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Food: Foreign & Domestic Hits North Loop Next Week
Foreign and Domestic, a new restaurant concept by chefs/owners Ned and Jodi Elliott, opens on May 20 in the North Loop area, just a few blocks west of local favorites Room Service Vintage and The Parlor. The location was an old skate shop, but now boasts an inviting-yet-industrial vibe that perfectly fits the high-quality, quirky dishes.
The Elliotts are no strangers to the restaurant industry and have each built impressive resumes. They met and fell in love at the respected Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and came to Austin after working with culinary royalty, including Thomas Keller, Alain Ducasse and Claudia Fleming. Jodi is a native Texan and resident pastry chef of Foreign and Domestic, and she knew that Austin was the perfect place to raise a family and start their joint restaurant venture. Both Ned and Jodi showcase their personalities with their food, which mixes the traditional with an edge and a bright sense of humor. “Foreign & Domestic is exactly how we cook at home, cooking as a family while rocking out to Metallica, pure and simple,” says Ned of their style.
Dishes at Foreign and Domestic are fittingly comprised of both foreign and domestic techniques, and the menu will change weekly, with the best ingredients speaking for themselves. If you’re a fan of pork prepared in creative ways, this one’s for you. It appears to have a regular presence on the current menu, from entrees like the aptly named Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes with bacon crusted sausage, toasted brioche, tarragon mustard and bread and butter relish ($14) to desserts like the Pig Licker - chocolate dipped praline bacon served with bacon root beer and pork rinds churros ($6). We’re looking forward to the (not as cleverly named, but still delicious-looking) Venison Spare Ribs with hearts of celery vinaigrette, piquillo peppers, and Cabrales panna cotta ($12) and the Scallops a la Plancha with grapes, cabbage, mustard, guanciale, filberts, and buerre noir ($17). And call us old-fashioned bacon-haters, but the Frozen Blondie (cherry ice cream, smoked almonds, and chocolate) sounds like the perfect summer treat.
Foreign and Domestic opens on May 20 at 306 E.53rd Street - you can reach them on 512.459.1010 or at foodanddrinkaustin.com.
