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Saturday was our afternoon tea at TASCHEN in the Joule Hotel downtown. I've been excited about this for weeks! I love afternoon tea, whether European style or Asian style. The concept, the food, the way everything is presented. It's so classy yet quaint and delicious! :)
I first heard of Tea at TASCHEN several months ago. It just started this year. I saw many pictures on Instagram accounts I follow and it absolutely looked amazing. I looked up the info and they only offer it once a week... Fridays at 2:30PM. And they only have 16 seats, so you definitely have to reserve ahead of time. Early afternoon on a Friday may be a problem for most people since we have to work. But I was psyched when they opened up a Saturday tea time for the holidays (November and December). Also at 2:30PM. I immediately called and got a reservation for 2 on 12/20. I dragged my fiance along with me. haha. He wasn't too keen on the price and had never done afternoon tea so he didn't understand my excitement.
Tea at TASCHEN - The Joule Hotel
1530 Main St.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 748-1300 (x4363)
www.thejouledallas.com/tea-at-taschen.htm
Price: $$$$+
Just some brief info on the tea service...
Tea at TASCHEN is $59 per person, inclusive of taxes, gratuity and valet. During the tea, guests receive 10% off purchases in TASCHEN Library. The library is very intimate. A small room surrounded by interesting books and mosaics. Brightly lit, modern yet cozy. As we walked in, we were given glasses of champagne, the tables were beautifully displayed with colorful china, 24 ct. gold flatware, and a mini tower of delectable treats. The menu is seasonal, so it'll change in a few weeks.
There was a large communal table that was still empty when we arrived. So that gave me time to take like a million pictures. hehe. I loved the cup and saucer for the tea. And there was a shortbread cookie placed on top of it. We waited around for something to happen. My fiance wanted to dig into the food, but no one else had started yet. Plus there was no tea... so we tried to be patient. We were both hungry! haha.
Finally the large group arrived. And the manager came in to welcome everyone and explain how the tea service is going to work. He talked about the TASCHEN library, the rescued mosaics on the walls, the different food items on the display tower and the teas we will be trying. The champagne was all you can drink. Kinda wasted on me since I don't drink champagne, but I actually managed to down a full glass! The champagne they served was Gruet Sauvage.
The 3 teas featured were...
Nile Delta Chamomile (Egypt)
Coconut Assam (India)
Both of these were from Kai Organic Tea.
2001 Vintage Oak Barrel Aged Pu-Erh (China)
Now this part was different than other afternoon teas I've done before. Usually you just select the type of tea you want, and they bring you a personal pot of it to refill at your leisure. But here, they had a waitress serve the tea, and you try all 3 flavors. I would've preferred my own pot so I can refill my cup on my own. And neither of us were fans of the Chamomile so I had to wait awhile before they started serving the Assam. The Chamomile was quite bitter, not mild like I'm usually used to. And I don't really like it in general, but he did, and he didn't like this one. He added some honey to it and it seemed to help a little.
The Coconut Assam was interesting. Quite mild, not really sweet, but had a little nuttiness. The manager said this was his personal favorite, and the crowd pleaser, when he made his introductions. I thought it paired extremely well with the shortbread cookie.
The Pu-Erh was the one we both wanted to try the most. My parents and I actually drink a lot of it at home. It's a very dark tea. It has a very unique smell and taste. I want to say it's a little like licking a tree bark, but in a good way. haha. I guess it's just a bit more herbal/woody tasting. And the flavor of this particular one was actually milder than what I drink at home. The dark color just gives the impression that the flavor is going to be pretty strong. We both liked this the best.
Also, during the transition of different teas, a guy comes around with a jar and pours any remaining tea from our cups into it. I wondered why they don't give us new cups... It didn't bother either of us, but I would think hardcore tea connoisseurs would say the previous flavor is contaminating the next? Eh... we're not experts. haha. It was just something I noticed.
On to the food! Everything looked so quaint and delicate. I love miniature/finger foods. Always so tasty looking.
SAVORY
Goat Cheese Brioche (pumpkin butter, sage, salted pepita brittle). Y'all know I'm not a fan of goat cheese but I had to try a little anyways. It was quite goat-y... but I liked everything else. The pumpkin butter was a pretty orange and slightly sweet with the savory goat cheese. I loved the pepita brittle with that extra crunch. I just scraped most of the goat cheese off and gave to my fiance.
