Foreign & Domestic. Location: North Austin. 53rd St. and Ave. H. Scene: Bare. Clean. Open Kitchen. Food: Beef Heart Cru. Glazed Shortribs. Crispy Pork Jowls. Market Fish. Wagyu Burger. Fried Chicken Biscuit.
Chek Recs:
- Fall Salad with Crispy Chicken Skin (1st pic)
- Crispy Beef Tongue (3rd pic)
- Stew of Scallops, Mussels, & Clams with Lardons, Saffron, Poached Celery 24 (4th pic)
- Peppermint Brownie with Hazelnut Sherbet and Chocolate Cream (5th pic)
Foreign & Domestic is has been successfully recognized by the press since it’s opened a couple years ago. Chef/Owners and husband and wife Ned and Jodi Elliott have New York roots having attended the Culinary Institute at Hyde Park and worked for famed establishments: Tabla, Per Se, and Gramercy Tavern. The restaurant’s gigantic mural outside greets you as you drive up and the inside is pretty industrial, bare and sharp creating a look that says, “hey y’all we’re just here serving up good grub, nothing too fancy.” I love how the kitchen becomes an intergral part of the dining experience as you can sit at the counter which overlooks the stoves and chefs cooking directly in front of you. The other booths and chairs are made out of a light wood color. The young staff is helpful when trying to narrow down they menu and they are all cute and friendly.
You’ll see giant, draw-dropping bread concoctions on most guests tables that makes you wonder “what the hell is that and please make sure it’s on my table immediately.” These Gruyere Popovers overwhelm the table and will only take up room in your stomach preventing you from enjoying the other creative dishes on the menu that is more worth your time. Definitely, start off with the Fall Salad with Crispy Chicken Skin. The kale and collard greens mix perfectly together and the lemon rinds, onions and yogurt swept on the side of the bowl create a wet, flavorful and dressed up salad. The biggest shocker and success of the night was actually the Crispy Beef Tongue. WHAT?? Yes… This baby is so tender you’ll think it’s brisket and that they are trying to trick you. It’s crispy on the outside and the meat pulls and cuts easily inside. The crunchy and soft combo is just unbelievable. Be and adventurous eater (it’s 2013 duh) and be proud that you tried tongue. You’ll scrape the bottom clean and will dream about it. The Squid Ink & Wild Boar Cannelloni sounded like a good idea especially with the mint and sweet dried cherries. However, it was a confusing dish with almost too much going on. Some bites excited us and others left us empty. Loved the seafood stew. When a restaurant gets scallops done right like this, it’s relieving and rewarding.
For dessert, we got the Peppermint Brownie dessert. This masterpiece consisted of a homemade brownie with a York Peppermint Pattie baked in the middle topped with peanuts, fudge and hazelnut sherbert. The light ice cream mixed with the rest of the rich chocolate ingredients allows one who can’t handle rich chocolate to keep diving in. The brownie could possibly be the best brownie I’ve ever had. This beast is outrageous and downright crazy. I may or may not have taken two to go with me, and they are even better plain and without the other toppings. Basically it’s a mix between flourless chocolate cake and fudge. It’s so creamy, thick and cake like all in one making it unstoppable. You’d give up a date with Bradley Cooper just to eat these all night….well pretty close. Great meal.
*** So you know Foreign & Domestic has a bake sale on the weekends.
