, and the crumbs from the bottom of the tortilla chip bag you were going to throw away. I also found – avocado, cheese, sour cream, green onions, and more cilantro.
To make this recipe, divide the can of soup into two servings. Don’t worry if there’s noodles in it – it's not like Tia or Abuela is inspecting it for authenticity. Chop the chicken (I used a whole breast and divided it) and add to each portion. Chop the veggies and add to the carrots that are already there. I love cilantro and think that’s what gives this a good flavor. Next, use your seasonings to taste – a couple of shakes here and there of the cumin, then chili powder and garlic powder. A little goes a long way. I use a chipotle chili powder and it adds some GREAT flavor. The fresh lime zest really makes it tingle but you could put some lime juice in it if that’s what you have. Finally, I toasted the tortilla chip crumbs. Yes, a little toasting adds to the flavor complexities. I paid good money to Chef Paul Prudhomme to learn about “toasting” ingredients for recipes and I feel obliged to pass it along.
Mix everything together and heat in your favorite way. Put the other in the refrigerator for another day - or share with a friend.
You can top this with chopped avocado, some cheese and/or sour cream, green onions, and more cilantro. Use some more tortilla chips for crunchiness. Unfortunately the first serving didn’t get any of this as I was anticipating the results and just dug right in. Day two got some of these add-ons and they were good indeed.
It was fast and it was good. A little more trouble than opening the can and heating, but very tasty and filling.
There’s lots of good recipes for Chicken Tortilla Soup. Search the web and find one you like. Or take a free can of soup (of almost any kind) and be creative!
I was given a can of Progresso chicken noodle soup by the good folks staffing a booth and promoting the foods of General Mills. I have not been much of a canned soup eater in my adult life but appreciate homemade soups for their warmth and goodness. One of the reasons for not eating canned soup is the high sodium content. The label says this can has 2 servings of soup and 690 milligrams of sodium per serving. That’s 29 percent of my daily allowance. If I ate the whole can – that would be almost 60 percent! Wow! I bet I don’t have that much sodium in four or five days of eating.
I could give the can away to a food drive (there are several coming up), but I was hungry. So I got creative. Here’s what happened:
I rummaged through the kitchen and found the following – spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, fresh lime zest), vegetables (cilantro, onions, tomatoes), chicken, and the crumbs from the bottom of the tortilla chip bag you were going to throw away. I also found – avocado, cheese, sour cream, green onions, and more cilantro.
To make this recipe, divide the can of soup into two servings. Don’t worry if there’s noodles in it – it's not like Tia or Abuela is inspecting it for authenticity. Chop the chicken (I used a whole breast and divided it) and add to each portion. Chop the veggies and add to the carrots that are already there. I love cilantro and think that’s what gives this a good flavor. Next, use your seasonings to taste – a couple of shakes here and there of the cumin, then chili powder and garlic powder. A little goes a long way. I use a chipotle chili powder and it adds some GREAT flavor. The fresh lime zest really makes it tingle but you could put some lime juice in it if that’s what you have. Finally, I toasted the tortilla chip crumbs. Yes, a little toasting adds to the flavor complexities. I paid good money to Chef Paul Prudhomme to learn about “toasting” ingredients for recipes and I feel obliged to pass it along.
Mix everything together and heat in your favorite way. Put the other in the refrigerator for another day - or share with a friend.
You can top this with chopped avocado, some cheese and/or sour cream, green onions, and more cilantro. Use some more tortilla chips for crunchiness. Unfortunately the first serving didn’t get any of this as I was anticipating the results and just dug right in. Day two got some of these add-ons and they were good indeed.
It was fast and it was good. A little more trouble than opening the can and heating, but very tasty and filling.
There’s lots of good recipes for Chicken Tortilla Soup. Search the web and find one you like. Or take a free can of soup (of almost any kind) and be creative!
Monday, May 2, 2011
PLATES - Eating in Austin ... part 1
As much is Austin is a football town, Austin is a food town! And the Capital of the Lone Star State is perhaps the best topic to be blog entry numero uno.
My connection began in 1974, the moment I arrived at Sam Houston State University. My roommate graduated from John H. Reagan High School in Austin and took it upon himself to teach this Yankee about all things Texan. He learned me about Friday Night Lights, CFS, bar-b-que being both a NOUN and a VERB, and other great things for which I am eternally grateful - like Gary P Nunn, Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphey, and, of course, Willie, Waylon, and the boys. I think of him every single time I enter Travis County and start humming "I wanna go home with the armadillos ... "
And the music brings us to the food ...
