. . . for 2021 at least. Despite an ongoing pandemic I was able to do some traveling and dining this year. Sadly the West Coast has been neglected for my best of 2021 roundup but what I do have hits the East Coast and showcases some destination worthy meals in Austin TX.
Let's get into it. And in no particular order these were my best bites of 2021 . . .
The Vitals:
the spot:Cuantos Tacos 1108 E. 12th St. Austin TX 78702
the eats: all the tacos
the bucks: $2 each
the full nelson: The best street tacos in Austin
I first posted about Cuantos back in 2019. The Mexico City style tacos blew me away with their choricera cooker: a convex pan where meats simmer in lard and each other. Two years later and they haven't skipped a beat. They are the best tasting and most consistent street style tacos I have had in Austin . . . maybe anywhere.
The Vitals:
the spot:Portugalia Restaurant & Bar 280 1/2 Ferry St. Newark NJ 07105
the eats: Cod Fritters, Clams with Garlic Sauce, Angus Rump Steak in thyme sauce
the bucks: $20-$40 a person, but big portions too.
the full nelson: an affordable culinary adventure and one of my new fav restaurants
I found myself back on the East Coast in November shooting a new show. Usually that means I'm in NYC but this time I was in New Jersey, specifically Newark.. It turns out Newark is a haven for Portuguese food which took me to Portugalia Restaurant and Bar. My full post is here but I'll just add this: eating clams in a Portuguese restaurant is a must.
The Vitals:
the spot:Epicerie Cafe 2307 Hancock Drive Austin TX 78756
the eats: Shrimp Po Boy
the bucks: $15
the full nelson: an expensive sandwich that you quickly make amends with
I need to do a full dive and post for Epicerie. On the surface it seems like a polite little cafe but the food is deadly serious. $15 isn't cheap for a sandwich but this Shrimp Po Boy is as good as it gets. Even if you're in New Orleans.
The Vitals:
the spot:Fil n Viet 2903 E. 12th St. Austin TX 78702
the eats: Fried Chicken Wings
the bucks: $12
the full nelson: the best fried chicken in Austin is at an Asian food truck
This isn't the first time I've said the best fried chicken in Austin is at an Asian food truck. In 2020 I wrote about Spicy Boys and their epic bone in fried chicken, which is only available in dark meat and must be had on premises with roti and curry dipping sauce. That's still good but the wings at Fil n Viet are . . . insanely good. You can read about it on my post for CapMetro here.
The Vitals:
the spot:Intero 2612 E. Cesar Chavez St. Austin TX 78702
the eats: pastas for sure but give the whole menu a test drive
the bucks: $$$ - this is a splurge and worth it
the full nelson: Italian food that's Philly and NYC serious, but in ATX
I've been meaning to post about my night at Intero back in the Spring but adventures smoking ribs in my Traeger tended to interrupt my blog flow. I might have to schedule a visit in the new year to really document the whole experience because Intero is one the best Italian restaurants I have ever been to. Their food is somehow simultaneously "real Italian" meaning no Chicken Parm plates but it's also very aware that we are in Austin. Part of that isn't too unsurprising, locally sourced ingredients is the Tao of fine dining. But how about a case of the meat sweats? The beef in the raviolis seen above was cooked in a smoker. A to the T to the X.
The Vitals:
the spot:Il Ritorno 449 Central Avenue St. Petersburg FL 33701
the eats: Bucatini Pomodoro, Short Rib Mezzaluna, Squid Ink Garganelli, Bone Marrow with Yellowtail Tartare, Smoked Meatballs, A5 Japanese Wagyu Beef(seriously)
the bucks: $$$ and worth it. I'd budget $75 a head with wine to do it right. Although to get a nice plate of pasta will set you back $20-$30
the full nelson: a splurge worthy Italian experience that isn't even that bad of a splurge.
I'm going to stick with Italian but now take you to the East Coast. And not the East Coast you might expect either. Over the summer I returned to St. Petersburg FL, where we shot Cheap Eats in season 5 in 2018. Back then I visited Il Ritorno and it was so good I had to make it back. Chef David Benstock pulled out all the stops and you can catch the play by here. For now I'll let the fork drop on this squid ink pasta that was as lights out as it looks.
