I finally made it to Wu Chow for dim sum! The downtown Chinese restaurant, from the Swift's Attic team, opened earlier this year on West 5th Street, six blocks west of Congress Avenue. While they are neighbors to the federal courthouse, there are touches of whimsy throughout that I appreciate. From the smiling dumpling faces on the sign board, to the goldfish bowl with a huge gold chain *bling* around it, to the chopstick wrappers, little touches to make you smile.
But more importantly, they take their dim sum very seriously, and they only serve it on Sunday mornings. They don't have the fun little carts with stacks of bamboo steamer baskets being pushed around the room, but rather an actual menu and wait staff service. Our team of four ordered a bunch of plates to share, and the overall verdict was eight thumbs up! The highlights are below.
The gai lan broccoli with oyster sauce was steamed perfectly; not overcooked and not bitter. The sauce had a touch of sweetness to it, and the crispy shallots were a good textural contrast.
The green onion or scallion pancake was much thicker and doughier than what any of us had seen before. It wasn't bad, just different, though I think I prefer the thinner, crispier, flakier versions better.
Char siu bao, or steamed pork buns with crispy chicken eggrolls with a gingery sauce. The bao were a perfect size and one of my favorites, and the eggrolls a nice switch up from the Americanized standard.
Shrimp fritters, which were nicely fried and not greasy.
The soup dumplings, which had a nice lighter dough and a very succulent broth that tasted like it has been simmered for hours. My close up picture where you really could see all the pleats didn't come out as well as I had hoped, so you'll have to make due here. Get the soup dumplings! $10, but worth it.
Turnip cakes with sausage; sometimes when you get these at other places they have a sheen of oil on them, but these did not.
One of the better sesame balls (or fritters) that I have had anywhere. Nice amount of red bean paste inside, but not TOO much, and like other items we had, devoid of grease. In the background are the egg custard tarts.
The dumplings had a nice sear to them.
Overall, I found the various sauces and broths to be full of flavor and not too salty, and fried items were not greasy. To me, these are the factors that help make each dish shine overall. The one disappointment was they were out of the Niman Ranch beef and chive turnover by around noon when we decided to add a few things to our order (and we got there at 11 am when they opened). After tax and tip, we each paid about $21, not that much more than you'd pay at a traditional dim sum spot. Plan ahead though, and make a reservation.
Finally, a great dim sum place in Austin that I don't have to go all the way up north for! What's the Chinese word for *hallelujah*?!
I bought a new pie dish last week and was immediately inspired to put it to good use! With a smidge of fall-like weather in the air, I thought I would try to summon more cooler temps and less humidity by making something autumnal. I am not a fan of pumpkin, so that was immediately out, and I know I'll be making pecan pie for Thanksgiving, so I decided to pass on that too. Going though some of my saved recipes (three binders worth, and then some!), I came across Pear Butterscotch Pie that had appeared in Gourmet magazine in 2009.
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The one note I left on my printout when I made it before was "yum!". Not very descriptive, but it was precisely that. Especially when served a bit warm with fresh whipped cream.
I think I can now add "Yum, YUM!" to my notes. It's a very easy pie to make, only made complicated by the crust. I made my own crust, because I am a pie-purist in that respect. I use Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe, though I use half butter and half vegetable shortening. And I used Bartlett pears and fresh grated nutmeg, which I think always makes a difference. But if you are not a crust maker, the refrigerated pie crusts will certainly do, and you could do a lattice or other fun, fall-like motif. Do try to use the fresh nutmeg though!
And thanks to the Austin American-Statesman, who featured my Instagram photo in the newspaper, as part of their #austin360cooks hastags.
Enjoy! And meanwhile, I am still waiting for sweater weather........
* I was invited by Capital Grille to experience their current promotion. All opinions are my own.
Now through November 20th, Capital Grille is offering #WagyuandWine, where you can get a Wagyu burger with a glass of either Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon or Goldeneye Pinot Noir for $25.
Photo courtesy of Capital Grille's Facebook page.
Do it!
My friend and I started with the calamari with hot cherry peppers, which was also delicious.
You have your choice of three Wagyu burgers, and I had a huge tender, perfectly cooked medium-rare burger with fried egg, havarti cheese and crispy onions and the Pinot. Oh, and the fries were perfect too.
And save room for the chocolate cake with port wine infused cherries!
