Imperia Impresses

Every time I walk by Imperia, I’m surprised it’s still open.   I never hear anyone talk about it and when I peer in, it doesn’t seem busy, but the sandwich board is still out front each evening advertising their 2 for 1 sushi during happy hour.   I was in once for a work dinner shortly after they opened several years ago, and I recall the dinner being pretty good with a few standouts – notably the edamame pot stickers and the sea bass.  But the last time we wandered in during happy hour, the place was vacant and the pot stickers were served burnt.  I didn’t really think about it much more. 

The evening before New Year’s Eve, Ben and I were out and about, hopping around from place to place downtown, as we are often known to do.  We had a few snacks at Haddington’s happy hour, then had a cocktail at Peche, but we were craving sushi and Ben happened to have purchased a GroupOn for Imperia.  Why not?

We sat down at the sushi bar and Ben pulled out the Groupon, only to notice that it was not valid on Dec 30 or 31.  What’s up with that?  The day BEFORE New Year’s Eve?  Happily, the server checked with the manager, and since they were only moderately busy they opted to accept it.  A good first impression. 

We started off by ordering sake and the server graciously brought us a few tastes before we decided upon a bottle.  We started chatting with the sushi chefs asking about what interesting or adventurous things they might have that evening.  We wanted to set the tone right away that we would love for them to get creative with us.   We wanted uni for sure, but otherwise we had open minds.  We let the executive sushi chef talk us into the omakase, or “chef’s choice” five course menu.  He seemed excited at the prospect of going off the board. 

The chef provided us with ginger and two types of fresh wasabi – the dry grated variety as well as the darker wetter style.  We picked at the yummy spicy wasabi all night and ate almost all of it, though we didn’t put it on a single piece of fish or used a drop of soy. 

Our first course was octopus and giant clam served over a mound of sliced cucumbers in a dressed up sumomono-style sauce.   We rarely order octopus or clam because it is often chewy, however with the correct quality and cut these pieces were gently toothsome and flavorful.  The cucumbers were wonderful and we kept that plate until we had finished it, although our uni was quickly out next. 

We had specifically asked for a simple preparation of uni on a spoon with roe.  Often this will be a small piece of uni next to a dollop of the small red tobiko.  This time it was a mouthful over huge bursting salmon eggs.  The uni was fresh and the salmon gave it an extra earthiness with a touch of saline. 

The second chef’s course was a beautiful round of perfectly seasoned sushi rice covered with coarsely chopped scallop mixed with uni and spicy mayo, and topped with tuna with a side of avocado, orange, and srichacha.  The avocado and uni gave the fresh scallops a rich creaminess while the srichacha and orange contributed a bright kick. 

Course number three was a play on salmon three ways.  A simple lightly cured salmon sushi.  A round of sushi rice with salmon roe, crispy salmon skin, and a quail egg.  And a salmon tartar with a light fruit and green onion “salsa” and crème fraiche.  I felt like a judge on Iron Chef – here were three beautiful interpretations of this fish using all different parts in ways.  Each was bright, fresh, and complemented perfectly by its accompaniments.  This was the star cold dish of the evening. 

For our fourth dish, we had commented on our love for amaebi with the fried heads so the chef gave us his take on the traditional sushi item.  He prepared the raw sweet shrimp on sushi rice but flash fried the entire shrimp body rather than just the head.  He served it with a rich spicy sauce that was reminiscent of spicy mayo, but so much more complex and developed.  After the shrimp and crunchy body were long gone, we adored the sauce so much we were dipping daikon and shredded beet in it.  We couldn’t bear for a drop to go to waste.

The final course was definitely the finale.  Shortly after our arrival we inquired about a piece of cooked fish that the chef was preparing.  Chef prepared this cut for us – a yellowtail collar braised in a sweet sauce with resemblance to a miso or teriyaki.  This collar was served on the bone, fin intact, over sushi rice with julienned seaweed and some green onion for contrast.  The fish fell off the bone and was melt in your mouth moist and tender.  Although we were stuffed at this point, we consumed every bite of that wonderful fish.   If you ever have the opportunity to have collar, please order it.  I daresay there is no more decadent cut of fish. 

Overall the chef provided an experience that I did not know was available at Imperia.  And while he was dishing up amazing creations and flavor and texture combinations, the server was attentive and kept my water glass and sake glass full.  When the check came, even that was a positive experience as we could not have ordered anywhere near this amount of food or gotten this creativity for the price they charged.  An absolute bargain.  I recommend trying omakase next time you visit Imperia.  If you are not as adventurous, please be assured that the chef was very responsive to our specific desires and I’m confident he would be to yours too. 

Arigato!

Can you guarantee an Aha! wine experience?

An old friend of mine recently asked me to help suggest some wines for him to try.  Not so much a wine drinker, but a bit of a foodie, he recently tried a wine that actually lived up to the hype he’d been hearing about great wines.  All the clichés about layers and tannins and fruit and chocolate, yadda, yadda, yadda, finally made sense to him in this wine.  Could I suggest others that might elicit the same Aha! experience? 

