nelgie123's Profile
Restaurants in South/Southwest Austin?
Chefdavis, you're right-I mean Escarpment.
As for the nachos at Hecho's Mexico, I've never had them there. If I wanted nachos, I'd go to Chuy's or La Familia. Hecho specializes in moles, which you wouldn't get at either of those places. Before you judge then on one dish, you should go back & try something they specialize in.
Restaurants in South/Southwest Austin?
We like La Familia a lot too! There's a new Indian Grocery right next door and they have plans to open an Indian restaurant in the same shopping center. In the meantime Tarka (in Sunset Valley), which is like Clay Pit's Pei Wei is a great place to eat!
For pizza, Austin Pizza Garden on 290/71 before Wm Cannon is great! I think they actually deliver now.
Mandola's isn't opening until March, so you'll have to wait a while. I'm surprised no one's mentioned Yanagi, the newer sushi place next to Gold's Gym on William Cannon & Mopac. It's awesome!! I also like Hecho Mexico, which is a little farther West on William Cannon, almost to Slaughter. I've enjoyed their mole, ceviche, and par de huaraches.
Welcome to the hood!
Dream Dinners and/or Super Suppers
We've done Dream Dinners many times and I've liked everything we've tried. The one in Sunset Valley gives you the option of assembling the meals yourself (which is nice because you can adjust seasonings) or picking them up pre-assembled. The quality of food is good & they have a lot of vegetable sides you can add if the entree is mainly meat. There are a few you have to bake an hour but it comes assembled in the pan so all you have to do is throw it in the oven so that doesn't bother me. The Sunset Valley store is having their 2-year anniversary Sunday the 18th with Sara Hickman playing and food demos. All the $ goes to Caritas!
As for the Soup Peddler, we used to order from them a bit. I think most of their food is reasonable too. I'd definitely read the reviews before you order something because I've LOVED some things and really hated others.
Give them both a try!
Stand Mixer-Hamilton Beach 63220 or Kitchen Aid Artisan?
Thanks everyone! This was for my wedding registry and I went ahead and registered for the Cuisinart. I appreciate your input!
Stand Mixer-Hamilton Beach 63220 or Kitchen Aid Artisan?
I've noticed Kitchen Aid Mixers have gotten a bad rap lately. In looking at reviews on Amazon, it seems like people are happier with the Hamilton Beach 63220 and the price is similar. I've never had a mixer before but I want to be able to make pizza dough, bread, etc.
Good eats in area of Brodie / Slaughter / Wm. Cannon / Manchaca
I"m not a fan of Tino's Greek Cafe but I only eat the vegetarian items so perhaps the meat is better? Either way, if you have decent Greek food where you live it doesn't seem worth it to me.
La Familia is a little Mexican place in the strip center on Wm Cannon between Mopac & Brodie. They have great salsa and nachos.
Pho Thai Son is really good-when my Dad was here I had to bring him there twice. Order the pho though-that's definitely their specialty.
I agree Evangeline over Cypress Grill.
Hope you find something good!
Melissa Teaff Catering and Knickerbocker's-any reviews?
We have our caterers narrowed down and I'm desperately searching for any reviews of these 2 caterers. The food and service are so important to us we don't want to make the wrong choice. Our wedding is in August in Calistoga.
Caterers in Napa-down to 3 choices
We're getting married in Calistoga in August and have narrowed the caterers from the list down to 3. We're coming out may 16th for a tasting and want to hear any opinions. We've narrowed them down to Melissa Teaff Catering, Knickerbocker's, and Rising Sun (soon to be Caridwyn & Sons).
If anyone has any opinion on these, let me know. We do have the option of using them:
Wine Valley Catering
All Seasons
Park Avenue Catering
Thank you for your help! I've found mixed reviews on Melissa Teaff but no reviews on Knickerbocker's. We're both foodies so we want to make sure the meal is delicious and the service is excellent!
Local source for kaffir lime leaf?
I found them last week at Central Market Westgate in the freezer section. I paid 60 cents for 6 leaves.
Austin wine bars?
Central Market South just turned their coffee bar into a wine bar. They did a really nice job, but it is in the middle of the store so it's not quite the atmosphere of Cru (or their prices). Their flights are very reasonably priced and their cheese selection is incredible since they're pulling it from the cheese dept. The best part is they encourage you to grocery shop with wine!
AUS -- Anyone checked out Woodland yet?
We went to Woodland tonight. There were 8 of us there to meet for drinks & dinner before strolling down SoCo for 1st Thursday. First off, they're waiting on their liquor license so the drinks are free. However, you only get a choice of 2 reds (barely drinkable), a white (didn't try), and a beer (Live Oak on tap-choose that). The atmosphere's nice-not too loud, great lighting, enough room between the tables you can walk around without hitting someone, and the tree & shingles work. However, the hostess has a different idea of how many people can comfortably fit around a table than we did. For 8 (which was supposed to be 9) she wanted to put us at a 6-person round. I asked her if she thought we could all eat there & she said they had before. I respectfully disagreed and we ended up at a 1/2 round for 5 with 3 chairs on the other side. We were definitely hitting elbows during dinner but at least we were all good friends.
The food was hit & miss. The mini-cornbread muffins they start with were cold and unremarkable. I had a starter salad with citrus dressing (waiters fave) and the dressing was pretty tasteless although the romaine was crisp. A friend ordered onion soup which I didn't try, but she was surprised at how sweet the onions were. Probably would have been okay if she expected that. The hit was the fish. A friend ordered drum & it was cooked to perfection. A little crust from searing on the outside and melted in your mouth on the inside. Perfect! I had the stuffed tomato, which needed s & p, but otherwise was good. My only disappointment was that it was swimming in cream which wasn't mentioned on the menu. Since I only eat fish I didn't try the rest of the entrees but I heard rave reviews about the burgers (the fries were perfectly crisp).
