sbhlaw's Profile
Jaime’s Spanish Village
i read that the queso and salsas will continue to be sold at central market, whole foods and royal blue in austin
What's in Allendale?
i live in crestview, there are some good suggestions on here
marisco's on burnet has excellent seafood soup and fish dishes
la casita on anderson lane about a half mile east of enchiladas y mas is a great authentic tex mex place. you have to ask for it, but get the green sauce. it is like the dona at tacodeli (which is also great, but for nontraditional tacos)
sarah's mediterranean on burnet is excellent and the owners are great folks. its a grill inside of a small grocery store. the dinner special is always one of the best bangs for your buck in town
i will second (or third) madam mam's, titaya's, and billy's
and top notch as well. great burgers, i go there for the fried chicken. old school place
it closes at 6 but san francisco bakery in the same shopping center as the alamo drafthouse has great soups, sandwiches, and quiches
A 2nd location for El Meson
the place on burleson?
i like that place a lot but it doesn't seem really seem like the kind of place that would expand to multiple locations
SXSW Is Coming. Here's Where the Out of Towners Need to Go
homeslice
franklin bbq
casino el camino
chez nous
Need to find a nice quiet Mexican restaurant
las palomas is a great suggestion
get the corn soup to start....so good
Austin Burger Smackdown!
its not my favorite, which i would rank as
1. casino el camino
2. top notch
3. frans
but billy's on burnet has very solid burgers and deserve a mention for sure
Which restaurants do you consider 'healthy'?
mr. natural seems to fit this bill, no?
Where to get sourdough bread?
i'll second san francisco bakery. that place is awesome, great soups, salads, sandwiches, and i love their sourdough bread
Breakfast- austin texas
anyone heard any word on las manitas opening back up? i would pay just about any amount of money to have it back in some form or fashion. i emailed them at their wesbite and never heard a response -- not a good sign i guess
Best milk in town
Interesting post about that milk spoiling faster, that doesn't seem to make sense to me. i buy raw milk straight from the dairy and it lasts for weeks. i pay $7 a gallon
Best Salsa in Austin
las manitas, hands down for spicy red salsa, it is the best i have ever had, i get a pint to go every time i eat there
el regio for the green sauce (i go to the one at ohlen & 183)
la casita on anderson just east of woodrow for a similar green sauce (and they make their own corn tortillas, a huge plus. i often stop there and get an order of double order of refried beans, a dozen corn tortillas, and a bunch of green sauce for about $5, and eat it throughout the week )
taco deli's dona sauce for a similar, but spicier, green sauce like regio's
Carne asada at El Regio?
We actually tried it for the first time last night from the location at Ohlen and 183. My wife and I have gotten the whole chicken dinner about a dozen times before this, its a great value meal. We tried the asada plate and a half chicken this time. Big mistake. The meat was fatty and very rubbery, and pretty bland. We threw almost all of it away.
And I would also kill for the recipe for that green sauce. Its like the dona sauce at tacodeli.
What's the deal with Guero's?
the name of the restaurant is "guero's taco bar" and yet you cannot get the most basic taco -- a crispy beef taco.
ok.....
Charcuterie in Austin?
cooper's is now lee's meat market. www.leesmeatmarket.com
on jefferson just north of 38th.
Southside Flying Pizza - AUS - review
thanks rudeboy. do you or anyone in austin know where i could find hoagie spread or tallarico's in a grocery store? i have looked for it at central market, h.e.b., my neighborhood iga...
i would love to have jar for my homemade hoagies and italian sausage sandwiches.
Jorge Arredondo's enchiladas
i don't think he has opened up a new place in austin. i loved that place. there are lots of good enchiladas of different types around town (my favorite is the cheese michocan at las manitas, but that is far from the tex mex style at arrendandos). the closest i can think of to aus tex mex cafe is enchiladas y mas
Southside Flying Pizza - AUS - review
i posted this review on another board and i'll share it here. i tried southside for the first time yesterday. i really like homeslice pizza and while there is better pizza in ny, to me homeslice is my favorite in austin (although i've never tried the pizza at enoteca and will now, thanks to those who mentioned it -- i've tried so many great new places and dishes thanks to this site).
