9th March, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I have found a restaurant to add to my top 10 favorite restaurants! My husband and I checked out Casa Colombia last weekend and both really enjoyed our meals. My husband thought the food was a little bland (also a complaint of his when we actually visited Colombia last January) but I guess I enjoy simple foods more than him, because I thought mine was great and I loved eating the leftovers.
Casa Colombia is located on East 7th Street, not too far past 35. The atmosphere was relaxed and unassuming, with minimal decorations on the wall. I thought the waiters were all really friendly even though we came in close to closing time (the close at 7 on Sundays), and we didn’t wait long for our food.
To start I had the abarrajado, described at sweet fried plantains stuffed with mozzarella cheese. At $3.50, I thought it was a good price for an appetizer. It was huge! The pic is just of half of it!
For dinner, I had a cheese arepa (a corn meal patty filled with cheese) and the vegetable plate ($7.99), which was an assortment of veggies cooked in criollo sauce, served with black beans, rice, and plantains. The vegetables were really good, and the rice was cooked to perfection (rice I could just eat by itself). The purpose of “restaurant review Friday” is to highlight either a restaurant that uses local ingredients or is in some way sustainable, and/or a restaurant that serves good vegetarian food. This falls into the latter of those categories, and this was one of the best vegetarian dishes I’ve had in a long time. I guess a similar vegetarian dish I’ve eaten a lot of recently that I could compare this to would be vegetable tacos or fajitas, but it was nice to have something other than tortillas as my “bread” ( the arepa), the plantains were something different, and rather than sometimes greasy rice and re-fried beans, the white rice and black beans were a nice change. Plus the veggies weren’t just grilled, as they often are with veggie tacos or fajitas, they were simmered in a tomato based sauce first. Really good!
29th July, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I don’t have a restaurant review for this week, but I did revisit East Side Cafe on Monday (which I’ve already reviewed here) and man, was it good. The service, which is usually good but can be hit or miss, was excellent for our visit, and our food was fresh, local, and exciting. I tried the fresh vegetable plate appetizer, and had a side of eggplant gratin. It was the most delicious healthy meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant. To clarify, it wasn’t the most delicious meal I’ve ever had, but of healthy meals, it was the most delicious I’ve had at a restaurant.
The eggplant gratin was some baked eggplant with cheese (well, that part probably wasn’t extremely healthy) and I made the vegetable plate my main course. The plate came with fresh, raw okra, string beans, cucumber, green squash, and green bell pepper. It was served with 1 hard-boiled egg, a small egg salad, some anchovy butter, a side of sea salt, and some cilantro lime dressing. It was very healthy but still managed to be filling since it came with the egg sides, and was a nice, light meal after another long, hot Austin day. The presentation was nice, the price was reasonable ($8), and it wasn’t your run of the mill “healthy” option, which is usually a disappointing salad at many restaurants. Great work, East Side Cafe!
30th September, 2010 - Posted by katherine - 2 Comments
Last weekend I visited Boggy Creek Farm for the first time. If you’ve never been there, it’s a fairly large farm considering it’s in the middle of the city, on the east side on Lyons road. All of the food the farm produces is organic, and you can see what’s for sale every Saturday and Wednesday. I went on Saturday, and got there shortly after it opened at 9AM – I’ve heard that they can run out of food quickly so you should get there early. They have a nice selection of peas, squash, herbs, salad, okra, peppers, cucumber, and eggplant, as well as some fresh bread, eggs, and dairy products. It’s fun to just walk around and look at the gardens and chickens and then pick up some fresh produce.
I didn’t take pictures of the stand area where they were selling food, but I bought some zucchini that were really good quality – not dented all over with a dry aging skin like the ones at HEB – the ones I picked up were really plump with no signs of rough handling, and the skin was taught like they had just been picked and not sitting around very long.
Here are some pics of the farm:
fields in the back
fields in the front
chickens!
20th July, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
Check out this Statesman article about how East Austin is seeing an increase in environmental improvement projects like walking trails, new sewage lines, and cleaner public areas. The article states that the city will have almost doubled its expenditures on East Austin public works projects at $47.9 million annually in the 2009-11 fiscal years, up from $25.7 million annually from 1998 to 2008. The reasons for this increase include an influx of new, more affluent residents who have been communicating more with City Hall about their environmental agenda for the area. The change is not without its tensions, though, as longtime residents are hesitant about the projects, and some would prefer that money be spent elsewhere.
Wednesday night, the City will be sponsoring a meeting for people living in the Montopolis neighborhood to discuss proposed amendments to their neighborhood plan document. The meeting is at 6:30 in the auditorium of Austin Community College’s Riverside campus, 1020 Grove Blvd. For more info, call Maureen Meredith at the City of Austin at 974-2695.