Oh, of course I can give you some recommendations!   Immediately my mind went to the great wines that I’ve had over the years.  Then I gave myself pause and reminded myself he didn’t ask for simply “great” wines (that’s easy), he asked for “Aha!” wines.  Wines that make you think.  So I started reminiscing about wines that shaped my palate over the years…

The first time I ever actually liked the taste of any wine at all was in the car riding through some beautiful wooded areas in Arkansas with my college boyfriend.  I had tried the cheap white zin the night before and didn’t like it at all, but now suddenly the swig out of the bottle in those gorgeous surroundings tasted like apple cider.  I didn’t know wines could taste like something else…

Fast forward to the Pride Mountain Cab Franc that Ben and I had on one of our early anniversaries at the since-closed Sardine Rouge French restaurant.  Recommended by the server, we were floored by the intensity, the richness, the dark fruit, leather, and tobacco in this wine.  In our next trip to Napa we made tour and tasting reservations at Pride and ended up on their mailing list and to this day we usually have a about a case of Pride wines in our cellar (focusing on Cab Franc and their awesome Merlot).   We still seek out Cab Francs but very few have the body and structure of Pride.

Other memorable data points in our wine history were the first “expensive” bottles we ever bought, early in our education.  On two separate visits to Napa, these moments both occurred in the Robert Mondavi winery’s Reserve room.  The first one was the Tokalon I-Block Fume Blanc which sold for about $45 a bottle.  At that time we had never spent that much on a bottle before, but after learning about the small parcel of famous vineyard that the grapes came from and tasting the completely different flavors than we were used to, we were sold. A year later in that same winery, we tasted the 1985 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet.  That was our first bottle with age on it.  It was soft and velvety, with subtle power, elegant tannins, and dark fruit. $175.  OMG. 

Back in the late nineties when the brand new PF Chang’s was the hip place to be, we hanging out there on a Saturday afternoon.  Our bartender was mediocre and the wine list wasn’t speaking to us.  But another bartender, JJ, stepped in and asked us if we’d seen the Captain’s List.  Now we were intrigued.  The list contained several high-end California wines, but personally JJ liked and suggested the Chateau Simard, a left bank Bordeaux.  I think at that time it was a 1988 vintage.  About 10 years old.  We hadn’t had a lot of old world wines at that time and this one was earthy, barnyard-y, with tons of green pepper and mushroom.  We were hooked.  JJ became our go-to guy for a while.  In fact we followed him to no less than half a dozen different establishments over the years.  Although I don’t know where he is now, I’m sure we’ll run into to him soon enough.  But the best thing about that day is that we met Don Rhodes, the managing partner of the Austin PF Chang’s. A big friendly guy missing a finger with a huge talent for managing restaurants and an even bigger enthusiasm for food and wine.  We drank a lot of big bottles with Don and his crew over those years.  Mostly California cab and Champagne.  During that time we first had Dom, Salon, Billecart Salmon, Bolli Grand Annee and RD, and an amazing sparkler out of Sonoma by Iron Horse – the 1991 LD.  We bought all we could find of that little gem.  Unfortunately the dotcom bust and our move to California and put an end to that display of excess, but we made some great friends, had some incredible wine experiences, and today in my cellar sits a bottle of Chateau Simard.  I’ll think of Don and JJ when we drink it.

In the early 2000’s, a simple little red that changed our wine drinking trajectory was the Icardi Barbera that another great bartender, Don, poured us at the now-defunct Mezzaluna restaurant downtown.  He told us, if you don’t like it I’ll just sell it by the glass.  We bought the bottle and kept coming back for new Italian suggestions.  He never brought us a bottle we didn’t like.  And all were new styles and flavors for us.  We then followed Don and the restaurant manager, Jerry, over to Siena where we became regular bar rats.  Jerry favored Italians and bubbles and we had some incredible Italian reds and Champagnes over that year, including a Dal Forno Amarone (more on that later).  We’ve been Italian red fans ever since. 

That crew at Siena also introduced us to our favorite port.  There we learned about colheitas and were spoiled by trying the 1963 Porta Rocha colheita. In oak for 20 years before bottling, it has a crazy amount of layers.  You can pick it up, swirl it, smell it, and set it back down and be satisfied.  But drinking it is even better.  Toffee, caramel, maple, pumpkin pie spice.  We later got to try the 1937 Porta Rocha however I prefer the ’63 – the ’37 lost a little complexity.  It’s pretty hard to find the ’63 now.  Only one bottle left in our stash, waiting to be opened at the right time with the right people.

Speaking of Dal Forno, Ben actually had that one first.  When we were in the process of moving to L.A. in 2001, he had the 1994 Dal Forno Valpolicella at a restaurant called Ca’ del Sol in Universal City with his sister.  He was so enamored by it that when I came out, we sought it out again.  We affectionately call it the “orgasm wine”.  It ruined us for all other Valpo’s since normally Valpo is a simpler table wine, but Dal Forno did it in a way that was big, deep, and dark with intense fruit.  We learned later (in our private winery tour of Dal Forno in 2009) that the intensity comes from drying a portion of the grapes (and after 2002 they dried all of them), similar to an Amarone.  We tried the Dal Forno Amarone once at Siena as well – it was like drinking dried black cherries.  That was back when Dal Forno was still somewhat affordable (about $70 for the Valpo), they have since taken on a bit of a cult status and the bottle of Valpo we bought set us back about $175.  Most recently we had the new 2004 vintage at a tasting.  It’s tight and needs time, but I still find it to be beautiful.  Dal Forno is not for the meek. 