a friend and i ordered a small pepperoni pizza and an italian hoagie to split each of them.
me: "can we get hot peppers on that hoagie?"
clerk: "bell peppers?
me: "no, hot peppers"
her: "it comes with a pepperocini on the side"
me: "no, can you put diced hot cherry peppers on the sandwich"
her: "these?" (holds up the dried peppers that you shake on pizza)
me: "nevermind"
i kind of thought hot and sweet peppers should be standard options on an italian hoagie. feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.
big plusses: they have fountain rc and ibc. dont see that much in austin. the pizza crust was cooked just right -- nice and crispy, whereas at homeslice i have to ask them to cook it extra long to get it right. i liked the sauce too. good hoagie bread, more like a french baguette than an italian roll, but i liked it that way. good meat and veggies. its also much cheaper than homeslice. 4 smaller sized slices of za' for $5. thats great. (although i usually eat at homeslice for free).
big minuses: no draft beer. no slices, pies only. but you can get a "personal" for $4. the crust on the pizza was way too salty, really it was overpowering (again, the opposite of homeslice, which doesn't use enough salt in their dough). the sandwich was dry -- no mustard, mayo, vinagrette, completely dry. was that a mistake? odd. i saw them they serve several salads to other customers. they all got served in those clear to go plastic containers. and the food comes on cheap paper plates. can't they get some plastic plates and bowls?
a good alternative if you're looking for a cheap, good pizza, especially for delivery, since homeslice doesn't deliver. but i dont think i go back with the slice being just up the road.
Pappadeaux?
i'm in austin so there are better seafood options and better cajun places than pappadeux, but when i do go, i find that the fried crawfish appetizer (which comes with a large serving of fries) is plenty to make a meal out of, is very good, and i think its $7.95. to me thats a good value for dinner at a restaurant. if i'm really hungry, that appetizer and a greek salad for one split with my wife is more than enough food.
Mexican Breakfast in Austin on Weekends
in my mind it starts and ends with las manitas
Casa Chapala
my wife and i ate there one night last week. we had queso flameado which we both enjoyed, but i am not sure how hard it is to melt cheese and add chorizo. i had a softball game later that night, so i didnt want to eat much, so we split the beef fajitas for one -- she doesn't eat beans and rice, so i ate all of that and one fajita. the fajitas were very good, tasty and well cooked. although i will say the amount of beef on the skillet was definetly on the small side. the manager came up and enthusaistically welcomed us, which i appreciated.
based on that experience, we went back over the weekend. wow. what a different experience. this time we sat towards the front of the restaraunt near the station that has the sign over it reading "fresh tortillas." there were ladies back there heating up store bought tortillas and throwing them into warmers. i went and peeked because the opening was blocked by a pyramid of warmers. the last time we were there i noted that they did not make their own tortillas, but it seemed a little lame that they had a "fresh tortillas" station and sign as if to imply they were homemade back there.
my wife ordered the enchiladas blancas (one of each), which advertisied as "smothered in a rich cream salsa." they came out with really no sauce at all. the cheese enchilada was pretty good, the chicken and beef were nothing special at all. again, dry with no sauce.
i ordered a dinner salad and the campechana, which was supposed to be shrimp, oysters, and octopus, simmered in fresh salsa, avacado in a seafood broth.
wow. the dinner salad was $2.75 and was some shreeded icebreg, one piece of tomato, and freaking bottled ranch. other than mom and pop taqeurias, i cannot think of any place where store bought bottled ranch is acceptable. i ate one bite and pushed it aside. how hard is it to buy some milk and a spice packet, at a minimum?
the campechana -- ugh. it was a large handful of baby shrimp, 3 medium shrimp, one oyster, and no octopus, simmered in watered down pico. i don't know where they come up with "seafood broth." and it was $14.95. i ate three bites and puished it away. the top shelf margarita was so sweet i had to water it down with ice from my water glass just to drink it.
i live very close by, so i was hoping it would be a good neighborhood joint i could hit, but i don't know if i can overcome that visit. maybe someone else can offer some suggestions of good items other than the fajitas.