Lobster Mousse Napoleon (celery, spiced tapioca, soy caviar). This was interesting. There was a piece of lobster on the top and it was cooked perfectly. The soy caviar was done with molecular gastronomy. They did explain that they wanted to take classic afternoon tea foods and put a twist on it. The white puff on top was actually dehydrated tapioca balls and then fried! Cool!
Ham Mousse Eclair (parmesan tuille, mustard caviar, bonfire salt). Totally cute and yummy. It was like a ham and cheese sandwich but fancier! The bottom was an eclair half, then ham mousse, topped with parmesan tuille, mustard caviar, and 2 little donut balls. It had a lot of flavor in that little bite. The mustard was a great addition to the other flavors.
Deviled Egg Sandwich (tomato chutney, tomato meringue). This was our favorite. It was fantastic! Pretty AND delicious. I love a good deviled egg and I loved the presentation of it. How did they manage to cut out little perfect squares of egg white is beyond me. And the neat little piping of egg yolk on top. YUMM-O!
I had a friend that went a few weeks before me and she said that they were able to get more of the items they liked best. So we went in thinking that we can get refills on whatever we wanted...which cause my fiance to eat everything faster. haha. But half way thru, we were starting to think that wasn't the case. We asked the waitress that served the tea, if the food was one per person or if we can get more, and she said it was whatever is displayed for us. :( Uh-oh. haha. We were both a little disappointed. But later, when the manager came over, I asked him again. He explained that if the kitchen made extras or if they had some cancellations, then usually they are able to bring out more by request but it isn't always the case. He then asked us which ones we liked the best, we said the deviled eggs and ham mousse, and he winked and said they might have some more in the back. Yay! He later came out with 2 more deviled eggs and a ham mousse. He was fantastic btw, not just because he gave us more food. :P Very friendly, warm, and introduced the food/experience well.
SWEET
Huckleberry Buckle. This was already on the tower when we arrived. It was one of my favorite items. Kind of like a scone, moister than a biscuit but drier than a muffin. The frosting on top was a perfect ratio to the pastry. It paired SO WELL with all the teas.
The last 3 desserts came out at the end. (From left to right)
Manjori Ancho Tart. It's a dark chocolate tart. I think he said 65% dark or something? It's very dense and rich, and had a spicy kick. It was too dark for my fiance so I got to eat half of his! :)
Vanilla Yogurt Sandwich (with lavender). I think they said this was made with their house-made croissant dough. The cream is infused with lavender. I'm allergic to the smell of lavender so I was hesitant to eat this. I tried a teeny bit of the cream and didn't taste anything other than yogurt. He told me not to eat it... and it wasn't worth eating. He wasn't a fan.
Passion Berry. This was so good!! A heavy contender to the Huckleberry Buckle. I love passion fruit and it pairs so well to the marshmallow and cocoa nibs. The passion fruit was sweet, refreshing, and a little tangy. It was nice to end the meal with that bite.
Before we were finished, they gave every person 2 macarons to go. We got a chocolate and I'm not sure what the other flavor is. The chocolate wasn't that great... kinda chewy, but the other one is airy and nice, as it should be.
It was a great time. The whole event lasted about 2 hours. It was nice to just sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. And my fiance enjoyed himself. Some things were different than I expected but overall I really liked it. The service was great, presentation was classy, the setting was intimate and the food was yummy. The price included tax and tip and valet already so I thought it was very reasonable. Generally afternoon teas are not cheap. I recommend this for a girl's day out, or if you just enjoy afternoon tea. They only have one service each day so you don't feel rushed at all, and you get your fill. We were both quite full after it all. And there's no dress code, but I noticed that most people were at least in nice casual attire.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Oh man... it's almost Christmas! And I haven't even finished my Thanksgiving posts yet!! Time flies...
Well, to continue on the culinary trip in Austin, we had dinner at Odd Duck. They also used to operate out of a trailer. When it closed, I was so sad because I never got to try it. Then I found out they opened an actual restaurant! Yay! I immediately called for reservations.
