Heads up, Columbia...

It's just one week away: hot on the heels of the new one in Bel Air, Wegman's is coming to Columbia.

Austin City Unlimited, Part II - Live Music City's other not-so-weird offerings

As I noted in a previous post, I visited Austin recently.  It is a food city with lots of barbecue, lots of Mexican food, and lots of Tex-Mex food.  But please don't assume that's all there is.  Oh no, there is so much more wonderful food.

I've visited a few Whole Foodses before: DC's very large one near Dupont Circle, the West Hollywood one near Fairfax, and both of Baltimore's, plus random ones in Philly and Manhattan.  I did not know this until just before I visited this proudly weird city, but Whole Foods began in Austin.  

As such, its biggest Whole Foods on North Lamar is so massive and so very comprehensive that it puts any other I have ever visited to shame (especially both of Baltimore's, which are peensy boutique markets by comparison).  

Electronic, updatable labels?  What kind of carbon footprint does that make?

This place has a few massive buffets, a barbecue station (natch), a gelato station, a taco station, walls of coffee, chocolates, tea - yes, tea - a large bakery, massive wine section, a walk-in beer freezer, bulk goods (five types of bulk quinoa alone), even a section where they sell environmentally friendly locally sourced clothing.

Just one section of The Wall Of Bulk Foods

I visited twice, once for a large Texas-shaped candy bar that I brought home as a gift for the family, and once for breakfast.

Their breakfast buffet had delicious and hearty offerings and I just took a smattering: everything from cheese grits to bacon to vegan migas and so much more.  And yes, there are recycling stations everywhere.

The same family friend who recommended Ruby's also highly recommended Trudy's, also on the north end of UT Austin, on a very residential street off Guadalupe. I was hoping for lunch, but they didn't open until 2 at all.  I hoofed it the 20 minutes onto campus to see the Texas Natural Science Museum - notable for its paleontology exhibit and native Texas animal dioramas - and came back around 2:30.  I then found out that, though open, they don't serve anything other than appetizers until 4.  Not willing to wait any longer, I hobbled together a meal from a few appetizers - the small bowl of chile con queso with chunks of chicken was doable, and came with plenty of house nachos and crackers.  The tortilla soup I ordered, also a small bowl, was clear and the restaurant kept the tortilla shreds and cheese separate so I could add them myself.  I ordered a margarita on the rocks, though in retrospect I wish I had gotten the frozen one, not because it was hot out (which it was), but because I think I would have liked it better.  It had a mild kick, and was not particularly strong.  The beer I had along with it had the kick, and with the small amount of food I started to feel it.  Not full or terribly satisfied (again, no full menu), I finally got full with a basic (large) burger at the local Whataburger down the street.

A San Antonio based burger chain, by the way, with locations throughout the Southwest.

The Austin and Houston areas have fairly sizable Vietnamese-American population, and phở is easy to find near the UT campus.  I had a good bowl of phở with thinly shaved beef, with a manageable plate of bean sprouts, Thai basil and jalapeño slices, at the Hai Ky Cafe on the 2000 block of Guadalupe street (locally known as the Drag), near the southern end of campus.  

This is a cozy, centrally located restaurant that offers many options for phở fans as well as those seeking noodles and other vegetarian and non-soup options.  The best part: the phở is not pricey at all - all bowls are under $7.  I got spring rolls for just a few dollars more.

I came to Austin for a convention, and had the chance to eat a fancy and above all free meal.  But I didn't know any of these people and didn't feel like forcing myself to make conversation with them, so I headed off on my own for lunch.  

I wound up at Frank, a "hot dogs cold beer" place that serves hot dogs, artisan sausages and so much more.  They have several types of hot dogs overloaded (sometimes to their detriment) with lots of toppings.  

They have so much more, too, including - yes, this is Austin - many vegetarian options.  They have many cocktails, many nods to sauces and even barbecues from other parts of the country (this surprised me a great deal), such as their Texalina, one of many artisan sausages they sell with Western, Southern, Southwestern, Mexican and other stylings (alas, no Old Bay there - hey, you can't have everything - but in retrospect I wouldn't have been surprised to see it).  I ordered the Sonoran dog, topped with so much stuff that I had to eat it with a fork.  A tasty dog, though the toppings almost drowned it out, and weren't as spicy as I might have expected it to be.  Along with it I got waffle fries with Buffalo blue cheese dip (though I think I would've liked the Carolina Dip better)

So satisfying, however, was the Frankencookie dessert concoction.  Get this: two small scoops of coffee ice cream, with a massive and moist chocolate chip-bacon cookie (why is that no longer surprising to see these days?), served warm, and with juicy crumbles of bacon and two pieces of bacon on a stick next to it.

