happy chen

, originally uploaded by .solo..

small hole in the wall favorite locate in my favorite triangle of food (southeast corner of 183 & McNeal / Spicewood along with Samberts & Asia Cafe.

handmade noodles cut to order convey a warmth and cozy feeling hard to describe.

talking water

talking water, originally uploaded by .solo..

conversations with rapids are always a favorite.

planned banh mi

planned bah minh, originally uploaded by .solo..

the wonders of work and lunchtime routines.

once upon a time lunch was mother morning made and packed into either a sturdy (ranging from metal to plastic) lunchbox with possible thermos accompaniment and toted to work or school where it was placed in a safe corner for several hours while lessons were learned or tasks were toiled.

eventually boxes of lunch gave way to cafeteria and restaurant fare enabled both by the ease associated with acquired lunches and the subsidization of food.

it seems that folks have transitioned to regard lunch as a type of pit-stop meal where the quality and enjoyment of food is not paramount as is a pivot point in the day mandated by those who create schedules.

finding a balance between those two while remaining productive remains a challenge.

shown: a desk banh mi (favorite vietnamese sandwich) interpretation created from the following:
Walton's demi baguette
Countryside pork loin
Boggy Creek greens
Full Quiver Farms kimchi
Dai Due liverwurst

Service up

Service up, originally uploaded by .solo..

an afternoon of busy usual things: balletfit flexibility; balanced single speed commute night cycling; a mug of craft pale ale camping planning with friends.

unknown dinner plans and Foer's 'Everything is Illuminated' waiting leads to short order fridge cooking. it surprises and entertains that the ingredients, techniques and skills are in place to transform the best of local ingredients into what I humbly consider a very fine meal. the dilemma is that with such revelations come the expectations and understanding that a certain cost structure and price point exist; and at this juncture it is either worthwhile to partake & purchase well made quality food or that one is paying an unreasonable premium for substandard average tasting, overpriced, unhealthy & unsustainable fare...

pedernales falls

pedernales falls, originally uploaded by .solo..

the coming of spring; slowly.

plenty of fall & winter rains allow for hill country bubbling falls, flowing talkative rivers & blooming wildflowers.

happy respite outside of the concrete jungle of busy schedules & routines.

lagoa bisque

lagoa bisque, originally uploaded by .solo..

second visits with Kim, Chris, Dean & Lindsay allow for comprehensive trials. random choosing yielded excellent selections.

the cheese balls (pão de queijo): amazing sublime taste and texture: a cross of gnocchi & Mochi ice cream. three varietals

soup, yucca frites, pastels (multitudes of types): all perfectly balanced

go

French 76

French 76, originally uploaded by .solo..

a Justine's favorite; in addition to the food of course.

preferred with just a twist of lemon; but still one of the best cocktails. discovered more than a year ago at the favorite, but not as often currently visited, Peche.

French 76 - a combination of the 75 & 77
gin, fresh lemon juice, st germain & champagne

skeletal dancing

skeletal dancing, originally uploaded by .solo..

one of the better dancing 'puppets'

a photo to complement the video

2010 carnival brasileiro

2010_carnivalbrasileiro
Originally uploaded by .solo.

the rhythm of drums mandates dance. costumed masked happy painted people mingle freely and happily. a night of performance and community; brazilian sourced

By morning

By morning, originally uploaded by .solo..

the oddities of sporadic visits of favorite things savored. one of the first places I visited upon moving to this fare city. The others are the Ritz, Lovejoys & Deville; two of which are both surprisingly still here; mostly because of the loyal niche market they serve and despite the demands that come with the high rent of their prime locations.

nevertheless: almost decade old wandering memories and appreciation of things progressed and slowly dynamic things that can still be appreciated.

which brings us to the Amarillo burger at Casino el Camino. still hand-formed and cooked to order (they do properly prepare medium rare). no longer the hand cut fries as the popularity and demand along with the small staff & kitchen make such volume inefficient & not quite affordable. the same staff: kind & talkative if properly related; surly and curt if pressed durning typical rush times or by drunkenly disorganized & demanding customers.

relax with a cold bottle and burger and peruse the excellent jukebox or take in whatever dark movie is showing on one of the two TVs above the bar.