My favorite place to eat is Threadgill's - both the original place on N Lamar and the place I like best on Barton Springs at Riverside. Both have great a place in Texas history. Take a moment ot read about them on their web site ...
Biggest reason I like them - no matter who goes with you, everyone in your party will find something they like. Texas country favorites are on the list (Chicken Fried Steak, Pecan Crusted Chicken) as well as burgers, meatloaf, and grilled items. There's even Liver and Onions which I hear are good but NO amount of money will ever get me to eat. There's also all kinds of sides - 28 choices. Now, I'm a meat and potatoes guy - but mostly MEAT. But they have GREAT vegetables. My faves are the San Antonio Squash, Broccoli Rice Casserole, Texas Black-Eyed Pea Caviar, and Garlic Cheese Grits Threadgill's offers a 3-choice or 5-choice plate. And while they don't ADVERTISE all you can eat, you do get refills on your sides (within reason). They have great portions, good prices.
http://www.threadgills.com/
My next favorite place is Mandola's Italian Market. They have two locations, the original on N Lamar at Guadalupe in The Triangle, and the new one out on Bee Cave Road. Damian Mandola's twin sons run the locations and Damian himself is a frequent visitor. I went to college with Big D (co-founder of Carrabba's) and that surely might prejudice this recommendation were it not for the good food ... and the happy responses from others! It's a casual atmosphere. They have good Italian food (to go and sit down, as well as menu and table service). There's meats and food in the Deli. An then there's DESSERTS!!! Cakes, cookies, gelato - yum! All homemade and fresh. The varieties change with demand. Lots of choices and sampling is encouraged!!! You can tell this is authentic Italian ... photos of the Virgin Mother, the Holy Father, Damian's mama Rosa, and Frank Sinatra greet you as you enter he Bee Cave location. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia winks at you on the way to the restroom (you'll need a chair to read the letter). There's a lighted Bocce court out back. Wine is served by the glass or you can buy a bottle. Portions are generous. We got a "small" gelato, asked for two flavors, and had enough to share (had I wanted).
http://www.mandolasitalianmarket.com/
I HAD to eat at Bess Bistro the first time because it's owned by Sandra Bullock. I'll come back because of the food. They offer half price appetizers (they're called "morsels" on the menu) for happy hour (2:30 - 6:30 M-F), daily specials, and brunch on Sunday. They have a wonderful atmosphere - nice but not pretentious.
I had the Smoked Bacon Mussels for $5. There were 18 in a great tomato bisque with a bacon ragout. But the pan grilled garlic-butter ciabatta bread ... OMG!!! The bread MADE the meal. Okay - everything else was well crafted, and who expects 18 mussels in an appetizer? It was dinner for me on a Friday evening. They "only" had 4 beers taps and I was thinking - sure, B, M, C and SB (Shiner Bock) ... but NO - Independence's Austin Amber, Abita's Purple Haze, Victory's Hop Devil IPA and (512)'s Pecan Porter. Yummmmmm! Great choices. BTW - I missed Sandra by 18 hours. According to my sources, so did most other in the restaurant as she sat unassumingly at a table with baby Louis, her hair pulled back, no make-up, and blue jeans.
Went back for a second trip to Bess. This time, it was a date, and could there be ANY more pressure on a guy? We had (shared) the Caramelized Onion and Wild Mushroom Tart with petite mache salad (burgundy shallot vinagrette) and the Creole Shrimp Bess - 7 Jumbo/Extra Jumbo Gulf shrimp (about the size of your thumb and 16 - 24 per pound category) with grilled ciabatta. One of the chefs, Janelle, came out and chatted. To me, THAT is some kinda' pressure - to be willing to face your customers. She's from Lubbock, spent time in the US Navy (where she acquired her love and knowledge for seafood), and is doing what she LOVES. She had nothing to fear as everything was perfectly prepared. The waiter was punctual and informative; the maitre de stopped by several times, as well. Next trip - will it be for happy hour morsels or something on the newly revised menu???
http://www.bessbistro.com/
Austin is a BBQ town. Uncle Billy's Brew and 'Cue on Barton Springs and Stubbs are two places I've eaten. They do well with whatever you like. I'm a sausage guy. Uncle Billy's has moist and tender BBQ, generous portions, plentiful fried okra ... and very tasty home-brewed beer. There's a Honky-Tonk Happy Hour sat and Sunday 2-6 ... and it what Austin is all about. one word - Go!!!
