Dishola's Dish-for-Dish Campaign

As one of Dishola's Ambassadors, we've been working like crazy for this campaign ... why? For every meal that is reviewed on the website unti 11/30, Dishola.com and Whole Foods will donate a meal to Meals on Wheels. It's such a great cause and it really takes no effort on your part.

You basically just have to blabber out your thoughts on what you've eaten (who doesn't want to do that?) and post a photo and voila! We're basically helping you be a more active foodie... the latest and greatest trend, don't you know?


We've been in talks with so many beloved local Austin restaurants to participate in daily Twitter deals that will make your taste buds jump for joy! Cornucopia, One Taco, Lucky J's, and Maki have already participated in the past few days.

But this is just the beginning ... I'll give you an idea of some restaurant Twitter deals coming up: Lulu B's, Fricano's Deli, Uchi, Sugar Mama's, Polka Dots, Portabla... and that's not even everyone!

So definitely keep your eyes peeled.

Follow Dishola on Twitter here @dishola and happy dish-for-dish deals will be floating your way.

Eating makes you a better person, especially in this occasion. :) Dine, Dish, and Donate!

x,

Franny

Fricano's Deli: Everything You've Been Looking For

This is the place you've been waiting to find. Fricano's Deli is that secret cult of elite sandwich eating people that you've been hoping to stumble upon. Fortunately for me, I live within 30 seconds walking distance of it.


This place is so tiny and it's always packed at lunch time. I felt like I was standing in someone's kitchen... it was awesome. They're super friendly, accommodating, and affordable.



All of their ingredients are fresh and they have a pretty extensive sandwich menu along with homemade spreads. They even have a sandwich where they literally put every meat and topping they have on it. I think that's going to be what I get next time. And then on top of that, they also have side salads, soups, and desserts... which I think some are vegan.


And my sandwich: The Turkey Special with Jalapeno Spread and Italian Rustic Bread. I love sandwiches with sprouts and the cucumber gives it an extra crunch. Then to top it off, you've got avocado mixed with the spicy jalapeno spread... and the soft rustic Italian bread. Awesome.

If you want to be in the elite sandwich eating club, this is where to go. Just sayin'.

x,

Franny

El Chilito: Sunshine and Frozen Sangria

Oh food stands shmood shtands (jk I ruv food stands). You know who really made walking up to a window and eating outside in Austin a trend? El Chilito, my friends. The spin-off of El Chile that lures us with its yummy treats across 35 to the land of Manor. I find myself there when I am at a loss for where to eat and it always makes me happy. I refuse to ever let go of this addiction. There would be serious withdrawal.

El Chilito with it's awesomely retro sign. Wow, it's such a trendsetter. No, but really, I do like their sign.

And the window where you order from that is fly-free, yay. Not to mention their menu consists of many tasty delights which I have yet to explore. I would really like to try some of their paletas with interesting flavors ... like ... horchata, lucas (?), and pickle (?!).


Hey, but when it comes to frozen treats on a nice sunny day in Austin, TX ... it's hard to pick a paleta over El Chilito's famous frozen sangria. Yeah, this thing will last you your whole burrito and you will feel great afterward. You can also get it to go, which I feel is illegal, but ... anyway, you can get it to go.


On to the food ... I'm not the biggest fan of their salsa. It's too mole-y for me. If I want mole, I'll eat mole. But when I want salsa, I want spicy-ass salsa for my chips. But their guacamole is great. So get that instead! Unless you really like mole and want it on your chips.


Finalmente, the Tinga de Pollo. This is my favorite burrito there. I've tried some others and this one still reigns as my fav. It's described as a "braised chicken in a chipotle tomato sauce." Definitely tasted the tomato and the chipotle together which was really great. The chicken is always nicely shredded and tender so you don't have awkward chunks falling all over the place.


Lastly, as an added bonus ... if it does get cold in Austin, El Chilito offers blankets. This was taken in January '09 ... and see, I'm still drinking my frozen sangria like it's not 40 degrees. No worries.

Highly recommended if you are new to the Austin area and in search of easy-to-like-pretty-authentic Mexican. Well, no. I take that back. Highly recommended to anyone. When was the last time you went there? You should go back.

El Chilito
2219 Manor Dr. (there is also another location on Barton Springs)
Austin, TX 78722
512 382 3797
www.elchilito.com

x,

Franny

Eastside Cafe: Literally Homegrown

This "east/eastside" terminology that has been getting a lot of buzz lately focuses moreso on the newer establishments of those East of I-35 and not so much on a lot of those that were already there. In my opinion, that side of Austin is probably my favorite... old or new. To be honest, Shangri-La is probably where I go to drink with friends every weekend, El Chilito is my go-to for frozen sangria, and of course ... Tacos Selene, come on now!

But all this eastside buzz ... Eastside Showroom, Justine's, Shuck Shack, Cheer-up Charlie's ... what about good ol' Eastside Cafe that's been sittin' on Manor for a good while longer?

In my experience, I had heard of this place mostly in the organic context, but I never spotted it everytime I drove past it. It's because it looks like someone's house, seriously. It's this cute little renovated house with a side "guest room" per se ... that houses their side project Pitchforks and Tablespoons, which is basically the coolest place to fun household trinkets for friends.

And then they have gardens everywhere full of herbs, vegetables, etc which they use in a lot of the dishes on their menu.


Onto the food! Did it taste as good as we expect "organic, homegrown" food to taste?

Well, first things first. Everyone loves jalapeno cornbread, organic or not, especially when they are in the shape of miniature muffins.


This chicken, artichoke, and mushroom soup was delicious. Especially in this rainy weather, it definitely hit the spot. I love anything involving mushroom and cream, but adding chicken and artichoke was awesome. I feel like if you made this into a sauce and put it on a pasta, I would probably die. Taking a picture of a white soup in a white bowl in low-lighting is not easy, by the way.

A side of acorn squash with sesame ginger sauce. Interesting pairing. Especially at a restaurant that seems to focus more on American and Italian influenced dishes. Squash is a very American vegetable ... it makes me think of Thanksgiving. But squash is actually a pretty bland vegetable, I feel like. It's like sweet potatoes. The slightest hint of flavor ... but once paired with the sesame sauce, I thought it was pretty tasty. Very interesting. And fun presentation.


Finally, the artichoke manicotti. A lot of artichokes today. I don't know why, it's not like I really like artichokes or anything. In my opinion, I thought this dish was too cheesy. I would have liked more sauce, but I thought it was still good. I think mushroom and artichoke would have been good. But then, that's pretty much my soup as a pasta.

But anyway, you should check it out if you are into eating locally and organic. They have daily specials and I'm sure their menu is affected by what's in season and what they can grow in their garden, which can be interesting and fun.

And that cat at the top was in their store. He is awesome.

Eastside Cafe
2113 Manor Rd.
Austin, TX 78722
512-476-5858

x,

Franny