If you have a SWEET tooth

Cold sweet treats are always great if you don't want something too heavy. Rita's Italian Ice is just the place to satisfy that sweet tooth and to cause a brain freeze.

Gelati = frozen vanilla custard and key lime Italian ice and mango Italian ice

Their Italian ice is made fresh daily with fresh fruit, which adds some dimension to the texture and flavor. It doesn't taste fake like many ice cold treats. They also have a good variety of frozen custard flavors compared with other places. The frozen custard is very smooth and creamy, but it's a bit too sweet for my taste. I can only take small doses at a time.

The highlight of Rita's is definitely their Italian ice!

It's Sushi Time!

Anytime I'm around the UT campus, I'm nostalgic. 

I have to go to Sushi Niichi whenever I'm around campus. It has always been one of my favorites because of their great lunch specials and happy hour. Of course they're not the best if you compare them with places like Uchi, Mushashino, etc. but for the price, they're fantastic. At least for me.

My favorite roll is the Blue Moonlight, which has spicy tuna and tempura shrimp inside, and salmon, tempura flake, and spicy Japanese mayo on the outside.

Blue Moonlight

We were too hungry and I forgot to take a picture BEFORE we started eating. We got the Blue Moonlight and Dragon (crab stick, avocado, cucumber on the inside, and grilled eel and avocado with teriyaki sauce on the outside) rolls; and a few nigiri pieces (Unagi - grilled eel, Binnaga - white tuna, and Masago - fish roe).

Do you like sushi?

Your Mom's!

"Get Stuffed at Your Mom's!"

If you want to go somewhere quirky, I recommend Your Mom's Burger Bar. They're known for their unique stuffed burgers. These burgers are fairly messy, especially mine because not only did I have a 1/2 lb. stuffed beef patty with monterey jack cheese and chorizo, but also a fried egg with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a guacamole and chipotle lime spread. I chose to have it on white bread, but you can also get your burger with wheat.

Frida Kahlo with fries

The Marie Laveau was more Cajun in its flavors. This burger was stuffed with monterey jack cheese and boudin, blackened Cajun style, with lettuce, tomato, onions, and a roumalade sauce.

Marie Laveau with onion rings

Overall, I liked the quirkiness of this place and the variety of burgers you can choose from, but did not really like the atmosphere. The seating is in a covered outdoor area that gets insanely hot, especially during the summers and also on top of the heat coming from the kitchen...it's not very comfortable. I recommend getting take-out instead.

Weird Food of the Day

I always find the weirdest food at grocery stores. This time, I was at MT Supermarket in Chinatown Austin and found this:

This candy powder looked like dirt to me, especially with the lovely green grass printed on the bottom of the picture. According to the ingredients though, it was just sucrose and water. I have no idea what this is suppose to be used for.

Anyone know?

Can I have a bowl of rice with that?

Rice Bowl Cafe opened after I moved from Austin, but I heard many great things about this place from friends that I knew I had to try it when I was in town. The noodles for their noodle soups are made fresh, so they have a distinct chewy texture that's delicious and filling.

Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup

The portions are also very large. I can usually get two meals out of an entree. I ordered the Pork on Rice which has this really flavorful sauce that's perfect with the crispy pork, and comes with one of my favorite Asian veggies, bok choy. And yes, it came with two huge pork fillets!

Pork Chop on Rice

My friend ordered a tofu dish. I believe it was the Bean Curd Homestyle, but I'm not positive. Tofu can be really good if you know how to make it correctly, and Rice Bowl knows exactly how. This dish has a good balance of flavor and spiciness, but it's also light because of the great mix of vegetables. I had to help myself to some of my friend's food. That's what friends are for, right?

Bean Curd Homestyle

There are so many other dishes I want to try in the future. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go back soon.

I Heart Queso

I've been insanely busy with traveling to Austin (for a bachelorette party) and preparing for a major presentation. Thankfully the presentation is done and over with! Sadly, I wish I was still in Austin. I lived in Austin for many years and a part of my heart will always be there. *sniffle* Okay, enough with the sappy stuff and onto the mouth-watering food!

The bride-to-be and I went to one of our favorite places to eat, Kerbey Lane Cafe. It has some of the best queso in town, awesome breakfast that is served all day/night, and many other great entrees ranging from Bacon Wrapped Pesto Chicken to Bison Picadillo Enchiladas to seasonal favorites like Pork Milanese and the Pesto di Pistachio Pasta.

Menu

I like Kerbey Lane because they always serve great tasting food anytime you're hungry (they're open 24 hours). Plus, I'm in love with their queso.

Cowboy Queso

The Cowboy Queso consists of black beans and guacamole drowned in white queso and topped with pico de gallo. I'm usually not a big fan of black beans, but this appetizer is surprisingly really good with the black beans.

I was having such a hard time deciding on what I wanted to eat that day because Kerbey Lane has such a variety in their menu. I ended up going with breakfast, which you can never go wrong with! I ordered the Breakfast Platter with chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs over medium.

Breakfast Platter

We were both so full that we could hardly move, but it was worth it!

An Excuse to Drink Wine at Dinner?

I wanted to try my hand at a pasta salad. This was the first time I've ever made a pasta salad, so I kept everything fairly simple. I combined 5 cheese ravioli, diced green bell pepper and Roma tomato, sauteed zucchini, Parmesan cheese, pesto, and sun-dried tomato dressing.

Served with some slices of french baguette with brie cheese and a glass of red wine (Llano Estacado Sangiovese).