Austin Food Fights

Delish v Polkadots: the Cupcake Conundrum

Cupcakes are in this season. Did you know? It’s no wonder, since these handheld cakes are the perfect way for a pastry chef to distinguish baking talents and decorative abilities to as many people as possible—in as cute a package as possible. And judging by the proliferation of cupcakeries around Austin in recent years, folks around this town are ready for more of this trendy treat.

We decided that a true test of a cupcakery’s mettle would be its vanilla cupcake. After all, any culinary whiz can whip together a fancy batch of baked goods. All you need are a dozen oddly complimentary ingredients and the guts to call it your own. But to truly see who has an appreciation for the Art of the Cupcake, what better test than the most forgettable plain-Jane flavor: vanilla?

ROUND ONE: Delish Mexican Vanilla Cupcake

Delish is where deliciousness goes to dine after dinner downtown. Located at 209 W 3^rd St, this little boutique cupcake bakery manages three things really well: sweet, chic, and cute. Look for the yellow cube-shaped sign out front—although as soon as you walk in, you will be greeted by a gigantic oil painting of a cupcake in a yellow so vivid you can practically taste the hue. Delish is likely to have something new every time you visit, with daily special offerings, seasonal specials like a Father’s Day “Dr. Pepper Bourbon” cupcake, and twice-monthly “Pooches and Pupcakes” with free petite pupcakes for your canine compadre.

Delish took a classy stance on the old standby flavor of vanilla, using Mexican vanilla in the cake itself and in the buttercream topping. The frosting had been piped onto the little delicacy with care, and topped with a little nugget of sugary goodness. Beneath the wrapper, the cake was pale in hue, a soft creamy tan color. The consistency of the cake was light, fluffy, and not too crumbly. The frosting also left very little film in my mouth, as frosting sometimes has a tendency to do. The vanilla flavor was present but not overpowering. In short, this was a delicious and elegant cupcake with character.

a cupcake with character

(Laurel: Okay, this was a damn good cupcake! I am more of a vanilla than chocolate fan so it already had my attention and then the deliciously strong vanilla flavor contrasting the lightness of the cake, made it an instant favorite! I give this cupcake 4.5 out of 5 bites!)

We also sampled their daily special, the “PB Honey Banana Cupcake” which their menu described as “Banana Cake with a Peanut Butter Honey Buttercream, a drizzle of honey and a small piece of honeycomb.” I enjoyed the honey flavors but thought the peanut butter overpowered the taste of banana. (Laurel: Wait, there was banana in the cake? I thought it was peanut butter with a side of peanut butter!) The crystalline honeycomb topper was a graceful touch, and I give them props for attention to detail. (Laurel: I, fortunately, did not give her a chance to try the honeycomb. But let me tell you, it was delicious!)

PB Honey Banana Cupcake

ROUND TWO: Polkadots’ Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake

If your grandmother were to develop an obsession with handheld cakes, then Polkadots’ Cupcake Factory might be the sort of place she would feel right at home. (Laurel: More like Hansel and Gretel’s sugar haven! I’m surprised we didn’t see a trail of breadcrumbs leading up the front steps.) Although the pastel pink interior of the house-turned-bakery feels tiny enough to fit inside a muffin baking tin, the space has large windows to let in plenty of light and a wraparound patio to provide extra seating. Located at 2826 Rio Grande St, Polkadots bakes wedding cakes and offers twelve varieties of cupcakes daily for West Campus college students and pretty much anyone with a sweet tooth. They serve five daily flavors and seven rotating daily specials like “Strawberry Coconut” or “The Fluffernutter”.

