Austin

(From May 2012)

Once a regular haunt for barhoppers in the Warehouse District, this sleek and sophisticated cocktail-driven locale has upped its game and decamped to the vibrant West Sixth Street area, offering its familiar menu of mini burgers as well as a handful of dinner items matched to cocktails, wine, or beer. We liked the Kansas City strip lamb loin served medium-rare with rosemary and the beef tenderloin salad with Gorgonzola dressing and crispy shallots from the “Scotch” menu. We’d advise a different preparation sauce for the tuna tartare on the “Martini” menu, but we absolutely loved the toasted banana bread pudding with caramelized bananas from the “Julep” menu. 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 2012)

We quite liked the airy, open feel to this artfully designed space in the Domain, Austin's uber-upscale shopping destination. Who wouldn't like to cool their Manolos while partaking of a civilized lunch? We began with three tricked-out deviled eggs - white truffle oil, Dijon, truffle shavings, and a roasted red pepper aioli for dipping (quite necessary for a burst of flavor) - before moving on to a satisfying Philly cheesesteak soup; splendidly cheesy yet not too filling. Our Cake Ball Cobb - "red velvet" chicken, queso fresco, applewood-smoked-bacon crumbles, and dried cranberries tossed with a French onion vinaigrette - missed the mark, though; the consistency and sweetness of the bird simply didn't work. What did work was the namesake dessert. We're partial to the lemon drop, natural lemon oil with Meyer lemon curd, but we also adore the tiramisu and chocolate mint. 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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(From May 2012)

To nab a community-table spot at a reasonable time in this tiny, informal, highly lauded eatery, you may need to loiter at the door for at least half an hour before it opens. But the wait pays off, especially when, once inside, you’re served artful plates of fresh beets with candied pistachios, shaved fennel, and smoky grilled greens; perfectly fire-grilled shrimp in a creamy green-garlic risotto; or a modern spin on barbecued brisket-n-beans, with the meat treated to a decadent coffee rub prior to smoking. It doesn’t hurt that the food comes from local farmers and the prices are reasonable. Nor that the service is friendly and well informed, though our small dishes did arrive rather too quickly for food that deserves to be savored. Beer & wine.  

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(From January 2012)

The more things change, the more they change. Longtime central Austin restaurant Zoot moved way out to Bee Cave Road two years ago but never really thrived. Stewart Scruggs and Mark Paul put it out of its misery, and about a month or so later, reopened as BC Tavern. Intelligent move. Within two weeks, the nice but less dressy restaurant and bar was busy most every night. What's bringing in the customers are backyard and down-home dishes like four different burgers and fried chicken on Sundays. But because the owners are chefs, not just cooks, they can't resist French bistro favorites like an excellent duck confit with al dente vegetables and moist, if dense, quenelles (which they disguise under the name Duck-n-Dumplins). Also very fine: a ribeye with new potatoes and a balsalmic-drizzled broiled tomato. In need of a thnk-over: clunky onion rings and delicate but disturbingly nugget-size sweetbreads.

See also Pat's Pick, page 133.

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(From January 2012)

You can't help but feel a tinge of Paris at the turn of the twentieth century when you're dining in this gothic basement-level restaurant, especially tucked away in a cozy booth beneath an antique chandelier. Gulf shrimp simmered in a garlicky tomato broth and served with a slice of crisply grilled ciabatta started the meal out on the right note. Easily keeping pace was a hearty chicken potpie with a puff pastry shell. Grilled tenderloin in a mushroom reduction with a pat of foie gras compound butter tasted as decadent as it sounds, but a seared scallop dish laden with butter and salt was too much of a good thing. Bar.

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