http://www.unclebillysaustin.com/
Stubb's is close to the downtown action, just a few steps off Sixth Street. It's been ages since I was there but the line down Red River on a recent Friday night shows there's something worth waiting for inside ... like fried green tomatoes, smoked duck quesadillas, and Texas onion rings!
http://www.stubbsaustin.com
Take a drive out FM 1826 towards Driftwood (at Camp Ben McCullough) is Salt Lick BBQ. It's a wonderful place with spacious grounds and live music most nights. Expect a wait at prime times. It's cash only and BYOB. The meats are good but I pretty well stuff myself with their slaw.
http://www.saltlickbbq.com/
There's also a little blue stand, BBQ Heaven, on the corner of 7th Street and Red River that has GREAT food and you can see it being cooked on the pit outside. Nothing fancy ... but honest, hard-working folks making great food at a great price ... $3 and $4 sandwiches.
Austin also has lots of good Mexican food. The tried and true is Matt's El Rancho. If you drive to the east side of I-35 into the Hispanic areas, there are lots of good places.
http://www.mattselrancho.com/
Once place I'd never visited in previous trips was The Oasis. It has the best sunsets in Texas, and it was lovely the night I was there. We had great guacamole and good queso on chips which were way too thick and mass produced (I like my chips thin and crispy). I asked a friend what was good on the menu and he said it was all down hill from there. I've heard the same comments from friends in the two weeks after my visit. The hamburger I had was edible but not memorable. But the sunset ... awesome ... bring your camera!!! Learn to use your manual setting or you'll miss out on spectacular pix!!!!
http://www.oasis-austin.com/
Again - the opines here are my own. Yes, LOTS of places I've missed and many I wanna try - Artz Ribs, House Park BBQ, Hey Cupcake, Taco Hut and more. I haven't been compensated in any way from any of the above establishments.
Hey, wanna save some $$$'s on eating in Austin??? Some SERIOUS $$$$$$$$$$'s ... ???????
Here's a site that'll help you lots (it did for me!!!)
http://www.frugalfeaster.com/
My connection began in 1974, the moment I arrived at Sam Houston State University. My roommate graduated from John H. Reagan High School in Austin and took it upon himself to teach this Yankee about all things Texan. He learned me about Friday Night Lights, CFS, bar-b-que being both a NOUN and a VERB, and other great things for which I am eternally grateful - like Gary P Nunn, Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphey, and, of course, Willie, Waylon, and the boys. I think of him every single time I enter Travis County and start humming "I wanna go home with the armadillos ... "
And the music brings us to the food ...
My favorite place to eat is Threadgill's - both the original place on N Lamar and the place I like best on Barton Springs at Riverside. Both have great a place in Texas history. Take a moment ot read about them on their web site ...
Biggest reason I like them - no matter who goes with you, everyone in your party will find something they like. Texas country favorites are on the list (Chicken Fried Steak, Pecan Crusted Chicken) as well as burgers, meatloaf, and grilled items. There's even Liver and Onions which I hear are good but NO amount of money will ever get me to eat. There's also all kinds of sides - 28 choices. Now, I'm a meat and potatoes guy - but mostly MEAT. But they have GREAT vegetables. My faves are the San Antonio Squash, Broccoli Rice Casserole, Texas Black-Eyed Pea Caviar, and Garlic Cheese Grits Threadgill's offers a 3-choice or 5-choice plate. And while they don't ADVERTISE all you can eat, you do get refills on your sides (within reason). They have great portions, good prices.
http://www.threadgills.com/
My next favorite place is Mandola's Italian Market. They have two locations, the original on N Lamar at Guadalupe in The Triangle, and the new one out on Bee Cave Road. Damian Mandola's twin sons run the locations and Damian himself is a frequent visitor. I went to college with Big D (co-founder of Carrabba's) and that surely might prejudice this recommendation were it not for the good food ... and the happy responses from others! It's a casual atmosphere. They have good Italian food (to go and sit down, as well as menu and table service). There's meats and food in the Deli. An then there's DESSERTS!!! Cakes, cookies, gelato - yum! All homemade and fresh. The varieties change with demand. Lots of choices and sampling is encouraged!!! You can tell this is authentic Italian ... photos of the Virgin Mother, the Holy Father, Damian's mama Rosa, and Frank Sinatra greet you as you enter he Bee Cave location. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia winks at you on the way to the restroom (you'll need a chair to read the letter). There's a lighted Bocce court out back. Wine is served by the glass or you can buy a bottle. Portions are generous. We got a "small" gelato, asked for two flavors, and had enough to share (had I wanted).
http://www.mandolasitalianmarket.com/
I HAD to eat at Bess Bistro the first time because it's owned by Sandra Bullock. I'll come back because of the food. They offer half price appetizers (they're called "morsels" on the menu) for happy hour (2:30 - 6:30 M-F), daily specials, and brunch on Sunday. They have a wonderful atmosphere - nice but not pretentious.