The Polkadots style appears to be colorful, cute, and syrupy-sweet. Our Vanilla Vanilla cupcake looked almost distressingly cheerful with its golden yellow cake, soft-as-a-cloud American buttercream icing, all topped with eye-popping sprinkles in every color of the rainbow. If this style of icing is your thing, Polkadots may very well might be the right place for you—but personally, I found that even though it was creamy and well-made, the American buttercream icing was too insubstantial on the tongue. It was like the cotton candy of cake toppings. (Laurel: I really did love the icing on this one. Light. Fluffy. Not overwhelming. But the mexican vanilla in the Delish cupcake still had my attention. This was a close second place. I give this cupcake 4 out of 5 bites!)

the cotton candy of cake toppings

To be fair we decided to try one of their daily specials as well, their “Black Bottom Cupcake” featuring chocolate cake topped with chocolate chip buttercream icing. If that wasn’t enough, they also included a center of cream cheese and chocolate chip icing. Now, perhaps by this point we had simply sampled too many cupcakes, but we were overwhelmed by this dense creation. I preferred the Black Bottom icing to that which topped the Vanilla Vanilla, but the center filling made the entire thing less stable and more apt to crumble in the hand. Good for a chocoholic, though. (Laurel: This cupcake is what put me into a food coma for the rest of the night… well, that combined with all the paint in bright colors on the windows. For a while there as I slipped into my cupcake coma, I wondered. Is this where unicorns go to die? And hey, speaking of which, what did they do to Hansel and Gretel?! But back to the Black Bottom cupcake. I know that if you are a chocoholic out there, this is YOUR cupcake!)

perfect for chocoholics

AND THE WINNER IS…

Delish Cupcakes wins this food fight for delivering a classy and original gourmet cupcake while still paying homage to the time-honored vanilla flavor. Congratulations to Delish!

have cupcakes, will travel

Published in:

Local Food Fight

on August 15, 2011 at 1:41 pm Comments (2)
Tags: cupcake, dessert, sweet

Mobile Featurette: Fino’s Desserts

Howdy, folks! L. A. here, tapping away on my android. I just had the most delectable desserts at Fino’s Modern Mediterranean near 24th and North Lamar. It was just one of those meals that leaves you wishing you could tell people about it–so here we go!

Have you ever had fried olives? How about Fried Anchovy Olives dusted with spices? I was dubious at first, but was surprised how appetizing they were. They went especially well with the fresh gazpacho soup. After a salty yet tasty Pimenton Roasted Chicken Salad with mixed greens and manchego, I was ready for something light with dessert, so I tried the delicate and delicious organic Spring Roses green tea by Devi Tea.

Oh, the desserts! I dove into Fino’s refreshing Frozen Lemon Mousse with blueberry basil syrup with fresh berries and micro basil garnish. It was a tad on the tangy side, but still sweet and summery. A friend sampled the Brown Sugar Peach Cake, which was topped with almond brittle and vanilla bean custard. She said it was rich and seemed to be enjoying it quite a lot.

Many thanks to the gregarious and kind owner of the restaurant, who served us once himself, chatted with us after lunch, and even stopped what he was doing to take a photograph of our table. His wife runs a blog at FoodIsForSharing.com which is full of reviews, recipes, and juicy tidbits from life in the restaurant biz.

Published in:

Mobile Featurette

on July 26, 2011 at 3:18 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: dessert, mediterranean, mobile featurette

STAR vs hound vs flight – the Battle of the Iced Coffees

Today we present a coffee-flavored Food Fight for all our caffeinista friends! We compared similar beverages at Starbucks, Houndstooth, and Flightpath. Since one of the contenders is definitely a global chain, and the other two venues are local to Austin, that makes this a small vs. LARGE food fight. We decided to go with something small: Coffee. And since last time L.A. had the first say, Laurel Paige gets to voice her opinions first this time around. Besides, she is more of a coffee connoisseur and was definitely taking this one seriously! According to Laurel Paige, it’s not like this one particular food item doesn’t fuel most people’s lives.

