(From December 2008) The menu for this casual indoor-outdoor dining spot overlooking downtown’s Discovery Green park comes to us courtesy of Robert Del Grande (of Cafe Annie and the Grove fame). Consider it an uptown version of downscale fare, like a Kobe beef hot dog with chow chow and mouthwatering french fries. Burgers are offered too, and vanilla milk shakes should be on the menu by the time you read this (the kitchen was tweaking the recipe when we visited). Beer & wine.

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(From December 2008) The large square room with red walls, red booths, and red tablecloths exudes rustic charm, but this place doesn’t rest on its looks. Dense, creamy clam chowder and a sizable chunk of sourdough bread hit the spot on the appetizer side, and we followed it with an equally satisfying grilled ahi tuna burger jazzed up with wasabi mayo and crispy onion rings. We were wowed by a side of warm red-cabbage coleslaw flecked with toasted sesame seeds and teeny bits of jalapeño. Do not leave the premises without trying the Key lime pie. Bar.

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(From December 2008) Carlos “Black Magic Woman” Santana, the musician who has become a Latin style arbiter (check out his line of dangerously high-heeled women’s shoes), is behind this chain of well-heeled restaurants. The stars of our spread were the duck tacos (three delicate rolls of shredded meat topped with a creamy tomato habanero sauce). Said spread also included a gimmicky, salty ceviche served in half a coconut and an agreeable chopped salad full of roasted corn and avocado. We added a dash of the house-made pineapple salsa to the crab and shrimp enchiladas suizas and they almost matched the colorful decor. (See if you can spot the influence of consulting New York chef Roberto Santibañez, who once headed up Austin’s own Fonda San Miguel.) Time your visit during one of Santana’s monthly trips and it might be magic indeed. Bar.

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(From December 2008) Old meets new in this recently renovated 1840’s Austin landmark. Enjoy striking skyline views from Paggi’s chic new “outdoor lounge” while sipping a glass of bubbly from the lengthy wine list. Then move to the dining room of the cozy building and savor a knockout cheese plate, loaded with bite-size combinations (including Farmhouse Stilton), plus candied pecans and honey. While several of the entrées still need tweaking, you won’t go wrong with the mero sea bass in a miso-lemongrass broth. Skip the German chocolate tartlets (think Girl Scout Samoas at about ten times the price) and go for the apple clafoutis gilded with a sumptuous toffee crème anglaise. Bar.

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(From December 2008) Restaurateur Alfredo Lombardi’s winning streak continues with his latest creation, where a focus on seafood prevails. A gratin of tagliolini (a noodle somewhere between angel hair and spaghetti) with crab, fresh peas, and a saffron cream sauce exploded with flavor; crisp but ethereal crab cakes perched on microgreens with mango relish proved a winner as well. Millefoglie, a napoleon sandwiched with mascarpone and fresh berries, counterbalanced nicely with the heft of our entrées. We admit to coveting the Venetian mural next to the front door of this charming spot. Bar.

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(From December 2008) Cappuccino walls, clean lines, and abstract art make for a serene, civilized space in the Westin Galleria. That Bijoux’s Scott Gottlich consulted on the menu is evident from A to Z. Warm house-made breads paired well with our first course, Yukon potato soup with a sprinkling of lardons. Our highest praise went to executive chef J. Chastain’s Kennebec potato gnocchi, which were brilliantly pan-seared, stuffed with goat cheese, and sauced with creamy spinach and walnuts. Bar.

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(From December 2008) This serene restaurant presents itself as a temple of soba, the simple buckwheat noodles that are consumed everywhere in Japan, from the humblest stall to the finest dining room. Yet the menu is broad enough that all but the most stubborn meat-and-taters eater can find something to enjoy. The nubby gray-brown noodles come in endless variations; we loved them hot with a poached egg on top and cold in a soba salad with a bit of seaweed and mild sesame oil. If you crave something mainstream, sample soba carbonara, rich and creamy, just like the Italian version. Or try small morsels of beef or duck cooked on a tabletop grill by your smiling hostess. Bar.

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(From December 2008) Scott Tycer’s new venture resides in an old textile factory in the Heights, hard to find but easy to like. The setting is cool but not cold, with gauzy drapes, just a few tables, and high ceilings with a “soft” industrial look. Our bacon tart with cooked bitter greens and balsamic, topped with a quail egg, and a bibb lettuce salad with Fourme d’Ambert and onion strudel both pleased. And braised veal breast came with a clever leek “sausage” and hollandaise. Sea scallops with an apple velouté, a starter, made a fine light entrée. Bar.

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(From December 2008) A handsome redo of the filling station where many a student pumped up his bicycle tires en route to junior high allowed us to enjoy a light dinner and try a couple of almost thirty wines by the glass. Lobster-fennel ravioli, shrimp cocktail with hearts of palm, cheeses and charcuterie—all are presented with flair. The imaginative wood-fired pizzas are quite the sensation; the Jim Bowie combines barbecued chicken, smoked cheddar, jalapeños, and bacon, while the spinach pizza has goat cheese, caramelized onions, and béchamel. Beer & wine.

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(From November 2008) One of downtown’s most intimate dining spaces, 17 has a unique linear chandelier that sheds a lovely glow over business huddle and romantic cuddle alike. But it’s the food that ultimately de-mands your full attention, and a green pea soup, garnished with crème fraîche and mint, quickly earned ours. After that, we relished halibut with morels and the signature boneless beef short ribs, braised to perfect tenderness and served with bordelaise sauce, puréed potatoes, and spinach. (Nota bene: Valet parking is now $10.) Bar.

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