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Laissez les bon temps roulez! “Pass a good time” during Lustre Pearl’s Last Crawfish Boil this Sunday. With crawfish season coming to a close, this will be Lustre Pearl’s last bash of season. Be sure to get your Cajun fix before it’s too late! The boil kicks off this Sunday, May 20 at 4:00 PM. Lustre Pearl is located at 97 Rainey Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Cost is gratis. 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 Airport Blvd. may be bustling with new restaurants and developments, but it has not always been that way. As dilapidated shopping centers and vacant lots make way for new businesses, one Austin institution has refused to be a part of the past. Quality Seafood, Austin’s premier seafood market and restaurant, dates back to 1938 and seems only getting better with age. While the decades have marked changes in ownership and location, the heart and soul of Quality Seafood Market has remained unaffected. In its long history, Quality Seafood has touched many an Austinite, something apparent during this recent foray with my visiting father. While in college I spent many a Taco Tuesday enjoying $2 fish tacos and beer, it was his first return trip to Quality in about 40 years. Born and raised in Austin, he recounted with nostalgia visiting Quality Seafood with his mother Beverly, who had also grown up buying fish from the market. Austin was quite a different city back then, and the University of Texas growth eventual pushed the market ‘way up north’ to Airport. In its current location, Quality Seafood Market has flourished and often acknowledged as one of the best places to eat in town. Read More Quality Seafood [expand title=Here] Despite its consistent high ratings, it is easy to underestimate Quality Seafood after pulling into the parking lot and walking inside. This is a seafood market, after all, complete with bright florescent lights and linoleum floors. Most tables are counter service with the exception of bar seating. However, this laidback atmosphere is all part of the restaurant’s uniqueness. After taking a seat at the bar, I ordered a glass of wine off of the small but diverse wine list priced by glass ranging from $6-$8. White wine came served in a chilled, thick wine glass, which was an unusual yet pleasant surprise. Quality Seafood Market is the type of place ordering a dozen oysters is a must. Our Canadian malpeque and Connecticut bluepoints were full of flavor and served fresh and cold as can be. Next up was an order of the bacon wrapped scallops. In this appetizer, large sea scallops are wrapped in Applewood bacon and flash fried. The bacon was crisp and salty while flash fry delivered a perfect caramelized crust to the scallops without making them greasy. The scallops still remained tender and juicy inside these perfect bites. I sampled a few bites of a bowl of New England clam chowder. It was rich in clams and flavor without being too heavy in cream. For entrees, I choose the grilled Steelhead trout fish special with a zinfandel orange mustard glaze while my father order the Thursday softshell crab special. The softshell crabs are served two to a plate fried or sautéed in a New Orleans style BBQ sauce. I preferred the fried version although the sauce on the other was excellent. However, the crab couldn’t hold a candle to the trout. While steelhead trout resembles salmon in color, it is a much milder, flakier fish. The sweet, citrusy light sauce was an exceptional compliment to the subtle flavor of the fish. Should you visit Quality Seafood when this is a featured special, order it. There are a good many reasons for Quality Seafood Market storied longevity. Casual in feel and price, the restaurant’s food is on par with fancier establishments whose fish is most likely supplied by business’ wholesale arm. And, soon more changes are in store for Quality Seafood. A recent takeover of an abandoned retail space next door means Quality Seafood is expanding in a big way. The current space will be used for the wholesale and retail business while the new space will be used for the restaurant that will soon include a large outdoor seating area. Adding so much square footage is always a risk, but if history is any indication, Quality Seafood will adapt smoothly. [/expand] Quality Seafood. 5621 Airport Blvd. Austin, TX. 512.454.5827. http://www.qualityseafoodmarket.com/
 Scallop Appetizer - $9.99
 Love this chilled glass!