ROUND ONE: Starbucks, the Goliath of Coffeehouses

Cafe: Starbucks
Location: The Domain, off Mopac
Beverage: Iced Caramel Macchiato
Beans: espresso blend from Latin America and Asia Pacific

In the words of Laurel Paige…

I had already had this beverage before, unlike L.A. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell them I wanted it ‘upside down’ thus it was served with the milk on the bottom and espresso on the top. Having to stir my own coffee drink, the horror!

I enjoyed it as I enjoy most Starbucks drinks, except for the price. It was served in a plastic cup with a lid and straw for perfect travel utilization. It didn’t have a harsh coffee aftertaste and was just cold enough to enjoy outside while watching people walk around and shop. I love the atmosphere of the Domain and it definitely makes this Starbucks location one of my favorites. And the one thing Starbucks provides that is hard to find elsewhere… every time you order, you get the same EXACT drink no matter where you go; consistency! I give them four out of five espresso shots!

In the words of L.A….

The Starbucks we chose was completely packed on a Sunday afternoon. A dozen people were hovering in anticipation, and with seven more people in line, the tiny place seemed to be brimming with impatience. We took our drink outside to a patio so we could breathe a bit. For those who don’t know, an iced caramel macchiato is “espresso combined with vanilla-flavored syrup, milk and caramel sauce over ice.” What we didn’t know when we ordered it is that it appears to be a Starbucks invention, and therefore not one of the most common coffee beverages outside of said establishment.

For the time being, though, we simply enjoyed the appearance and flavor of the macchiato. They serve it in layers: at the bottom, a thin line of caramel-vanilla syrup; in the middle, a wide band of milk; at the top, the coffee itself. To me, the flavor seemed a good mix of bitter and sweet, not overpowering in the least. The coffee seemed flavorful but not “loud”—in short, I found it to be pleasant and predictable, the two most desired qualities of any chain food or beverage.

ROUND TWO: Houndstooth Coffeehouse, the new, the trendy, the unknown

Café: Houndstooth Coffee
Location: Lamar and 45th St / Rosedale area
Beverage: Iced Almond Latte
Beans: Cuvée (Spicewood, TX)

In the words of Laurel Paige…

As we left Starbucks, we were still slightly undecided where to go. I suggested somewhere we had both never been to before. BAM! Houndstooth popped into my head.

[flashback] I was preparing for my tremendously long bike ride (15 miles *wipes sweat from brow*) in the lovely country side of Blanco at the Real Ale Brewery when I turned around and there they were… Houndstooth Coffee serving espresso to the yawning and spandex-clad bikers. I was in love… And it was also too early to have beer (i.e., they weren’t serving it yet) so I figured some espresso would sit nicely on my empty stomach. And let me tell you, it did. [flash forward]

We got to Houndstooth Coffee, ordered our beverage and sat outside on their little porch, watching the cars drive up and down Lamar Blvd. Our beverage was served in a glass with crushed ice. The almond flavoring was not overpowering at all, very delicate, and the drink delicious. It had more of a real genuine coffee taste than Starbucks, which I enjoyed and even after all the ice had melted, it was diluted at all. The atmosphere outside the café was not hurt by the street’s closeness or the sounds of traffic. The drone of the cars might have even been peaceful, if not for this being my second coffee in an hour, and the fact that my twitching leg was thumping the metal table where we were sitting.

The caffeine persuaded me to go inside and talk to the guy behind the counter about the different beans and equipment used. Interesting tidbit of information: the espresso machine they use is called “la marzocco mistral” and is the only one in Texas. I also liked that the beans used in our drink were from only 36 miles away. Yay local! And when I went inside to put our glass away before we left, the counter guy gave us some free vegan donuts! “We’re gonna throw them away anyway since we make them fresh daily, so would you like some?” he asked me. Now, when do I EVER turn down free? (That’s a trick question.) These donuts were AMAZING! For the awesome coffee, though, I give Houndstooth four-point-five out of five espresso shots!

In the words of L.A….

