TAF's Profile
Opinions on samosas and spring rolls for party
Whole Foods downtown now makes pretty good veggie samosas daily. You can find them in the prepared foods section. I expect you could pre-order some.
Pulque?
I have seen it in bottles at La Michoacana Meat Market on E 7th, and I wouldn't be surprised if Fiesta sells it. Definitely an acquired taste, btw.
Chile Rellenos in Austin
The thread that lives forever! I read an Austin-based mystery a while back - 'Hippie Hollow - Murder on a Nude Beach' - where the hero, one B B Rivers, constantly stops in at local (actual) Austin eateries to sample his favorite dish - Chile Rellenos. Probably worth a read!
Fire breathing drink
You should probably ask around, rather than post here, since fire marshals take a particularly dim view of this practice. A key word to use would be 'Flaming Dr Pepper'.
Gusto
For me at least, the jury is still out on Gusto. I live around the corner, so stop in quite frequently, later in the evening, for a plate of pasta and glass of red at the bar - a positive experience, especially given the experienced bar staff who came from La Sombra.
Yesterday, however, I stopped in with five guests, and the experience was quite different. I think catering for groups is really where Gusto falls apart. I'll start with the service, which was lousy. It being a small place, we eventually determined that the server liked to hang out in the kitchen, emerging only as necessary to service a specific table, ignoring the waving and signaling from other tables (not just ours). At one point he even rushed past our table with a "how is everything folks?", not slowing down to hear a response.
Which was a shame, but everything was not okay. Every dish on the table (everything except the striped bass special) was heavily oversalted ... again. The kitchen staff have not lost their love affair with salt, I can tell you. One of the steak specials was a cut so fatty it was embarrassing, and the other was served cold - had been sitting around for quite a while before being served. We only found out later - when they unabashedly served us our check in full - that these steaks were $28 each. Wow. I can do better than that in my own backyard, which really sums up why I won't be recommending Gusto to anyone else at this time. Hopefully they will read these reviews and make the necessary changes.
We'd all love a successful Italian eatery in our hood, but not when you drop three figures for sub-par food and service.
Gusto
Yesterday I had the mushroom pizza, which was quite good - tasty, fairly thin, airy crust, easily large enough for one person. Also tried the pappardelle bolognaise - the sauce was excellent. No salt issues this time around.
Gusto
I was not familiar enough with Sampaio to determine whether any of the staff are currently involved with Gusto, however I did have a Pasta Carbonara there which did not seem very traditional to me. Seemed not to have much cream, nor parmesan, but would have been tasty enough were it not heavily oversalted.
Gusto
I went yesterday, and sat at the bar. Ordered the meatballs as an appetizer, they were tasty enough. Had the grilled flatiron as the main course, which was cooked as ordered and tasty. The sprouts were too undercooked for my personal liking, and chef swung by to say he'd cook them through in the future. All of the staff but two (I was told) are from the previous restaurant, so service was good. The owner (not the previous owner) was on point in the restaurant and the kitchen, taking an active role in the delivery of food and table setup. All in all, pretty good. I'll swing back by in a week or three and check out some of the pasta dishes.
La Sombra to become Gusto Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar
As I understand it, the owners of La Sombra on Burnet Rd are 'temporarily' closing it in order to relocate it, and are opening Gusto Italian Kitchen in its place.
http://www.gustoitaliankitchen.com/
There is a post on another web site with more detail on the transition, if you search for it. I figure if I post the link, I'll get modded.
LOOKING for Ketchup chips in Texas
I'm looking forward to some Marmite crisps later this month! I don't think I'll find those in Texas ...
Where to buy canned duck confit in Austin?
You might try Spec's - I think I picked some up from their flagship store in Houston some time back.
Chile Rellenos in Austin
I read the thread title, and thought wait, wasn't there a thread years ago about chili rellenos? I searched for a while, and then realized ... this is the thread from years ago! Funny.
