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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I was flashed @ParksideAustin by the @Longhornsingers

I was flashed.  By a mob.  Not an angry mob.  But more like a mob at Disneyland.  The kind of mob that breaks into song in unison, entertains, and then dissipates.  That's right.  I was "assaulted" with songs, and I loved it. Aaron Strout, Laura Beck, Lisa O'Neil and myself were on a panel speaking about social media best practices at National Association for Catering Executives Austin Chapter (NACE).  Servers at Parkside Austin (thanks for hosting) were scattered throughout the room with water, passed appetizers, and silverware, when it all started.  The singing started, and at first, I wondered if they always did this at Parkside.  It was pretty darn awesome.  A big congrats to Kelly Barber and the Longhorn Singers for putting together such a wonderful surprise. A big thanks to @NicholasMistry for helping me get the video onto my computer and a big thanks to Robert Albasolo for providing the video.  Photos by John M. P. Knox.  Here's the video and some photos:


 


The food (below) was also lovely.  Please enjoy some food porn. 


The obligatory photo of the menu. 


Lisa O'Neil giving her introduction.


Aaron Strout pointing at you.  Yes, you!  You, don't forget to see who checked into your restaurant.


The first course starts with a ricotta ravioli (mostly hidden), parsnip soup, citrus with jalapeno, and a broccolini, pinenut, sunchoke mini beet salad.  This dish was wonderfully refreshing.  The greens, citrus, and creamy ricotta was a great combination of textures and flavors to start off the meal. 


Next up was a shrimp and grouper duo served with roasted cauliflower, cauliflower puree, cippolini onions, and red pepper jam.  The grouper was perfectly seasoned and seared so that it was flaky yet well-structured.
 

One of the dessert tastings was a citrus tart, pineapple, and chantilly cream.  I'm not absolutely certain, but those little dots on top look like basil seeds!  The flavor of the pineapple along with the texture of the basil seeds (if they are indeed) was somewhat nostalgic for me.  Pineapple is commonly used in Asian desserts, and Basil seed drink is commonly found in Asian grocery stores. 

A big thanks to Parkside and NACE for having me over for dinner, conversation, and flashing. 

3 comments:

  1. Yeah!! I love Longhorn Singers, so it totally made my day to see them here on your blog. :) The food looks gorgeous, too, as usual :)

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  2. Man - amazing photos John. And a great write up Jenny. That was a fun event for sure!

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  3. Love to chat with you, my name is Ashton Keefe from Thirsty Girl and we'd love to get you lined up before our trip to Texas even though you can't join us :)

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