What I Ate: May 19, 2009 (Fion Wine Pub)

Lunch: Quesadillas made with corn tortillas, shredded cheese, and deli sliced turkey.

Dinner: Fion Wine Bar (2900 N Quinlan Park Rd, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 266-3466‎) in Steiner Ranch with my friends Greg and Yachi, Greg's super-cool parents, and Greg's sister and brother-in-law (who graciously paid for our dinner). One of the best dinners we've had in Austin thus far. Great company, lots of laughter, and surprisingly well-prepared food.

The lighting was a bit monochromatic (very yellow) and there was a flat screen television above our seating area that cast odd colors of light across the food, so the photos are a bit subpar.

We started with Pan-Roasted Jalapenos stuffed with Jumbo Shrimp, Goat Cheese & Chorizo, wrapped in Bacon and Fresh Herbs which was excellent. The shrimp was tender and flavorful, the bacon both crispy on the edges and thick enough to be chewy. The best part was that the presence of the thick jalapeno chile made this appetizer feel less heavy than the standard bacon wrapped shrimp - it also added a nice chile fruitiness without too much spice.

I ordered the Atlantic Salmon stuffed with Grilled Leeks & drizzled with Spinach & Herb Oils which was perfectly cooked - just before it begins to flake. It retained the fresh taste of uncooked salmon but had crispy seared edges. Very good.

Tina had the 16 oz. Cast-Iron Skillet seared Beef Tenderloin with sauteed Spinach and oven-roasted Yukon Gold Potato Hash. I asked for the tenderloin to be prepared to 125°F and it came out tender, easy to cut, and falling apart in the mouth. The tenderloin had a wonderful beefy flavor that permeated the entire steak and was so much better than the $40 steak we had at Eddie V's last week (and this one was $28.95).

The other food we sampled off various plates included Lamb Sliders (so soft and tender and a real bargain at $9), Pork Chops (juicy and flavorful), and the Chicken and Jalapeno Soup (rich and salty with chunks of bread that are like sponges filled with unctuous broth).