More recently we were sitting out on the patio at the Four Seasons overlooking Town Lake, I think it was a birthday or similar occasion, and we decided on a quite expensive bottle of grower Champagne by Philipponnat.   The som, Mark Sayer, came out to pour the bottle.  We had had the Philipponnat product before, but this was the Clos Des Goisses.  It was highly reminiscent of Krug with a yeasty, mushroomy quality.  I’m a Champagne hound and this is my new favorite…when I splurge.  I guess in the meantime I’ll keep drinking the Lacombe, which is our recent affordable find. 

There are so many more memorable bottles over the years of which I won’t bore you with more long descriptions (the Dolce at the restaurant in Tahoe, the Silver Oak we drank out of Dixie cups by a stream near Yosemite, the Barolo in the family tasting room in Piedmont with the owner’s wife who spoke only Italian…)

As I think about the different wines that really spoke to me over the years and shaped my palate, I’ve noticed two things.  First and most importantly, each was not just a wine, it was part of an experience.  Sometimes the wine might have sparked the experience, and sometimes the experience enhanced the wine, but nevertheless there is a story behind the wine. Secondly, they were all learning experiences that built on one another.  I couldn’t have picked up a great bottle 15 years ago and appreciated the quality of it.  It took talking about wine, reading about wine, learning about regions and varietals, and most of all tasting different wines to get a frame of reference. 

So how do you recommend an Aha! wine?  I don’t think it can be engineered.  But I do think you can prepare yourself for it to happen.  First – drink wine and pay attention.  Try wines that are classic expressions of the varietals and learn the basic flavors and vocabulary.  I find it’s easier to appreciate the complexity when you have words to describe it (other than “smooth”).  Secondly, don’t limit yourself to what you think you like.  Try it all.  You never know which one is going to knock your socks off.  Thirdly, have fun with it.  Wine can be serious business, but it’s meant to be shared.  The best bottles I’ve ever had have been with people I enjoy.  Sometimes it’s a romantic dinner with my husband, and sometimes it’s a rowdy wine tasting with friends, both old friends or people I’ve just met.  And we’ve met some of our best friends and favorite people over wine. 

I can’t guarantee that my list will match your list.  In fact, I can guarantee it won’t.  But by keeping and open mind and an open heart, everyone can come up with a list of their own Aha! wines and moments to accompany them.  Good luck and have fun! 

Is Eclectic Worth the Premium?

Is eclectic worth the premium? 

I think that a lot of these new eclectic eastside places are cool.  Admittedly I never enjoyed the dive bars and restaurants when all you could get is a beer, a shot, or some 2-ingredient well, but now you can get a classic cocktail and chef-made local fare.  So I want to eat local and eastside and pretend that some of that hipster attitude will rub off on me.   

But I have a dilemma.  Let me illustrate by telling you about a recent visit to Eastside Showroom. 

Ben was coming home from a business trip on a Thursday and I had a hankering to meet him out for dinner.  I typically tend toward more upscale, trendy environments, but being a weeknight I thought it might be fun to go off the board a little.  Keep it casual and hopefully spend a little less.  Eastside Showroom’s recent Restaurant Week menu had caught my eye because they were serving goat shank.  I thought that sounded fun so I suggested going there.  We’d only been for cocktails previously. 

I arrived before Ben, shortly after the restaurant opened, so the restaurant was quiet and only a few people were at the bar.  I sat down and started chatting with one of the barkeeps about the cocktails.  He asked me what I liked, what I was in the mood for, etc, and he went off menu and mixed a cocktail for me that was tasty and appropriate for the warm afternoon.  When Ben arrived he received similar treatment.  A good start.  

While I was waiting for Ben I had examined the menu and specials and I had a plan.  I’ve been on a charcuterie kick recently, so that was how we would start. A plate of local and housemade meats.  We sat at the bar with our second cocktail and snacked on nice, albeit very small, selection of three items.  The housemade liver mousse was the fabulous.   The accompaniments were questionable and scarce.  For four drinks and one appetizer, we tabbed out at about $60 before tax and tip. 

I was determined to enjoy the weather so we asked the hostess to be seated outside.  It was an odd interaction because she took our name, gave no indication of timing, and went back to whatever she was doing leaving me standing there bewildered about next steps.  The outside patio was less than half full and there seemed to be appropriate wait staff available.  About 10 minutes later she hadn’t come by so we went back and asked her again.  Five minutes later she came back and seated us.  Just odd.   

We sat in the back corner of the patio on that beautiful spring day.  And boy, does cigarette smoke enhance an outdoor dining experience.  I know – it’s Austin, it’s legal to smoke on the patio, but rarely do you see it in nice restaurant patios.  I toyed with the idea of being moved, but there weren’t many options so I sucked it up. 

Our server eventually came by and took our order – soft shell crab special, antelope tartar, and the goat shank to share.  I asked that they be brought one at a time and he did oblige.  There was more than ample time between them. 

The soft shell crab was huge.  Traditionally fried with a light crust, not overly greasy.  It was on a bed of greens – not sure what they were. Large leaves that were messy to eat unless cut, drizzled with a lemony aioli.  Overall the dish was good.  The greens were a necessary contrast to the fried seafood.  Presentation was nothing notable.  The thing I would specifically change is the lack of any of the sauce for the crab itself.  It needed a little something. 

When the plate was taken away, I ordered a glass of red wine to accompany our tartar.  The wine list is extremely limited, and wine is served in a small old school water glass.  I guess it doesn’t matter if you have room to swirl if the wine is mediocre. 

