Austin Restaurant Week 2010

Well its that time of year again. Austin Restaurant Week is fixing to kick off again from Feb 28-Mar 3 and again from Mar 7 to Mar 10. If you've never done Austin Restaurant Week, here's how it works. You find a restaurant with a menu you absolutely must try. You call the restaurant and make a reservation and tell them you'll be participating in Restaurant Week. You show up and eat that scrumptious meal and sleep well knowing a portion of your bill will be donated to the Austin Sustainable Foods Center.

Are you excited yet? What if I told you the menu at each restaurant has to have at least 3 courses AND it has to be less than $35? Yeah, you'd be jumping up and down just like I am now.

It's the perfect time to eat a ton of food then walk (and dance) off all that weight you gained at SXSW! This year's crop of restaurants look similar to last year, but the menu's are looking downright delectable!

Austin Restaurant Week

III Forks $35 (Dinner) - Coffee Curred Duck with Balsamic Demi-Glaze with Duck Crisped Potatoes and Broccolini (Menu)

Judges Hill $25 (Dinner) - Coffee Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with a Butternut Squash Cake, Sauteed Spinach and Red Eye Gravy (Menu)

Roaring Fork $35 (Dinner) - Parmesan Crusted Swordfish with Laughing Bird Shrimp Scampi, Capers, and Spinach and for dessert a Pineapple Cornmeal Upside Down Cake (Menu)

Lamberts $25-$35 (Dinner) - Country Style Pork Ribs, Citrus Brined, with a Fennel & Coriander Rub, Maple Glaze, Apple & Roasted Fennel Slaw (Menu)

Carillon $35 (Dinner) - Appetizer of Duck Confit Ravioli with Celery, Sunflower Sprouts and Consume a entree of Braised Beed Short Ribs with Apricot Glaze, Asparagus, Celery Root Puree, and Black Pepper Gastrique (If you haven't heard me wax poetic on these short ribs, you have to read the review) and a dessert of Cherry Vanilla Bread Pudding with Goat Milk Vanilla Bean Gelato (Menu) (Dining in Austin Review) - Ok I'm sold

Trio $35 (Dinner) - Appetizer of Shrimp Cake with Avocado, Garbanzo and Pea Shoots, an entree of Chili Roasted Gulf Snapper with Asparagus Fricassee, Black Garlic Rice, and Citrus Saba and for dessert, Chevre Cheesecake with Port Cherries, Pecan Crust, and Candied Thyme (Menu) (Dining in Austin Review) - Sold again!

Sienna $35 (Dinner) - You actually get 4 courses on this meal. Notables are the Primi Piatti of Pasta with Crimini mushrooms, shallots, white truffle oil, Grana Padano, black summer truffles and cream (Menu)

Aquarelle $35 (Dinner) - An appetizer of Countryside Farms Rabbit Ravioli with Walnut Sauce, an entree of Loin of Venison with Celery Root Puree and Fig Juniper Demiglaze, and a dessert of a Coffee Poached Pear with Caramel Cake and Chocolate Ganache (Menu)

Parkside $35 (Dinner) - An appetizer of Countryside Farms Rabbit Terrine with Farm Radish, Tinkerbell Carrots, Whole Grain Mustard, and Gerden Herbs, and a dessert of Cinnamon and Sugar Yeast Donuts with Brandy Marscapone and Maple Ice Cream (Menu)

Jeffrey's $35 (Dinner) - An appetizer of Crispy Short Ribs Sous Vide Style with Pommes Dauphine, Persillade and Horseradish Cream. I would have mentioned the entree which was a grilled Quail, but is served with an Anchovy Gremolata, um WTF, the Jeffrey's effect strikes again. (Menu) (Dining in Austin Review)