Best Dishes at Thai Kitchen?
i only eat at the bee caves location for lunch because its near my office, but i live near the guadalupe location and i eat dinner there frequently. i always get the steamed snappper filet with garlic, lemon juice, fish sauce and thai peppers. its the last item listed under seafood and is listed as a whole fish but they will make a filet for you if you ask. it is spicy and is really great. i also like to share the thom yum goong soup as a starter if i am eating with others.
Uncle Billy's?
i was on the greenbelt down at gus fruth friday afternoon and had my dog with me, so we were limited on places in the area where i could bring her with me to eat. so we stopped at uncle billy's for a bite as they allow dogs.
very nice patio although not enough shade. there was a guy playing guitar and harmonica at the end on the stage and it was nice.
they make their own beers . i had a blonde and an amber. i thought the blonde was very good.
two of us got brisket and sausage and beans and shared it. the beef sausage was standard, definitely store bought and smoked for a short time. the brisket was disappointing, it had a very slight smoke ring, and was much more like pot roast than brisket. the serving did have some nice fatty pieces which i like, but to me a piece of brisket should not fall apart when touched with a fork.
the table next to us had some baby backs that looked really good but i couldn't convince my friend to go that way.
they had two kinds of sauce that they serve in bottles on the side if thats your thing. i tried both. one is spicy and is way too hot, and has no place with bbq. the regular sauce was pretty darn good. tomatoey and mild.
service was great, our waiter had tried every meat and side and was able to do a good job of explaining his take on all of them. he comped us a beer too which was nice.
certainly not a place i would go to if i was looking for good que, but serviceable if you are in the immediate area.
Great Burger
top notch is definitely charcoal. the first time i went there i saw the cook pour a huge bag of kingsford into the pit as i walked in. i knew i had found my place. i think charcoal grilling makes all the difference.
my only complaint is that they don't melt the cheese on the burger as it is grilling, they put it on to the burger as they pull it off the grill and onto the bun. i like the cheese to be molten on the burger. when i ask the folks at top notch to melt it on the grill i sometimes get a dirty look. its worth it though.
martin's used to be one of my favorites before they cleaned the grill and the city came down on them and made them start using preformed patties instead of a hunk of meat thrown on the grill from a box in the fridge by the cook like they used to.
fran's is one of the best burgers i've ever had that's not off a charcoal grill. double meat double cheese is insane. perfect meat/cheese ratio. its one of the few burgers that is just as good with meat, bread and cheese as it is with vegetables and/or condiments.
Great Burger
top notch on burnet road just south of anderson. made on an indoor charcoal grill.
Leaf
i went there yesterday. walked in and waited at least 15 minutes in line. got the cobb. as they were finishing it up i looked back and saw there were no tables available, and none coming close to being available. so i had them throw it in a to go box. not much choice there. waited a good 10 minutes for them to fix the credit card machine which wouldnt take my debit card, then my credit card. why this tied up both terminals, i'm not sure, but it caused several people to be backed up behind me. it finally goes through and they say "you were 10 seconds from a free salad." ok, maybe should have done that 5 minutes ago but ok.
took it back to the office. 2 kinds of dressing -- spicy ranch and roasted garlic. both homemade but neither really pleasing -- just personal taste i think. all the veggies were good and very fresh. chicken was kind of bland and a bit overcooked.
a good concept but for $10, i expect to be able to sit down and eat and not have to get in the car and take it back to my desk and eat it out of a box after waiting 30 minutes to get in and out.
for the same amount of money i'll take a small soup from the seafood soup/bisque/chowder station, a salad and a piece of fruit at whole foods where i can get in and out efficiently, eat outside on the patio and people watch.
i think this place will have to make some changes or will be relegated only to people at lunch within very short walking distance.
Where's the heat?
the red snapper filet in lemon juice, garlic and bird peppers at thai kitchen is one of my favorites in town, and its very hot and nicely balanced with the other flavors and doesnt overpower the fish. i only get it at dinner, and at at the guadalupe location.
Artz: no free lunch
i eat at artz regularly and have for a while and haven't noticed it being any saltier than before. but i stick to the burgers and the baby backs which i think carry the place. i have had hit and miss experiences there with the beef ribs and the country styles. i always skip the sides. i'll hit it again soon and see if i notice the saltiness.
Casa Chapala
they have a $16 bowl of soup. that better be the best soup in the world.
