Ashforth's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Sour Cherries
I don't know nothin' bout sour cherries, but I got some fablous black cherries at Central Market yesterday for $3.99/lb. They were big, juicy, sweet, and intensely cherry-y. They also went south overnight, so it was lucky we had eaten most of them. Refrigeration is apparently important.
Chowhound Post
New Paggi House?
I went with a group of nine for brunch at Paggi House today and left with no dount that it is now my favorite restaurant in Austin. The table was set up as a large square so all of us could see and talk to each other, our server Kelly was attentive and personable, and the food was delicious. As was mentioned in other posts and consistent with my previous visit, the service was not rushed, but not lax. When we made the reservation we told them that we were a family celebrating three birthdays and a college graduation, and after the entrees, Kelly told us that the restaurant had something for us and brought out a big dessert sampler plate with three desserts. Then he brought a $20 gift card for each celebrant. I have never had a restaurant do anything like that. I was blown away by the generosity of this gesture.
Tom made the rounds to each table while we were there and adjusted the volume of the music and the thermostat (we were in the "cold corner" of the restaurant).
This is a beautiful place with fine service and fine food (and free valet parking!). I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.
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bday celebration for group of 20
You might consider Jasper's. It has some nice private rooms and when I was there on a Friday night, business looked slow, so you probably wouldn't have trouble booking one. The food we had there was very good.
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Meryl Streep as Julia Child
For anyone in Austin, the Alamo Drafthouse on S. Lamar is doing 'Dinner and a Movie' with Julie & Julia on August 11, serving a five course dinner. The menu isn't posted on their website yet. My sister is taking me as my birthday gift, and I can't wait!
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Need help in selecting high quality frozen appetizers
Not trying to tell you what to do, but think about this: eight passed appetizers are a whole, whole lot of work. Appetizer stations promote mingling. They are your friends when throwing a party. If you have two stationary appetizers on different tables in diferent parts of the room and pass four, you should be in good shape.
I don't have Trader Joe's and haven't tried the frozen appetizers at Whole Foods, so I can't help you there.
Chowhound Post
New Paggi House?
Went to Paggi House tonight for the first time and it was wonderful. Four of us shared appetizers, then had salads and dessert. The apps were all delicious.
Carpaccio was melt-in-your-mouth tender with big beef but not too strong of a flavor.
Cheese plate had small portions of six cheeses and the honeycomb perfectly complemented the blue cheese (could have used more toast)
Bruschetta featured a generous amount of cheese to spread on and a small crock of roasted cherry tomatoes that were still juicy and perfectly fresh tasting.
Tenderloin brochette was tender and had a real pow! of flavor and was accompanied by a delicious sauce and peppery arugula salad
Crab cakes had big lucious chunks of crab and were well seasoned. They were fab despite the presence of red pepper (boo!)
The arugula salad with roasted beets was good but not a knockout. The heirloom tomato salad looked fanstastic but I didn't taste it.
Desserts:
Strawberry shortcake's berries were delightful, but as a whole it wasn't a standout and the peach sorbet that accompanied it didn't compliment it well, to my taste.
Bread pudding was delicious and came with berries. We got vanilla ice cream instead of espresso ice cream. I'd like to have it again with the "right" ice cream, even though the vanilla was fine.
Peach melba was also wonderful, the peaches were perfect and the almond cake was light and delicious
German chocolate tartlette was a triumph, with a thick, dark ganache and sweet, salty deep caramel ice cream.
The service was excellent, warm and friendly, attentive but not pushy. It far exceeded the service I had at Trio (yep, still bitter about Trio). This was one of the best dining experiences I have had in Austin, hands down. I'm looking forward to going back for Sunday brunch! And for dinner.
Note to the person who asked about handicapped access: They have an elevator, but it's broken (apparently despite numerous attempts at repair). One of my group has physical limitations; she made it up the stairs to get in, but needed an easier way out. She was graciously escorted out a back entrance that has no stairs - it does entail a street pick up or drop off. So call ahead and I'm sure they will accommodate your needs.
Chowhound Post
Substitute for Trader Joe's in Austin?
I'm curious, are you referring to the prepared foods in the cold case as being full of fillers, artificial flavoring and artificial coloring? Other than the soup, can you give some examples?
I don't think the prepared foods at CM are "health food," but they seem to me to be fairly straightforward, as in they are what they say they are.
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Terraburger Is Open (Sort Of)
Well, Terraburger appears to be really open. I swung by at about 1:00 this afternoon to see about getting a burger and the drive-through line was out into the street and their little parking lot was full. They have what looks like a nice playground/outdoor seating area. They're going to need more parking, not sure how they will manage that.
So I left and went over to Panera at Stonelake Blvd and Capitol of Texas (which I had spotted for the first time this weekend) and got an okay sandwich.
Later I went to Any's in the Arboretum for ice cream (I have a point, y'all, just bear with me) and saw that the Five Guys store is going in right next door to Amy's. This is another place that I foresee having awful parking. I hardly ever go over there even though I live close by because the parking is such a PITA.
