Three cheers for printed and bound cookbooks! Thanks for spotlighting their enduring value and these gems. Colman's "Catalan Cuisine" is incredibly rich with culinary information but also his honest humor. I was just using it for research the other day. So great to know that he's leading tours again. Thanks, Ruth.
What a flare of memory to see those Frontera menus - that's from the era when I ordered the duck tacos listed, realized in the cab home that I had left the takeout bag behind, and cried the rest of the way.
My first encounter with Tex-Mex fusion had to do with a 6" hunk of wood-grilled Polish sausage with griddle-grilled jalapenos, and onions--all wrapped in a big, warm flour tortilla!. This was typical fare 44 years ago...and it still is! When I arrived in Austin I identified as a vegetarian. The day after tasting that Sonny Falcon sausage wrap, I began my lifelong quest for "the best BBQ in Texas". [Sonny is also reliably credited with inventing, in the early 70's, that restaurant rage, fajitas.]
50 years ago the three food groups in Austin were Fried, Tex-Mex and BBQ. Diverse in-migration is the best path to world-class cuisine.
I'm officially old enough to remember eating at Frontera Grill and ordering from this exact menu! Thanks for the blast from the past - and yes, it was wonderful!
Love this, Ruth! Thank you for all the great recommendations. Thank you, too, for linking to the white chocolate chip cookie recipe from Jorge Gaviria's "Masa" at Cooks Without Borders — within that is a full review of the book.
Three cheers for printed and bound cookbooks! Thanks for spotlighting their enduring value and these gems. Colman's "Catalan Cuisine" is incredibly rich with culinary information but also his honest humor. I was just using it for research the other day. So great to know that he's leading tours again. Thanks, Ruth.
What a flare of memory to see those Frontera menus - that's from the era when I ordered the duck tacos listed, realized in the cab home that I had left the takeout bag behind, and cried the rest of the way.
RE: Masa: I've been noticing that Austin has acquired a tasty group of masa-forward eateries.
Authentic, regular, available and cheap, masa rules at several Austin B & M spots, in addition to the ubiquitous specialty taco trucks. Lotsa fusion, mostly Asian, and local favorites, like migas and bar-b-q. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/el-paso-tortilla-maker-el-puerto-del-sol/
My first encounter with Tex-Mex fusion had to do with a 6" hunk of wood-grilled Polish sausage with griddle-grilled jalapenos, and onions--all wrapped in a big, warm flour tortilla!. This was typical fare 44 years ago...and it still is! When I arrived in Austin I identified as a vegetarian. The day after tasting that Sonny Falcon sausage wrap, I began my lifelong quest for "the best BBQ in Texas". [Sonny is also reliably credited with inventing, in the early 70's, that restaurant rage, fajitas.]
50 years ago the three food groups in Austin were Fried, Tex-Mex and BBQ. Diverse in-migration is the best path to world-class cuisine.
Sonny Falcon:
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I'm officially old enough to remember eating at Frontera Grill and ordering from this exact menu! Thanks for the blast from the past - and yes, it was wonderful!
Love this, Ruth! Thank you for all the great recommendations. Thank you, too, for linking to the white chocolate chip cookie recipe from Jorge Gaviria's "Masa" at Cooks Without Borders — within that is a full review of the book.
“Catalan Cuisine" helped me better understand and fully appreciate the richness of the Catalan table - still my go to 10 years later
Please send me your mailing address. I want to send you some menus.
Looks like a wonderful & varied list. Can't wait to explore the cookbooks & recipes! Thank you!
Your antennae for finding fabulous cookbooks are exquisitely tuned! I'm gonna chase some of them down, pronto.