I Went... I Saw... But, I Didn't Conquer

Yes, it's true. My hot sauce didn't win this year, but I'm always hopeful for next year. However, the hot sauce festival itself, was better than ever! The crowd was bigger than expected, proving that salsa rules in Austin, Texas.


They had some great bands that played throughout the day, as people stood in line to taste the many salsas. There were also commercial vendors and local restaurants offering tastings of their various salsas.


As I stood in line waiting to enter my two salsas, I met several 20-something girls who had canned their own hot sauce and were there to enter them. It warmed my heart to know that the younger generation is getting into this, as it looked like it was becoming a dying art at one point. With the economic recession, I think more people are gardening and canning than ever.


It was unbearably hot, to go along with the hot sauce theme of the festival, so I was fairly miserable in the heat. Thus, I was only able to remember to take a couple of shots. My mind turns to sheer mush in the heat, rendering me completely useless. At any rate, I will return next year and try again...



Later that night, I took my son and his roommate to dinner at Sullivan's, one of our family favorites. We're never disappointed with our meals at Sullivan's and this night was no exception.

We had the Calamari and the Escargot for starters, then I had The Wedge salad and their salmon, which was cooked to perfection.


My son had a steak, as always, and his roomie had the Sea Bass. For dessert we shared two, with one being their New York cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce and the other was Key Lime Pie with Raspberry Sauce & Mint.

I just love Austin and all that it has to offer. If there was any way I could get my hubby to move there, I would. In a red hot second...

I'm Headed To The Austin, Texas Hot Sauce Festival Competition & Food Bank Fundraiser With My Entries!

In years past I've entered my *red* hot sauce and my *salsa verde* (green sauce) in this hot sauce competition, with not even so much as a nod from the judges. Believe it or not, I was surprised. I was also disappointed and heartbroken (I was younger then, okay?), so I decided to not enter for several years. In the meantime, the festival and judging have undergone some much needed changes. Once I learned of the changes, I submitted my entry fee and form, and I leave Saturday morning for the Sunday competition down the road in Austin, Texas.


Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not just in it for the possible contract with some big company to make my sauces commercially. Of course, that would be perfectly lovely, wouldn't it? But there is more to this festival than the competition. Proceeds raised from the entry fees go to The Austin Food Bank, as do all the cans of food requested as entrance into Waterloo Park, where it will be held. It is what literally allows the Austin Food Bank to survive yet another year. And, I'm not talking about feeding those in Austin who sell flowers on street corners. Those people have it made. I'm talking about all the families and individuals that have fallen upon hard times due to whatever misfortune has befallen them. They also invited restaurants and those who commercially produce their sauces, made in Austin, to offer mass tastings of their products. Trust me when I tell you that it is Hot Sauce Heaven.


In addition to the commercial producers, there is also a tent where the public is invited to try all the entries into the competition. But, this makes the competition a three tiered affair.


There are categories for home salsa makers (red, green & specialty), a restaurant category, and a commercial hot sauce makers category. This affords the judges a wide range of expertise and tastes. In the midst of all this going on, there are hawt Austin bands playing their music on the stage throughout the day. There are beer and wine vendors, as well as plenty of water and soft drinks vendors. It's a day of great fun and camaraderie among hot sauce fans, so if you live in the Austin area and have nothing better to do, get yourself over to Waterloo Park (located @ 12th & Red River) on Sunday.


The festival opens their gates to hot sauce competition entrants between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM, when they must drop off their forms and their sauces. The festival is open to the public from 11:00 AM until 5:30 PM.


I've been making hot sauce for Christmas gifts all week, so it just happens to be the perfect time. I visited the organic Farmer's Market and loaded up on tomatoes, habanero peppers, jalapenos, onions, cilantro, and bell peppers. Since there wasn't enough of every ingredient, I also went to Sam's Club to finish getting the ingredients I would need. Throughout the week I've tried different (new) ingredients to enhance my almost perfect sauce, and yes, my friends and relatives will be the *guinea pigs* for all of my experiments this week. They've never yet complained, so I guess it's all good. Although I'd be a complete & utter moron to tell you my recipe at this point, I can show you a few pictures of the process. I'll let you know the outcome when I return.


