Restaurant Review: La Cocina

This morning I had an appointment at the house for a health examination.  I recently signed up for life insurance, and I had the medical tests performed at my house.  I peed in a cup.  I had some blood drawn.  The examiner took some physical measurements.  I was not too happy about my weight (the scale at home is generous).  However, I was pleased that my blood pressure turned out to be normal, which my home monitor was indicating the past few days.

I worked from home the rest of the morning, and asked if Susan wanted to have lunch around the area before I headed out to the office.  I asked her what she was in the mood for and she replied, "Mexican.  Or Italian.  I just want my cheese fix."

I jumped on Urbanspoon.com and did a search on most popular Mexican restaurants in Round Rock.  No. 2 on the list was La Cocina.  One of the reviews read it was a hidden gem.  Another said it was great for Mexican AND Italian food.  Did I read that correctly?

Sure enough they serve both Mexican AND Italian dishes at La Cocina.  So we fulfilled Susan's cheese cravings by ordering the Italian Enchilada, a riccota filled tortilla topped with spicy marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, for an appetizer.  I munched on complimentary chips and salsa, and nearly took out the entire bowl of salsa by myself.  For our entrees, Susan ordered the Enchilada Suizas and I ordered the Guisado de Puerco plate.  The food came out well timed.  The service was great.  The portions were huge.  And everything tasted spectacular.  We may have gotten lucky because it was a Tuesday, but I am not going to complain.  The Guisado de Puerco was fantastic; the pork was tender and the sauce it was stewed it had the right amount of flavor without being spicy.  Good to know we have another quality restaurant within a five minute drive of our house.

Restaurant Review: Kneaded Pleasures

My officemate and I walked down to the cafeteria and immediately walked right out because the options were limited.  Bob suggested we go out for lunch instead, and I agreed as long as he chose the place.  He drove us to Kneaded Pleasures, which was a 10 minute drive from our workplace.

I have seen this Austin restaurant before, but I thought it was a joke erotic bakery.  The name is so misleading.  I was very mistaken.  Not only do they serve sandwiches, but it is oddly sandwiched between a post office and a packaging service with open walls.  The place was packed, so I took that as a good sign the food was going to be good.

Kneaded Pleasures serves a variety of menu options: sandwiches, salads, pastries and gelato.  Bob recommended the Roast Beef sandwich, but I opted for the Grilled Chicken sandwich.  Why?  Because it was sitting dead center of their menu.  Served on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese and chipolte mayonnaise.  The chipolte mayonnaise had serious kick.  It wasn't sweat spicy, but my mouth was instantly numb (and has been for 4 hours).  Definitely tasty but they could back off the chipolte and the Grilled Chicken sandwich would be just as good.

I will definitely try this place again.  Maybe take the safe bet with the Roast Beef sandwich.  Or make sure I get some gelato to cool myself down.

Super Bowl? More Like Super Platter

Congrats to the New Orleans Saints!

I would also like to congratulate my stomach for enduring so much food at the Super Bowl party Susan and I attended.  There was SO MUCH food.  Here is the list of everything I ate:

• Pepperjack cheese & crackers
• 7-layer bean dip
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Yellow tomato pizza
• Pear & goat cheese pizza
• Chicken sausage deep dish pizza
• Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen
• Corzo Tequila
• Smoked sausage
• Smoked turkey
• Beef brisket
• Coleslaw
• Potato salad
• Meatballs
• Mini eclairs
• Girl Scout Samoa Cookies
• Jalepeno Poppers

I snacked on all of theses things at least once during the game...and of course some things multiple times.  What a game.  Now pass me the Tums, Drew Brees.