(From January 2011) Across from the Alamo, dining choices are unfortunately limited to fast food, burgers, and pizza, so if you want something a bit more locally sourced, stop into the casual dining room of the new Hotel Indigo, a restoration of the old Gibbs Building on the site of the Maverick homestead. Living up to that heritage is a challenge, but the light, and lighthearted, menu and clever kitchen seem up to it. Witness hand-cut potato chips with Texas blue cheese, smoked chicken and Gulf shrimp salad served in avocado halves, and even pan dulce “imported” from Mi Tierra. As old Sam (Maverick) himself might have said, “Bring it on!” Bar.

Leave a Review

(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.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011) We found a table for two in the back of this airy downtown space, then sipped some pinot grigio, taking in the lively scene up front by the bar. The Market Slaw—shaved fennel, apples, and spring vegetables plus frisée and endive in an overdose of buttermilk dressing—didn’t impress, but the moules, mus-sels in white wine with chorizo, took us back to a lovely lunch in Saint-Malo many summers ago. A bowl of French onion soup satisfied our companion, while we noshed on ultra-crisp pommes frites and a perfectly cooked steak drizzled with heavenly béarnaise. We left as the band was warming up, de-termined to plan our next trip abroad. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From May 2011) On a nippy evening, we edged our way into this wildly popular start-up from chef-owner Bryce Gilmore (he also has Odd Duck trailer, but don’t worry—this one’s indoors). We enjoyed the congenial vibe from the four communal tables while we waited for our small plates. First came roasted beets with creamy ricotta, endive, and shaved fen-nel—nice. We quite liked the pairing of grilled baby octopus with chorizo and white beans, but it paled in compari-son with our first bite of the soft-boiled egg with crispy stuffed pig’s foot, mushrooms, and mustard. We were told the best way to eat the trotter was to mix everything up, and it was a revelation, the perfect melding of textures and flavors. We finished with beer-braised rabbit stew. Pure bliss. We didn’t want to leave this little island of happiness. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review

(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.

Leave a Review

(From October 2010) In this handsome neighborhood bistro, chef-owner Louise Lamensdorf promises to put “Paris on your plate.” We found the midweek specials do that very thing—and at a bargain too. Select bottles of wine are half off, and featured appetizers, entrées, and desserts are listed at reduced prices. We particularly enjoyed the very special crab cake, which came plated with the house salad, featuring red grapes and black sesame seeds. Perfect summer fare, with calories left over to enjoy crème brûlée topped with a dollop of chocolate mousse.

Leave a Review

(From January 2011) Whether it be the sandwiches (especially the Reuben on pumpernickel, instead of the more traditional rye) or the wonderful heavy soups (white chili with chicken, beans, and cheese is a delight), Cap-pyccino’s has nailed the art of the quick, substantial American meal. Add the cool potato salad and maybe the dense chocolate cake, and there’s no way you’ll leave less than satisfied. The small booths hold only two, and even the tables are small (go elsewhere if you’ve got a big group), but for good service and good food in a little spot, this is just the place. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From March 2011) Christopher Lampo’s uptown menu keeps this hip farmhouse hopping. Our dinner started with a “whet your appetite” amuse of Italian sausage with a light pesto, which we followed with an entrée of savory cornbread-crusted chicken breast. Vegetables get proper attention here too; the chicken came with fresh spinach, a roasted corn–crawfish ragoût, and lobster mashed potatoes (proving that old adage “Everything is better with lobster”). The wine list is extensive; call on the well-trained servers to walk you through it. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From May 2011) Chef David Bull once made the Driskill Grill an Austin destination for fine dining. Now he’s back, after a nearly two-year hiatus in Dallas. More to the point, he’s back on track, making elegant Congress, at the base of the Austonian condos, a go-to restaurant for special occasions. The menu is refined, the execution, under chef de cuisine Re-becca Meeker, precise. Check out his starter of heavenly house-made burrata, set against a salad of wild arugula and sweet-tart agrodolce sauce. Or indulge in the white lobster bisque with a brilliant dab of Fresno chile–tomato jam and a wee lobster-ricotta fritter afloat in the middle. Rack of lamb is sided by cardamom yogurt and salsify (the world’s most boring root vegetable, an odd choice for Bull). Desserts, by Houston émigré Plinio Sandalio, late of Textile, fully match the imagination of the main courses. Little brownies (with dabs of black-garlic purée, chile wa-fers, and candied cumin pecans) make for a combo as brilliant as it is crazy. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From February 2012)

Under peripatetic chef Kevin Ascolese, this wine-centric bistro is putting out some well-conceived fare, most recently at its handsome location in West Ave. We paired flights of white wine with silky ricotta ravioli dotted with chorizo and peas and napped with herb butter, then main courses of chicken piccata in lemon caper sauce (with fingerlings and broccolini) and grilled salmon on couscous (with haricots verts and a basil-citrus sauce). Flights of cheeses, dishes made for sharing, and an assortment of stone-fired pizzas add to the appeal. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review