Pat’s Pick
Pat's Pick
Pat's Pick
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CAPITAL HILL I could feel the effects of a brutal day vanishing the minute I walked into the elegant dining room of the Mansion at Judges' Hill—the designers who create impeccable sets for Merchant-Ivory films have nothing on the architects and decorators who brought Austin's historic Goodall Wooten house back to life as a gorgeous urban inn. The kitchen, presided over by chef John Maxwell (formerly of Zoot), straddles traditional and modern with a menu that ranges from filet mignon in bearnaise sauce to roasted rabbit loin with fava beans. We couldn't resist the allure of the new: My olive oil-poached salmon filet sided by fiddlehead ferns (a special) was magnificently moist in a spunky preserved-lemon vinaigrette. Equally well treated was my friend's seared Alaskan halibut in lemon-caper brown butter accompanied by Yukon potato matchsticks. Although some dishes—like morels stuffed with foie gras—were overly subtle, the same could not be said of dessert, a crisp hazelnut cone filled with lush chocolate mousse and crunchy chocolate nibs, courtesy of pastry chef Katherine Clapner. The only thing missing? A postprandial room at the inn.
PATRICIA SHARPE
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Salad of Grilled Squid With Fingerling Potatoes
John Maxwell, the Mansion at Judges' Hill, Austin |
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Hazelnut Popovers With Roasted Plums
Katherine Clapner, the Mansion at Judges' Hill, Austin |
Season's Eatings
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PETAL PUSHERS So many edible flowers covered our plates that we thought about requesting machetes to hack our way to the food. But, hey, we weren't complaining; that's what we had come for. Six days a week chef Edward Vervais of the Carriage House Kitchen at the San Antonio Botanical Garden turns out a short midday menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Under a mound of daisies and a pile of lettuce I found a nice breaded crab cake with honey mustard on the side. My friend's seafood salad bristled with medium-sized shrimp in pesto buried in a blizzard of purple pansies. Like the entrees, the homemade desserts wore perky petal garnishes, all organic. The double-fudge chocolate cake was birthday quality, while the piece of lemon chiffon cake was enough to make two people very happy. After lunch we walked across the foyer to the excellent shop, where we foraged for cards, crafts, and garden-related gifts. Then, wanting a breath of fresh air, we anted up the modest entry fee ($4 for adults, $2 for senior citizens, $1 for children) to stroll through the 33 lush acres. The visit left us, predictably, green with envy.
PATRICIA SHARPE
Primary Flavors
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MELLOW YELLOW Remember when "truffle" more often referred to a candy than to the now popular fungus? When arugula was still a mysterious green? Meet the squash blossom, another of the young guns of produce currently making its way into the mainstream. The versatile, light flavor of fresh squash blossoms is perfect for summer, when the flowers are plentiful. But what do they actually taste like? "They are slightly bitter yet somewhat sweet and nutty," explains David Bull, the executive chef at Austin's Driskill Grill. Look for squash blossoms to star this month in dishes such as Bull's squash blossom cocktail: tempura-fried flowers served with a parfait-style layered dip of spinach, horseradish, and truffled Boursin cheese. Ciudad in Dallas stuffs its blossoms with crab, fries them in a Dos Equis batter, and serves them with a tomatillo salsa. San Antonio's La Calesa prepares a classic Mexican sopa de flor de calabaza (a creamy broth boosted with fresh herbs and mushrooms) as does Hugo's in Houston, and that's not all: A seasonal menu at Hugo's devoted exclusively to squash blossoms will feature them paired with epazote in quesadillas, tucked into empanadas, folded into crepes, and stuffed with corn, peppers, and goat cheese.
EILEEN SCHWARTZ
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Squash Blossom Cocktail With English Peas, Horseradish, and Truffled Boursin Cheese
From the Driskill Hotel, Austin, chef David J. Bull |
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