Austin's Restaurant Week Fall 2010 - Cru Wine Bar Review (The Domain - Austin, TX)

Okay, so I don't do many reviews here but I thought it would add some content to the blog.

Last night I went to Cru Wine Bar for restaurant week. For months now my friends have been raving about their steamed mussels. Fortunately for me, the steamed mussels were part of the 3 course meal (which was only $25). We decided to eat at the bar since the all the tables were full and it didn't seem like anyone was leaving anytime soon. We started off with several flights of wine, which I wasn't impressed by, a couple of appetizers - goat cheese beignets and Ahi Tuna tartare. The beignets were absolutely delicious. I was told that the goat cheese was mixed with marscapone cheese as well and the creaminess definitely came through in the filling. The outside was fried to perfection, nice and crispy and just a touch of sweetness from the honey glaze. As for the tartare, if you've had one you've just about had them all. It definitely lacked that extra kicked to set it apart from other tuna tartares.

For dinner we opted for the steamed mussels, petite filet mignon, and the chocolate chip cookie cake with vanilla ice cream. For the rave that I've been hearing about the mussels I can't say that it lived up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong they were good, but they weren't the best I've had. Coming from a person who loves tart and sour dishes, this dish was over the top with its tartness. In my opinion, it definitely needed a more delicate balance to showcase the white wine and lemongrass broth that were both drowned out by the tartness of the dish. The petite filet was a hit, it was cooked perfectly medium-rare and fork tender as can be. The veal/red wine demi glace was probably one of the better sauces I've ever tasted. It was neither too sweet nor too salty and was perfectly balanced. It was great to see that even though the sauce was superb the chef didn't drown the filet in it.

For dessert were initially going to have the chocolate lava cake, but by the time we ordered, they were all out. So they substituted the lava cake with a chocolate chip cake and vanilla ice cream - which was a blessing in disguise (I'm not a real big chocolate fan anyway). The chocolate chip cake was nothing more than a really thick cookie, however, it was delicious and a great ending to a wonderful meal.

I'd recommend anyone to Cru Wine Bar located at the Domain in Austin, TX, especially when you can get a great meal for just $25 during restaurant week (September 19-22 and 26-29, 2010 (FYI - The wine flights and the other appetizers are not part of the $25).

Chicken en Papillote

Initially, I was just going to stir fry the chicken but I thought I would showcase another method of cooking. This dish is also call "mok gai" in Laotian cuisine. It is made by using an "en papillote" technique is which basically cooking your food by wrapping it in paper, leaves, foil, etc. I chose to steam the chicken so I chose foil since I forgot to get the banana leaves from my sister's house. This was served with a refreshing papaya salad (no not the super spicy Laotian style).

Ingredients:

3 chicken thighs (bone removed and discarded, meat sliced into 1/2 inch cuts)
1 pound Thai eggplants
1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (stems removed and discarded, tops sliced 1/4 inch)
1 cup fresh Thai basil (tightly packed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
5 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 kaffir lime leaf per package
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1 shallot (thinly sliced)
4 Thai chili peppers (roughly chopped)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except kaffir lime leaves in a large bowl and set aside to let it marinade for at least 10 minutes. Tear off a piece of foil paper about a foot long. Add about a cup of the chicken mixture to the bottom end of the foil and place 1 kaffir lime leaf on top. Starting from the bottom lift and fold the foil to cover the mixture. Then fold the sides in and continue folding the foil upwards to the top end of the foil. You're going to want to make sure it has a good seal so that all the juices stay in tack during steaming.

You are also going to need a steamer to complete cooking this dish. On high heat bring the water to a boil. Place each package in the steamer basket and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes.

To serve simply cut the top of the package diagonally from both ends (X marks the spot!). Open from the center and enjoy.

Serve with a bowl of steamed rice or a handful of sticky rice. As I mentioned earlier, I also served this dish with a refreshing papaya salad (See previous entry on making this).

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Austin's Restaurant Week Fall 2010

Anyone interested in going to any of the restaurants here in Austin for restaurant week? This would be a great opportunity to sample a lot of what Austin has to offer at a discounted price. This is also where I'm going to seek inspiration for new dishes. I guess we can call this a field trip. Normally, I wouldn't blog about the restaurants I dine in, but if this takes time away from my cooking, I might have to do so. Let me know if you're interested in meeting up and grabbing a bite to eat somewhere.

http://restaurantweekaustin.com/

Curiosity leads to exploration,
Exploration leads to discovery,
Discovery leads to knowledge,
Knowledge leads to Power.
 - unknown