Austin

Photograph by Brian Birzer

(From June 2011)

Smoke is wafting into the air again from the site of the former Ben's Longbranch. But the occupant of the revamped old building is a young'un, namely Aaron Franklin, who had quite an avid following at his barbecue trailer. Acolytes at this altar of 'cue start the vigil hours before the the door opens, and the Last Man Standing sign (sold out!) has reportedly appeared as early as 12:30. Happily, the move into cinder-block-and-mortar hasn't changed the meltingly moist brisket or the fluffy (yet crusty-edged) shreds of pulled pork. We can't attest to the pork ribs; they were gone by the time we reached the counter. A nice touch: Wife and partner Stacy Franklin sometimes comes around to offer a Mexican Coke while you wait. Beer.

Saturday, October 1st, 2011, 1:19 pm
bill says:
First time there today. The brisket was tender and melt in your mouth. Portions were great.

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(From May 2011) Who knew you could have such fun on a Monday? Clearly everyone but us, as this place was packed to the gills. And even with Uchiko, Tyson Cole’s equally popular offshoot up north, and a beautiful new cookbook, and scads of national attention, there’s been nary a slip in the astonishing creativity and meticulous sourcing of the food (you’ll learn not only the provenance of your scallop but the name of the intrepid diver who fetched it). But nothing is taken too seriously, the flavor combinations as playful as they are innovative: thinly sliced flounder with smoked sea salt and candied quinoa; a sushi roll packed with tiger shrimp and topped with tiny slices of frozen grape; peanut butter semifreddo with apple miso sorbet. The mother ship continues to operate on all cylinders. Beer, wine, & sake.

Friday, September 19th, 2008, 1:50 pm
sushi lover says:
This is the best restaurant in Austin, period. AMAZING food! And where else do you see guys in cowboys hats eating sushi.

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(From January 2012)

Ever since Tyson Cole won a James Beard award for best regional chef, getting a table at this ode to Japanese farmhouse dining is nigh impossible. But once you’re in, the kitchen delivers food as well-crafted as any haiku. Consider the poetry of maguro tuna with slivers of sweet-tart apple and lush black-pepper goat cheese. But it’s not all about the fish: Even simple brussels sprouts roasted in chile oil and fish sauce left the sweet and savory taste of umami lingering on the taste buds. The famed Tobacco Cream dessert—an oval of dark chocolate sorbet, maple pudding, and crunchy huckleberry “glass”—magically incorporates the peaty flavors of smoke and scotch. Pastry chef Philip Speer is an artist in his own right. 

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(From June 2011)

We quite like the cool, comfortable ambience; a mix between sleek and cozy at this small stone cottage near Lake Travis, and the artwork on the walls and neat display of wine bottles provide fodder for lively conversation. A masterful salad of Bibb let-tuce topped with strawberries, honey-tossed pistachios, and creamy feta warmed our in-sides, but our entrées sent us to a new level. The pecan-crusted snapper with lemon beurre blanc over cornbread pudding wowed (a delightful mix of textures), but we were un-abashedly envious of our companion's velvety espresso-rubbed smoked elk back strap topped with Gulf Coast crab and a chipotle-lime “beer blanc.” Warm cherry flambé atop home-made vanilla bean ice cream proved the per-fect ending. Bar.

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(From January 2011)

Even a snack like a huarache, a masa tart topped with chihuahua cheese, mushrooms, truffle oil, and huitlacoche (an earthy corn fungus), had layers of flavor. And imagine what the kitchen does with a dish like tacos arábicos, filled with spice-rubbed venison swabbed with two sauces: a cooling tzatziki-type yogurt and a spunky chipotle blend (these tacos were served at the James Beard House in New York recently). The Oaxacan black mole (with both sliced breast of duck and confit of leg) is emblematic of the avant-garde Mexican cuisine that is Condesa’s signature. For fun, though, Mexican-street-fair corn on the cob has been added to the menu; it’s not all serious here. Bar.

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(From June 2011) From our vantage point in the small, mod-looking dining room, its bright walls adorned with local art, it was clear that this oldie but goodie still draws a steady crowd. We contemplated a charcuterie plate to start, but the more than generous bowl of Drunken Citrus Mussels had us at Thai chiles and fresh cilantro. A silken cauliflower bisque soothed with each rich and buttery bite. Panko-crusted chicken piccata came lavished with beurre blanc, but it was the haystack of crisp french fries atop the well-seasoned hanger steak that had us begging for more. Beer & wine.

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(From June 2011) If this counter-order place reminds you a bit of Asia Cafe, a mere half a mile down the highway, it’s because both a chef and some servers from the front of that house have gone over to this one. A+A is a place to be adventurous, friends. Try the Cold Jelly Noodles, chopped thick and sea-soned with ma la (also called prickly ash or Sichuan pepper-corn), which produces a tingly, tongue-numbing sensation and has a lemony taste. Or check out the twice-fried pork, identical to thick bacon and as rich as the description sug-gests; stalks of garlic shoots, a cross between green beans and asparagus in texture, soak up the delicious fat. After that, the deep-fried triangles of sesame tofu in a light, sweet sauce will seem like diet food.

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(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.

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(From May 2011) Warm and inviting easily describe this new little spot for Neapolitan-style (i.e., thin-crust) pizzas located behind Parkside and run by Parkside chef-owner Shawn Cirkiel. At the bar, we snagged a couple of stools—made from old wine barrels—and admired the glowing Italian-made brick oven while awaiting our order. We loved our appe-tizer, morsels of gooey prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella bathed in a garlicky marinara. But, as expected, the flat-bread pizzas stole the show, especially the rich mushroom and ricotta on a super-crispy crust. We also loved the jar of chocolate-hazelnut budino that we had for dessert, but we wished it had had a bit more chocolate rather than a whipped cream topping. Beer & wine.

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(From February 2012)

Yes, the tucked-away setting off Lamar has been inauspicious for many a restaurant. And, yes, a few of us are suffering from pork fatigue. But it’s hard not to be charmed by this cheerful yellow house, with its hodgepodge of porcine decor and enthusiastic young staff. And it’s also hard not to wonder if this place got named for the wrong animal. Sure, the ubiquitous bacon was great—sprinkled atop a mound of cheesy fries, sandwiched with juicy tomatoes between thick slices of toasted bread. But what really got our attention were the massive chunks of golden-battered fried chicken, in an appetizer (strips served with bacon gravy, of course) and in the chicken BLT, in which the B, the L, and the T got seriously upstaged. Beer.

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