16th July, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
My birthday is this weekend, and to celebrate I decided I would like to go to a restaurant that serves local, ethical meat and give myself a one-day break from the vegetarian thing. I decided on East Side Show Room because I’ve heard great things about the food and their specialty cocktails, if not the service, from yelp and several of my friends.
Once inside, I immediately loved the 20′s decor. Old silent films playing on the wall, rose petals in the women’s restroom, ornamental red wallpaper, old-timey lightbulbs, etc. Just lovely. And unlike the many horror stories I read on yelp, our waitress was very nice and helpful. She recommended a sweet and fruity gin drink for me, which was delicious and summery and served with some blackberries. My boyfriend and I ordered the venison appetizer, which came wrapped in bacon and served with fried okra and jalapeno cheese grits.
This was my first bite of meat in over seven months, and I gotta say, it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it’d be. It had a nice flavor and wasn’t too chewy, but the barely cooked bacon kinda threw me off. The okra and grits, though, were to die for. I want that grits recipe–yum! Then for the main dish I had the coq a vin:
This dish was so comforting–it reminded me of a chicken pot pie but with a much more intense flavor. The croissant was nice and flaky and the summer herb butter served with it was mouth watering. That’s another recipe I would like to have! My boyfriend ordered the prime rib and seemed moderately happy with it, although he noted that it was a bit chewy.
I would definitely recommend this place as an ideal spot for a special occasion, but before you go check it out, it’s probably good to know going into it that things are going to get a bit pricey. The drinks and food and atmosphere are excellent, but I think the trendiness plays a factor in how much you’re paying. Overall, though, I’m glad I got to try out some local meat and enjoy a beautiful atmosphere for my birthday dinner.
17th June, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
This month’s business spotlight is on Modesty Hair Studio, located on 11th St. on the east side in the East Village Condos building. Recently, I visited the salon for a trim and to check out all the ways the owners, Naomi and Song, are making their business eco-friendly. Here is a list of some of their greener aspects:
- The studio is in a mixed used, energy efficient building with floor to ceiling windows and lots of natural light:
- Where additional lighting is needed, they use energy efficient bulbs in all the lighting fixtures.
- The front desk and shelving units are made out of recycled metals and plastics.
- Even the mirrors are made out of recycled materials.
- All the paint on the walls is a low or no VOC paint.
- The concrete floors don’t have any kind of chemical sealer to make them shiny–they simply polished them instead.
- Most of the furniture is re-used or antiques bought at local shops:
- They recycle as much as possible–plastic bottles, paper, aluminum cans, and even the foil used to highlight hair.
- They donate all that extra cut-off hair to a non-profit organization, Matter of Trust, that makes mats out of hair to clean up oil spills.
- Business cards, gift certificates, and any other paper used is made from recycled material.
- They use Davines hair products, which are made of natural ingredients and packaged in recycled plastic bottles. Also, the Davines company factories are run on wind and solar power:
- If clients request it, non-ammonia and organic color lines are available.
- They offer organic wines, coffee, and natural sodas during a visit.
- They use a hybrid computer at the front desk that uses 70% less energy than the standard computer.
Overall, it seems like the owners are really conscious of their actions and have thought about how they can be green every step along the way in creating their new business. Also, the general experience there was very pleasant for me–the natural lighting makes the place so bright and inviting, Naomi was really helpful and nice, the shampoo and other products smelled great, and I was very happy with my trim. If you’re looking for a high-end salon, this is a great, locally-owned, eco-conscious business to support.
11th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - 1 Comment
In the last 2 weeks I’ve been to the East Side Cafe twice, and both times had a wonderful dinner. Prior to my two recent experiences, my only other trip to East Side Cafe was about 3 or 4 years ago, and at that point I wasn’t wild about the experience – possibly because we ate really late, possibly because of the people we were eating with, and possibly because at the time, I was still in school and it’s a little expensive for a student ($12-25 for an entrée). So I never went back to try it again until about 2 weeks ago, at which point I had a delicious meal. I started with a side salad that wasn’t on the menu but had roasted beets on top of mixed greens with toasted nuts (maybe pecans). Then I had the Artichoke Manicotti, which the menu describes as “Carrot pasta filled with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, pistachios, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese. Topped with sun-dried tomato cream sauce and parmesan cheese.” (Half order was $13.95). 
It was wonderful and the best meal I have had in a long time. I finished up with a dessert that was the special of the night – blackberry cobbler with blue bell ice cream. It was a really tasty end to my meal. The service that night was also excellent.
