I want you to imagine a witty, nay, a side-splitting post on a timely topic below. I would write one, but I'm a bit busy at the moment. By "busy," I mean I am battling some fierce torpor. By "battling," I mean I'm laying on the couch thinking about how, uh, torpid my life has become.
Anyway, I'm making like a sloth trying to struggle from a tar pit. It's neither pretty nor entertaining. In fact, it's a bit embarrassing, so, again, please imagine that I've just written you some prose gold. In the meantime, I will try to stay off the couch and, who knows, eventually provide the real thing. Well, perhaps not gold (I don't have any of that) but at least some well-used copper.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Thai Kitchen (3009 Guadalupe St)
Last week I dined with a lovely friend at Thai Kitchen on the recommendation of a reader poll in the Austin Chronicle. The encounter confirmed my suspicion of reader polls: the food was bland and depressing, as reader-poll winners generally are. I should have known better.
The winner of a reader poll will be one of the following: (a) a chain with many locations, or (b) a single business in a very conspicuous and high traffic location (say, for example, on Guadalupe Street right near the university). The flavor must at least be inoffensive, but that's all it need be.
The problem isn't with cretinous readers, but rather that the law of large numbers asserts itself here and, as noted above, it is far more influenced by factors other than taste. Take French food as an example. In a reader poll of a news or general interest publication, the winner will most likely be Mimi's Cafe. It's not that most people think Mimi's is authentic French; they know it isn't. It is, however, the only French food that a majority of the population eats on anything like a regular basis. So, when going down the list of Bests, most folks will enter Mimi's in the "Best French Restaurant" field, because (a) it's the only thing that pops into their heads, and (b) they don't want to leave the field blank. A few die-hard French foodies might give some well-reasoned votes for their favorite bistros, but they'll be drowned out.
So, reader polls generally don't pick the best restaurants. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Thai Kitchen.
The building: ramshackle white stucco, with two small windows onto the dining room, one of which is darkened with painted-over graffiti. The interior: plain white walls with Thai and Chinese hangings, plain tables, and mismatched banquet chairs. The dining room and tables were clean, though.
I ordered the vegetarian red curry, while my brave companion had the squid in red curry, both of which came with spring rolls and choice of soup or salad. I had the salad, she the soup. The hot and sour soup was served in the Chinese style, which surprised me. I'm used to Thai hot and sour soup being clear, spicy, with a strong citrus flavor. This was a salty, bamboo shoot-laden affair with lots of soy, pretty much what you'd get at a Chinese takeout place. The salad consisted of ice-berg lettuce, grated carrots and a tomato wedge, all slathered with peanut sauce. The sauce was a bit sweet, and it was spread pretty thick, but otherwise it was fine.
The spring rolls were browner than I prefer, and they were filled, as far as I could tell, with just cabbage and sprouts (some basil and cilantro would have helped a lot).
The curries were identical, outside of the squid and tofu. I love Thai curry, and this place satisfied my craving, but... Well, the coconut-based sauce was rich and smooth, the vegetables crispy, and the tofu cubes fried to perfection. Despite all that, the sauce was bland (bland curry?), and I think that is what disappointed me most of all.
I do give high marks for the very friendly and prompt service. It was the best part of the meal. The prices are also modest, and that's no small thing nowadays. And, if this tepid review somehow intrigued you, here's their info (compliments of the Austin Chronicle):
3009 Guadalupe
Austin 78705-2817
512-474-2575
Hours: Sun, Noon-12am; Mon-Thu, 11am-12am; Fri, 11am-2am; Sat, Noon-2am
The winner of a reader poll will be one of the following: (a) a chain with many locations, or (b) a single business in a very conspicuous and high traffic location (say, for example, on Guadalupe Street right near the university). The flavor must at least be inoffensive, but that's all it need be.
