Austin y'all!!

I'm going to Austin y'all! 

Remember I'm still on a moving mission and Austin is my last city to visit... I'm nervous and excited and still on vacation mode so I don't desire to be in 'look for job' mode... But regardless I'm excited for the experience since I've never been

Since I'm staging at a restaurant in Austin, I need to check my bags cause I will be bringing my knives

My love affair with Tom Bihn has momentarily halted, to be replaced by a Nike duffel

Here's what I took:

4 shirts

1 jeans

1 shorts

1 dress

1 cardigan sweater

1 PJ set

1 bating suit

4 panties

2 bras

1 set of chef whites

1 kitchen shoes

1 sandals

Knife set

1 travel towel

Toiletries

Cosmetics

iPad 

I'm continuing on to visit my sister in Tampa so I packed a little more 

I wore a shirt, jeans, bra, panty, cardigan and sandals on the plane... I planned on throwing away my kitchen shoes at the end of my time in Austin as I plan on purchasing new shoes when I move so I'll have more space

I landed in Austin in the afternoon and was able to catch a bus from the airport to my hostel 

There's a food truck yard by my hostel... I didn't try anything here though

The view of the Colorado river from my hostel

I stayed at Hosteling International in a 6 bed room, there were many great amenities like a common area, wifi, kitchen, lockers, laundry rooms, an activities bulletin board.... They were currently remodeling so they gave me 10% off my stay for the inconvenience which was also nice!

I checked in and also purchased a 7 day bus pass for $4.50... My ride from the airport was already spent $1.50 to come from the airport to my hostel, I'll definitely be able to make this bus pass worth it!

I took the bus to the north side of the river and walked around to explore... I was a little hungry but I didn't want to eat cause I'll be having dinner in a hour... I did find this place that happened to be having happy hour when I walked by

Cenote... They had some delicious sounding for options on the menu but I just went for a beer, of which they had a nice selection of local brews

Dinner was just around the corner and up the street from Cenote... I decided tonight would be a good night to go to Qui

Paul Qui won Top Chef a few years back and he's been something of a favorite here in Austin... 

I was seated at the chef's bar overlooking the kitchen, the restaurant is very beautiful and welcoming 

My server was very informative when I asked questions about the menu 

I decided to order the Saba mackeral and the Dinuguan

The amuse bouche was a foam cheese on a housemade seawead cracker - it was a very nice savory bite to get me excited for my dinner

The Saba mackeral was raw, served with soft scrambled eggs, daikon, smoked trout roe and tamari - I love mackeral cause it's an oily fish and it has more flavor than most other fish cooked or raw! The scrambled eggs, daikon and trout roe added a great texture and flavor to the single bite of mackeral but the tamari justbputit over the top and brought the whole bite together. Tamari is a type of soy sauce produced in the Chūbu region of Japan. It's differentf rom soy sauce where it had little to no wheat and a greater concentration of soybean resulting in a thicker, richer and less salty version of soy sauce... Great for gluten free people! 

Dinuguan - a Filipino dish traditionally made by stewing offals with pigs blood... This delicious take does involve various pork parts stewed in a blood bath, served with potato gnocchi, black trumpet muahrooms, red onions and crispy fried pig's face skin. I love Dinuguan... Some people aren't a fan because of the pig's blood but I think it adds a lot of texture and depth to a dish. The sauce was nice and rich, spicy, tangy and earthy. The pig parts were cooked very nicely and cubed, I wish the gnocchis were hot but it was still a nice add to the dish, the raw onions added a nice kick and anything with fried pig's face or black trumpet mushrooms is always a winner in my book!

Over all I really enjoyed my meal and experience at Qui. Everyone was extremely professional and knowledgable. It was exactly the overall dining experience I was looking for whenever I dine anywhere. A server/staff who is very knowledgable about every aspect of the menu, and isn't trying to be cool or my friend... When the dish I ordered arrived in front of me I was told what it was and the ingredients it contained then asked if there was anythinge else I needed, my dishes were cleared in a timely and non-intrusive manner, I was asked if I'd like to enjoy anything else before my check was brought to me, and I was thanked genuinely on my way out... But I didn't go far cause I sat at the bar for a glass of Willett rye for dessert. The two awesome ladies at the bar were very nice and engaging when I asked them about things to do in Austin, where to live and about Austin as a city... They too were very informative and candid but they weren't overly friendly or too talkative. I made note of their suggestions and went on my way back to the hostel to get some rest as I was still kind of jet lagged from coming back from Thailand. Of course I got on the bus going the wrong direction so I took an hour long tour around north Austin... It would have been fine if I wasn't so tired 

