Dishola: Reviews by the Dish

241 Church St, New York, NY, 10013
212-925-0202

laura on 09/23/08

I couldn't wait. Jean-Georges' newest New York City restaurant, Matsugen, had recently opened. I'd flown up from Austin for the "5 Borough Bike Ride," and thought: what better way to fuel up the night before than a visit to Matsugen with my Mom and my sisters? I'd read several over-the-top reviews, including Frank Bruni's gushing NYT piece, "The Fine Art of the Noodle" - and thus had high hopes. Our first clue that Matsugen was well on its way to turning out truly authentic, refined Japanese dishes was the fact that we were part of the small minority of non-Japanese speaking guests that Saturday night. We started with several appetizers (more on those later), then chose the pink kurobuta pork loin from one of three shabu shabu options (the other two being wagyu beef and lobster). The pork is presented in tissue-thin ribbons, and requires dunking for only a few seconds in the pot of boiling water and veggies at the center of the table. One of the marvelous things about the shabu shabu is the white sesame sauce that is presented as a condiment for this dish; it has a sumptuous nutty taste and creaminess that's a perfect foil for the stark crispness of the veggies. Of all of the plates we ordered at Matsugen, the shabu shabu will remain most vivid in my memory, not only for the standout ingredients and flavor combinations, but also for its pure theater. We dunked, dipped, poked and prodded chopsticks, talking and giggling through it all (see photos).

2043 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX, 78704
512-804-2700

laura on 08/29/08

This was my favorite dish at Olivia's - a lemon ginger basque cake served warm with homemade vanilla ice cream on top. The cake was rich and buttery, and had just the right lemon and ginger accents. My only complaint was that I hit a couple pockets of baking soda, as if the batter had not been mixed thoroughly enough, but I could easily overlook this when the flavor sensation of candied lemon burst in my mouth, followed by the creaminess of Olivia's homemade ice cream.

2043 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX, 78704
512-804-2700

laura on 08/29/08

Olivia's pommes frites rock! They are seasoned beautifully, and are neither too crispy nor too nor too spongy. Yes, they're a little on the pricey side ($5 for the bowl), but where else in Austin are you going to come across homemade ketchup?! (The aioli is nice too, but could use a little more umph to it -- a little more garlic?)

1950 S I-35, Austin, TX
(512) 442-5337

laura on 09/21/08

I think this was my husband's favorite plate of the evening - a bacon, manchego, and truffle oil house made Naan pizza. He inhaled it! I loved rolling my half up, and nibbling on it between bites of my black eyed peas and minty lamb meatballs. The naan was toasty, yet still soft on the inside. It had that fresh-made taste - as if it had come right out of the oven. I'd recommend ordering one of Whip In's pizza style plates as a side. They have veggie options naan pizzas as well, such as mushroom, spinach masala and feta cheese, or caramelized onion masala, and gorgonzola. I think I'll order one of those options next time.

1950 S I-35, Austin, TX
(512) 442-5337

laura on 09/21/08

I absolutely loved this dish - and I rarely order lamb because generally, I'm not that fond of it. Thanks to silentmeow's review, I tried it for dinner (Whip In is finally open for dinner from Wed. - Sunday, 5- 11 pm). The meatballs were minty, tender, lean, and beautifully seasoned. A further bonus: I loved discovering that Whip In uses Loncito's lamb - a local purveyor who's lamb is all grass fed. From a quick perusal of the store, it looks as though Whip In supports a large number of independent, local Austin purveyors - Nada Moo Ice Cream, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Grandmother's Hummus, etc. Yet another reason to whip in to Whip In. :)