Dishola: Reviews by the Dish
- dishola /dish•ō•lâ/
- v. To share the love of food - dish by dish. n. The ultimate source to find real meals at real places that rule.
Paula's Profile
930 Tchoupitoulas St,
New Orleans, LA
(504) 588-2123
Paula
on 02/06/07
In Louisiana, everyone knows that Boudin is the king of Cajun food, and no one makes it better than Donald Link, the chef at Cochon and Herbsaint restaurants in New Orleans. Cajun Boudin is a mix of ground pork and rice, with various seasonings like scallions, parsley, and plenty of black pepper. Boudin is most often steamed, and eaten by teasing the meat from its soft casing. But at Cochon you can order Boudin Balls -- the sausage is shaped into rounds, coated in breadcrumbs and fried until crisp. Served with whole grain mustard and house-pickled jalapenos, they are dangerously easy to eat and enormously satisfying. Pass the cold Abita beer!
930 Tchoupitoulas St,
New Orleans, LA
(504) 588-2123
Paula
on 02/04/07
As the name suggests, the menu at Cochon (French for pig) is about all things pork. Enter the Boucherie Plate ($12), paper thin slices of house made salami, spicy tasso, and pork belly, served with homemade bread and butter pickles and pickled jalapenos. Cochon uses top-quality pork, and the meat is lovingly cured and full of flavor. Order an Abita, pull apart a soft, warm potato roll and thank your lucky stars that old school Cajun and German cooking traditions are alive and well in the Big Easy.
8557 Research Blvd Ste 146,
Austin, TX
(512) 339-7860
Paula
on 01/13/07
I know the main ingredients in this salad--cabbage and tofu--don't usually inspire a passionate response, but once you try this crispy refreshing salad you'll crave it again and again (even my husband, a devoted carnivore, loves it). The shredded cabbage and silken cubes of tofu are scattered with a generous amount of tender straw mushrooms, fried shallots, and a tart soy dressing. This is more a meal than an appetizer, I usually pair it with another appetizer, like the crispy Vietnamese Crepe or tender Shrimp Spring Roll.
8610 Lamar, Austin, TX, 78753
Paula
on 01/13/07
This is my neighborhood haunt, and the pho fix that I need at least once a week (when it's cold, when I need the healing qualities of chile and lime, and, let's be honest, when I need a healthy and filling lunch for under $5). The lean steak pho at this restaurant, nestled in a strip mall on North Lamar, is full of flavor, with an aromatic star anise-scented broth. The garnishes--fresh basil, lime, chiles, bean sprouts and an herb called culantro (which many Vietnamese places don't have) are always fresh and clean. I can't help adding that the spring rolls, and the service, are always terrific. Pass the red chile sauce.
918 Congress Ave., Austin, TX, 78701
Paula
on 01/13/07
If you love salt cod, as I do, then you will be thrilled to find this rich and earthy appetizer on the menu at Cibo. Baccala is always strongly flavored, and this rough-textured puree is no exception (in fact it's definitely on the fishy side). But the sweet and clean (not heavy or buttery) grilled white corn polenta, and a sip of steely white wine, perfectly balances the flavors. I applaud the ambitious Italian menu at Cibo, and can't wait to return for more wines from the Veneto, and the gniocci that the guy at the next table was eating.