We were on our way to Flightpath when we remembered a place just off 45^th Street we both wanted to try. Time for a spontaneous detour! Houndstooth is a relatively new establishment on North Lamar next door to the uber-trendy Uchiko. We both loved the sleek look of the place, although I think it may be a better location to hop online while you get hopped up on coffee than to cozy up with a book and a drink.

They were not serving the same drink we had at Starbucks so we tried an iced almond latte, which combines espresso, almond-flavored syrup and milk over ice. It was not a very sweet drink at all and since I am more of a tea person I was overwhelmed by the bitter coffee, although as the menu suggested I did taste a mild acidity, almost like lemons.

I really liked the ice, which was just the right size to crunch on. (This sounds like an odd thing to care about, unless you are outside in Texas in late June.) The drink held up flavor well even as the ice melted. The man behind the counter became curious after we had taken so many photos and asked so many questions, and when we mentioned our blog he gave us some vegan donuts from the local Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery. Apparently these are served only on the weekends at Houndstooth, but they are definitely worth checking out. We had one sugary lemon-flavored donut and one slathered in supersweet coffee-flavored icing. They were both absolutely delicious and if I hadn’t known they were vegan I never would have guessed! I will definitely be returning to this trendy little coffeeshop.

ROUND THREE: Flightpath Coffeehouse, your friendly neighborhood caffeine dealer

Café: Flightpath Coffeehouse
Location: Duval and 51st St. in Hyde Park
Beverage: Iced Almond Latte & Iced Caramel Latte
Beans: Texas Coffee Trader Roaster Espresso

Now, L.A. and I have both been to Flightpath before, so it wasn’t the new adventure like Houndstooth, but we still had open minds. After ordering our drinks, which were very reasonably priced, we decided to sit inside for a change of pace. L.A. took about 15 minutes to take all her pictures (per usual) and finally I got the chance to try our drinks. I was not impressed. I am not sure if the drink-maker just used too much syrup, but personally I thought the flavor of both drinks made them way too strong to drink. I was really surprised by this, since I have never been disappointed by Flightpath in the past and love to come to study or just people-watch. But this day, it was not the same… I give Flightpath two out of five espresso shots.

In the words of L.A….

Our final contender was Flightpath at Duval and 45^th Street, a funky little Hyde Park place good for meeting friends or settling down to study. We decided to spring for two drinks to try and even the playing field somewhat: an iced caramel latte and an iced almond latte. Both were completely overpowering. More than anything else, the caramel latte tasted like the caramelized vanilla icing you find on coffee cake. The almond latte did have a strikingly distinct almond flavor, not subtle but one I preferred over the soft Starbucks or the bitter Houndstooth. They were both also sweeter than the first two contenders, and this also pleased me at the first sip. It was not meant to last, though. I will always be fond of Flightpath, but like Laurel I found I just couldn’t drink much of either beverage.

AND THE WINNER IS…

HOUNDSTOOTH! In the end, our votes go to Houndstooth for their use of local beans in a subtle and thoughtful way. Starbucks ultimately lacked flavor depth and although Flightpath also drew from local sources, we cannot in good conscience vote for a beverage neither of us were able to drink, even if L.A. enjoyed small sips of it. Congratulations to Houndstooth Coffeehouse!

Published in:

small vs LARGE Food Fight

on July 8, 2011 at 1:03 pm Comments (3)

House vs. Home – Battle of the Pizza Pies

Welcome to our intrepid first post! Today, our Food Fight will feature pizza.

