Launderette

Every day is your birthday at Launderette

Scallionpancake Travels: 
We traveled to Austin so Jason could attend the annual Xerocon conference. We arrived a couple of days prior to the conference so that we could take in all of the glorious food Austin has to offer. Check out a previous post on Austin's most famous BBQ joint, Franklin BBQ.   Austin struck us as an exceedingly livable place--the city was clean, fairly walk-able, and filled with so many good eats. Insider tip: in between meals, head to Gourdough's for a donut that will put all other donuts to shame. 

Gourdough's is everything to us

Background:
Chef Rene Ortiz opened up Launderette in February 2015 in an old Laundromat on the east side of Austin. Ortiz is known for being passionate about seasoning & choosing to pack a punch of flavor into each dish. Launderette is constantly on the "Best Of" lists for Austin and around the country, so when we visited Austin in December of last year, we knew we had to check it out. 

Let's get lit

Eat This:
We asked our waiter what to order, and he gave us the, "Everything is good on this menu, or else we wouldn't put it on the menu," line that we never know what to do with. There are always dishes that a server prefers to others on a menu, even if everything is good. Truthiness is important to Scallionpancake. With the waiter being no help, we decided to go with our hearts and Jason's extraordinary knack for ordering great things. The menu is broken up into four sections: "Snacky Bits," Wood Grill," "Vegetables," and "Specialties." The first three were tapas/shareable portions, while the specialties were larger, main course portions. 

We decided to start off with the labneh. If you've never tried it, labneh is a middle eastern yogurt dip that is thick and tangy. 

Labneh

beet hummus, millet crunch, everything cracker

We loved this dish. Our only complaint was that we needed maybe seven more crackers? Kthanxbai. 

Aquachile

escolar, citrus, cilantro, thai chile, crispy fennel

Essentially ceviche, and super delcious. 

Charred Octopus 

corona beans, Spanish chorizo, paprika, fried parsley

This dish was a swing and a miss. The octopus was over cooked, and no one likes to gnaw on a sad tentacle of octopus. Pass. 

Piri Piri Prawns

crispy rice salad, tamarind, mint chutney

This dish nearly made Jason's top dishes of 2017 list, so you know it was fabulous. Our favorite part was the spicy & slightly sweet sauce on the crunchy prawns. Looking back, we should have ordered two plates of these. 

Sticky Brussels Sprouts

apple bacon marmalade, pecorino, almond, pickled apple

These were basic brussels sprouts, and far from the best we've ever had (that honor goes to Flipside). They were alright. 7/10. 

Dessert: 
Chef Laura Sawicki is in charge of desserts at Launderette, and we were super happy with our dishes in this department. The birthday cake ice cream sandwich was a top dessert of 2017 for sure. 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

caramelized white chocolate, sunchoke, black sesame, cassis, cocoa nib crunch ice cream

Jason gave this a 10/10, I went 6/10

Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwich

I mean, are you dying, or are you dying? 

Drink: 
Let's talk color changing straws. Yes--color.changing.straws. Jason and I totally wanted to ask for a few to take home. Jason had iced tea, and I enjoyed a Wild Honey cocktail. It wasn't very strong and was on the sweet side, but the flavor was good. 

This is a great look for me, yes? 

Wild Honey
mezcal, lemon, honey ginger syrup, chili tincture

Atmosphere: 
Launderette was just too cute. We loved the whole 1950s vibe that was reflected in the seating, decor, and even in the servers' outfits. There was a cool contrast to the retro items with some funky art (with a 50s twist, like a punchy & modern picture of a record), and the lighting was perfectly dim. We enjoyed the chill vibe and felt very relaxed throughout our meal. 

Check out the record pictures that we loved!/image courtesy of Eater

Southern Laundromat Hospitality: 
As we mentioned above, our server was perhaps a bit less than helpful, but he seriously had about eight tables at once, so we forgive him. They weren't particular busy on the night we went, but perhaps they were a bit understaffed. Our food came out quickly, although we felt the pacing of the dishes was off. 

Frankie's Notes: 
Laundromats are the effing worst, unless you are eating a classy meal in one; Insert Nick Young meme when a waiter says everything on the menu is good; Do you think octopuses know that they are currently trending at upscale restaurants?; I looked that up--the plural of octopuses is just that, and not octopi; Insert "The More You Know" rainbow; Color-changing straws are the key to a long and happy life. 

