Savorish Issue 1
If you want to purchase a copy of our magazine.....
By LASA EZINE
44 pages, published 13 DEC 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tiff's Treats: Cookie Delivery
Barbecue the Chinese Way
Friday, November 18, 2011
Tokyo Steakhouse and Sushi Bar: Feature Lead and Nut Graph
“If you are going to do something, love it, and do your best.”
Such words Mr. Charles Pan must have followed to mold and shape his Toyko Steakhouse restaurant in Round Rock into the popular teppan-yaki restaurant it is today. A popular stop for authentic Japanese cuisine and entertaining chefs, the environment created inside of the restaurant is not only welcoming, but bustling with energy. With rows and rows of fresh, high-quality seafood and dips set out on the marble counter top at the sushi bar, and the roar of the grills on which trained chefs prepare food, it is apparent that quality is all that the restaurant is about. “I hire the best workers. There are dishwashers, and then there are fast dishwashers. There are chefs, and the there are certified, authentic, skilled chefs. We believe in quality. Yes, quality.”
Mr. Pan had taken over the Tokyo Steakhouse restaurant after his sister, the previous owner, moved to San Antonio. He had graduated from Hai Yang college in China with a major in marine biology, which some may find suitable that he followed a career in the sushi business. “Study hard and follow your dreams. Grow well and do something you love. That way you’ll never feel like you’re working hard and you’ll only grow to love it more.”
Thanks
Lily
Beet's Cafe Lead and Nut Graph
When one walks into the sunlit, cheerful Beet’s Cafe - boasting of “amazingly good” raw and vegan food - they are often greeted by a cheerful woman with curly brown hair. Many don’t realize that the woman serving them is the cafe’s owner, Sylvia Heisey. Sylvia is so well-suited to the restaurant industry that is hard to believe she was a businesswoman in the corporate sector only a few years ago. After traveling all to much for work, Heisey decided she was done. The traveling was so exhausting that she was forced to quit her job to take care of herself. It was during this healing process that Heisey discovered the raw food diet. “The aches and pains in my knees went away, my allergies went away, I lost weight- those 10 pound I could never lose- I was able to sleep at night, my skin cleared.. there’s just so many different benefits!” she said.Upon realizing the miracles that this diet could work, she knew she just had to share it with the Austin community. Flash forward a couple of years and we can see the result: Beet’s Living Foods Cafe.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Foreign and Domestic: Can't Get Enough
Smoked Quail |
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tino's Greek Cafe
Photo creds to Robyn Lee (flickr) |
From the exterior, the cafe may look like one of those run-down places with sticky tables and horrible food. Allow me to dispel that myth- their food is really good. Basically, they have two different types of meat- chicken or gyro- on which they build all the different dishes. (At the south Austin location, they cook the meat on these huge spits behind the counter so you can see it roasting. And then they cut off chunks of it with these huge knives....)
If you wish, you can get a plate of chicken or gyro meat (marinated with “secret spices”...no wonder it’s so good!) with pita bread. For vegetarians, they have falafels, which are equally tasty. Even so, I recommend getting a wrap. This has the meat/falafel wrapped up in pita bread along with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cumcumbers and Tzadziki sauce. Speaking of which, Tzadziki sauce (I have NO idea how that is pronounced)is a signature part of Greek food. Basically, it is comprised of yogurt, cumcumbers, garlic and other herbs. The Tzadziki at Tino’s is amazing. It's actually extremely easy to make- try out this recipe.
Tino’s has quite a few locations around Austin... check it out one day!
Vietnamese Pudding
Madam Mam's
Madam Mam's location in The Village.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Bombay Bistro: Contemporary Indian Cuisine
Murgh Malai Kabob.... excuse me while I go drool in a corner |
The first thing they bring out is papad, which is a thin, crispy (but not sweet) wafer, that you dip in various chutneys (sauces). Serving papad and chutney at an Indian restaurant is equivalent to tortilla chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant.
- Bombay Bistro’s murgh malai kabob (basically, chicken kabobs) are AMAZING. This is my absolute favorite dish to order there. The chicken is very soft and the marination and seasoning is sublime.
- Try the Lahsuni paneer tikka. Paneer is basically cottage cheese, and in this dish, it is seasoned with garlic, pepper and other spices. Again, it is super tasty.
- Get some sort of breads. I love naans the best. (Get a butter naan if you don’t mind doing that to your body.)
Photo credits to She Who Shall Not Be Named (flickr).
