Photo by Sean Dunn

You’re walking through the east side. In front of you dashes a flannel-clad hipster, carrying recycling on the back of his bike. Suddenly he pulls over, to a food trailer park brimming with trucks featuring quirky names and colorful, kitschy exteriors. You’re in Austin, right? Not so fast. Let’s take a little field trip to Austin’s rainy sister city, Portland. Westward ho, my Texas friends!

I ventured on the Oregon trail last week to check out the scene, and oh, how the original traders and trekkers must have wished for such a manifest density of gourmet options. Like in our fair state, the food trucks there band together in trailer parks and city blocks, often in dizzying array, with their greasy Thai, grilled cheese, wienerschnitzel, doughy pie, you name it. But I found a lone trailer so good that I had to share with you.

PBJ’s is a modest-looking cart in the northwest part of Portland. But the gourmet peanut butter–inspired sandwiches they serve are hardly the snack some of us gobble in desperation. Instead, they are masterful grilled creations, made from scratch with the finest ingredients. In other words, PBJ’s takes to heart the song we all sang in preschool: “First you take the peanuts and you crush ‘em, you crush ‘em.” I hope you remember the rest. They certainly do, with homemade peanut and almond butters and other local ingredients, all of which won them second place at Portland’s third Eat Mobile food cart festival, in April 2010. In fact, the cart is doing so well that the owners are thinking of expanding to—you guessed it—Austin. As a completely obsessed peanut butter aficionado, I’d give my right arm to eat these transcendent sandwiches every day.

My favorite was the Spicy Thai, a savory sandwich with a spread of rich peanut butter, sriracha sauce, curry, a dash of orange marmalade, and a dotted layer of fresh basil leaves. Sure, it might sound strange, but the flavors worked to create a spicy and slightly sweet treat. Sandwiched between thick slices of grilled, buttery challah bread, it tasted like a dream.

So did the Joy, a gut-busting sandwich with thick, slightly grainy almond butter, homemade dark chocolate ganache, and homemade coconut filling. Served on the same grilled challah, the goody brought me back to my preschool self. (Picture a grown woman swinging her legs while sitting on a city bench, with chocolate and peanut butter all over her mouth, hands, and jeans, occasionally taking sips from her milk carton. Fortunately, she is blissfully unaware of anything but the sandwich at hand.)

After those two unsurmountable mountains, I didn’t make it to the Betty, with pb, Gruyere, bread-and-butter pickles, white pepper, and sea salt; the Hot Hood, with pb, black cherry jam, jalapeño, and applewood-smoked bacon; or the Pumpkin Pie, with pb, pumpkin butter, caramel sauce, and pie crust. I could keep going, but I’ll spare you the drooling. We all know that in my latent state I wouldn’t share my sammy with you anyway.

In case y’all are in Portland: 919 NW 23rd (702-743-0435). Wed–Sun 11–5.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: PBJ's, peanut butter, Portland, sandwiches, Trailer Thursday

Hey! Texas didn’t do badly at all in the semifinalists lineup for the Oscars of the culinary world, the James Beard Foundation Awards. The list was announced this morning. There are two more voting rounds to go before the winners are announced at a gala at Lincoln Center in New York on May 9. Here’s the list of Texans:

Best New Restaurant semifinalists: Bootsie’s Heritage Cafe in Tomball; Uchiko in Austin. Outstanding Chef semifinalists: Robert Del Grande of RDG + Bar Annie in Houston; Stephan Pyles of Stephan Pyles in Dallas. Outstanding Pastry Chef semifinalist: Philip Speer of Uchiko in Austin. Outstanding Restaurant semifinalist: The Mansion Restaurant at the Rosewood Mansion hotel on Turtle Creek in Dallas. Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalist: Michael Cordua of Cordua Restaurants in Houston. Outstanding Service semifinalist: The French Room at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas. Outstanding Wine Service semifinalist: Cafe on the Green at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, James Tidwell, sommelier. Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional semifinalist: Tito Beveridge of Tito’s Handmade Vodka in Austin; Bobby Heugel of Anvil Bar & Refuge in Houston. Rising Star Chef of the Year semifinalist: Paul Qui of Uchiko in Austin. Best Chef Southwest semifinalists: Bruce Auden of Biga on the Banks in San Antonio; Bryan Caswell of Reef in Houston; Tyson Cole of Uchi in Austin; Armando Pomales of Cafe Central in El Paso; Randy Rucker of Bootsie’s Heritage Cafe in Tomball; and Reiichi Sakurai of Tei-An in Dallas. Congrats and good luck to all.  If you would like to see the whole national list, go to jamesbeard.org (note: the website was down when I checked a minute ago;  I imagine it is flooded but will be back up soon).