The next morning I knew I wanted to have BBQ cause I wouldn't have time the next 2 days... I was told that if I had time and patience, I could wait in like at Franklin's but I knew of someone going and they got in line at 8am and didn't eat until 1pm! No thank you.... So I was told I must try John Mueller Meat Co

They open at 10:30 and I was told to arrive early but discovering that the buses don't ever come on time here, I showed up around 11:30 and there were only 2 people in line! (The lot is around the back alley of the address the website gives you so don't be alarmed when you show up and the place looks abandoned, just go around back)

This is what they serve and that's all! The guy in the window, whom I thought was John Mueller, joked with me that he will charge me double since I'm from LA! 

I ordered a quarter pound of moist brisket, homemade jalapeño sausage and cheesy squash

The moist brisket was the star... It was definitely moist and smokey, and had a perfect crust of fried fat and seasoning (not skimpy on the black pepper anywhere in this meal!), dunked in the BBQ sauce and it was heaven! The sausage was great too, the flavor was nice, not very spicy, and the skin was nice and snappy but kind of difficult to eat. The cheesy squash... Oh man! This is probably the best way to get you kids to eat any veggies is smother it in cheese! Yellow squash baked with cheese and spices, just like Mac & cheese! So delicious but I'd prefer the cracked black pepper to be a little smaller, it was getting stuck in my teeth and quite strong in flavor... Still a really great lunch and all for $11 and change

The smoker... I walked around to the other side and saw a gentleman watching the smoked meats... I asked if he was John Mueller and he confirmed, I told him I enjoyed everything I ate and thanked him for his  dedication and he appreciated my kind words! 

I went back to the hostel for a nap cause the earth was just getting too hot so I thought I'd nap it out until it cooled down and was ready for dinner

I woke up and got ready to head out to dinner, I decided to go try Barley Swine... Again none of the buses showed up on time but I still made it

Barley Swine is a cute and very small restaurant in what looks like a strip mall but when you look again, all the stores are actually restaurants or food related retail 

I had heard about it being great but I wasn't really sure what it was about... I walked in and didn't have a reservation as I was only 1 person and didn't mind waiting, I was able to be accomodated at the bar overlooking the kitchen and it was explained that they only do prix fixe dining at 7 courses for $70 per person. It wasn't what I expected but I agreed anyways cause I figured why not... The only thing is they don't tell you what you're getting until you get it and they tailor the size of the dish to how many people are in your party... That's ok cause I love surprises and I knew I'd be full with 7 dishes! At the end of the meal the server gives you a card with everything they served that night including the names of each kitchen staff and serving staff... I've misplaced my card at the moment so I will try to recall each dish to the best of my abilities 

They start you off with a small pour of cava, a Spanish sparkling wine... Bubbles make everything an event!

Amuse bouche of sea urchin mad something else in a leaf, meant to be eaten like a lettuce wrap... The vessel made it difficult to eat like a lettuce wrap cause it's hard to pull out but it's sea urchin, mneed I saw more? It was very delicious, my only critique was that it needed more sea urchin hahaha!

Raw snapper in a strawberry broth with truffles and crispy quinoa - this dish is the surprisingly refreshing and satisfying. The snapper had a nice texture and delicate flavor paired very well with the cold truffled strawberry broth and crispy quinoa... I tried to eat these few bites as slowly as possible cause it was very delicious

Smoked mozzarella in a mushroom broth - I love cheese and I love mushrooms! The cheese was a perfect size and had great texture, the broth was really good and went great with the cheese but slightly on the salty side 

Duck jerky with sauce and greens I don't remember and something pickled - I remember thinking the duck jerky was very tough, I also don't like jerky anything, but I remember liking everything else about the dish... Sorry

Housemade soba noodles with cornmeal fried shrimp and peanut sauce - I really enjoyed this dish cause it reminds me of Thailand... And it's something I make for myself to eat on occasion... A really nice chewy texture to the noodles in a lightly spicy peanut sauce. The shrimp was lerfectly cooked and nice and crunchy. The greens added a nice cut/balance to the creaminess of the peanut sauce

Palate cleanser of beet granita and kefir yogurt - really really great palate cleanser, especially the yogurt! Just the right amount of tart to restart my palate