All in all, the service was great, the prices are very reasonable, and I'd definitely go back to try them again.
Best restaurants in houses
If Mars hasn't closed yet (they're moving) I'd recommend that!
Hottest Table Salsa in Austin
If you're in the mood for a healthy veggie breakfast taco get their egg white, spinach, and black bean. Fills you up for a while with all the protein and if you add the habanero sauce it has a lot of kick! I only eat fish but I've heard great things about their cowboy taco. I think that was one of the TX Monthly food critics top 100 tacos this year.
Hottest Table Salsa in Austin
Have you tried the habanero salsa at Tacodeli? Try a little of that on a breakfast taco-guaranteed to wake you up!
Soup Peddler Austin
The veggie chili is on the menu this week, which is one of my favorites. 'd be curious to hear what you meat eaters think of it! As I said in my previous post, he has some hits, some misses. I have to say, I avoid the ones that are cream-based, and although I don't eat meat I order for my non-picky boyfriend sometimes and he feels the same (hits & misses). David is very involved in the community-he always gives part of his profits to charity & that's worthy of respect.
In response to one of the previous posts about the peanut stew, I love sweet potatoes (except when people add sugar & marshmallows to them) but was really disappointed in the stew. I make a version that's heavy on onion, ginger, garlic, cumin, and jalapeno with a little bit of cinnamon, and it's got a lot more flavor! Maybe I just like that style better.
Seasoning for roast sweet potato wedges?
Lots of good ideas-I love the previous combinations too! The other night I made salmon with a soy ginger sauce and roasted red peppers with a wasabi vinagrette. I didn't want to do my usual cumin/cayenne/s & p, so I tossed them with olive oil, S & P, and a generous sprinkling of black sesame seeds. Simple & delicious and they complimented the rest of the meal perfectly.
Austin Korean food
I agree-Koriente is definitely a must! Fresh, healthy. delicious food in a great atmosphere. One of my favorite places for lunch.
Does anyone serve mock duck in Austin?
I used to eat it at all the Asian restaurants in Minneapolis but can't find it anywhere in Austin. Does anyone know of an Asian restaurant that serves Mock Duck? Thanks!
AUSTIN Happy Hours
219 West has a great Happy hour and it goes until 9 every night. They always feature a wine flight for $10 that's 5 nice sized pours, along with 1/2 price apps and martini shaker specials. Their food is hit & miss though. I'd avoid the quesadillas but the mini-burgers get good reviews and you can't beat the grilled asparagus with lump crab for $4.
Also, Mansion at Judges Hill has 1/2-off house wines (and they have good house wines-not Yellow Tail) and appetizers from 4-7 and it's rarely crowded.
Almost all the sushi places have Happy hours too. I recommend going to the website of your favorite places or calling and asking what their Happy Hour specials are. Almost everyone has some kind of special until 7:00.
Austin’s The Roaring Fork: What Am I Missing?
I've only eaten at the bar, and their ahi tuna tacos are one of my favorite ahi tuna dishes in town.
Also, I've met their pastry chef and had an opportunity to sample all their desserts one afternoon. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but enjoyed most of them because they weren't too sweet. At the time, she made all the desserts in-house so maybe that's changed in the past year.
I'll have to make a run for the dining room, or maybe I should just stick with the bar.
What to Try Before I Totally Give Up on Castle Hill
I love their basil cheese torte appetizer. I know it's been done forever, and people have been critical of them for leaving it on their menu. But pair it with a nice glass of wine and I'm in heaven. They also had a great vegetarian salad that had spanakopita and other little nibbles with it, but I think they took it off their menu.
Madam Mam's Westgate [AUS]
I'm surprised at all the good reviews of Madam Mam's. As a far Southie, I was excited by the prospect of a good Thai restaurant down here, but I was disappointed. I went with a friend who hadn't had Thai food before and was a little nervous about trying anything. She ordered the pad thai and it was horrible! I had soup (I wish I remembered which one) and it was okay but the flavors were out of balance. I asked for it to be spicy and it was very sour without a hint of spiciness. I guess I'll have to give it another try and order some of the other recommendations.
Soup Peddler Austin
I've ordered from the Soup Peddler about 15 times. I've had some things that knocked my socks off (their veggie chili is to die for!) and others I've actually thrown away (their couscous salad was tasteless). I LOVED their red beans & rice the first time I had it, and spent 15 minutes throwing every seasoning I could think of in it the next, so they have some consistency issues. I'd recommend trying a few things and keep track of what you like/don't like. There were a few seafood soups I'd never order again and one I really liked, and now I can't remember which one it was.
I wouldn't recommend the peanut stew (I make one with a lot more flavor) or the artichoke spinach bisque (definitely not worth the calories). But he has some gems (veggie chili, lentil stew) and he definitely uses fresh ingredients. I agree with the previous poster that it helps to try the samples at the farmer's market to see what you like.
Marco Polo dim sum slipped HUGELY
I think Golden Wok on I-35 & Parmer has great dim sum! I used to go to the one in San Antonio when I lived there and the shrimp sui mai is the best I've ever had. Even better than T & S. And their atmosphere is really nice, which to me always makes my meal a little more enjoyable. I'd highly recommend it!
