ftf's Profile
Anything in Burnet - the town, not the road?
Not aware of any Italian. The Maxican across from the airport is a nice, sit down restaurant with an all around, although Tex-centric, menu. But the food is good and you get free back rubs from the owner's mom. Tea-licious on the plaza is good for light dishes (quiche, salads, etc.) but I don't know if they're open for dinner. For Tex Mex there's a good one across from HEB on 29, but the name escapes me.
Food near Hyatt Regency
Zax is nearby and has a great Sunday brunch. The Zax Eggs (poached eggs on crabcakes with Hollandaise Sauce) are outstanding. Also have a wide selection of beer on tap and reasonably priced wine selections.
What happened to Opie's BBQ in Spicewood???
It was open last Sunday. You realize it moved last year, right?
BEST MAC AND CHEESE???
Depends what you want. If you're looking for traditional, creamy style mac and cheese, Pok-E-Jo's is hard to beat.
Castle Hill replacement
I would second this, with one caveat. We ate there recently and the menu is very similar to the old Castle Hill. We ordered a bottle of reasonably priced wine. After checking and seeing that they were out of our selection, the waiter recommended another bottle. Come to find out when we received our bill that it cost twice as much as our original choice. Shame on us for not asking, but still. I'll go back for the food, but will be more diligent in on wine price in the future.
Vegetarian options at BBQ pits?
I heard today that Artz has a sign up that says "Closed temporarily. Hopefully". I haven't confirmed. Anyone know if this is true and what's up??
Austin - Tex Mex (Chuy's, Fonda San Miguel, Manuel's)
Based on your parameters, I would go with Manuel's on Sat. night. But it's not necessarily traditional Tex-Mex. There's no way to reasonably walk to Chuy's from downtown. If you want something else within walking distance, there's also El Sol y La Luna on South Congress, But it's a little of a hike. Keep in mind, none of these places are the top of the list when it comes to sit down Mexican food (other than Fonda, that's a great choice). If you change your mind and are willing to cab it, there are several places on South First/South Lamar that I like. Have fun.
Chuco's..he-hem...10th Street Tacos
Closed!
New sign for a place called The Screaming Goat. They have a Myspace page and appear to serve pretty much the same thing. Anyone heard about it?
Athenian Grill opening Tuesday July 22nd
sorry to be dense, but where did it reopen? Is it in an office building downtown?
Some places known for their chicken wings
Finally tried these for lunch today at Green Mesquite. Good size, meaty wings and drummettes, mesquite smoked, then finished with a traditional BBQ sauce. They are not spicy like a Buffalo style hot wing, but they are very good.They taste and look like they keep them on the smoker and then finish them over the grill with sauce when you order, as some of the sauce has the look like it's been hit with a flame. I cook these occasionally for myself at home in a similar manner and these are as good or better than homemade. You can order them as a plate and get two sides, or alone off the appetizer menu. I got them as a plate because I do like Green Mesquites green beans and potato salad. I had stopped going to GM a few years back because the quality of their BBQ had gone way downhill over the last several years, but I'll definitely back for these.
Castle Hill Cafe closing
Castle Hill does a few things very well. Entree Salads and inexpensive, but very good, wines for example. They will be missed.
I ate dinner there tonight and talked to the hostess about it. Some of the current dishes will remain on the menu, including a couple of the salads.
Father's Day Brunch, East 50s
Looking for a nice brunch locale for tomorrow around 50th and Madison. American traditional or Chinese preferred.
Ideas?
Lunch/Brunch Idea for Sunday?
Zax
Get the Zac Eggs. 2 poached eggs covered with crab and hollandaise sauce.
Downtown eating: not expensive, Mexican or chain?
Another vote for Zax. I have not had a bad meal there. The service can be slow on busy nights, but the food and beverage are great for the price. They have a remarkably reasonably wine list.
bj's brewery
I wanted it to be good. The house beer is decent, although the pale ale has more of an English Ale taste for my liking. They do have a wide selection of non house brews, so my second was a very good Sierra Nevada Celebration.
Unfortunately, the food and (particularly) service was not on par.
