Posts in Category: 2012
Lumiere | Newton, Massachusetts USA
Amuse Bouche; Soldier bean hummus on a slice of cucumber. black and white sesame seeds and little scallions.
Verrill Farm Corn Soup; Roasted Tomatillo and Corn Salsa, Lime Crema
Seared Barnegat Light Sea Scallops; Succotash Salad & Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette
Miso-Mustard Glazed Chatham Bluefish; shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant, sweet & spicy soy-sesame vinaigrette
Sophia’s Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta; Local Berry Compote, Lemon Shortbread Crumble
For what would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday, I searched the state of Massachusetts for a restaurant that would have a menu that reflects her teachings. One of the eateries near me happened to have a special menu and so I went to check it out. Really enjoyed the soup as it was creamy but not too much where the corn flavor was masked. Also liked the scallops, which was actually ordered off their regular menu, I just did some research and found that this was a not-to-miss type of item.
Lumiere (information gathered 9/2012)
1293 Washington St
Newton, MA 02465
617.244.9199
Hours
Mon – Thu 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Fri 5:30pm – 10:00pm
Sat 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Sun 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Parking
Is kind of tough. The site specifies street parking, but there isn’t much. About a block down near the police station was a metered parking lot that I found a spot at. Good luck. No valet.
Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com
| References: Lumiere http://www.lumiererestaurant.com |
Don Cafe & Sandwich | Houston, Texas USA
Outside Don
Inside, about to order
Banh Mi, assemble!
Banh Mi with one of my favorite beverages, Yeo’s Soy Milk!
While walking around the streets of Houston, my friend Bang tells me that he and his family always used to come here to eat their Banh Mi. A quality Banh Mi shop?! Count me in!!
Don Cafe & Sandwich (information gathered 9/2012)
9300 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77036
713.777.9500
Hours
Mon-Sun 8:00am – 9:00pm
Parking
Good bit of parking available.
Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com
| References:
Thanks to Bang Ho for the walk around Houston. |
Uchi | Austin, Texas USA
Yeah, this happened. I want to go back…lol
wagyu hot rock “sear it yourself”; wagyu beef, ponzu, japanese
Cooking Wagyu on the hot rock
Hama Chili; baby yellowtail, ponzu, thai chili, orange supreme
Inside Uchi
Saba Shio; grilled norwegian mackerel, parsley, preserved lemon
Hamachi Nabe; baby yellowÂtail, koshi hikari rice, farm egg, soy broth
Machi Cure; smoked baby yellowÂtail, yucca chips, asian pear, marcona almonds, garlic brittle
Kaki to Ringo; oyster honeycrisp apple wasabi
After a quick pre-dinner dinner at Barley Swine, we met up with some new food eating friends, Valerie Masterman and Jason Petitte for a trip through some of Uchi’s tasty offerings. What a meal. Everything I had was great. Especially the Wagyu hot rock dish! I think anything that is table side and/or do-it-yourself (to an extent) is so gratifying and entertaining. Before I come back, I definitely want to first check out their sister restaurant, Uchiko.
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Barley Swine (information gathered 9/2012)
2024 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, Texas
512.394.8150
Hours
Mon – Fri 6pm – 11pm
Sat 5pm – 11pm
Parking
Good bit of parking available. There’s also valet if you wish to skip the trouble of finding a spot.
Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com
| References:Thanks to Bang Ho, Valerie Masterman and Jason Petitte for the wonderful company while eating at Uchi! Uchi http://www.uchiaustin.com/uchi |
Pho Binh Bellaire | Houston, Texas USA
Ho brothers eating
Pho Ga Kho; chicken pho with a very flavorful chicken broth on side
One of the best Pho at a restaurant I’ve had to date. When my good friends Bang and Kiem Ho said this place has some great Pho, they weren’t kidding. I went with the unique recommendation of the ph? gà khô which translates to ‘dry chicken noodle soup’. Unique because the soup, first of all, is of a chicken broth as opposed to the typical beef broth. Secondly, the noodles are served dry (without the soup), allowing you to pour the chicken broth as needed. Finally, they dress the top of the noodles with pieces of chicken, egg, and fried shallots and assorted herbs.
A lovely meal with good friends!
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Pho Binh Bellaire (information gathered 9/2012)
10827 Bellaire Blvd.
Houston, Texas
281.568.7333
Hours
Lunch
Tues – Sun 8:00am – 4:00pm
(missed out on lunch? no problem! They have another place, ‘Pho Binh by Night’ that is opened when this place closes… across the street. Yeah I’m not sure on the logic either..)
Parking
Medium sized parking lot in front of the restaurant.
Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com
| References: Bang and Kiem Ho. Thanks for the recommendation! Pho Binh Bellaire http://www.phobinh.com/bellaire |
BBQ Crusade through Lockhart | Lockhart, Texas USA
Outside about to eat BBQ
Giant Beef Short Ribs. Almost ordered two, but realized I had to pace myself. lol
During my behind the scenes tour at Blacks, got to see their custom smoker setup.
Outside Kreuz Market
Cutting some brisket for my pleasure.
Beef Brisket, sliced. Forgot to take a picture before I devoured my first 1/2 lb of brisket (fatty/lean mix). Got this to symbolize the brisket :). The red ring is quite lovely; definitely the fatty brisket was better.
Outside Smitty’s Market
Took the tour at Smitty’s Market and they showed me their smoking pitts. Awesome setup! Be warned, when you walk in, the cashier/where you order is right near the fire pits so… It’s going to be hot. Really hot.
Killer baby back ribs and a smoked pork chop; the pork chop had this incredible smokey seasoned fatty crust.
Holy…Wow.. I definitely been baptized in some amazing Texan BBQ and the delicious BBQ bar is now set so high. Was advised by friend Justin Fox of Fox Bro BBQ in Atlanta, GA to hit up three places in Lockhart, TX. And let me tell you…of everyone I know in Georgia, who better to advise me on good Texan BBQ than this man.
Anyways, Blacks BBQ, Kreuz Market, and Smitty’s Market were the three places he recommended. And so.. in typical Matt Wong form, I decided to hit up all three :). I definitely did my research and found what were the best of each establishment among multiple review sites (e.g. Yelp, Zagat, etc..) and the dishes you see above are what I saw as best. (Let me know if I missed something on Facebook or Twitter as I definitely mean to go back soon).
To put it simply. My BBQ Crusade was incredible. Can’t wait to go back!
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BBQ Crusade through Lockhart, Texas: Blacks BBQ, Kreuz Market and Smitty’s Market (information gathered 9/2012)
Blacks BBQ
215 North Main Street
Lockhart, Texas 78644
512.398.2712
Hours
Mon – Thurs, Sun 10:00am – 8:00pm
Fri & Sat 10:00am – 8:30pm
Parking
Dedicated street side parking for Blacks. Decent amount of parking when I went (around 2pm).
Kreuz Market
619 N. Colorado St.
Lockhart, TX 78644-2110
512.398.2361
Hours
Mon – Sat 10:30am – 8:00pm|
Sun Closed
Parking
Infinite. It has a disneyworld sized parking lot, with a matching diningroom. “Everything is bigger in Texas.” You’re all set.
Smitty’s Market
208 South Commerce
Lockhart, Texas 78644
512.398.9344
Hours
Mon – Fri 7:00am – 6:00pm
Sat 7:00am – 6:30pm
Sun 9:00am – 3:00pm
Parking
You’ll find yourself pulling up to a gravel parking lot; I can see this being a difficult place to park during lunch.
Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com
| References:
Thanks to Justin Fox of Fox Bros BBQ for the recommendation!! Fox Bros BBQ http://www.foxbrosbbq.com/Blacks BBQ http://www.blacksbbq.com/ Kreuz Market http://www.kreuzmarket.com/index.shtml Smitty’s Market http://www.smittysmarket.com/ |
Swift’s Attic | Austin, Texas USA
Swift’s Attic
Bar Area
Warm Niman Ranch pork cheeks w/ sourdough toast and condiments: fig & mustard
Crispy twice cooked duck wings; ?black bean glaze, kaffir chili sauce
Squid Fries; roasted garlic aioli, ?charred lemon, herb salad
Tucked upstairs, this is a new place I found via Delta’s Sky magazine. As I only had 24+/- hours in Austin, ended up going to Swift’s Attic at 11am, just as it opened. I’m guessing the place wasn’t expecting anyone that early as they were still filming for a local food critic.
My favorite dish was without a doubt, the squid fries. Get the squid fries. Just amazing! It was tender, well seasoned and was really fun to eat. Squeeze the juice from the grilled lemon as you go; as it’ll help keep the squid fries’ texture. So good.
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Swift’s Attic (information gathered 9/2012)
315 Congress Ave. Suite 200
Austin, Texas 78701
Hours
Lunch
Mon – Fri 11:00am–2pm
Dinner
Mon – Wed 5pm – 10pm
Thur – Sat 5pm – 11pm
Parking
Walked over from Annie’s Cafe & Bar right next door. But from the looks of it, very limited meter parking in the front. There might be some parking decks and/or parking lots nearby.
Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com
| References:
Swift’s Attic http://www.swiftsattic.com/ |