The problem isn't with cretinous readers, but rather that the law of large numbers asserts itself here and, as noted above, it is far more influenced by factors other than taste. Take French food as an example. In a reader poll of a news or general interest publication, the winner will most likely be Mimi's Cafe. It's not that most people think Mimi's is authentic French; they know it isn't. It is, however, the only French food that a majority of the population eats on anything like a regular basis. So, when going down the list of Bests, most folks will enter Mimi's in the "Best French Restaurant" field, because (a) it's the only thing that pops into their heads, and (b) they don't want to leave the field blank. A few die-hard French foodies might give some well-reasoned votes for their favorite bistros, but they'll be drowned out.
So, reader polls generally don't pick the best restaurants. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Thai Kitchen.
The building: ramshackle white stucco, with two small windows onto the dining room, one of which is darkened with painted-over graffiti. The interior: plain white walls with Thai and Chinese hangings, plain tables, and mismatched banquet chairs. The dining room and tables were clean, though.
I ordered the vegetarian red curry, while my brave companion had the squid in red curry, both of which came with spring rolls and choice of soup or salad. I had the salad, she the soup. The hot and sour soup was served in the Chinese style, which surprised me. I'm used to Thai hot and sour soup being clear, spicy, with a strong citrus flavor. This was a salty, bamboo shoot-laden affair with lots of soy, pretty much what you'd get at a Chinese takeout place. The salad consisted of ice-berg lettuce, grated carrots and a tomato wedge, all slathered with peanut sauce. The sauce was a bit sweet, and it was spread pretty thick, but otherwise it was fine.
The spring rolls were browner than I prefer, and they were filled, as far as I could tell, with just cabbage and sprouts (some basil and cilantro would have helped a lot).
The curries were identical, outside of the squid and tofu. I love Thai curry, and this place satisfied my craving, but... Well, the coconut-based sauce was rich and smooth, the vegetables crispy, and the tofu cubes fried to perfection. Despite all that, the sauce was bland (bland curry?), and I think that is what disappointed me most of all.
I do give high marks for the very friendly and prompt service. It was the best part of the meal. The prices are also modest, and that's no small thing nowadays. And, if this tepid review somehow intrigued you, here's their info (compliments of the Austin Chronicle):
3009 Guadalupe
Austin 78705-2817
512-474-2575
Hours: Sun, Noon-12am; Mon-Thu, 11am-12am; Fri, 11am-2am; Sat, Noon-2am
Monday, May 25, 2009
Flip Happy Crepes
Flip Happy serves some damned decent crepes out of a converted Airstream trailer in an oak-shaded lot in South Austin. Seating consists of picnic and small patio tables spread in the shade of three large trees.
They serve both savory and sweet crepes. I ordered the scrambled egg, which includes tomato, spinach, carmelized onions and gruyere cheese, all folded and served like a burrito. The serving is necessarily smallish, as any more filling would drown out the flavor and texture of the crepes. Said flavor is serviceable, while the texture is near-perfect. I think I would have liked my crepe-burrito better if they substituted sweet basil for the spinach, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Next, I ordered the Vanilla Pastry Crème crepe with fresh fruit on top. The vanilla pastry crème had the flavor and texture of vanilla pudding, which is fine with me, but it was not what I expected for some reason. The mix of pudding, fruit, and crepe worked well, though, and I gobbled it all down with my signature lack of dignity when it comes to sweets.
Service is friendly and helpful. The ambiance is rustic and, well, perfect. I give it a thumbs up. If by some miracle anyone from Flip Happy reads this, please consider using the basil, as mentioned earlier. It would add a sweet high note to a dish that already has an abundance of savory bass notes (anyone with a better culinary vocabulary help me out here). The spinach just seems to get lost in the crepe.
They are located at 400 Jessie St, near Lamar and Barton Springs. You may peruse their menu here.
They serve both savory and sweet crepes. I ordered the scrambled egg, which includes tomato, spinach, carmelized onions and gruyere cheese, all folded and served like a burrito. The serving is necessarily smallish, as any more filling would drown out the flavor and texture of the crepes. Said flavor is serviceable, while the texture is near-perfect. I think I would have liked my crepe-burrito better if they substituted sweet basil for the spinach, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Next, I ordered the Vanilla Pastry Crème crepe with fresh fruit on top. The vanilla pastry crème had the flavor and texture of vanilla pudding, which is fine with me, but it was not what I expected for some reason. The mix of pudding, fruit, and crepe worked well, though, and I gobbled it all down with my signature lack of dignity when it comes to sweets.