Yes, there really is such a thing as too much bacon.  Seriously I could not finish it.  Anyway, if in Austin go there and order that if that alone.  I must make this some time.

I ended my trip the way any tourist to Austin would: by watching soccer (yes that's snark).  When I found out the US Men's National Team was playing football powerhouse Brazil in my own backyard I was excited!  Then I found out that would be my last night in Austin (that figures), so I sought out a place to watch it.  Fadó is (I now know) a chain of Irish pubs - there are locations in Annapolis and Washington - and one is right in downtown Austin.  

With an adequate order of boxty pancakes topped with sweet Guinness sauce and Tex-Mex ingredients (they also have a boxty quesadilla.  Could this be Celt-Mex?) and a pint of Guinness I got to watch the US team's weak first half and plucky (though still not-enough) second half loss to Brazil 4 to 1 amid other cheering, exasperated fans.  I topped that off with their brown bread ice cream, which really was not all that great: grainy crumbs of brown bread intermixed with an above-average tasting, slightly brown vanilla ice cream.  If going to a Fadó near you for Euro 2012, order something else.

Of course, I capped off dinner at Fadó across the street, at two of the city's downtown gay bars.  Oilcan Harry's is big and flashy, Rain on 4th is cozier (relatively speaking).  Neither was too full - this was midweek after all.  In this quite LGBT-friendly city in Texas, both are worth a look.  The beer is cheaper than at Baltimore's gay bars, even factoring in the increased alcohol tax.  In fact, Austin's sales tax tops ours, at 8.5%, and all the Shiner Bocks I drank (hell, I wasn't driving after all) still came out to less than they would have been here.  Also note: for those visiting my home town from Austin: you can find Shiner Bock on tap at the Hippo.

Mt. Vernon Miscellany: Late April Edition

Just a few things in and around the Mt. Vernon neighborhood that I haven't gotten around to, since life and these dang State-by-State posts have taken up all my time:

1) I love Mughal Garden, and will go back again and again, but you didn't have to get so worried when I ordered my dinner "spicy" last night.  It wasn't very spicy.  Didn't even have to blow my nose more than once with that delicious lamb korma.  Are y'all sure you didn't give me medium-spiced instead?

2) Not sure if Marie Louise Bistro just doesn't want me there anymore, but the last few times I've gone in to wait for a table much of the staff has just stared at me and kept walking - not even a "Someone will be with you in just a moment, sir" (that will keep me patiently waiting for a while).  Note: they won't stop you from going upstairs to seat yourself.

3) What the hell are these things? (Taken not in Mt. Vernon but at the Abingdon Wegman's in Harford County.  Just had to slip this in somewhere.)

I'm scared.

4) Back to Mt. Vernon:: it looks like somebody's doing something with the old Brass Elephant building.  Yay!  (Yes I'm probably the last person to say anything about it, but it's overdue.  The linked article suggests it may be back open by spring, which means soon since it's now spring!)

5) Am going to Kumari again.  Last August I got a nasty bout of something after eating there (avoid the chow chow if at all possible).  But they won me back with their Nepali Bhohan!

6) I really should save up for this sometime: Sotto Sopra's next Opera Night ($58) is Sunday, May 20th.  (Yes, just south of Mt. Vernon but hell it's my blog.)

That's all for now.  Back tonight for some half-priced maki rolls at Minato before the alleged finale of RuPaul's Drag Race at the Hippo (who is hosting RPDR finalist Sharon Needles on May 4!).

And happy birthday to my sister who is once more only a year younger than I am :-P

Harris Teeter Part II - the Pre-Opening

I just spent too much money on car repairs today, but I got my car back in a much better shape than before!  To celebrate, I took myself, with printed out ticket in hand, to the nicest free dinner in town on Tuesday night: the grand pre-opening of the new Harris Teeter.  I just cannot get over the fact that this is a TWO-STORY supermarket.

