By Ginny, on January 11th, 2012% A recent trip to JMueller’s BBQ on South First proved the long anticipated return of John Mueller to Austin’s BBQ scene was well worth the wait. With my visiting Texan-turned-New Yorker younger brother Jerry in tow, I was given a tall order to provide him with a last taste of real Texas BBQ before he returned to the Big Apple. I took a small gamble on JMueller’s, having never been, but packed lines and solid word of mouth assured me it was a lock. Mueller’s approach to barbecue is classic and straightforward. His brisket, for example, is seasoned . . . → Read More: JMueller’s BBQ By Ginny, on January 3rd, 2012% A new year has officially begun, which means one thing: resolutions. Today’s Dish of the Day is a perfect solution to abiding by all those promises to eat healthy, save money, and so on. As mentioned here, Taco Tuesdays at Quality Seafood are a college student’s dream, but after rediscovering this steal of a deal, my stomach and bank account gladly can’t get enough. As part of their weekly specials menu, Quality Seafood serves $2 seafood tacos alongside $2 domestic beers every Tuesday night from 6-9pm. Each taco comes with a choice of shrimp, mahi-mahi, or catfish served grilled, . . . → Read More: Dish/Deal of the Day: Taco Tuesday @ Quality Seafood By Ginny, on December 13th, 2011% The holiday season is in full swing, which means festivities galore. One of my favorite winter appetizer recipes to utilize for holiday entertaining is Cooking Light’s Baked Brie and Apple Raisin Compote. These little morsels of goodness are simple to make and always a crowd favorite. As an added bonus, the compote’s spices smell fantastic while cooking. Any leftover apple-raisin mixture pairs nicely with pork or even pureed with butternut squash. The recipe calls for golden raisins, but if you can’t locate any, regular raisins work as well. I have also substituted pears for apples in this recipe with solid results. A good tip for making these more budget friendly is to buy bulk spices since the recipe calls for quite a few. Enjoy!  Continue reading Recipe File: Baked Brie and Apple Raisin Compote Crostinis
By Ginny, on November 3rd, 2011% Happy National Sandwich Day! Is there really any other type of food which is as universally beloved and culturally diverse as a sandwich? From bahn mis to burgers, simple subs to shawarmas, there is really no wrong way to celebrate National Sandwich Day. What better way to honor the day than with a wood fire grilled sandwich from Lucky’s Puccia. Located outside West 5th Street’s Tiniest Bar in Texas, Lucky’s Puccia Trailer serves traditional Italian sandwiches on baked to order puccia bread in a wood fire oven. The fresh puccias’ soft and pillowy texture combined a smoky wood-fire flavor are reminiscent of perfect Neapolitan pizza crust. Immediately after baking, the puccias are split open and stuffed with cheeses, vegetables, and meats. If that wasn’t enough Lucky’s uses house made sauces and Con Olio olive oils as an added bonus. The Primavera Puccia features olive oil dressed arugula and juicy beefsteak tomatoes top layers of salty, cold ricotta salata in between aforementioned puccia bread. Minimal in ingredients but robust in taste, this is simplicity at its finest. Using ricotta salata instead of mozzarella is a welcome surprise; the natural saltiness pairs well with the wood-fire flavor and coldness against the warm vegetables. While Lucky’s adds a chipotle mayo to the primavera, it could easy be removed. Despite being baked to order, Lucky’s Puccia moves quickly, making it a perfect downtown lunchtime spot.  - Lucky’s Puccias
Lucky’s Puccia. 817 W. 5th Street, Austin, TX 78703. Go here for more info.  Primaver Puccia - $7.50 Continue reading National Sandwich Day @ Lucky’s Puccia Trailer
By Ginny, on September 8th, 2011% After a lifetime aversion to peaches, I have suddenly found myself a full on peach convert recently. Growing up I avoided the pitted fruit despite Texas’ outstanding crop of peaches. In fact, I grew up with a peach tree in my own backyard and despite numerous attempts to become a peach fanatic, it didn’t take. This was a fairly cruel dislike for me to have as I regularly walked into my kitchen growing up to find my mother making batches of chutneys and jams with her bumper crop of peaches. My grandmother, whose hill country garden produces peaches galore, makes homemade, from scratch, peach ice cream every summer, and it was a travesty I never enjoyed it as I should. With Austin’s local restaurant scene fully immersed in the farm to table movement peaches are a regularly featured item as some of the best peaches come from the Texas Hill Country just a few miles away. No longer contained to cobbler, peaches are now a central ingredient in salads, savory meat dishes and margaritas. In my own kitchen, I have started using peaches as if they are the new tomato by playing with flavor profiles and inverting them into my dishes any which way I can. This Peach BBQ Sauce is the first in a series of recipes representing how my life has become one giant peach in Summer 2011.  Farmer's Market Peaches  Peach BBQ Sauce Continue reading Peach BBQ Sauce
