crispy, salty strips
an innocent swine product
flu casualty

The profusion of cupcake joints has gotten the better of me. The name of the bakery on South 1st is not coming to mind, probably because I’m still running off of a wicked sugar high. After cabbage and turnips at Somnio’s, I completed the taupe trifecta with some salted caramel cream cheese frosting on a (who cares what kind of) cupcake. It was the best frosting I have ever had, ever. Seriously. Don’t believe me? Don’t think I know my sweet dairies? This weekend, during one episode of Arrested Development, I ate an entire container of condensed milk straight from the can. And that one swirl of fosting was better.

Frosting so good, it has to have a website:
www.sugarmamasbakeshop.com

There is little more charming than arriving at a restaurant and hearing your recent spate of dog-walking described as a ‘run’. After this strong start, the server with the kicky hair described the cabbage-and-tomatoe side special in a way that made it seem, well, special. We began with a very smooth hummus, which was B’s favorite, and the Bud’s salad. The salad had roasted golden beets which were absolutely delicious – sweet and buttery – with a vinegar dressing, red onions, garbanzos and nuts. The lettuce in the salad was exactly what green spring lettuce should be: crispy without being crunchy, and flavorful but not at all bitter. The trend of veggies-as-simply-delicious-food continued with a turnip and carrot saute, where the turnips were sweet and buttery. Lest you think that Somnio’s has taken the Threadgill’s approach to vegetables, let me clarify that by sweet and buttery I mean ‘tasted sweet and had a delicious creamy consistency’, rather than ‘were drowned in milkfat and corn syrup and crowned with marshamellows’. The tomato and fennel soup, the cabbage, the hummus starter, the vermicelli bowl and all the rest of it was simply real, delicious, fresh food that stood on its own. Between the pre-dinner ‘run’, the peaceful dining room, the friendly service, and the cared-for, veggie-heavy food, we were feeling damn good when we left.

Eat there!
www.somnioscafe.com

Yes, the six pearlescent sqaures of meltaway fish were delicious. No, they were not worth $37 per serving. We asked for the tasting menu and must have looked just the right combination of hungry, greedy and a tiny bit drunk: 9 courses later, the $400 bill came. Granted, this included the tip, a delicious half-bottle of sake, and some of the best fish I’ve had, but for 2 bills each I want some goddamned fois gras and a hand job.
Check out the menu before you commit:

www.uchiaustin.com