Driskill Grill $35 (Dinner) - An appetizer of Sous Vide Organic Egg, Frisee Salad, House Pancetta, Shaved Fennel, Pecorino and a Grapefruit Vinaigrette an Entree of Honey Balsamic Grilled Bandera Quail with Sherry-Garlic Butter, Black Quinoa, and Watermelon Radish Salad, and a dessert of Ricotta-Sage Brulee with a Toasted Walnut Crust (Menu)

Our vegetarian readers might want to give a look at:

Fino $35 (Dinner) - A Salad of Oranges, Pistachios, Medjool Dates with Watercress and Orange Blossom Water Vinaigrette, an entree of Sea Bass with Asparagus & Meyer Lemon Risotto & Crispy Serrano Ham - vegetarian version available too(Menu) (Dining In Austin Review)

Jaspers $35 (Dinner) - One of three salads to pick for your appetizer, an entree of Pasta Primavera with Asparagus, Squash, Baby Arugala, and a Smoked Tomato Alfredo. Your non veggie friends can have an entree of Texas Peach BBQed Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Creamed Sweet Corn but for dessert, how about a Butterfinger Creme Brulee or a Cherry Limeade Pie (Menu)

Samnios $25 (Dinner) - An appetizer of Cauliflower Soup with Tahini and African Spices an Entree of Three Flavors of Vegan Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Veggies and a Raw Vegan Cheesecake for dessert (Menu)

And always the best Restaurant Week Deals:

Green Pastures $25 (Dinner) - Appetizer of Tempura Lobster Tail with Wasabi mashed potatoes with Coconut Ginger Butter, Guajillo, Coriander and Crispy Basil, an entree of Clove and Long Pepper Gnocchi with Exotic Mushrooms, Roasted Chayote, Carrots, Parsnips, Asparagus, Pumpkin Seed Pesto, Navajo Bread, and Shiraz-Cumino Jus (Menu)

Fabi + Rossi $25 (Dinner) - Appetizer of Champagne Veloute an entree of Pink Peppercorn Crusted Tenderloin with Oak Hill Farms Spinach Saute and Pommes Dauphine (Menu)

Mariah

La Condesa

400-A W 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78701
512.499.0300
http://www.lacondesaaustin.com/

Laura: The first time I visited La Condesa I was a bit put off. Sure it was for their grand opening and everything was comped, but they had invited so many people that it made it difficult to taste anything, I was shouted at by another party goer for indulging in some barside guacamole and the whole thing came off as pretentious and very Dallas-like. It's not a mistake that I picked up on a Dallas vibe. The first La Condesa was located in Victory Park in Dallas and closed in May 2009, just a little bit of a year after it opened.

Mariah: I never made it to that opening, but I'd gone to La Condesa shortly after it opened and was put off by the see-and-be-seen vibe I felt.But the food was decent enough and the it was close to my apartment, so I found myself there on an occasion or two.

Laura: Now that the buzz around La Condesa has settled and the crowds have calmed down, it is an incredibly enjoyable happy hour spot. Leslie, Jenn and I settled in to the sleek and stylish bar yesterday to do a little tasting of half priced drinks and discounted appetizers.

Torilla Soup - Spicy tomato broth, chicken, avocado, queso fresco, crispy tortilla strips, toasted ancho chile. Happy Hour $3

Cangrejo Tostada- Texas lump crab meat, green mango, grapefruit, tomato, chipotle mayo, chives. Happy Hour $2 each

Ejotes- grilled Texas green beans with garlic and epazote. Happy Hour $2

Ceviche. Happy Hour $6

Hanger steak with yucca fries $8

Close up of the hanger steak. Happy Hour $8

Laura: No, I did not try the steak but I did try the yucca fries with a side of chipotle mayo. They were crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and just delicious. Jenn really enjoyed the steak as well.

Mariah: On the several occasions I've been, I've had the Chile Relleno. It's a fat poblano stuffed with quinoa, manchego, and butternut squash served in a light tomato sauce with pepitas on top. It's really quite good in a non-traditional sort of way. But whenever I go, I always make sure to have a side of platanos and the elote. The platanos are wonderfully sweet and caramelized plantains with a sprinkling of queso fresco. Yum! And the elote. Oh, I could write an ode to the elote. Its a wood fired ear of corn covered in a thick cream and rolled in cheese. It. Is. Heavenly. Period. If you go there and eat nothing else, get the elote.

Laura: I had a chat with the bartender (not mixologist) about La Condesa's commitment to buy locally. They buy as many ingredients as possible from farms within a 60 mile radius of the Austin. I'm not sure how much ends up being local, but its a start and the intent is there.

Alma Blanca - Habanero-infused simebra azul blanco domaine de canton ginger liquer, agave nectar, pineapple juice, fresh corn, hoja de hierba santa, hibiscus-rose-infused salt rim.

The ginger flavor in the Alma Blanca is just enough to not be overpowering and compliments the habanero kick.

Watermelon Elderflower Martini (minus a big sip!) Tito's vodka, st germain elderflower liqueur, agave nectar, citrus and watermelon juice.

Laura: The Watermelon Elderflower Martini is the drink that brings me back to La Condesa. It is sweet without being cloying and although it is technically more suited toward summer, I am happy to drink it anytime. Not pictured is the El Cubico - a tobacco infused tequila, vanilla liqueur, lemon, grilled pineapple juice, mezcal essence concoction with a saffron infused salt rim. This was by far Leslie's favorite drink. I couldn't get past my dislike for the tobacco flavor, although oddly enough it doesn't bother me in red wine.

Mariah: The drinks at La Condesa are generally very good and very interesting. I usually never make it past the Alma Blanca (I'm always a sucker for a drink with spicy tequilla). I like it so much I don't think I've ever gotten anything else! But the rest of the drinks *sound* like they'd be good, but you'll have to trust Laura's opinion of them.

Laura: Sitting at the bar and watching the bartender at work is a highlight of the visit. The bartender crafted Jenn an off-menu Cablecar that simply was out of this world. Another highlight of visiting La Condesa is playing the "How much do you think it would cost to build that light fixture" game with Leslie. These are the kind of activities that occur when a professional film prop designer and a former mechanical engineer meet over cocktails. The conclusion is that at $4 a connector, the light fixture would quickly become very expensive.

Laura: Another thing than can get pricey is the dinner menu. It is worth a try, although other bloggers have given it mixed reviews and Taco Journalism definitely does not recommend the tacos. My suggestion is to stick to the less traditional and more inventive items on the menu. That is where you will find the stars of the show.

Mariah: On a 1-10 scale, I give it a 9.

The Carillon

1900 University Avenue
Austin, TX 78705
http://www.meetattexas.com/

Laura: I tried to wrap my head around the idea of a fine dining restaurant located on the UT campus. Why not? They have their share of Chick-fil-A's, taco carts and a music venue with a questionable future (Mariah: doomed future) so why shouldn't they have a fine dining restaurant too? Head chef Jeff Watkins brings his experience from the Driskill Hotel to the Carillon at the AT&T center. He and his hospitable staff served up some treats for a viewing last week.

Mariah: I've heard the Carillon had a great chef and was getting rave reviews and its been on my top 5 "new places to try" list for a month or two. I've been reticent to try it though mostly because its on the UT campus and I 1) hated my experience at UT and don't care to relive it if I can avoid it 2) I think dealing with anything around campus is a Hassle (with a big H). I don't think there is any way to avoid #1, but to be honest, dealing with #2 isn't really not that bad. It's at the corner of MLK and University so its close enough to the edge of campus to precision strike the place and not get too concerned about campus traffic. Once you find the entrance to the garage (it's on 20th street, just FYI), and realize you can't park on the 1st two levels, parking really isn't that bad either (they validate parking at the front desk, so its free too). You get on the elevator, go up to the Restaurant level and BAM you're at the Carillon. Note to any big brother style regulatory agency reading this and looking to fine us for breaking the law, this meal was comped.

