The Ragin' Cajun

Evangeline Café was a shot in the dark. My friends and I had tried looking up a new restaurant and were feeling in the mood for something cajun.. and what we got was Evangeline's. The atmosphere was awesome,  everything cajun from jerseys to guitars were cluttered upon the wall, and the live band singing about the bayou fit in perfectly. We got an an assortment of appetizers, the "Gator Bites", Green Wings, and the Boudin. I had never had alligator before and was eager to taste it. Just like they say "it tastes like chicken"... it did, but much more flavorful. The bites were deep fried and covered with the perfect amount of spicy cajun aioli. The Green Wings were buffalo wins with a cajun twist. They were just the right spicy and went perfectly with the side of bleu cheese. The Boudin tasted just like I had had it while in New Orleans last summer, and if I didn't know better, I'd think I was still there.

 I love a great Crawfish Etoufee, but the Stuffed Pork Chop caught my eye. The waitress said that its one of their newest additions to the menu, so I had to try it!. I sure am glad I went out on a limb - it was delicious and something out of the ordinary for me. The pork chop was butterflied and folded back with a pecan pesto seeping over the sides. A generous serving of gravy and fried onion string topped the chop, and really complemented the pecan pesto. The entrée came with a side of white rice and a 'side of okra stewed with tomatoes, onions, and bacon'. This stew was amazing, and usually something I wouldn't like. Caught up in the atmosphere I felt like I had to indulge in one of the many Abita beers ('Louisiana's Finest') hat Evangeline's offers. I got the Abita Restoration Ale, and really enjoyed it. Their seasonal Abita brew was a strawberry beer that my friend was compelled to get. I am a lover of strawberries, so of course i had to try some of his. It was exceptionally good, with only a fait strawberry taste towards the aftertaste. I will for sure be going back to Evangeline when I get that cajun craving. Im giving Evangeline Café 4½/5 stars! ★★★★✬

Evangeline Café's Menu

¡Coreanos!

My friend was raving last week after he tried the Mexican/Korean taco stand that is usually on 24th and Rio Grande, so I decided I had to see for myself. I drive past Coreanos quite often, and usually there are about 30 people looming about the place, needless to say I went early and avoided the crowd. I ordered 3 different tacos:
   - Marinated Beef Short Rib
   - Spicy Chicken Marinated Chicken
   - Spicy Twice-Cooked Port Belly

Spicy Chicken, Pork Belly, and Beef Short Rib tacos (not bad for my first in-blog photo!)

And I must say, they were amazing! For a small taco, they really did pack a punch! They all came on a corn tortillas topped with a Korean slaw and were juicy and flavorful as hell! The Pork Belly was my favorite, even though they said the Marinated Beef Short Rib taco was their most popular. They have an interesting menu offering burritos, bacon-wrapped hotdogs, and an assortment of Korean take of what I presume "chili-cheese fries", but with the Coreanos twist. I can't wait to go back, it was simply delightful. I give Coreanos 4/5 stars! ★★★★☆  Check out their website or follow their twitter to stay updated with their cart schedule @CoreanosTX.


Coreanos Menu

'Bar is Open!'

Think what you want about Tom Cruise, but his charisma and superb acting in most all of his movies has contributed in making him such a successful actor. Such iconic movies as 'Top Gun', 'Risky Business', 'Jerry McGuire' have been made possible by this brilliant actor. I just recently saw 'Cocktail' and was equally impressed.

Bryan Flanagan (Cruise) is ambitious and dead-set on "making millions" in New York City, a goal he finds is easier said than done. Struggling to land a job, Cruise ends up bartending with his 'partner in crime' and mentor played by Bryan Brown. Using his good looks and charm, Cruise excells in the bar-tending world...but after a fallout with Brown, Cruise moves down to Jamaica to try and exploit the rich assholes that vacation there. Cruise is dealt a hard hand and learns many lessons upon returning back to New York, but in the end, finally gets to open his bar 'Flanagan's Cocktails and Dreams'. Throughout the movie there was an excess of bottles flipping and corny song-and-dance behind the bar, but the chemistry between Cruise and Brown proved believable. The glorification of a bartender's job truly made the occupation look enjoyable, and kind of made me want to enjoy a specialty drink while i was watching! The theme of bartender poems was out of place, but I found them pretty funny myself. It was not my favorite of Cruise's movies, but once again, he stood out and carried the cast. I  thought it gets 2½/5 stars! ★★✬☆☆

Sazón

I was not particularly in the mood for Mexican food when my friends outnumbered me and decided we were going to Sazón. When we sat down on the outside patio, the first thing i noticed was the dense, authentic Mexican Menu. When I started to digest the menu, I saw many Mexican staples that were truly classics. My family has a house in Cuernrvaca, Mexico that we try and go to about once a year. We have a cooking staff who prepares the best Mexican food, so I was fortunate enough to have a pretty accurate basis in which to judge the authenticity of Sazón. 