Pizza may have the capacity to be quite amazing, but I have to admit that I used to think of it as college food. For a substantial amount of my five years in college, I resisted college food. Once the necessities of dorm life were past and I found myself with a real kitchen at my disposal, I saw no reason to revert to microwavables or takeout meals. I avoided ramen noodles and reserved Red Bull for the most dire of circumstances. [Laurel Paige here... Are you telling me Red Bull isn't water...?] Still, one collegiate luxury continues to appeal to my taste buds: that most glorious Italian invention, the pizza pie. Therefore, when my associate Ms. Laurel Paige contacted me—interrupting an afternoon of post-graduation malaise, punctuated by fits of job application frenzies—and suggested pizza for our intrepid first Food Fight, I could not help but agree. Perhaps I am already missing my college days, but there is just something about pizza. The only savory pie accepted on this side of the pond, the pizza is equal parts calorie-spree, flavor-binge and meal-of-last-resort. [More like meal of first resort, thanks.] In rare cases, pizza can be ruined. I have tasted bad pizza—a travesty of blandness, little more than white-red goop over cardboard crust. Don’t even get me started on the pizza I tasted once in Korea. Yet one of the miracles of pizza is how often pizzerias manage to get it right—or rather, right enough to make it worth the wait and the tip to the delivery guy. This is why, when you encounter a truly well-made pizza, you ought to take notice. You are experiencing a work of art, because for many, pizza represents a circular canvas of culinary potential. [Or for me, a good reason to slather something in ranch!]

Before I go any further into this discussion, I ought to fully disclose the fact that I am a deep-dish kind of girl. It’s true. I would choose Chicago pies over New York style any day. As a diehard fan of Conan’s Pizza and their groovy deep dish delights, I admit that in past years I may have maintained some distance from this Food Fight’s trendiest competitor, Home Slice Pizza. And until Laurel Paige put it on our schedule, I’d never even heard of House Pizzeria. Both serve thin crust pies, and both have a substantial number of reviews heralding their deliciousness. We decided to compare two pizzas from each venue: pepperoni for an appeal to the classics, and two different white pies to gauge creativity.

And so, on a Sunday in early June, we settled ourselves on a red picnic bench on South Congress outside Home Slice’s spillover location, More Home Slice. As the record-breaking heat began to dissipate and the sun melted behind thunderclouds, Laurel Paige and I toasted to the future of this mad venture with a clink of Mexican Coke in glass bottles. My boyfriend watched with some amusement as we settled in to savor the flavors of a pizza which has been driving Austinites crazy since 2005.

Laurel Paige, angel of the pizza pie, sporting a lovely halo

ROUND ONE: Home Slice Pepperoni; Home Slice White Pie with Spinach and Mozzarella

Served at the perfect temperature, draping over the edges of the paper plate, the Home Slice pepperoni pizza we sampled by the slice met all the criteria of good street food. It was easy to fold and even when eaten one-handed the crust did not give in. Rather, it supported the toppings well in spite of its flexibility. The sliced pepperoni and cheese were both rather average, and the smattering of Italian herbs added more of a visual element than any additional seasoning. The one truly delicious aspect of this pie, however, was its sauce. There was just the right amount of this bold, flavorful tomatoey goodness.

[The pepperoni Home Slice pizza was very good, but I think most of the enjoyment I get from Home Slice is the environment of South Congress and watching people walk up and down the streets with their dogs. I give their pepperoni three out of five pies in the face!]

Home Slice Pepperoni Detail: a forkful of goodness

We were not disappointed by the white pie topped by spinach and mozzarella. Heavy on the minced garlic and massive dollops of cheese, this pie was a good mix of strong and neutral flavors. Like the first slice, this one was large enough to drape over the edges of the plate. The crust proved to be a bit crispier and held together with better structure in the hand. The main selling point of the pizza appeared to be the thick rounds of mozzarella, which were interspersed among the spinach like exploded white bombs and made it somewhat difficult to fold. Although the cheese was rich and creamy, it unfortunately had a slightly grainy texture. Neither of us could finish the slice because of an overload on richness.

[The spinach and mozzarella white pie was better than the pepperoni, but overly rich and hard to finish. I give it four out of five pies to the face!]