Slow poached egg with crispy noodles or sweet potato and pickled mushrooms? - the egg was poached in red wine and soy sauce I think... The egg was perfectly poached and the pickled mushrooms added a nice cut to the rich egg yolk and the noodles/potato was a nice texture contrast. Although I enjoyed this dish, it wasn't mind blowing and I still had a couple more dishes so I didn't finish this all

Crispy rabbit with a cheese sauce and something pickled? - the last savory dish of the night and I really was looking forward to this cause everyone really liked this dish... The rabbit felt like it was braised or roasted and the cooked meat was terrined then cubed and seared crispy, very juicy and had wonderful texture. The cheese sauce I think was a bleu cheese turned in to a sauce and shot out of a nitro can or whipped cause it had a really great smooth texture but I remember it being quite mild in flavor. Everything was really balanced, the rabbit had a great texture and the pickle always helps to cut the richness 

Lemon pannacotta with angel food cake, crumble and candied fennel (I think) - I loved every single bite of this dessert... I normally don't like lemon desserts but this was so great. The cake and the crumble was so perfect.. The candied fennel was reminiscent of having Fernet Branca after a meal which helped make the dish not so sweet... Really a perfect ending to this meal!

While dining I noticed that there was a beer tap that had Game of Thrones logo on it, I asked my bartender/server about it and he explained that it is from Ommegang brewery in New York, there are a series of these brews made for the show. He gave me a sample of this Fire and Blood beer and I thought it wasn't bad

The restaurant is very very small, I'm talking maybe 6 tables and a chef's bar. The there's only enough room for 1 bartender pouring beer and wine. The kitchen consists of about a handful of people and each on of them has a say in menu items or dishes! I also found out that I, as a diner, can buy a beer (aka shift drink) for a kitchen member for $1 per person so I bought $7 worth of beer for them! I think that's a great idea! 

This meal was on the pricier side considering I'm on a budget but it was well worth it! My meal, 2 glasses of wine, shift drinks for the kitchen, tax and tip came out to $130.... It was really a great meal, the staff here was also incredibly professional and knowledgable about the menu considering that it changes often. Silverware was changed and reset after each course, anyone putting food in front of me knew exactly what was in it and I was asked occasionally by someone other than my server if I was enjoying everything. I chatted with a couple sitting next to me who were also enjoying their meal. Since they were 2 people and she was gluten-free, they recieved an extra dish and something different from what I received... They gave me a fews suggestions to try around town and wished me luck during my time here! I was also excited cause I told them I would be staging at Uchiko the next night and they said it's probably the best restaurant in town and they were excited for me

After dinner I decided to go check out a street that the bartenders at Qui suggested, which is also where a friend's friend's bar is located... Rainey Street

Rainey Street is maybe 100+ yards long... A very cute and quaint neighborhood filled with a few homes, homes that have turned in to bars or restaurants and food truck parks

My destination was Half Step

Doesn't it look like a cute house? Friends of friends came here to open this bar, I've been to the one they have in LA called The Varnish many times and I know their style and standard so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed here

I asked the bartender for a cocktail made with sherry cause it's lower in alcohol and I'm not looking to drink very much... Not quite sure what he made me but it was very delicious... It tasted like a strawberry shortcake.... I sat there and enjoyed the warm night for a bit and headed off to catch a bus back to the hostel

Except it was 11pm and unbelievably there were no buses running after 11pm!!! What the heck?! Seriously?! I had to call a cab... Already annoyed with the bus system here so far, how will I get home if I live here? My cab fare was $9 not including tip... This could add up

So today is the day... I started off early cause I was nervous for my stage at Uchiko... It's been a long time since I've been in a kitchen and this was also a chance at a job here too... My stage starts ar 10, I left the hostel at 8:45.... Every single bus I took was not on time... Even trying to track the bus with their stop ID rendered futile results! It took me over an hour to go 8 miles!! Yea that's how far my hostel was to Uchiko... Had I driven, it would've taken 15 minutes to get there! I was almost late... I was so furious with the transportation system.... I left early with the intention of having coffee at a shop 2 doors over from Uchiko cause it was recommended to me but there's no way that'll happen now! 

