Did You Say Pepperoni Soup?!

Only 7 short months ago, I told a tale (over 3 blog posts) of my insane eating vacation in Austin, TX while I was there for the IACP conference. I ate so much BBQ that I was afraid I'd turn into a whole hog and I gave you every last fattening detail.

As luck would have it, Patrick's cousin lives in Austin and was getting married, so I got to go back for the week between Christmas and New Year's. I won't torture you with the details of every single thing I ate, but a few meals are necessary to highlight. Boy oh boy, Austin is quite the foodie town!

Our first meal was lunch right after checking into our hotel. A bunch of us went to a place on South Congress called Hopdoddy Burger Bar. You are right if you think the name is a little odd, so here is what it means: Hopdoddy was created to express the perfect union of burgers and beer: handcrafted beer (hop) + (doddy), the nickname given to the native cow in Aberdeen, Scotland. You learn something new every day!

The line was nearly out the door (usually a good sign) and as soon as I saw the frosty chalices of beer being held by many of the patrons in line, I knew the wait wouldn't be too difficult for us to endure. We all jumped into the line and, even though I don't usually love beer, I couldn't pass up an icy glass of Real Ale Fireman's #4.

We only had to wait about 20 minutes, and they had a great policy where the table is ready for you as soon as you order your food. I went for the burger called The Goodnight, which was Angus Beef, Tillamook Cheddar, Hickory BBQ Sauce and Sassy Sauce. What the heck is Sassy Sauce?! That's a great question, and I don't entirely know the answer to that, but I think it was some kind of mix of mayo and mustard. Whatever it was, it was delicious!

Here I am with my refreshing chalice of beer.

 

And here is my awesome burger, The Goodnight. 

It was a great burger, perfectly cooked (medium rare, of course), juicy, flavorful and awesome toppings. The bun was great and the sauces were very tasty. Best of all, it was about 65 degrees and sunny, so we got to sit outside and enjoy our food in the sun. Perfect!

The other meal that I have to mention was our lunch at Second Bar + Kitchen on the corner of Second Street and Congress. My friend Rev (better known as Burger Conquest) introduced me to his amazing friend Julie down in Austin, and Julie is engaged to Second Bar + Kitchen's Chef de Cuisine, Ethan Holmes. Julie and Ethan are both totally awesome people, and I wanted Pat to try the Buffalo Frickles I had last time I was in Austin. To my great surprise, Ethan was in the kitchen, so we got to say hi to him as well.

We, of course, started with the aforementioned Buffalo Frickles with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce.I can't say enough good things about them. Spicy, tangy, pickle-y and honestly just downright amazing. Pat was a huge fan of them, as I knew he would be, and we finished the plate off in no time at all.

Next up, and another thing I must give credit to Rev for telling me about, the Pepperoni Soup, truly one of the most unique soups I have ever tasted.

An amazing bowl of San Marzano Tomato Soup with Pepperoni, Melted Mozzarella and Garlic Croutons, you would swear you were biting into a slice of pepperoni pizza with every taste. Ethan, I don't know how you do it, but keep doing it!

Finally, another repeat visit, I had to take Pat to Juan in a Million for the Don Juan Taco, "A secret combination of potato, egg, bacon and cheese in a deliciously hot tortilla" for only $3.80!

I think Pat likes it, don't you?!

We did eat a lot of other great things, like BBQ for Pat's cousin's Rehearsal Dinner, Fish Tacos at the Turf N Surf Po' Boys Food Cart (you have to try the Blue Marlin Taco!) and so much more. Austin is an awesome city with incredible food. I'm going back in March for South by Southwest, and I can't wait for lots of new eating adventures.

What are some of your favorite spots in Austin? I'm looking forward to checking out Congress next time I'm there.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Eating My Way Through Austin: Days 5 & 6

Why do I keep doing this to myself?! It's now June 11th and I've been home from Austin for 5 days. I went to NYC's Big Apple BBQ today and, again, ate my weight in BBQ food and, again, am in a serious food coma. But, that's a story for another post, as I still have to tell you all about my last 2 days in Austin!