The Vitals:
the spot:Ma'Coco 501 Comal St. Austin TX 78702
the eats: Tuna Tostada
the bucks: $8
the full nelson: Satisfy a tuna sushi craving at a Baja Mexican joint
When I first hear about Ma'Coco, a Baja inspired Mexican restaurant in Austin, I banked on getting my fish taco fix. When I arrived and found out they also do San Diego specialties like Carne Asada fries, I ordered up the whole menu. What really stood out? This Tuna Tostada with it's double Umami hit of soy sauce and salsa ingles. Catch the full right up I did on CapMetro's blog here.
The Vitals:
the spot:Carnitas El Guero multiple locations in Austin and San Antonio TX
the eats: Carnitas tacos or by the pound
the bucks: $3 a taco, $20 a pound. And the tacos are fattys
the full nelson: the best carnitas in Austin
Don't take these words lightly: Carnitas El Guero has the best carnitas in Austin. I got a DM on Instagram from these guys back in the fall of 2020. I was in LA shooting a new season of Spring Baking Championship and wasn't able to hit the joint up properly. At some point in 2021 I made my way to their gas station location(inside a Texaco, awesome) and picked up some carnitas by the pound to go. I was floored and fwiw I have been making my fair share of carnitas at home too. They have a second location in Austin with seating and beer. I'll need to do a proper post on that one. But for now . . . just go.
The Vitals:
the spot:Berardi Brothers Pizza 4203 Landis Ave Sea Isle City NJ
the eats: Any pie you fancy but def get a Margherita
the bucks: $20-$23 a pie
the full nelson: NY Style pizza at the Shore
There's good pizza in Austin but it ain't cheap. The prices some joints are charging make the idea of getting pick up seem silly. The other day I was gonna drop almost $70 for two 16" pies and I had to pick them up. I ended up cooking that night.
Beradi Bros, in the south Jersey shore is solid pizza that is damn affordable. Two of their pies fed four adults and my ravenous 10 year old. And that Margherita was . . . well you can check out the full post to find out here.
The Vitals:
the spot:Trill Foods 415 E. St. Elmo road Austin TX 78745 @vacancy brewing
the eats: rotating menu but get meat and veg dishes, think fine dining you can mostly eat with hands
the bucks: $8-$12 a person
the full nelson: one of my all time fav chefs making fine dining for the masses
Yes, I eat vegetables. It's in fact my go to move when I go to Trill Foods, a food trailer at Vacancy Brewing, south of downtown Austin. Back when Trill Foods was Trill Taqueria, their vegetable tacos were the real standout. It's not because Chef Nick Belloni cut corners on dishes like his locally sourced lamb for his lamb carnitas(yes, I said lamb carnitas), it's just that he makes vegetables as savory as any meat dish you could imagine. Check out the full post on Trill Foods here.
The Vitals:
the spot:Saigon Le Vendeur 2404 E. 7th St. Austin TX 78702
the eats: Bahn Mi combo
the bucks: $9
the full nelson: Killer Vietnamese sandwich in an über hip neighborhood.
I lived in LA for 20 years so when I came to Austin I was ready to be unimpressed with the Asian food here. Austin, despite its excessive media attention is in fact a small city. And small cities can't offer the depth larger cities can when it comes to certain communities and their food culture, like Vietnamese food. But sometimes all it takes is one or two.
Saigon Le Vendeur is far from the Bahn Mi dive you find in Houston, Atlanta or Orange County but it still hits right. Especially if you get the cold cut combo. Check out the full post here.
The Vitals:
the spot:Hold Out Brewing 1208 W. 4th St. Austin TX 78703
the eats: Hold Out Classic Burger (double)
the bucks: $11
the full nelson: top 5 burger when it's on point and one of my fav places in Austin
Exactly two years ago today I declared the burger at Salt and Time to be the best burger I have had in 5 years. Safe to say it is the best burger in Austin too. But it has met its match, and fitting, that its match stands in stark difference style wise. Hold Out does a smashburger though not to the extreme like say Carl's Drive In from my hometown of St. Louis(and Best Thing I Ever Ate burger). The toppings are fitting and the bun is top notch. Not surprisingly this top shelf ATX burger is at a brewery. Check out the full post here.
French wines(and one Spanish) defined my holiday meals this year.
As I look at back my holiday meals I felt like I leveled up to fancy restaurant status. And that was in so small part because of these wine pairings. This line up of food friendly wines deserve a spot at your holiday table.
