nacho's Profile
Any Good Non-Chain Non-Pricey Restaurants Up North?
Reeds closed.
Across the street is NXNW. There's also Manuel's on Jollyville. And I'll second Bombay Bistro.
I live near 183 and Braker, and it's chain restaurant hell, unfortunately.
Tex-Mex breakfast
Two of my favorites for tex-mex breaky are:
http://www.elsolylalunaaustin.com/
and
http://www.nuevaaustin.com/
Both are great for some patio dining on a nice April morning.
Coffeehouse for Writer?
Ha...that reminds me of another good spot at 519 W Oltorf...the Green Muse.
Coffeehouse for Writer?
I agree on all three...Flight Path was the quietest of the 3 (I've only been there once though...might have been a slow night...they do sell earplugs if you want it REALLY quiet). Epoch is fun, but pretty bustling. And Genuine Joe's is my favorite place to meet up with people.
Best Dessert Dish on South Congress?
I need your suggestions...I'm going to South Congress Cafe for a special dinner for two tonight. Part of the beauty of South Congress is that there's so much stuff within walking distance that we aren't glued to the same restaurant for dessert. So, what are the best dessert dishes on South Congress and where? And for the twist, I'm looking for desserts without alcohol in them!
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Tea shops?
Has anyone been to Jade Leaves Tea House yet?
I had a good time chatting over a pot of darjeeling at the Steeping Room yesterday. Great tea, great service. I didn't try the food though.
Best Vietnamese Sandwich in north Austin?
Thanks Seamus...Ba Le was my fave too, and nothing else tastes right now! I loved all the stuff up on the counter sealed in plastic wrap. I didn't know what much of it was, but had a good time buying whatever looked interesting and digging in.
I'll check out Thanh Nhi. Where are they located?
What happened to Curra's?
Clarification...I was talking about the one on Burnet Road, since I knew that one to be relocating.
What happened to Curra's?
According to the Chronicle and Statesman, Curra's is looking for a place with a bigger kitchen to do more catering. New location TBD.
The Frisco is going to relocate to that building in the next few months.
Lard
I've bought "fresh" lard at La Hacienda market on 183 around Peyton/Gin...it was $1.89 for about 2 lbs as well. It's a small, clean little market that I like to go to for things like dried chili peppers, El Milagro corn tortillas, or anything too ethnic for my regular supermarket.
Mexican Food in North Central Austin
"Just south of Koenig Lane on Lamar, across from the Half Price book store..."
Do you mean El Carribbe, next to the Korean grocer? I've been for breakfast twice and really liked it, though it's been a while. I seem to remember being a bit confused by the chip and salsa situation though....like there's a salsa bar or something that wasn't apparent if it was a help-yourself type thing. Anyway, I keep meaning to go back and try it, but always forget it's there.
ISO Paella
I had EXACTLY the same opinion of the paella at Sampaios. I wouldn't order it there again either.
Corn tortillas in Austin
El Milagro is my favorite as well. I usually buy them from the hispanic market on Research around Payton Gin...I forget the exact address. I think the name of the market is La Hacienda.
[AUS] Lunch-only places?
Nueva Onda, just off South Congress, is one of my favorites.
http://www.nuevaaustin.com/
[AUS] Quick & Healthy
I eat at Zuzu a lot for healthy options. They have great salads (I like the mahi mahi, and the grilled chicken), and while their rosemary vinagrette dressing is awesome, I usually top mine with pico de gallo and their red salsa instead.
If I'm in a not so healthy mood, I really like their chicken flautas with a side salad and a side of black beans.
There's no drive through, but they are pretty quick packaging up a to-go order.
Chinese Moon Festival in Austin?
A friend who travels to Hong Kong a lot told me that tonight is something called the Mid-Autumn Harvest Moon Festival. Basically, tonight's full moon will have the moon at its maximum brightness for the entire year, and the people of Asia celebrate this event. He said Din Ho is usually swamped on this night. Sooo...anyone know of restaurant events going on in Austin tonight (Din Ho or elsewhere) where I can observe the cultural festivities of this lunar event?
[Austin] old Starlite location?
In case anyone wants closure on the lunch comment, we decided to try Salvation Pizza...but it turns out they are not open for lunch. So we scooted over to Milto's. I had a small greek salad and a slice of pizza. The salad was pretty good, and the slices were okay, not outstanding. Definitely worth a second try though.
[Austin] old Starlite location?
Hmmm...good timing from today's Austin Chronicle Food-o-File:
The owners of Salvation Pizza (624 W. 34th, 535-0076) are still waiting for their beer-and-wine license, so it's BYOB for now when you stop by to enjoy their pizza
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A397704
So, has anyone been?? I'm meeting some friends for lunch today, and we were planning on hitting Milto's, but I'm wondering if we should give Salvation Pizza a try instead.
[Austin] old Starlite location?
I seem to recall reading somewhere that the old location of Starlite was going to become a pizza place or something. Is this right? Is it open now? Anyone have any details?
[Aus] Good Vegetarian Meals at Non-Veg. Joints?
I'm not a huge fan of Austin Java, but today I went with co-workers and tried the Veggie Plate (under the appetizer section of the menu):
Veggie Plate
A whole lot of veggies! Served with [red pepper] hummus dip, black bean & corn pico, mashed potatoes, roasted red peppers, tortilla chips, the veggie of the day and a cup of one of our soups
I enjoyed it. The only downside is that the veggie-of-the-day was corn. Blah. But I'd definitely order it again (and hope for broccoli or asparagus or something as the VOTD next time).
AUS: Update on Chinese shopping center on N. Lamar
Well, despite the new name, "MT Supermarket", the shelves are fully stocked. The new store is great...it's basically an Asian-HEB. The produce section had a good selection of fresh veggies at good prices, the seafood counter and live tanks smelled much better than at the old location, and they have a good selection of housewares.
This is also the only place that I've noticed "half sized" bottles of Squid brand Fish Sauce. I have several friends who are intimidated about buying the regular size bottle (25 floz?) b/c they know they won't go through that much fish sauce any time soon. Although, maybe the bin tags were wrong, but the small bottle was the same price as the large bottle.
The only thing I still couldn't find was bottles of OB Lager from S.Korea. So my search continues.
When I was in on Saturday, if you spent $70 on groceries, they would give you a free 10lb bag of Thai jasmine white rice.
AUS: Update on Chinese shopping center on N. Lamar
Still no specifics, but I recently found this article:
http://www.590klbj.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=52218
Austin to get a Chinatown
590 KLBJ-AM
6/6/2006
Austin is joining the likes of New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles with the introduction of a new Chinatown Center which is set to open at the end of the month. It may be quite smaller than those cities for now but Tan International Group is building The Chinatown Center on North Lamar near 183. It will include a 70,000 square foot grocery store, around 40 retail stores and 7 restaurants all catering to the Asian community. Alex Tan, with the group, says the Asian population in Austin has tripled in the last 15 years and now they will have a central place in Austin to fulfill some of their needs as opposed to before when they had to travel to Houston or Dallas.
