austin, texas : qui.

before we begin, read this article / listen to this interview ... you'll quickly see why i was so freaking excited to go to qui.
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ok, we saved the best for last our final night in austin ... qui in east austin.

ladies' night, woot woot :

qui is the brainchild of chef paul qui, who i first learned about during top chef season 9 ... which he won. oh, he also won a james beard award. kind of a big deal.

i was excited to visit qui for several reasons.

   1. i love a top chef restaurant.

   2. when he was on top chef, he prepared tons of vegetarian dishes.

   3. i knew ahead of time that there is vegan stuff at qui.

so many wins. 

before our trip, qui switched over to a prix fixe menu. one meat option, one veg option. so, spoilers ahead. the #vegan prix fixe menu ... here's what i had.

first course sparkling red wine :

carly & me.

caramelized onion jus :

ciabatta, sherry gelee & thyme.
one bite amazingness.

king trumpet mushroom sashimi :

satsuma imo, black lime, ogo nori.

guys. i ate mushrooms. thank goodness for the nori ... it kind of masked the mushroom taste, so i could just swallow them whole ... or pawn them off on my mushroom-loving girlfriends.

jack's lettuce :

turk's cap blossoms, miso, yuzu caramel & pine nut puree.
kind of the best salad one might ever eat.

sunflower seeds & petals :

caramelized summer squash & corn.

my fave dish. super tasty & oh so beautiful!

filipino peanut curry :

puffed rice & green beans.
second favorite dish ... i mean, peanut curry. can't go wrong.

dorsey's eggplant :

grilled pecan butter, pickled shallots & green dates.
third favorite dish ... i mean, i don't even love eggplant & i loved this.


at this point, there was a secret dish. a vegan congee ... i'd never had congee before, so that was exciting. i didn't snap a pic to leave a little excitement for anyone who has a similar menu at qui.

halo halo (before & after) :

coconut milk & fruit. 
delicious. also my first time having halo halo. i'd like to have it again ... & again ... & again. 

even though chef qui was out of town this weekend, dining at this restaurant was truly the highlight of the trip for me. beyond delicious food, super cool atmosphere ... just awesome.

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qui
1600 e. 6th street
austin, texas 78702