One, two, three, four. I declare a food truck war!

Spotted: The Coreanos guy grinning sly while saying, “We tried what Chi’Lantro had to offer, and we thought we could do better.” Them’s L.A. fightin’ words!

He wasn’t just blowing smoke from the grill, either. Sure, Chi’Lantro has perfected their sweet-spicy sauce, their assortment of tacos, and the cheese-induced coma that you will surely fall into upon finishing your food, but Coreanos’ menu is more varied, their flavors more interesting, and their kimchi as tongue-scorching and plentiful as it should be. In other words, Coreanos (which means “Koreans” in Spanish) understands the fusion part of Mexican Korean fusion food. (If you don’t believe me, take a look at their awesome logo, which manages to address and reclaim two ethnic stereotypes at once.)

My favorite was the simple yet satisfying Coreanos hot dog, a grilled dog with thick pieces of grilled onion, spicy caramelized kimchi, and creamy knock-your-socks-off el scorcho sauce. The only thing missing was a toasted bun to round out the textures.

The OG Korean BBQ burrito was pretty unbelievable too, with bite-sized nuggets of marinated beef short ribs, a scattering of french fries, Korean slaw, caramelized kimchi, onion, cilantro, and a garlicky sauce all wrapped Mexican-style into a big, crispy tortilla. Despite all of this caloric goodness, the burrito tasted surprisingly light. Same went for the delicious twice-cooked pork belly taco, on thick corn tortillas with crunchy Korean slaw, grilled onions, cilantro, and sesame oil vinaigrette on top.

Let’s just pause for a moment and talk about Coreanos’ proteins. Fall-apart-tender beef short ribs, fatty and delicious pork belly, marinated, juicy chicken pieces. If you were served these delicacies at a five-star restaurant, you’d be shelling out the big bucks. As it is, you can sigh and swallow over the heavenly pork belly at Coreano’s for about five small ones.

They’ve even named a dish after how smart you are to eat there. The Three Wise Fries lets you sample all of their meats on top of a huge pile of hand-cut, salty french fries, grilled and raw onions, a bit of cheese, and plenty of the aptly named el scorcho sauce. Oh, el scorcho, as Weezer said—and I’m positive they had Coreanos in mind—“I think I’d be good for you, and you’d be good for me.”

Check their Facebook and Twitter for locations and hours.

Posted by Megan Giller.

Tagged: Chi'Lantro, Coreanos, Korean Mexican fusion, tacos, Trailer Thursday

Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps one of the most recognized varietals on the market. It’s a grape that thrives in classic French Bordeaux, bold California vintages up and down the western coast, and gives an extra kick to those big Super Tuscans that have become so popular. But few people believed it could be a good grape for Texas. That is until wineries such as Llano Estacado Wineries, Fall Creek Vineyards, and Becker Vineyards started producing some pretty amazing Cabs from vineyards in the High Plains and even in the Hill Country; Cabs that would certainly be described as Texas Cabs in that they have many of the same qualities you’d expect from California, France, or Italy, but with a distinct Texas twist.

This month’s Texas Wine of the month is one of those Texas Cabs: Becker Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Newsom Vineyard,” 2007. A well balanced wine with rich fruit, nice acidity and balanced tannins, this Cabernet Sauvignon was selected with the help of Jose Perez who has been the sommelier at Houston’s famed RDG + Bar Annie for 20 years.

“I love what Dr. Becker has done with his wines, but this one alone is one of my favorites,” says Perez. “It’s well made and is an affordable wine for what it is.” (The wine is $62 on the RDG menu, and $40 retail at the winery.) “It has dark fruit, coffee, and cocoa flavors as well as a nice smoky-meaty quality almost like bacon. I love to suggest this to people who aren’t familiar with Texas wines and it always makes a great impression.”

Perez often pairs this with RDG’s coffee-rubbed filet of beef with roasted ancho chile sauce and says it also works well with roasted guinea fowl and grilled squab.

At around $40, it’s not cheap. But nothing good in life really is, and this is a fantastic wine. The only problem, according to Becker Vineyards General Manager Bret Perrenoud, the wine is virtually sold out and only on a few restaurant wine lists including RDG + Bar Annie. (So your best bet is to save up for a special night out and order a bottle at RDG.

