Cheese— It's what's for dinner.

Antonelli's

So this afternoon I was looking forward to dinner. I had planned it all out, I was going to have grilled chicken breast and salad with a fresh vinaigrette dressing. I took some of the chicken and put it in a tea brine* to which I added a couple of bay leaves and a sprig of fresh rosemary. I then took the rest of the chicken and made a quick marinade with vinegar and an Indian spice mix I had put together. Then four o'clock rolled around and I was no longer in the mood for chicken (no worries I'll save it for Sunday), suddenly I wanted cheese and crackers. So, I did the only rational thing in this situation: I drove 15 miles to Central Market for crackers, and settled instead on quinoa tortilla chips, got a Texas Tea Peach to drink, and chocolate covered ginger for dessert. Then I did the unthinkable- I skipped over C.M.'s cheese section entirely and headed over to Antonelli's Cheese Shop. Why skip C.M. huge selection in favor of Antonelli's? For a couple of reasons: first, Antonelli's is a local Austin business and I like to keep it local. Second, because Antonelli's is a small privately run shop that works with small private producers in their respective regions they do tend to have some cheeses that C.M. doesn't carry.

Majorero and Wine

I get into the shop and I'm thinking, What do I want? What will go with the chocolate and tea? Not being an expert on cheeses I was totally lost. Fortunately for me, the staff at Antonelli's knows their stuff. It took the girl behind the counter all of about thirty seconds to make a recommendation based on what I had purchased at C.M. Her selection for me: Majorero (pronounced ma-ho-rero), a type of Spanish goat cheese.

Cheese Selection

So how was it? Delicious, that's how it was. It was nutty and creamy with that olfactory filling bite that you get out of good sheep or goat's milk cheese. It went perfectly with chips (no surprise considering they were flavor-neutral), complimented the tea, and added some nice overtones to the chocolate. The 'dip' in the middle there is a spicy tomato sauce I made. I sauteed a little onion and garlic, added the tomatoes and some rosemary, pepper, salt, bay leaf and a little chili powder for some kick. I thought it went nicely with everything. I also happened to have a little white wine sitting around, a Pinot Grigio by Bota Box. I'm not sure it was the right wine for this cheese, but as I said I'm no cheese expert. And yes, Bota Box wine comes in a box, but it is fantastic wine. I served some at a dinner party a while ago and my wine-snob friends (that's a compliment by the way) gave me an offended look and scoffed until they tried it. They were won over to the ways of boxed wine.To Antonelli's Cheese Shop, thanks for the suggestion, it was exactly what I wanted. I will certainly be visiting again.


*Brining helps lean meats like chicken breast to retain moisture, so I generally try to put my lean meats in a brine for at least a couple of hours before cooking. I usually use about 32oz of liquid to one table spoon of salt. In this case the tea was an English Breakfast, but I usually prefer a Lapsang Souchong which is a type of Chinese smoked tea. I'm not sure yet how this brine turned out. I'll let y'all know tomorrow if it turned out well!  

Monument Cafe

Monument Cafe

Georgetown, Texas a charming little town about twenty minutes north of Austin. Admittedly, I'm no expert on the city of Georgetown, but not much seems to go on here beyond jury duty for residents of Williamson County (hooray civic duty!). In fact I have been called twice, though I've never been selected. Georgetown also has a real culinary treasure in the form of the Monument Cafe.

Monument Cafe is classic Americana at its finest. It has the feel of a classed up '40's style diner and serves the kind of food you'd expect at such an establishment, plus a quite a few other items.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

I decided to start things out with the pulled pork sandwich and onion rings. The pork was excellent. It was nice and tender, and full of flavor. It comes served on a burger bun, with your choice of side. I opted for the onion rings, an excellent choice I think. They were perfectly fried, the batter was crispy and flavorful and the onions were slightly sweet and tender. If you're a fan of onion rings this side is a great choice for you.  

