Fork it over, Boston!: Foreign + Domestic (Fork it over, Austin!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Foreign + Domestic (Fork it over, Austin! - Part 2)

Not nearly enough hours after our delicious first lunch in Austin, it was already time for dinner, and this promised to be a big one: Foreign + Domestic, a small restaurant just under two years old that has already picked up a number of accolades. We were supposed to meet up with a few Austin food bloggers and photographers who helped add contributions to Tasted Menu prior to our public Austin launch, but unfortunately only one of our expected guests was able to make it. Well, more food for us!

First, we split nearly the entire appetizer section of the menu ("bites"):

Beef Tongue Pastrami

Squid with Chorizo and Ricotta

Soft Egg and Clams

Blue Bonnet Baby Greens

Potted Iberico Lardo

Cornbread with Onion Bacon Butter

Beef Heart Tartare

All of the dishes were fairly ambitious, incorporating a large number of ingredients, many of them on the daring side. The beef heart tartare was a big hit, although none of us was able to get through more than a few bites due to the richness and rawness. The lardo was the least liked of the bunch, although the nutella-and-radish toast on the side was an interesting touch. I was surprised to find that I liked the soft egg and clams the best, despite not being especially interested in eggs or clams. It was full of delicious Chinese sausage and other pig preparations.

Then we moved onto the entrees ("chomps"):

Papardelle Pasta with Lardo, Soft Egg, and Truffle Butter

Gnocchi and Chicken Thigh Ragout with Onions, Purple Carrots, and Red Wine

Roasted Wild Sturgeon with Apple Puree, Dill, Almond, and Verjus

Mine, the pasta, was heavenly with the earthy flavor of the truffle butter. My one complaint? I found a few significant chunks of egg shell attached to the soft egg.

Not that we had space left for anything else, but we went on to order the entire dessert menu ("sweets"):