QTG's Profile
Recommendations for Maudie's?
I was just pointing out that the Davenport location had the best enchilada dish of all three I've been too. Personally, I'm not that passionate about Tex Mex but my bf loves it. He usually picks the restaurant when we do have Tex Mex and I think we've all been to restaurants we'd rather not go to for the sake of our SOs. I'm just glad he no longer insists that we go to La Feria. We went there all the time when we first started dating because it was his favorite at the time. Ugh.
I've since turned him on to Sazon. We both love the conchita pibil there. But then I'm all for any pork dish when its done right.
Recommendations for Maudie's?
I've been to three Maudie's locations.
The Lake Austin one was ok but not great.
The South Lamar location was so bad I won't order food there again if I'm somehow forced to go there. I'd rather eat first somewhere else.
The Davenport location was the best one that I've been to. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. The beef fajita enchiladas with chipotle sauce which I've gotten at all three locations was much better there. The rice and beans was nothing special though. Its not my favorite place to go for Tex Mex but it'll do. Plus my bf loves their Pura Vida margarita. They're so strong I only drink half before giving him the rest.
Pool with eats
If you don't mind trying to find parking, Casino el Camino has pool tables and great burgers. I'm not sure if Jackalope has pool tables but they have also have good bar food. The guy who put together the menu has a brie obsession and told me the original menu he came up with had brie on everything. I like his chicken and brie sandwich among other things. Buffalo Billiards also serves food although I've never eaten there before.
Who have the best pie for holiday?
Avenue B grocery used to carry their pies wrapped up in individual slices. I would always get a slice with my sandwich when I lived two doors down from them. Does anyone know if they still do?
Truffle Dishes?
I was at Vespaio last night and they had two dishes with truffles in it on their nightly special menu. One had free range chicken with one of the side dishes having black truffles in it which I ordered. The other was their veggie trio dish which has a truffle risotto as one of the options.
My dish was very good but the most outstanding thing for me was the crispy polenta that they served with my pancetta salad. I swiped the marrow from my friend's meat mixed grill and smeared it on my polenta and it was divine.
888
They didn't give you any pork blood? Its actually canned and cut up in squares. Sometimes you can see the mold of the can still on the cut. My mom also serves the canned pork blood. Having butchered various poultry in our backyard and seen the blood made into pudding, the canned color is more of a blandish brown and not the rich deep red color of the blood pudding made from fresh blood.
The service there can be spotty sometimes. They've forgotten my periwinkles before for my bun rieu. But once I pointed it out it was rushed out to me. But the noodle bowls are so delicious that its a minor detraction for me.
Dragged Kickin and Hollerin Into Chuy's on North Lamar
I actually was at the Chuy's for a Dining for Life group dinner. (I was outvoted.) I was hungry waiting for a table to open up for such a large group so I tried the sauces and it was exactly how sc discribed them. When the food came, the waitress gave me my Chuychanga, leaving the last plate balanced on one side of the tray to go crashing to the ground and spraying our feet with food and shards of glass. We had management come over and I actually felt bad for our server because it was clear she was visibly shook up afterwards.
Dog Friendly in Austin?
I've taken my dog to TacoDeli, Flip Happy Crepes, and Torchy's Tacos before. And Freddie's is probably the most dog friendly place we've been to. She always has little kids coming up to pet her there.
Pho & Great Steak
You're welcome, MPH. Its the only place that gives you the sawtooth herb which grows in my mom's backyard that I've found. But I have ordered regular brisket and gotten fatty before. I also didn't get periwinkles with my bun rheiu but the waitress quickly brought that out for me.
I still haven't been to the new Chinatown center since I keep stopping at either Din Ho or Pho Saigon and never make it there. But since its on the way to Its a Jungle, I'll try the other Pho Saigon on my way to picking up an orchid or three.
Pho & Great Steak
Ok, I've got to put in my two cents on pho. My mom's Vietnamese and we immigrated over when I was really young. I grew up on the stuff.