The antelope tartar came next.  It was served with a raw quail egg on top with a side of greens and another side of…French fries.  Odd.  The tartar was very lean, as expected, which made it a little chewier than a traditional beef tartar.  It was more reminiscent of bison.  The seasoning was minimal – a little more punch would have been nice.  The greens were good.  I tried one fry – they were OK, but it just didn’t work with the dish. 

One more glass of wine to share and the mustard braised goat shank came out.  It was a relatively large shank served on a bed of…French fries.  A ton of them.  The meat was good, but lean and sauceless.  I didn’t eat the fries.  Someone help me understand why you would take a beautiful hunk of braised meat and serve it on fries.  It called out for creamy polenta or risotto and a pool of brown sauce.  Or even something nontraditional like a mole over rice would have been welcome and fun.  This was a major disappointment. 

Then the bill came.  Anyone care to wager?  That sorry goat was over $35.   The bill was significantly more than I ever expected.  I guess they are really proud of their fries.  Pretty sure it wasn’t their service – pretty much Magnolia Café quality.  Adequate to get you what you need and that’s it. 

Determined to get finish out the evening well, I thought a move back in to the bar would be best.  More direct attention and away from the smokers.  I wanted cheese for dessert.  There were no viable dessert wine or port choices on the list, so a end-of-the-evening cocktail seemed appropriate.  Unfortunately we got a different bartender.  Our new one had something in mind for Ben that they had talked about earlier in the evening so he immediately got to work on that.  He measured and mixed and shook and strained.  While I waited invisibly.  When Ben was delivered his drink, he had to remind the bartender that I was still sans refreshment. 

He asked, so what kind of things do you like?  Oh heck, I had already gone through all of these with the previous bartender and I didn’t have the energy to review again all of my likes and dislikes (as you can imagine, there are many of both).   My original bartender was still there, but at the other end of the bar so I was stuck with the newbie.   I told him I wanted an after-dinner drink to go with cheese, something a little richer, maybe bourbon.  The bartender decided that with the rich cheese that a heavy cocktail would be too much.  He had an idea so he made a mystery cocktail for me that he was really excited about.  I was very skeptical based on his description. 

The resulting cocktail was quite beautiful, with edible flowers decorating the rim.  It was the perfect drink to sit out in the sun by the lake on a hot afternoon.  Unfortunately I was sitting in a dark bar with a cheese plate at the end of the evening and the herbal notes of the drink clashed dramatically with the cheese.  So I had my cheese with water (since I was without a drink, maybe I should have been pleased that the cheese portions were tiny and uneventful) and we closed out for the night.  It wasn’t until our credit card was in hand (for the third time that night), that another bartender asked if I liked the drink – it was sitting virtually untouched.  I explained and he took it off the bill.  The right move.  I greatly appreciate that. 

So I said I have a dilemma.  I bet you can guess what it is.  Overall, we spent over $250 that evening.  Can you think of anywhere else in town where you might also be able to spend that, or less, for a great farm-to-table meal?  Driskill Grill?   Second?  Olivia?  Parkside?  Wink?  Trio?  Peche?  Where do you think we’d get better food and hands-down better service?  Yup, all those same places.  I believe I gave Eastside Showroom a real shot at delivering on the hype.  I’m having trouble understanding the draw of an “upscale dive” when you sacrifice service and taste for a dumpy atmosphere yet pay the same price (or a premium!).   

So my decision is made, I’m not paying Four Seasons prices unless I’m getting Four Seasons quality.  East side cool or not. 

Italian Beef. Texas meets Chicago at ChiTown

We’ve been meaning to go in ever since they opened several months ago near our neighborhood.  It took a GroupOn to finally get us there.  Next time I won’t mind paying full price.

I grew up in a small town about 60 miles west of Chicago.  A suburb, you ask?  Hardly.  Cornfields and flatland hillbillies.  But a great place to spend a childhood nonetheless.  One of my favorite things growing up, which is the one thing we always have at least once (or maybe multiple times), each time I return home is Italian Beef.  I’ve even got my husband hooked on it.  I think he likes it even more than I do.  And we’ve got a phenomenal place to get it in my hometown.  Admittedly, I have not been to Mr. Beef or Al’s in Chicago.  And sure, you can go to a Portillo’s or even a local family restaurant near Chicago to get an Italian beef sandwich, but the house made stuff at Art’s Supermarket in Sandwich, IL is tough to beat. 

So I had pretty high standards going in.  Our friend from Chicago said ChiTown had a good “Polish”, so I was looking forward to that too, but the Italian Beef is what I really wanted.  It’s tough to find around here.  Lucky Dog did it for a while, until they went out of business (or at least the location near me did).  And there is a trailer on South Lamar that is doing a fine job with beef and dogs, but a place near my house would be pretty cool.  I hope they are good!

ChiTown is located in a little shack off 620 out near Lakeway.  It’s got a walk up counter with the menu up on the wall.  Tough to read unless you get close.  I’d have like to seen a printed menu copy to look at while you are in line, but whatever.  I snuck up behind the other folks ordering so I could see.  My eyes went right to the Italian beef section.  Kudos to them that they explain how to order an Italian beef.  Hot = spicy peppers.  Sweet = sweet peppers.  Wet = dipped in “gravy” (au jus).  You also have the option of adding cheese.  They offered a couple kinds of cheese, but this sandwich should really just have mozzarella.  So I ordered it the way they recommended, which is also the way I like it anyway – hot, sweet, and wet, with moz. 

