Category Archives: Food

Austin New Restaurant Round Up – Zoes and Me So Hungry

peter_tsai_photo_zoes (8)

Austin has been experiencing somewhat of a restaurant Renaissance lately, with a new establishment opening seemingly every week. Our take on this? The bar is consistently being raised on the Austin restaurant scene and it’s great to have the option of a wide variety of cuisines in town.

One of the perks of food blogging is getting invited by various new restaurants around town to sample great food that the owners put so much hard work into making. On our radar over the past month or so were 2 new restaurants – one serving up healthy American fare in the Arboretum, and another food truck serving Asian food right downtown.

Click through to read about Zoes, Me So Hungry

Austin City Limits Food Mini Roundup

ACL Food Eats Sign

Every year, the organizers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival are faced with the huge challenge of feeding tens of thousands of people a day during the 3 day long festival at Zilker Park. Things have not always run so smoothly – I distinctly remember waiting for 2 hours in line at the very first Austin City Limits Festival at one of only 2 food booths for a plain hot dog and a bottle of water in the 95 degree heat.

My what a long way the festival has come! The 2009 ACL food court boasted dozens of food vendors and there were another dozen beverage tents scattered around the park – most all of them with little to no wait. With so many options, it was difficult to choose where to eat every day. No worries though, I’ll give you the lowdown on what I had this year at ACL so you can make an informed decision next year.

Click Here to read more about and see pics of the the food at ACL2009

Backyard Eats with Franklin BBQ

Franklin BBQ truck - Austin, Texas

Last month, I had a serendipitous meeting while I was at Owl Tree Roasting for a chat with proprietor, Travis Kizer. (Stay tuned for that post soon!) As I was leaving the Owl Tree building, I noticed a flurry of activity in the back lot.  A couple of people were raking leaves, moving rocks, and clearing weeds from the fence line. Travis took me over to meet Aaron and Stacy Franklin, who were prepping the lot for their new business: Franklin BBQ. The newest among trailer eateries, their concept is simple – fresh BBQ served in a laid back, family friendly atmosphere.

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Fall = Football + Food + Friends

tailgate baby
Every fall, I look forward to my favorite sport. Fans in burnt orange and white gather in droves, excitement fills the air, and beer is the ideal breakfast.  That’s right, it’s tailgate time!  Now, you might ask: tailgate, a sport…really?  Yes, yes it is. Especially when you bring together a team of foodies, sports junkies, musicians, home brewers, and a techie or two.

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Parkside x2

Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon

For as long as I can remember, I have been more than willing to try any food, and really, any drink, at least once.  After all, isn’t a sense of culinary adventure the key ingredient to being a foodie?  Part of my adventurous nature is inherited from my Mexican lineage – memories of my childhood include pig slaughters, fish frys, and barbacoa for Sunday breakfast.  The other side is continually nurtured by wonderful people I meet along the path of food discovery – a motley crew of cooks, mixologists, and people who just love to eat.  Mollejas (sweetbreads)? Sure. Chicken liver pate? Bring it on. Duck rillette? Um…do you really have to ask?

Continue reading about the Tastingbuds’ Parkside adventure

Flavor tripping party in Austin with the Berry Fairy

Flavor Tripping with the Berry Fairy in Austin - The buffet

Recently, we were invited to a flavor tripping party hosted by the Berry Fairy, Jenny Wang. We’ve already written about flavor tripping tablets here, so this article will cover flavor tripping with the actual Miracle Berry fruit and combine tasting notes from TastingBuds Peter and Kristina.

Click here to read about the Berry Fairy’s Flavor Tripping Party

Pictures from Behind the Scenes of the Austin Cupcake Smackdown and Pre Smackdown TV interview at Walton’s Fancy and Staple

Austin Cupcake Smackdown Pre Party - Baby Cupcake

This weekend was a crazy one in the world of Austin Cupcakes. Jennie Chen organized the Austin Cupcake Smackdown 1.0 which brought together dozens of local bakers in a blind taste testing competition to see who’s cupcakes would reign supreme (similar to Foodingblog’s very own cupcake tasting challenge located here).

Foodingblog played a part in this incredible event as Peter was selected to be a judge in the Amateur baking competition and he was also interviewed during the coverage of the Austin Cupcake Smackdown by FOX 7 Austin here (fast forward to 2:50 it see his interview on Giovanni’s vegan Dulce sin Leche cupcakes).

