My First Dishcrawl Experience

Last night, Tim and I did something we never do on weekdays…which is to go out to eat!  And we didn’t just go to one place, but four different places in a span of about three hours.  Impressed?  I thought so ;).  We dishcrawled last night with about 40 other Austin foodies thanks to Linda and Julie who did a tremendous job organizing and orchestrating the event.  The main objectives were to go on a food adventure and eat delightful dishes that the chefs and owners had selected and to mingle with fellow diners.  And that we did.  I was rather intimidated when I saw the huge mob of people at our first stop, but I slowly loosened up (no..I didn’t have any alcohol) and off my mouth went.  I met some amazing people (Linda, Julie, Karen, Liang, Anita, Robert, Jacque to name a few), and I hope to get together with them again soon!

So let’s do a recap, shall we?

First stop – Swift’s Attic  (for appetizers).  At all the stops, a spokesperson for the restaurant shared with us some background history of the place as well as what we were eagerly anticipating to savor.

The appetizers were comprised of assorted pickled veggies, “blistered shishitos” (Japanese sweet peppers served with cheese and vinegar dip), and deep-fried veggies served with a tangy soy dipping sauce.  I honestly didn’t listen to the explanation thoroughly nor did I really taste the food as the nerves had gotten the best of me in the beginning.  Oops..good thing I had 3 other opportunities to experience the food and atmosphere properly.

Then we were off to our next stop.  Random pictures of us walking around downtown…

Cru Wine Bar was so beautiful!  It carries over 300 selections of wine from all over the world and has an exclusive award-winning wine list.  To top it off, it has an extensive food menu that compliments the wine perfectly.  The ambience was elegant yet comfortable and inviting.

Now, let’s talk about the food.  First I tried the Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza which had pear, gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onion, honey, basil, and parmesan.  I do not like blue cheese so I was quite hesitant to try this.  I had planned on taking just a trial bite, but that quickly turned into me inhaling it.  The cheese was surprisingly not pungent nor stinky as I had imagined.  And you know my love for sweet and savory pizzas!  Divine!  This was hands-down my fav dish of the night.  Some of us, dishcrawlers, made plans to come back together to eat a whole pizza to ourselves.  Can’t wait!

Next up, we had a fried ball which was filled with a mixture of goat cheese and mascarpone, placed in a drizzle of liquid gold (aka, honey), sprinkled with cracked black pepper and lavender on top.  What is this beautiful creation called?  The Goat Cheese Beignet! (Love that word!).  A perfect bite!

Lastly, we sampled the Ahi Tartare served in a mini taco bowl with avocado, cucumber, cilantro, and tomato.  Honestly, I wished that the tartare had been served colder.  Nonetheless, the flavor profile was good.

Our third stop was Annie’s.  Let me tell you, by this time it was around 9pm, and I was quickly fading away.  This is my normal bedtime during the school week, and here I was in the middle of downtown Austin socializing and stuffing my face.  I’m officially cool now ;)!  I think I did a fantastic job in staying alert.  Yup!

We were served (well, Linda served us) mussels in saffron Spanish chorizo broth, fries coated in parmesan and truffle oil, and a mixed greens salad.

The mussels were yummy, but I felt the fries were kinda stale.  The flavor was there, it’s just that I had hoped they would be warmer.

This was our last savory stop.  Here’s me feeling a little delirious…Tim doesn’t seem to know what’s so funny.  Honestly…neither do I.

Our final stop, Cork & Co.  As this is a wine bar, we had some amazing desserts catered for us here.

Let’s talk about dessert, shall we?

Classic cherry pie, chocolate nutella pie with marshmallow fluff (Yes Yes Yes!), tiramisu cake ball…sound good to anyone?  You betcha!!!  It was heavenly!  Tim’s favorite was the cake ball.  Mine?  If you couldn’t tell from the excitement above, it was the fluff one ;).  It was the most decadent and rich of them all.

And with that, our first dishcrawl experience ended on a very sweet note!  We can’t wait to do it again!  And if this sparked your interest at all, go check out their website and see if there’s one happening in your very own neighborhood!