New BBQ Trailer on S Lamar
... at least I think it is. I was waiting at the big carwash on S Lamar, and spotted this sizeable twin-axle trailer which I thought was in line for the carwash. But no, it had "Brown's Bar-B-Que" painted on the side, and a small "Open" sign. The friendly fellow served me up a juicy brisket sandwich on white ($5) and threw in a side of very tasty beans for free.
While waiting, I wandered around the trailer. This thing is huge, and I was curious why his prep/serving area only took up half the trailer. I soon found out why - his enclosed smoker was in the other half! Pretty neat rig, and very tasty 'Q', to boot. Worth a visit.
Take-out samosas
The samosas were made by a lady who lives in south Austin. A friend used to buy them directly from her by the frozen bagload, but she stopped doing that (sadly).
Indian Restaurant Happy Hour?
Sarovar on Burnet Rd used to have some sort of a bar attached to it, although the last time I visited was some years ago. The food just never appealed to me much, so I haven't been back.
Gordon ruined El Greco. Can it be saved from the RIP thread?
Did they have moussaka before? A good moussaka is incredibly hard to find in this part of the world.
Where can I get a good steak quesadilla without going downtown?
+1 on Jorge's - the beef fajita quesadillas are very tasty. El Mercado do them also, as do Trudy's. Yeah, I like my quesadillas ... !
The Worst Fish and Chips in Austin?
I happened to be in the Belmont today, which in my view is not the best place to be at lunchtime, but I thought I'd try the fish and chips anyway. Curiously, they arrived with actual potato chips ... deep fried! When I queried this, I was told 'sorry, thought you ordered the fish and *chips*'. The fish was average - they did have tartar sauce and malt vinegar, which you don't always even get.
Looking for the best to-go barbacoa in the Northwest Austin/Arboetum area
Mi Victoria Bakery on Burnet at Hancock sells to-go barbacoa. You can also buy it frozen from the HEB up the road.
Great BBQ with microbrew
Uncle Billy's Brew & Que? I'm not sure how great the Q is, but the beers are decent and there's even a new location out on the lake.
Anything in Burnet - the town, not the road?
Are you running at Reveille Peak? If so, they do have a decent kitchen there, and I've seen them bring in people to cook. Only things like burgers, but they taste pretty good after a long trail!
Share your not-so-traditional Valentine's
Pizza, pints, pool and pinball at the Parlor on Guadalupe.
Flat White
I spent January there - drank lots of the flat white and consumed much Chowhound-worthy food!
Flat White
Flat whites are originally from NZ, although are ubiquitous in Australia too. I make 'em at home fairly well using my cheap little espresso machine. Prepare an espresso, pour it into a large mug, then foam up some milk and pour this on top. I bet a coffee shop would do a better job of it, and I wouldn't be surprised if they'd been asked before.
The Worst Fish and Chips in Austin?
I stopped by Bits & Druthers the other day, as it happens. I wasn't hungry, so I only tried the 'chips', which turned out to be your standard order of fries - nothing chip-like about them whatsoever. Curious little food park, though.
The Worst Fish and Chips in Austin?
Ah, Danny - you must have missed out on the hapless Fiddlers Hearth, which occupied the Bennigan's location for a short time after they closed their doors. Imagine Bennigan's, but occupied by a clueless set of owners with no business plan....
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Bennigan's
4025 S Interstate 35, San Marcos, TX 78666
The Worst Fish and Chips in Austin?
Tried the fish and chips at Haddington's today, following a number of reports, some positive. Verdict: underwhelming, and at $15 a portion, deep sticker shock. The fish was cooked and battered properly, but the batter had no taste to it - seasoning needs to be added. The 'chips' are actually listed on the menu as 'frips', and turned out to be some sort of potato patty which had been deep fried, the result a somewhat soggy, oily creation. In addition, portion size was unimpressive - as though one piece of fish were shared between the three of us. All in all, not worth returning for unless they up the plate size and add seasoning.