Gigondas
Aligoté
Bordeaux
Beaujolais Cru
Cava
And not one bottle broke the $50 price mark.
The most expensive bottle, the Bordeaux(2018 Chateau Labegorce Margaux) cost $45. The cheapest was the Cava(Segura Viudas) cost $7. The rest of the bottles hovered around $30. That's an average cost of $28 a bottle. And when you consider the quality, that's very respectable.
Time to tackle each bottle and talk about what to eat with what you're drinking.
2019 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallieres Gigondas
What you're drinking:
A red wine from the Southern Rhone in France. The grapes are a typical blend for that region.
What you're eating with:
Steak cooked on the grill
I paired this with a dry aged bone in ribeye steak cooked over open flame. It was fantastic. As was a Tomahawk Pork Chop. Gigondas naturally goes well with cheese and cured meats as well.
"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:
I ended up buying this wine three times over. I absolutely fell for this Gigondas and priced at $30, and I would very much recommend you try this out. For the region, it is a fair price. I haven't been this into a wine this much since my California Pinot phase in the mid 2000s. (thx Sideways)
A white from Burgundy, France. Made from the Aligote grape. This wine is hyped by real wine heads/snobs etc.
What you're eating with:
Meat and cheese board.
I originally bought this wine as the white accompaniment for Thanksgiving dinner. That involved charcuterie like what you see above plus a pork rib roast cooked over open flame. It worked wonders when paired with . . . salami. Seriously.
"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:
While priced just north of $30, this wine isn't for everyone. Its got a funk to it, not exactly the white wine to quench your thirst on a hot day. Is it worth a try just because the wine heads love it? The short answer is no until you become a wine head that gets easily bored. I do like this wine but I would approach with caution. Dropping $30 to be different is not bang for your wine buck in my book.
A Beaujolais Cru. This wine is from Beaujolais France, made from the Gamay grape. Often you hear about Beaujolais Nouveau around Thanksgiving as it is a harvest wine. Don't confuse the two. Cru is the good stuff and this goes for around $25-$30. Tastes like a light Pinot Noir.
What you're eating with:
I originally bought this wine to pair with Holiday ham and it worked great. I had enough left over for my following dinner: slow roasted Ora King Salmon. They say Gamay(the grape that makes up Beaujolais) loves food and I absolutely found this to be true. This wine is easy going and will get you to look at Beaujolais in a whole new way.
"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:
I want to say I paid $30 for this wine but the internet is pricing it at $25. At $25 this is a total bang for your buck wine. At $30 it's more about the competition. I need to buy another bottle of this wine again soon, that's for sure.
2018 Chateau Labegorce Margaux Bordeaux
What you're drinking:
The good stuff, freaking Bordeaux. Chateau Labegorce is a classic Bordeaux blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The internet says the "drinking window"is 2023-2040. My God did this taste smooth a few nights ago.
What you're eating with:
Surprise! It's more steak. I will say I chose this plate of carved bone in ribeye plus the lobster, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes to illustrate that this wine is mellow and can handle a range of flavor sensations. From intense beef, to buttery mashed potatoes, and shellfish languishing in parmesan spiked creamed spinach, you'll find that the Chateau Labegorce plays well with so many types of rich foods. I'd try wine out with a Cacio e Pepe with shaved truffles or Carbonara.
"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:
$45 ain't cheap but neither is Bordeaux. Yes, you can find bottles for cheaper but they can disappoint. This Margaux is the real deal and I would buy this again just to age and see how it evolves. It's an affordable special occasion wine and it was freaking smooth AF.
Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava
What you're drinking:
Cava is Spain's answer to Champagne and for a lot less dough. This sparkling wine is made from Macabeo grapes, has won numerous awards and is cheap as hell. Full disclosure: Segura sent me a bunch of bottles but I've paid more for barbecue sauce. This one costs me $7.
What you're eating with:
Whatever you want. The general rule of thumb is that sparkling pairs with anything. I found myself drinking this at the beginning of the meal and after. It's crisp, quenching and elegant on it's own and with food.
"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:
I mean . . . cmon $7 is as cheap as it gets. One review I read online said "why spend more?" and that is apt. I really like the sparkling rosé as well which runs like $8. There is a reserva called Heredad that costs like $20. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference. But at these prices, you can easily find out for yourself.