I woke up last Saturday morning feeling better than I felt on Friday night and ready for the final day of the IACP conference. The day started with a Social Media seminar followed by food blogging panel. I was really excited for the panel because it was with some big names in the industry--Lisa Stone of BlogHer, Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes and Kalyn Denny of Kalyn's Kitchen. The panel was great, and I was so happy to meet them all after.

Next up was a lunch provided by the IACP, a good variety including Shrimp Skewers, Roasted Veggies, Blueberries, Broccolini and Scallops with Israeli Cous Cous.Immediately following the lunch, I attended my final session, a cooking demonstration with New Orleans' own John Besh! When Patrick and I were in New Orleans visiting Aunt Kath last January, we ate at Besh's wonderful Domenica restaurant and I was so excited to see him in person. We got to taste his Shrimp Creole, and it was so good!Besh's demonstration ended a little early so I was able to catch the end of a panel called "Marketing your Food Brand in the New Age of Engagement," where I met Janet Helm of Nutrition Unplugged. I ended up having a few drinks with her later that night and was happy to have made such a great foodie connection.

When all the sessions were over, Kristen, Marie and I decided to explore downtown Austin a little and do some shopping. I picked up some great new earrings, and then we stopped by Ethan's restaurant, Second Bar + Kitchen. We had initially planned to only get a glass of wine, but Ethan brought us out his Buffalo Fried Pickles with Gorgonzola Dipping Sauce and they were phenomenal. Spicy, salty, savory... we were raving about them for hours after eating them. Amazing!The delicious white wine was the perfect chilly beverage to wash down the spicy "frickles" (fried pickles.) They were really great.

That night was the big Pig Roast event on Boggy Creek Farm. All we'd really had to eat were the fried pickles and we were all starving! A coach bus took us on the 10-minute ride out to the farm where yet another BBQ feast awaited us.It was very hot and sweaty on the farm, but we were so excited to eat some good food.I didn't want to overload on food again, so I ate a lot less this time around, but everything there was really great. I had some of the feral pig (that was caught in the wild), a few ribs, some incredible brisket and cornbread. We sat around a small table on the farm, sipping refreshing cocktails and eating fresh, amazing BBQ food.It was glorious! But due to the 100-degree heat and the flies that were starting to buzz around us, we decided to head back to the hotel and get ready to go out to the local bars for the night. We had a lot of fun!

Perhaps too much fun. We woke up the next morning not feeling so great, and for our last morning in Austin we wanted some great breakfast food. Marie had to leave to catch her plane, but Kristen and I weren't flying out of Austin until later that night. My friend Rev suggested we check out a place called Guero's, and since I trust his food opinion over most, Kristen and I went. It was exactly what we were looking for! Fresh tortillas were being made right in front of us and all the food looked so good.I ordered the Migas with Chorizo and a side of Guac. It was just what the doctor ordered! This was a great final meal in Austin, both delicious and full of amazing local flavors.Using Rev's infamous "Left-Hand Grab" (LHG) to show off my breakfast!

Overall, I had a wonderful trip to Austin. The food was amazing, the culture was awesome and the IACP conference was incredibly rewarding and wonderful. I made some great new friends and strengthened some friendships I had made before the trip. Next year, the IACP will be in New York City and I can't wait to show all my fellow foodies around the city I know and love. Thanks to everyone who made my 6 days in Austin so fabulous! Looking forward to making many more great memories with you all.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Eating My Way Through Austin: Days 1 & 2

How unusual for me, two travel posts in a row! I really don't travel very much but this spring has found me in several interesting locations with great food so NYC will have to wait! Plus, when I'm in New York my life is so crazy that I've rarely had time to write (tragic!). I'm currently in Austin, TX for the International Association of Culinary Professionals National Conference hanging with fellow foodies and bloggers. This is my third day here and I've already had quite a few adventures.

