Category Archives: Field Trips

Field Trips, Photo

Texas Hill Country Adventure in Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, and Driftwood + One Sweet Ride – Food Photo Friday

1 Comment

I’ve you haven’t made a trip out to the Texas Hill Country, you should definitely go. Just an hour or so outside of Austin we have a wealth of natural beauty and cool small towns full of great restaurants, wineries, and B&Bs. I try to make it out to the Hill Country at least once a year to visit natural wonders like Enchanted Rock or Hamilton Pool and to enjoy some Texas wine and brews.

So, when Chevy Texan offered me the chance to drive a new Chevy Camaro out to the Hill Country as part of their Driving the Heartland campaign, I jumped on the opportunity (it’s hard to say no to a cool ride out to a fun place). This Food Photo Friday post highlights some of the best and tastiest parts of the trip which covered several cities and food related locations.

Click through to view all of the photos from my Texas Hill Country trip
Field Trips, Food

Backyard Eats with Franklin BBQ

11 Comments

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.

Click here to see the rest of the post

Field Trips, Food, Recipes, Uncategorized, Wine

Parkside x2

3 Comments

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

Drinks, Events, Field Trips, Wine

10 Rosés with the Chrontourage

1 Comment

wine score card

One of my friends recently posted the following on his Facebook status: Prosecco is the new Rosé.  While I love this sparkling Italian wine, and drink it quite often, I can’t imagine it will ever fully replace the rosé.  Rosés are among the Fooding bloggers’ favorite summer wines, and we have featured several in Jon’s Random Wine Wednesday posts.  Incidentally, Jon took a short hiatus from writing while he prepared for final exams, but Random Wine Wednesdays will return next week.

So what happens when our resident wine geek is swamped with grad school finals?  Well, he sends a couple of stand-ins to the Chrontourage** Rosé tasting event and hopes for the best. Peter and I were absolutely happy to comply, and just one look at our score card (pictured above) will show you how much fun we had with this assignment.  I had two things in mind as we tasted each wine: whether I would purchase it and what type of meal it would accompany. Since we shared a score card, the writing is tiny and pretty undecipherable, so see some of our tasting notes below.

  1. Segura Viudas Brut Rosé – Spanish Cava; we both loved it and would definitely purchase
  2. Chateau de Campuget Rosé – Neither of us were impressed; nothing distinctive about this wine
  3. Cruz de Piedra Rosé – This one was ok, but neither would purchase
  4. Gran Fuedo Rosé – Strong alcohol aroma; would not purchase
  5. Marques de Caceres Rosé – Another one with an alcohol aroma; would not purchase
  6. Mulderbosch Rosé – a Fooding blog favorite; would definitely purchase
  7. Goats Do Roam Rosé – light and fresh; would purchase
  8. Becker Provencal Rosé – Crisp and refreshing, with pear and strawberry notes; would purchase
  9. Columbia Crest Two Vines Rosé – I thought it was a little on the sweet side, but Peter said it was well balanced; would purchase
  10. Menage A Trois Rosé – another sweet one; would purchase; distinctive berry flavors

The wine tasting occurred just in time to get us through the final stretch of this never ending 100 degree summer.  The very knowledgeable staff at Twin Liquors in the Hancock Center walked us through the tastings, answering questions and providing bits of information we would not have known otherwise.

One final note: Prosecco, I love you, but Rosé will always be my summer fling.

Cheers!
Kristina

** Chrontourage = the Austin Chronicle’s promotions team + fearless leader Logan Youree

Click here to see the rest of the post

Field Trips, Food, Weird

Flavor tripping tablets: How food tastes on taste tripping pills

7 Comments

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”

Field Trips, Weird

Bizarre Bug Eating – You Ate What?

5 Comments

Falkenstein Castle for the Dos XX "Most Interesting" party
Falkenstein Castle – a most interesting place to eat bugs

Recently, I’ve been watching TV shows like Man vs Wild and Bizarre Foods. Seeing Bear Grylls and Andrew Zimmern eat the grossest / weirdest stuff in the world (and miraculously not dying) sort of makes me want try it too – almost as if they are daring me to do it too! While I don’t think I’ll be eating either a yak’s eyeball or a still living tree frog (that’s disgusting Bear Grylls) any time soon, I was intrigued when I heard that there would be an edible bug sampling at the “Most Interesting” party at Falkenstein Castle near Austin, Texas.

Read more about eating bugs after the jump…

Comparisons, Field Trips, Food

Austin Frozen Yogurt “Froyo” Comparison

14 Comments

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

Comparisons, Field Trips, Food, Reviews

Austin Cupcake Comparison

14 Comments

Austin Texas Cupcake Challenge

Why do we love cupcakes?  We’re all adults here at Fooding Blog – for the most part, anyway.  Shouldn’t we be eating grown up desserts like crème brulee or some kind of dowse-with-brandy-and-set-on-fire thing?  Don’t get me wrong: I love a good crème brulee, but it requires a torch and a utensil.

Cupcakes, however, remind us that it’s ok to feel like we did as kids, when dessert was fun and gooey and colorful.  They remind us it’s ok to eat with our hands and get a little frosting on our chins and maybe on our shirts too.  Cupcakes remind us that desserts don’t always require an open flame.

Click here to read more about the Austin Cupcake Comparison