Tuesdays with TT: Austin: Eastside Cafe

Over the past couple of months I have become quite the food blogger. I or (CT) bring a camera to every restaurant we go to. Since Yvo has been busy with school, I am stepping up and will now have a weekly column, Tuesdays with TT. Bon Appetit!

UPDATE: My picture taking abilities are improving so this should be one of the last posts of blurry pictures. Thanks for all the tips!

On our last night in Austin, we met up with Shawn & Andrea and their new baby, Djuna. They suggested Eastside Cafe. It is a hip little restaurant in an old house that has a small garden and farm in the back. They are all about local ingredients, either their own or from a nearby farm. Therefore there is a constantly changing menu. Think of it as super casual version of ABC Kitchen that I wrote up a couple weeks ago.

The first thing you notice after sitting down is that each menu has a different picture taken in the farm or the staff. It is a nice touch and shows how truly “farm to table” your meal is.

The table was given a basket of jalapeno corn bread with butter. It was very tasty, not dry and not too spicy(for those that don’t like heat.)

We started with the Baked Brie with Apple Chutney. Baked Brie cheese topped with toasted almonds and pecans. Served with Eastside Café Apple Chutney and toasted homemade yeast rolls. This was a great choice. The saltiness of the cheese really complemented the sweetness of the chutney.

Each entree also comes with a nice salad. You could really taste the freshness of the veggies.

On the wall was a blackboard listing the vegetables of the day that you select as your side to your main. Of course, I didn’t take a picture of it. Oops.

M had the Pesto Ravioli. Homemade ravioli filled with fresh basil, almonds, pecans, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese. Topped with tomato basil sauce and parmesan cheese. She got the side of the broccoli. She was happy with her choice.

Mom got the Panko and Pecan Encrusted Chicken Breast. Chicken breast breaded with pecans and Japanese Panko bread crumbs served with jalapeño cream gravy. She chose the mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli for her sides. It was tasty. The nuts and breadcrumbs gave a good crunch to the chicken. I am pretty sure Andrea got the same thing as Mom.

Dad got the Salmon. I think it was a different preparation what is listed on the restaurant’s website. He also got the acorn squash that was filled with a maple syrup sauce. He loves his salmon and usually gets it wherever he goes. The squash was a great complement to the dish.

Sean got the turkey meatloaf with a side of mashed sweet potatoes and a side salad. It is one of the restaurant’s signatures items. Check out those grillmarks!

Since it was my last night in Texas, I decided to get the steak. Grilled beef tenderloin served with béarnaise sauce. The sauce was a variation that has no eluded me. I got the side of collard greens with house made bacon. The steak was a let down since it was so small and a little overcooked. The greens were very good and had a nice kick to them.

The dessert menu wasn’t anything special so we decided to go to Amy’s Ice Cream afterwards. Amy’s is pretty famous in Austin and they have a lot of unique flavors. Check out this menu. I got the Guinness. It was good, not especially picture worthy.  It was very similar to the Guinness gelato from Otto.

All in all it was great to see Sean and Andrea again and to meet little Djuna. Eastside Cafe is a quaint little place with good food and a great representation of the locavore movement that has spread like wildfire over the past couple of years.