TWO STORIES!!!

I've never seen the tops of the food aisles before.  Even besides that, it was about as big as a Wegman's, and bigger than any of the other Harris Teeters I have visited before.  Plus there was a strange person walking around in an alligator costume (the store mascot?)

I know you probably are getting sick of me writing about Harris Teeter by now, but I do have to say that I had a few tasty things there, and it was just enough to fill me up:

* their store brand of ice cream is surprisingly good.  I also overheard one woman saying "I haven't seen Blue Bell ice cream up here before!" (Harris Teeter, based around Charlotte, sells a lot of Southern-based products that are otherwise difficult to find here)
* I've had a few opportunities to try their hot food bars in Columbia and around DC, but I never bothered to try their pot roast.  Very good pot roast.
* They have a large cake ready to slice tomorrow morning.  I am avoiding that mayhem like the Plague, but if you go tomorrow you can probably snag some opening day cake (they open, I think, around 7 or 8 tomorrow morning)
* There were some different things I've never seen at a Harris Teeter before: a crunchy shrimp sushi roll, a savory sweet potato (or butternut squash - they alternated) patty, and Carolina-style salsa (salsa with slaw in it).
* And to my surprise, they do indeed sell beer and wine!  But not in the store proper - it's in a not so small alcove near the sodas (you may not bring groceries in there).  There is even a set up for wine and beer tastings.  They did, at least, have several wine kiosks set up throughout the store tonight, plus some sparkling cider.

They also had a lot of cheese.

I think I am going to stay away from the new Harris Teeter for the first week or so. Again, I imagine it will be crowded.  But it is an impressive big piece of McHenry Row, and I will be back.

Okay, no more Harris Teeter talk for a while.

Harris Teeter Baltimore coming soon!

Tomorrow morning, the Locust Point branch of Charlotte-based Harris Teeter finally opens on McHenry Row.  Apparently this evening there will be a "Taste of Teeter" event for the local community, so people can get a taste of what has just opened up in their neighborhood.  I have said before how much I like Harris Teeter, having shopped at their Columbia store and (when I am down that way, which I am often these days) their Kalorama (DC) and Pentagon Row (Arlington) locations.  But it will be nice to finally have access to it in my own home town, the northernmost Harris Teeter location.

Their press release about the grand opening explains more about the supermarket chain.  Alas, they will not (as of yet) be selling liquor or wine.  But one thing I am really loving: IT'S TWO FRIGGIN' STORIES!  That alone merits a visit.  Plus, they sell a lot of South-specific brands that are difficult-to-impossible to find this close to the Mason-Dixon Line (White Lily flour, for example, though I am starting to see it in more strictly Mid-Atlantic supermarket chains, and even Wegman's).  Regardless, I am liking this, and plan to visit the new Harris Teeter soon.

Seaweed Snacks???

I gotta say I am loving those seaweed snacks.  Annie Chun's apparently makes one version, and Trader Joe's wasabi-flavored ones (see a rave from Trader Joe's Rants and Raves, a TJ's fan blog) is where I am getting my current supply.  They charge $1 for one small package.  Of course, I've been seeking recipes online so I can make them at home.  It's not that difficult: just take sheets of nori, brush them with sesame oil and sprinkle with sea salt and if you want some black sesame seeds, put them in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 250°F and you're done.  A wasabi version is at TheKitchn website.

Still thirsty? Parched...

This is the Anneslie Giant, about 10AM on Hurricane Irene Saturday (about a few hours ago).  They did bring out 12-packs of water but the shelves speak for themselves.  What I don't get is the people freaking out and buying massive packs of toilet paper.  As I was telling some of my soccer friends after a game last night, how much time do you think you will need on the toilet during the hurricane (here a tropical storm, but still)?  Or maybe you really ARE just full of it?

Stay safe and dry, and don't drink or shit too much this weekend.

Things found at Fresh Market

The new Fresh Market is open now in Towson.  I stopped in to buy some eggs tonight and found a few things I had never set eyes on before.

