Day: 375
High Temp: 96F (yay! it's not in the triple digits anymore!)
In an effort to continue celebrating my one-year anniversary in Austin, I bring you the somewhat anticipated (at least by Adam Simon) queso blog! Below, in my humble opinion, are the three places you have to hit if you want to eat the best queso in Austin.
It may come as no surprise to you that I love cheese in pretty much any form. From fried mozzarella sticks to the squeaky cheese curds of Wisconsin, to the sharpest and bluest blue, I love it all. When we were planning our move, I was excited to read about the reverence with which Austinites approach queso. I decided I wanted to try it all, but unfortunately, my year's research was by no means exhaustive. There are plenty of places I ate at this past year that have queso on the menu that I didn't try (do you really want to order queso at an Italian place?) There are probably dozens of places I haven't even heard of that serve a mean queso, but here is the best I've come across so far. And I promise to have fun exploring all the other queso the city has to offer in the years to come.
If you like it classic...
You have to try the queso at Maria's Taco Xpress. The queso here is smooth and rich with just a hint of spiciness. It tastes exactly how liquid cheese should taste. Served with a big pile of fresh tortilla chips, it's so good. I should also mention this place has a killer pollo guisado taco, nice and tart margaritas, and more quirky Austin ambiance that almost any other eatery I have been too.
If you like it chunky and spicy...
Go to Torchy's! If you are visiting us, Tom will probably insist we go here anyhow, so why not order the Green Chili Queso while we are there? This queso has a nice cheesy base, but mixed in you will find a hearty portion of chopped green chilis. It's all topped with cilantro and a dab of their diablo sauce. The result is a spicy (but not too spicy), chunky dip and I personally could eat as a meal. The flavor is amazing, and is unlike anything I have found anywhere else.
If you like it with other stuff...
The venerable Kerbey Lane Cafe is the place to go. When I first started at UT, my boss was giving my tips on where to eat around town. Upon learning that I had never been to Kerbey Lane, she told me that I had to go, and even if I was there for breakfast, I had to get the Kerby Queso. Boy was she right. The queso itself is actually quit thin in consistency compared to most others in town. It is also noticeably paler in hue (most are orange). Don't let the thin consistency and pale color fool you. This queso has an amazing smoky flavor that is a show stopper. And if that weren't enough, they ladle it over a big mound of creamy guacamole and top it all with fresh pico.
I had originally envisioned this blog as a top 3 or a top 5, with me ultimately naming one queso "the best" but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I could not pick just one favorite, because they are all so unique and delicious.
I am toying with the idea of doing more Best of Austin blogs, but am not sure exactly what to write about. Best BBQ? Best use of Avocado? Best Tacos? I am particularly interested in finding the best brunch, as that is what I am missing most about Chicago recently, but I haven't found many good brunch places yet. A blog would be a good excuse to do more exploring, though. It's all food related but I am sure there are other things I could explore... What do you think?
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Anniversaries
Day: 366
High Temp: 102F
Yesterday Tom and I celebrated two rather momentous anniversaries. It was exactly a year ago yesterday that we arrived to Austin, Texas to begin this crazy adventure. Coincidentally (and more importantly, I think) it was also our 7 year dating anniversary. We figured it would be the last dating anniversary we ever observe (given that soon we will have a wedding anniversary to celebrate instead) so we wanted to do it up right.
We headed down to our old neighborhood to have a celebratory dinner at South Congress Cafe, a hip fine-dining place that we happen to have a gift certificate to. (My co-workers at TimeLine gave us a generous gift certificate to this place as a going away gift, along with a membership to AMOA which I have gushed about here.) We had a fabulous meal, and spent the time reminiscing about our past, talking about the upcoming wedding, and marveling at the fact that moving to Texas had neither killed us, nor our relationship.
Oh, you want me to tell you what we ate? Well... okay, if you insist!
We started with the special appetizer of the night, Escargot. It was a huge portion (like a dozen at least), well presented in a puddle of melted butter, with a thick dusting of some sort of strong, dry cheese over top (it was an off-the-menu special, so I cannot recall exactly what type of cheese, but think of a really good parmesan or pecorino.) It also had red pepper flakes in it, to add some heat, and a ton of garlic. It was Tom's first escargot experience, and he liked it. It makes me so happy that he is adventurous when it comes to food and is willing (and often excited) to try something new.
Tom ordered the Bacon and Goat Cheese Stuffed Quail, and I had the Pan Roasted Duck Breast with Chipotle Cherry Sauce. The quail was great, and the stuffing was amazing. It was served with a blackberry gastrique that Tom found a bit too sweet, and was over fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprout hash. I thought the brussels sprouts were a little under cooked for my taste, but over all it was a really nice entree. My duck was incredibly smoky with a sweet cherry sauce over the top. Again, I think this sauce was maybe a little too sweet (I couldn't detect any chipotle in it at all) however the mashed potatoes it was over were really lovely and spicy. When I got a bite with everything, it was a great balance, and reminded me of a fancy Thanksgiving dinner.
We ended the night with the Dried Cherry and Pecan Bread Pudding. Don't worry, it was served with Amy's Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream AND a bourbon creme anglaise-type sauce. It was delicious, and a very large portion. Happy anniversaries to us!
