Getting Lucky at Lucky Robot

Austin restaurant chain Zen became a sibling a few months ago, when founder Adam Weisberg opened Lucky Robot in the space that formerly housed the South Congress incarnation of Zen. It took me a few months to make it there, but my first meal there was so delightful that I was back again the next day.

Like Zen, Lucky Robot offers Japanese-inspired fare, but the dishes at Lucky Robot feel significantly more special to me than Zen's offerings. The flavors and presentation are much more refined, and the entire experience feels less "fast food-ish" than Zen, without too much of a markup (entrées run from about $8-$13, and the portions are very generous). Ordering is done via iPads on the tables, which is kind of fun, especially since the iPad version of the menu features photos of every dish. Also, the digital menu makes it easy to spot gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and low-calorie items, a feature that those on special diets will appreciate. One minor irritation with the iPad ordering system, though: it does not make it easy to split the ticket amongst multiple parties. Only one credit card can be used per transaction, and you don't get an itemized bill (the former issue is fixable if you ask your server to run the cards).

Wondering what to get? Here's what I've tried:

Brussel sprouts ($4.75). My favorites in town - and I have eaten a lot of brussel sprouts in this town. Tossed in a lemongrass soy. These are on my must-order list for every visit to Lucky Robot.

Karaage Chicken ($8.00). Loads of chicken that's been marinated for 24 hours, then fried. Well-prepared, although I think I'll ask for the sauce on the side next time; as you can see in the photo, it pooled in the bottom of the bowl and made my rice more saucy than I like it.

Bo Ssam ($8.50). Brown sugar-crusted pork belly...need I say more? Just in case the answer is yes, it's served with rice, red leaf lettuce, kim chee, ginger scallions and ssamjang (an amazing, spicy, bean-paste-based sauce that I am determined to recreate at home so I can put it on everything). Snuggle some pork belly up in a lettuce leaf, dress it with whatever of the other ingredients you like (in my case, all of them), roll it up, and go to town. Probably not recommended for a first date. Highly recommended for a tenth date (if s/he minds you eating delicious, messy food, you might as well kick them to the curb).

Rising Sun ($11.00). Probably my favorite of the dishes I've tried here, this cholesterol-bomb features four generous slabs of pork belly, served with a rectangle of grilled rice, crispy shallots & garlic, charred scallion vinaigrette and cilantro, all topped with a gorgeously-runny fried egg. This one is definitely not on the 500 calories or less menu, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like fatty meat - the pork belly on this dish is much fattier than the belly served with the Bo Ssam. But if you don't mind giving your arteries a little workout, order this with a side of the ssamjang (from the Bo Ssam dish) and go to town.

Lucky Robot is open 11a-10p Monday through Friday, and 10a-10p Saturday and Sunday. They offer a "Tokyo Brunch" both weekend days that features more typical brunch-ish entrées like eggs and pancakes, but with Asian riffs, like soft-shell crab, sriracha, and matcha green tea whipped cream. Much of their regular menu is available during brunch time, too, so if you'd rather start your day with a pile of pork belly, no one is going to stop you.

More craveworthy, moderately-priced, Asian-inspired fare in Austin? Lucky us.

Lucky Robot
1303 South Congress
Austin, TX 78704

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Food Photo Friday - Dai Due

Our friends from Bola Pizza weren't at the downtown Austin SFC Farmer's Market last Saturday, so we were forced to eat outside the box. Fortunately, the folks at Dai Due had our backs with this decadent maple pork belly on Texas toast with a fried duck egg on top. It was a great way to start the weekend.

Although I didn't get a photo of them, the peaches from Lightsey Farms were phenomenal. Truly as sweet as candy; I hope they're there this weekend.

What are your favorite farmer's market finds?

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Food Photo Friday - Braised Pork Belly

How can you not love pork belly? Particularly when it's a lovely bit from a pasture-raised, hormone-free, antibiotic-free piggy who grew up at Richardson Farm. This tasty bite was braised and joined by other interesting bits like organic banana purée and pineapple confit, then consumed by me at a blogger tasting at TRACE in the new W hotel.

Every meal at TRACE should be chased with a black peppercorn martini (Stolichnaya Applik, Hendrick's gin, port, black peppercorn syrup, fresh lime, fresh basil, and muddled strawberries), sipped while lounging about jauntily in the red room a couple rooms away from the restaurant. You can play Big City for a few hours, then wander back outside and revert to hippie mode at Barton Springs. Ah, Austin. I love you.

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Uchiko, part deux (and trois)

I was fortunate enough to attend a media reception at Uchiko last week. I had been once before during their soft opening in July and had a great meal - so I was very excited to go back and sample more of their menu. A few days after the reception, Chris and I went back and enjoyed a regular meal there, as well. I want to incorporate both experiences into one post, so I'll try to limit the photos from the reception a bit.

Most exciting thing about the reception? Tyson Cole and Paul Qui were standing at an open window at one end of the room making our food. Let's just say that the moment I realized this, I made my way over there and kind of refused to leave. It was amazing to watch both of these talented chefs at work and be able to taste each item as they were completing it.

Tyson Cole serving up some chicken yakitori with candied peanuts and garlic


(left) Paul Qui putting the finishing touches on a batch of koviche bites

(right) Fried tuna tendon. This is usually an inedible part of the fish, but in the hands of these amazing chefs, it became incredibly delicious - with a crispy, flavorful batter outside and a slightly chewy texture when you bit into it. Tyson said when he served it up, "This is what we eat." Tyson, I want what you eat.