If you missed either the Pre Party or the Smackdown event itself, don’t worry. Foodingblog has you covered. Peter brought his camera along to both events to get a behind the scenes look at the events of the weekend.

Click here to view selected photos from the weekend and continue down to see the full gallery below

Harry Potter Feast at Alamo Drafthouse South

Harry Potter

Ok, I admit it.  I am a geek.  This fact is evidenced by, but not limited to, the following: I love to watch British Sci-Fi shows like Dr. Who and Torchwood; I recently purchased the original Star Wars soundtrack – on vinyl; I think Joss Whedon is brilliant; and I really wish I had tickets to Comic-Con last weekend. 

My geekiness extends, of course, to my choice in novels, with authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Douglas Adams, and J.K. Rowling occupying prominent places on my bookshelf.  Naturally, I have eagerly awaited the movie version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince pretty much since the book was published.  Having re-read Half-Blood Prince, the story was fresh in my mind, and I was ready to see these beloved characters on screen.  My plan was to see the film in its opening week at Alamo Drafthouse, because – as I’ve mentioned many times before – a pint of beer makes everything better.

I missed the infamous Hobbit Feast which accompanied the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so I was more than thrilled to find out about the Hogwarts Academy Feast to be presented with the screening of Half-Blood Prince.  The five course meal was inspired by the start of term feast enjoyed by Hogwarts students at the beginning of each book.

While I adore Alamo Drafthouse for their admirable beer list and usual fare, I was slightly apprehensive when I saw the menu for the Feast.  I was unsure how a kitchen which always produces such great pizza and fries would handle a terrine.  After a gracious welcome from Chef John Bullington, the room turned dark and our first course arrived.

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Flavor tripping tablets: How food tastes on taste tripping pills

miracle berry tablets - flavor tripping

After reading a New York Times article about flavor tripping, we wanted to try it out the palate-altering “miracle berry” that turns sour and spicy flavors sweet. Luckily for us, a friend had some flavor tripping tablets and was hosting a flavor tripping party.

At his house, we were “taste tripping” while eating an impressive spread of fruits, cheeses, and beers in a fun altered state where most foods tasted much different than normal! We sampled so many different interesting flavors, and now a guest post from our flavor tripping party host, fellow food lover, Vicente Gonzales, AKA “V”.

Click here to read more about “Flavor Tripping”

Austin Frozen Yogurt “Froyo” Comparison

Pinkberry, New York City

  • a sneaky photo taken at Pinkberry in NYC

UPDATE 9-11-2009 – YummyYo added to the list of reviewed stores (but not added to the scoring since a side by side comparison was not done).

It has been a hot, sweaty summer full of record 104 F degree days here in Austin, Texas. Luckily this Austin Comparison adventure is dedicated to tasting the cold, sweet, and delicious treat that has become a craze in America, tart frozen yogurt (AKA Froyo).

The tart yogurt craze first blew up in Asia, where tart yogurt products have been popular for many years in the form of candy, soft drinks, and even liquor. The craze only recently hit US shores via Korea in the form of the soft serve frozen yogurt store Pinkberry, which has been the obsession of many and a frequent destination for celebrities in NYC and LA. According to legend, after the “reality” show stars of “The Hills” mentioned Pinkberry, the stores’ popularity took off like a rocket. In fact, when Pinkberry first opened up, hour long lines (not unlike ones to get into an exclusive nightclub) formed around the block to get a taste of the sweet stuff.

Now a few years into the craze, enthusiasm for frozen yogurt has not cooled one bit – in fact, frozen yogurt stores have since popped up in cities all over the nation. Austin is no exception and tart frozen yogurt shops offering a wide variety of flavors and toppings can be found in many neighborhoods around town. This past weekend, the staff of FoodingBlog and friends got together to compare and sample the original tart yogurt and green tea flavors (the flavors available at Pinkberry) from four frozen yogurt shops close to downtown: Yogurt Planet, Swirll, Yogurt Spot, and Mambo Berry. Our judging was done based on several predetermined factors and all scores were averaged together.

Continue Reading about tart frozen yogurt stores in Austin, Texas