Tokyo Steakhouse: Sushi Bar
Teppanyaki is a type of Japanese cooking done on any iron plate ("teppan" means "iron plate"), with any ingredients. Here, we can sometimes pull off the cooking on a griddle, though in Japan it is done in a special electric frying pan, also called teppanyaki. Opened in 2006, Tokyo Steakhouse and Sushi Bar brings authentic teppanyaki cuisine to Austin, along with a variety of different types of sushi. For the sushi rice, they use a Japanese specialty based on boiled rice with sweetened rice vinegar, a mixture called sushi meshi. There is a wide selection of sushi at the Tokyo Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, including nigiri sushi, which are thin slices of raw fish seasoned with wasabi and wrapped around with sushi meshi, hosomaki, which are thin sushi rolls, and futomaki, thick sushi rolls.
A Teaching in Tofu
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkQe19cHuXQqmpfvUbyJjjpWxR2oGsCxkCecl5EcY3IZw7Y5D1rzFeVOtxn1m2w3jQ7OMpkYHB8xO3I7ii07Gy3Y1rlAvMPt8u8mrOekI2Qucu_lmWU5V9DMQKwn0BH6QD6Nl9JvoS4c/s320/TOFU.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIkjLk9KIr-woQlKFjmM0l0yPDaHv3pRrbtSa6mysNVI4vb4PR0GpyuAIxGQEkyDVYw1OTIDVm52ruC0hTK-pt8v4Md0-DZf0HQdmJOskxskYq8hImNKMUhN6BcjiPpyicL7Z4CXbmeo/s320/FRIED+TOFU.jpg)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Review of Sushi Zushi
All in all, the rolls are great. But the Miso Soup is even better! It is home made in the kitchen from fish stock and Miso paste...yes it is very difficult (especially making the broth). Here is a recipe:
- 2 teaspoons dashi granules
- 4 cups water
- 3 tablespoons miso paste
- 1 (8 ounce) package silken tofu, diced
- 2 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
Miso Soup...Tasty |
Serve warm. :) :) :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
It's not Torchy's; it's Taco Deli!
I visited Taco Deli over the weekend with my family. Check it out!![]() |
They have locations in Central, South and North Austin. We visited the Central location. |
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The menu. |
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The "Daily Specials" menu above the ordering line. This line was backed up all the way to the entrance. |
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Apparently, it's always this crowded. |
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Ordering counter; slightly obscured by the ever-present masses of people. |
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Chips and guacamole. Very, very good guacamole.
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Florentino Taco: RECOMMENDED. [I had to take a bite before even photographing them; they were that good.] |
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T-Shirts for sale! I really liked Taco Deli and I definitely suggest you check it out! Photography by Culinary Queen. |
Chuy's vs Kerby Lane
Chuy's |
As far as food goes, neither is very impressive. The queso is spicy at Chuy's and makes you empty two glasses of fluid before you even get your food, while it is mild at Kerby Lane and made from white cheese (I prefer this). I'm not a huge fan of salsa, but it can really define a Tex-MEx restaurant--and I have to say that Chuy's takes the prize in this category. They combine the spices relatively well.
The main entres however, are not spectacular. Both restaurants rely heavily on sauces for flavor, like most Tex-Mex restaurants, but the food is rather plain.
Kirby Lane |
This is where the restaurants differ slightly. Chuy's is more family oriented. There is plenty of space to move around, plenty of outdoor bar tables, and plenty of parking space so your kids don't have too walk a long way. It has a photo-booth, and little games inside. They sell T-shirts for your kids to wear to school (free advertising), and give the kids lots more options on the menu.
Kirby Lane, on the other hand, is oriented toward college students. It is a place where you can cram before a test, or relax in the post-exam lull. It is a great place to bring one friend, or ten. However, this restaurant is not nearly as family oriented. Restaurant locations are downtown or in shopping areas (not near neighborhoods). They have little parking because of this--and unless you live nearby (because you are a student) there will be a good deal of walking involved.
All in all, it depends on who you are and what kind of restaurant you are looking for. Students go to Kirby Lane, while family's can have fun at Chuy's.
Ruoc Thit Cha Bong: Vietnamese Pork Pemmican
Flipnotics
On the way back from Zilker Park one day, my sister and I stumbled upon this wonderful little coffee place called Flipnotics. From the outside, it looks like a small shop with nice balconies that overlook the scenery of local Austin. Basically, it's a tiny place that serves up coffee, local foods and live music, preserving the title for Austin that we so proudly brag of: "The Live Music Capital". It opened in 1992, and has been playing live music every night. There is a calendar of their live music schedule for the next month; you guys should definitely check it out.