I traveled down with Kristen Hess, the Artful Gourmet and we met Marie Asselin at the airport. Marie's food blog is Food Nouveau. I met both of these lovely ladies at the Regional IACP Conference in New York this past winter and we all decided to travel down here to Austin for the National Conference. Marie and I were going to be roommates for the trip to Austin and I was so excited! Another friend who came down for the conference is Rev who you all know better as Burger Conquest. So many great people are down in Austin this week!

We all got in just before 11pm on Tuesday night and decided to go out on 6th Street for a few drinks after checking in at our hotel. Little did we know that our night would end with Pickle Back Shots! In general, the bars on 6th Street were pretty dead for what Kristen & I are used to in NYC, but the drinks were super cheap ($6 for Ketel Soda?!) and it was fun catching up with the girls. When I asked them if they'd ever heard of Pickle Back shots and they hadn't, I knew I had to get us some. I asked the bartender at the bar we were at where I could get some, and she directed us to a bar just up the street. We walked a few blocks to the bar she recommended and asked that bartender for Pickle Backs. What we found out was that this bartender LOVED the shots and usually had them on hand, but since they are so rarely ordered, he stopped keeping pickle juice. "Do you ladies want me to run to the corner store and grab some pickles?" he asked. "How long will that take?" we asked him. "Only one minute!" he replied. And off he went in search of pickles.

He came back after I pointed out that something like this would NEVER happen in NYC and poured us some lovely pickle back shots.4 to be exact, including one for him. And do you know how much they were? $14! 4 shots for $14? Insanely cheap. We went to bed after 2am feeling wonderful and excited about the days to come in Austin.

We woke up the next morning and went to check-in for the conference. Here I am with my official IACP badge!After we were done with the registration we decided to get breakfast at a spot called Juan in a Million. A few people had recommended their breakfast tacos, so I suggested we try it. We met up with another fellow IACP member, Nikki Gardner, whose food blog is Art and Lemons, to go get some grub. We took a quick cab ride there and the place was so adorable!We got a table for 4 and began to look over the huge menu. I knew I wanted tacos so I ordered the Chorizo with Egg Breakfast Taco, the "Don Juan" taco (A secret combination of potato, egg, bacon and cheese in a deliciously hot tortilla, according to the menu) and a side of guacamole. Little did I know I had just ordered enough food for all 4 of us on my own!

I just read that Man vs. Food's Adam Richman visited Juan in a Million for the Don Juan taco challenge in which he had EIGHT of the massive tacos. I couldn't even finish one!This was one massive taco and even though it was truly delicious, I barely made a dent in it.

The Egg & Chorizo taco was also really good, thankfully much smaller than the Don Juan taco, and I was actually able to finish it.I (of course) asked to have cheese added and I enjoyed that the chorizo was ground up to maximize the flavor.

The guacamole was also a huge portion and needed a little something to make it great, namely a few squeezes of a lime.I enjoyed putting it all over my breakfast and scooping it up with some crunchy tortilla chips.

After breakfast we were lucky enough to meet Juan himself, a sweet man with a clear passion for his restaurant.Thanks for everything Juan, our breakfast was great!

Without realizing it, I skipped lunch that day because I was so full from my huge breakfast. I had a few interesting panels that day, including The Craft of Food Writing. That night, there was an opening reception party held at a museum in Austin with food and drinks from a bunch of local restaurants. My favorite dishes of the night were:

1. The Chorizo-Stuffed Medjool Dates from FINO Restaurant Patio & Bar (with a lovely mix of veggies on the plate as well)I went back about 5 times for just the dates, they were absolutely incredible.

2. The Beef Short Ribs with Shishito Pepper Jam and Burrata Cheese from Second Bar + Kitchen (and I was lucky enough to have dinner the next night with the chef, Ethan Holmes, but more on that later)
3. The Japanese Hamachi and Big-Eye Tuna from Eddie V's Prime Seafood
4. The Green Chile Pork Tacos from Roaring Fork (also owned by Eddie V's)
5. Honorable Mention to the Fried Quail Egg Benedict from Catering by Rosemary because while I didn't love the way it tasted, it was by far the most beautiful, colorful dish at the party.
I went to sleep that night VERY full, and looking forward to the many more eating adventures to come in Austin.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

PS- One non-food thing I forgot to mention is that I got to hold a baby armadillo and pose with a bull! The armadillo's name was Matt Dillo and he was AWESOME. I don't know what the bull's name was, but I was really scared of his sharp horns!I love animals and it was so fun to play with them!

