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

Posted 27 February, 2010 at 10:57pm by Michael Chu
(Filed under: Food, What I Ate)

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.
Chef's Plate during Bad to the Bone

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.
Bad to the Bone - Achiote Glazed Salmon with Smoked Bacon Grits, Goat Cheese Crema & Tangerine-Spinach Salad

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.
Bad to the Bone - Annatto Crusted Pork Loin with Goat's Milk Corn Pudding and Achiote Seared Tangerines

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.
Bad to the Bone - Goat milk sorbet, achiote & tangerine fritter, tangerine salad, local orange blossom honey

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.
East Side King

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

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.
East Side King - Poor Qui's Buns

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.
East Side King - Fried Brussels Sprout Salad

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.
East Side King - Beet Home Fries

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

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

Optimista, February 28th, 2010 at 8:15 am:

  • Ohhhhhh. Now I am sooo sorry we went home so I could work! That ESK food looks fantastic.

Michael Chu, February 28th, 2010 at 10:18 pm:

  • Too bad you have to go home to work - we had more fun hanging out at The Liberty and chatting than at Bad to the Bone!

Cat Caroom, March 1st, 2010 at 9:31 am:

  • Glad you could make it to Bad to the Bone!

Michael Chu, March 1st, 2010 at 11:39 am:

  • Thanks for inviting us, Cat! From where we were sitting, the event was definitely a success - everyone at our table was critiquing ever aspect of each dish and talking about both the chefs who prepared the dishes as well as the judges panel.

Willet Feng, March 5th, 2010 at 10:50 pm:

  • Michael, I thought I saw you out of the corner of my eyes! I was also thinking "crap, he really did take the ugliest plate" (I was helping Parkside Chef Shawn plate the dessert). He wanted us to stack it: donut hole on the bottom, goat's milk sorbet on top, then the tangerine on top. Unfortunately, 70% of the plates did not stay up (round on round … not the most stable design). Wish I could've tried the other plates … they sound interesting!

Michael Chu, March 6th, 2010 at 1:18 pm:

  • Donut hole, sorbet, and tangerine on top of each other seems impossible for an even like this! You guys had to plate so fast and then people had to walk 50-100 yards back to their table on sloping dirt floor - they were going to fall over and look like that no matter what.

    We'll see you soon - looking forward to hearing your opinions on the restaurants around town. We're going to try to hit Odd Duck tonight.

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