Lunch: We tried to go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, but forgot they don't open on Sundays. So, we walked across the parking lot to Burger King where I had a Whopper and Tina had a TenderCrisp Chicken Sandwich (and we shared a small order of fries). While eating, I remembered the last time we ate at Burger King and how we had decided never to eat at Burger King if there were other fast food options (including McDonald's). One look at my meat patty was enough to jar that memory, but it was too late. I wonder if we'll be able to remember next time.

Dinner: I prepared a meal somewhat similar to my Burger King lunch, but completely different. I cooked a grass fed beef filet mignon (from US Wellness Meats) sous vide at 55°C (125.5°F) for three hours and then seared it until the exterior was a deep brown. The beef was seasoned with applewood smoked sea salt and ground dried porcini. I prepared roast potatoes to go with the steak as well as mushrooms and grilled zucchini.

Lunch: I had a couple of brisket tacos from The Zubik House at the Austin Farmers Market. There were very tasty and I loved the ample amounts of cilantro.

Dinner: Both Tina and I wanted to eat crawfish and crab, so we headed off to Joe's Crab Shack where both can be had without us dealing with the inevitable clean up from shellfish guts splattering everywhere. We ordered a "Sunset Fire-Grilled" Steampot (Dungeness crab, Alaskan Snow crab, shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes) which is normally seasoned with their Fire-Grilled flavor but we tried it with Joe's Dry Rubbed BBQ instead. The crabs were very flavorful, but we preferred the flavor of the Fire-Grilled seasoning that we tried last time.

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What I Ate: April 3, 2010 (The Zubik House, Joe's Crab Shack)

Lunch: We ate leftovers from last night's Indian dinner.

Dinner: We watched Clash of the Titans at the Alamo Drafthouse where I ordered the Lamb of the Gods (lamb chops, orzo salad, and grilled zucchini). Tina had the Kraken Crab Cakes (served with Athena's Caper Mayo) and we shared a basket of chips and queso with pico de gallo. I couldn't take a photo during the meal, so here's a blurry shot of the credits scroll and our empty plates.

Dinner: Tina and I went to dinner with the Fearless Critic Austin editors and review council to celebrate the publication of the 3rd edition of Fearless Critic Austin (a guide where we honestly review Austin's restaurants without pulling any punches). In this photo of the group, you can see Erin McReynolds (the managing editor) holding up the cover art. The book should be available in a few weeks.

We ate at G'Raj Mahal Cafe (91 Red River, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 480-2255‎) which serves excellent Indian food from a trailer. The lighting was very dim but the food (we tried what seemed like nearly every item on the menu) and company was excellent. We're definitely going to go back to eat some more Indian food.

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What I Ate: April 1, 2010 (G'Raj Mahal Cafe)

Lunch: I cooked ten frozen fish sticks in the convection toaster oven after brushing them lightly with olive oil. I also whipped up a tartar sauce with mayonnaise, capers, paprika, and garlic powder.

Dinner: We went to Mighty Fine Burgers for dinner to get ourselves a free Mango "Champagne" Shake to celebrate K&N Management (Mighty Fine's parent company) winning this year's Texas Award for Performance Excellent (TAPE). This award is given each year to a couple companies that have demonstrated excellence in customer service, business practices, leadership, and strategic vision. This is the first time a restaurant group has won the award. Mighty Fine will continue to give out these shakes between 5pm and 8pm through Friday, April 2, 2010.

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What I Ate: March 31, 2010 (Mighty Fine Burgers)

Lunch: We had some venison burger patties that we purchased from HEB, so we cooked them and served them on Pepperidge Farms Deli Flats with mayonnaise and ketchup. The burger had a really bad texture (grainy and mushy) and the flavor was pretty bad. I don't know how to describe the flavor but on top of the bad taste there was also the taste of a lot of iron - like it was part liver.

Dinner: I prepared some pork that I found in the freezer (I think it was pork shoulder) sous vide with rosemary and thyme at 55°C for 18 hours. The texture was good, but not as tender/juicy as when I brine pork before cooking. In addition, the seasoning I prepared wasn't strong enough, so I made a sauce for it and added some roasted poblano chile. I served it with grilled broccolini. Later we had some sweet potato as well.

Lunch: After we got home and picked up Hairy from the dog boarding facility, we had a quick lunch of instant Nong Shim Ramyun with napa cabbage and egg.

Dinner: Tina's parents gave us some freshly made won tons when they picked us up from the airport in the morning. We boiled these for dinner.

Lunch: We ate at Santouka Ramen in the Mitsuwa in Culver City (3760 South Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles, CA‎ - (310) 391-1101‎). I've eaten at the Santouka Ramen in San Jose and thought it was excellent, so I wanted Tina to taste it. The Los Angeles location is just as good and with four people we got to try several different types.

Salt Ramen - pork soup seasoned with salt. This was the least salty of all the soups - best for people who prefer their food on the milder side.

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What I Ate: March 28, 2010 (Santouka Ramen)

There is a distinctly young and hip buzz that came at us when we walked into the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills to dine at The Bazaar by José Andrés (465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048‎ - (310) 246-5567‎). The air is filled with chatter and excitement as twenty and thirty somethings mingle with both the trendy and the trendsetters in the lobby which is filled with art for sale - both beautiful and shocking. Seemingly randomly placed leather chairs and lounge sofas and odd shaped tables scatter this open space with LCD displays portraying paintings of centruries old European nobility slowing metamorphosing into macaques help to complete this fantasy that can only be reality in Beverly Hills or Las Vegas - but it's not Las Vegas since it's not overdone and gaudy. To the right of this receiving lobby that serves as a cocktail bar, coffee shop, patisserie, and art gallery, is The Bazaar - a restaurant not afraid to try to push the envelope while staying rooted in the traditional (sometimes technique and sometimes flavors).

Simple black wood tables and cushion chairs or wood benches dominate the dining room at The Bazaar, but there are a few glass tables with neon lights that add to the postmodern decor. Artwork ranges from Spanish photography to energetic chalk designs covering chalkboards mounted to all manner of vertical surfaces. There are no linen table clothes here, nor are there candles or full sets of tableware (most of the time you simply have a fork) to distract from the focus - tapas placed on your table and unapologetically illuminated by an overhead spot light clearly showcasing each dish for what it is - art. And, like art, there were courses that resonated with me and ones that I just didn't enjoy, but it was an adventure to try everything placed before us. It's hard for us to recall when the last time we had a dinner that was this - fun.

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What I Ate: March 27, 2010 (The Bazaar By Jose Andres at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills)

Lunch: We ate stir-fried rice noodles, asparagus, pork ribs and seaweed (konbu) soup, bean curd with carrots, pickled cucumbers, and vinegared potatoes.

Dinner: Tina and I ate at The Bazaar by Jose Andres in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. The meal was incredibly interesting and proved to be one of the most exciting and fun dinners we've ever had. Did we like all of it? No, but we were definitely challenged and the chef took enough risks when devising interesting and complex dishes that although not all were favorable to us, the ones that did work were simply amazing. I don't think we've had as many dishes that blew us away in one meal (three) than tonight at The Bazaar. The full review will be the next post - but it's late and I am too exhausted to write tonight.