Or, Perrenoud suggests a similar selection, the Cabernet Sauvignon “Canada Vineyard,” 2008. This selection is also $40 but is available at the winery, and is just as good, if not equal to the “Newsom Vineyard” Cab. (Both vineyards are from the High Plains and produce amazing fruit.) As of last Sunday, the Cabernet Sauvignon “Canada Vineyard,” 2008 just won a silver medal at the San Antonio Wine Competition.

Salut!

Winery: Becker Vineyards

Retail Price: $40

Availability: Although the Cabernet Sauvignon “Newsom Vineyard,” 2007 is sold out in retail, the Cabernet Sauvignon “Canada Vineyard,” 2008 is available at the winery for $40.

Tagged: Becker Vineyards, Bret Perrenoud, Canada Vineyards, Jose Perez, Newsom Vineyards, RDG + Bar Annie

Food & Wine has a new spin on their highly anticipated ten-best-new-chefs awards. They’re doing an additional people’s choice list, and voting has begun. It will be much, much more inclusive, and six Texans have been nominated for the Southwest region. In fact, Texas totally dominates the list of nominees. Our guys are, in alphabetical order: Tim Byres, Smoke, Dallas; Andrew Curren, 24 Diner; Austin; Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine and Odd Duck, Austin; Jesse Griffiths, Dai Due Supper Club, Austin; James Holmes, Olivia, Austin; and Casey Thompson, Brownstone, Fort Worth.  Voting ends March 1. Go vote. Follow the link above. Go Texas!

Forget chocolate-covered strawberries, dozens of roses, and the fondu pot. No, all you need to woo your Valentine today is this recipe. Sure, it’s a little labor-intensive, but trust me. It’s worth the time, the effort, and all the pre-baking finger-licking you can handle.

And here’s a plus: if you and your honey spend time cooking it together in the kitchen, you can both enjoy the taste-as-you-go spoils of this rich, decadent, super-delicious cake. Although, I made it while home alone one afternoon last week and kept all the bowl-licking to myself, thank you very much.

I sent half of this cake with my husband to work (the other half was enjoyed by me and a few friends on girls’ night) and one of his colleagues—who shall, of course, remain nameless for her own protection—said, “I need that recipe. With it, I could get my husband to do anything.” Mmm-hmmm. It’s that good.

Do me a favor and just throw your initial reaction (“Root beer? In a chocolate cake? Huh!?!”) to the wayside, wrangle the ingredients together, and bake this cake whether you’ve got a Valentine or not. Seriously, you won’t regret it.

And of course, not just any root beer will do for this cake. Nope, you need the good stuff. So turn to Texas’s own Saint Arnold’s old-fashioned pure cane sugar Root Beer. Diet root beer won’t cut it, and neither will the stuff laced with high fructose corn syrup. To make this cake right, you need the real stuff, across the board, so don’t skimp.

St. Arnold’s Root Beer Chocolate Bundt Cake
Very slightly adapted from this recipe, found at The Kitchn.

Ingredients
Cake
2 cups St. Arnold’s Root Beer
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting
2 ounces dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup St. Arnold’s Root Beer
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour the bundt pan.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

For the frosting:
1. Melt the chocolate over low heat on the stove. Add the rest of the ingedients and stir.
2. Take the mixture off the heat and allow to cool.
3. Whisk the cooled mixture to make sure it’s mixed well and stiff enough to frost.

Photo by Emily Lim, from MacNCheeseMedia.com

The United Kingdom isn’t exactly known for its culinary choices. Toad-in-the-hole, bangers and mash, spotted dick: Foods you might eat for dinner, alternative names for a heart attack, or the titles of the porno flicks your creepy neighbor watched last night?

Continuing in that nominal tradition, we have Bits & Druthers, a British-style fish and chips (or “chippers,” if you’re really British) shop on East Sixth. Only, there’s one vital distinction: Despite their name, Bits & Druthers serves up the finest fish, chips, and extras in town.

Watch out, Dog and Duck, because the batter at Bits is thick and crispy, and grease is a thing of the past. They serve almost everything in a paper cone, with the deep-fried goodies on top and hand-cut fries peeking from below. Enveloped in the perfect batter are hunking filets of tender, flaky white fish, served with homemade, creamy tartar sauce. I also liked the shrimp and chips, although the Sambal toffee sauce was less chili pepper and more sticky toffee pudding.

Complimenting the fried things was the best slaw I’ve ever tasted. Just like everything else from this trailer, it’s made from scratch, with thin slices of cabbage, a hint of something creamy, and plenty of tangy Dijon mustard as well as big kernels of the mustard seeds themselves. Topped with paper-thin radish slices, this side was perfection.