High Temp: 102F
Yesterday Tom and I celebrated two rather momentous anniversaries. It was exactly a year ago yesterday that we arrived to Austin, Texas to begin this crazy adventure. Coincidentally (and more importantly, I think) it was also our 7 year dating anniversary. We figured it would be the last dating anniversary we ever observe (given that soon we will have a wedding anniversary to celebrate instead) so we wanted to do it up right.
We headed down to our old neighborhood to have a celebratory dinner at South Congress Cafe, a hip fine-dining place that we happen to have a gift certificate to. (My co-workers at TimeLine gave us a generous gift certificate to this place as a going away gift, along with a membership to AMOA which I have gushed about here.) We had a fabulous meal, and spent the time reminiscing about our past, talking about the upcoming wedding, and marveling at the fact that moving to Texas had neither killed us, nor our relationship.
Oh, you want me to tell you what we ate? Well... okay, if you insist!
We started with the special appetizer of the night, Escargot. It was a huge portion (like a dozen at least), well presented in a puddle of melted butter, with a thick dusting of some sort of strong, dry cheese over top (it was an off-the-menu special, so I cannot recall exactly what type of cheese, but think of a really good parmesan or pecorino.) It also had red pepper flakes in it, to add some heat, and a ton of garlic. It was Tom's first escargot experience, and he liked it. It makes me so happy that he is adventurous when it comes to food and is willing (and often excited) to try something new.
Tom ordered the Bacon and Goat Cheese Stuffed Quail, and I had the Pan Roasted Duck Breast with Chipotle Cherry Sauce. The quail was great, and the stuffing was amazing. It was served with a blackberry gastrique that Tom found a bit too sweet, and was over fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprout hash. I thought the brussels sprouts were a little under cooked for my taste, but over all it was a really nice entree. My duck was incredibly smoky with a sweet cherry sauce over the top. Again, I think this sauce was maybe a little too sweet (I couldn't detect any chipotle in it at all) however the mashed potatoes it was over were really lovely and spicy. When I got a bite with everything, it was a great balance, and reminded me of a fancy Thanksgiving dinner.
We ended the night with the Dried Cherry and Pecan Bread Pudding. Don't worry, it was served with Amy's Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream AND a bourbon creme anglaise-type sauce. It was delicious, and a very large portion. Happy anniversaries to us!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Who we gonna root for? Round Rock Express!
Day: 360
High Temp: 101F
Saturday night Tom and I joined our friends, the Mannings, for our first ever Minor League Baseball experience. We traveled just outside Austin to the Dell Diamond to see the Round Rock Express take on the Fresno Grizzlies. When we arrived at the Manning abode, little Fin (adorable five-year old superhero enthusiast) yelled, "who we gonna root for?" To which us grown-ups replied, "Round Rock Express!" We did this many times over the course of the night, much to Fin's delight.
I am not a fan of the Houston Astros, the club for which the Express serves as AAA affiliate. That said, it is amazing how willing to overlook this fact I was in order to join in the spirit and root-root-root for the home team. It was a great night, and a great game, with the Express beating the Grizzlies 4-1. I could literally write pages about how much fun we had, but here are the highlights:
-The stadium! The Dell Diamond is a gorgeous place to take in a game, and it's so intimate. Intimacy work well for art and sports, so it would seem. I am now a huge enthusiast of AAA ball for this reason alone.
-The beer! A 24 ounce Shiner was only 6.50. Nice!
-The nachos! Allowing for the standard ball park queso, there was a serve yourself tub of pickled jalapenos which put these nachos into a new class of yummy.
-The pitching! The Express pen was able to keep the Grizzlies to 1 run, and really, for both sides it was a tight game.
-Spike! Spike the Express mascot, is hound dog dressed up like an old school train engineer. Fin and his mom Courtney took a trip to the Express merchandise store around the 6th inning and brought back a miniature stuffed Spike. Fin and I spent the next two innings creating a super hero story that included Spike as the central good guy, but also featured his side-kick Needles, and his arch-nemesis Steelman!
-Kiss Cam! Yep, we were on it and that was funny.
-The Eyes of Texas? Yeah, so between innings... maybe 3 and 4... they played the UT fight song. I actually noticed that more people seemed to be wearing burnt orange than the Express' Navy and Red earlier in the game, but this was hilarious. With fingers in longhorn formation, thousands in the stands sang along to show their... longhorn pride I guess.
-An actual train! Giving the team it's name, the train runs really close to the field and we heard its whistle at two different points during the game. When this happens, they play the opening lines of "Folsom Prison Blues" over the stadium PA.
When Tom and I were first planning our move to Austin, I actually thought quite a bit about Austin's lack of professional sports. I spent the first 28 years of my life in St Louis and Chicago, two seriously baseball-loving cities. I wondered what I would do so far from a major league team. What I have now learned is that Minor League baseball is a great substitute for the Majors. I will no longer look down upon all those many small towns that are home to, and genuinely love, minor league teams.