Rating: 

5 out of 5

 

Lincoln's Haberdashery

#jewfood

Background: 
Lincoln's Haberdashery opened just this month in South End, right down the road from Chef Michael Shortino's first restaurant, Futo Buta. Futo Buta has long held as my number one favorite restaurant in Charlotte--in fact, it was the very first post here on our little corner of the internet--check it out here (and also see our our style has changed since August 2015!). We also talk more in depth about Lincoln's on this week's episode of the podcast!

Decisions, decisions 

Lincoln's Haberdashey feels like it belongs in a much larger city than Charlotte, and that's one of the many things I love about it. It is part restaurant, coffee shop, retail space, ice creamery, wine bar, well--you get the idea. It reminds me a lot of Bi-Rite, one of my favorite San Francisco spots. The vibe is hip, yet cozy, and I can't wait to spend an afternoon there reading or doing blog work. The other night, Scallionpancake was absolutely honored to be invited to their media preview, and although we had already visited once the previous week, the media night gave us even more to love about Lincoln's Haberdashery. Read on to see what this new space has to offer Charlotte. 

Peep that beer ice cream float!

Eat This: 
Lincoln's Haberdashery makes all of their bread in house, as well as their ice cream. Whatever they don't make from scratch, they source from the best of the best. For example, the olive oil they use on "The 13th" sandwich is from award-winning Queen Creek Olive Mill in Arizona, and the mozzarella on that same sandwich is made in-house. It's all just a wonderful amalgamation of the best things--both made and curated. By the way, that olive oil is the absolute best I have ever tasted--it's so spicy and fresh! We were given a bottle to take home, and I finished a quarter of mine in approximately four days. A bottle of that, some flaky salt, and a fresh loaf of bread makes for a great breakfast the morning after your visit. Here is a snapshot of everything we sampled, from both our solo visit and the media night:

Mornin':

Mary's Muffin

Scrambled egg, tomato, Duke's mayo, with a choice of "protein" (Hickory Nut Gap ham, bacon, or avocado)

Sticky Biscuit

Hickory Nut Gap ham, rosemary cheddar biscuit, and wildflower honey butter

Stuffed Flapjack

Lemon ricotta, pure maple syrup, and berries

Let's get a close up on that, shall we? 

Avocado Toast

Lemon EVOO, baby arugula, shaved onion

Take it to the Bridge
 

ACME smoked salmon, house toast, dill, red onion, capers, and Ikura (salmon caviar) 

Sandwich & Soup: 

Grilled Cheese

Gruyere, shallots, and thyme

The 13th

House-made mozzarella, La Quercia prosciutto, fresh basil, Queen Creek EVOO

Dessert: 
Oh my god, the DESSERTS. Ugh, all of the pastries are made in-house, and they are beyond delicious. 

Carrot cake pie

With pistachios

Pistachio strawberry choux

Are you drooling yet?

I want to live in this pastry case, thanks 

Assorted ice creams

Ice cream flavors rotate, and the flavors range from the classic (vanilla peach) to the adventurous (mushroom! bacon!). 

Case of dreams 

Drink: 
Lincoln's Haberdashery offers a small selection of wines by the glass, and some beers and local favorite Updog Kombucha on tap. They also have an enormous selection of bottled and canned beer and bottles of wine for purchase. And don't forget the beer float--you can get a chocolate porter with vanilla fig soft serve and have the best float of your adult life.

Stovepipe Latte

Pure Intentions espresso, steamed milk, honey, & cinnamon

And don't forget the coffee! They have two signature espresso drinks, the Stovepipe (espresso, steamed milk, honey, & cinnamon) and the Mary Todd (espresso, steamed milk, lavender, & house-made lemon sugar). And they sprinkle cinnamon on top in the shape of Lincoln's head. Well then. 

Buy all the booze!

Apple spice kombucha!

Atmosphere: 
The marketplace portion of Lincoln's Haberdashery offers so many fun things--pet treats and accessories, candles, magnets, keychains, mimosa kits (!!!) and more. Also, there are tons of cool details, like a refurbished bureau with tiny "thumbs up" knobs. 

For da pugs 

Two thumbs up for Lincoln's Haberdashery 

Mr. Ed

#justiceforbarb

Shortino Hospitality: 
Just like at Futo Buta, Shortino's staff is gracious and quick to offer suggestions and recommendations. You can tell that everyone enjoys working here, and the vibe is chill and relaxed. 

Frankie's Notes: 
2015 blog was so yesterday, so yesterday--just like Hillary Duff says; Is it wrong to drink olive oil straight from the bottle?; I still haven't finished Stranger Things Season Two--does Barb come back from the Inside Out, or what?!; If Abraham Lincoln and Barb had a baby, would it be a ginger?; We think they should sprinkle a cinnamon pug's head on at least one beverage. 

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.