Austin Chronicle: Virginia B. Wood's Best Bites of 2008
Top Savory Bites
1) Remember When Dairy buttermilk: Tangy and luxurious, this marvelous liquid was my favorite discovery of the year. It made everything taste better – biscuits, cornbread, chocolate cakes, pralines, buttermilk pie. Oh, my!
2) Tomatoes from Boggy Creek Farm: I feasted on Cherokee Purples and Green Zebras as long as they lasted during the summer.
3) Black-eyed peas from Oak Hill Farm: Cora Lamar's black-eyed peas were a crucial component of my favorite summer meal, poured over cornbread and paired with sliced tomatoes and watermelon salad.
4) Brunch at Olivia: Voluptuous Gouda grits topped with Gulf shrimp, house-cured bacon, picnic-style fried chicken, hot biscuits with lemon curd and marmalade – bring it on!
5) Lamb's tongue fricassee with cherry-apricot mustard at Olivia: Perhaps our server described this dish as "South Austin foie gras" to make it more approachable to a wider audience, but one bite of this transcendent dish revealed that chef James Holmes has a very special touch with offal.
6) Smoked pork chop with herb butter from Perry's Steakhouse & Grille: The Houston chain announced its arrival to the Austin media with packages of these gargantuan chops. It was undoubtedly some of the best pork I've ever tasted – and it took me three meals to finish one chop.
7) Salsa negra at 10th Street Tacos: I really liked this fiery salsa over the "drowned tacos" on my first couple of visits, but when I went back, the restaurant had closed. Not to worry: Some former employees have reopened as the Screaming Goat, and they still make this salsa.
8) All-day breakfast salad at Cissi's Market: Chef Deegan McClung's fresh twist on a French classic is a light and tasty salad of hearts of romaine dressed in a mustard vinaigrette with house-cured lardoons and perfect sunny-side-up quail eggs. Delicious – and adorable.
9) Paqui buttermilk tortillas at Whole Foods Market: The proprietors of this new local company say that "paqui" is the Aztec word for happiness. These divine flour tortillas made me very happy.
10) Lamb ribs from Twin County Dorpers: I rubbed these beauties with the new Cocoa Puro Kakáwa spice rub and then cooked them low and slow. I hope more local chefs feature this quality meat from a ranch near Harper so Twin County will deliver to Austin more often.