Welcome to Miami

While New York City food is definitely what I know best, I sometimes travel outside of the city and when I do, I love to write about the food I find. A few weeks ago I traveled to South Beach with Jill, Stevie and Jen for a quick girl trip getaway. I knew most of our daytime meals would be eaten next to the pool, I was intent on finding us some awesome dinner spots for our Friday and Saturday night dinners. We had originally planned to go to Barton G. and Wish, but once we got down there and talked to a few locals, we changed our minds and made brand new reservations. More on that later.

As I expected, we ate lunch every day at our hotel, The Loews, by the pool. The restaurant was called The Nautilus and we actually had some very good meals there. For our first meal, I had a Turkey Wrap with bacon and avocado.

Jen and I shared it, and they served each half of the wrap with a hearty portion of fresh fruit. Yum! My favorite thing I had poolside though were the fresh fish tacos and I had them several times over the few days we were there.

Light, flaky fish was paired with fresh veggies to create the perfect taste of the sea. I also had a great Shrimp Cesar salad that was not too heavy, which was great since I was eating it while wearing a bathing suit.

Maybe everything tasted better because we were in sunny South Beach, but we all really enjoyed sitting in the sun and eating these fresh dishes.

The stand-out meals were definitely our Friday and Saturday night dinners. Friday night we ended up at Red the Steakhouse at the recommendation of the bartender at Emeril’s (who made a mean blue-cheese stuffed olive dirty martini!) I had heard Prime 112 couldn’t be missed, but he assured us that the food at Red was just as good and the service was much better. We headed to the restaurant with our stomachs growling and boy was I happy I brought my appetite!

We started with 8 oz. of Buratta Cheese that was absolutely divine.

Rich, creamy and nutty in flavor, the cheese was perfectly balanced with the ripe tomatoes and sharp balsamic drizzled over the top. Heaven! Since Jill eats her steak charred (don’t worry, I’m working on it), Stevie, Jen and I decided to share the Surf & Turf between the 3 of us because it was a ton of food and because all 3 of us eat our steak bloody. The steak came with a heaping portion of crab leg meat and it worked out perfectly because I mostly wanted steak, Jen mostly wanted seafood and Stevie wanted a little of both. The portion was enormous, as was the price tag, but when the 3 of us split it it made sense.

The steak was cooked to our liking and the buttery crab meat was so tender you could cut it with a spoon.

I got Jill to try a piece of our steak and even she admitted it was pretty good.

We ordered some sides to go with our main courses and those were fabulous as well. The dish that really blew me away was the Potatoes au Gratin. Soft potatoes covered in ooey gooey cheese made for a decadent dish. I wanted to lick the plate clean!

We also got a side of broccoli and spinach and while there was nothing too spectacular about them, they were also quite yummy.

We sipped both white and red wine and enjoyed a leisurely 3-hour meal before retiring to the bar to claim our free round of drinks (thank you FourSquare!) My friends may make fun of me for being a Social Media nerd, but free drinks? I didn’t hear any complaints.

Saturday during the day we stopped by SushiSamba for happy hour and to munch on some sushi. The drinks were chilly and refreshing and the sushi was fresh and flavorful. Between the 4 of us we shared a Seaweed Salad and several rolls. We sat around, people-watched (something Manhattanites LOVE to do), sipped our cocktails and enjoyed each other's company. It was lovely.

We made the call to have our Saturday night dinner at Philippe Chow's Philippe because the menu looked absolutely incredible. I was still craving Peking Duck after my Adventure in Chinatown with Patrick, and I was determined to have some. We had a round of drinks at the Gansevoort's STK before our late 10:30pm reservation. A few of us were craving cucumber drinks, so as soon as we sat down at our table we ordered some Cucumber Martinis which were downright yummy. Then we ordered a few more, and a few more. But who's counting? We're on vacation!

