marfaboy's Profile
north Austin cheap eats or bar
You know, you get what you pay for - don"t expect too much when you're looking for "cheap eats"....
bjs brewery coming in march 11 to the north austin
I didn't realize there was already a BJ's location here in Austin - I went to a BJ's in Mau'i several years ago, and thought it was pretty good. Maybe it was just being in Mau'i.....
bjs brewery coming in march 11 to the north austin
That"s kind of a negative remark, don't you think? What do you base that on?
best bakery for a birthday cake?
Russell's did an EXCELLENT job on our daughter's wedding cakes, and his coconut cake, served daily at his bakery near Jefferson Square, is the best I've ever tasted....
GQ and Fino's
Mr. Norris has been replaced by Josh Loving, formerly of Vino Vino - he's an excellent bartender, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of wine....
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Vino Vino
4119 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX
In n Out in Austin?
So, "sqwertz", just curious - who makes the best french fries around in your opinion? You've indicated your distaste for the fries at In-n-Out and Hyde Park Bar & Grill, and I'm certain that we'd like to know what you consider a superior fench fried potato offering....
Does Anyone Know Anything About Don Dario's
After I saw your post it reminded me that I probably should have Googled this before asking about it on this forum. Yelp reviews are mixed, and there appear to be some real issues with the restaurant so far. Have any of the 'hounds been there?
And, yes - apparently they ARE affiliated with Dario's on E. Sixth Street.
Does Anyone Know Anything About Don Dario's
We have been noticing Don Dario's, a new, built-from-the-ground-up restaurant on the east side of IH-35 just north of the Slaughter Lane intersection. Based upon the packed parking lot that we seem to see every time we drive past, it appears to be doing some fantastic business.
Has anyone had any experience with this place yet? We've seen no advertising, and know absolutely nothing about it.....
Anyone been to Malaga?
I've visited Malaga several times, and have never had a negative experience. Excellent small plates, great wine list and authentic Spanish ambience. The restaurant relocated about a year ago from 4th Street to 2nd Street in downtown Austin.
Can I get an update on Justine's?
My assumption is that at this time the restaurant cannot afford to replace the current residential-level air conditioning with the necessary commercial-grade system - that could easily run $25,000-$30,000. If you've been to Justine's recently, and felt uncomfortably warm, can you imagine what it must be like back in the kitchen?
Can I get an update on Justine's?
I would think that if the management of Justine's wants any business at all this summer, they will rectify this A/C matter ASAP....as I've stated, I love Justine's, but comfort while dining is almost as important as the food.
Hamburger at Max's Wine Dive
Based on the prices you stated for the add-ons to a $17 hamburger, doesn't that total $30?
Can I get an update on Justine's?
They will accept reservations for parties of six or more. It's hard to predict the wait, but an hour or so is common on weekends, and maybe longer if the weather is bad and no one wants to sit outside. And, I'm curious about the air conditioning problem, too - I'm not going back this summer until it's fixed, or improved, or something.....
Uchiko
There is no secret - if you call, they will tell you that they are accepting a limited number of walk-ins from 5:00 - 6:30, and that the rest of the evening is reserved for "special guests and friends of Uchi"....
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Uchi Restaurant
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Uchiko
My wife and I went to Uchiko for one of the "soft opening" nights last Thursday, and yes, it was fabulous, with many, many highlights. But, what I can't believe is that no one has mentioned that all the menu items are half-price until the grand opening on July 6!
Justine's Has Serious A/C Issues!
We (and four guests) made our second visit to Justine's on Saturday, June 5, after being very impressed by our initial experience several weeks ago. Once again, the food exceeded our expectations - the cheese plate and escargot were exceptional beginnings to the meal, and each entree (steak frites, steak tartare, snapper, scallops) impressively satisfied. However, unless Justine's makes some improvements to their air conditioning system, we will not return until late in the fall. When we arrived and were seated for our 6:45 reservation, the room was uncomfortably warm, and by the time we had placed our drink and appetizer orders, we were sweating noticeably. When our entrees arrived, I asked our server if there was a problem with the air conditioning, and, without an apology, she simply stated somewhat curtly that their cooling system was designed for residential and not commercial use, and that it was working as hard as it could.