Hens up

Hens up, originally uploaded by .solo..

boggy creek coop & morning chicken waking

relaxed farming conversation regarding various plantings, pickings & tabled diners in the field by local food folks.

frosted morn warmed yet again by barrie's excellent chocolate croissant & local coffee in conjunction with this week's colorful tasty beet & carrot resupply.

stay tuned

Horrible no good productive day (opposite

Horrible no good productive day (opposite, originally uploaded by .solo..

a productive happy yet semi-solitary weekend of enjoyment. the usual of new exploratory things mixed with friend adventures & relaxing. overall sun, warmth & a bit of accomplishment.

this would be the summit of weekend fare: friday was a mix of cheese acquisitions & trailered lingua specials; saturday bought morning market acquisitions; tea resupply & brazilian tastings. greenbelt & siesta adventures. sunday was enjoyed with marathoning misty sunrise excursions correlated with brunching rewards and half-day sun outdoor wanderings. siesta sojourns and lazy nights of valentine still motivated culinary creativity. morning monday routines prefaces nights of finery shown:

cheeses: four & cured meats: two by antonelli's (specific available - excellent
countryside duck egg & boggy creek chervil with seasoned seaweed
sautéed yellow boggy beets & beet greens
walton's rye bread
full quiver kimchi
loire tabled white

Steam spring

Steam spring, originally uploaded by .solo..

in summer: frigid relaxed cooling.

in winter: temperate soothing comfort.

Cheese!

Cheese!, originally uploaded by .solo..

Antonelli's Cheese Shop

second day of operation: inaugural visit.

loved.

following a passion of artisan cheeses, meats, vino, beer & other fineries. great neighborhood setting. amazing staff ecstatic about sharing tasteful worlds through samples & conversation.

colliding colors

colliding colors, originally uploaded by .solo..

my favorite new tradition.

relaxed sleeping in (as much as 7 am with lola allotments); meandering neighborhood morning constitutional that reminisce of happy places wandered: eastern european city walls; canal towpath & english/welsh gardens; tide-swept sun rising beaches; silent ancient forest & conversing bubbling rivers.

rested & happy self prepared; setting off with music / news eastward; lazily weaving through neighborhoods and arriving to final pickings & tabled placements with fresh dewed produce. fully awaked cheerful farmer greetings & affirming morning welcoming rooster solos.

fresh coffee mug filled leads to growing conversations and reviews of the mini-seasons that encompass a week. favorites fondled & nibbled; choice pieces picked.

weighed & counted tallies allow monetary exchanges to complete; fresh morning pastry treats selected for immediate reward. circuitous recessional route back to auto allows fields & coop perimeter appreciation. produce stowed and the merging back into a regular morning commute schedule.

all with a comprehensive smile and cycled life affirmations

a few of my favorite things

breakfast.desk, originally uploaded by .solo..

an odd way to start the day?

oothu white - zhi tea
green onion, carrot - boggy creek
raw milk colby - full quiver farms
duck egg - countryside farm
chicken egg & wheat - richardson farms

smoke kiss

smoke kiss, originally uploaded by .solo..

super bowl gastronomic day of food and excess:

finally a perfect time to experiment with a whole rabbit. typically quartered and sauteed / oven finished the opportunity now presents itself for a long slow oak smoke.

marinade of mustard seeds (black & yellow), calvados, dandelion greens, sorrel, pepper & coriander.
three hours between 230-250 (windy day of damp wood) followed by a tight wrap oven finish to bring to temp (155) yielded a beautiful sweet yet smokey moist meat.

reward

reward, originally uploaded by .solo..

2010 Austin January apples to complement. countryside rio grande valley heritage turkey rilletts by dai due. homemade fresh bread from richardson wheat flour.  happy taste

couldn't decide on a cheese to accompany.

likely an aged goat.

a goal

a bus I'd take

a bus I'd take, originally uploaded by .solo..

how to describe?!

a day:
begin with relaxed sloped lawn mid morn (post farmers market) coffee and delicate pastry conversations and shared tastings. add slaloming cross town smiling week hiding sun biking. new passionate indian trailer crushed glass patio feet-on-chair indian food sampling. affirmations and smiled welcomes of future patronage. headphone insertion & friend-meet-up; sampling plate of shared entrepreneurial culinary excellence. discussions of ideas & possibilities. taped exchanges. neighborhood full rollings to things yet unseen. magical school bbq stories of beginning and introductions of possibilities & sharing of local meat purveyors. unanticipated success & meat congregation. favorite patio rio relaxing with books & surprise friend transitional making; a town loved. cozy storied familiar finish: knowing that all days are new & offer endless opportunities of happy life experience

siesta (dual

siesta (dual, originally uploaded by .solo..

pack perfection