Odd Duck
1201 S Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 433-6521
http://oddduckaustin.com/
Price: $$-$$$
Unfortunately there weren't great times available for a Saturday night dinner. And they told me they don't really take reservations between 6-8ish because the traffic is so high. So I went ahead and reserved for 5:45PM for 5 people. We were driving back to Dallas later that night anyways so an early dinner may not be so bad.
As the day went on, my fiance's parents decided to join us. I called to see if we could add 2 more people and they told me it would be an hour and half wait. Eeeeks! But we decided to go and chance it anyways.
I really love the outside design of the building. (You can see a nice picture of it on their website.) And the inside was cool too. Kind of rustic-chic. It's not a big place. I checked in with the hostess. She was very nice but said it was about an hour for a group of 7, but she's going to see what they can do. I told them we can sit separately if need be. In the mean time, we ordered some drinks.
Draft Apple Cider Moscow Mule (house ginger beer, apple cider, citrus, vodka) $8~ (right)
Hendricks Gin and Lemonade. (left) This is kinda my go-to drink now. I absolutely love Hendricks Gin, so refreshing.
I went to check in with the hostess after about 15-20 minutes, and she told me there was a table that is late for their reservation and have not called them. So if they pass their 15 min window, then we can have their table. And... to our luck, they were no-shows! Sweet! So I think we maybe waited about 30-40 minutes or so? Didn't feel like a long time. They still had to put us in 2 tables for 4, but it was next to each other.
Odd Duck's menu is pretty small and it's more tapas style. Smaller plates and everyone shares. However, for the smaller plates the prices weren't equally small. haha. I've realized that for most tapas places actually. Tricky.... XP
Since we had 2 separate tables, we ordered separately, but passed everything among the 2 tables. hehe.
Pretzel (ham and cheese, mustard bechamel) $6~
These were so cute! I love the presentation in the mug. They gave 1 pretzel for each person. The ham and cheese is baked inside the pretzel. And the mustard bechamel was divine! Rich and creamy and just a bit of tang from the mustard. Paired perfectly with the soft but chewy pretzel. We tried to keep the cup with the leftover bechamel. But at some point it got taken away. haha.
Today's Taco (pigs ears $5~ each).
We got 2 of these to split among 4-5 of us...so a bite per person essentially. It had really good flavor. I think the tortilla was corn but I didn't mind it. Usually I hate corn tortilla cuz of the flavor but this was very mild. I was excited about the pigs ears but I've had better. I'm not sure how they cooked it but it was too soft. Pigs ears are supposed to be a little chewy and crunchy since there's a thin layer of cartilage between the skin. I wanted more of that texture.
Lamb Kebab (meyer lemon relish, green chile hummus) $7~
This was surprisingly good. You know me... I don't like lamb. But the gaminess wasn't bad at all, and it was an explosion of flavor. I really loved the hummus as well, especially with the raisins which added a burst of sweetness.
Roasted Beets (borscht, dill, creme fraiche, chips) $8~ This was interesting, lots of textures and different flavors. I wouldn't order it again, but enjoyed it.
I really liked how their plates and cups all have different designs. Very eclectic, and quite homey.
Buckwheat Crumpet (broccoli, fondue, maitake, hazelnut, duck egg) $14~
I thought this sounded really interesting. It was so cute on the afternoon tea-esque plate. A play on tea and crumpets, I'd imagine. hehe. Small portion but sooooo good. This was my favorite dish of the night even though everything else was delicious. I loved the texture of the crumpet. Kinda like a fluffy pancake? But the size of a biscuit. This dish was rich and comforting. The duck egg and fondue made it so creamy. The hazelnuts were a great addition. It added texture and nuttiness. So many flavors and yet it looks so simple. I'd get one just for myself next time. haha.
Cast Iron Pintos (pancetta, grilled cabbage, sage) $11~
The other table ordered this and I got a bite. I'm usually not a fan of pinto but this was so good. The beans were creamy and you get the flavor and fattiness from the pancetta but then the frisee on top added freshness and crispness. And the kitchen accidentally made us a second one so we got more of this for free!
Grilled Bacon (corn pudding, chanterelles, mustard greens) $14~
This was my #1 pick from the menu to order. I love bacon and all the elements are some of my favorites too. I love corn and mushrooms! The bacon was smokey and flavorful, with just enough fat. And I thought it was plated beautifully.
