“Complements” to the Chef – Wink Restaurant at its Best!

Posted by Keeper Collection

So first of all, this is our first post for the Alcoholian, and we are so excited to be a part of it! Although we could never match johngl’s humor and wit, we will do our best! Last night’s dinner at Wink was just too amazing not to share.

For those of you who don’t know (which almost brings a tear to my eye!), Wink Restaurant is one of the greatest treasures of Austin, located at 1014 North Lamar. The menu changes EVERYDAY, depending on what is fresh and available from Texas farms, foragers, gardens, and ranches. My husband and I frequent Wink, knowing that we’ll be blown away each and every time. Last night proved to be nothing but delicious, maybe even qualifying as one of the best ever at Wink! It is always a joy to consume a meal in which all ingredients of each course complement each other as masterfully as our menu last night (hence the title of this post). Enough rambling? Ready for the food?? Drum roll..here we go…

Early Girl Tomato & Baby Arugula Salad with Fried Capers & Lemon Aioli

This Lemon Aioli was to die for! The creaminess of the aioli perfectly balanced the pepper of the arugula, and the early girl tomatoes had a great texture, color, and flavor on their own. The lemon in the aioli and the capers provided a “piccata” sort of taste. We thought about ordering another one, but knew what was yet to come!

Grassfed Beef Carpaccio with Mache, Parmigiano Reggiano, & Grain Mustard Aioli

First off, talk about presentation! Gorgeous. Secondly, the Grain Mustard Aioli complemented the butteriness of the Mache beautifully. Beef Carpaccio at Wink is consistently one of our favorites and hard to resist ordering. Tonight’s rendition did not disappoint us.

Duck Charcuterie with Apricot Agradolce & Pickles Kohlrabi

I think the picture below pretty accurately describes how we felt about this dish – Yes, that is indeed my husband literally scraping the plate clean! (it tends to happen) The title of this dish requires further explanation. Imagine on the right side of this plate is”corned beef”, except substitute duck breast and then top with Pickled Kohlrabi. We have been experimenting with Kohlrabi in our kitchen lately and look forward to talking about that perhaps in another post. On the left side of this plate is what Wink called a “Rillettes” of Duck. We were told by our server that this “rillettes” was made from duck confit! Check our johngl’s blog on duck confit, and then imagine.

Deep breath, on to the fourth dish…

Sautéed Skatewing with Shaved Italian Summer Truffle on Truffled English Pea Purée and Baby Carrots

Whenever I see TRUFFLE on the menu, my heart begins to race. They are hard for me to resist. When asked about the source of the truffles, our server said Oregon – I said yes and I was so rewarded. The skatewing was light and flaky on the inside and crispy on the outside. The Truffled English Pea Purée complemented the texture and taste of the fish. I then traded the plate cleaning process with my husband, who kindly let me consume most of the truffles – thanks!

The final course was Crisp Duck Breast with Costada Squash, Cippolini, Brassicas, & Alba Mushrooms. We somehow managed to find room to devour it, but we were so deliriously satisfied by this point that we forgot to take a picture! But take my word for it, it was awesome and beautiful!

Bottom line – What do you get when you combine incredibly fresh & local vegetables with perfectly prepared proteins? Wink Restaurant, any night of the week! Now, if only we could get them to open for lunch too! Wink co-owner/chef Mark Paul never ceases to amaze us both with his food and his generosity to the Austin community. Mark is an avid supporter of the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, recently participating in the Foundation’s Plate & Vine Interactive Cookbook. Although a Wink Restaurant dining experience is hard to beat, Mark has contributed 5 recipes (with more to come!) from the Wink menu to allow us at home to take a stab at these dishes in our own kitchen!

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