The strangest things I saw (and tasted) were okra chips.  For $12 per lb in the bulk section (a plastic ziploc bag will probably run about $2), these are not what you would imagine.  They're just crispy dried okra.  There is a very slight residual sliminess inside - that's okra for you - but apart from that they are crispy and crunchy and fall apart quite easy.  The check out person said they are popular.  They have to be since they're pushing them like crazy.  It's a clean, crisp okra like I have never eaten before.

I also found something called Moxie.  This is a soft drink very popular in New England and unheard of here.  Any of you all New England transplants looking for it can find it at the Fresh Market in Towson.

Tidbits: Early July Edition

A few things I've been eating lately:

* I have been playing a lot of soccer lately - both pickup and league, and my shins hurt like hell (note to self: find something to make these shinguards more, er, comfortable to wear while running around for one or two hours). Last night after one such pickup game down in DC (where I did pretty well, considering my lack of experience), I headed to Adams Morgan for a quick beer and bite before making the long slog home. I ended up at the cozy L'Enfant Cafe & Bar where I ordered a delicious savory crepe of salmon & boursin cheese ($13). It was a bargain, though the refreshing cherry beer I ordered, normally served with ice, clocked in at $10! That kind of took me by surprise (note to self: ask how much the damn beer costs).

* Whenever I eat Indian, I often gravitate to one or two recipes that are tried and true favorites: chicken tikka masala, saag gosht (lamb with spinach), murgh makhani (butter chicken), etc. At Mughal Garden the other night I settled on something somewhat different: their lamb methi ($14), which is lamb in a fenugreek sauce (hence the methi, which is fenugreek). It's not a taste I can easily describe, because I don't have a reference point. It's a very mellow dish, a lovely one with a lot of sauce you can soak up with much of your garlic naan. I recommend it.

* I haven't been to Rocket 2 Venus lately. I did go last week, and could not get over how quickly I was seated... and how my waiter just completely forgot about me (very irritated about that). Fortunately after about ten minutes of tapping my fingers and checking my email, a waiter did come by to find out if I was being helped (nope), and my service was quite fast after that. R2V is a place with such an eclectic menu that you can spend a good long while trying to figure out what to order - maybe that was a plus for waiting while people seated after me ended up ordering first. After all the classic American, Southern, Western, Chesapeake, Cajun and Korean offerings, I ordered the bulgogi plate with fried rice ball, mashed potatoes & kimchi ($13). It was a very satisfying experience, with the soft bulgogi, kimchi and potatoes providing a flavorful contrast against each other. Plus, my food came out much faster than I had anticipated.

* Alas, all the area Super Fresh stores are now history, excepting for the one downtown on N. Charles Street. Some of them are already slated to become something else (like the one in Hampden, for example). The rest are just sitting around, twiddling their thumbs. I hope a Harris Teeter or something moves into the one on Putty Hill.

* I realized the other day: sometimes you want a nice, hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausage, bacon, etc., just like Mom used to make. And other times, all you want is a bowl of kimchi flavored noodles (second kimchi reference in this post, by the way).

* Find out in a few weeks what happened to this little guy that I got at the Maine Avenue Fish Market in Washington, DC, for all of $7 a pound:


* Soda update: I have been sticking to about 2 cans a day. With Dad in the hospital and the occasional late long drive back from DC I have allowed myself a little more of the stuff. But on the contrary, I have also found myself just normally drinking less. It's been a long time since I have ordered it in the restaurant, preferring beer, tea or water (I did order a soda at Lou's City Bar after a game the other day, to give me a shot of caffeine - which worked). But overall I have been going through a good bit less of it lately.

* And finally: I know he is moving out soon (er, being forced out by our landlord), but could my idiot neighbor please stop putting all his crap out by the side of the road for the trash and recycling people to just leave there!?!? It's bad enough he used to go through my recycling bin for cans, and the only reason he doesn't seem to do this anymore is because I have started putting it in a place where he is too lazy to look.

Ouch, did I just let all that pour out? Maybe I should smack him with one of my shinguards?

Whole Foods Parking Lot

It's gettin' real by the quinoa...

by Fog and Smog Films

Super Fresh is closing

Super Fresh is the latest business to fall in the recession. All but two Super Fresh stores in Maryland are closing down. I stopped by the one on Putty Hill today. What I found surreal was seeing the ubiquitous "10% / 20% / 30% Off" signs, of the kind you see in big box stores that are shutting down, next to peaches and cucumbers. It will be that way until the end of the month, or until Super Fresh's supplies are gone.