The last word
Look, all of these wines are great and from there you can decide what you want to spend. The Segura is so cheap you can't not try it and the Labegorce is so smooth I wouldn't bat an eye at it's almost $50 price tag. The Gigondas is what I fell in love with and that's the region I'll digging into for a bit. I was told this wine loves smokey steaks and I'm always grilling so how could I not go for more of these?
For more wine info check out my podcast, Eat This Drink That on Spotify and Apple Podcasts + YouTube.
I'm a fan of Thermoworks. I have been using their equipment for years and I'll tell anybody they need a Thermapen in their life. Now what I have here is the Thermoworks Smoke. It is a remote probe thermometer that can monitor food and the ambient temp of your cooking vessel. While I swear by the Thermapen I have had the wire malfunction(screen read HHH) and had to be replaced. Luckily Thermoworks paid the tab, but still.
So back to the set up. Oven set at 250 and I jabbed my steak with the probe and let it cook till it hit 125 degrees. Also for what it's worth, I let the steak sit at room temp for about an hour after I seasoned it with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Some people balk that the method doesn't make that much of a difference but regardless it is part of my process.
I propped up the steak in the pan so it was resting bone side down. Once it hit the temp I pulled the steak and let it rest on a wire rack. As you can see, it got some good color. Then it was time for the sear.
I cranked up the heat on my pan and let it rip. I was going for looks here so I felt it out time wise. Once I thought my steak looked like it came from Smith & Wollensky, I pulled it.
Eat your heart out Morton's
After the sear it was back to the wire rack for more rest. I always rest my steaks, at this point it has become second nature. The common thinking is that the juices redistribute as the steak cools. I just think flavors build with time.
No filter. Seriously.
Real talk: I love to hit my pics with some kind of filter/editing to make the food pop. For this post I wanted to show you exactly how the steak came out.
Straight up, I wish I pulled the steak sooner from the oven, so like at 120 degrees or maybe even 115 degrees. Why? Partly because I wanted it a but more rare(it raised in temp passed 135 after searing and resting). But mostly because this steak was super dry aged and it wasn't as juicy as one I would get from even my premium local butcher.
I'm being nitpicky about the steak but rest assured, the meal still hit, thanks in no small part to this:
Hear me out . . .
Look I know it is criminal to hit a quality steak with steak sauce. And to be honest I shook my head when I found out my Peter Luger steak kit came with a couple bottles of their steak sauce. Then I tried it. It is freakishly delicious, similar to shrimp cocktail sauce and I challenge anyone to try it and then dismiss it. Oh and that wine? It's a Gigondas, around $30 and was specially selected for this steak. I love this wine and prefer it to a Bordeaux at this price point.
But I'm not done yet.
Dry Aged bone in rib steak, lobster tail, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach.
I went the extra mile with a little lobster and creamed spinach is a must because it is both side and sauce. I used Russets to make my mashed potatoes and my only regret was not packing in an obscene amount of butter. I tend to go for creamier Yukon Golds and Russets need even more buttery love.
As far as the Reverse Sear goes . . . I supposed you can do it for a very thick steak but at the end of the day I think sear and oven finish will work just as well. Reverse sear really does wonders with a roast. And if you happen to be doing a Prime Rib for Christmas, I'd try the reverse sear and my recipe is right here.
Happy steak cooking and holidays everybody!
The Vitals:
the spot:Distant Relatives 3901 Promontory Drive Austin TX 78744
the eats: Mribs, chicken, pulled pork sandwich, all the sides
the bucks: $10-$20 a person
the full nelson: a new chapter in Austin's BBQ scene and maybe in the history of BBQ
Distant Relatives recently was named one of the country's best new restaurants by Eater. That's a pretty big deal.
But what's an even bigger deal is the new chapter of barbecue that Chef Damien Brockway has embarked upon. The former fine dining chef has taken the barbecue reins not just as the latest entry among craft barbecue specialists but as an African American celebrating African American foodways. Brockway is tracing the lineage of African ingredients as they present themselves in barbecue, choosing each ingredient based on this research. It's about what's not on there as much was what is. Like black eyed peas, bird chili and grains of paradise being utilized versus pinto beans and a BBQ rub heavy on the black pepper.