I enjoyed it so much I suggested to my husband that we go try it out since he hadn’t been there in several years either. This time we had the Baked Brie with Apple Chutney as an appetizer, which was very good, and I had the Smoked Salmon and Shrimp Cake Salad, described on the menu as “Smoked salmon and shrimp cakes served on a bed of mixed greens tossed with lemon remoulade dressing.” It was also very tasty, and probably a lot healthier than the pasta/Mexican fare I am usually drawn to. And it actually came with 2 dressings which I think they made there – they were both really good.
Aside from the great food, the cool thing about East Side Cafe is that they grow some of there own veggies right on side – you can tour the gardens while you wait for your tables. And these gardens are farmed using only organic methods. Plus they just recently purchased some land off site to be able to grow even more of their own food. They do purchase a lot of food from conventional sources as well, but it’s nice that some of it is organic and local.
2nd April, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I tried out Buenos Aires Cafe‘s new East location a few weeks ago. I thought it was a really cute restaurant, and the food was reasonably priced for a semi fancy atmosphere. The waiters were all very professional and there was live music and impromptu salsa dancing – very saucy! I had the small spinach salad ($5.99), which the menu described as “A refreshing blend of organic baby spinach, feta cheese, organic Fuji apples and spicy roasted pecans tossed in our homemade sweet and tangy vinaigrette.” It was nice and fresh. Then I had two empanadas, the verdura (spinach, ricotta, parmesan cheese and onions- $2.59) and the tuna (tuna, tomato, red pepper, onion, green and black olives – $ 2.59). I loved the verdura empanada.
My husband had the gnocchi quartet ($12.99), which the menu describes as “our homemade pumpkin-cinnamon, sweet potato-chipotle, cilantro-jalapeno, and potato-herb gnocchi tossed with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and haricots verts and olive oil, finished with specialty sauces and fresh parmesan.” It was really delicious and my husband said it was the best gnocchi he had ever had.
For dessert we had the “Dark and Spicy Chocolate Crème Brulee” – “dark chocolate and spicy pasilla and cayenne peppers” – it was reeeeally good, both rich and spicy.
It’s a nice local business to support too! Their website says “At Buenos Aires Café we are committed to serving the highest quality food, prepared with love and care from the hands that make it. We use only the freshest ingredients available and make an effort to support local farmers and market whenever possible. We hand pick all the vegetables and fruits used at our restaurants. Our greens are organic and dressed with our signature dressings prepared on site daily. We do not use trans fat oils, only pure olive oil and canola oil. The meats served are also organic. Both the pork and beef cuts are naturally raised, hormone free and certified organic. To give back to the community is part of our mission and commitment. Buenos Aires Cafe recycles all the cardboard boxes, we make weekly trips to the Ecology Action of Texas. We give all of our vegetable scraps for composting to our next door neighbor Clay Worksin exchange for herbs.” Very cool!
I had some awesome pics of our food but now I can’t find them on my computer – dang you, technology!
26th March, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
Blue Dahlia is a cute little bistro on the eastside that serves up salads, sandwiches, breakfast, and larger entrees, along with beer, wine, and coffee. The menu states that they use organic produce when available and that they are committed to optimizing the effect their restaurant has on the environment. Not only are they organic and environmentally friendly, but the food and atmosphere make for a very pleasant visit. I went a few weeks ago with my family, just as the weather was getting nice, and it was so lovely. We sat outside in the back, it was sunny, the plants were green, and the food was really delicious. I got the brie with walnuts and apricot preserve, pictured above, and doesn’t it just look so good? It was served on crispy fresh baked whole wheat bread, and the cheese and preserves went really well together. At first I didn’t think this would be enough food, but I actually ended up having leftovers. I would really recommend this restaurant to anyone, especially if you’re looking for a patio on a nice day.
19th March, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
The HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) Farmer’s Market is a fairly new market on the eastside that opened in October. It’s every Sunday from 11-3 at Waller and 5th. I recently bought a Groupon that included vouchers to use there, some yoga classes, and a reuseable bag, so I stopped by for the first time the other day to use the vouchers and check the place out. I found the market to be full of interesting stuff, and I will definitely go back regularly. However, it’s a bit of a misnomer, since there was a limited amount of actual fresh produce. It’s more of a community market, with a little bit of farmers market thrown in. I only saw a couple stands that sold veggies, but the ones they did have were plentiful and very fresh. I bought some kale and collard greens from the Finca Pura Vida stand, and both have been very hardy and tasty. All the other stands had other items of interest, including prepared foods, tea, clothing, soap, recycled yarn, jewelry, candles, etc. They also have free yoga, provided by Empower Yoga at 12 and 1, which I will have to try out soon. I liked the variety of items, and the atmosphere and location were very fun. But if it’s a variety of produce and produce vendors you’re looking for, I think the Austin Farmer’s Market downtown is going to be your best bet.
