A Texan in Toscana - Sienna Ristrorante Toscana

Here's a new find for me, but not a new Austin Restaurant.  I was invited to a media tasting at Sienna Ristorante Toscana located close to the 2222 and 360 intersection.  The physical restaurant is beautiful, rich with architectural stories embedded into the walls.  Chef Harvey Harris is full of stories and surprises.  He invited me to hunt wild boar.  He gets a gold star for fun! The dinner started off our usual fun - whipping out the camera. Here's the lovely Michelle Cheng.  This was one of my favorite appetizers.  Bacon wrapped scallop and grilled figs!!! My heart skipped a beat.  This next dish is brasato di cinghiale - otherwise known as braised wild boar.  It was juicy and hearty, perfect for a Winter evening.  Pan-fried cheese with marinara - like an uber fancy fried cheese.  Lovely ravioli with tangy sauce.  This was one of my favorite - Tagliatelle alla Bolognese.  If you haven't tried homemade pasta, it is a different experience.  Subtle, but noticeable.  I can only describe it as being more pliable.  It is also definitely different from packaged "fresh" pasta.  And the evening ended with dessert: tiramisu, goat cheese panna cotta, and a flourless chocolate cake.  A big thanks to Chef Harvey for inviting us our for a lovely evening in Toscana.  This is definitely a restaurant to visit again.

Boar meets Beer at Uncle Billy's

I had the great pleasure of being invited to attend the Boar meets Beer dinner at Uncle Billy's.  This is the dinner for the ultimate beer loving carnivore.   The reception started off with smoked venison wrapped around asparagus and cream cheese.  The smoky and peppery simple venison with vegetables was paired with their 2009 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winning Hell in Keller pils.  I found the crisp, clean, and hoppy beer to contrast nicely with the mild meat, creamy cheese, and sweet veggies.  This particular batch of Hell in Keller was brewed right when Brian Peters returned from GABF back in September.  Brian gives a few words of advice about brewing lagers.  1. Use a German Pils Malt. 2. Only use one malt.  Hell in Keller is a lager that was brewed for 4.5 weeks, and not always available.  Lagers (because they require a longer period of time to brew) take up precious tank space.  So get down to Uncle Billy's and try this award winning beer before it's gone.  Next up was the smoked duck breasts with phyllo-wrapped roasted vegetables and heirloom tomato napoleon, accented with a bourbon demi and served with Hill Country organic Amber.  The flavorful duck breast was unbelievably tender and lean.  What I like about this dish and the venison was that meat wasn't too dressed up, over spiced, or over-cooked.  Both meats were perfectly prepared with just the flavors of the meat and smoke coming through.  The extra creamy pumpkin soup was served in a gigantic sourdough bread bowl.  I'm taking about the size of a football.  Uncle Billy's doesn't play games with serving sizes around here.  The delicious soup was topped with a creme fraiche and served with the Hop Zombie IPA.  The mellow soup contrasted nicely with the sourness of bread, tartness of the creme fraiche, and the citrus-y hop flavor of the Hop Zombie IPA.  The different flavors were nicely balanced with the soup, bread, creme fraiche, and beer.  This is the kind of soup you need on a cold winter night.  Hearty, tasty, and comforting.  Stuffed wild boar chop with Swiss chard and Okinawan purple potato au gratin.  Just the sounds of it should make you drool.  The tender wild boar chop was stuffed with button mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, onions, garlic, green onion, red onion, butter, and pinot gringo and topped with a sweet apple sauce.  My favorite side was the purple potato au gratin that literally tasted like butter.  That side dish was fantastic.  This entree was served with the Bitchin Camaro.  This recipe is the same recipe from the Bitter Ends using crystal hops.  Delicious. The final pairing of the night was a dark chocolate mousse in a white chocolate cup (more like a big mug) with cranberry whipped cream served with Insomniac Coffee Stout.  Chocolate and stouts are a  natural pairing, and this one was particularly nice with the cranberry whipped cream.  The Insomniac stout was lusciously creamy as it is carbonated with nitrogen and CO2.  It gives for smaller bubbles and a creamier head.  The coffee flavor that is added to this beer using cold extracted Austin Java Coffee.  I won't give away other details about how it is brewed, but I will tell you to try some of this Insomniac Coffee Stout.  I've used it many times to make cupcakes, brownies, and chocolate mousse. As a surprise, diners were also treated to a sample of last year's anniversary ale (2008), the Boozer Chavez.  It a Belgium strong ale with sweet sugar, toffee, and caramel aromas.  The other flavors that I got were deep raisins and somewhat bourbon-y.  I smelled just like a bourbon to me.  Very tasty.  Very strong (~10%). And very unique.  It was a great way to end a wonderful meal.  A big thanks to Uncle Billy's, Brian Peters, and the staff.

Uncle Billy's Wild Game Brewer's Dinner - Sunday - Nov. 15th

Hey Beer lovers! If you missed the recent Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinners with Garrett Oliver at Alamo Drafthouse or Olivia, you're probably crying yourself to sleep.  However, it isn't too late to catch the next great beer dinner at Uncle Billy's.  The menu boasts items such as venison-wrapped asparagus, stuffed wild board, and smoked duck breast to be paired with their own beers.  You'll also get a to have a glass of their GABF Gold Medal winning Hell in Keller Pils.  Tickets are just $45 for a five course meal paired with five tasty beers. 512-576-0100  Sunday, Nov. 15th.  Get them now or else you'll be sorry!

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