I was curious to try their Polish sausage, based on our friend’s recommendation.  I suggested my husband get the Maxwell Street Spicy Polish.  A Polish sausage with onions, peppers, and mustard on a poppy bun.  For our last item, I got girly and ordered a Greek salad to share.  Yeah yeah, normally I’d have gotten something fried and cheesy, but I was just coming off a ten day food binge and was trying to moderate.  The guy looked at me a little funny when I asked him if the salad was any good.  Basically he said, this is a dog place…  But he agreed that if I wanted something green, that one was the way to go. 

So we grabbed our plastic forks and Styrofoam cups of water and waited for our food. SportsCenter was on but muted, and some horrible random station was on in the background.  Something about the acoustics made every song sound off key.  But food arrived quickly so all was well.  We were also amused by the furry dog that was sitting at the another table inside.  Heck if I can bring my dog in, I’ll definitely be back. 

The Italian beef was good and wet and covered with peppers.  My only complaint was about the assembly – and I think this is true most places – is that the beef and peppers are layered in a way that make it impossible to get a good bite of both at the same time.  But a little poking with my fork and I maneuvered the perfect bite.  The first thing you taste are the peppers.  Nice balance of hot and sweet.  Enough spice to warm your mouth up, but not too hot.  The peppers are a flavorful and necessary accompaniment to a good Italian beef, but here it did overwhelm the flavor of the meat a bit. The beef was nice and peppery and sliced thin enough, but wasn’t the standout of the sandwich.  The bun had plenty of juice, but in my opinion was a little spongy.  I prefer a Kaiser roll with a harder shell to it to hold in the juices.  This bun started to split on the seam after a few bites, but otherwise held up relatively well throughout the sandwich.   Overall a success.  Just not Art’s Supermarket. 

The Polish sausage was underwhelming.  It was small, the toppings were a bit limited, and it was over sauced with yellow mustard.  Admittedly I’m not a mustard fan generally so I’m not really one to talk, but I appreciate it occasionally when warranted.  Here a little would have been good, but it drowned out the yummy onions on top.  Also, not sure why they called it “spicy”.  Nothing spicy about this.  So eh, it was OK.  Probably should have gotten a dog instead.  There was a bacon-wrapped dog on the menu I’m definitely trying next time. 

The Greek salad was actually quite good.  Combination of romaine and iceberg lettuce, under-ripe tomato slices, cucumber, mild red onion, pitted black olives, and feta.  I don’t know how they get Greek dressing to be that hot pink color, but it was tasty.  They also served a side of the giardiniera peppers.  Not sure how they go with a Greek salad, but they were good and perfect to top off the rest of the beef and dog. 

Overall, ChiTown is doing a respectable job.  I’m going to have to go back and pit them against Chris’s Little Chicago trailer on South Lamar before I can make a final call.  Chris’s dogs and beef were really good and the first ones I’d had in Texas.  I think he might have the edge, but for 10 minutes from home, I won’t Chi away from ChiTown.  (Did I just write that?  Chi away?  Ugh, sorry!)

Not so lucky seven... Haddington's

I’m so sad. 

I love Chef Zack Northcutt’s work. 

I love his new restaurant, Haddington’s. 

I enjoy Mulberry and was very excited when Haddington’s finally opened.

My first visit to Haddington’s was on Saturday night, Valentine’s weekend.  The experience was stellar.  The table was good.  The atmosphere energetic.  The service was flawless.  The wines and cocktails were tasty and well recommended.  The food was creative and fabulous.  It was a perfect evening.  I’ve been dying to go back. 

We went back on a Thursday evening with Ben’s sister, who was in town visiting.  St. Patrick’s Day during SXSW.  One might consider that a trying night for the restaurant to perform up to par, but Haddington’s is located far enough down

west Sixth street

that it didn’t appear particularly affected by the festival or the holiday.  The house was generally full, but not at capacity.  Some bar seats opened up right as we arrived and we took our seats at the center of the bar, near the beer spickets. 

We initially got our menus and waters.  I was thirsty and wanted a beer so the bartender let me try a few before I made my selection.  Ben ordered a beer and his sister ordered a whisky soda.  We learned that there were happy hour specials until 7pm.  It was 6:59 so I quickly ordered the scotch eggs and some pickled vegetables to get us started. 

The scotch eggs came quickly and were a great bar starter.  A good match for the beer.  Made with quail eggs, they are rolled in sausage and served with a sweet sauce, almost reminiscent of an Asian plum sauce.  The yolks were creamy and they were the perfect little bites to share.  A good start.  The house-pickled green beans and carrots were also a healthy and flavorful item for munching on with drinks. 

Knowing that Chef was going to prepare some type of St. Pat’s food special that day, Ben stepped back to the kitchen pass-through to chat with Zack.  He ordered one of their last remaining specials for us to share.  A shepherd’s pie topped with green mashers – colored green from green garlic, not food coloring.  Inside was a mildly spiced ground meat.  A simple peasant-style dish, made with quality ingredients, and easily enjoyed. 