And Bits (the owner, a.k.a. Mike Kelley) doesn’t stop there. No, he bravely charts the Atlantic in order to bring us junk food from not one but two countries, England and Canada. And I do believe his shop is the only place in town where you can get poutine. Now, savory puddings are usually of the blood variety. (I still remember that fateful day in Scotland when I ordered black pudding thinking I was getting blackberries.) But poutine, the Canadian junk food whose name allegedly derives from the British word “pudding,” has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with yum. Bits & Druthers knows how to do it right: hand-cut french fries drenched in rich, thick, almost sweet beef gravy, scattered with bite-sized cheese curds from Antonelli’s cheese shop. It may not be as familiar as, say, pizza, but try it. You’ll soon be addicted.

Same goes for the homemade ice creams. I tried pistachio and was pleasantly surprised by the intense creaminess, although it could have used a little more crunch from the nuts. Served in a sugar cone, though, it was a sweet finish to a heart-stopping meal: The UK ain’t got nothin’ on Bits and his druthers.

1001 E. 6th (361-850-0645). Open Mon–Sat 11–7. Closed Sun.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Bits & Druthers, British food, fish and chips, poutine, Trailer Thursday

The line up for this year’s Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival (it runs March 31-April 3) is exceptional–more modern, more in touch with what’s going on in Texas culinary circles today.  And the public is picking up on that fact; first-day ticket sales hit an all-time high, which means a lot of the popular events may sell out. I’m just saying. They’re got some star power this year in actor Kyle Maclachlan (Twin Peaks, Dune, Sex in the City, Portlandia), who now owns a winery named Pursued by Bears. He’s showing off his red wines at a dinner with the chefs of Los Angeles’ Animal Restaurant, on Saturday, April 2. Another cool event is a craft cocktail competition as part of the Stars Across Texas Classic (that’s the big stroll-around tasting showcase); it’s on Thursday, March 31. And, to round out this preview, I love the idea of Cured: A Charcuterie and Wine Tasting, which will be Friday, April 1; it’s a showcase of the best of local artisan cured meats. Visit the website www.texaswineandfood.org for more or call 512-249-6300. The festival is on Facebook, too, and Twitter @txwineandfood.

Just got a note from co-owner Lori Horn at Dough Pizzeria: The Food Network show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” recently filmed at Dough. Say what??! Dough is the classiest pizzeria I’ve ever been to. Has Diners host Guy Fieri run out of low-life eateries? Or maybe he’s turning over a new leaf? In any case, good on them. I adore Dough. If you haven’t been, go. Now. Before the episode is on and everybody and their gerbil is trying to cram in. Of course, the show doesn’t have an air date yet, so there’s actually plenty of time.

Photo by Sean Dunn

Little Thai Food rocks it old-school. Not in the Old School BBQ & Grill kind of way, with a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. Or in the elementary school way, like the Local Yolk, which serves only one type of sustenance, egg sandwiches. No, Little Thai Food’s attitude and yummy grub are closer to the food trucks of yore than the concept trucks of East 6^th.

Sidle up to Little Thai Food’s spot, on South First, and order from their diverse menu of classic dishes. The owners, formerly of CK Thai, in South Austin, whip up curries and stir-fries from scratch. Just remember: Patience is a virtue.

My favorite was the pad ka prow, with big basil leaves, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, tender chicken, and Thai chilis. I ordered it medium-spicy and was pleasantly surprised by the slow burn.  The green curry was a close second: zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, tofu, and a ton of bamboo stewing in a rich coconut milk–based curry sauce. The tofu absorbed the flavor of the sauce but still felt fluffy and light, a nice contrast to the sturdy (but still savory) bamboo pieces.

The only disappointment was the pad see ew. In terms of names, I’ve always thought this particular dish drew the short noodle. Done right, the flavorful meat, faint suggestion of egg, and Chinese broccoli are only a distraction from the light, slightly sweet sauce and the soft-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside pan-fried flat noodles. Little Thai Food’s version featured plenty of sliced carrots and broccoli, but the flat rice noodles were limp, the sauce bland, and the beef a little tough.

Much better was the chicken satay, big hunks of skewered chicken accompanied by a thick, rich peanut sauce. Traditional and tasty, just like the Thai tea, black tea swirled with condensed milk to create the ultimate sugary treat.

Innovative? No. Gimmicky? Not in the least. Some of the best Thai food in Austin? You’ve got it.

1207 S. 1st (512-567-9299). Open Mon–Sun 10–9.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Asian, Little Thai Food, Thai, Trailer Thursday