Snacks on South Congress

When it’s frigidly cold…so cold that it SNOWS (in Texas, y’all…seriously)…I think we naturally, nostalgically, hark back to days of sunshine and warmth and eagerly anticipate the spring weather to come.

Luckily for me, I live in Austin, and despite the freak snow storm and blustery* days of the past week, we are looking forward to the more normal winter-time 50-60 degree temperatures very soon.

*Does that make you think of Winnie-the-Pooh? Yeah. Me too.
On one such lovely winter day, I found myself on South Congress at Snack Bar…
…a restaurant I had been to once before and had marveled over the creative and super veg-friendly menu. [There is seitan and vegan Daiya all over that thing. Along with lots of bacon. You know, for the fake vegetarians like me. ]

Celebrate? Why yes, yes I think I will.

We may not have been there for “happy time” [sorry that just makes me smile], but I was ready and willing to celebrate having lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in months, the fact that I had a day off from school in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and that it was winter and not only did I not have to wear a jacket, we could also comfortably dine al fresco.

[Not us at that table. Imagine two redheads wearing scarves and cowboy boots and that would be me and Katelyn. ]And it was so warm (in winter!) that we didn’t even need to request the wood-stove be lit.

(Although I would have loved it if it had been.)

We met inside, and I must say I love the whole ambience* of the place in general. It’s quirky and fun and sort of 1950s mod (not that I really know what that is, but the descriptor seems to fit regardless).

*Raise your hand if you also clearly remembering first learning this word as part of an “improve your vocabulary before the PSATs” unit in 10th grade!And I will never get over the fact that they serve water in Erlenmeyer flasks.* It makes me chuckle every time.

*Anyone else have yet another flashback to 10th grade here? Hello chemistry lab!After a brief wait in what I guess in the “lounge” part of Snack Bar Diner & Lounge……Katelyn and I were escorted to our table outside on the patio, where she pointed out that I should probably go ahead and plan for my future home to have walls exactly like these:

She is SO right.
You can find this in the Smart Kitchen Collection at Home Depot in Spring 2011!

Now, I had a Groupon or a Lunch Deal voucher or a Living Social coupon of some sort, valued at $30. And the thing about Snack Bar is, it is a great value for your money. There all-day menu is called “daily brunch” which features creative interpretations of “typical” or standard fare you might find elsewhere (their Farm Omelet features creme brie, caramelized onions, and apple chutney…and their version of “hash brown” is a Tamago Yoko cabbage & leek cake). There are also various salads, sandwiches, and, of course “snacks.”

With $30 at my disposal, I went a little crazy. First up? Balsamic Beets, chilled with almond, feta, and balsamic reduction. [Honestly, perhaps my favorite thing I ate. Simply prepared and just left to be...well...beets.]
This was Katelyn’s Okomiyaki: a cabbage & leek hash cake that you can have topped with eggs and bacon (to make it the Tamago Yoko mentioned above), but Katelyn ordered as a not-so-little nibble topped with sriracha and wasabi aoli. We were both obsessed with the dipping sauce…and I have no idea what it was. They call it nuoc cham, and it is soy sauce-like…and yet…different…
Both Katelyn and I ordered small hummus plates, featuring the hummus of the day, which we determined was a Wasabi Edama-mmus. The veggies were pretty standard, but I did really like the crispy, super buttery, cracker-like flatbread pieces that came with it.
I couldn’t resist trying the soup of the day, a roasted red pepper creation that was absolutely DIVINE. I ended up taking half of it home and mixing it with some spaghetti squash…and YUM. I ordered two different salad bowls (the “small” size). First up, the Vermicilli Bowl, which, to be honest, wasn’t anything special until you dumped that delicious nuoc chaim sauce on it and I realized the potential of vermicilli…and what joy I find in simply using chopsticks rather than a fork.
The Andean Quinoa salad was SO incredibly beautiful.
Obviously, it needed two photographs.
Featuring red quinoa, field greens, tomatoes, avocado, cojita cheese, pepitas, and pineapple (not grilled like it said on the menu), it was pretty and interesting, but both Katelyn and I felt there was something lacking…perhaps a bit more umph in the seasoning of the quinoa? I was ready for a bigger hit of flavor, but then again, I think what Snack Bar aims to do (and generally does it very well) is put together simple, yet creative, dishes that allow the ingredients to speak for themselves.

Of course I saw tzatziki on the menu and, of course, had to try some out. Not as rich or ‘herbalicious’ as I like, but made a nice little dressing for my salad, nonetheless.
If I had had more money (and more room in my belly), I would have also loved to sample the Hallouumi Bruschetta: baguette slice with a moroccan carrot spread, topped with grilled squash, zucchini, onion, and portabella mushrooms, along with halloumi and greens.

Sadly, I was already taking home more than I think I’d eaten, so that wasn’t going to happen.
Good thing my favorite part of the day is…well…SNACK time. [And that I love leftovers. ]