Spaghetti (fennel pork sausage, egg yolk, mint) $13~
This was my 2nd favorite dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The sausage was yummy and I loved the snow pea leaves in there. We eat a lot of snow pea leaves in Chinese cooking but it's very rare in western cuisine. So I'm always surprised when I see it.
Special of the Day: Pork Chop (almost 1 lb., collard greens, apple, mustard, topped with chicharrons) $26~
This was an impressive looking plate. So much bigger than anything else we ordered. It's like an edible forest! So pretty with all the different colors and textures. The flavors all worked together. I loved the mustard seeds and the collards. The apples provided a nice refreshing crunch. The pork itself was delicious, but I think about 1/3rd of it was pure fat. So it wasn't really a pound of actual meat...
Risotto (sunchoke, goat cheese, truffle oil) $13~
Keeping with the "forest" theme... also a beautiful plate. I knew this had goat cheese in it... and I could taste it, although not super strong. It still wasn't for me. The risotto was creamy and cooked well though. Everyone else loved it.
Most of the portions are pretty small. But when you order a lot of them, you still get full! :P Everyone was pretty full but I wanted to try one of the desserts. (of course. hehe)
Coconut Rice Pudding (horchata, ginger, butternut) $7~
This came in an unassuming little bowl. The white stuff on top is granita. The creamy rice pudding is underneath and there are little chunks of butternut squash and candied ginger throughout. Initial bite... whoa! The mixture of textures and the cold rice pudding with the super cold granita was pretty amazing. It was refreshing yet rich. I loved the butternut and ginger... and usually I don't like heavy ginger flavors. Really great way to end the meal. It was weird... my fiance didn't like it. But oh well, more for me! :)
It was a great meal, everyone enjoyed themselves. The food was fantastic. We got to try some incredible flavors and combinations. And a big thank you to my fiance's dad who picked up the bill before anyone knew what was going on. That was super sweet of him. Our waitress was very nice and explained the menu well. And I really appreciate the hostess taking care of us and being really friendly in the process. I highly recommend Odd Duck, just make sure you make reservations!
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Oh... and a little something extra. I discovered, while getting ready to leave Odd Duck, that Lick Honest Ice Cream shop was really close by. Since we're leaving that night... why not another stop first? :P We decided to walk... it's about a 15 min walk from Odd Duck.
Lick Honest Ice Creams
2032 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 363-5622
http://ilikelick.com/
Price: $
They use pure, whole ingredients and locally source their dairy. And they have some very interesting flavors! Such as Cilantro Lime, and Roasted Beets and Fresh Mint. They also have some vegan flavors too. It's a really small shop, not for lingering, but we were getting it to go anyways.
I got a waffle cone with 2 scoops: Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie and Coconut Avocado Curd.
Both flavors were fantastic. Although I wished it was richer/creamier. All the ice cream I sampled seemed a little more watery than say Ben & Jerry's or Baskin Robbins. Maybe that's because of their ingredients. Still good though, probably better too because it's lighter.
Pretty good ice cream. Definitely very unique flavors. A bit pricey, which I can understand from the ingredients point of view. It's a nice treat to have if you decide to cut out foods with artificial ingredients. :)
Overall Experience:
HAPPY HOLIDAYS~~ Stay tuned for my Christmas food festivities. :)
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Over Thanksgiving break, we went down to Austin for one night to visit my fiance's family. We were doing a second Thanksgiving Friday night and had Saturday to go out and about. I already knew what places I wanted to check out. Time is limited, I had to prioritize! :P
I was excited about both eateries we were going to but I think I was slightly more excited about this one than the next. Just slightly...
I first experience Gourdough's AMAZING donut trailer back in 2009, I think? The BEST donut place ever!! Made to order, gigantic, and all sorts of excess toppings we Texans love. hehe. So when I heard they had opened a restaurant, I was stoked!! I mean... they have donut burgers. DONUT BURGERS! How freaking epic does that sound?!?
