Tag Archives: Austin

FoodingBlog is now TastingBuds

August 11, 2009 Peter Tsai 3 Comments

We thought we were original using the name Foodingblog, but about a week ago we found out about a certain popular French company that also uses the word Fooding in their name.

Because we wish to respect the intellectual property of others, Foodingblog has now changed its name to TastingBuds, because that is what we are – a bunch of friends who love food and tasting all the world has to offer.

While we are sad to see the old name go, we love the new name because it better describes who we are and what we are all about (several of our Twitter followers have already commented that they like the new name too). Speaking of which, our Twitter address has changed too – we are now http://www.twitter.com/tastingbuds

If you liked our old blog, don’t worry – you will still have access to all of the great posts that were here before thanks to our techies Jon and Peter. We also have tons of new content planned for the next few months, so be on the lookout for more.

Thanks, we look forward to sharing more posts and making more friends in the food community!

Happy Tasting,
Peter

Drinks, Events, Field Trips, Wine

10 Rosés with the Chrontourage

August 6, 2009 Kristina 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.

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

Events, Food, Weird

Flavor tripping party in Austin with the Berry Fairy

August 4, 2009 Peter Tsai 5 Comments

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

Events, Food

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

August 2, 2009 Peter Tsai 5 Comments

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

Events

Austin Blog Meetup “Bleetup” Pictures

July 30, 2009 Peter Tsai 5 Comments

Kristina and I checked out the Austin Bleetup (Blog Meetup) which was held at the TRIO at Four Seasons yesterday to represent @Foodingblog. The event was awesome – good people, good food, and a great location. Everyone we met was cool and we came away with a lot of new friends. As always, I had my camera in tow.

Enjoy the photos!
–Peter

Sunset at the Four Seasons

Click here to see more photos from the Bleetup

Comparisons, Field Trips, Food

Austin Frozen Yogurt “Froyo” Comparison

July 14, 2009 Peter Tsai 14 Comments

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

June 12, 2009 Kristina 14 Comments

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

Food, Wine

Austin Wine Festival 2009

May 24, 2009 Peter Tsai

Today all of the members of Fooding Blog took a field trip to visit the Austin Wine Festival. Despite the May Texas heat, we managed to have a great time sampling various local wines from the Texas Hill Country and beyond.

You may say to yourself, “Wine in Texas?” Why yes, there is indeed a lot of wine in Texas. According to the Orbitz Insider Index, Austin is the 2nd Fastest Growing Wine Destination in the Nation. Also, the Wine Society of Texas tells us that there are well over 100 wineries here in the Lone Star State.