On the day that Roy’s opened its first Texas outpost, Austin’s muggy winter weather ended abruptly with the arrival of a bracing cold front, so the hula dancers brought in for the occasion, clad in nothing but grass skirts and coconut-shell bras, were shimmying like mad on the sidewalk. I was dubious about the whole scene; usually I don’t go for chain restaurants. But Roy’s won me over. The dining room is gorgeous, with soaring ceilings and paintings of feathery palm trees. And the “Hawaiian fusion” cuisine is excellent. Look for dishes like (clockwise from top left) seared ahi tuna with rice on two sauces, mango with kiwi and berries, lemongrass shrimp on noodles with coconut-curry sauce, and a stacked salad of tomato, wilted spinach, and fresh greens.
