(From December 2010)

Looking like a small, colorful Tower of Pisa were stacked rounds of buffalo mozzarella brushed with pesto, slices of yellow and red heirloom tomatoes, and a sprinkling of tiny sourdough croutons and water-cress. A pyramid of truffle whipped potatoes and baby vegetables came parked beside a hefty hunk of wood-roasted beef tenderloin napped with a velvety red-wine butter. If you’ve never had sage ice cream—who has?—it’s a treat, especially paired with a blackberry crisp, as it is here. Note the sizzling bar scene, where everyone seems to be celebrating some sort of corporate coup. Bar.

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(From August 2011)

Perched above the river, a bit away from the madding throng, Acenar is the most stylish culinary and architectural adventure of local restaurateur Lisa Wong (of Rosario’s and China Latina). Here you’ll find bold colors, cutting-edge design, a busy bar, good service, and, best of all, contemporary Mexican food. The guacamole is a work of art; the chips are served in those trendy cones; the margs are made with fresh-squeezed juices. Tender corn crepes, from huitlacoche to pato (duck), are among the unusual options, along with tender cabrito and Mexican-style grilled redfish. It’s far from your ordinary taco joint. Bar.

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(From November 2011)

These cozy confines just off Voss seem just the setting for congenial Arturo Boada’s multicultural menu. Guests and staff alike appear in high spirits, no doubt inspired by dishes like Camarones Henesy en Hamaca (large shrimp piled atop an arresting blend of hearts of palm, tomatoes, capers, and plantains in a soy-ginger broth); rich rigatoni with chicken, peas, and mushrooms; and a thin-crusted carnitas pizza with red onions and cilantro. Beer & wine.. 

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(From March 2011)

This place, with its clean lines, stylized art, and accomodating servers, is always a pleasure. So too was our meal of summer rolls with peanut sauce, followed by crispy red snapper topped with basil sauce, baby corn, and slivers of red bell pepper; an orb of jasmine rice flecked with black sesame seeds came alongside. Green tea ice cream with sticky rice and a splash of coconut coulis was a refreshing dessert; coming in second was a classic cheesecake with mango sauce and fresh raspberries. Bar.

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(From January 2012)

More cheerful and informal than Bruce Auden’s downtown chapel of gastronomy, Biga on the Banks, the Kitchen shows the maestro in his relaxed, unbuttoned mode, where casual excellence ensures a steady stream of customers. Our fine Scotch egg (a hard-boiled egg coated with sausage and breading, then fried, served with jalapeño aioli) competed with a bountiful plate of toast and sautéed wild mushrooms for appetizer honors (it was a stand-off), while a gloriously light salmon filet, served on a crisply crusted bed of polenta, outshone the heavy and, we thought, heavy-handed lamb stroganoff. Even the old stand-by, lemon meringue pie, assumes new life here: its lemon curd is tart and intense, its billowing meringue thick and sweet, and its flavor reflecting a bit of brown sugar. Bar.

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(From May 2011) Chef Bruce Auden’s English origins (and his Texas/Southwestern flair) show up in his masterly renditions of game; take a recent pairing of grilled quail and roast venison. Or his signature dessert of sticky toffee pudding—bread pudding (well, perhaps closer to spice cake) on steroids. But Auden’s outpost defies borders: First on our table was a classic American salad of baby iceberg with smoked bacon and blue cheese. Then came bourguignonne-inspired beef tips over garlicky mashed potatoes and a citrusy filet of mahimahi with red parsnips—Paris on a plate. All amid a glimmering, sophisticated, well-tended setting with just enough of the rustic for contrast. Bar.

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011, 1:03 pm
Jenny says:
Biga on the Banks showcases chef Bruce Auden’s signature New American cuisine. Biga’s main dining room welcomes the discerning traveler, convention-goer and downtown entertainment crowd in a relaxed upscale ambience. Floor to ceiling glass windows offer gorgeous views of the River, upstream from the hard-partying noise of the busier blocks. Menu standouts include Close-to-Bouillabaisse, fish and shellfish in tomato saffron broth; and the Eleven Spiced Axis Venison with Grilled Quail, crowned with juniper sauce. Perennial favorites Radiccio & Bibb Game Packets and Salmon Nachos get your party started, and be sure to conclude your meal with the eponymous Sticky Toffee Pudding, a little piece of English heaven.

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(From September 2010) Sunday brunch offers many dishes for the eclectic mix of diners gathered on the pleasant back patio. We chose a satisfying baked salmon filet Florentine, a neat package of pink fish and chopped spinach wrapped in puff pastry, topped with a poached egg, and laced with a dill-sprinkled hollandaise. Along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of stout coffee, it started our day right. We fin-ished with the three-tiered coconut cake, each layer slathered with piquant lemon curd. Bar.

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(From March 2011) This comfy little cafe with its chalkboard menu may seem a bit old-fashioned. But we have no complaints when retro food tastes so good. A lively salad with bits of goat cheese, ham, and hazelnuts was large enough to share, leaving us room for rack of lamb in a pistachio-fig sauce with mashed potatoes and haricots verts and a pile of plump mussels in a creamy, winy broth served with crisp pommes frites. Excellent French wines, reasonably priced. Beer & wine.

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(From December 2010) Chef Henry Hamor is indeed “redefining dining,” and delighting his patrons to boot, at this Harlingen fusion eatery, where a meal may take you to France and Italy, Thailand and the Philippines, all in one night. We started with the Calesa salad (spinach, crispy bacon, red onion, tomato, and Asiago cheese), then moved on to a creamy butternut squash soup dotted with bits of tender crab. Said crustacean also made an appearance in our favorite dish of the evening: a slightly spicy, lightly breaded crab cake perched on a bed of diced pineapple and drizzled with cilantro mayonnaise. Beer & wine.

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(From November 2011)

Sitting down to brunch in this sunlit-space, it was hard to picture the same room throbbing with energy on a weekend night, as it’s reputed to do (imagine, if you will, a $50 punch bowl that serves up enough for twelve drinks). Although tempted by chicken and waffles, we loved our spinach and goat cheese omelet. Individual French presses kept us supplied with coffee throughout the meal, which ended with a bread pudding that confounded all preconceived notions; more like a flourless chocolate cake, it came topped with a slug of hot fudge sauce and a scoop of Henry’s chocolate ice cream. Bar.

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