Continue reading Quality Seafood Market 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 There is something about Sundays which inspire the home chef in me to spend a little more time in the kitchen than usual. Eating a comforting home cooked meal with friends is the perfect way to bookend a weekend and stave off impending anxiety about the arrival of Monday morning madness. Feeling inspired by the flavors of Spain, this particular Sunday I wanted to try my hand at paella. I had never tried my hand at making paella, but I have fine tuned my risotto skills and assumed it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. While risotto rice can be used in paellas, I found a direct divergence between the two dishes in how the rice is treated. While risotto requires consistent stirring, paella is hands off once the rice is added, which makes it an even better choice for company. Serve with a light salad. Recipe after the jump!
 Paella with shrimp, clams, scallops, chicken and sausage When scouring the web for a good paella recipe, I came across everything from traditional, time intensive recipes to simplistic, deconstructed versions, but had a tough time finding one great recipe that was somewhere in the middle. Instead I focused on the technique and worked off of a few recipes to draw inspiration from while experimenting with my own version. The final result was successful, but next time I will wait even longer to add back the seafood to prevent overcooking. I also didn’t achieve a perfect socarrat, a slightly toasted crunch on the top and bottom of the rice, and next time I will keep a thinner layer of rice and finish a bit longer in the oven to hopefully get that extra bit of texture. Similar to the regional variations of Spain’s most famous dish, there really is no wrong way to build paella. However, what I did discover through my research are a few crucial steps which are imperative to creating flavorful and traditional paella. Tips for a Perfect Paella [expand title=Here] 1. Start with a paella pan. I immediately broke this rule because I didn’t have the right pan. Instead I started with a large cast iron pan, but after it proved to be too small on the sides shifted to another large saucepan. My dish was very dense, and while it still came together well, it took a little longer to cook and didn’t get the extra bit of crispness paellas usually have. The larger pan would have made it a thinner layered dish. 2. Steep the saffron When I have used the king of spices, saffron, before I have just directly added it to the broth or pan instead of steeping it separately. For this dish, I placed the saffron strands in hot water for 15-20 minutes before adding it to my broth which allowed the aromatic saffron to open up and release more flavor. 3. Create a flavorful sofrito Along with the broth, the sofrito base is the crux to good paella. A sofrito is the basic vegetable base of paella. Unlike risotto where vegetables are cooked alongside the rice, the sofrito is created prior to adding the rice. For my sofrito, I used tomatoes, onions, garlic, smoked paprika and olive oil all cooked in the same pan where I had cooked the meat and seafood, which created a natural flavor base as well. 4. Cook the protein before adding the rice The first step to beginning the cooking process is to cook the chicken, sausage and seafood (besides mussels or clams) and remove once cooked about 2/3 through. The chicken and sausage can be added with the rice, but the seafood is set aside until just before completion. The sofrito is then cooked in the leftover liquids, creating layers of flavors in the dish. 5. Don’t stir the rice once the liquid is added Once the liquid is added to the rice mixture, it is mostly hands off. The only recommended step is to move the pan from burner to burner to help create a consistent cooking temperature all the way through. 6. Allow the dish to rest before serving After the paella is finished cooking, cover and let it stand for 5-10 minutes. [/expand] Continue reading Recipe File: Seafood Paella As I mentioned here and here, Uchi is one of the best, if not the best, restaurant in town. My latest trip to the Japanese Farmhouse on South Lamar proved this once again as everything we ordered was a party for the mouth. Of course, I can’t visit Uchi without ordering a bacon steakie, and while no tears sprung to my eyes, it was just as enjoyable as previous visits. I also ordered about 7 pieces of madai (Japanese Sea Bream), which is my favorite piece of sushi to order. The combination of subtle, sweet white fish combined with . . . → Read More: Uchi + Navigating the Menu As Ouiser from Steel Magnolias detailed, southern women do love growing their tomatoes, and my mom is no exception. I happened to be in my hometown for work recently and returned to Austin with a plentiful stock of the sweetest cherry tomatoes fresh from her garden. With my crop of tomatoes in hand, I was inspired to make a restaurant inspired favorite. As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of Eddie V’s Parmesan Crusted Sole with Tomatoes, especially since it encompasses three of my favorite components: cheese, tomatoes and seafood. While I love Eddie V’s preparation, unfortunately my waist line and pocket book make the restaurant’s version a special occasion indulgence rather than an everyday dinner. With Eddie V’s dish in mind, I tried to recreate my own version, using Dover sole and a generous tomato topping. I add more tomatoes to my version to compensate for not using a heavy dose of garlic butter sauce. The fresh tomatoes are an easy way to add flavor where fat has been eliminated. While I used Dover sole for tonight’s dish, I have also made this with halibut, which I would recommend as it is more user friendly because the sole is so thin it can be easily overcooked. While it wasn’t in the same league as Eddie V’s version, it is an easy, quick preparation any home cook can master. For the restaurant inspiration plus a recipe for the restaurant, go here. I paired this dish with roasted asparagus and salad. The salad I made can be found here.