I visited Distant Relatives back in June. They were about a week away from moving to their present location at Meanwhile Brewing, joining Pueblo Viejo and Doughboys, respectively some of my fav tacos and pizza in town. Meanwhile is nicer digs but there's something about being situated next to a blue collar business like a tire shop that says "if you cook it they will come". Maybe that's just the years of hood taco eating but either way I'd go just about anywhere to eat at Distant Relatives.
BBQ Fanatic Yoni Levin in da house
I was out scouting some barbecue joints and brought Yoni Levin with me. If you don't know Yoni, check out his podcast Best BBQ, and you'll soon find out that he has a deep love for the craft of smoked meats. Spoiler alert: his fav place is Snow's BBQ which I've written about in the past. Another spoiler alert: he was also a fan of Distant Relatives.
Samplin' the goods
So the two of us tackled some brisket, ribs(not pictured), bone in chicken, pulled pork sandwich, black eyed peas, and potato salad. Honestly I would come here for the black eyed peas alone then go to Whole Foods and mock everyone in line at the salad bar. Beyond tasting the chef's hand at what can seem like common place dishes, it's the seasonings that really make an impression.
Especially with those black eyed peas. I felt like I was eating something closer to Ethiopian food than barbecue and that was because of the flavor profile of the seasoning. Chef Damien, like any good chef doesn't give away too much but I do know that if I want to taste these flavors again, I need to meet a chef from West Africa. And yes, I was way off with my Ethiopia comment. But it goes to show you how limited we are in our exposure to food from the African continent.
How's the brisket?
Honestly it doesn't matter. I'm a moist guy and while that slice looks far from dry, it was actually lean and technically not my jam. The fair thing to say is I have had better brisket elsewhere. And then we move on to what I had that has no equal in Austin.
I swear by this chicken
So anyone coming from the South would trip when I said "you don't see chicken ordered that much in BBQ joints in Austin", but you don't. If anything, smoked turkey steals the poultry spotlight and frankly, that turkey is good. The thing is, bone in dark meat chicken is a BBQ delicacy all its own and an opportunity missed by diners when you taste the chicken at Distant Relatives. It's also a protein that shines with sauce. Chef Damien has a dark and intense molasses sauce and a vinegar based one. And they both hit like guac on a chip.
Tell your Carolina friends about . . .
. . . the pulled pork sandwich. Not so much because it is an homage to their style of barbecue but because it is an example of how some barbecue is just better on a bun. That's not spaghetti on top either, it is coleslaw.
Bottom line:
Distant Relatives is a gift to our current barbecue renaissance. And it becomes an answer to a fair question posed by First We Feast years back about how the obsession with brisket marginalizes barbecue's African American roots. There's more to barbecue than brisket or whatever else might be trending right now. There is an important history that's tied barbecue: a story of people brought in bondage who brought with them a rich culinary tradition. A tradition that sowed the seeds of what has become the most American of foods: barbecue. Distant Relatives is a reminder about how this cherished American food came to be, and it's a delicious reminder at that.
The Vitals:
the spot:Hold Out Brewing 1208 W. 4th St. Austin TX 78703
the eats: Hold Out Classic Burger (double), Hold Out Chicken Wings
the bucks: $11 and $15 respectively
the full nelson: top 5 burger when it's on point and one of my fav places in Austin
The other day I took three bites of a burger and threw it away. That burger cost $6 and came from a drive thru. Two days ago I paid $8 for a burger at a hip Austin bar and chucked it after four bites. I'm a big fan of In-N-Out for overall value(especially my custom order), but my last one was sloppily executed. It's getting to a point where I have to spend $10 in order to not be disappointed.
This brings me to Hold Out Brewing, a brewery/bar with a solid menu in Austin TX. The food is what you would expect to find from a brewery. Besides burgers, there are wings, fried chicken and fried fish sandwiches plus hearty salads. Read a little closer and you'll find Szechuan and Kimchi vinaigrettes in the salads and shareable veggie dishes. Oh and a roasted beet side with whipped feta and a blood orange vinaigrette. Things that make you say hmmm.
The case for an $11 cheeseburger
It might be food that goes with beer but like the beer, it's well thought out. So when you look at this $11 double cheeseburger with lettuce, pickle and some play on Thousand Island dressing(called the comeback sauce), you should expect something more. When you bite into this seemingly familiar burger, you find yourself more than satisfied. And it comes down to solid execution. And that's just not a guarantee these days with every burger you come across.