Turkey

We also tried the turkey plate. The turkey was a nice mix of light and dark meat and was served with a very nice gravy. It also came with three sides; we chose the onion rings, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. This meal was the very essence of Thanksgiving. It was a gut-busting plate of goodness that will make you feel like you're eating at home.

Fried Blueberry Pie

In addition to fantastic entrees, they also serve up some great desserts. On this trip we sampled the fried blueberry pie, which we got with a scoop of frozen custard. Personally I am a big fan of fried pies and this one did not disappoint. The crust was fried to crunchy perfection and the blueberry filling could not have tasted any fresher. We also sampled a slice of their coconut cream pie. It was easily as good as the blueberry. Of course, this was not our first experience with their pies- our friends over at Crave Communications hooked us up with one of their chocolate pies a while back. It was by far the richest chocolate pie I have ever had. In fact, it was the reason we ended up visiting Monument Cafe in the first place. So yet again, Paula and Cat, thanks for looking out for us!

In addition to the food there were a few other things that stood out for me. First, the customer service was excellent. My drink was never empty and the staff was attentive without hovering. Second, I really appreciated the fact that everything they serve is made fresh and sourced locally or at least within Texas as much as possible. The herb garden out front is a nice touch too.

Monument Cafe is well worth the drive and comes highly recommended your Food Junkies.
Official AFJ rating- 4 points of the Lone Star

Monument Cafe
Map
Hours:
Sun-Thurs 7am-9pm
Fri-Sat 7am-10pm

Austin Area Specialty Stores

If you're like me you may have often found yourself wondering, "Where can I get the things I need to make that kind of food," or, "Where can I go to get great organic products?" With that in mind, we have put together a list of some great places in the Austin area where you can go to get what you need.

Store:
Apna Bazaar
Type of store:

Apna Bazaar

International- primarily Indian and Pakistani goods. They have an excellent array of whole spices and premixed masalas. You will also get very friendly, personalized service which is generally lacking in most supermarkets. In addition to a very large selection of products, they used to serve the best samosas and chaat in Austin. Why mention something they no longer carry? Because I had a chance to speak with the owners, and they mentioned that they stopped serving fresh made food because they plan to open a restaurant in the same shopping center in February. They said it will be focused on Indian seafood and food from the region of Goa, which is something not often seen in Austin. They can count on a review as soon as they open!
Location:
8650 Spicewood Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78759


Store name:
KP Indian Grocery
Type of store:

KP Indian

International- primarily Indian and Pakistani. Like Apna Bazaar, they have an excellent selection of whole spices and masalas. In addition they also have a great selection of produce, and utensils needed for some types of Indian food. They also have the type of the great customer service you'd expect from a family run store.
Location:
1212 West Parmer Lane, unit # F
Austin, TX 78753





Store name:
Central Market
Type of store:

Central Market

Specialty, organic and international products. Central Market is a bit of a land mark in Austin. It is a very large supermarket owned by the HEB chain of grocery stores. They are known for their very extensive produce section which includes a large number of organic and gourmet items. They have a very large meat and seafood section. They also have an excellent selection of wine and beer, a fantastic cafe and bakery, and one of the best selections of cheeses in Austin. Seriously, I could spend entire monthly grocery budget on their cheese and still not sample everything they have. Maybe I should do that....On most Thursday evenings they also have live music on the patio, and offer various culinary classes throughout the week. In addition they also do what they can to represent state and local producers and farmers. They are one of only two places in town to offer Sticky Toffee Pudding Co products. Sticky Toffee is owned by Tracy Claros, a native of England, who has brought her culinary expertise in baking to the Austin area. It's too hard to explain the flavor, but suffice it to say it was like a culinary awakening for me. I didn't think that pre-packaged baked goods could be that delicious. I highly recommend the orange ginger pudding. 

Location:
There are two locations in town, so check online for the location nearest you.