Uchiko... Little brother to Uchi restaurant, opened in 2010 and identifies itself as a Japanese farmhouse dining and sushi restaurant. Chef/owner Tyson Cole was trained by master sushi chefs in Tokyo and Austin, and now continues his love affair with Japanese and other Asian flavors 

I felt lucky to be able to stage here for the day and that they would allow me to enjoy dinner after my stage... I was really excited and nervous but when I walked in, everyone was so nice and introduced themselves to me... I was given a tour of the kitchen and facilites then I was given a task.... Usually when I give stages a task it's to see how clean they work, their knife skills, their thought process, how fast they work, the way they carry themselves and sometimes just to keep them busy.... So I kmew that's what was happening with me.... I was asked to make a sauce and that someone would start helping me in a bit cause it's a team effort and it's prep intense... No problem! I got this! ..... Oh man, this sauce was seriously intense! It took 3 people to help make it and it took 4 hours!!!! I was really disappointed in myself that it took so long but when you think about what went into it, it makes sense... The other people helping me said this amount of time is normal and that I did a great job cause I wasn't deterred by it and my knife cuts were nice! Lol! 

Then we broke for staff meal... It was a low point in my life.... We had a ground meat and tomato stew with eggs and a salad, and because I thougt we were only allowed to use the utensils they put out, I ate my stew with a Chinese soup spoon and the salad with chopsticks.... And those of you who know me know that I am very specific and loathe people who don't use the proper utensil with the correct dish! Very sad day for me...

After meal time we cleaned the kitchen and I started helping the line cooks prep for their station. I was able to start off in the fry section where I helped fry and plate various dishes. Then I moved on to pantry which made cold appetizers and desserts... Both stations can egg surpringly busy and being out of the kitchen for a while made it a little bit of a struggle but nothing I couldn't handle

After a few hours of working the station, I was allowed to change and sit down for dinner

Yellowtail, snapper, sea bream - the yellowtail was delicous as always, served with orange supreme and Serrano chili... Gives it a nice bright kick. The snapper was really nice in texture and flavor. I've never had sea bream so this was also a pleasant surprise

Sea urchin, need I say more?

Spanish mackeral and Spanish sardine - you already know I love mackeral and sardine so I knew I'd love this... The mackeral was fantastic but the sardine was a peculiar flavor and texture against the sweetness of the sushi rice, it was good but not something I'd order again

Of course the best thing I put in my mouth, I didn't get a picture of it... Raw Saba mackeral with truffle oil... Omg! The truffle flavor was definitely unexpected but definitely welcome! That one bite was incredible !

Magaro sashimi and goat cheese - big eye tuna, pumpkin seed oil, and Fuji apple... Fish and cheese is a cardinal sin... They should never go together in any plate or world... But this on makes sense for some reason! These goat cheese matched well with the pumpkin seed oil and black pepper which helped to round out the sweetness of the apples then brought in the tuna, this was also a great dish that defied the laws of food 

Tiger cry - this dish is accompanied with the sauce I helped make that took 4 hours to make... I was told that when I taste this dish, all that prep would be worth it so I knew I needed to try it... This dish is similar to that of a Vietnamese springroll - lettuce, veggies and grilled wagyu beef belly rolled in rice paper. The sauce has fish sauce, chilies, apples and garlic. The spring rolls themselves are very delicious but when it add the sauce it was insanely delicious... The sweetness of the apples and the bite of the raw garlic and chilies gave a nice dressing the the lettuce and veggies and helped cute the fat of wagyu beef.. Very delicious!

Beef wagyu sushi - tasted like Korean BBQ on a small ball of rice... Yummy!

Saba mackeral - the mackeral is seared and served with pickled mushrooms... I'm having trouble remembering what the white dollops are but it remember it was good... The pickled mushrooms added a nice brightness to the dish...mackeral and pickled mushrooms are always welcome in my belly

Quail - seared and served with grilled peaches. There's also either crispy quinoa or mustard seeds on the plate as well, I can't remember which but this dish was really a great way to close the savory portion of the meal. The quail was cooked perfectly (slightly under for flavor and texture), the grilled peaches and sauce added a nice sweet and tart flavor, the crispies and greens added a nice rounded and texture to the dishes that made it feel complete... After all the food I already had, I ate this entire dish cause it was so delicious!

Coriander cream - I had plated this dessert while I was working the station earlier so I was very curious about this one... Coriander is the real name for cilantro... How does one make it sweet? I don't know how it was done but it was delicious! The cream had the texture of pot de créme, there was coriander puff rice (which looked beautiful, I'd love to know their drying and frying technique), pickled and fresh strawberries and edible flowers. Sweet, a little savory, lots of texture but delicate... A great dessert!

