Hello everyone!! I know it’s been quite awhile since I last posted. The spring semester, and my last semester, has just started, and things are already getting busy! I haven’t done too many major events, but I still have tried to go out here and there.
I actually had been sick for about 2-3 weeks! I know what you’re thinking, how can you be sick for that long? I honestly think I caught a strain of the flu, seeing at how bad it was. I couldn’t stop coughing for days and my throat was sore for an entire week. It was the most godawful thing, and I wouldn’t wish that bad of a cold on anyone. I did, however, get a lot of time to take it easy, which was nice.
The last time I left off with you, it was my birthday. I’ve gone to a lot of restaurants in Austin and have tried to {somewhat} stay healthy.
First off, I had gone back to Irene’s, which is a great Austin hotspot. I love to go during happy hour and order $5 sangrias with a slice a toast. Yes, I said toast!! They’re toast is absolutely amazing and I can’t explain it, but it’s a must have! So far, I’ve tried the Ricotta and the Avocado toast, which are both out of this world. The Ricotta has a very sweet taste to it with bourbon, brown sugar ricotta, citrus marmalade, and pistachios on it. The Avocado toast is exactly what you think it’ll last like, avocado! I’m actually guilty of trying to recreate their toast at home. It has avocado, tomato, feta, olive oil, and sea salt on it. I think I do a pretty good job a making a similar toast, but Irene’s somehow gets their toast to be chewy, and it’s amazing. Anyway, if you’re looking for a super cute happy hour spot, Irene’s is the place to go! I also would recommend going in warmer weather since their outdoor seating seems to be more comfortable to me.
This photo is from this past August, but I thought it would be a cute representation of Irene’s!
The next restaurant I tried is Flowerchild. It’s a brand new restaurant in the Rock Rose area of the Domain. Straight from California, it’s about as healthy as you can get. They have great options if you’re vegan or vegetarian and their dishes are full of vegetables and protein. I feel like you can’t really go wrong here if you feel like eating healthy, but I did think their food is rather light. Aka you probably will have to snack a bit later if you’re not used to eating that light. I did, however, think it was delicious, and I’ll definitely be back. I got the Mother Earth bowl and loved the variety of it. It wasn’t bland at all due to all the different stuff in it, and they also have a dressing bar so you can choose to dress it up or down! I also recommend getting some lemonade while you’re there, I tried the Rose Lemonade and it was super refreshing!
I also snuck a picture in the restroom, since it was super cute!! It was a little chilly out, so I got to
wear my Drake merch from the Summer Sixteen tour with gray knee-high boots.
The next restaurant, I’ve actually gone to a couple times this past month, is Kona Grill. Although I usually like to go to Austin based restaurants, I cheated and hit up this chain. I’ve been craving sushi a lot lately, so Kona seemed like the way to go! The first time I went, I got the Avocado Egg Rolls as an appetizer and the Bama Roll as my entree. Both of those are amazing dishes. I loved how creamy both selections were and I was really surprised on how filling the Bama Roll was. The second time I visited, I got the Chicken and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps as a starter and the California Roll as an entree. The lettuce wraps were absolutely to die for and I’ve already looked up some copy cat recipes that I’ll try out soon. The California Roll is pretty similar to the Bama Roll, just with less works. I think I enjoyed the Bama Roll more, but a California roll is a pretty classic roll to order. Below are pictures of each, with the Bama Roll in the first photo and the California Roll in the second.
The last restaurant I’ve recently tried is The Salty Sow. I’ve heard a lot of rave for this restaurant, so I was very excited to try it! Overall, I have some mixed feelings about it though. Overall, I think they have some great food to offer, but I felt that everything was overpriced and the service was subpar. I went solely for happy hour with the intention of a few drinks and maybe an appetizer or a light entree. First off, finding parking here is a nightmare. The parking lot is tiny and turns into a dead end, so you will be fighting for a parking spot. When I entered, the hostesses gave me the notion that we needed a reservation. This is not a restaurant that has a high end feel to it, so I was very surprised by this. By no means am I complaining about this, I just didn’t know! I was shocked when the hostess began to seat us and said that we would be communal dining, meaning we would be sat at a table with others. I don’t mind this, but she didn’t ask us if this was okay, she just kind of assumed as she led us to our table. I tried to rush to order our first round of drinks since happy hour was almost over, so I got the Blanche Margarita. It was really good; a margarita with a citrus taste to it! I then ordered the Triple Fried Duck Fat Fries, which I’ve heard nothing but good things about. They’re actually pretty interesting, but I really enjoyed them. I like anything with an egg on it, so I would definitely order these again. They also come with a pretty tasty sauce, cold béarnaise. Lastly, we got a flight, which we actually didn’t really order, but the waiter misheard us when we were asking about it. We were pretty annoyed that this happened, and we didn’t even get to pick what was on the flight. We actually only liked two the drinks in the flight, the Blanche Margarita (yes another one) and the Shandy. I forgot what exactly was in the Shandy, but it was cocktail/blonde beer blend. The other two I couldn’t even down. They tasted like a floral mule, which just isn’t my thing. The waiter was hesitant, but took them back. I may go back to the Salty Sow, but my expectations definitely have lowered of this place.
After making this post, I realized how much money I’ve spent on food this month! This probably made my wallet cry, but it was worth it! Until next time!
xx,
Rachelle