One of the other items on the menu which caught my eye was the British meatballs.  They were a house-ground beef in a braised vegetable broth.  But what piqued my interest was that they were wrapped in caul fat, which is a webbed membrane of fat found in the abdominal cavity of a pig and is often used for a wrapping to keep foods moist when cooking.  (I had recently seen caul fat on a recent Iron Chef episode, “Battle Pork Fat” and was very intrigued!)  I fingered the menu for some time trying to catch the eye of one of the many servers behind the bar.  As one gentleman in a casual printed shirt helped the customers next to me, I called out to him and asked him about the meatball dish.  He stated, “I had that for dinner last night.”  OK – but how was it?  I didn’t get any more information from him as he helped my neighbor and moved on.  A few minutes later, with me still holding the menu and trying to catch his eye, he asked me if I needed something.  Yes, I’d like to order the meatballs I asked you about. 

The food again came quickly, but there was one problem.  My beer was gone and the empty glass had been removed, but I had no replacement drink nor any offers of one.  I perused the wine list, thinking it was time to switch to a glass of red, and two options seemed viable for the upcoming dish.  While I was pondering, the meatballs arrived.  I held the list and scanned the myriad of bartenders meandering behind the bar.  I waited and looked and waited and looked, eventually looking to my husband with a pleading and frustrated glance so he called out to one of the bartenders who was simply standing purposelessly in front of him and told her that I wanted a glass of wine.  She came over and asked which one.  I asked about the two in question and she just regurgitated the description on the list, so I asked her if I could taste them.  Looking a bit put out, she brought them out, poured a sip, and disappeared to the other end of the bar to chat with a coworker.  After a lengthy pause, while my meatball was rapidly cooling, she came back and poured my chosen wine.  Unfortunately by this time, my share of the food dish was lukewarm and I was frustrated.  I can tolerate slow service when folks are hustling.  But today the delay in service and attentiveness was not because the team was overloaded – to the contrary, I’ve rarely seen such aloof lollygagging in my life. 

There were up to seven bored looking bartenders behind the bar at any one time.  Yes, seven.  Two in particular, a gal with a chest tattoo and a Russell Brand-looking guy were the biggest offenders.  While we were desperately seeking service, they were literally leaning back against the back of the bar with their arms folder chatting or just gazing vacantly out into the room.  Some of the bartenders were actually doing a little bit of busy work -  polishing glassware and avoiding customer eye-contact or gathering in a circle to watch casual-shirt guy try to change out a keg.  During this time, my sister-in-law sat with an empty glass.  And continued to sit with an empty glass.  The final straw was when they cleared our plates without asking if we wanted to order anything further, but left her empty cocktail glass without acknowledgement.  She sat dry while the seven (SEVEN!) bartenders milled about aimlessly. 

I had hoped to order several more food items to share and cocktails or wine to accompany them – I wanted to make an evening at Haddington’s showing off Chef Zack’s talent.  Unfortunately the utter uselessness of the bar team far overshadowed the food and otherwise fun and boisterous ambience. We asked for the check and sadly decided to move on.  

I’m confident that this display is not and will not be the modus operandi of Haddington’s on an ongoing basis.  In fact, Ben took a few minutes to chat with Zack and express our regret at the events of the evening.  I was bothered enough that I wanted to speak to him myself and express some additional constructive feedback, but Ben assured me that Zack took his comments seriously and I believe that the problem will be corrected.  I hope to return soon to find out for myself.  There are still many items on the menu that I’m eager to try.  But for today, I’m just sad.

Strip Mall Success - Sobani Restaurant and Wine Bar

Once again, we started with the best of intentions.  With family in town staying with us (the fun ones, so we’d been taking them all over town eating and drinking for days), we figured a low key night close to home would be smart.  I’d heard good things from someone whose opinion I trust about this new little place in a local strip mall, so I thought we’d give it a try.  Sobani is located in a strip center right outside of Costa Bella, one of most expensive gated waterfront communities in the Lakeway area, but the mall itself boasts a Dunkin Donuts and a new Sears store.  When we arrived, there were only three other cars in the parking lot.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was pleased to see that they had a separate wine bar area in addition to a dining room.  We were waiting on my other half to finish work and join us, so that was the perfect place to sit and have a glass of wine while we waited.  No pressure of being seated at a table with our incomplete party.  We settled in and were promptly greeted by the bartender, Eric.  We were the only ones in the establishment at the time but we felt very welcome and comfortable.  He gave us the menu and wine lists, which consisted of four separate sheets – a two page bottle list, a one page glass list, and the food menu.  It was a little cumbersome to have so much paper in front of us, but as we perused we grew excited at the prospect of so many varied and affordable wines.  Eric offered us tastes of the wines we were interested in and we each found a different wine by the glass to enjoy. 

The menu at Sobani hits all the fine dining standard dishes – pork belly, lamb shank, short ribs, duck, scallops, fish, and steak.  But what sets the menu apart are the preparations and accompaniments.  Chef Jon Gaboric is highly traveled, trained extensively in Germany, but also pulls in flavors from India and North Africa.  His dishes had seasonings that were familiar, but hard to place – harissa, coriander, curry.  Prominent but not overpowering.  His accompaniments included uncommon items such as spaetzle, fava beans, pickled vegetables, and fried beets.

As we waited for the last member of our party to arrive, I suggested ordering the fried cauliflower with a white anchovy caper dressing as an appetizer to share.  The presentation was not an overwhelming bowl of “deep-fried death” that is too often served, but a small stack of neatly sliced florets in a large white bowl with fat mild white anchovies encircling the cauliflower.  We each had a few bites and wiped up the anchovy-olive oily residual with a warm roll (served in a mini clay flower pot with soft herbed butter). 