Goldilocks - it's not just a fairy tale character anymore

A few of the things I smuggled in my suitcase from California the other day were goodies from the brand-spanking new and glistening 99 Ranch in Rancho Cucamonga. 99 Ranch is the Chinese-American West Coast equivalent to our Korean-American H Mart here on the East Coast. One item that I bought that stood above the rest was a delicious, soft and sweet-but-not-too-sweet bread made my the baked goods and Filipino cuisine company Goldilocks. Goldilocks, my friend Gil tells me, is massively popular with Southern California's Filipino community. It offers baked goods of all varieties, specifically but not exclusively Filipino baked goods. Originally opened in 1966 in Makati, Philippines, it has now spread throughout much of the western US and Canada as well.

Ahem, the bread... A little smooshed after 7 hours and one transfer in my luggage but just as edible, flanked by a package of their little hopia bean (yellow bean) buns

Back to the bread: this soft and delicious sweet bread is Goldilocks' ube loaf bread (about $4.50 at 99 Ranch). The ube loaf is a soft purple yam bread that you pull apart into individual pieces. Hopefully, you can make it last, which is not likely. I've been eating mine with Irish butter. If only they had this stuff on the East Coast I would probably buy this a lot more often.

Tidbits from the West Coast

Just a few quick notes on things I've been eating out here lately:

* Yesterday my friends Jim & Gil and I all went to Wabi Sabi of Rancho Cucamonga. They were stunned to know that this place, which has been around for years, is completely new to me. As usual, we over-ordered. A few of things we got: an average but do-able spicy tuna roll, a lovely and hearty spate of veggie and seafood tempura, and - specifically for me - a combo plate of teriyaki salmon (not at all dry like so many I have had) and more veggie and shrimp tempura. The tempura soft shell crabs were also a nice reminder of home, crunchy and tender all at the same time.

* From there we ventured over to Palm Springs. It didn't hit us at the time, but Thursday nights are Village Fest nights in Palm Springs. Many blocks are closed to parking and traffic for a variety of kiosks: from various street performers (most good, though the guy tritely playing "Imagine" on the panpipes made me want to jab my ears with ice picks) to handbags and clothes to the "Ask a Rabbi" booth (I'm not making that up) to lots and lots of food. There was local produce, specifically dates and oranges (this is date and orange country after all), many fruits and vegetables. There were many booths of baked goods, including one where Jim bought a hearty "Crimson" bread filled with cranberries and currants. There was a lot of pre-prepared food, too: gyros and tacos, Mexican and Guatemalan, hot dogs and BBQ. If you ever find yourself in Palm Springs on a Thursday night, you will need to see this.

This topped off a visit to the Palm Springs Art Museum, which is free every Thursday night from 4 to 8, again to coincide with the Village Fest.

* Jim, by the way, has only once been to a Whole Foods, way back in 2002. There are none in the Inland Empire (note to Whole Foods: open a branch in Riverside or Ontario or something. Soon). Gil has just moved to Pasadena, which has two. We won't get to Gil's new pad while I am in town, but Gil promises to drag Jim's ass to Whole Foods in the near future.

On hoarding stuff at the supermarket

My God, someone went around to both the area Trader Joe's and bought up all the plain pizza dough (just 99 cents per pound). I'm not kidding - ALL of it. I stopped at the one in Pikesville, and the nice guy (kind of cute, too) told me this. He was so nice as to go into the back to check if there were any more. No more. So I bought some of the whole wheat pizza dough, and then drove to the Towson location on a hunch. Same - only whole wheat and garlic & herb, and lots of each, but no plain.

So to the person who went to both Trader Joe's in the Baltimore area and bought up all the plain pizza dough (again, just 99 cents a bag), a haiku:

What do you need with
Fifty bags of pizza dough?
World's largest calzone?

Dude, nobody needs
THAT much dough for pizza. Please:
Don't hog all of it :|

Packers Cookies

Notice how much more prominent the Packers baked goods are on this table than the Steelers ones. Taken at the Columbia Harris Teeter.

Cupcakes!

