Sounds about on par with the rest of my Southpark Meadows experiences.... darn it, can't we just get something killer down there.

I would echo this exactly. I try to discourage people from going to the Second part. The Bar is great. Congress is great. The Second part is for bachlorette parties to sit pretty in the window and order cheap appetizers.

http://johnnygbutcherblock.com/pork.htm

I would think most of the meat markets would have access.

Stuffed up North has some.

Good price! Anywhere down S Austin?!?? Quality Seafood has good ones, but you get a better price if you buy the box. I think it's 100-ct for about $35.

Like.

Aww, man, you have no idea how many times I wanted to buy Nau's and put a po'boy shop in there...

That pimento n cheese is just too funny! It's tough out there for independent pharmacies right now. Maybe one day I'll just do it... and I'll keep you on the short list for PT :)

Awesome! Thanks for the update!

As a pharmacist as well, I can't wait to try it. I'm a pharmacy nostalgia guru, and I like the old apothecary feel. It reminds me of my mentors at K&B that inspired me when I was a kid to be a pharmacist. I wish I could have an eatery and grocery in my pharmacy! And cocktails with Peychaud's would be very appropriate!

Although, I'm thinking the idea of a Soul Food restaurant called The Medic sounds devine :)

I grow most of my produce and put it up, but occasionally, when it's like 110 for 2months, the only thing I can grow is peppers and okra... and there's only so much you can do with that. But you can make some fine gumbo :) The City is trying to limit outdoor watering in April, and this has sparked my interest as I will have to rely on the grocery for more produce.

I was always curious what Mexico or China's standards are for 'organic.' But I am amazed at the soccer moms that swear by it.

I get up there about every 6 weeks. I take a trunk cooler and load up on goods to bring back for my deep freeze. There stuff is great for entertaining, and we do alot of that during football season. They are some of my favorite people to talk to, and they brought in an item to sell that I was having trouble getting here from LA. Because they carry some essentials, I now have more room in my trunk for other LA groceries when I go down :) Seriously, when I come back from Mardi Gras, my trunk is 40% beads and throws and 60% groceries.

This has always confused me at HEB/Whole Foods... if it is sourced from Mexico, but it is organic produce (labeled, in the organic section, and item code is the 5-digit code for organic), how do we know it is truly organic? Is the standard for imported organics the same as domestic? Maybe that is why the price difference is significant between some WF organics and CM organics....

Yeah!!! Blue Runner goods! Darn, if we can just convince them to open a South location!.

Trulucks has one and does it well. I know they don't get much love on here because they are a chain, but seriously, you are asking for fresh seafood in Central TX, it's gonna be difficult to find someone to do fresh NOLA seafood here. I've always had good service at Truluck's, but be specific about where you want to sit when you make reservations as a party of 2.

Eddie V's - same deal. I had good, fresh seafood there, great service, be specific about seating. Never had a seafood tower there, but I did have trout amandine. The color of the sauce was different than the way they do it in New Orleans, but it was good.

I love Perla's, and I'm sure they have a seafood tower, and they have good service. But, I HATE their dinig room. It is not intimate seating. It is loud, and I feel like I'm having dinner with 3 other tables. But I do go there to devour 3 or so dozen oysters and champagne on occasion.

Does anyone know of any Austin restaurants hosting a reveillon menu?

I know it's probably a long shot, but I am entertaining guests from out of town all weekend and would like to take them out for this. Preferably South/Central Austin, which is may be an even longer shot.

Thanks in advance!

I remember a couple of years ago I think my husband and I ate at La Feria on Christmas (they had tamales). It was good, packed out, and friendly service. It was the one on S Lamar, but I think they have several locations, including up North. You may want to call them. I wouldn't say it was 'awesome' food, but it wasn't bad either.

Some of these I have to cover if it gets too cold at night, but we are still in the 60s to 80s during the day. It'll get cold around end Jan early Feb, and alot of that stuff won't make it...

I call the green tomatoes our 'Christmas tomatoes.' I just can't believe the squirrels have left them to grow this long.

Austin, TX:

raised beds.

Herbs: parsely, thyme, lemon grass, lemon thyme, chevril, dill, cilantro, some residual basil plants, Thai basil, tarragon, chives are still hanging on. Rosemary, but it is mainly used as a hedge.

Onions (green, 10/15, and some red starters)

Butter lettuce

Acorn squash

Cucumbers

Spinach

Mustard greens

Collard greens

Turnips

Garlic
Meyer Lemon trees, Bear Lime, Mandarin orange, and Fig trees, and satsuma.

I still have some okra, peppers, and green tomatoes from the summer that are producing.

I like gambino's alright. That's what Cypress Grill uses too. I prefer Leidenheimer bread though, and they will not ship to Austin. They used to ship out of NOLA area before Katrina, but I don't think they do much anymore.

I just make po'boy bread at home... It's fresher and richer tasting and you can control the flaky-ness.

-----
Cypress Grill
4404 W William Cannon Dr, Austin, TX 78749

Hmmm... I'll have to try it at Shoal Creek, although some of the stuff they do I don't like at all, I've never tried their gumbo. Stuffed is SOOOOO far north for me, but I really love that place and the people that work there. Do they make their bread for po'boys in house? I'll have to try it at Evangeline, since it is nearby. I like a medium roux because it still has some body to it.

Wow... this is an old thread! I had some once at Peche the chef made for me and my husband on a slow night... I don't think he's there anymore though. It was fine!