Home Slice Spinach and Mozzarella: massive dollops of cheese

Overall: Home Slice pizza is tasty indeed, a reliable source of quality pizza in the SoCo district, but I’m not entirely sure if it was worthy of the hype. [I will say though, Home Slice gets five out of five pies to the face for envirnoment. I just loved sitting on South Congress with a Mexican Coke, people watching.]

ROUND TWO: House Pizzeria Pepperoni; House Pizzeria White Pie with Potato and Goat Cheese

Do not be fooled by the outer appearance of this low-key-looking establishment, which admittedly had us raising our eyebrows after the trendy black and red façade of our first competitor. The Ikea-esque interior with its pale woods, retro lamps, and bonafide jukebox turned out to be far more upscale—and far more eco-friendly, according to their website—than I would have expected from a sleepy restaurant off 51^st and Airport Blvd.

House Pizzeria Streetside View: low-key on the outside, eco-trendy on the inside

Right away we encountered a hazard of not doing in-depth research beforehand. [Hey now, I just planned this Food Fight two hours before we did it and House Pizzeria had 244 reviews online. Seemed like a good bet. AND it was!] No pizzas by the slice were available at House Pizzeria, so we opted for two pies and settled into a booth by a window to wait for a short time. In the meantime we sipped water poured from a refillable glass carafe and nibbled fennel-seed breadsticks that may have been provided for palate cleansing. The pizzas that arrived were indeed thin-crust… but they were also shockingly three-dimensional.

I had never been served a pizza with crust that had been allowed to bubble upwards in such a dramatic way. In most cases the tops of these doughy outcroppings had singed inside the ovens, and merely crumbled away to the touch, as Laurel discovered with one disconcerting poke of a finger. Yet even if the pizza topography had me imagining alien landscapes à la Calvin and Hobbes, these two pies were far more visually pleasing than the Homeslice pies. They were a pleasure to photograph, in fact. [And let me tell you... she takes FOREVER to take pictures... I was drooling by the time I got a slice!]

House Pizzeria White Pie: a three-dimensional pizza

I began with the pepperoni once again. I had sauce on my mind after our previous contender’s bold flavors, and was pleasantly surprised by House Pizzeria’s tangier sauce which included actual chunks of tomato. In fact, it was so flavorful I had to wonder about the sauce’s ingredients. House Pizzeria’s specialty pies did contain local seasonal ingredients marked with their farms of origin, and the front counter displayed a splotchy tomato in a wine glass by a sign advertising heirloom tomatoes sold by the pound. However, other than the fact that the sauce’s tang and body tantalized my taste buds, there was no evidence to suggest that the standard sauce on the pepperoni was utilizing such precious ingredients. On top of the average yet tasty cheese, we found the token Italian spices sprinkled more for appearance than for flavor. The slices of pepperoni here were also average, perhaps a smidge spicy, but the wood-firing had given each round of meat a bit more substance—just a slight crunch here and there, the way good crispy bacon resists the teeth ever so slightly. The bubbly yet thin crust was floury, but otherwise unremarkable. Technically, we decided it was foldable but the smaller sizes of each slice were limiting to the traditional New York Style practice of pizza origami, and since the place itself touts “Neapolitan style” pizza, we can only assume they could care less whether their patrons can fold their slices.

[I thought this pepperoni was better than Home Slice, but could have had more diversity in flavor. Four out of five pies to the face!]

House Pizzeria Pepperoni: classically delicious

Did we claim objectivity? I hope not, because I can tell you, I was most excited to try the white pie from House Pizzeria, which had the best presentation of the four kinds of pies I had seen that day. Three flavors predominated: tangy creamy goat cheese mingled with cloying rosemary, over a flavor foundation of roasted potato. Rustically luscious atop a chewy crust, this pie was the undoubted winner in my mind. It wasn’t perfect, of course. One or two bites proved to have potato slices that were not all completely cooked, which can be a hazard of roasting root vegetables on top of bread—that is, if you don’t want the dough coming out of the oven resembling a hockey puck. This pizza balanced flavor, texture, creativity and execution well. I have a feeling Laurel and I will definitely be coming back for more.