I just have to give another shout out to Graul's, who makes some of the moistest cupcakes I have eaten in ages. My current favorite: their yellow cake cupcake with orange icing. And I'm not even a big fan of fruit-flavored icings! Now if I could only get out of Graul's without stuffing my face with free samples...

That's some pretty strange-lookin' kiwi...

Maybe somebody should let the folks at Towson Super Fresh in on the big secret...


...that this isn't kiwi.

Harris Teeter is going to bankrupt me if I'm not careful

Oh, Harris Teeter, that gorgeous, gleaming North Carolina-based supermarket chain, how you entice me with your delicious cheeses and dessert items. Ever since I picked up some extra work in Howard County this semester, I have made it a habit to swing by the Columbia Harris Teeter location after work on Fridays.

I would move into this place if I could.

I know: yes, it is just a supermarket. But there's something about going for the first time into a supermarket chain that you've never entered or seen before. I felt the same way the first time I ever entered a Wegman's (sometime in 2006), a Whole Foods (that would be 2004) or a Trader Joe's (waaaaaay back in '97 after moving to SoCal, back when the East Coast was largely TJ's-free).

This is a massive supermarket, and really, you could just never leave this place if you could get away with it. Just as with Wegman's, which carries a plethora of Northeastern items we can't find too easily in Maryland, Harris Teeter does the same thing for us coming from the other direction: a variety of Southern and specifically Southeastern brands we don't often find here. This includes not only big brands of everything from fry mixes and varieties of cornmeal to the whole Dixie Crystals product line, but also smaller, independent brands. Thanks to my newly-found willingness to try the free samples when offered instead of running in the opposite direction, a new favorite of mine is Augusta's Pimento Cheese. Based out of Charlotte, Augusta's Creations specializes in sinful and delicious pimento cheese (check out their online store). Oh dear! It comes in regular and jalapeño. I like hotter. Guess what is in my fridge right now. Go on.

I also must confess an addiction to their bakery section, not far from their section of cheeses chock full of free samples, and next to their deli which is always streaming with people getting sandwiches (unless they opt for the Asian food bar, which even has dim sum). I have become particularly addicted to Harris Teeter's petit fours (12 for $5). I often get a half dozen and devour them in the car before I even get home. If you let them warm up to room temperature, they are luscious. I have tried petit fours from a few area supermarkets. Supermarkets where I have seen petit fours include the Fresh Market, Wegman's and Harris Teeter, and HT's really are at least a half-cut above. Fresh Market's are tasty also. I can take or leave Wegman's petit fours. Not a big fan. I'll spend my money at Wegman's on their delicious $6 mini white cakes with vanilla buttercream frosting instead.

I was first motivated to go there when I found out that they carried a particular favorite brand of mustard that few others in the area carry. I thought it would be much cheaper to buy Raye's Mustard right off the shelf than mail ordering a jar all the way from Maine (Yes, a proudly Yankee mustard available only in a Tarheel supermarket chain. Go fig). I couldn't find the specific Raye's Mustard that I wanted, but it didn't matter really. I was already hypnotized by all the other stuff they had. By the way, you should see their wall of mustards. It's impressive. I just wish that, among all the boxes of Morton's Salt products and all the containers of kosher salt that they actually carried Morton's Kosher Salt, which was conspicuously absent (perhaps they were just out that day). A negligible criticism for a supermarket I'm liking more and more with each visit.

If I Were Trader Joe's...

I didn't even know this strange homage to Trader Joe's even existed... until this morning while listening to NPR's Morning Edition. Trader Joe's is amazing. Its popularity is really due to word of mouth. I was first introduced to it not when it came to Towson a decade ago. Instead, it was just after I moved to Riverside, California in '97, and my fellow grad students mentioned it and just about had an... well let's just say they were in love with it. One of them had a friend in St. Louis which did not, at the time, have a Trader Joe's, and she begged her West Coast friends to bring some out to her. In the late 90's, almost all of the nation's Trader Joe's stores were in the Pacific Time Zone. Now they're everywhere.

The cars that won't fit in the parking lot. Y'all can say that again.

The American 'Ethnic' Food Section

This from an American woman living in Berlin, commenting on the awesome international section at her local supermarket in the Alexanderplatz of the German capitol. She's noting the "USA" section, with some of the most familiar foods a Yank could find in Germany. Love the hot sauce.