A Taste of Austin, Texas

On March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, Texas13 Comments

Austin may be known for its barbeque, but there are a lot more food options than just smoked meats. With its proximity to Houston, there is an abundance of seafood and the restaurants offer everything from comfort food to creative plates that are sure to please. Needless to say, we could only sample a few of the many restaurants in this historic old city, but we enjoyed everything that we were able to taste. It isn’t just the food, though, the ambiance and historic feel of many of the restaurants provide an atmosphere that invites you with southern charm or surround you with a feeling of elegance.

We definitely had to get some barbeque while we were in Austin and, to be more specific, we had to get some beef brisket. As always, we asked the locals for recommendations and received several, but we decided to go to the Ironworks in the Red River District. Fortunately for us, we arrived early as the line was starting to really grow by the time we left. We sat at the outside deck, slathered our sandwich with barbeque sauce, and had some corn on the cob and potato salad. The brisket literally melted in your mouth it was so tender from being smoked over a low heat for hours.

For seafood, we had two very unique and different experiences. In downtown Austin, we went to Truluck’s Seafood Restaurant for an upscale dining experience. We couldn’t resist getting a dozen oysters on the half shell, but the escargot was different than usual and the presentation of their shrimp cocktail was equal to the restaurant’s atmosphere. For pure comfort food, we went to Sam’s Boat in the suburbs of Austin, which was near our hotel. With its abundance of options like po-boys, fried oysters, crawfish, and shrimp, they offered seafood comfort food.

For more unique experiences, we went to a couple of different taverns for drinks as well as small bites. We enjoyed Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill in the Red River District, which had a good happy hour and friendly bar staff. They offer a nice variety of southern and Texas options, all with their eclectic flair. The Southern Grit Cake was definitely an unusual option with fried crawfish, aioli, and hot sauce served over a grit cake. For a wide variety of local beers, North by Northwest (NXNW) couldn’t be beat. They too were located in the Arboretum area of Texas and were relatively new, but that didn’t keep the crowds from filling up their outdoor seating area.

We seem to find an Irish pub wherever we go and Austin was no different. We enjoyed an Irish Boxty while listening to some wonderful country-western music. We could have spent all afternoon sitting and listening the band if it weren’t for the fact that we had places to go. For a classic cocktail, the Driskill Bar inside of the famous landmark hotel serves up anything that you like in an relaxed, yet upscale, atmosphere. There are also many rooftop bars in downtown Austin that will give you great views of the city and a refreshing drink while you try to beat the heat.

Regardless of your style of dining, Austin has something for everyone. If you make your way to Texas, you have to try some barbeque, but don’t be afraid to try something a little more unique. Austin claims that they are “weird”, but really they are just authentic, friendly, and have a true southern charm. We are looking forward to our next visit where we can try even more of the wonderful options that Austin has to offer.

Sampling Food in Colorado Springs

On February 21, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Food, Recipes3 Comments

There are a variety of restaurants in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, which means you can find something for any taste. Most of the restaurants are independently owned and each of them has its own unique style. We were only downtown for a day, so we only had time to visit a few locations. In order to maximize our experience we went to a Colorado themed restaurant, an Irish pub, and a seafood restaurant.

Historic Building with Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub

Our first stop of the day was at Colorado Craft Social, which was serving Sunday brunch. We ordered the Green Chili Cheddar Biscuits with eggs over easy. As always, we shared our meal as it was definitely a lot of food. As a bonus, the meal came with a free mimosa to help start the day out right and they also served a lot of local Colorado beers. After eating our fill of comfort food, we walked around the downtown area to enjoy a sunny day in Colorado Springs.

In the afternoon, we headed to Jack Quinn’s to listen to some authentic Irish folk music and enjoy a pint of beer and some chips and dips. Chips are obviously the same as French fries and it came with two dips, one that was a curry dip and the other was somewhat similar to a thousand island dressing. The building that houses the restaurant was built in the late 1800’s and is part of the historic downtown district. It was hard to leave the wonderful ambiance of the pub, but we needed to head back to our hotel for some warmer clothes as the temperatures drop quickly once the sun goes down.

For dinner, we ended up at Bonny and Read for an upscale seafood experience. After a half dozen oysters, we shared the Yellow Tail Snapper. It is served whole with a lime ginger sauce and coconut rice giving it an Asian flare. Although we don’t usually like to have to filet our own fish at the table, it certainly tasted wonderful. With all of the wonderful choices to choose from, downtown Colorado Springs certainly is a great place to go for a night out.

Getting Fresh Food at a Local Food Market

On January 25, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn morocco, Photo Challenge4 Comments

Regardless of where you live, getting fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and other items from local farmers is definitely worth the effort. During our time in Germany, we came to rely on the market to get fresh produce, but also to pick up flowers for our apartment. Even here in Colorado, we will go to the farmer’s market almost every weekend during the summer to take advantage of getting items that are being harvested at that time. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to the variety of items that seem to be available in Europe and other places, but we enjoy going to them whenever we can, even if we aren’t buying anything.

One of the most diverse markets that we visited was the one in Tangiers, Morocco. The variety of colors and smells were almost overwhelming with the spices, fresh produce, seafood, and meat that would be trimmed in front of you. You could even buy bones for soups and other parts of the animals as nothing goes to waste. Even though we didn’t buy anything, we were able to try several things as we walked through the stalls from olives to a fresh tangerine. Each owner was very proud of the items that they had to sell and were definitely keen on making sure that you knew anything you wanted about what they had on display.

Although every stall was unique in what they had to offer, it was amazing to see the similarities in the way that they arranged their items for sale. Each would put their items out in ways where the colors would contrast one another and naturally draw you eyes to certain items. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Variations on a Theme and the entirety of the market in Morocco was definitely just that.