We decided to share the famous Chicken Satays prepared in Chef Chow's Famous Cream Sauce per Stevie's recommendation and the Pork Soup Dumplings (my fave). I admit I was expecting the satays to be nothing spectacular but boy was I wrong! Stevie, I'm sorry for doubting you. They were fantastic! The sauce was like nothing I had ever tasted before. The chicken was hot and tender. If you find yourself at Philippe, GET THE SATAYS!

The Pork Soup Dumplings had a very nice flavor and the dumplings themselves were the perfect consistency. I don't like when the outer layer is too thick, and these were great. Soup dumplings are just so good!

We then got the Chilean Sea Bass with black bean and garlic, also good. I would say this was my least favorite part of the meal, but not because it was bad. It was just something I thought I'd be able to get anywhere else. The fish was very fresh and flaked apart easily but I wouldn't recommend the fish if you're dining there.

Now, on to the Peking Duck! I was so happy we all decided to order it because I really wanted to experience the chef slicing it up table-side. And what an experience it was! He brought out the full duck and it was just beautiful.

He then began to slice it up to create a plate of the most succulent meat I have ever tasted. He cut the duck with a masterful precision and I found the whole process to be fascinating.

And then, we tasted the duck!

Served with pancakes and hoison sauce, this duck was absolutely out of this world. Savory, packed with rich flavor, tender... everything it should be. We ended up having to order more pancakes because we couldn't stop eating! We polished off every last piece of the bird and were absolutely stuffed.

If you are at all interested in Peking Duck, I highly recommend you order it. My mouth is watering just remembering it! I will definitely have it again soon.

We had a great trip, and the food was definitely memorable. Do you have any favorite places in South Beach? Where do you like to travel?

Thanks to the girls for making the trip so great!

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Awesome Dishes Around NYC

While I do sometimes like to focus on one meal at one particular restaurant, I thought it was about time that I share some delicious dishes I've had recently around the city--a "round up" if you will. I eat about 99% of my meals out and while some of those entire meals aren't necessarily worth a story, some of the individual food is.

1. Fish Tacos at good restaurant in the West VillageI've already raved about the brunch, but last time I was there having brunch with Jill & Jen I decided to order the fish tacos because, well, I love fish tacos! These didn't disappoint, and I highly recommend you try them (but only after you've worked your way through their standard brunch menu!)

2. Soup Dumplings at Dumpling Man in the East VillageSoup Dumplings are also one of my very favorite things. This place is a definite go-to for us whenever we're in the East Village, especially since Caroline and I used to only live 1 block away. You get to watch your food being made right in front of you.If you order delivery from Dumpling Man, you can log onto their website and spy on the place from their live webcam. (Right Sam?)

3. Crab & Spicy Tuna Timbale at Sagaponack in the FlatironThe only thing that could make spicy tuna better is to add a few of my favorite things: crab, avocado and mango. This appetizer at the charming nautical-themed restaurant in the Flatiron was so good that I almost wished Patrick and I had each ordered our own.

4. Roasted Shitake Mushroom Sandwich from Olives in SohoThis is, hands down, one of the most delicious sandwiches in the entire city. Maybe it's the unique texture of the roasted mushrooms, maybe it's the herb ricotta spread all over it. Whatever it is, get yourself down to Soho and order this sandwich, you won't be disappointed!

5. Croque Monsieur at The Boom Boom Room (Top of the Standard) in Meatpacking (important to note, Boom Boom has no website. So sometimes I doubt it actually exists.)Maybe it was the plethora of cocktails we consumed during Stevie's Birthday Brunch before visiting Boom Boom. Maybe it was the ridiculously ooey gooey cheese melted all over the dish. Maybe it was because we were taking in some of the best views in the city while eating it. Whatever it was, I'm still drooling over the Croque Monsieur from Boom Boom.

What are some of your favorite dishes in NYC, or wherever you live? I am constantly finding new food that I love, and these are just a few examples. Looking forward to discovering lots of yummy new dishes.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie