Well Fed On the Town

A wedding had brought me to Austin, TX, however, to be honest, there are such great restaurants in Austin, I don’t really need a reason to go. I admit though, the wedding was very nice. The shaded, sun dappled clearing in the trees was relatively cool that Saturday morning before the day gave way to the intense Texas heat of the afternoon. With that heat, the time had come for something refreshing. I settled on a Mojito to start at the trendy downtown Austin, warehouse district eatery, Saba Blue Water Cafe.

I am certain the air conditioning had a little something to do with it, but the cool blue surroundings, complete with interesting art and tropical fish, certainly set the right mood to feel cool and relaxed. Having just come from Malaga Wine & Tapas Bar, Saba’s next door neighbor, my lovely dinner partner and I decided to skip straight to the dinner menu, well, once we had cocktails in hand of course.

My Classico Mojito was served Havana styled and made with a classic golden age tine of Matusalem rum. Meanwhile, this being my dinner partners first trip to Austin, she enjoyed a local favorite, a martini made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka. For those unfamiliar with Tito’s, this Texas made Vodka earned the Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. One reviewer once said of Tito’s, “We can’t think of any reason, barring two broken legs and a restraining order from the liquor store, why we won’t always have a bottle of Tito’s in our cabinet.”

Drinks in hand, but hunger on our minds we turned to food. Specifically to seafood, the specialty of the house at Saba, and no dish features it quite so spectacularly as their Paella.

Mussels, steamed perfectly, provide the trim on this golden, red saffron laced rice creation rich with Scallops, Shrimp, Calamari and Mahi.The saffron broth, nearly completely absorbed by the rice, makes for a consistency just a bit lighter than what you would find in a risotto, which is to say, perfect.

Each bite carries the hint of spice and an abundance of flavor, rich with the broth of the shellfish and mahi and again, that undescribable something extra from the saffron.

Each of the mussels, still in the shell as shown, tends to fill up with a bit of the rice, absorbing the liquor from the mussels and making for an adventure as you plunge in with your fork in an effort to get the perfect bite of rice, sauce and shellfish.

My dinner partner meanwhile enjoyed the U-10 Scallops, perfectly seared and buttery soft, served on a bed of baby greens with just a hint of aged balsamic vinaigrette. The center of the plate was decoratively dominated by a cylindrical towering creation of Goat Cheese Polenta, creamy, tangy and dense while still managing to carry a light enough flavor and texture to compliment the scallops.

To those who aren’t “in the know” a dish called U-10 Scallops may seem somewhat strange. However, the U-10 refers to the fact that these truly jumbo sea scallops are “under 10 per pound.” So, 10 of these monsters will have a pre-cooked weight of more than a pound. That’s close to an ounce and a half each and they are absolutely worth the price you pay for these big guys.

In the end, we both enjoyed our trip to Austin and specifically enjoyed our culinary adventures at Saba Blue Water Cafe. Not every trendy restaurant can live up to the reputation created by its own popularity, but this is one Austin hotspot that can walk the walk.

Photo courtesy of the Saba Blue Water Cafe website.

Saba Blue Water Cafe
208 W 4th St.
Austin, TX 78701
www.sabacafe.com