My friends and I ordered both quesos that they offered, a Tex-Mex version that we Texans are probably most familiar with, "Queso Gringo", the "Choriqueso", which has monterey cheese melted with chorizo and pico de gallo. Both of the quesos were excellent, but my favorite was the Choriqueso. It was fabulous, and it reminded me of Javier's "Cheese Panela" in Dallas. My family's favorite soup we have in Mexico is a corn chowder, and when I saw that Sazón had Crema de Elote I had to get it - and I'm glad I did, it did not disappoint! This corn chowder was the closest thing I've been able to find.. creamy and refined, the smooth soup had just enough corn flavor to not become too overwhelmingly corny.For my entrée I ordered the Chile Relleno, and like the chowder, it is one of my favorite prepared dishes at our house, so i decided I'd see how it compared. It came with a side of rice and beans that were prepared identically to the traditional Mexican style. The plablano pepper was stuffed with chicken and and had a creamy chilpotle sauce over the lightly fried peper. It was very surprisingly true to the original! I left very impressed with Sazón. The atmosphere was great outside on the patio, and the food was amazing as well, I will definitely be going back to get my fix of authentic Mexican dishes! 4/5 stars! ★★★★☆


Sazón Menu

Hop-damn!

Hopdoddy's:
I can't believe I've been living in Austin this long and just now getting around to eating at Hopdoddy's. But it was well worth the wait! The amazing smell was the first thing that hit me right when I walked in: fresh buns literally coming out of the oven, french fries, and something that I really couldn't put my finger on. This was a Wednesday for dinner, and the line was practically to the door.."it must be worth it" I thought to myself.

The sign speaks for itself.. fresh and all natural!

The service deserves a post within itself. It was incredible. While my friends and I were waiting in line there were two or three servers asking for drink orders, offering menus, answering questions - I was quite impressed. Even while we were enjoying our meal our waitress came by 3 times just to check in! Previewing the menu online earlier that day, my afternoon had been filled with the banter in my head over which burger to get... I just couldn't decide, so I got two:
(1) The Buffalo Bill: a buffalo patty, blue cheese, apple-smoked bacon, and Frank's Hot Sauce
(2) The Greek: Lamb, feta cheese, pickled red onions, cucumbers, and served with a side of tzatziki sauce

The Buffalo Bill

Both of these burgers were amazing! The buns were soft and made from scratch, and you really could tell. The Buffalo Bill was your typical 'Bacon and Blue' burger.. but the Frank's Hot Sauce added a special kick that wasn't too spicy, but complemented the firm and bitter blue cheese and the thick smokey bacon. While both burgers were delicious in their own way, but The Greek really stood out. The lamb was so tender and juicy, exactly how lamb should be. All the additional flavors that the cucumber, feta, and onion added all came together with their tzatziki sauce. Everything meshed and was complemented each layer seamlessly.
I was so happy (and so full) with my meal, I think it is safe to say that Hopdoddy's is my new favorite 'burger joint' in Austin - and that is saying a lot! Overall I though the modern and clean atmosphere of the restaurant, the amazing service, and the broad range of crafted burgers came together perfectly at Hopdoddy's. I give it 5 out of 5 stars! ★★★★★

Hopdoddy's Menu

Docu-Binge

Its been a while since I've posted.. been busy watching some movies! Over the past week I've been watching many documentaries. Two of my favorite were 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' and 'Waking Sleeping Beauty'.

Waking Sleeping Beauty
This was a very detailed and well-made documentary chronicling Disney during the critical period of the late 80s and Early 90s. Because this period birthed the most famous and iconic Disney movies, and the movies I grew up such as "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin" and other classics. The path that Disney was going down in the late 80s focused less on the disney staple of animation, and more on merchandising and attractions.

The animation department was actually downsized, and animators feared that they could lose their job at any time. Because of the executives that were brought in at the time to shift the business around, there was a special spark of success that was a 180 degree from the lull of the 80s. Disney had a lot of footage that was used in the documentary, and it really helped the production of the movie. It was a very interesting inside-view of one of the biggest names in the film industry, and the problems they overcame. Overall, I would give the film four out of five stars: ★★★★☆

Exit Through the Gift Shop
This was a very special documentary, with a twist. The infamous British street artist, Banksy, made this documentary centering around a Frenchman who thought he was making the documentary about Banksy. Up for an academy award this year,  this documentary dives deep into the secretive world of rising street art.

I think that the concept of the street art phenomenon is truly fascinating. Thierry Guetta, the focus of the documentary, is the Frenchman who obsessively video records his life. He stumbles into the scene of street art while in France, and gets addicted to the rush of the situation. Through a series of circumstances he gets involved and starts to follow around street artists in the LA area, claiming he would make a documentary. The tables get turned when he meets his idol Banksy, the famed British street artist. Because Thierry has literally documented everyday of his life, and has a room devoted to holding his thousands of tapes, the documentary was very well pieced together, capturing some great moments. The 'rush' of street art even seeps through the screen and is contagious to the viewers while educating them of the history and underground profession. I'd give the documentary FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS! 'Enter Through the Gift Shop' is the first movie to get this rating and presitgious honor. ★★★★★