ieathereforeiam's Profile
Kome?
i go to the planet fitness over there and have noticed a line up starting around 11:45 and usually lasting through the lunch hour. I just pity they other poor souls who have to hang in their sauna food trucks and watch y'all be so successful.
Congrats and welcome to the 'hood
Tarka
I didn't see a separate posting for this place on the board. This surprises me. I've eaten at the one off Brodie a couple of times and one just opened near my neighborhood (Northcross Mall).
This place is great. I've never been a Clay Pit fan, or even a huge seeker of Indian food. This place feels right to me though. tender proteins served in spicy flavorful sauces with basmati rice and naan. They have loads of veggie options that don't feel like some sort of compromise. Best of all, the "spicy" option is actually spicy. It's that back of your throat slow build spice that you don't really get with most Mexican or Asian foods.
Today we had four things. a chicken marsala, lamb korma, saag aloo (potato and spinach) and a samosa chaat starter. total cost w/ two ice teas was $36. I took home enough for 1 full serving, which reheated well for dinner.
the starter was maybe the most lackluster of the gang, but still not bad and only a few bucks. Everything else had its own unique flavor and I would order again in a heartbeat.
Food took less than ten minutes to come out and the room is inviting, warm and well lit. Service was cheerful. It being opening day the owners where on hand so I'm sure that always helps. However, the staff was able to make recommendations and had obviously tasted a lot of the menu.
Of course it's not good to base an entire opinion (good or bad) off of a first visit on opening day. But they are trying to be a big chain and this experience mirrored the ones i had down south months ago.
Between Tarka, Hopdoddy, Chens, Phonatic, Bartletts and Dos Batos and then a little further down the NATY with Michi Ramen- Anderson has grown up a lot in the last year. Burnet road, lamar and airport are all coming along nicely as well, but I'll put the affordable food nexus on Anderson up against any square block on south lamar or congress right now.
Meatball subs?
I always like the one at Craig O's. fits your description last time i had it, which was about a year ago. i like the italian sausage as well.
Thinking of moving from Brooklyn, NY to Austin--what would I be in for, foodwise?
where did you find soup dumplings?
"Tiger" or "Rock" Shrimp in Austin???
hopefully these changes in Vietnamese shrimp farming don't alter the taste you crave. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Economy/223475/vn-shrimp-regain-japan-reputation.html
I'll happily defend gulf shrimp. Gulf waters always test way cleaner than the Ches. Bay. the murky waters mean lots of food for animals like shrimp to thrive on.
I'd venture to guess that you just aren't going to the right places to get your shrimp.
"Tiger" or "Rock" Shrimp in Austin???
I think folks would be surprised how many "chesapeake" crabs are actually from the gulf...and how many of their shrimp are from vietnamese farms.
Chile Rellenos in Austin
The Chile Relleno taco at TacoDeli is pretty awesome. I forget which day they have it.
Smoked beef rib the Switch or J. Mueller or else?
it just depends on the day. i've badass at both. never had a side by side. but stiles is round the corner so they get my vote on this one.
New Hot Pot Place on Anderson
Went back for dinner last week. This time we got the pork steamed dumplings and tried the hot pots. The dumplings were great, as they were last time when I got them fried.
The spicy hot pot broth was pretty damn good and had some real spice to it. We got two hot pots and 7 ingredients to cook in them: baby bok choy, wood ear mushrooms, chicken, meatballs, potatoes, spinach noodles and another mushroom i can't remember. didn't care for the texture of the meatballs, but the rest of the stuff was really good. We had a little one with us and ordered her a bowl of udon w/chicken.
Service was impeccable.
I have one main issue with this place. The portions are just too big. you really need to have three adults to eat the amount of food we ordered. The hot pot ingredients don't really keep all that well the next day. We opted to cook up all our leftovers on the spot and then take it home as a soup. didn't hold up very well the next day. you could take them all home raw and reheat the broth and cook it yourself at home i suppose. but taking home raw meat and chicken didn't really appeal to me at the time.
I think if they reduced portions and price by about 25% this place would be a regular part of my rotation. As it is, with a glass of wine and an iced tea total bill after tip came out to around $90. That isn't exorbitant for a nice dinner out for two, but it is substantially more than I had intended to spend at 7pm on a tuesday.
The flavors were great and the space was inviting. The noodle offerings aren't nearly as expensive and will keep in the fridge better. I will probably stick to those unless I'm with a bigger group.