[This white pie with potatoes and goat cheese won me over! The potatoes were just the right thickness and the cheese with evenly sprinkled over each slice unlike the globs of mozzarella on Home Slice's. Five out of five pies to the face!]

House Pizzeria White Pie: rustically luscious

AND THE WINNER IS…

House Pizzeria wins this food fight, not just for delivering on deliciousness, but also for piquing our interest by utilizing high quality ingredients and pushing flavor boundaries. Congratulations to House Pizzeria!

Published in:

Local Food Fight

on June 10, 2011 at 10:10 am Comments (3)

What is a Food Fight?

Food Fights are our way of raising the stakes for restaurant reviews. Because of her background in sports, L.A. thought it would be a good idea to host competitions between two or more similar restaurants.

PLEASE, NO PIES IN THE FACE

Before you get too excited with that whipped cream pie, we have to say that we DO NOT actually want to begin flinging food. Part of our original goal is to help local restauranteurs. And last time we checked, no business owner feels an overabundance of gratitude at the prospect of scraping enchiladas off their walls. The term Food Fight, therefore, applies to civilized competitions, usually involving two restauranteurs that don’t even know they are in the running.

Our primary goal in a Food Fight is to feature the same item from similar restaurants. For example, we would rather not pit a cheeseburger from a campus food trailer against a cheeseburger from a four-star restaurant downtown. Likewise, it wouldn’t be fair to add a turkey burger into the running, either. That being said, we can’t make sure each food or beverage item uses the same exact ingredients, so sometimes our competitors’ options don’t always match up perfectly. We also like being spontaneous, which means that although we try to do research before wading into the fray, it doesn’t always work out that way.

Since Austin has so much to offer in so many culinary categories, there is no way for two (perpetually underfunded) bloggers to truly say which Tex Mex restaurant in Austin has the best fajitas or which bakery has the best blueberry muffins. So instead, we will just try to take it on a case-by-case basis.

TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE, BABY

Do you have a favorite restaurant that doesn’t get enough love from the locals? Here’s your chance to boost their business. We take suggestions! Plus, if you think we weren’t doing one place justice, or if you can think of an alternative competitor we should have tried instead, then let us know! We are happy to consider rematches.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF FIGHTS

First Rule: You don’t talk about Food Fights… Just kidding! Tell everyone! But seriously… Here is a quick list of definitions for many of our present and future articles. This list will grow as we gain more experience and come up with new ideas. (Feel free to help us brainstorm!)

Local Food Fight: Here we take two or more local restaurants and compare a similar food item from each location.

small vs LARGE Food Fight: This may be one of our most common Food Fights, featuring a small local business versus a LARGE franchise-style business. We will compare food items from a chain restaurant and one or more local restaurant.

Inside Job Food Fight: This will be a comparison of multiple specialty dishes from one local restaurant.

FREE Food Fight: For those times later in the month when our next payday seems so far away, we will compare who has the best free food, i.e. samples, special monthly events, etc. (Laurel Paige’s favorite!)

BEST Recipe Food Fight: Here we will look up recipes given out by local restaurants claiming to be the best food item of its kind. Then we will make the recipes ourselves at home to decide who we think is truly the best.

micro Food Fight: L.A. or Laurel might have the opportunity to host a micro Food Fight herself while out on the town or enjoying a coffee at a cafe. Therefore, this will be an impromptu one-person Inside Job, and it will likely be posted via cell phone. Forgive us our typos–we will touch them up and add links & etc later.

Mobile Featurette: Just like a micro Food Fight, without the fighting.

Published in:

Uncategorized

on June 7, 2011 at 2:55 pm Leave a Comment

About the Writers

We are L. A. and Laurel Paige, two twenty-somethings from Austin, Texas who enjoy good food, good drinks, writing, photography, and experiencing as much as humanly possible in and around this beautiful city.