Anyway, the Five Guys signage is up on the building, but the windows were covered with white paper. Hard to judge the progress of the work that way! I didn't see any kind of sign that indicated when it might open.
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Soup Dumplings?
I just turned on the TV while reading this thread to find Tony Bourdain in Shanghai, eating soup dumplings! Amazing coincidence. It definitely made me want to try them.
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new (food-centric) happy hour choices?
Try Malaga for tapas happy hour. Good HH prices and overall good food, I like the options available with having "little dishes."
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Cafe Martinique or Dune?
Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see your post a month ago! I would have heartily recommendd Cafe Martinique, where we had the best meals and best service I have ever experienced. I looked at the online meu and it isn't exactly the same as when we went last December, but the standouts at that time were the delightful amuses bouche, corn ravioli appetizer, pork chop and duck entrees, and incredible pineapple doughnut dessert. We didn't try Dune, I'm sure it is fab as well.
Which did you choose? What did you have?
Chowhound Post
Austin food adventures
I am also very fond of some of the sides at Ruby's, in particular the non-mayo coleslaw (snappy and spicy) and the greens, which also have a slow heat that sneaks up on you as you eat them (even though they are a little sweeter than I would prefer, maybe they have a little molasses or something? I just like straight-up savory greens). Last week I had the (bbq?) beans for the first time and they were spectacular - well seasoned, spicy (ok, I realize there is a trend here) and so delicious that I actually drank the broth from the take-out container. What I would have given for a slab of cornbread at that moment!
Story Comment
Dumped Over Dinner
I once dumped a boyfriend onhis birthday. In my defense, he was wearing leather pants. Leather pants, people! Plus I only realized that night how much I hated all of his friends.
I did not, however, do it in a restaurant. It was in a parking lot.
Chowhound Post
Uchi, Ranch 616, Bess Bistro, Belmont, and Vespaio (bar)
the good news is that rlg, a visitor to our fair city, enjoyed both of those places a lot.
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Elevation Burger - Arboretum Area
A few people have reviewed this new spot in other threads, but I thought it would be nice for it to have its own (I'm pretty sure it doesn't have one and the search function isn't working, so here we go).
I stopped in for the first time last night at about 8:00. I had eaten dinner and was craving some ice cream. It was warm inside and they had a sign up about having problems with the A/C - a bad break for a place with a brand new buildout and an outdoor temperatures approaching 100 degrees. There weren't many customers inside, but there were at least eight employees sort of milling around behind the counter. They looked confused, and I noticed that when one of them delivered an order to a table, she didn't bring the fries. She ambled back to get them and meandered back to the table. Not very confidence-inspiring. Maybe it was a mass training session, but no one appeared to be in charge.
I got a chocolate malt with bananas and strawberries, and it took a little while for it to get made. I used the time to watch the staffers try to figure out what they should be doing and peruse the menu and prices. Yes, this place is pricy. $2.50 is a lot for an order of fries, with no alternative for a smaller serving. $5.99 is a lot for the recommended "regular" burger. Maybe if they de-staffed a little, they could afford to lower the prices a tad...
I thought it looked like the young lady making the malt was whipping it to death, but it was handed to me thick and very tasty. The fruit was completely disintegrated but I could taste it. At about $4, it was reasonably priced for the size and quality.
I'll go back to try the burgers and fries. I don't eat those very often anyway, and I don't mind paying a higher price than typical fast food joints if the quality and taste merit it.
Chowhound Post
Spicy Bulgogi at Burger Tex?
I haven't tried it, but a friend who is a devout carnivore (but not an adventurous eater) LOVES the Bulgogi at Burger Tex.
Chowhound Post
Lunch on the way from the airport to Downtown
singlemalt, that is an excellent suggesiton. El Chile is where I would go on Manor. There are also Vivo, Eastside Cafe (a charming and unique place) and, yes, Hoovers. I do not care for Hoovers, but plenty of other people love it.
I also like Ruby's BBQ, rlh. Try the coleslaw (NOT the mayo version, the vinegar one) which is crunchy, tart and a little spicy-hot. I recently had their sausage sandwich and thought the sausage was delish.
Chowhound Post
Good burger in Arboretum area
How were the fries at Elevation Burger? I'm curious, as according to the Elevation Burger website, they are fried in olive oil.
Chowhound Post
Dinner After Graduation
If you don't mind going to the Arboretum area, and there are sushi lovers in your group, I suggest Kenobi. The restaurant is beautiful and comfortable, it is not loud, the food I have had there has been very good. They accept reservations. The dinner entree menu is a bit limited, but has steak, chicken and fish. They have lots of appetizers and sushi options and a very nice house salad.
http://www.kenobiaustin.com/assets/Ke...
Chowhound Post
Chips fried in house?
I'm pretty certain that Zocalo at 12th and West Lynn fries its own chips. They are thick and crunchy and yummy. Their salsas are pretty good, when you order chips and salsa, you get both red and green.
I am a fan of their food, especially the stacked enchiladas and the tacos del barrio with turkey filling. And the nachos. And their salads are very good.
