Ever stare at a restaurant menu and start to panic? Feel your mind spin as you frantically search Google for food definitions? What’s a haricot vert? Why would I want a deconstructed tuna tartar? Can’t I just get a steak?

While I love exploring the new flavors and exciting techniques of Austin’s exploding food scene, sometimes I crave simple goodness. Enter 827Ray’s, a new French-inspired restaurant in northwest Austin by Lake Travis. A refreshing blend of upscale class and down-home charm, 827Ray’s delivers quality cuisine without the need for a dictionary or pretense. [Read more…]

Guest article by Mathis Kennington

What would you guess is Central Texas’ most abundant food supply? Is it tacos? How about barbecue? I considered the question for the first time, standing inside a sweltering industrial kitchen with local Austin baker Sandeep Gyawali. I was just as surprised as I imagine you might be to discover that it’s the mesquite legume, the bean-looking pods that hang from mesquite trees.

After laughing at my questioning smile, Gyawali retrieved a small bag of the powdered legume that smelled sweet, like cocoa powder. “Look where it comes from,” he said, as I read that the mesquite powder was neither packaged nor produced in the United States. “Why aren’t we eating the food that’s directly around us?” The smell of Gyawali’s heritage grain flour, milled two feet away from me, made my mouth water.

I’ve thought about his question. Although Austin is surrounded by enough fertile farmland to feed our entire city, less than one percent of the food we eat is local. [Read more…]

Like most Austinites, I welcome cooler weather after enduring a seemingly endless summer. November marks the beginning of sweater weather, and you can bet that about the time I reach for something knitted, I’m darting out the door to devour a steaming bowl of pho in Austin.

Of all the Vietnamese dishes to garner attention in the West, none have achieved the same level of adoration as phở (pronounced “fuh”), which also happens to be the national dish of Vietnam. Pho is comfort food at its finest: warm and hearty, and served in generous portions. Piping hot broth is poured over rice noodles and the desired protein or veggies, then served with [Read more…]

Believe it or not, I had never tried pecan pie until earlier this year when I moved to Austin, Texas. There is a silver lining: I got to try my very first slice in the state that proclaimed pecan pie as its official dessert. We can safely assume Texans know how to make it right. [Read more…]