Store name:
Wheatsville Co-op
Type of store:

Wheatsville Co-op

Organic, Local, and health food. Wheatsville is a medium sized supermarket that carries just about everything you'd expect. The produce is fresh, much of it organic, and they also offer a wide selection of items sourced from local and Texas producers. They also have a nice selection of bulk items such as tea, spices, nuts and treats.

Location:
3101 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78705



Store name:

Sun Harvest

Sun Harvest 
Type of store:
It is a small to medium sized organic and health food. They also have a very extensive bulk section that includes nuts, cereals, grains and more.

Location: 
Two locations in town, so check online for the location nearest you.



Store name:
Fiesta Mart

Type of store:

Fiesta mart

Fiesta is a large supermarket located right off IH 35. They have a very nice international section, although they do specialize in Mexican products. You can get fresh made tortillas at Fiesta, and if you are feeling adventurous they even sell huitlacoche (pronounced weet-la-coachay), a type of fungus that grows on corn. It's sometimes referred to as Mexican Truffles. It goes quite nicely in quesadillas.  
Location:
There are two locations in town, so check online for the location nearest you.




Store name:
Antonelli's Cheese Shop

Type of store:

Antonelli's Cheese Shop

Cheese. If I could afford to, I'd happily spend a month's salary at this store. They offer a wide selection of cheeses, salamis and even some wine. Of course the real star here is their cheese. Their selection of cheeses is excellent. They source from small producers all over the world, and their inventory varies in size and selection based on what they've been able to procure. Antonelli's also offers classes in tasting and pairing. In addition, you get kind of personalized and expert service that can only happen at a small, privately owned shop.

Location:
4220 Duval Street
Austin, TX 78751



Store name:
Water 2 Wine
Type of store:
A fully functioning wine-making store. In addition to selling wine bottled in house (I sampled a Merlot, very nice), they also offer you the opportunity to be your very own vintner. Seem strange? This is how it works- you come in and tell them you want to make some wine. They then help you select the type of wine to make and the grapes that will best suit your needs. Then they help you through the rest of the process of pressing the grapes, fermenting the wine (45 days), bottling and then printing your own custom labels. They also offer classes on wine tasting and food pairings. The entire staff is very friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about their craft. If you like great wine, or if you are interested in trying your hand at wine making then this is a great place to visit. 
Location:
There are two locations in town, so check online to find the location nearest you.





Store name: 
MT Supermarket 
Type of store:

MT Supermarket is a very large Asian supermarket located in an excellent Asian shopping center. They sell a very large array of products spanning several Asian cultures. They also sell some rather unique produce, the kind of things not usually found in an American supermarket. Things like durian fruit. Durian fruit is a large and rather dangerous looking fruit known for its rather, ummm, unique odor. I've never smelled it but I am curious..... 

Location:
10901 North Lamar Blvd # G
Austin, TX 78753


Store name:
Lee's Meats
Type of store:

Lee's Meat Market

Butcher shop. Lee's is one of several actual butcher shops in town. They offer a very nice selection of meats and even prepared dishes and sides. They will also custom marinate, cut, and cook your meat for you.
Location:
1601 West 38th Street
Austin, TX 78731


Store Name:
Whip In
Type of store:

Whip In

Beverage and cafe. The Whip In is known around town for its huge selection of beer. They offer all kinds of beers from all over the world. The number that I've heard most often is 400. I'm not sure if it's quite that large, but it is rather extensive. In addition to beer and other beverages they also have a fully functioning kitchen and serve up some homemade Indian and Texas cuisine. I spoke with one of the employees and he told me that the owner's wife comes in and cooks many of the items herself. They are on our list of reviews. If you fancy a drink stronger than beer, they have you covered on that as well. Attached to the Whip In is their sister store: Beverage World. Beverage World has a very nice selection of hard liquor and wines.
Location:
950 South I H 35
Austin, TX 78704




Store name:
Austin Homebrew Supply
Type of store:
Austin Homebrew caters primarily to home brew enthusiast. They offer everything you'll need to get started making your very own beers and ciders. They have a wide selection of grains, yeast, bottles, kegs and just about everything else you will need. They also have supplies for wine making, soda making and cheese making. Believe me just walking into the place gave me several more ideas for stories, maybe a start to finish guide for making your own home brew? Or maybe cheese making? You'll just have to wait and see!
Location:
9129 Metric Blvd
Austin, TX 78758

This is list is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list of specialty stores in Austin these just some of our favorites. The fact is that there are a large number of other places that we just didn't have the time mention. The next time you're feeling adventurous or inspired to try something new go to your favorite specialty store or just pull up this list and give it a go!