Hmmm....I wonder if City of Austin building codes require that commercial uses provide appropriate HVAC systems? Whatever....if Justine's plans on remaining open for the coming hellish Summer of 2010, I would recommend strongly that they spend some money on air conditioning improvements.
In-n-Out Burger is Coming to Texas!
Can Austin be far behind?
http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2010/05/24/first-in-n-out-burger-in-texas-is-approved-for-garland/
Trulucks Restaurant
I have visited Truluck's three times, twice downtown and once at the Research Blvd. location. I can honestly say that I do not understand how this restaurant has stayed open as long as it has - the food is overpriced, not particularly good, and there are too many other good dining venues in this town to waste time or money at this grossly overrated restaurant.
Gloria's Restaurant in The Domain Is Open
We went back to Gloria's for happy hour on Friday, February 5, primarily to try some of the appetizers we'd seen on the menu at our first visit there last week. At 5:00, the restaurant was less than a quarter full, but was very loud - this could mostly be attributed to the raucous group of women at a table close to ours, but it's obvious that this is not a restaurant where you'll want to take someone for dinner and quiet conversation.
We ordered frozen margaritas and mojitos - the mojitos were pronounced as "excellent", and we'd enjoyed the quality of the frozen margaritas on our previous visit. For our first appetizers, we had the "Ceviche Trio" ($11.99), a nice sampling of orange roughy and scallop ceviche and shrimp cocktail. Very clean and fresh, and the cocktail sauce had a slightly different sweet and spicy kick to it.
We followed that with the "Gloria's Supper Special" from the "Comida Salvadorena" section of the menu, a generous dish that included tamales, papusas, yucca, plaintains and black beans with rice. This platter was $10.99, and a good sampling of some of the Salvadoran items available from Gloria's. The tamales were especially good, steamed and hand-wrapped in banana leaves - they were nicely seasoned and filled with chicken, pork, potatoes and peppers.
We enjoyed the tamales so much that we ordered three more (at $2.00 each) to round out our happy hour.
We were seated in an area adjacent to the bar, with large windows facing one of The Domain's interior streets. It appears that these windows are designed to open wide, so it will likely be very open-air and appealing once the weather warms.
A good happy hour venue, and Gloria's continues to impress us......
Gloria's Restaurant in The Domain Is Open
AS A FOLLOW-UP: my wife and daughter had lunch at Gloria's on Tuesday, February 2. My daughter ordered the grilled steak fajitas, which she pronounced as "delicious", but my wife described her tacos al carbon plate as being not particularly tasteful. Not bad, just not anything that got her culinary juices flowing.
Each plate was $9.99, included rice and beans, and the tacos al carbon was accompanied by guacamole salad.
Gloria's Restaurant in The Domain Is Open
My wife and I visited Gloria's, the new "Salvadorian/Tex-Mex" dining venue on Wednesday evening. For those unfamiliar, Gloria's is a small chain with several locations in the Metroplex area - we had previously dined at their Rockwall location with friends last year, and were impressed. Austin's new Gloria's is located in the former Oakville Grocery building adjacent to the Border's bookstore in The Domain.
First, I have to point out that this restaurant is beautiful - it's very spacious and airy, and the interior design and lighting are extremely tasteful. The appointments, fixtures and furniture are much more elegant than one would expect in a dining venue serving this type of cuisine.
We arrived at about 5:30 for an early dinner, and were seated immediately. The restaurant opened last week, and has apparently not advertised, so there were only a handful of diners and four or five people sitting at the bar when we arrived. A hostess greeted us as we walked in, and tried to seat us in a dark corner next to the entrance. I asked for another table, perhaps one next to a window with a bit more light, and she accommodated us. We also noted that there is an outdoor patio with a fine view of the street - it's likely that this al fresco seating will be very popular during the warmer months.