Chowhound Post
Ladies who lunch...
I went to Trio for dinner in January and was pretty disappointed.
I made a reservation and despite the fact that the restaurant was not at all busy, we were seated beside the wait station, so throughout the meal we had the servers right beside the table entering their orders and hanging out. The food was good, but not as good as it should have been for what the place aspires to be and for the price. The server who delivered the entrees waved a plate around, saying, "who had the fish?" and then asked who had each of the remaining dishes. We were a table of four. They forgot to make one of the side dishes and the waiter kept coming by telling us it was almost ready and finally delivered it as we finished our entrees. It remained on the bill, which I think is just inexcusable.
I had just returned from a trip to the Bahamas where we ate twice at Cafe Martinique ( a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant) and had the best food I have ever eaten and the best service ever. I was expecting something similar from Trio and it fell far, far short of the mark.
Long story short, our special occasion dinner at Trio was not $400 well spent. I would probably not go there again unless it was to have only the tuna appetizer and the truffle frites.
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Fabi and Rosi
Their menu sounds good. How nice that they have the vegetarian shepherd's pie. I look forward to trying this place out.
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help needed
You could try Carrabbas on 183. It doesn't measure up to the original one in Houston, but since you've been to both Olive Garden and Spaghetti Warehouse, you've had worse!
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Malaga - Tapas Suggestions?
I enjoyed your review of the brunch there (that was you, right?) and am eager to for that, too.
It's a drag when your usual dining companion doesn't care for a place you like a lot. Grab some girlfriends and go for an early happy hour dinner one day!
Chowhound Post
Malaga - Tapas Suggestions?
For whoever may be interested, I really enjoyed Malaga. We went at 6, so happy hour was on and surprising to me on a Friday evening, there were plenty of tables available. During HH you can get certain wines, beer and cocktails plus one of a limited selection of the tapas for $8. Heck of a deal.
We had a shrimp dish that I thought was the weakest of the bunch, the artichoke/spinach spread, italian-ish style meatballs, the pork bites, the tortilla catalana, and mini-rellenos (little peppers stuffed with goat cheese. The total bill for four people was less than $60. We expected it to be a lot more, so that was a pleasant surprise.
I think the rellenos were my favorite. Good news for dieters, they are not fried. Bad news, they are in a pool of delicious butter sauce with capers and come with bread to sop it up. The meatballs were very good, they had an interesting soft texture and a great flavor. The pork bites were moist because they had some fat on some pieces, so they were best when they first hit the table and were hot, crispy and juicy. The tortilla was a taller wedge than I expected (I was picturing something more eggy but it was sort of a version of scalloped potatoes) and had a great browned bottom and creamy sauce. The artichoke/spinach spread was good (not a mayo-based dip).
The atmosphere is very nice, a little loud as it filled up, and as someone had pointed out in another thread, the towers used to hold the plates are too tall, thus impeding your ability to see your fellow diners. With proper placement strategy, that can be dealt with.
I saw a lot of things I want to try when I go back. The calamari is indeed a generous serving. The beef tenderloin at the next table looked great. I was with a seafood-averse companion, so I didn't order some of the seafood dishes I otherwise would have. The service was good. There was a wait to get in by the time we left at 8:00. $7 for valet parking, which you pretty much really need to do... oh, well. The people-watching while I waited for my car was fun.
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Hard Hat Report Volume 2
Terra Burger's shtick is organic beef - a high quality fast food, I suppose. Their menu looks good: burgers, grilled chicken sandwich, regular and sweet potato fries, salads that sound tasty. A similarly themed place called Elevation Burger is under construction at the corner of Great Hills Trail and Jollyville (next to Firebowl). I looked up both menus online. Terra already has a location or two open here, I think. I'm hoping they are both good! I'm excited to have a couple of new options so close to my home.
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Malaga - Tapas Suggestions?
I'm going to Malaga next week. Any suggestions on "don't-miss" or "don't-bother" plates?
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Coffee!
Emerald City Press is a charming little place owned by the delightful Emily. It's on Lamar near 10th street and has a drive-through and walk-up service. They may have their outdoor seating now, after a mighty city permitting fight with the neighborhood bullies who didn't want them to be able to have tables and chairs outside.
They make a mean double iced soy latte. Rich and very flavorful coffee with a deep roasted flavor. I think they use Katz coffee.
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50th birthday
How many people are you inviting? Jaspers at the Domain has two or three private rooms of varying sizes, I think. We ate there recently and the food was quite good, especially the venison special, which featured absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked vension. The service was a little slow, which was puzzling because the restaurant was not at all busy.
Chowhound Post
fried catfish
Shoal Creek Saloon on Lamar (at 9th, I think) has fried catfish and hushpuppies that are good, in my opinion. They do a buffet of it for lunch on some days, but I prefer to have it made to order. I'm not a big fan of buffets in general, and fried food tends to get to dried out if it is kept at proper temperature. I have found that when getting an order of it, some of the pieces might not be very large. And you might want to order extra hushpuppies, because your co-diners will steal them from your plate!
