We got a Chuy’s up in Rockville, MD a few years ago - it did not last long & it wasn’t great, either. (Tho I’d go elsewhere in Austin for Tex-Mex - Chuy’s was good for bringing someone who hadn’t had a fishbowl-sized margarita)
I think that former Chuy’s location might be where they put in a Torchy’s Tacos, but I haven’t been up to Rockville lately to see.
There was a great barber shop a couple doors down from there (e.g. lather shave to finish). & a taco place next to that, tho interestingly, all the indoor decor was Brazil- or Carnival-related. I’m guessing they’re both long gone. Sorry to hear about Mother’s.
I visit Austin once or twice a year, but it tends to be either SW Austin (where my sister’s family lives) or Pflugerville & Round Rock (where my in-laws are). The one place I make a point to visit is Phoenicia - I lived by the one on Burmet, but the one on So. Lamar is close to my sister’s & a few other things we like to do.
The Brazilian place is gone, but the Taco Joint (yes that’s what it’s called) is still open because both places had the same owners. I hear that some of the Brazilian food is still on the menu but i don’t know how true it is, makes me sad because the Brazilian place was very good. And a couple of buildings over there’s the great pub Crown & Anchor, their burgers are tasty af.
I love Phoenicia! I should mention that there’s a fancy/large Phoenicia location in downtown Houston that’s pretty awesome. It’s amusingly located on 1001 Austin St, Houston TX. Parking can be kind of annoying but its worth checking out in my opinion.
Ah, you had me thinking the Crown moved a bit north - now I see it’s in the same place & Taco Joint is next to it (& Posse East, whose name I couldn’t remember, is next to that).
The (formerly?) Brazilian(?) place I’m thinking of, at 43rd & Duval, is Julio’s. Now I’m sort of remembering it was Julio’s, back when. Interior photo on Google Maps looks kind of how I remembered it.
Since this a food thread (well, we were talking about food-related places, but anyway…) tonite I made this:
I was going to make a biryani, but my eldest moves back into the dorm next weekend, so I thought I’d indulge him. We both thought it would benefit from a sweeter harissa (Cava makes, or made, a very good one that wasn’t cheap) or slather it with some honey.
so i had the pleasure of hosting my Dear Brother for a week here in the keys. his friend and colleague Arim Hawsho, has published a book of ancient Mesopotamian recipes as described in cuneiform tablets as far back as 3500 BCE. he gave DB some sample recipes (the book has not released yet) for us to try out as DB video’d the process for his YT channel Artifactually Speaking.
we chose to make the Sumerian Lunch Bowl (Uruk Period, 3200 BCE) and Zimri-Lin’s favorite cookies (Mari, 1770 BCE).
the lunch bowl consited of a boiled barley porridge topped with ghee, chopped dates, bacon, chopped pistachios and green apple slices. sumple, yet delicious!
definitely more complcated, a shortbtead style dough, with cardamom and honey was filled with pistachios and date syrup then baked.
very delicious!
you can download the pdf of these, plus a “Warrior’s Lamb Chop” recipe at
there he has a better description of his project.
also stay tuned to Artifactually Speaking on YouTube for the video we shot in the test kitchen here in the Conch Republic.
My daughter had her gallbladder out recently, so she is avoiding all animal fat. I found this recipe made with olive oil and cocoa (because we had no chocolate in the house and that has saturated fat that is problematic for her).
I wasn’t expecting that much, considering the limitations, but damn this was good.
We ALSO made it with whole wheat flour, and that made it even weirdly better.
I remember coming upon an interesting dish in a thoroughly researched historical novel taking place in Ancient Egypt: roast quails, each with a tiny fig inside.
Tonight is puff pastry chicken pot pie in a skillet.
Essentially, you cook the chicken (thighs for us) and gravy and veg. Then you bake it for a while in the skillet with the puff pastry only on the top.
It’s delicious and given how cold it is, I’m really looking forward to it!
I think this is the recipe my partner started with. As usual, he’s adjusted it.
I had an idea and wanted to bounce it off of people here that may have tried something similar. It’s either a really good idea, or could turn out horribly.
So, I’ve made grilled cheese sandwiches with (flavored) cream cheese before, mixed with other cheeses. A tad gloopy, but very tasty.
Today I had a thought, what if I use (probably unflavored) cream cheese slathered on the outside of the bread as the fat for toasting, instead of butter? Would it work? Would it burn before everything inside melted?
Yes, in a pan. Slather bread with cream cheese (standard recipe for me is butter, some people use mayo), make a cheese sandwich with that on the outside, toss into a pan heated medium-low and toast slowly.