 Parmesan Crusted Sole w/Asparagus
 Tomato Relish - Serve with fish or as bruschetta Continue reading Recipe File: Parmesan Crusted Sole Congratulations to the Tyson Cole, who last week was crowned James Beard’s Best Chef – Southwest. The main man behind Austin’s Uchi and Uchiko restaurants deserves the honor many times over as anyone who has dined at either spot can attest to. Recently, I went to Uchi during Restaurant Week to celebrate my birthday. Part of the draw of restaurant week is that a normally pricey restaurant is made more affordable. Since it is virtually impossible for me to not order pieces of sashimi when I go to Uchi, I don’t think I necessarily benefited from a bargain of a meal, but Uchi during ARW allowed the opportunity to make a reservation for 8:30 on a Sunday night as well as to try the dessert menu, which I had not done before. (While Uchiko does take reservations, Uchi doesn’t, so this was a treat in and of itself.) I knew it was going to be a great evening right off the bat when our table was under the helm of Chris, who may just be the best waiter ever. By coincidence, I have had the pleasure of having Chris as my server the last few times I have been to Uchi. Not only did he introduce my taste buds to the perfection that is the bacon steakie, but he has made each visit a special and memorable experience. Once again, Chris did not let us down as every single recommendation he gave throughout the dinner was excellent. Although my date and I both ordered the ARW menu, we immediately strayed by ordering a few favorite sashimi pieces including the scallop, sea bream and nightly oyster selection, all of which were executed perfectly and delicious. Next up was the hama chili and a mouthwatering chef’s selection of sashimi. The hama chili was clean and simple, with a combination of citrus, sweetness and spice that highlighted the beautiful and fresh yellowtail. Following the appetizers, we ordered the walu walu and the bacon steakie. While we were originally headed away from the walu walu, Chris recommended it, and of course, we were pleased. As promised, the ponzu broth was the star of the dish and made us want to order it by the gallon. The oak grilled escolar by itself was very nice, but the accompanying broth took it to the next level. And then, the bacon steakie. No matter what I write, I won’t give it justice, so just trust me when I say, you have not experienced hog heaven until you have tried the bacon steakie. Prior to our arrival, a friend recommended trying the foie gras sushi. It was what I would call an absolute perfect bite. After a few more pieces of sashimi, it was time to try the dessert. Between a palate drawn towards salty/savory flavors and a rare sweet tooth tending to generally veer towards high quality treats Cherry Sours and Hot Tamales, I rarely spring for the dessert menu. Additionally, I have sometimes found in a typical Japanese restaurant the dessert menu is usually an afterthought or confined green tea ice cream, of which I am not a fan. Of course, Uchi is no ordinary restaurant so I should not have been surprised to find the desserts were anything but an afterthought. They were unique and complicated, beautifully presented, and a special and delightful way to mark the end of the meal. Both were outstanding, but the peanut butter semi freddo was the highlight. It reminded me of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the best sort of way. Every time I go to Uchi I am reminded how just how good it truly is from start to finish, and I am excited the James Beard selection committee recognized its excellence. Congrats on the well deserved honor!  Oyster  Sea Bream  Scallop Continue reading The James Beard Award Winning Uchi |  | ||
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