My companion made the next selection, choosing a side of roasted peppers as a starter.  Eric replaced our appetizer plates and utensils and served us a bowl of small, tender orange and red sweet peppers with the perfect amount of char in a warm balsamic vinaigrette.  The best bite might have been the one nearest the stem where the tiny seeds gave an added texture and pop to the pepper’s fruity flesh. 

As we prepared for our final guest’s arrival and our next glass of wine, we pondered ordering a bottle to share.  There were several of interest so we asked Eric about the specific characteristics of a few bottles.  Eric is an enthusiastic aspiring wino, but does not have the knowledge yet to speak to many of the wines.  So he did exactly the right thing and brought out the chef and GM, Jon Gaboric, to talk to us.  Amusingly, Chef had not personally tasted the specific wine about which we inquired, but he did offer some other solid recommendations.  We chose a beautifully fruity central coast Pinot Noir from Santa Maria, CA.  Then an amazing thing happened. 

Let me preface by saying that Ben and I try to avoid the menu whenever possible.  We firmly believe that the chef knows what’s best on any given night, and there is no food we won’t try.  We love surprises and creativity and we’ve had our best dining experiences when the chef has completely taken control.  We often ask if the chef if he or she will go off menu and create a combination or special dish for us. 

Chef Gaboric asked what we were going to eat and we threw out a few ideas of things that sounded appetizing to us.  Then he asked us if he could simply prepare a few items for us, rather than us ordering off the menu.  Yes, he asked us!  Then he pulled about a bottle of albarino and said that a white would work better with the first course.  The pinot would work with a later course.  I liked where this was headed. 

As we sipped our albarino, Eric opened a bottle of cava and poured four glasses.  This is on chef, he said, to go with the first course.  Hmm, I thought the albarino was first…but who am I to question?  We were served a platter of fresh raw oysters simply served in their own liquor and topped with salmon roe and garnished with chervil.  The roe added some nice color to an otherwise monochromatic dish, and also added some creaminess and salt to the briny oysters.  He also served an optional mignonette which I tasted on its own (and with some of that wonderful bread roll with dipped in it).  I pondered with one of our guests, who is a French-trained chef himself, what the subtle heat in the mignonette might be.  He thought perhaps horseradish.  I thought srichacha or a Thai chili paste.  We were both wrong.   Harissa.  How fun!  And the fruitiness of the cava was a nice pairing with the spice of the condiment. 

The next dish presented was a tempura-fried crab claw over a clam dressing and dill tzatziki sauce.  Crab and tzatziki?  The sauce was reminiscent of a mild tartar sauce and was an ingenious pairing with the fried crab.  The bits of clam contrasted with the sumptuous crab and creamy sauce, and the acid of the albarino cut through the richness.  And excellent and creative dish. 

Our next course is always a crowd pleaser – pork fat.  The pork belly came out with a dark brown sear and a crispy skin with a melt-in-your-mouth center.  The seasoning was a dark, smoky, and slightly spicy coriander curry spice rub, and the pork was topped with pickled vegetables and a fried beet chip.  The pickled vegetables gave important contrast to the fatty meat.  Then East met West with the pork served over fava bean and spaetzle.  It was an exotic and daring play on the pork and worked well with the fruity California pinot. 

When the food is this good, we have trouble knowing when to stop.  It should have been time for dessert, but we wanted one more savory bite.   Chef obliged with a short rib served with mushrooms and braised onions and paired an inexpensive but perfect Spanish Rioja.  My favorite thing about this dish were the braised onions – an onion and a magnum of Barolo simmered down all day.  Incredible.

We were finally pushed over the top with dessert.  Thankfully this was shared one per couple.  A bittersweet Valrhona chocolate soufflé served with a round scoop of vanilla ice cream over berries.  Rarely are soufflés available, but they are one of my favorite desserts.  This was not sweet and cooked beautifully – crisp on top and gooey in the center with a dusting of confectioners sugar.  Chef offered a sip of tawny port to accompany it. 

Our guests raved that this was the best dining experience they’d had since arriving in Austin five days before.  We had done sushi, wild game, Mexican, and carnival fare, but this was their hands down favorite.  I agree.  None of us imagined that this talent existed just down the road from us in a nondescript strip mall.  Of course the experience was elevated by the presence and attention of Chef Gaboric, but I believe that ordering off menu would have also resulted in a superior meal.  Many thanks to Chef.  We will be back soon and are excited to share this gem with others. 

Paggi House

It was the midst of happy hour on a pleasant evening on a Thursday in March.  The valet was swift and complimentary.  The place was packed.  The outdoor areas were teeming with cool people drinking cool cocktails.  I eased to the back bar to meet my party who were enjoying martinis in a standing room only space.  I was able to quickly order a French 76 from their familiar bar menu with excellent drinks and apps for half off.  I was pleased that our bartender remembered me - he had served us before and we affectionately refer to him as “Eagle-Eye” (he looks like Eagle Eye Cherry – I don’t think he likes that nickname, but he humors us).  Shortly after receiving my drink some seats opened up near us so at least the ladies could sit while enjoyed our pre-dinner cocktail. 

