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Openings
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Musings about town
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Fleming's
Downtown, across from the convention center,
Fleming's has recently opened. This is the same Paul Fleming who's
the PF in PF Chang. A former Ruth's Kris franchisee, Fleming has
opened a steak and seafood house with a very warm, inviting interior.
I stopped by for a Heineken on tap, some wonderful house-made potato
crisps, and an absolutely delicious barbecued shrimp appetizer.
While heavy on the garlic, the flavor of the sauce was riveting.
I mopped up every drop of it with some crisp French bread. So, at
first bite, seems promising. We'll have a formal review next month.
Call 457-1500 for reservations.
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Wink
One of my favorite chefs, Stuart Scruggs,
late of Brio, has opened a new place on 12th and Lamar called Wink.
I've been getting lots of favorable emails about it but have yet
to try it myself. The menu prices are quite reasonable and the approach
seems to be course oriented. If you want to come in for an appetizer
and make that your meal, fine. If you want to dive right in for
the main dish, that's equally fine. Stuart can cook up a storm,
so watch for more on Wink. Call 482-8868.
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Ray's Steakhouse
You know how much I enjoy Ray's Steakhouse
on Guadalupe. Great steaks without the astronomical downtown prices.
Delicious chicken fried chicken that literally hangs over the plate.
The sides included in the price of the meal. Well, big Ray is now
opening up another location for the north Austin crowd on 183 [near
the old Shoney's]. Call 478-0000 for more details.
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Habana
On
2278 S. Congress about a half mile south of Oltorf, the former Puerto
Rican/Cuban restaurant Boringuen has now reopened as Habana. Serving
a mixture of Carribean delicacies including their famous Pork Roast
(Pernil Asado) or Pasteles (vegetbles grated into a Masa and filled
with roasted pork). Call 443-4252.
Open Tuesday thru Sunday from 11AM to 10PM and 11PM on weekends.
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Spiro's
The popular and upscale nightclub Spiro's
on Red River is soon to open a companion restaurant. No word yet
about the fare but we'll keep you posted. Rest assured, however,
it will reflect the character of its colorful and flamboyant owner,
Spiro himself. Call 472-4272 for more information.
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Hill's
Café - one legend begets another
An Austin radio legend and my friend for
many years, Bob Cole of KVET-FM, has reopened the legendary Hill's
Café on South Congress. When I first moved to Austin in the
mid-70's, this place was already famous for its down home food and
as a place to just hang out and be seen. Delighted to see it reborn
and wish Bob the best of luck. Hours are 11AM to 9PM, Sunday-Thursday,
and to 11PM on Friday and Saturday.
Call 851-9300 for more info.
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Paul Clark departs
Star Canyon
None of los jefes are talking much
about the sudden departure of Star Canyon chef Paul Clark. I enjoyed
his cooking and his style. But it appears to me that the Austin
version of Star Canyon [in the Stephen F. Austin hotel downtown]
is held rather tightly under the grip of the corporate office in
Dallas. There's just one little problem: Dallas is not Austin. The
two cities are miles apart culturally and aesthetically. I wish
new chef Ron Brannon good luck, but I think he may be in for a tough
assignment.
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Cajun
Fare at Ms. B's
Stopped by Ms. B's restaurant the
other evening for some serious cajun chow. Located at Spicewood
and Mesa next to Delaware Subs, this small restaurant serves up
some amazingly good food. I had a shrimp gumbo that was full flavor
with a lovely rue. Then, pork chops smothered in red beans, rice,
andouille sausage, and a wonderfully prepared brown sauce. The Shrimp
Etoufe was sensational. And the sweet potato pecan pie was to die
for.
Ask for Brenda or Billy and
tell 'em Rob sent you. Call 372-9529.
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Will
Packwood on Foie Gras
National award-winning
chef Will Packwood of Emilia's stopped by my office the other day
to give me a tutorial on his amazing Foie Gras al Torchon. I know
there are many foie gras lovers among my readers so let's have at
it.
Foie gras literally means fatted liver in French. Typically, foie
gras comes from waterfowl, specifically ducks and geese. These animals
are force fed through special tubes which has
the end result of enlarging their livers substantially. When the
lobes of the liver are presented to Chef Will, he deveins them completely
and then allows them to soak for 24 hours in milk to remove all
vestiges of the blood.
The lobes are then cured using a variety
of spices and allowed to sit for another 24hours. They are wrapped
in cheese cloth, making sure that both ends are tied tightly. Next
they are blanched for 90 seconds in boiling chicken broth and then
immediately plunged into ice water to stop the cooking process.
They are again refrigerated, allow to sit a substantial amount of
time, and then the cheese cloth (or torchon) is removed and the
foie gras is ready. The entire process takes about four days.
If you haven't tried Will's foie gras, you
are doing yourself a disservice.
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Readers: Do you have suggestions for this
list?
Drop us an e-mail
and we'll share your opinions next month.
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Question
of the Month
This month's
question comes form Victor Rodriquez of Austin. He writes:
"I'm hearing all about this sushi craze and I'm curious to
try it yet reluctant because of the health issues. What's your opinion?
Victor, sushi is esentially raw fish and
shellfish. First, let's deal with the craze issue. Yeah, there are
sushi bars opening up all over the River City. Over 15 in the last
two years alone. So no denying the popularity. I enjoy sushi occasionally,
my favorites being shrimp and tuna. I like to take some wasabi (potent
Japanese horseradish), mix it with soy sauce, and dip the sushi
in it. It's strictly a matter of taste. Many folks like it, some
don't. The key to the taste, though, is the freshness. Most area
restaurants have the fish brought in fresh every other day. However,
if you detect even the slightest "fishy smell" or odor,
don't eat it.
As to the health issues, mixed reviews on this. The oysters, clams
and mussels are the safest to eat raw because they have what amounts
to an internal purification system. In other fish flesh, you run
some risk of contracting a parasite into your system. But many medical
professionals I've talked to say the health benefits of eating raw
fish outweigh the possible risks. I mean, the Japanese have been
doing it for years!
So, Victor, my advice is to make sure your sushi is totally fresh,
and then go for it!
IF YOUR QUESTION IS CHOSEN FOR PUBLICATION,
YOU'LL RECEIVE A DINNER FOR TWO AT ONE OF OUR FEATURED RESTAURANTS.
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