Tobacco cream - this one was recommended by the server, I had plated this one a few times as well. There are rolls of tobacco infused logs of cream dipped in a scotch gelee, candied pecans, chocolate ice cream and huckleberry fruit roll up... Seperately everything tasted good... But the tobacco rolls were off putting at first cause it tastes like a sweet cigarette but when you eat everything together it makes sense and the tobacco flavor becomes an undernote 

I didn't finish most of my dishes as I couldn't eat that much and some of the sushi chefs hadn't tasted some of what I ordered yet so I let them eat the rest. I really enjoyed my stage there. Everyone was extremely nice and welcoming. It was really nice to be in the kitchen again and racing against the tickets but still producing a perfect dish... I was sore the next day but it still felt great! I could really see myself working in this kitchen and with this team. I could kearn a lot from all of them. We'll see if they feel the same way about me...

The next day I leave in the afternoon but I still wanted to try out that coffee place and get lunch so I rode the very unreliable and late bus to Houndstooth Coffee

And had a cappuccino... Delicious! It felt so great to have a great cup of coffee after being stuck with Nescafe for months!

Then I took another late bus and an uphill walk to Josephine House... This place came recommended and many other people agreed 

The place is so cute!

And the patio is so great!

I'd been craving a burger so I order theirs... I can't quite remember what was in it but I remember I love everything they put in it so I thought I'd love it.... I think I would have if my burger actually came out medium rare instead of medium well... It was just ok... So were the fries... And at $18 it was rather disappointing

Oh well... Now I have to walk several blocks to catch a bus that was actually on time, grab my bags from the hostel and head to the airport....but the airport bus was late! So late that I almost missed the bag check in time, got stuck in TSA (my favorite!) and had my name called for final boarding while I was still going through security!! I couldn't deal anymore... Between the late busses and TSA security... I just wanted to get out of Austin! 

And now on to Tampa! I hadn't seen my sister and Joe since February when they were in Thailand... If they didn't live in Tampa, there'd be no reason for me to go to Tampa...

Bear... She's too old and fat to get on the bench all the way! LOL!

I tease her but I love her!

We didn't do much but eat and drink... See a few things and do a few things... I didn't want them to go out of their way to make sure I'm taken care of all the time... I just wanted to chill anyways 

Double fisting Stella's like a champ

Checking out a beer cave before headin to the dog beach

St. Pete dog beach 

Chillin' like a villian with a beer 

We grilled some links with peppers and onions.. Had some edamame salad, a caprese salad and some chips... It was great!

We also had some sister time, we went and did hot yoga (my first time)... It was great! I always associate yoga with hippies but this was the opposite... It was a hot room with people doing some challenging poses, I ended up being sore the next day... I really enjoyed it! 

We also went shopping at an outlet... It's nice having someone to tell me the truth when I try things on. I usually have to try it on, take a picture, send it to my sister and ask her opinion... That sucks!

My sister made dinner one night... Joe grilled corn and we doused it in butter, parmesan cheese, chilies and lime salt, he also grilled a steak and Valerie made spam fried rice... All delicious!

So in Tampa there's a huge lack of great ethnic food options... Valerie is always complaining about missing food in LA... Especially Asian food, so when she found a really good Chinese place, she wanted to take me! Of course the place was called Yummy House so I was a little weary.... Buuut it was actually good! The bext thing was their Spicy Salt Squid... It's different from the one I usually have in LA, the batter was thicker and the seasoning was a but sweeter but it was still delicious! 

My last night in Tampa, Joe's family wanted to meet me so we had dinner at Bern's Steakhouse (yes!)

I met his mom, his aunt and cousin... They were all a really nice bunch and we had a great time!

We had Steak Carpaccio served with mustard, pickled onions and an herb salad... Really delicious with their garlic toast

We also had FOIE GRAS!!! Seared foie gras with pickled mushrooms on toast with a pomegranate reduction! It was good! It would've been amazing if it were double the amount of foie gras! Hahaha!

Now for the main attraction... 8 oz dry aged ribeye cooked rare, served with onion rings, green beans and candied carrots... YUMMY!!! The steak tasted great and was cooked perfectly! 

Sisters!

It's nice to see my sister cause I know she gets lonely and bored out there... But I miss my bed, my dog... And I have to get ready for Turkey too!

Austin is a great city and I'd definitely go back to visit... I can't get over how similar it is to LA though and that I would need a car or transportation of sorts if I'm there.... I'm glad I went and for the experience at Uchiko but honestly I just don't want to leave vacation mode, especially since I'm still going to Turkey and Greece... Is it too much to ask to be on permanent vacation? LOL 

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