I was really not impressed with Gumbo's... In fact, I noted to the waitress how few gumbos were actually on the menu there. I would never order at Quality Seafood.... I stick to fried basic stuff there. Never tried it at Evangeline cafe. Not sure if Cypress Grill has any gumbo worth writing home about.... I stick to the same things there too.

I have yet to find it here with a good dark roux. I make it a la maison. Yesterday I made Duck and Andouille gumbo with file because I wanted it for my birthday, but couldn't think of a place here that does it well.

There are just some things you can't find here.... King Cakes, gumbo, roast beef po'boys. Just get a good cookbook and make it at home. It's not that hard and you'll be very happy. I use the John Folse ones.

-----
Cypress Grill
4404 W William Cannon Dr, Austin, TX 78749

Peche
208 W 4th Street, Austin, TX 07739

It seems like Gambino's has a softer crust than Phoenicia... but reading that review is making my stomach growl. I know the guy at Cypress Grill says they use Gambino's for poboys. That would be an easy way to compare the two.

-----
Cypress Grill
4404 W William Cannon Dr, Austin, TX 78749

Well, maybe we should start a revolution :) Can you imagine how many these you could sell from a cart at Longhorns tailgating?

I saw some last week at Central Market on Westgate. I had to replace 2 from the 3-day freeze last winter. The new trees have some that are ripening now, but still have a few weeks to go.

-----
Central Market
4477 S Lamar Blvd Ste 100, Austin, TX 78745

I know exactly what you are looking for, and I've never seen them here. When I moved here, I was like 'where are the hot tamales wrapped in newspaper?' I've learned not to ask that anymore after multiple blank stares.

Here's the SFA article about the ones from my hometown... not that that will help you in Austin, just for fun reading:

http://www.tamaletrail.com/OH_sollys....

I always do shrimp cocktail (cold app with coctail sauce and lemon) or salad for appetizer to something heavy like jambalaya. Definately for desert either bread pudding with bourbon (or rum) sauce OR a bananas foster. All New Orleans style dishes. All with wine or cocktails.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-shrimp-cocktail-recipe/index.html

My favorite bread pudding recipe is Brennan's, which also does bananas foster:

http://www.food.com/recipe/Brennans-Bread-Pudding-With-Whiskey-Sauce-154247

http://www.brennansneworleans.com/r_b...

there is also a 'bananas foster bread pudding' if you'd like to try that. Good luck

Oh NO... we might be related ;) I'm from Vicksburg, but I lived in LA for almost a decade ... thankfully, the decade where I was poor and learned to cook. I miss the true Lebanese food we had there. People here are so surprised at the diverse culture of MS and LA... I try to get them converted to believers of diverse Southern cuisine.

I haven't found a satisfying poboy here. I refuse to order gumbo, so I make a mean duck and andoiulle one when I have time.

Best of luck with the poboy. The closest I can find to bread is the Phoenecia (sp?) greek bakery here on S Lamar. I just make a spicy beef roast and slice it for the poboy and use the drippings for au jus. My friend from Franklin LA that lives here says Which Wich has a good one.

Kinda what I always said too.... I'm thinking the 'yellow fever' bodies thrown in the River would have been a deterrent long before the oil spill.... or the DDT... I've eaten it my whole life, and I'm fine. I will always support the Gulf Coast (even TX ;), so yes, it's fine to eat.

-----
Gulf Coast Restaurants
1200 S Clearview Pkwy, New Orleans, LA 70123

Why campus-area restaurant?!? I avoid that area like the plague. Anytime someone recommends a restaurant over there, I just assume they have some UT memory associated with the place. Typically, the parking is awful (although downtown is getting just as bad), the atmosphere leaves much to be desired, and the service is typically poor. I realize I'm generalizing, but this is why that area is lower on my list of places to go for food. There's no restaurant over there where the food is worth the hassle.

Please make sure if you go to Congress, you aren't fooled into going to 2nd Bar + Kitchen or whatever the hell it's called.... This place is set up as a large dining megaplex with Congress, 2nd Bar + Kitchen. The Bar part is great. The Kitchen part is an easy-to-get-into trendy place people love for some reason, but it's not the food. Congress is the nicer restaurant which I would say classifies for Austin fine dining.

For some reason, there is little 'white tablecloth fine dining' here. Wink and Olivia are the new trendy places to go, but I wouldn't classify them as 'fine dining.' Good local food. I have had several issues with the service at Olivia, but the food is good.

Barley Swine is great, but they don't take reservations and you should be there at 5pm when they open the doors. It's not really fine dining either. Very Austiny place. You sit at tables with other people, which kinda creeps me out sometimes.

Hudson's on the Bend is very good, but a drive from downtown. If you're driving out of downtown, I'd go to Jack Allen's Kitchen over Hudson's for more 'local food.' Hudson's is more meat-&-potatoes, not that there's anything wrong with that :)

I'd go with Eddie Vs (chain, but good), Trulucks (chain, but good), Peche (one of the best steaks if you can catch it on the menu, although their focus is a cocktail bar, they have interesting stuff sometimes), Lamberts BBQ, Uchi, Perla's, Vespaio, Jack Allen's Kitchen ... although the first two are the only ones I'd classify as 'fine dining.' These places can be weird with taking reservations, but if you can catch a good seat at one of them, you'll have a good time.

-----
Vespaio
1610 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Peche
208 W 4th Street, Austin, TX 07739

Barley Swine
2024 S. Lamar, Austin, TX

Agreed 100%