By Ginny, on August 30th, 2011% When deciding where to kill time before a friend’s birthday party Friday night, I tried to find the best compromise between my growing hunger pains and my two guy friends who were more focused on Coronas than cheese plates. As I quickly realized my go to wine and appetizer happy hour spots were going to be shot down, Star Bar proved to be a perfect happy medium since I remembered The Peached Tortilla trailer happens to be parked out back most Fridays. The Peached Tortilla, which I first wrote about here, is a mobile fusion food truck featuring Asian/Southern styled sliders and tacos. The Peached Tortilla recently has gained national buzz, helped in part by participating in events like this month’s San Francisco Street Food Fest. After sampling a few bites on Friday evening, it is evident there is certainly substance behind all the hype. Read the Full Peached Tortilla Rundown [expand title=Here] While the tacos were tasty, the sliders were outstanding. The tender brisket topped with a slightly spicy, sweet peach BBQ sauce was seriously addicting. The Banh Mi slider featuring braised pork belly, pickled diakon and carrot salad topped with a spicy sriracha mayo sauce was a close second to the brisket. The savory pork belly was melt in the mouth tender, not too fatty, and well balanced. The sriracha mayo was fiery against the subtle pork belly, and certainly not for those with a mild pallet. While it was still very good, I would pick the two meat sliders over the crab cake next go around. It was just a little rich with the sweet bun and mayo sauce, but it was devoured in minutes nonetheless. For the tacos we ordered the catfish and pad Thai, with the catfish taking the trophy for those two. It was lightly fried outside and flaky white inside. I loved that both tacos did not skimp on filling just like the sliders, making each piece a bang for the buck. Lastly, the pimento cheese fries were a must order. Such a clever use of the classic Southern cheese dip, and worth every calorie! Dinner at The Peached Tortilla proved it is not the type of trailer you eat at because it is at the bar; rather, you drink at the bar because it has The Peached Tortilla. [/expand]  The Brisket Slider (left) - $3.00 The Peached Tortilla has two trucks, one mobile and one permanent. The permanent truck is parked at 2503 Guadalupe (when school is in session). The mobile truck’s daily location can be found via Twitter @PeachedTortilla or on the website; it is also available to cater events, office lunches, etc. Contact 512.222.8781 for details. Continue reading The Peached Tortilla
By Ginny, on August 18th, 2011% One of my favorite places to pick up a birthday or office treat in a pinch is Sweetish Hill Bakery. While I love the idea of giving cutesy cupcakes, a dozen or so adds up pretty quickly and suddenly my nice gesture ends up not so kind to the ‘ole wallet. Same goes for extravagant cakes and pies at most bakeries and grocery stores. Enter Sweetish Hill. While some flavors and sizes do require notice, Sweetish Hill offers a wide selection of cakes on hand for every last minute need. For under $25 you can pick up a perfectly . . . → Read More: Sweetish Hill Bakery By Ginny, on August 3rd, 2011% Inspired by the delicious corn panzanella I enjoyed during a recent foray to Second Bar + Kitchen, I created my own version for a recent weeknight get together. While it wasn’t as good as Chef Bull’s version, it did get rave reviews from my guests. Instead of a side dish, my version was more of a hearty salad as I added shrimp and black beans. Not only was it a simple and quick dish to put together, but budget friendly as well. Because one of my friends has a milder palate, I didn’t add too much spice to the dish, but I included a note about how to kick it up a notch as well. Shrimp and Roasted Corn Panzanella  Shrimp and Roasted Corn PanzanellaThe Inspiration
Full recipe after the jump! Continue reading Recipe File: Shrimp and Roasted Corn Panzanella
| | AboutGinny’s Austin is one girl's take on everything happening around Austin, focusing primarily food, music, and events around town.  |
Follow Me!
Search