This doesn't look like much, but it was stellar - housemade chicharrones with a fragrant truffle sauce that is still indelibly etched in my memory. There were also some gorgeous black chicharrones (colored with squid ink), but my little camera just couldn't do them justice. I beg the powers that be at Uchiko to add these fantastic morsels to the menu!



Could this be any more gorgeous? This is the Akami Te - big eye tuna with watermelon, cilantro and coriander. I love the way the colors of the tuna and watermelon are so closely matched, making it difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.



We got to try quite a few other things at the reception, but I'm going to fast forward to our sit-down meal here, now. To start, we were treated with an amuse bouche of tomatoes with basil blossoms. So fresh and bright and crisp - perfect.



Then we had a bowl of their wonderful roasted edamame. The roasting process really coaxes an extra level of flavor out of these. I think these had a little douse of oil somewhere along the way, as well, which added a nice sumptuousness to them.



Next up was the koviche, one of my favorite dishes from my first visit to Uchiko and on my permanent to-order list here. Ridiculously fresh raw diver scallops atop tomatillos, dressed with kalamata powder and black lime. Put a scallop/tomatillo bite onto an architectural cracker, insert in mouth, make gutteral mmmming noises as your eyes roll back in your head.



Our order of chicken karaage arrived next. Half a chicken is expertly fried and served with a lemon juice/salt mixture and a side of marinated onions.



I know pork belly has become nearly cliché at this point, but I personally haven't tired of it - and Uchiko's version is well worth putting your pork belly suspicions aside. Done just as pork belly should be - crisp, yet rich and juicy. The roasted carrots that were served with it made my eyes widen with pleasure and delight - and I usually hate cooked carrots.



Also on my permanent to-order list are two of Uchiko's nigiri offerings: the nasu (eggplant) nigiri and the shiver-inducing beef tongue. The eggplant is smooth and silky and pairs so beautifully with the slight vinegar flavor in the sushi rice. And the smoky char to the falling-apart-tender beef tongue is simply revolutionary.





Our last savory selection was the tiger cry roll - grilled wagyu steak with yuzu kosho, toasted rice, and cilantro. The flavor of the beef was wonderful, but based on the two rolls I've had at Uchiko so far, I really think Uchiko shines more in its other offerings.



We closed the deal and the meal with their sweet corn sorbet, served with polenta custard, caramel salt, and lemon. I love that this dessert isn't too sweet, and the way the clear corn and polenta flavors challenge your palate to re-interpret the meaning of dessert.



I think Uchiko has worked out some of the minor kinks that were present during my first visit; between the media reception and the outstanding meal we had there this week, Uchiko just earned itself a place in my list of favorite restaurants in Austin. Everything here - from the service to the space to the food - marries excellence and accessibility in a way that really appeals to me. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I love great food, and I enjoy it even more when it's served in a context that doesn't take itself too seriously. Uchiko nails this for me. Big thanks to Tyson Cole and Paul Qui for bringing this wonderful dining experience to Austin.

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Eat Local Event with Finn & Porter and the Cupcake Bar

Two weeks since my last post?!? That is completely unacceptable.

It's certainly not for lack of eating; thanks to the holidays, I'm probably eating more than ever. I've just been too flappin' crazed to write about any of it - although the burgeoning number of photo sets on my hard drive proves that I've at least been taking photos to share. I was thinking about you, really.

Anyway, I did get to attend a standout event on Monday that I've been dying to tell you about. I was invited to an Eat Local event at Finn & Porter as a guest of the cool folks over at The Cupcake Bar, one of the event co-sponsors. It was a TON of fun and I ate and drank myself silly sillier.

Check out the spread:

Sushi


Sushi


And more sushi

Under normal circumstances, I'll choose sushi over most other things, but this incredible pork belly was a superstar amongst superstars. It was expertly seared and served with mashed sweet potatoes graced with a warm, gently-savory Shiner Bock broth.



These beet & goat cheese napoleons were lovely, but had a really hard time competing with the sushi and the pork belly.


Beet & goat cheese napoleon with chipotle beet syrup

These quail legs, on the other hand, held their own.



These "tacos" held a little surprise - the shell was made from a very thinly sliced piece of jicama. Great low carb idea.


Salpicón of beef tacos with pickled jicama "shell"

You may recall that Finn & Porter was also the scene of Yelp's Second Anniversary Party. Both times, the food and the service have been truly outstanding; I really want to make it a point to visit them more often.

To help wash down all this fantastic food, the folks from Pedernales Cellars were on hand with a selection of their Texas wines. If you're looking for a great Texas wine, I highly recommend their Texas Tempranillo - a lovely wine that is delicious by itself or paired with a wide variety of food.

For dessert? Cupcakes, of course! The Cupcake Bar was offering both their signature "build your own cupcake" option (a super fun idea which can be booked for events), as well as a trio of Texas-themed mini cupcakes. There were Texas pecan pie cupcakes with Texas pecans and crumbled shortbread; Texas honey & lemon Cupcakes with Texas Olive Ranch's blackberry balsamic reduction & fresh berries; and my favorite, Texas sweet potato cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing, caramel, and walnuts. Mmmmmm.


A portion of the "build your own" bar


Texas honey & lemon cake with Texas Olive Ranch's blackberry balsamic reduction & fresh berries


LEFT: Texas pecan pie with Texas pecans and crumbled shortbread
RIGHT: Texas sweet potato cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing, caramel, and walnuts

I've sampled a large cross-section of the cupcakes Austin has to offer, and I was very impressed by these moist, luscious cuppies. Absolutely wonderful!

This was a really fun event that was well worth braving bad traffic and cold, rainy weather to attend. Many thanks to Lori Schneider of the Cupcake Bar for inviting me out!

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