Ooey Gooey Goodness.
For all the talk about how American cheese is the best cheese for a cheeseburger, it should also be noted that the cheese must be melted thoroughly. American cheese served cold is about as depressing as it gets. The melt on here is solid. And you can see a solid sear too. Hold Out is delivering a style of smashed burger, though not exactly that laced edge variety you might see on Instagram.
About those wings . . .
I might have a bone to pick with these wings. At $15 they aren't cheap but it's a huge order and clearly meant to be shared. These are whole joint wings so the drummies, flats and tips come attached like Mother Nature intended. My issue is that they won't sauce the wings at Hold Out. You have to dunk them in their respected sauces of classic Buffalo/Frank's Red Hot style or Miso Ranch. Both sauces are tasty but tossing them in the Buffalo should be accomodated.
Pro Tip: order them crispy
On a second visit I asked for them cooked crispy. Great wings must have a crisp exterior. Of course you don't want to dry out the meat but it's better to air for crispy exterior regardless. Since these wings are huge and whole joint, the meat stayed juicy. Also on the second visit I asked for an extra bowl so I could toss the wings in the sauce myself. I would definitely order these again but only with a group. It's just too large a serving for one man, even this man.
Final ranking.
When I first had this burger I called it a top 5 burger after like two bites. On a second visit I was a little less overwhelmed. But I might chalk that up to letting the burger sit too long while my fellow diners were waiting for their food. Don't make my mistake and run the risk of being rude. Sink your teeth into this burger ASAP.
At $11 I'm pretty happy but I might try the single at $7. A double cheeseburger with shredded lettuce, pink sauce and pickles might seem run of the mill but the sum is greater than the parts with the Hold Out Burger. Tasty nostalgia by way of burger design plus solid elevated comfort food execution make the Hold Out Burger a hands down top 3 burger in Austin.
The Vitals:
the spot:Newark Airport Terminal C(United) Newark NJ 07114
the eats: Burgers and Dumplings
the bucks: $$$
the full nelson: you're at the airport. start drinking to prepare yourself for the tab
Travel is an expense folks. You know this when you spend $4 for a bottle of water at the airport or the hotel. You know this when you rack up those Uber/Lyft charges. I'd like to tell you that I can somehow thread the needle at the airport with a thrifty day of Cheap Eats but the opposite is true. Bite the bullet, open up the wallet and save yourself the agony of a meal at Burger King.
Oh and your best bet is accept a 30-40% budget increase with alcohol. Trust me, it helps with the impending $50-$100 tabs you're about to incur.
Stop 1: Little Purse Dumpling Den
Dim Sum has been a banner of Cheap Eats for years. Even when it gets pricey I still find the meal an overall bang for your buck experience. Little Purse Dumpling Den, situated in terminal C of Newark Airport seemed like the right start to Eating Newark Airport. Just be prepared to bring a medium sized wallet to Little Purse Dumpling Den.
Open up the wallet at Little Purse
At nearly $2.70 a dumpling you might have big expectations at Little Purse Dumpling Den. Though there only 5 dumplings they were a decent size, like 2-3 bites each. The dough was fresh and had a great chew. I ordered the pork and leek dumplings and the prominent taste of leek was a good indicator of freshness. At the time I thought these weren't bad but I was quick to move on. Looking back now it's hard to swallow I paid almost $14 for not awesome dumplings.
Stop 2: getting classy at Vanguard Kitchen
Vanguard Kitchen is usually the type of restaurant I avoid at the airport. First off who has the time for sit down dining at the airport? I'm usually paranoid about missing the flight. Well I had a lot of time to kill Newark(which is why I visited two restaurants) and the upside to visiting Vanguard in the pandemic is that you can order immediately with tablets positioned at every bar seat and table.
Vino anyone?
So if you haven't found out by now: I have a food and bev podcast(Eat This Drink That- subscribe!) which means I have gone off the deep end with wine. I've always appreciated wine though the price factor and variety can be intimidating. With my co-host Steve Greer, booze expert and beverage industry insider on text standby, I picked a Malbec to ease into my dining experience. Also I knew it would pair well with this.