And the place that I've found has the most authentic pho and is even better than my mom's is the Pho Saigon next door to Saigon Market. The servers don't speak English that well so just stick to ordering by the number on the menu and they won't get it wrong. My friends who I introduced it to says the the broth is slightly better than Tan My. One friend does find the brisket too fatty for his taste at Pho Saigon but that's a matter of preference. I personally love fatty brisket. They do say that the service is better at Tan My but Pho Saigon has my money because they make a lot of the stuff I grew up with. And I don't have to make the trip to Houston and hear the constant nagging on when I'm getting married.
Since moving down South, I've tried Pho Thai Son and I will never go back. The broth tastes just like the broth at Mekong River, bland and barely acceptable. I've been forced to make a lot of trips up North to get my Vietnamese food fix on.
Bee Cave BBQ?
So how are the prices? And is one portion big enough to split among two people?And what sides are offered?
I've been curious about Rocky Creek BBQ since I drive by it all the time on the way to Reimers Ranch. The bf has been to the Lazy Fork a while back and said he got some special which included a lot of good food but can't give me any more details. Since I bring the dog out with me, I don't want to leave her in the car for long so Lazy Fork's out but I can definitely make a pit stop at Rocky Creek.
Best Dishes at Thai Kitchen?
When I go with my friends we always order the beef puffs and fish cakes.
The Tom Yum Gai is comfort food for me and I usually get it to go for later comsumption.
I love super spicy foods and usually order from the daily special five pepper list which is only from the dinner menu but you can always ask if they will prepare it for lunch. My favorites from it is the Love and Cry and the Spontaneous Combustion. The Love and Cry is chicken and veggies in a spicy green curry sauce while the SC has chicken, scallops, fish, squid, and shrimp in a spicy red sauce with a lot of thai basil flavoring the sauce.
For those of you who don't care to have a layer of tongue burned off, they can make it less spicy for you.
I went Saturday to the William Cannon location and had the Love and Cry there, and it was WAY spicier than the Guadelupe location.
The Guadelupe location's spice level varies a lot from very spicy to somewhat spicy when I've gotten the five pepper items.
I still haven't been to the Bee Caves location although I live pretty close to it. I'll have to give it a try.
888
The place I go to for Bun Bo Hue is Pho Saigon next to Saigon Market. I've been there where all the Vietnamese people ordered it including me. You can definitely taste the lemongrass in the broth which is very tasty. Its even better than my mom's.
They have given me the shrimp paste condiment in the past for it but not always. But it is available if you ask.
I've also had the bun bo hue at Sunflower but wasn't as impressed with their version.
The Rib Eyes at Mesa Ranch
That's because Houstons has one of the more rigourous training programs out there. If you wanted to work Friday or Saturdays, you had to go through additional training. At least that was the rule of thumb when I still knew people working there.
Any Good Asian Restaurants in S. Austin?
Asian food up North is covered pretty well on a couple of other threads so I'll try not to be too redundant.
I'm Vietnames and am very partial to food that reminds me of my mom's cooking. For that, I love going to Pho Saigon next to Saigon market on N. Lamar. The quail, pho, bun bo hue is what I usually crave but the menu is extensive and all quite good. Although the bun rieu has gone down in quality since it opened, you can get periwinkles with it which is how my mom served it.
The Saigon market cafe next door has some Vietnamese home cooking that I don't see at any other restaurant.
Other places I miss and still burn gas to get to: Sunflower, Din Ho, T&S Seafood, Korea House, and Sushi Sake(on virtue of the Spicy Susan roll alone).
BTW I visit Madam Mam's and Thai Kitchen quite a bit but haven't found a place whose pho broth passes my standards. I haven't been to Hai Ky in a while, my ex lives right next to it but I might take the risk sometime.
Any Good Asian Restaurants in S. Austin?
I've been living in Austin for the past 11 years but have just recently moved south of the river for the first time. I still go up north to get my Asian fix but have been completely underwhelmed by the restaurants I've been to down south.
Any recommendations for Vietnamese(more specifically pho), Chinese,Thai, or Japenese. I'm not even going to ask for Korean, I've heard horror stories about D.K. on First. I want to find places nearby because sometimes I don't want to fight traffic to get my fix.