Meanwhile, please keep your fingers & toes crossed or perhaps send a little prayer my way, if you can. And if you live in the Austin area, then be sure to get yourself down to Waterloo Park for the festivities! Hope to see you there...

Eddie V's Edgewater Grille on 5th Street in Austin, Texas... Wow!

Oh. My. God. We had the most amazing dinner at Eddie V's while in Austin last week. The service was impeccable and none of us could find fault with a single item we ordered. Of course, we had to take out a loan (just kidding) to pay for it, but it was worth every last little cent.


First of all, let me just say they have an outstanding air conditioning system and aren't afraid to use it. Being menopausal, I appreciate any establishment that caters to my physical needs. I never had so much as a slight hot flash, so I was literally in Heaven. I think I even got goose bumps. Seriously.


Our daughter flew in from L. A. for her birthday and our son took time out from college life at St. Edwards University to join us. Since they both have April birthdays, this was their big celebration dinner. Our waiter Jeff was one of the best waiters we've ever had the good fortune to find. To his credit, he didn't once interrupt us in mid-conversation, which is as it should be. He politely waited for us to finish, and look at him. It truly irritates me when wait staff interrupts me in mid-sentence, because I can never remember what I was saying afterwards. Yes, I'm that old.

We began the evening with cocktails, all having extra dry dirty vodka martinis that were just perfect. To us, a good bartender always knows how to make a great dry martini, so we weren't disappointed in the least.

For appetizers we always have to order Calamari because that's the only "starter" our son likes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was different than the usual fried Calamari with Marinara sauce, which has gotten boring. Instead, they served their Kung Pao-style Calamari on a bed of crispy rice noodles, drizzled with a dynamite sweet & hot sauce, and topped with tiny sprouts.


Then, they offered us chopsticks to eat it with, which the daughter and I love.

We also ordered the Tartare of Ahi Tuna, served with delicious homemade onion flatbread, which was also very different than we've had other places. It's seasoned with sesame and curry oils and has avocado added, with the waiter expertly preparing it for you table-side. The tuna was almost "Heavenly" and we devoured every last bite.

Not once did our waiter try to rush us, which scored another feather in his cap. I like for dinner to be more of an event, than just a rushed meal.



Next, we each had a delightful Caesar salad. Their Caesar dressing is sheer deliciousness.

For an entrée, my husband ordered the Sautéed Lemon Sole In Parmesan Crust, which was just delicious.

Our daughter ordered the Chilean Sea Bass, Roasted Crisp and ate it all before I had the chance to taste it. Apparently, it was very good.

Our son ordered their 16-ounce USDA Prime New York Strip Steak and commented that it was cooked better than any he'd ever had. He doesn't eat meat unless he is with us, since he can't afford it on his college allowance.

I ordered the Grilled Atlantic Salmon and it was absolutely perfectly cooked, unlike many places we've been that torture me with over-cooking it.

For the side dishes, we chose their made-from-scratch Truffled Macaroni & Cheese "Gratinata" and the Potato Gruyere Fritters. Both dishes were superb and we ate until we could eat no more. Let me just interject here that I was terribly tempted to take the potato fritters with me. They were simply to die for.

After resting and sipping our lovely wine, we finally agreed that we should order dessert and

split two choices, since we were all full. We finally decided on their magnificent Hot Dark Chocolate Godiva Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (prepared tableside) and the Crème Brulee with Homemade Cookies. Both desserts were divine, as we fought over the last bites.

Would I recommend Eddie V's Edgewater Grille? Absolutely. Without doubt. This lovely dining establishment is worthy of every one of the five stars it has been given by Austinites.



The presentation of each and every dish was magnificent as was the food itself. Eddie V's Edgewater Grille receives 5 stars on every point from me. I can't wait to return.