Gourdough's Public House
2700 S Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 912-9070
http://gourdoughs.com/
Price: $$
We hit it up for brunch on Saturday. They don't take reservations so we showed up fairly early... around 11:30AM. The place was only about 20% full at that point. We decided to sit outside because the weather was awesome! The decor is very casual, wood tables, chairs, picnic benches and tables outside. They also have one of their trailers in the outside area. There's also a bunch of TVs around us, great for a game day!
I was there with my fiance, his two sisters, and his little sister's husband. They started off with some brunchy drinks.
Craft Bloody Mary $5~ My fiance's bro in law asked them to put a piece of bacon in this. Why not, I say. haha. I've never liked bloody mary's but this was actually quite good! He really enjoyed it.
Michelada $5~ One of his sisters really like this drink. My fiance tried it and decided to get one too. hehe. I love how they put the beer in a mini brown paper bag.
So... are you ready for some SERIOUS food p0rn?? haha
Country Clucker (crispy fried chicken breast, potato pancake, warm cream corn, candied jalapenos; served on a piping hot donut) $11~
This was mine! ALL MINE! MUAHAHAHA! :P J/k I shared... I was debating on a few but the creamed corn and jalapenos won me over. I liked everything in this dish. All the food looked so amazing when they brought it out. This was like a small mountain of deliciousness. A perfectly fried (giant) donut, slightly crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. Topped with a potato pancake, perfectly fried chicken, and SO MUCH CORN! It was so good!!! I loved the candied jalapenos, it added just a hint of heat to the dish. It was as epic as the picture looks. I sooo wanted to finish it all but I was sampling other stuff too so I took about 1/3rd of it to go.
Dirty Plucker (piping hot donut topped with hand battered fried chicken, honey butter and maple icing) $9~
My fiance got this. He and his sister were going to go halfsies on each of their dishes. This is their play on chicken and waffles. And this was my favorite out of everything I tried that day... although it was hard to pick a favorite. Again, perfectly fried donut, with a maple icing. Topped with fried chicken, and more maple icing. And honey butter to top everything off if you want it even sweeter. That honey butter was the bomb. I drizzled it over every bite, and some on my Country Clucker too! The general consensus was that it was too much sweet to finish the entire plate, but since we all shared, it was perfect. I would've eaten the whole thing though. The perfect sweet and savory combo.
His sister got the Count Gourdough Cristo (oven roasted turkey, ham, swiss cheese, roasted red pepper, basil, red onion, wrapped in donut dough and deep fried; served with avocado lime sauce; served with fried Yukon chips) $10~
So she gave half to him. They both loved this. I was expecting it to be super heavy like a normal Monte Cristo sandwich but it really wasn't. The avocado lime sauce paired with it superbly. And their Yukon chips were great. They both wanted more of it.
Public House Salad (cilantro buttermilk dressing, romaine lettuce, feta, tomato, cucumber, six-minute egg; served with a piping hot garlic donut) $7~
His little sister got this since she wanted to try a little of everyone's as well. They were kinda giving her a hard time for getting a salad here. haha. But I'm actually glad she got it cuz I was able to get some green veggies to go with my Country Clucker. The salad was huge! And what was even more O.O was how huge the garlic donut was. And that garlic donut could easily be one of everyone's favorite elements that day. It was just perfection. It was plain (unglazed). Fried perfectly, not greasy AT ALL, and SOOOOO FLUFFY! They really have their donut dough down to a science.
And finally, his bro in law got the El Camino Burger (angus beef, chipotle cheese blend, chipotle mayonnaise, pickled jalapenos, bacon, cilantro, sliced tomato, fried onions; served with fried Yukon chips) $11~
At least one of us had to get the donut burger right?? Freaking amazing. So much flavor, I loved the chipotle mayo. It tastes just as good as it looks.
Fried Brussels Sprouts $4~ I also saw this on the menu so I had to order it. Pretty dang good. :)
This meal was amazing. It exceeded my already high expectations. I loved everything I tried and so did everyone else. Just looking at these pictures again makes me want to pick up and drive to Austin right now. It's a good thing I don't live close though...I'd be there ALL THE TIME! If gluttony is your middle name, then this is the place for you. Although, surprisingly, I didn't feel like any of the dishes were super greasy or heavy. Nothing oozed with grease even though everything is fried. Impressive. I will definitely make this a required stop any time I'm in Austin.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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