Laura: Please excuse the quality of these photos. My DSLR is in the shop and while the lighting was great for the atmosphere, it wasn't very conducive to taking pretty food photos. Thanks for talking me into getting insurance on the camera, Josh. You were right, eventually I would drop it.

The Cava was flowing

Mariah: The cava was tasty (and trust me, I had 4 glasses of it). I'd recommend it here or elsewhere.

Little nibbles at the bar

Mariah: Ok so I was kind of grossed out by the nibbles. We were expected to be shared nibbles, but the olives had no olive fork. So everyone ended up sticking their grubby fingers into the olive bowl to grab an olive. I even saw one person (and I won't name names) pick up an olive, look at it, then put it back down to select another. I can understand if it's a shared appetizer between friends, but out on the bar? Yuck.

White Bean Soup with Smoked Sea Scallop.

Laura: Mariah compared the texture of the soup to paint spackle. The word that came to my mind was gravy. The contents were so thick that they got stuck at the bottom of the shot glass. It tasted heavily of bacon but we were promised it was a vegetarian soup.

Mariah: The presentation in the little shot glass was cute for a standing appetizer party, but the texture of the soup did NOT go well with the cute little shot glasses. The soup itself had a nice smokey flavor that, if in an actual bowl, would probably be quite nice. But it just didn't work in the cup and ended up unsettling me more than it should have.

Variety of treats including eggplant caprese with tomato relish and steak tartare with white truffle

Mariah: The steak tartare was rather bland. I had one and despite it having two of my favorite ingredients, both steak and truffle, I only had one serving. The eggplant caprese was quite nice, but rather hum-drum. There was a tiny fried cheese ball (a la a sonic cheesestick) that didn't taste very good alone. But when paired with the eggplant and the relish blended quite harmoniously. I think I ate 3 or 4 of these little spoons (but I notice now its not on their normal menu, so tough luck). One dish Laura didn't mention (but is pictured above) was the pork belly. It was quite nice. Crisp and flavorful with just the right amount of give and fat content. The fried mint leaf on the top was a nice touch, but its flavor and crispness were sort of overpowered by the already flavorful and crisp pork belly. It fell slightly short of Trio's amazing pork belly appetizer, but it is still noteworthy and delicious.

Laura: Mariah's right on the fried cheese description. However, it was one of the few items I could eat at the tasting so I had about five of them. Hey, I needed something to soak up the Cava.

Braised Beef Short Ribs. Mariah's favorite.

Mariah: Ok if there is one reason you make your way to Carillon, it needs to be for the short ribs. Holy crap were they good. Nice and meaty with a pleasant flavor. They were covered in an apricot glaze with an accompanying celery root puree. The asparagus feels like it was thrown in as an afterthought. BUT I have to say pairing celery and apricot with beef works. Really really works. It's genius in fact. You have to try it. Now.

Where the magic happens

Laura: We watched the staff putting together all the bits and pieces while we sipped our drinks. I love when the restaurant design pulls off an open view of the kitchen. The overall atmosphere of The Carillon is hard to grasp from these photos. It is grandiose done with class, just like you would expect from UT.

Mariah: It was very Fort Worth cowboy chic. Everything was warmly neutral with browns, leathers and wrought iron. Very "upscale Texas." My only other complaint was we didn't get to sample more of the menu. I would have liked to have tried a fish dish and dessert, but I guess my curiosity has been peaked just enough to go back again.

Laura: Perhaps this is Fort Worth cowboy chic, but I don't know anywhere like this in Fort Worth. The final verdict? I need a return trip to check out the other menu items. Hint, hint, nudge to you Carillon PR and Jeff Watkins. ;)

The Carillon is open to the public for breakfast (7 am - 10 am) and for dinner (5:30 pm -10 pm). Lunch is reserved for UT faculty and staff only.