I had the Smoked Bacon Mussels for $5. There were 18 in a great tomato bisque with a bacon ragout. But the pan grilled garlic-butter ciabatta bread ... OMG!!! The bread MADE the meal. Okay - everything else was well crafted, and who expects 18 mussels in an appetizer? It was dinner for me on a Friday evening. They "only" had 4 beers taps and I was thinking - sure, B, M, C and SB (Shiner Bock) ... but NO - Independence's Austin Amber, Abita's Purple Haze, Victory's Hop Devil IPA and (512)'s Pecan Porter. Yummmmmm! Great choices. BTW - I missed Sandra by 18 hours. According to my sources, so did most other in the restaurant as she sat unassumingly at a table with baby Louis, her hair pulled back, no make-up, and blue jeans.
Went back for a second trip to Bess. This time, it was a date, and could there be ANY more pressure on a guy? We had (shared) the Caramelized Onion and Wild Mushroom Tart with petite mache salad (burgundy shallot vinagrette) and the Creole Shrimp Bess - 7 Jumbo/Extra Jumbo Gulf shrimp (about the size of your thumb and 16 - 24 per pound category) with grilled ciabatta. One of the chefs, Janelle, came out and chatted. To me, THAT is some kinda' pressure - to be willing to face your customers. She's from Lubbock, spent time in the US Navy (where she acquired her love and knowledge for seafood), and is doing what she LOVES. She had nothing to fear as everything was perfectly prepared. The waiter was punctual and informative; the maitre de stopped by several times, as well. Next trip - will it be for happy hour morsels or something on the newly revised menu???
http://www.bessbistro.com/
Austin is a BBQ town. Uncle Billy's Brew and 'Cue on Barton Springs and Stubbs are two places I've eaten. They do well with whatever you like. I'm a sausage guy. Uncle Billy's has moist and tender BBQ, generous portions, plentiful fried okra ... and very tasty home-brewed beer. There's a Honky-Tonk Happy Hour sat and Sunday 2-6 ... and it what Austin is all about. one word - Go!!!
http://www.unclebillysaustin.com/
Stubb's is close to the downtown action, just a few steps off Sixth Street. It's been ages since I was there but the line down Red River on a recent Friday night shows there's something worth waiting for inside ... like fried green tomatoes, smoked duck quesadillas, and Texas onion rings!
http://www.stubbsaustin.com
Take a drive out FM 1826 towards Driftwood (at Camp Ben McCullough) is Salt Lick BBQ. It's a wonderful place with spacious grounds and live music most nights. Expect a wait at prime times. It's cash only and BYOB. The meats are good but I pretty well stuff myself with their slaw.
http://www.saltlickbbq.com/
There's also a little blue stand, BBQ Heaven, on the corner of 7th Street and Red River that has GREAT food and you can see it being cooked on the pit outside. Nothing fancy ... but honest, hard-working folks making great food at a great price ... $3 and $4 sandwiches.
Austin also has lots of good Mexican food. The tried and true is Matt's El Rancho. If you drive to the east side of I-35 into the Hispanic areas, there are lots of good places.
http://www.mattselrancho.com/
Once place I'd never visited in previous trips was The Oasis. It has the best sunsets in Texas, and it was lovely the night I was there. We had great guacamole and good queso on chips which were way too thick and mass produced (I like my chips thin and crispy). I asked a friend what was good on the menu and he said it was all down hill from there. I've heard the same comments from friends in the two weeks after my visit. The hamburger I had was edible but not memorable. But the sunset ... awesome ... bring your camera!!! Learn to use your manual setting or you'll miss out on spectacular pix!!!!
http://www.oasis-austin.com/
Again - the opines here are my own. Yes, LOTS of places I've missed and many I wanna try - Artz Ribs, House Park BBQ, Hey Cupcake, Taco Hut and more. I haven't been compensated in any way from any of the above establishments.
Hey, wanna save some $$$'s on eating in Austin??? Some SERIOUS $$$$$$$$$$'s ... ???????
Here's a site that'll help you lots (it did for me!!!)
http://www.frugalfeaster.com/
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