out of places you haven't been to, why not Barley Swine?

Any new Chili places open? Preferably one without beans and closer to competition style chili.

I would just visit the Asian supermarkets like MT. Pretty sure they will carry Tiger Shrimp.

try MT supermarket on N Lamar.

I can see the Bistec alla Fiorentina being $54 as its usually a dish meant for 2.

I'll check out this place when I can. Intrigued by the menu though not sure how it will pan out considering El Arbol closed in the same location with similar, perhaps even a lower price point.

I'm also interested in the pasta with bottarga and the razor clam crudo.

Most moist brisket is moist because its fatty. I happen to find their moist brisket serviceable but I will agree with you about their sausage and ribs.

In my experience, the one on Research is one of the better Rudy's.

You're going to have to ask one of the top Sushi places, Uchi, Tomo, Musashino. I don't think any of the markets carry it as its something that goes bad very quickly and a whole case is quite costly thus limiting its market. I think its actually better if you search for it online, I know there are several seafood online suppliers that carry Uni and have them ship them to you as I think that will be fresher than buying it in a market.

There are 3 types of Uni typically served in Austin Sushi restaurants, Santa Barbara Uni, Atlantic Uni, and Hokkaido Uni. I have a preference for the Santa Barbara or San Diego Uni as it tends to be sweeter. The closer proximity as compared to Hokkaido also usually means the Santa Barbara stuff is fresher.

Ok just had Tan My's Bun Bo Hue today.

Things I liked : Broth was very complex and yet balanced. Plenty of blood cubes and Pork Hock, more than other places. Vietnamese style boudin blanc slices were also nicely flavored. Liked that the Pork hock is a nice piece with even some marrow in the bone! Noodles were also cooked to very correct consistency and were the real Bun bo Hue noodles and not pho noodles.

Things I wish was better: Wish the tendon filled sliced beef shank was used instead of the sliced beef flank you find in Pho. While herb accompaniments were very fresh and the traditional purple cabbage was served, wish the traditional sliced banana peel accompaniment was also served. Still these are fairly minor quibbles.

I like the Duy and Pho King BBH though I haven't tried Tan My's yet.

Haddington's would be fine. Its not really a date night atmosphere, more a gastropub.

I'm also going to throw in Parkside, Barley Swine in to the mix.

nothing is going to be leaps and bounds better than City Market.

I will once again reiterate that Franklin's is worth the wait though.

well, your name says "I am an American" so undoubtedly her English was better : )

from the start it was a mutual marketing plan. Unfortunately El Greco doesn't even get to see the other side of the bargain fullfilled.

Go try it and report back!

"The first man to eat crab was a brave man."
-Confucius

you have some good choices.

Franklin's is worth it even if you have eaten at the temples in Lockhart and Luling.

I would add some Mexican food to your itinerary. Maybe hit up La Condesa.

Its cliche, but stop by Mozarts for some coffee and dessert. Its not the best coffee but its more than passable and the view is nice.

Alternatively if you are a coffee fiend then try cafe de Medici.

Always open to try new cajun seafood places, I traveled to this restaurant on 1431 near 183.

Seafood and Sausage Gumbo : This is not a very dark gumbo. Nor is it super thick. It is more soupy and slightly thickened by the okra. There is a deep richness throughout it that makes me want to continue having more spoonfuls. I couldn't detect any seafood aside from shrimp but my god the shrimp. They were plump and juicy and tender. I could clearly tell that the shrimp had been added most likely after the gumbo was ordered and cooked quickly in the broth before being brought to the table. While this might not be authentic, taste wise I feel that this is the superior technique.

oysters on the half shell : Gulf oysters on the half shell and they had some mutant large ones. The flavor was a bit bland but the oysters were meaty and fresh. Gulf oysters usually have a bit less brine than some of the more pricy varieties anyways.

Mains : had the blackened red snapper. The fish was cooked decently with a right amount of spice levels. It wasn't mind blowing but was solid. liked the dirty/cajun rice that it was served with. The rice had bits of sausage and chicken livers running through it. Didn't really like the mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, zucchini), nothing wrong with them, just kind of boring.

Mahi Mahi with crab and shrimp cream sauce. fish was cooked decently with a generous amount of crab meat on top and 2 or 3 shrimp. The cream sauce was enjoyable. Again, solid though not mind blowing.

Didn't get to try the steaks or the scallops this time but will next time. Will definitely go back for the gumbo and oysters.

Pho King - east parmer ln, 1 to 2 miles east of I-35.

When I was told of this restaurant I thought that surely it would be a gimmick with a name like that. Nonetheless I decided to give it a whirl.

Vietnamese coffee. didn't like that it was premixed instead of dripped at the table but maybe its to facilitate people in a rush.

Bun Bo Hue- This was the real deal. pork hock, sliced beef shank, bouncy vermecelli noodles (not pho noodles), sliced white vietnamese sausage, authentic accompaniments of dried banana peel. The broth was complex and slightly spicy. My favorite Bun Bo Hue in Austin currently.