Best way to experience Uchi?
both good suggestions. They also have some of the most informed servers I've encountered on a regular basis. I usually go in with a few must haves in mind and then ask them to pick some stuff out for me. Rarely have i been steered wrong.
Hard Hat Vol IX
A Verts is going into the same shopping center as the new hopdoddy, on the other side of the chiropractor. Read somewhere (here?) that a Tarka is going in across the street at Northcross somewhere.
Any good Greek food in Austin?
next time try the dolmas. They have a guy that comes in just to make them. Health code requires they sit in the refrigeration, but the last time i was there the manager offered to warm it up for me a little. really enhanced the depth of flavors. very nice either way.
Any good Greek food in Austin?
The Mediterranean Chef has some of the freshest and tastiest hummus, babba and beet salad in town. Good gyros and super friendly staff make this a regular haunt for me.
I know it's been discussed before, but... Ramen?
there are rumors that Paul Qui may be working on something in this realm on the east side. that would be pretty cool.
Fried or Grilled Tacos
angie's carnitas tacos are fried or grilled. Also, Matt's brisket tacos are in a fried shell. really good.
He's Baaack! Where have you seen Bourdain in town?
He filmed an interview with Alan from Neon Indian at lala's.
Hillside Farmacy Report: Good and Bad
I don't really think it overpriced if you consider the quality and source of the ingredients.
Overall view of dining scene in Austin
+1. those are some of the best restaurants (and values) in the nation. You can't eat at a NYC restaurant of the caliber of Uchi/Uchiko for the price anywhere else i'm aware of. Except maybe vegas.
Overall view of dining scene in Austin
by your own admission you haven't really checked out the spots that are driving the scene now. jefferey's, sienna...these are places that were overpriced to begin. Jeffrey's hasn't been innovative in a decade.
eastside king is cheap and pushes the envelope in terms of new offerings. as do a dozen other trailers in this town. barley swine, parkside, lenoir, elizabeth street, congress..more pricey but very good.
If you wanna stick to the old standards, I dare you to try and get lousy service at threadgill's.
I don't really understand the point of this post.
Hard Hat Vol IX
ugh, though I guess that could be some sort of deconstructed pistolette concept.
a little google search turns up that a lot of people seem to dig donut taco palaces #1&2 so I can only hope #3 lives up to its good name.
Hillside Farmacy to open in March
Opened today. I had breakfast of stumptown coffee, (sou vide)poached eggs, (rockstar) bagels, (housemade) lox and a half dozen oysters. I'm looking fwd to spending some time there working through the menu.
Love the interior. it is unrecognizable from its old days as gene's. they also have some pleasant outdoor seating as well.
They also had lot of local grocery items for sale, as well as a deli case and lots of locally baked goods.
First time i ever wished i lived on the east side. This place is going to be a big deal, both for the neighborhood and probably as a model for places in the rest of the state.
Hard Hat Vol IX
"donut taco palace #3" on the 6200 block of Lamar. i don't know if they will have donut tacos or tacos and donuts. didn't look like buildout was underway yet.
Sit-down places for Hot Tea
Hillside Farmacy on east 11th is doing some sort of High Tea Service in the afternoons. i think around 2.
I know it's been discussed before, but... Ramen?
I haven't had it yet, but chen z on anderson has ramen on the menu. I assume those noodles are made fresh as well, but I don't know that for a fact. The sign on the door says all noodles are made in house, so I have to assume it applies to ramen. Even though there was only one on the menu.
New Hot Pot Place on Anderson
Chen Z opened today. It is never fair to review a place on the first day of operations, so this is just meant to be informative.
Many of the same/similar offerings as Chen's up on research, plus some new ones and also the whole hot pot thing. I also saw ramen and udon on the menu. I dined solo so it limited the amount I could try. This place is best with at least two or more people as the portions are pretty large.
If you are a fan of the original Chen's food then you will not be let down. My food had the same flavor profile but was a touch more refined.
The interior is really comfortable. I was surprised at how many tables they got into that space without it feeling crowded. For those of us who have been frequenting his old joint, it is pretty cool to eat his food in a decorated clean place, on nice plates, with young friendly waitstaff and Thievery Corporation as background music.
I had an iced tea, green onion crepe and rib-eye stir fry spinach noodles. total was $20 after tip. I took home as much as I ate. They also had a beer/wine menu with lots of the usual suspects.
So glad this place is in the hood.
Olive and June opening night
With a few beers, a couple rounds of meatballs, 2 pasta dishes and several sides and small plates and a plate of the doughnuts it came out to about $85 bucks a head for the four of us...after tip. we had plenty to eat.