High Temp: 101F
Saturday night Tom and I joined our friends, the Mannings, for our first ever Minor League Baseball experience. We traveled just outside Austin to the Dell Diamond to see the Round Rock Express take on the Fresno Grizzlies. When we arrived at the Manning abode, little Fin (adorable five-year old superhero enthusiast) yelled, "who we gonna root for?" To which us grown-ups replied, "Round Rock Express!" We did this many times over the course of the night, much to Fin's delight.
I am not a fan of the Houston Astros, the club for which the Express serves as AAA affiliate. That said, it is amazing how willing to overlook this fact I was in order to join in the spirit and root-root-root for the home team. It was a great night, and a great game, with the Express beating the Grizzlies 4-1. I could literally write pages about how much fun we had, but here are the highlights:
-The stadium! The Dell Diamond is a gorgeous place to take in a game, and it's so intimate. Intimacy work well for art and sports, so it would seem. I am now a huge enthusiast of AAA ball for this reason alone.
-The beer! A 24 ounce Shiner was only 6.50. Nice!
-The nachos! Allowing for the standard ball park queso, there was a serve yourself tub of pickled jalapenos which put these nachos into a new class of yummy.
-The pitching! The Express pen was able to keep the Grizzlies to 1 run, and really, for both sides it was a tight game.
-Spike! Spike the Express mascot, is hound dog dressed up like an old school train engineer. Fin and his mom Courtney took a trip to the Express merchandise store around the 6th inning and brought back a miniature stuffed Spike. Fin and I spent the next two innings creating a super hero story that included Spike as the central good guy, but also featured his side-kick Needles, and his arch-nemesis Steelman!
-Kiss Cam! Yep, we were on it and that was funny.
-The Eyes of Texas? Yeah, so between innings... maybe 3 and 4... they played the UT fight song. I actually noticed that more people seemed to be wearing burnt orange than the Express' Navy and Red earlier in the game, but this was hilarious. With fingers in longhorn formation, thousands in the stands sang along to show their... longhorn pride I guess.
-An actual train! Giving the team it's name, the train runs really close to the field and we heard its whistle at two different points during the game. When this happens, they play the opening lines of "Folsom Prison Blues" over the stadium PA.
When Tom and I were first planning our move to Austin, I actually thought quite a bit about Austin's lack of professional sports. I spent the first 28 years of my life in St Louis and Chicago, two seriously baseball-loving cities. I wondered what I would do so far from a major league team. What I have now learned is that Minor League baseball is a great substitute for the Majors. I will no longer look down upon all those many small towns that are home to, and genuinely love, minor league teams.
Friday, August 6, 2010
What a Family Looks Like
Day: 356
High Temp: 102
I have been thinking so much about family, last names, home and marriage in the past few weeks. Tom and I are just about 2 months out from our own wedding day, and these things are just a constant point of conversation.
We are in a house now, which makes us feel more grown up, and like a family. I cannot explain why. But it does. And I cannot tell you how happy I am that we will come home after our wedding to this little house. Not an apartment, but a house. We don't own it, and it is highly likely that at some point (perhaps if/when we leave Austin) we will find ourselves again in an apartment. But for now, it's a house, and that feels like a real change.
We are also still debating the last name thing. It's a conversation we have been having for many years now, and for the first time this week Tom told me he wants us to have the same last name. It's old-fashioned, but really sweet. And it seems like with how far women and society have come in terms of feminism, us ladies don't need to hold on to our own last names to hold on to our identities. At least that is how I am starting to feel. And as I sat there talking with Tom, looking at him as he said he wanted us to share a last name, I realized that this was one thing I was happy to do for him. So now I am settling into the idea that come October 9 I will no longer be known as Lindsey Becker. Crazy!
The whole inspiration for this little post was this most amazing portrait of a family that I came across today on Marvelous Kiddo by way of the fabulous Snippet & Ink. Talk about discovering what a family looks like!
High Temp: 102
I have been thinking so much about family, last names, home and marriage in the past few weeks. Tom and I are just about 2 months out from our own wedding day, and these things are just a constant point of conversation.
We are in a house now, which makes us feel more grown up, and like a family. I cannot explain why. But it does. And I cannot tell you how happy I am that we will come home after our wedding to this little house. Not an apartment, but a house. We don't own it, and it is highly likely that at some point (perhaps if/when we leave Austin) we will find ourselves again in an apartment. But for now, it's a house, and that feels like a real change.
We are also still debating the last name thing. It's a conversation we have been having for many years now, and for the first time this week Tom told me he wants us to have the same last name. It's old-fashioned, but really sweet. And it seems like with how far women and society have come in terms of feminism, us ladies don't need to hold on to our own last names to hold on to our identities. At least that is how I am starting to feel. And as I sat there talking with Tom, looking at him as he said he wanted us to share a last name, I realized that this was one thing I was happy to do for him. So now I am settling into the idea that come October 9 I will no longer be known as Lindsey Becker. Crazy!
The whole inspiration for this little post was this most amazing portrait of a family that I came across today on Marvelous Kiddo by way of the fabulous Snippet & Ink. Talk about discovering what a family looks like!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe To Don't Mess With Lindsey
Posts
All Comments