Pork noodle soup. I forget the exact name from the menu but this was a soup I have not had elsewhere in Austin. This soup had a porky yellow curry broth with sliced pork, shrimp, and these crispy shrimp chip like things that were studded with sesame seeds. The noodles were egg noodles. The broth was good and the noodles were good but I felt the pork could have been a bit less fatty.

Didn't try anything else though I noticed that egg cake was available as a choice edition on their rice plates. will get that next time.

I feel that its a place where if you just get standard pho or vermecelli, it won't impress you that much but if you are in the mood for some more funky vietnamese dishes, you should definitely give it a try.

So on New Year's day, I decided to go to El Alma Cafe on Barton Springs as I had been meaning to try it and they were luckily open on New Years Day and served more than just a brunch menu.

Service was good though if I had one complaint it would be that they brought water even if everyone at the table has ordered drinks.

drinks : didn't want anymore booze so ended up getting the aqua frescas. They are somewhat steep at $3 considering the size but the flavor was decent. Tried the strawberry, the Mango, and the Coconut. Liked the strawberry and coconut very much. The mango was a little light on flavor.

chips and Salsa : chips were served with a green salsa and a red salsa. The green was very good and tangy with a tomatillo base and a touch of avocado to make it creamy. There was a decent amount of heat too. The red salsa is more of a roasted tomato, roasted chili salsa. There is a decent amount of smokiness and it was a good contrast to the lighter green but being one who prefers fresh tomato salsas, I definitely preferred the green.

Apps : got the black drum ceviche and the sopa azteca. The ceviche had a decent lime kick and the fish was fresh. Also having it be served with tostadas instead of more of the tortilla chips was a good touch. The Sopa Azteca was kind of like a very thick tortilla soup. If you can imagine a mix between tortilla soup and cream of tomato/roasted pepper soup.

Mains : got the duck chili relleno and the grilled quail with mole sauce. The relleno is not fried, it is either roasted or baked. The duck inside was fairly moist and in shredded form and mixed with raisins and nuts. I do wish something could have incorporated duck skin in this dish as I so do love duck skin but it was still pretty tasty. essentially pulled duck stuffed in poblano. I wish the sauce that came with this dish didn't taste so similar to the Sopa Azteca though.

The grilled quail with mole was fantastic. The 2 quail was tender with a good flavor of the grill and the mole was deep complex with definite hints of chocolate, dried chilies, almonds.

Sides : got a side of elote. It was very enjoyable with a rich sauce, good amount of queso fresco, and really took off with a squeeze of lime. Wish it was a bit less than $3 though. Also wish they cut it in to cobbetts as eating a whole one on the cob is somewhat unwieldy albeit authentic.

All in all a good experience and I would definitely go back.

Have the beef tongue sandwich. It is in my opinion their best sandwich with that pepper relish and the charred green onions.

The $25 and $30 soups are meant for like 3 to 4 people. They come out on the large portable butane burners with the large pot on top.

I strongly suspect the portion size for the octopus bulgolgi and the chicken bulgogi to be different than the beef.

fish head curry is a dish pretty exclusively malay/singaporean. The Indian restauranteurs there wanted a dish to appeal to the heavy Chinese population and thus fish head curry was born.

I think you will have a hard time finding this dish in Austin and even if you do it will be a poor facsimile as the fish head should be traditionally freshly cut from a live fish. A frozen fish head just won't work very well.

Maharaja Indian Cafe on Spicewood Springs does serve a Goan Fish Curry but currently I don't know of any restaurant that serves a fishhead curry.

Fish and vegetables aren't the strong suits of Tex Mex. Uchi is a fine choice to represent Austin.

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Uchi Restaurant
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

sqwertz, its on the south west corner of 183 and lamar. so if you are coming north on lamar then stay in the right most lane that goes to the overpass. turn right at the 183 service road, turn right again immediately in to the industrial looking complex there. Southern hospitality faces 183.

and tuesdays is fried chicken day there, not just wings.

There are lots of places that makes empanadas. Off the top of my head, Mi Columbia and Al Sur but I'm sure there are quite a few more.

A few other suggestions

Haddington's, Contigo, Justine's, Chez Nous, eastside Show Room for casual bistro style dining.

Congress, Vespaio, Perla's for more formal dining.

For BBQ I would rather go to Franklin's or Live Oak BBQ.

Do a food trailer tour for one of your meals.

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Vespaio
1610 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Chez Nous
510 Neches St, Austin, TX 78701

To be fair, I was only at the North location. I'm not sure if the Manor one is also open.

I remember Hoover's being open on Thanksgiving but serving a traditional Turkey dinner and not all of their regular menu.

you could always go to Uchi or Uchiko, both of which are open on Sundays.

If you are up for casual bistro, you could also try Chez Nous, Justine's, Haddingtons.

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Uchi Restaurant
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Chez Nous
510 Neches St, Austin, TX 78701

Uchiko
4200 North Lamar, Austin, TX 78756

ok just called Artisan Bistro and confirmed they have them. Looks like I'll be picking up some this weekend.