Buenos Aires Cafe

After hearing several rave reviews I figured my first restaurant review might as well be somewhere with a reputation.  A and I took the 2 minute drive over to South 1st and parked next to a non-descript building flanked by a pawn shop and the infamous G&S Lounge.  Not exactly where you'd expect fine dining.

Upon entering you find a small dining room with no more than 10 or 11 tables.  (I promise the next round will have ACTUAL photos and not iphone renderings)

We were seated in the corner and after listening to the daily specials decided we'd be dining off menu.  Adrienne had the Mahi-Mahi with a white wine reduction sauce, capers, shrimp, asparagus and mashed potatoes. 

The sauce really made the dish for me (of the couple bites I had).  I'm not a huge fish person, but it was cooked to perfection.

The gentleman sitting next to us sung the praises of the beef tenderloin going so far as to say "it is the greatest cut of meat I've ever had".  This intrigued my inner carnivore so I ordered the tenderloin, medium rare with green beans, yukon mashed potatoes and a couple of gulf shrimp.

                                     

After you're done admiring those chiseled man-boobs you'll notice that the presentation was outstanding.  The green and orange coloring in conjunction with the tomatoes on the green beans made this dish really stand out.  And that was before taking a bite.  The beef cutlet was on the small side, but the flavor was solid.  Juicy inside with an herb paste on top and cooked a perfect medium rare.  The mashed potatoes and green beans were well cooked as were the shrimp.

The special prices were a little high, but overall we left very impressed and eager to head back.  They've recently opened a second location on East 6th.

@Home: Seared Ahi Tuna

A and I have been catching up on Madmen the past few weeks (we missed the boat when it first came out). Through most of season 2 I've learned that to properly hook your client, come out firing with your best idea first. Ok, perhaps I'm making that up and I'm really just wanting a fully stocked liquor cabinet in my office for Mondays like this. At any rate, here's one of my favorite dishes I've put together. (Fair warning, pictures are a result of iphone camera and my jimmy hands...proper photo documentation in future postings will be done by the professional in the family)

.5 lb yellow-fin tuna
white/black sesame seeds
salad greens
red bell pepper
wonton sheets
asian ginger vinaigrette
edamame as a side
6 pack Breckenridge SummerBright to get me through the evening



Prepared the wontons first. Not necessary, but adds a nice texture to the rest of the salad. Cut up into strips




Threw them into some hot olive oil for roughly 30-40 seconds (till they puff up and turn brown)



result = crunchy goodness



Tuna + Sesame seed mix



Cooked on high heat using some olive oil. 90 seconds on one side, 60 on the other.



Sliced to perfection



And the final product with some tossed salad greens and julienned red bell peppers



Came out fan-friggin-tastic. Honestly, I'm not sure that I'd change a thing. After I took it off the pan, I placed the tuna in the freezer for 10 minutes or so while I prepared everything else. This firmed it up a bit to make slicing easier. A and I were both extremely pleased with the result and this will definitely be in the dinner rotation in the near future.

A humble beginning

Talk is cheap. After telling A for the 20th time last night "No, no, seriously...I'm going to start a food blog" I've finally broken down and put the wheels in motion.

My blogging experience is limited and as a husband to an amazing blogger, I know that coming up with material isn't always the easiest thing to do. You've got to find something you love. And since I'm pretty sure weekly updates about how much I adore my wife probably wouldn't yield the traffic I'm looking for, I'm focusing on my other love. Food.

There are quite a few Austin food bloggers out there and they've been the inspiration for many of our finest meals both at home and out on the town. My hope is to do just that for anyone who happens to read. It will be a combination of restaurant reviews, recipes I try at home and any other topics that might seem blog worthy.

So, uh...here goes.