We were promptly served complimentary chips with salsa and their signature bowl of black bean dip. The chips were fresh and light (but a bit salty), the salsa was good (but mild) and the bean dip was a nice addition to the typical "chips 'n salsa" offering. We also asked for a side of guacamole, which came quickly - it was acceptable, just a bit too smooth and a bit bland for my tastes.
We each ordered a frozen margarita, and they were good, but just a tad "mixy"-tasting. The second margarita was much better than the first (but they always are, aren't they?).
The menu is divided into Tex-Mex", "SalvaTex" and Salvadorian dishes. On our previous visit to the Rockwall location, we had sampled somewhat typical Tex-Mex plates (enchiladas, tacos, etc.), which were very, very good, so on this night we tried the Salvadorian menu items: I ordered camarones al mojo de ajo, grilled shrimp sauteed in garlic, and my wife had Churrasco Tipico, a grilled sirloin served with chimichurri sauce, Argentine sausage and plaintains. Both of our dishes were accompanied by black beans and rice.
My plate was good, and my wife's was exceptional - the sirloin was prepared to perfection, very flavorful, and the chimichurri sauce was a nice accompaniment. Portions were slightly large, particularly my helping of "grilled vegetables", as they were described on the menu. They were actually steamed, and not grilled, but they were good, nonetheless, and I did not complain.
Other menu items that looked interesting were the grilled quail, fish tacos and the ceviche and papusas appetizers, which we'll likely try on future visits.
We finished our meal by sharing the flan, a generous slice which was about a 7 on a taste scale of 10 (my personal benchmark for flan is that served at Fonda San Miguel, simply the best in the world). The check for drinks, dinner and dessert totaled $57.43, for which we left a 20 percent tip.
In summary, Gloria's is an above-average casual dining experience. It's likely to become a very popular happy-hour venue, given the quality of the margaritas and the aforementioned outdoor patio. It certainly qualified for return visits by my wife and me.
Places that are Popular to Hate
Sonic definitely has some tasty drive-in offerings, but I just can't handle the fact that they use MSG liberally in their food.
Places that are Popular to Hate
County Line seems to get no love on CH, but I like it.....
Req's for Honey Baked Hams
We haven't been fans of the Honeybaked Brand Ham for several years now. While once a very good holiday party and dinner offering, we have observed that there has been a definite decline in quality - more surface fat and marbling, saltier and chemical/additive taste . If I still ate ham (too much sodium for me these days), I would recommend trying the spiral-cut ham sold at Whole Foods.
They Want HOW MUCH?
I have to admit that some of the price increases described in this post might be justified based upon increases in transportation costs, minimum wage, taxes, etc. However, I am still astounded that the new entertainment venue in Cedar Park was selling 12 oz. Bud Lights for $8.00, and half-liter bottles of Aquafina water for $4.50 at last week's George Strait concert.
Pure greed.....
Great Tex/Mex in Austin?
Visit Matt's El Rancho at 2613 South Lamar - great Tex-Mex, excellent margaritas and a true Austin institution since the 1950's. Not downtown, but certainly worth the easy drive.
Fino Restaurant, Austin, TX /Dining experience from Thursday, 9/3/09
Well, I thought this person jumped all over me kind of needlessly - I mean, I've been to FINO more times than I can recall, and it sounds like he/she only went once before forming their completely negative opinion. And, if my tone was either "disdainful or dismissive", I certainly apologize for that - it wasn't intended as such.
But, we're all entitled to our civil opinions, which is why we have this forum.....
pub with best beer selection?
Opal Divine's has a pretty impressive beer selection, decent bartenders (who seem to know what they're doing), and a perfectly acceptable menu.....I think they have two locations, one on West Sixth Street, and another on North Mopac. There might be another one somewhere in town, just outside my realm of recognition.