Malbec + Blue Cheese burger= good
Argentina tends to offer some excellent and affordable wines, particularly reds. So when translated to airport fees, we are talking $15+ a glass. I had two. That plus a $30 burger and I should be swimming in financial woe. Thing is, it's the airport and it would turn out that a blue cheese burger with a nice of glass of red wine made for a worthy special occasion. Oh and I also had this beer too:
Drink Local
A local IPA is always worthy of a try. This beer wasn't too heavy on the hops, in fact this could be the kind of IPA that could make for a good tailgate option for the beer nerd. It also helped wet my whistle for a $30 burger. Oh and speaking of that burger . . .
Black and Blue. A burger heavyweight standby.
Initially I was torn between the burrata burger and the black and blue. Either way I was committed to being classy and having a glass of wine on my burger. While a semi soft creamy cheese like burrata would pair well with a red wine, the sofrito on the burger threw me. An onion and tomato saute seemed too acidic to play well with a wine like Malbec. Also the Malbec bottle said it went with blue cheese burgers. I took that as a sign.
Excuse my half eaten burger but . . .
I don't do this, like ever. Yet here I am showing you a burger that's half eaten. Truth is I was amazed at well put together this burger was. We are at the airport after all and the only guarantee is overpriced food. This burger was overpriced but it was damn solid too. Well composed starting with the patty to bun ratio all the way through the toppings build. This burger held together well.
I added red onion too(and they charged me like $1.55 for it!) but it hung in there. Also the bite of red onion is spot on with the funk of the blue cheese, the smokiness of the bacon and the meaty punch of the beef patty. This may not be a burger you would go out of your way for, even if priced at half what Vanguard charges, but I was sure enjoying it. That wine opened up beautifully with the burger too. The bun could have been fresher and the fries could have been more interesting like shoestring or frites vs sports bar variety but you'll eat em up.
The wine made the meal
It turns out that every add on made the meal that much more memorable if insanely expensive. I practically forgot about the dumplings and maybe it's because I should have had a beer or a sake to go with it. Vanguard's blue cheese burger with wine was the move even if it meant dropping $50+ before tax and tip. Look, the airport is expensive but if you have time to kill, do it in style with a bacon blue cheeseburger and a big glass of red wine at Vanguard.
The Vitals:
the spot: Portugalia Restaurant & Bar 280 1/2 Ferry St. Newark NJ 07105
the eats: Cod Fritters, Clams with Garlic Sauce, Angus Rump Steak in thyme sauce
the bucks: $20-$40 a person, but big portions too.
the full nelson: an affordable culinary adventure and one of my new fav restaurants
I found myself back on the East Coast in November shooting a new show. Usually that means I'm in NYC but this time I was in New Jersey, specifically Newark.. It turns out Newark is a haven for Portuguese food which took me to Portugalia Restaurant and Bar. My full post is here but I'll just add this: eating clams in a Portuguese restaurant is a must.
The Vitals:
the spot: Il Ritorno 449 Central Avenue St. Petersburg FL 33701
the eats: Bucatini Pomodoro, Short Rib Mezzaluna, Squid Ink Garganelli, Bone Marrow with Yellowtail Tartare, Smoked Meatballs, A5 Japanese Wagyu Beef(seriously)
the bucks: $$$ and worth it. I'd budget $75 a head with wine to do it right. Although to get a nice plate of pasta will set you back $20-$30
the full nelson: a splurge worthy Italian experience that isn't even that bad of a splurge.
I'm going to stick with Italian but now take you to the East Coast. And not the East Coast you might expect either. Over the summer I returned to St. Petersburg FL, where we shot Cheap Eats in season 5 in 2018. Back then I visited Il Ritorno and it was so good I had to make it back. Chef David Benstock pulled out all the stops and you can catch the play by here. For now I'll let the fork drop on this squid ink pasta that was as lights out as it looks.
The Vitals:
the spot: Berardi Brothers Pizza 4203 Landis Ave Sea Isle City NJ
the eats: Any pie you fancy but def get a Margherita
the bucks: $20-$23 a pie
the full nelson: NY Style pizza at the Shore
There's good pizza in Austin but it ain't cheap. The prices some joints are charging make the idea of getting pick up seem silly. The other day I was gonna drop almost $70 for two 16" pies and I had to pick them up. I ended up cooking that night.
