Lenoir is one of my favorite Austin restaurants. They offer a three course pre-fixe, and you get to choose any three dishes from the field, sea, land, and dream (dessert) categories of the menu. It's always hard to narrow it down to just three, but don't worry, because you can add an extra course for only $10! Lenoir changes their menu each week, so there's always something fresh & creative to enjoy. The bright and seasonal dishes are worth the trip alone, but the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant ensures you'll be adding it to your list of regulars at once. There's even a beautiful wine garden where you can sit outside and enjoy a drink with small bites. I can't wait to go back next time I'm in Austin!
isa
Isa is one of our go-to local neighborhood spots. I love the comforting atmosphere, which almost feels like a log cabin in the woods. When it's nice out and the windows are open, it creates a lovely open-air breeze throughout. A wood-burning oven is a sure fire way to make almost anything delicious, and Isa uses their's well. We love the pizzas, whether it's the breakfast pizza topped with an egg, a Spanish style chorizo with jalapeños & black olives, or a roasted cauliflower with nettle pesto! The crust is perfectly charred and chewy.
I loved how bright and beautiful the seared tilefish was, and the chickpea puree, shaved golden beets & rainbow carrots were the perfect accompaniments. For brunch, you can't go wrong with the brunch bowl. It's a healthy yet hearty vegetarian dish featuring whole grains, fresh & roasted seasonal veggies, all topped with a soft boiled egg. Their unique cocktails are refreshing and worth ordering as well- below is the Vernal Potion, with gin, celery, fennel, lime & herbed sea salt. The menu (which is a super cool piece of art in itself) changes often, but the food is consistently satisfying & delicious!
lucky bee
I recently teamed up with Alexandria Geisler, Editorial Director of The Citiphile, to co-host their second Supper Club. Our restaurant of choice was newcomer & hotspot The Lucky Bee, which serves delicious family-style Southeast Asian cuisine. Notable guests included Sandy Laing, Katie Ermilio, Teen Vogue's Andrew Bevan, Phil Oh, La Marque's Valerie Boster, WSJ's Laura Stoloff, and Bow&Arrow's Leslie O'Kelley. Chef Matthew "Matty" Bennett spoke about the new Lower East Side restaurant's Southeast Asian style of cooking while guests dined on papaya salad, smashed cucumbers, steamed pork and sesame dumplings, tuna tartare and several types of curry including green vegetable curry, spiced mussaman lamb curry and king prawn red curry. Drinks, including pitchers of super spicy margaritas with a chili salt rim, flowed freely, as did the laughs and conversation amongst guests. Check out the slideshow & video below for a fun recap of the event!
Flowers: Flowers by Quenna Sanchez (@quennasanchez)
Photography: Katelyn Landis (@katelynrosephoto)
Videography: Eric Isaac (@ericisaac)
Be sure to read our co-host's recap over at The Citiphile as well!
betony
We got the chance to eat at Betony with my mom when she came to town. The michelin-starred restaurant had been on our must-try list for a while, so we were excited to finally check it off the list. We chose the 4 course meal, but a chef's tasting is also available if you want to go all-out. The food was innovative and unique- even my husband was blown away, which takes a lot! For his entree, he chose the "pig's head for two", and ate it for one. You can see how excited he is about it in the photo above. I love the super high ceilings and attention to detail in the restaurant's design as well. For an unforgettable New York dining experience in midtown, you can't beat it.
the ultimate chocolate chip cookies
While my #1 favorite chocolate chip cookie in NYC is from Levain Bakery, another ridiculously delicious option comes from Jacques Torres, who is known as Mr. Chocolate, and for good reason! His cookies are a bit thinner & wider than those from Levain, but they have perfect caramelized, crisp edges with a melty, gooey interior. I've been on the quest to bake the ultimate chocolate chip cookie at home, and lucky for me, The New York Times has published a recipe based on Jacques Torres' own. Just a heads up, these aren't your quick, easy to throw together cookies. They require both bread and cake flour, and need to be refrigerated for at least 24-36 hours before baking (kudos if you can wait that long without eating all the dough or baking a few cookies early, which may or may not have happened here). But trust me, plan ahead a bit and have the dough ready to go in your refrigerator. The added wait time improves both the flavor & texture of these cookies, so it's definitely worth it. Make sure you find chocolate discs instead of your typical chocolate chips. They are bigger & flatter, and melt in the perfect way in these cookies by creating a whole sheet or layer of chocolate instead of just blobs. A higher quality chocolate, like Guittard, will take these cookies to the next level! You will not be disappointed-I promise- but if you are, I will gladly take them off your hands!
Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves
sea salt, for sprinkling over cookie dough prior to baking
Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt into a large bowl; set aside. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them.
Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside. Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie.
Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 16-20 minutes. Transfer baking mat or parchment paper to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin. Makes about 18 5" cookies.
*Recipe from The New York Times, adapted from Jacques Torres.
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