-Matt

Brooklyn Heights Pizza

Brooklyn Heights Pizzeria

This week we review a favorite of just about any American. By  American I mean anyone in North, Central, or South America and any of the American Islands. What is this wonderful, transnational food of which I speak? Why, pizza of course. What's not to like about pizza? It's of Italian and Greek origin but lends itself well to any country. And why not? After all, at its core it's simply a piece of flatbread baked with sauce toppings. There are many styles of pizza pie, and this week we had an excellent New York style pizza. Where did we go?

The pizzeria in question is Brooklyn Heights Pizza, located at Parmer Lane and Avery Ranch in Cedar Park. What differentiates a N.Y. style pizza from other types? On a N.Y. style pizza the crust should be thin, tender, easily folded and hand tossed. The slices are usually large; in fact the entire pizza may be cut into only eight pieces. The sauce is spread on first, then cheese and finally the toppings. How does Brooklyn Heights measure up to this? Quite well, actually.

Brooklyn Heights Ultimate

We tried the Brooklyn Heights Ultimate, which was a great selection. Brooklyn Heights starts, as any respectable pizzeria does, with an excellent crust. It is thin, tender and has a great flavor. So often it seems that the crust is the most overlooked part of the pizza. Most restaurants seem to put little effort into making their crusts and the end product suffers as a result. I was glad to see that Brooklyn Heights put some effort into their crust. Next, we have the sauce. Their sauce is quite good, not the best I've ever had but respectable none the less. The tomato flavor comes through nicely with just the right amount of garlic and spice. As for the toppings, they were all quite good. They were able to make their presence known without getting totally buried in the cheese and sauce. At many pizzerias it seems that the toppings get so smothered in grease and cheese that you almost don't notice them. In this case each topping could actually be tasted individually. Although we only tried the pizza, Brooklyn Heights also serves some rather tasty sounding entrees as well. While we certainly do recommend Brooklyn Heights, I feel I would be remiss if I did not add one caveat to this review.

The service is spotty at best and needs to be addressed by the management. Why so? Well, this was my third time attempting to order from them. The first two times I stopped by on off-peak hours and was ignored. Both times I walked up to the bar area, which was filled with patrons, and hoped that someone would stop to give me a menu or at least and acknowledgment of some kind but no luck. So instead I sat in plain sight of the wait staff, thinking surely someone see me and at least take a drink order. Again, no dice. Several times waitresses walked by, looked me in the face and kept on going. This went on for five or ten minutes before I'd had enough and left, and it happened on two separate occasions. Did I speak up or flag someone down? No I didn't, but why should I have to? The way I see it is that the staff is there wait on the customers, and if the restaurant is not busy then there is no reason a customer should have to flag someone down. Serving customers is the most basic part of customer service.

And before you ask, no my experience is not unique. My parents had similarly bad results both with dinning in and placing pick up orders. Not only did they get ignored until they finally left, their phone order got completely forgotten. To be fair, they were given coupons for free pizza to make up for it. Unfortunately the coupons were several months out of date. Had it not been for the customer service I would have rated them much higher.

Still, we try not to do negative reviews and when all is said and done their pizza is quite good. In fact their parking lot is usually packed around dinner time. So, keeping in mind that I am taking points off for poor service we give them an AFJ rating of 1 point.

AFJ rating- One Lone Star Point


Address-
14900 AVERY RANCH BLVD., C-700
AUSTIN, TX 78717
(512) 238-8889
Website 
Google Maps Location

Possible Pancake Perfection??

