What I Ate: February 27, 2010 (Bad to the Bone at Stubb's BBQ, East Side King)

Dinner: We went to Stubb's BBQ (801 Red River Street, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 480-8341‎) for an event benefiting the Sustainable Food Center called "Bad to the Bone". At the event three Central Texas chef's compete in an Iron Chef-lite mock-competition (one of the chef's was from Austin's Parkside Restuarant and his dish - the dessert - won the popular vote by a landslide as well as all four judges votes). Not a big deal since it was all for fun and to benefit a good cause.

All the chef's had to work with achiote (the plant whose seeds annatto is derived from), tangerine, and goat milk or cheese. The first we tried was David Bull's Achiote Glazed Salmon with Smoked Bacon Grits, Goat Cheese Crema & Tangerine-Spinach Salad. Since the event was outside, the food cooled pretty quickly (and didn't photograph well given the weird lighting conditions). While hot, the salmon with the grits was great. I thought the grits were excellent and paired well with the salmon while the salad was a bit weak in flavor. After tasting the pork dish and returning to the salmon dish, I found it all a bit bland, so I think this one held up in the cold the worst.

The next dish I tasted was Paul Peterson's Annato [sic] Crusted Pork Loin with Goat's Milk Corn Pudding and Achiote Seared Tangerines. I couldn't tell that anything had been done with the tangerines (with membranes intact) except that they had been placed on the pork slices. The outer edges of the pork were flavorful (with a nice crust of dried chiles). The corn pudding was rich and excellent. After a few bites of the corn pudding, the grits from the salmon plate were too mild in comparison. This dish held up better than the salmon dish when cold.

The final item (and winner) was dessert by Austin chef Shawn Cirkiel - Goat milk sorbet, achiote & tangerine fritter, tangerine salad, local orange blossom honey. This was by far the simplest of the three dishes - a doughnut hole served with ice milk and a slice of tangerine that spanned the two. The ice milk (which was erroneously named "sorbet" even though it was made of goat's milk) was excellent - sweet and sour like a really good tangy frozen yogurt. The fried pastry was just a sugary dough with a cakey texture.

After Bad to the Bone was over, we headed over to East Side King with a bunch of friends for dinner. East Side King is an Asian-fusion food trailer set in the spacious backyard seating area of The Liberty Bar (1618 1/2 East 6th Street, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 600-4791‎). We ordered several items to taste.

Shrimp Buns, $6 - their special. The shrimp were gulf shrimp with a strong bromine taste (which we feel overwhelms whatever it's cooked with).

Poor Qui's Buns Roasted Pork Belly in Steamed Buns, Hoisin Sauce, Cucumber Kimchee, and Green Onion, $6. It tasted almost like Peking Duck when you get a bite without the pickled cucumber. With the cucumber kimchee, it's an all new flavor sensation.

Fried Brussels Sprout Salad Fried Brussels Sprouts, Sweet & Spicy Sauce, Fresh Shredded Cabbage, Alfalfa Sprouts, Fresh Basil, Cilantro, Mint, Onion, and Jalapeno, $5. Tina thought the salad was too sweet, but I really liked it. I just wish there were more of the delightfully fried Brussels Sprouts which can be a little masked by the complex slaw.

Beet Home Fries Deep Fried Roasted Beets, Kewpie Mayo, Shichimi Tougarashi, and Green Onion, $5. I like roasted beets, so these were just amazing. Great beet flavor, nice crispy crust, and a salty Japanese mayo made this something that I couldn't stop eating until I ran out.

Lunch: I made a sandwich with Boar's Head EverRoast chicken breast.