Service is friendly and helpful. The ambiance is rustic and, well, perfect. I give it a thumbs up. If by some miracle anyone from Flip Happy reads this, please consider using the basil, as mentioned earlier. It would add a sweet high note to a dish that already has an abundance of savory bass notes (anyone with a better culinary vocabulary help me out here). The spinach just seems to get lost in the crepe.
They are located at 400 Jessie St, near Lamar and Barton Springs. You may peruse their menu here.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
First Fruits of My Meager Garden
Behold, El Tomate!
My sad little tomato plant, two months on my patio, has been working on its firstborn for a few weeks now. The plant may be paltry, but it's managing a pretty healthy-looking tomato so far.
My bell pepper and Fresno chile plants are doing very well and have flowered. Hopefully, I'll have some good fruits from those soon. The basil, cilantro and parsley are also fairly healthy, despite my near-weekly culinary assaults on them.
I worry for my mater, though. She's seems awfully frail to be bearing young so soon. We shall see.
My sad little tomato plant, two months on my patio, has been working on its firstborn for a few weeks now. The plant may be paltry, but it's managing a pretty healthy-looking tomato so far.
My bell pepper and Fresno chile plants are doing very well and have flowered. Hopefully, I'll have some good fruits from those soon. The basil, cilantro and parsley are also fairly healthy, despite my near-weekly culinary assaults on them.
I worry for my mater, though. She's seems awfully frail to be bearing young so soon. We shall see.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Live from Austin
Quick update:
I quit my well-paying job and fled Oklahoma City in January and now live in Austin, Texas. My year in OKC was an unhappy one and, though I learned a lot from it, I was not willing to do another. So now I'm living the low life in Austin. I have just enough income to cover my straitened lifestyle, so I'm feeling poor but happy.
I'm also starting my own writing-editing-proofreading business (heavy on the proofreading right now). I'm after pretty small game, small freelance bids to try build my portfolio and skills. I haven't a name for this thing yet, but I'm working on that (the name is not very important at all, and yet it confounds me).
I'll also likely be posting a lot more to this blog in the coming days, so rejoice, my imaginary readers! I shall be feeding your minds with my morsels of mirth and occasional morosity (and bad alliteration).
The thrust of this blog is still loose, so pardon some rambling.
I quit my well-paying job and fled Oklahoma City in January and now live in Austin, Texas. My year in OKC was an unhappy one and, though I learned a lot from it, I was not willing to do another. So now I'm living the low life in Austin. I have just enough income to cover my straitened lifestyle, so I'm feeling poor but happy.
I'm also starting my own writing-editing-proofreading business (heavy on the proofreading right now). I'm after pretty small game, small freelance bids to try build my portfolio and skills. I haven't a name for this thing yet, but I'm working on that (the name is not very important at all, and yet it confounds me).
I'll also likely be posting a lot more to this blog in the coming days, so rejoice, my imaginary readers! I shall be feeding your minds with my morsels of mirth and occasional morosity (and bad alliteration).
The thrust of this blog is still loose, so pardon some rambling.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Winter 2009
The white ice melted away today to reveal the blacktop in patches. Sand and salt have been spread about so that my tires found purchase more often than not on the road tonight. I don't give a shit about the cold anymore. One day's as good as another, and all look like the inside of a cubicle.
These are the salad days, young man.
These are the salad days, young man.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Even God Hates Oklahoma
Tornadoes galore this week. This time they missed my charming home of Yukon. Pity. I would like to get out of my lease, and having my duplex torn asunder by the vengeful finger of God would certainly achieve that. It's worth risking death for such a reward.
I would like to see some of these churches around here cleaned out too. No offense to Christians, but does there really need to be a church on every freaking corner? Nobody likes a kiss-ass, not even God. Enough already.
I would like to see some of these churches around here cleaned out too. No offense to Christians, but does there really need to be a church on every freaking corner? Nobody likes a kiss-ass, not even God. Enough already.
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