Who is that devilishly handsome bald guy?

Have you ever taken a walk through downtown Austin? Have you ever passed up the opportunity to eat at a food cart while doing so? If you have, you may have missed out on the best food you have never eaten. The trip we take down Tasty Lane this time is a good example. This week dear friends, we will discuss Crepes Mille. I love a good crepe. I believe that crepes are what pancakes probably tasted like in the Garden of Eden. Crepes Mille is the definition of a perfect crepe. They are tender, light and mild in flavor. In short, these crepes are good enough for a crepe snob, like myself. Also I would like to mention right off the bat that all of the fillings and meats are cooked to perfection.

Panang Curry

Beginning with the French side of things, we'll talk about the chicken burgundy and creamy cremini. The chicken burgundy contains a mix of white and dark chicken in a red wine and gorgonzola cream sauce. This wonderful crepe is the epitome of proper French flavor. It is well balanced, mild, creamy, and wonderfully delicious. Neither the red wine nor the gorgonzola overpowers the base flavor. To be perfectly honest, everything in this dish plays nicely together, like you wish your children would. The creamy cremini is pretty much the same idea. It is a cream sauce of cremini mushrooms and fried onions over a crepe stuffed with wilted spinach. The dish is served with a lemon wedge on the side and when you squeeze that little yellow beauty on your food, the entire dish just sings. The spinach in this crepe was perfectly wilted, not raw and not overdone to the point of having the consistency of wet plastic wrap.

Chicken Burgundy

Onward and upward to southeast Asia! The panang curry crepe is stuffed with your choice of chicken or shrimp and garnished with shredded carrots. It is then topped with a panang curry that has to be one of the best I have had in Austin. The curry is perfectly balanced, just enough spice to make you take notice, not enough to send you fleeing to the nearest bucket of water. The obvious attention to detail requisite in a phenomenal dish is there as well. The creamy, mildly sweet and beautiful flavor of coconut milk sings through the other spices and mellows the flavor perfectly. Another Asian crepe they serve is the Beef Bulgogi. Tender bbq beef bulgogi is wrapped in a crepe with just enough spice to get your attention, but not burn your tongue off, and drizzled with a mild spicy sauce. The bulgogi crepe is ridiculous, to be perfectly blatant. Like just about every other item on the menu, this is worth trying.

Sticky Rice and Mango

 No wonderful meal is complete without dessert, mind you, so we had to try some of the sweet crepes offered at Crepes Mille. I had the sticky rice with mango. Sticky rice is one of those foods I will fall to my knees and beg for a serving whenever I see it; mango is another. The crepe comes topped with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, sliced almonds and just a hint of corn flakes for texture, which work surprisingly well together. The filling is beautiful sticky rice and a slice of fresh, ripe, sweet mango. This is another dish that is a perfect symphony of flavor. We also tried the Caramelized Pear. Warm caramelized pears, stuffed into fresh crepe and drizzled with a warm caramel sauce with whipped cream on the side. The flavors are simple and clean, and chances are you can imagine exactly what it tastes like. In fact you probably are right now. Be careful not to drool into your keyboard. Hopefully this will be motivation enough for you to get out to South Congress and try 'em out.
Everything we have had here was fantastic, just a little slice of heaven on a beautiful French pancake. You are looking at spending about $6.00 to $8.00 per item, but the portions are large and very satisfying. One is enough for a normal human, two for me usually. One caveat, they only take cash, so be sure to stop at the ATM before you head out, friends. Emphatically and without reservation - Anthony Bourdain, please don't sue me for that - I can say that this is a place to try as soon as you possibly can. All in all, Crepes Mille is an excellent way to kick off an evening of music and entertainment in Austin's legendary downtown scene.

  AFJ rating:

5 Points out of 5

Crepes Mille Website
Google Maps Location

1318 S. Congress Ave.

Austin, TX 78704
(512) 919-2416

Check the website for Hours of operation