Brunch at Mulberry

Brunch is one of my favorite things to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon (I'm a late and lazy bruncher, I am never out the door before noon).  Recently, I have really enjoyed putting the bikes in the back of Brandon's truck, parking on the east side and riding around the Holly neigborhood, the hike and bike paths and downtown.  We never set out with a spot or plan, just ride until we pass something that sounds good.  Two Sundays ago we ended up at Mulberry on Nueces Street downtown.  I have never been here before but passed it many times on my bike or walking.  There were a few spots on the cute patio and we sat down without a wait.

The menu is small and reasonably priced with a few sweet and savory dishes.  I alway enjoy a brunch menu that has something other than eggs or french toast on it.  We started out with a mimosas and a beautifully done cheese and charcuterie plate.  I will say, I'm pretty sure I could live on only bread, cheese, cured meats, sliced tomoatoes and wine.  Some plates around town are an over priced dissapointment but this one was very nice and I was head over heels in love with the gaot cheese.  

For my main dish I got crepes with a lemon ricotta filling and blueberries and Brandon had an open faced egg, cheese, bacon and spinach sandwich.  Both were perfect, my crepes were not overpoweringly lemony or sweet. 

I would absolutely eat here again for brunch, I loved how small and quaint it is and I feel like the prices matched the quality and quantity of the food.  Plus, we had great service which is always a plus. 

mulberry

360 Nueces Street

Suite 20 Austin, TX

5123200297 

Snap Shots from Detroit

I went home last week for the first time in almost two years.  It was great.  The leaves were in full color and it was so good seeing my family and friends.  I Love Austin but there are a few things I do miss about home.  Mainly, the fall colors, apple orchards, good Italian, middle Eastern and Greek food,  the strange charm of downtown Detroit and of course my family.  We packed as much as we could in six days but I feel like I missed out on a lot.  It was a great trip though.

Pizza Delicious, New Orleans

When I decided to plan a trip to New Orleans back in August, one of the first spots Brandon wanted to go to was Pizza Delicious.  Its kind of a weird (but wonderful) place.  Located out of a commissary kitchen in the Bywater neighborhood, they only offer carry out on Thursdays and Sundays.  Oh yeah, you have to make reservations too.  You call in that day, tell them what you want and when you would like to pick it up.  They sell out every day so if you don't put in your reservation, no pizza for you!  Its almost like Franklin BBQ but with out the line (could you imagine if you could make reservations for Franklin?!?!).  The guys who own Pizza Delicious came by Austin awhile back and ate at Brandon's place VIA 313 so when we came we got to tour the kitchen and talk pizza a bit.  They were also kind enough to let us sit at their back table to eat our pizza.  We, of course, ordered too much food and ended up giving away half a pizza to our table mates.  They serve up a great NY style thin crust with creative topping combinations.  I also had an absolutely amazing pepperoni roll, I could have easily made a meal out of those alone.

Pizza Delicious

504.676.8482

http://pizzadelicious.blogspot.com/

   

Michigan Favorites

I really miss Tim Hortons!! Please come down to Texas. Really, it's not too much different from a Dunkin Donuts but somehow 100% better. Looks like I will have to get my fill of Ice Capps and Tim Bits while I can ....

Vacation!!!

Back in August the man and I hopped on a Megabus ($22 round trip from Houston!) and headed to New Orleans for a few days.  Neither of us had been there so it was a blast eating and exploring.  I love the charm of the city, there are so many parts to explore.  We went during the slow season so we got to meet a lot of very friendly bartenders and servers who pointed us to off the beaten path type places.  My favorite night of the trip was spent in the Bywater at Pizza Delicious (more on that later) and Bacchanal, a wine bar/restaurant.  Mostly though, we ate (and ate, and ate) and drank, and ate some more.  What more could a girl ask for!

Of course I had to eat oysters.  I am ashamed to say I ate all 13 by myself.  It was a bad choice.

 Fried dough with sugar?  I'll take two.

 I'm a sucker for frozen drinks.  I loved that we could order a drink then take it to go and keep walking around.  I think we need this in Austin.

BBQ shrimp at Mr B's.  One of the best shrimp dishes I have ever had.

No, I did not write this. 

If you ever get a chance to go to a John Besh restaurant, do it.  We ate at Dominica and it was fabulous!





Homemade Spaetzle and Pot Roast

Both sides of my family are from Germany, so growing up there were many German dishes that were regulars in our meals.  Herring, rotkohl, roladen and spaetzle were some of my favorite foods.  My mom would always make a huge steaming bowl of spaetzle as side dish whenever we had post roast or anything with gravy.  Last week Brandon requested pot roast for dinner, so I thought I would try my hand at making spaetzle.

Spaetzle is kind of a cross between a noodle and a dumpling.  You start off by making a batter that is thicker than pancake batter but not quite as thick as dough.  Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.  To make the spaetzle you will need a spaetzle maker, or a potato ricer with a interchangeable plate.  I have a ricer that has two plates, one with tiny holes and one with slightly larger holes.  I used the one with larger holes.  Load the ricer up with batter and slowly squeeze it out over the pot of boiling water.  The noodles only take a few minutes to cook, when they float to the top they are done.  These make a great substitute to mashed potatoes or pasta, and they taste amazing the next day fried up with a little butter and some onions.  There are a lot of recipes online, most are the same; a combination of flour, milk and eggs.  I used my moms tried and true recipe however which is 4 eggs, 3 cups of flour, 1 cup of milk or water and salt.  So good, so simple!

Food Porn

One of my favorite things in life is a runny yolk. I swoon over the perfectly cooked egg with its bright, milky, lusciously rich liquid center. I took leftover pot roast and spaetzle and made a Thai red curry salad topped with spicy sesame sauce and perfectly soft boiled eggs. Heaven.