Beradi Bros, in the south Jersey shore is solid pizza that is damn affordable. Two of their pies fed four adults and my ravenous 10 year old. And that Margherita was . . . well you can check out the full post to find out here.
The Vitals:
the spot: Trill Foods 415 E. St. Elmo road Austin TX 78745 @vacancy brewing
the eats: rotating menu but get meat and veg dishes, think fine dining you can mostly eat with hands
the bucks: $8-$12 a person
the full nelson: one of my all time fav chefs making fine dining for the masses
Yes, I eat vegetables. It's in fact my go to move when I go to Trill Foods, a food trailer at Vacancy Brewing, south of downtown Austin. Back when Trill Foods was Trill Taqueria, their vegetable tacos were the real standout. It's not because Chef Nick Belloni cut corners on dishes like his locally sourced lamb for his lamb carnitas(yes, I said lamb carnitas), it's just that he makes vegetables as savory as any meat dish you could imagine. Check out the full post on Trill Foods here.
The Vitals:
the spot: Saigon Le Vendeur 2404 E. 7th St. Austin TX 78702
the eats: Bahn Mi combo
the bucks: $9
the full nelson: Killer Vietnamese sandwich in an über hip neighborhood.
I lived in LA for 20 years so when I came to Austin I was ready to be unimpressed with the Asian food here. Austin, despite its excessive media attention is in fact a small city. And small cities can't offer the depth larger cities can when it comes to certain communities and their food culture, like Vietnamese food. But sometimes all it takes is one or two.
Saigon Le Vendeur is far from the Bahn Mi dive you find in Houston, Atlanta or Orange County but it still hits right. Especially if you get the cold cut combo. Check out the full post here.
The Vitals:
the spot: Hold Out Brewing 1208 W. 4th St. Austin TX 78703
the eats: Hold Out Classic Burger (double)
the bucks: $11
the full nelson: top 5 burger when it's on point and one of my fav places in Austin
Exactly two years ago today I declared the burger at Salt and Time to be the best burger I have had in 5 years. Safe to say it is the best burger in Austin too. But it has met its match, and fitting, that its match stands in stark difference style wise. Hold Out does a smashburger though not to the extreme like say Carl's Drive In from my hometown of St. Louis(and Best Thing I Ever Ate burger). The toppings are fitting and the bun is top notch. Not surprisingly this top shelf ATX burger is at a brewery. Check out the full post here.
I originally bought this wine to pair with Holiday ham and it worked great. I had enough left over for my following dinner: slow roasted Ora King Salmon. They say Gamay(the grape that makes up Beaujolais) loves food and I absolutely found this to be true. This wine is easy going and will get you to look at Beaujolais in a whole new way.
Surprise! It's more steak. I will say I chose this plate of carved bone in ribeye plus the lobster, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes to illustrate that this wine is mellow and can handle a range of flavor sensations. From intense beef, to buttery mashed potatoes, and shellfish languishing in parmesan spiked creamed spinach, you'll find that the Chateau Labegorce plays well with so many types of rich foods. I'd try wine out with a Cacio e Pepe with shaved truffles or Carbonara.
I propped up the steak in the pan so it was resting bone side down. Once it hit the temp I pulled the steak and let it rest on a wire rack. As you can see, it got some good color. Then it was time for the sear.
I cranked up the heat on my pan and let it rip. I was going for looks here so I felt it out time wise. Once I thought my steak looked like it came from Smith & Wollensky, I pulled it.
I visited Distant Relatives back in June. They were about a week away from moving to their present location at Meanwhile Brewing, joining Pueblo Viejo and Doughboys, respectively some of my fav tacos and pizza in town. Meanwhile is nicer digs but there's something about being situated next to a blue collar business like a tire shop that says "if you cook it they will come". Maybe that's just the years of hood taco eating but either way I'd go just about anywhere to eat at Distant Relatives.
This brings me to Hold Out Brewing, a brewery/bar with a solid menu in Austin TX. The food is what you would expect to find from a brewery. Besides burgers, there are wings, fried chicken and fried fish sandwiches plus hearty salads. Read a little closer and you'll find Szechuan and Kimchi vinaigrettes in the salads and shareable veggie dishes. Oh and a roasted beet side with whipped feta and a blood orange vinaigrette. Things that make you say hmmm.
