When I joined the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance I couldn’t wait to meetthe bloggers that I’ve been following for the past few years. When the opportunity came to go to one of the group’s Happy Hours and meet some of the other members, I jumped at the chance. This Happy Hour was hosted by Revelry Kitchen + Bar to show off some of what they’ve got planned for their new location on North Lamar Boulevard. It’s appropriately called “Revelry on the Boulevard” and I feel pretty sure it’s going to be a great and needed addition to that part of town.
We were treated to a four course menu to taste some of their food and cocktails and the first course set a perfect tone. To begin with, how can you go wrong with queso? I enjoyed this so much because it didn’t feel as heavy as so many other quesos you can get in town. Don’t get me wrong; there’s a time and a place for a heavy bowl of cheesy goodness. Sit me in front of a UT football game and I’ll bury my face in queso. But sometimes you don’t want the queso to be so heavy that it becomes the whole meal. You need it to be an appropriate appetizer and that’s what this is. Not to mention the fact there were homemade tortilla chips. Could it get any better?
The cocktail pairing for this was just right for me because I adore a good mezcal cocktail and that’s what we got. It’s a simple cocktail with a ginger and honey syrup that adds sweetness without overpowering the whole thing, which can be easy to do with honey and ginger. They really let the mezcal be present in the drink and I appreciate that.
I could easily spend an entire evening eating the queso and drinking a few more of these mezcal cocktails, but there were three more courses coming that I had to dive into. It’s a rough life.
The second course was a refreshing watermelon and cucumber salad. If I’m being honest, and I’m always honest, I was a little worried about this one before it came out. I had no reason at all to be worried because this is an amazing salad.
Watermelon isn’t my favorite thing in the world. I actually avoid most melons. Cucumbers can be a blessing and a curse for me as well since they can easily take over a dish. Then there are dehydrated olives on top, which is another ingredient I don’t normally enjoy. Essentially there are a lot of flavors that scare me because of bad past experiences or preferences. But they all work together and complement each other for a great salad that’s perfect for a summer day. It’s light and refreshing and I found myself wanting to go back for more. I didn’t just want to go back for more, I did go back for more. And I may have wanted more even after that. But we do have to share so I stopped. Don’t get me started on the lavash either.
The drink pairing with the salad was appropriately enough a watermelon margarita that will make everyone happy. I will say that I’m not much for frozen margaritas in general because I find they’re generally sweeter than rocks margaritas. I can’t say that’s not the case here, but that’s not a bad thing. I tend to like my cocktails a little stiffer but I know I’m in the minority in that and this is a well done margarita.
The third course lands with a slider made with Beyond Meat patties. If you’re not familiar with Beyond Meat, it’s a meat alternative made with beets and pea protein. I’m always intrigued with meatless burgers and seeing how different chefs handle them.
While I feel like the response was mixed to these burgers, I can say on reflection that I really enjoy them. The texture is similar to a regular beef patty. It’s not identical but it’s similar enough to scratch that carnivore itch. I feel like the experience of eating a burger is one of the things that keeps carnivores from eating more veggie burgers, so I appreciate the experience of eating these. They have a smoky flavor and I can see myself ordering these on a fairly regular basis.
I’m not sure why it wasn’t a bigger hit. Maybe if there was more of a char on the patty that would help, but since we were served sliders that might be harder to get compared to a regular sized sandwich. Regardless, I enjoyed them and ended up going back for seconds.
The sweet potato fries that came with the sliders were definitely a hit in this course. From someone who is normally on the fence about sweet potato fries, these may be the best that I’ve ever had. I’m not sure if they’ll be offered as their own side but if they are, make sure you get them. The flavor is just right and doesn’t hit you in the face with the earthy sweetness that can dominate so many sweet potato fries out there. I just can’t express how great these are. I would eat a lot of these.
The cocktail pairing here was a peach rosé and… it’s a rosé. To be fair, I’ve never really understood the current trend of rosé all day. If you’re a fan of a rosé then you’ll love this with the addition of white peach. It’s a subtle but nice addition to set it apart from some others that are in the wild. With the sliders we had I would probably go for a darker cocktail to go with the flavors in the slider. I suggest pairing the rosé with the watermelon salad.
The final course of the night was their brisket banh mi. I may have an obsession with good banh mi so I waited with baited breath for this one. The bread is crunchy but not so crusty that it hurts to take a bite, even though I could have taken a little more open crumb. The brisket is lean and flavorful, but don’t be afraid to take advantage of the pho broth. I ended up treating mine like a french dip and that feels like the best way to enjoy this one.
The cocktail at the end was a rum drink called the Summer Breeze. For my taste there was too much citrus. The Velvet Falernum adds a nice spiciness, I just couldn’t find the rum in the drink over that and the combination of orange and lime juice. If you can’t tell, I like to experience the liquors in my cocktails but that’s also a personal preference. I know a lot of people who will find this one perfect. I found myself asking people if they were going to finish their mezcal cocktail from the first course.
For dessert we stared down the barrel of fried cheesecake. I would stare down the barrel of this fried cheesecake all night. The best description I heard another blogger use is that it’s like a cheesecake stuffed churro, and if that’s not enough to sell you on how good this is then you might be dead to me. It has a raspberry-mezcal sauce that you might catch me licking the plate for. Having said that, I’m sure you’ll know what’s next: more mezcal, please. With just a touch more smokiness in the sauce this could easily be one of my favorite desserts to have hanging out with my friends late at night.
I left the evening impressed with what Revelry showed us and also a little mad at myself for never having made it out to Revelry Kitchen + Bar. I’m glad I finally stopped in to try things out and meet so many other bloggers and I’m looking forward to trying out Revelry on the Boulevard when it opens sometime this Fall. It’s going to be at 6215 North Lamar Boulevard so keep your eyes open for news on their opening and make a trip out there to try some great food and drink.
I also made a video for my vlog so you can see even more images from the evening.