Foreign and Domestic

How amazing do these pastries (& savory) look? Gruyere & bacon croissant, chocolate croissant, & buttermilk pie. Foreign & Domestic makes their croissants crusty (but not too) on the outside, soft & airy on the inside. The inside should look kind of like a spiral staircase. It drives me mad when you get a squishy croissant that tastes like dense and/or stale bread. F&D does it more than right. The flavors and ingredients are not overwhelming or lacking. And that buttermilk pie! A little goes a long way. I enjoyed a (large) bite every night after dinner and/or with my morning coffee for a few days. I can't even tell you how amazing it was. Tangy, sweet, buttery pie...chewy & crisp crust. If you haven't been to their bake sale on Saturday mornings, I recommend you get after it! I would have stayed & eaten on their outdoor patio but they just have regular coffee, no espresso so I took the goods over to Houndstooth Coffee on Lamar.

I ate dinner at F&D months ago after a few drinks at The Tigress down the road. It was one of the more unique experiences I've had. I love that its a very unassuming neighborhood restaurant (on North Loop). I sat at the kitchen counter bar top, which, as you might imagine, is directly in front of the prep/kitchen area so you can talk to the kitchen masters. Everyone was really nice.

I'll improvise on the menu items because they've changed since I was there (in the fall?) and I don't remember the exact names of what I had but you'll get the gist. Also, their menu is seasonal and frequently changes.

Had a beer and cow tongue tartare to start. I liked it; it had great flavor but I couldn't eat it all. For my entreé I had ricotta (& parmesan) raviolo with poached egg & lemon zest. It was delicious. The soft, silky texture of the pasta with the bite of the ricotta, parmesan & lemon and the creaminess of the rich yellow egg yolk was amazing. I have to say that it was a tad salty, honestly, and I like big salt. For desert I had panna cotta with a top layer of tangerine & hazelnuts, served in a mason jar. That was pretty phenomenal - refreshing and rich at the same time.

This is definitely the place to go in Austin to try inventive food. I look forward to going back, being adventurous with my choices, & bringing wine into the mix next time (after a few cocktails at The Tigress I kept it tame).

I recently saw that they were paid a visit from Guy Fieri & Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It's awesome they received that kind of recognition. Not really a place I'd consider fitting into the DDD category but maybe it's because the kitchen bar has the same layout as a diner. No matter, I suppose, still a major win for them!

Foreign and Domestic

Austin Summer Afternoon

A few weekends ago I was headed to the SOTBM trunk show at Feathers - what a bunch of talented ladies doing their thang! Lots of cool collaborations among designers, jewelry makers (Bloodmilk), unique fashionistas, vintage appreciators, artists, and make-up and beauty makers - perfume oils, lotions & potions for yer soul (Naked Eye Beauty)!

I got some awesome finds at the boutique but, as I always say, it's not just the experience you have at your destination; it's the little adventures on your way to & fro. The dudes plugged in atop the van are Chris Catalena and the Native Americans. Really nice sound and their vibe was enhanced by the crazy Austin sky & warm weather cut through with little temporary rain drops.

Capri and the Amalfi Coast

These photos are from the first time I went to Italy and ventured over to Capri. And some are from many years later when I was living in Milan for a month (planned to stay but that didn't pan out ... even was ready to sell my car & buy a Vespa!) then went back to Amalfi and traveled around the coast - Positano, Ravello, and other small towns doting the crystal blue sea. It's summertime - who has the travel bug and is dying ... dying to be near the ocean, head happily floating through the wind, living love every day? I'm going on a blogging tour of places I've been and that changed my life somehow. Travel brings incredible experiences of meeting people, eating amazing food, visiting historical landmarks, and seeing art of the masters inches in front of you but for some reason, no matter where I go, I'm left with at least one really hyper-visual random image in my memory: like jagged straw stems sticking out of my beach bag strap that broke while I was descending a steep and narrow stairwell on Positano. Small shops and galleries lived in the mountainside to the left and right of the staircase.

Should I stick to Italy in my next post or go somewhere else?

Capri

Capri

Capri

Capri

Capri

Amalfi Coast

Amalfi

Ravello

Ravello

Capri

Ravello

Capri

Capri

Capri taxi

Unique Bathrooms

OK, so I love documentary photography, street photography, hotels, motels, Holiday Inn ... horror movies, grindhouse, foreign film, neon signs, and you can now add bathrooms to the list of things you know about some of my favorite photo subject matter and what influences my photography.

Have I mentioned this before? I don't know but I love them. All shapes, sizes, even the cleanliness factor. If a public restroom (public, for this purpose is really limited to a hole-in-the-wall bar, gas station, or other kind of travel stop or roadside attraction - snake farm, anyone?) is kinda gross even, I appreciate that because it's only indicative of a certain lifestyle that may be intriguing somehow - no frills, vintage, old school, or country, for example. Yes, that just reminded me - I have told you this before because I remember explaining why I even liked the dingy bathroom, that's a step away from an outhouse, at Dry Creek Saloon. Here's that post, if you care to get more details on what attracts me to bathrooms, aesthetically speaking.

P.S. If I know you or meet you through someone I know and happen to use your nasty bathroom - that is not interesting, that's just gross.

Street Photography Tips

When in doubt, shoot it. You can always decide later if you like the photo or not and make edits in color, exposure, cropping, etc. One thing you have less control over in editing is the composition so do take time to properly compose your photo as you like. If you're shy about photographing people, you can always be discreet or just ask. Most people won't mind and are clued into the popularity of photography and visual expression so they get it. I can't not take photos just about anywhere I go, even at the grocery store. My biggest tip: just take time to appreciate the things right in front of you - that's the beauty of street photography - we're able to capture objects, art, design & architecture other people make, and people just doing what they do. More often than not, those candid moments make for the most compelling photographs.