L.A. Carmichael

I am a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where I majored in English and History. And although I do not shoot archery as much as I used to, I am also a two-time Paralympian with a Bronze Medal from the 2008 Games in Beijing. I am focusing on finding gainful employment while I work on my writing. My current and future writing projects fall into the genres of historical fiction, sports fiction, fantasy, food writing, and creative nonfiction. On a typical Friday night I might be staying in to write or cook, or I might be going out with friends, to restaurants, concerts, parties, theme nights at the Drafthouse, drum circles, Reiki gatherings, or nutrition presentations. I love words, flavors, fruits and veggies, and having long-term goals.

One of my favorite hobbies is photographing cuisine, a practice known as food porn. This is nowhere near as naughty as it sounds, and about twice as delicious. As a foodie, I like spicy dishes, prefer salty to sweet, and tend to avoid seafood because I don’t like the texture. When I was training for Beijing I spent two years hosting wine tastings in specialty stores, and although I’m not a vinicultural expert I do enjoy a good glass of wine. I tend to value individual preference and experimentation over standard flavor pairings. When it comes to food specifics I have too many favorites to list, but if I could have one last meal on this planet, it would go like this:

Start with a Sonoma Cabernet. Pair with homemade focaccia topped with fresh oregano and red onion. Follow with cave-aged gouda, Andalusian jamón , and garlic-stuffed Greek olives. Next a spinach arugula salad with goat cheese, avocado and walnuts. The main course would be gnocci in fresh pesto–still one of the most foodgasmic combinations I have ever tasted in my life. I would finish with oven-warm berry cobbler topped with a heaping double scoop of Amy’s Sweet Cream. To offset the cold I would sip my final evening away with a cup of Earl Grey tea, hot. (Because if you have to die, why die decaffeinated?)

Laurel Paige

I do not have a degree in English from UT, but I do enjoy food and computers. On a pretty normal day in the past, L.A. and I were talking about her undying need to always be writing, and I suggested she and I start a food blog. I made the blog, decide on the restaurants, do the research, make reservations if needed, upload the articles, and manage our social media. So after she graduated (I graduated four years before her), I made this blog and we were on our way. It has been a delicious adventure thus far…

Okay… umm… favorite hobbies… I enjoying long walks around lakes and watching TV shows involving forbidden love scenarios. I work everyday of the week so I also enjoying sleeping when I have time.

Last meal? Something free. And at the end, an espresso with steamed milk; I’m going out energized! *smile*

A Free-Food-itarian Philosophy

One of us sees the glass half full. The other doesn’t care how full or empty her glass is, so long as there is liquid in it and it comes without ice, thank you very much. One of us likes things salty and spicy. The other prefers sweets–but only in moderation, please. About the only thing we have in common is that we are both chronically undercapitalized.

This brings up an interesting point about the life and times of a food blogger. Being that we typically see less dough than a bankrupt bakery, we find it difficult to turn down free items. So, although we do not ask for such perks and might even turn them down in certain situations [Laurel Paige here. You speak for yourself, crazy woman!] there are times when we have to let the restauranteer know that we are blogging about their business, and often their first response is to offer us a small complimentary item. We really will do our best to not let this get in the way of a fair fight. But there is one last thing that Laurel and L. A. have in common, and that is our philosophy regarding edible generosity.

One year in college L. A. decided to experiment with veganism and vegetarianism. She had a fun time, faced down many culinary challenges, and as Laurel Paige watched dubiously from a distance, L. A. discovered a wide variety of new gastronomic opportunities. The only problem was that L. A. also discovered that she found it extremely difficult to turn down food offered by well-meaning friends and family. She realized that at heart she is a Free-Food-itarian before other considerations. Laurel Paige laughed when she heard and has come to embrace that philosophy even more thoroughly than L. A. So, you have fair warning. We won’t seek them out and we won’t let them sway our judgment, but we both find freebies very hard to turn down.

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