We ordered dumplings as an appetizer for 4 and they arrived quickly along with our drinks. Not an expert, but I would guess these were frozen first. Overcooked on the outside and tasteless on the inside.
Rest was a disaster. Took over 30 minutes more for the entrees. Finally a manager came by and told us we were getting our meal comped. Then three of us had our meals delivered. The fourth (my teenage daughter, who I'm sure you'll not be surprised was not so understanding) had her pizza delivered at least 5 more minutes later. It was tasty when it finally arrived (after everyone else was done), but I'm a sucker for deep dish.
I ordered the fish tacos, which the say on the menu is their specialty. It says lightly fried, but these were crusted and appeared deep fried. They were served tepid, as if they'd been sitting out a while. The guacamole side was good, though. Others in the group had a salad and a burger, both of which were uneventful.
Slow service will keep us from going back. If the food would have been top notch, might have resulted in a second look.Unfortunately, that's not the case in a part of town that really needs a decent mid level restaurant.
ftf
Best Cuban in Austin
I champion it a lot, but Zax really does have a great Cuban. It's been a few months since I had one, but the ham and pulled pork are grilled perfectly and it's served on a tasty roll. Plus, they're twice cooked fries go well with it.
New Mex instead of Tex Mex?
Anyone been to Chuco's yet? Just opened last month and is supposed to be El Paso style.
Sports bar that goes beyond bar food?
if I remember correctly, I think it opens sometime next week.
Sports bar that goes beyond bar food?
BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse is about to open down south in Sunset Valley (behind Red Robins). It's a So. Cal chain. I went to a invite only lunch this week with a limited menu and it was decent. Chopped salad with chicken and honey mustard dressing. Other folks with me had personal sized pizzas (including a vegi option). Really high ceilings with TVs splashed around. I don't know whether I would throw it in the sports bar category, but would assume that they'll be showing sports when they're on (at lunch, we were stuck with MSNBC and ESPNNews). It was a pretty limited menu for our lunch, but they let us look over their standard menu and it runs the gamut from potsticker appetizers, burgers and pizzas to fish tacos and salmon entrees. Not sure that I'll make it back much, as I'm not much for the scene, but if you want a Bennigan size menu (that was much tastier, at least on our limited items), than you may want to check it out.
Non-chain pizza deliveries in Westlake Hills?
Have you called Pizza Nizza? They're located on Bee Cave Road.
Littlest Bar
Tiniest Bar in Texas. Just east of Lamar on Fifth, cattycorner from Whole Foods. Never been. Just drive by it every day.
Dress code
Headliners is the only place I know in town that kinda sorta has a dress code. Not sure they would let you in with flip flops. Not really worth going to, though.
South Austin supper outdoor music-less
Welcome to Chowhounds! Zax has a nice patio off to the side and if there's music, it's typically playing indoors. If you change your mind about Mexican (and they have lots of items without dairy) Los Palomos at Bee Cave and Walsh Tarlton has a patio that, even though it faces a parking lot, is not bad. It's one of my favorite restaurants but I know others here aren't as fond of it. ftf
Fried Chicken Recs
I agree. It doesn't exist in Austin. I moved here 17 years ago after spending a lot of time the prior 3 years in Kansas City and eating at Strouds about every time I was there. Moved down here and have been looking since. Chicken Fried Chicken is about as close as you can get. Original Threadgills used to have a decent one of those, but I haven't been there in years and heard it had gone downhill. The new Threadgills is not good at all.
Ruggles
Austin Cheesecake Kitchen. Don't think it's affiliated with the Cheesecake Factory. Directional signage within the shopping center has been up for several weeks. Anyone know anything about what they will serve? And by the way, that place is quickly becoming a snake bit location.
Who serves a good black & blue steak in Austin?
Austin Land & Cattle has it as an option on their menu, but I've never tried it.
Looking for best meat loaf in Austin
Artz Rib House does an outstanding version as a lunch special each and every day. Very little (in fact, probably no) tomato sauce, which is a plus for me. Great brown gravy, Comes with mashed potatoes and corn.
