The Hilton Austin recently opened its highly anticipated new restaurant, Cannon + Belle, which is an addition to the hotel’s multi-million dollar upgrade. The restaurant is prominently named for Angelina Belle Eberly, who’s known as the lynchpin who fired a cannon ball into the General Land Office Building back in 1842 (statue on Congress Ave., near 6th Street).
The restaurant is helmed by Executive Chef Peter Maffei, who was most recently Exec. of Finn & Porter, Hilton’s previous local home restaurant (which closed in April to make way for Cannon + Belle).
Cannon + Belle offers a bold approach with with generous dose of Texas culinary traditions featuring a diverse menu of various offerings. It shouldn’t be seen as a pizza restaurant but the chef offers several exceptional wood-grilled, hand-crafted artisan pizzas that would be worthy of any high end pizza spot in the city.
Chef Peter couldn’t let me rest on just pigging out on pizza alone so he treated me to a few of his favorite dishes, including a few items from the shared menu section. The Oven Pretzel is easily my favorite carb-filled shared dish and worth breaking the vows of your new year’s diet. It’s served with three dips: pimento cheese, smoked bacon peanut butter and Fredericksburg Farms Dusseldorf mustard.
We also devoured the Pickled Shrimp Tamale with masa, smoked corn and green tomatoes; the Grilled Chicken Wings with chilie pepper butter and charred onion barbecue sauce; the Oven Roasted Broccoli with pickled shallots, grilled foccacia and marinated raisins. Selecting a favorite is pretty much impossible. Every time our server delivered a dish, it became my favorite new dish.
I love beef, especially when it’s dish is curated with a little creativity beyond a beautiful cut of prime steak. I’m used to eating giant beef ribs when I visit my favorite bbq spots in Austin, but chef Peter surprised me with a game changer that became my absolute favorite dish of the entire meal when he dropped the Pastrami Beef Rib in front of me. Think of a giant beef rib topped with rye bread puree, mustard creme fraiche and brussels spouts ‘sauerkraut’, all with a distinct, salty flavor of pastrami. It’s a splendid piece of slow roasted, tender, juicy and fall off the bone perfection.
The key to enjoying an indulgent dessert is to not worry about how many sweet wonderful calories you’ll be consuming, and to never ever feel guilty about it. The dessert menu is loaded with some of the most Texas-worthy treats the pastry chef could have possibly conceived. The “Ploughman’s Dessert Board will change the way you think about dessert, as it’s loaded with a few of the pastry chef’s favorite collection of creative dessert bites making it perfect for sharing. The Chocolate Stack features a Texas-sized slice of four layered chocolate cake with brown butter and salted caramel. Add a glass of milk and a couple of forks to share this beast with your favorite person and the massive food coma you’ll enjoy the rest of the evening will be complete.
Cannon and Belle’s beverage program offers the best of Texas and Austin including cocktails, wines, beer and even kombucha. You’ll find a Texas-centric beirgarten with a respectable local draft beer lineup as well as Duchman wines on tap along with an extensive Texas wine list which includes McPherson, Becker and Fall Creek wineries.
By the end of the evening I left stuffed and thoroughly enjoyed my colossal food coma but couldn’t help but to be intrigued by the rest of the menu, and by that I mean breakfast. So I’ll return for that after I complete my stint of food hibernation this winter.
Pursuit Farms has become a beacon for discerning palates seeking the finest Wagyu beef available…
New Orleans, LA - On October 22, 2024, I recently had an opportunity to attend the grand opening of Caesars New Orleans, marking the completion of a stunning $435 million transformation of the former Harrah’s New Orleans. It was an evening to remember, filled with excitement, luxury, and the vibrant spirit of New Orleans. The festivities began on Canal Street with an exhilarating ceremony led by Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg, President & COO Anthony Carano, and Caesars New Orleans General Manager Samir Mowad. The atmosphere was electric as they joined Caesar himself and an iconic New Orleans second-line band in a lively procession into the casino. It felt like the entire city had come out to celebrate, with Caesars New Orleans team members and Mayor LaToya Cantrell also joining the event to commemorate this historic occasion. Anthony Carano’s pride in introducing Caesars to New Orleans was palpable. “From local favorite Emeril Lagasse to our long-time partner, Chef Nobu, to the beautiful state-of-the-art Caesars Sportsbook, all-new rooms and gaming floor, and of course, our gorgeous new center bar, Octavia, Caesars New Orleans offers something for everyone. It’s a world-class resort in the heart of the Big Easy, and we can’t wait for our guests to experience it,” he said. The ceremony was a spectacle, kicking off with an iconic Mardi Gras float featuring Caesar and his court, and a dazzling firework show that lit up the New Orleans sky. The second-line band then led us revelers into the resort’s elegant center bar, Octavia, where we indulged in a “Taste of Caesars New Orleans.” Each bite from the six on-property restaurants was a delightful journey, capturing the essence of New Orleans’ rich culinary scene. Throughout the night, elemental entertainers, including the Saints Cheer Krewe, Mardi Gras Indians, Zulu Tramps, and showgirls, created an authentic and unforgettable Big Easy experience. Everywhere I turned, there was something new to marvel at, each performance more mesmerizing than the last. Samir Mowad, SVP and GM of Caesars New Orleans, highlighted the significance of the transformation, stating, “This year marks 25 years since we opened in New Orleans, and the completion of this project is the perfect way to usher in a new era with Caesars. Synonymous with the Caesars name, our new resort is pure elegance, and we’re excited to introduce a luxury brand like this to New Orleans. We are extremely grateful for the support of the community, our team members, and our guests as we come to the finish line of this tremendous transformation.” The hotel itself is impressive,…
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