Capital Grille is located at 117 W. 4th Street (a block west of Congress), in the old Spaghetti Warehouse space for those who have been in Austin a long time!
I just spent a long weekend in Kittery, Maine with family and friends. I haven't been up there in over thirty years, and it will NOT take me that long to return! The whole Portsmouth, New Hampshire/Kittery + York, Maine area is charming AND filled with great food! The three towns are about a total of 15 minutes apart along the Atlantic coast.
This is the back side of my friend's house originally built in the 1700s, which overlooks a cove on the Piscataqua River.
Photo taken by my father! Thanks, Dad!
And my view of the "backyard". That's the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the distance, where they repair submarines.
Friday night dinner was at Warren's Lobster House, which sits right on the Piscataqua River, which is the New Hampshire/Maine dividing line. Most of our group had lobster, but I was still feeling full from meals with college friends in Cambridge (sticky bun from Flour and lunch at Shanghai Fresh), I opted for the salad bar and a crab cake, which was almost entirely crab. Check Warren's website for coupons! I also couldn't resist a picture of the fabulous latch hook wall hanging depicting Warren's!
Saturday morning, someone was up early to make a run to local bakery Lil's Cafe in Kittery for crullers. The day was off to a good start! They were warm and yeasty and eggy and soft and crunchy all at the same time!
My friends have been spending summers in this area for generations, and they've been going to Flo's Hot Dogs up the road in Cape Neddick on Route 1 (just north of York) since the 1960s. It's basically a shack, and Flo's grand daughter is now running the place, and she's kinda the hot dog nazi! There are specific rules on how to order (which are posted!) so you best pay attention (and step #2 comes several minutes after #1... glad I was with locals!). The House Special are steamed hot dogs, on a steamed bun, served with their relish, mayo, and a dash of celery salt. And honestly, the combo was fantastic.
On the way back, we stopped in York at The Goldenrod, which I remember from when I was a kid. They're famous for their salt water taffy, aka Goldenrod Kisses, and they still have the machines in the windows pulling the taffy and cutting/wrapping them into pieces, just as I remembered. Given that they've been around since 1896, I guess they're entitled to closing for the season at Columbus Day. Check their website for hours, and don't forget the penuche fudge!
So as not to be entirely gluttonous, we then went for a walk through the woods where some leaves were turning into fall colors, and the trail ended at an overlook of some salt marshes.
And then a drive over to one of Maine's few sandy beaches, where I dipped my fingers in the Atlantic. Definitely chilly!
Some of us then went into Portsmouth and to the Great Rhythm Brewing Company for a flight of IPAs, and they picked up some special release cans.
For dinner on Saturday night. all eight of us went to Anneke Jans in Kittery, which got a very positive comment from an Austin restaurant on my Instagram photo! The entire meal was wonderful. I would have never thought to put blue cheese with mussels, but it worked really nicely, along with a very smokey thick cut bacon. Yum.
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Dang the comments don't pop up here, but the Bonneville from here in Austin called Anneke Jans one of New England's best spots!
We took it a little easier on Sunday -- gotta save up some energy for lobster! Some of us make a trip to the farmer's market, where I saw my first ever lion's mane mushroom live and in person!
We went to Sue's Seafood in Kittery, and ordered lobster (LOBSTAH) rolls to go. These things were stuffed with big pieces of lobster, and were served on a nice soft toasted buttery bun. And the best part -- you wanna know how much these cost? $11.99/each. OMG.
While we were at Sue's we went ahead and placed our order for dinner. Steamed lobsters, the "chicken" size, so under two pounds for $5.99 each. EACH. And they came neatly packed in this plastic container, all ready to eat. We added corn, cole slaw, and melted butter, duh, and had a feast!
Sadly we were fewer in number on Monday, but four of us went back to Portsmouth and to Geno's for a last meal together. I took advantage of the lobster, and had this fine chowder. And that's the meat, not the shell!
And we couldn't resist a stop at Kate's Bakery, where the bars were literally five inches square and a mere $3 each. Raspberry bar and peanut butter chocolate one.
And after that, I headed back to Cambridge to stay one night with another college friend, and I headed back to Austin the next day. It was fabulous to get away for a few days, and even better to catch up with old friends (who love to eat too!) and to see my parents! Where's your next adventure taking you?
