Winds of Change

Decided to take this blog a different direction on the recommendation of my sister, who said I should start reviewing the different dishes I get at places I go to eat.  So yes, I might be posting more, and yes, it will be about food :D yay!

Chipotle Bacon Chicken
Kerbey Lane Cafe (Kerbey Lane & 35th Street)
Price: $9.95 + tax

This dish is a seasonal offering from Kerbey Lane Cafe, a local favorite with four locations around Austin.  This was my first time to the original Kerbey.  (Normally I frequent the one up in Northwest Austin off Research Blvd.)  It is, for those of you on campus, significantly better than the campus Kerbey, which in my opinion does not provide a particularly fair or complete impression on the happiness that can be Kerbey Lane.  Yes it's closer, but the queso doesnt taste right, the service takes forever, the atmosphere is too flashy... a real Kerbey has softer yellow light, a laid back atmosphere where you can take your time, but the food doesn't! and the service is friendly.. local artwork on the walls... (incidentally there was a very "emo" picture on the wall near where we were sitting that I was actually considering purchasing... o.O)

I digress.  The dish!.  So this seasonal offering (I tend to enjoy their seasonal offerings for some reason) is a grilled chicken breast covered with bacon, avocado, and a melted slice of pepper jack (i think) cheese.  It comes with two sides of your choice, although they recommend the loaded mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  I ordered it as recommended.

The portions of the chicken that did not fall underneath the cheese and avocado was a bit dry, but when covered with its advertised toppings, the dish tasted quite delicious.  The cheese was a bit heavy, but not overbearing.  All in all, it was a pretty dang good piece of chicken!  The broccoli was very fresh, and simply steamed; honestly at first glance I wasn't quite sure if they had actually cooked it or not.  This, however, did result in the broccoli being essentially flavorless.  I had to add a significant amount of pepper to it to get some taste.  Not horrible, but I guess my Asian palate is used to more flavor, even with steamed vegetables.

The true gem with this dish was the loaded mashed potatoes.  This side order is essentially a basked potato removed from its potato skin.  It consisted of light, fluffy, buttered mashed potatoes topped with shredded cheese (a mix of American and Swiss, I think), bacon, and green onions.  It was... delicious is the only word I can really think of.  But yeah, I most definitely recommend this side dish to anyone who gets a dinner-type entrée at Kerbey.  The chicken's good too!

Overall Conclusion: Two Thumbs Up to the loaded mashed potatoes, One Thumb Up to the rest.