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!
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!
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| Foreign and Domestic |