I love the outdoor bar at Paggi House.  It’s got a trendy LA al fresco feel.  The drinks are tasty, the by-the-glass wine list interesting, and you can order from the full menu for a more casual experience than the formal indoor dining room.  Indoors the ambience changes drastically to a quiet, upscale experience where you feel compelled to commit to a multi-course meal and a bottle (or two) of wine chosen by their som.  But I love that too – I’m just not allowed to do it as often (although our bar meals often end up quite similar).   

The buzz of the pager indicating our table was ready was timely with our reservation, and we were seated in a desirable back table.  We immediately received ice water and our server was prompt with menus and a wine list.  Knowing Chef Stark’s affinity for fish and given the appealing first course choices, we opted on a white to start and a red for entrees.  Our host ordered a beautiful Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that I’d never had before – an excellent, excellent choice and match for our food.  I chose a white Burgundy from Montrachet.  I later spotted the sommelier in the dining room speaking with other tables, but we did not see him at our table that night, although our wine purchases well exceed $200+.  Our server opened and poured both bottles.  I was very pleased that she brought glasses for both bottles at once and poured both.  Not only did it allow the pinot to open a bit, but we also could shift between the wines depending on our current food choice. 

As we chatted, we realized time had gotten away from us.  By the time our server asked to take our food order, we had already had been sitting with only our wine for 20 minutes or so.  During that period of time I felt compelled to ask for bread since I was ravished and we hadn’t ordered yet.  After requesting, the bread came promptly, and eventually the ordering process followed.  I appreciate that our server may not have wanted to interrupt the conversation, and thanks to our lively conversation at the table the recurring long waits between her visits were not obvious or troublesome, but we had been seated for a solid hour at that point. 

Appetizers were a tough choice because so many items on the menu sounded tasty.  I ordered the duck confit arugula salad with a poached egg, as did our host.  Ben ordered the sweetbreads, also with a poached egg.  Of course I’m the one who subtly suggested to Ben what we should order those items because those were the two things I wanted most to try.  And we are both suckers for goopy eggs.  Because our hosts had never tried marrow, we ordered one for the table to share.  While we were waiting on our first course, we nibbled on the crusty baguette with black salted butter. 

The appetizers were delectable.  The duck salad was dressed perfectly and the meat had already been shredded from the bone (there may have been just as much meat on the salad as on a leg quarter, but duck confit is one of the few things I actually prefer to get served on the bone.  It feels like more).   The sweetbreads were divine.  It was served as a larger chunk versus the usual small nuggets usually served.  Egg, toast, and a dark, rich, earthy sauce which I imagine was based in cherry or port wine.  Our companions ordered the duck salad and the Bella Verdi butter lettuce salad.  I’ve had the Bella Verdi salad before and it is simple and fresh.  The tender greens are the star.  The marrow was also a hit.  Our two marrow virgins both ate their fair share enthusiastically.  The bones were served split lengthwise and contained quite a generous amount of marrow.  The crostini was soft and garlicky, and the parley salad was not overwhelming sharp. 

The entrees arrived a bit later (quite a bit later).  Both were large portions.  Ben and I opted for the tea-brined duck breast and the cobia.  The duck was beautifully seasoned with the tea.  This was a duck that non-duck lovers would enjoy.  I loved the dish, but missed some of the pure duck gaminess.  It was paired with a soy quinoa.  A nice match with the tea-brine, but the soy was a touch strong.  My cobia was cut into thick cross sections after cooking which left a nice medium rare center.  It was a steaky but mild flavored fish.  The pairing of broccoli rabe gave the dish a nice intensity and contrast.  The fingerling potatoes were a bit too neutral.  We did also get a taste of our companion’s red snapper – fabulous. 

We had to stretch our wine to get us through our last bites.  We had to pour it ourselves more than once during the meal, and honestly if our server had appeared and poured more, we probably would have ordered another bottle.  Since we were all completely out before the plates were cleared, we initiated a request for the dessert wine list while they took the plates and we plainly stated our need for a libation as quickly as possible.  It’s no fun to sit with an empty glass! 

The menus came, and several desserts sound decadent.  We opted for the maple bread pudding and a cheese plate for the table to share.  Also a Hungarian Tokay and a colheita.  I love a good cheese plate after a meal (or before), and I’ve had them at Paggi before and have historically been pleased.  I was skeptical when the server described half of the cheese as coming from a cheesemaker in Houston (not in my mind an appealing cheese source), but they were quite good.  However, the plate was missing a soft, cream-style cheese and also did not have any type of blue or strong cheese.  The expediter did could not describe them when he brought the plate, but our server did a respectable, but basic, job of the names and sources.  She did not speak to the accompaniments, which were quite nice – my favorite is always the honeycomb.  And I ate way too much of the maple bread pudding. 

As the meal wrapped up and the plates were cleared, I excused myself to visit the ladies room and was pleased to run into Chef Stark out in the bar area.  We had asked our server earlier in the evening if Chef was in, but he wasn’t.  He had come back from a sake tasting and was in good spirits.  We exchanged pleasantries and we were able to introduce our guests to him on our way out, which made the experience more special for them. 

All in all, this was a very enjoyable meal.  Chef Stark is very talented and has put together some excellent combinations and preparations of quality ingredients.  My only improvement on the evening would have been the attentiveness of the server.  The wait times between server visits were a bit excessive, but with good company and delicious food, it did not negatively affect the evening.  Paggi House remains one of my favorite restaurants in town.