Estancia Churrascaria

4954 Us-290 W

Sunset Valley, TX

(512) 892-1226

http://www.estanciachurrascaria.com/

Phew! I never knew one little post on an East Austin Mexican Restaurant could be so controversial. I want to thank all the people that posted comments on the review, yes even the not so nice ones. Laura and I really appreciate the feedback. We read all the comments and discuss them ad nausium like giddy schoolgirls talking about boys at a slumber party. This set was particularly interesting and eye opening for us. I sure made a mistake with my wording, and I appreciate you gentle readers for pointing it out. That being said, I think some of you were a little harsh and misconstrued the intent of the review. I want to personally thank commenter Murphy for sticking up for us. Murphy – In honor of your awesome comment, I’m raising the rating of Juan in a Million to a 10 (as you suggested) and calling it the Murphy Memorial Rating. Right on!

Now on to the real review..

When I lived in Fort Worth we had a biennial tradition of going to a Brazilian Steakhouse and gorging ourselves on meat - lots and lots of meat. We would usually rotate through the different Churrascarias available in DFW at the time, Fogo to Chao, Texas de Brazil, and Boi na Braza. We even developed a meat lingo to describe our meals. A trip to a Brazilian Steakhouse was called a meat orgy. After partaking of meat orgy, you’ll get meat bloat, that full feeling when you’ve had too much turkey at Thanksgiving. And the truly dedicated, the ones who’d eat through the meat bloat will experience meat sweats, a clammy feeling accompanied with the meat bloat. And there was even one time when Zach, an Atkins devotee at the time, ate through the meat sweats and experienced meat euphoria. After finishing 3 plates of meat he had this stupid grin on his face like the hottest girl in the room had walked up and flashed him.

But since moving back to Austin, I’ve found my friends here are a lot more health conscious and generally frown upon the meat orgy. That is everyone but my brother, the recently converted vegetarian. That boy can never get enough meat now that he eats it again. So when he suggested Estancia for a family dinner I readily agreed. He was going to be traveling to The Netherlands on business for a couple of weeks so my whole family collected together for a nice dinner to see him off. I even called my BFF Becky to join us. I’d been busy going out with random strange men (remember the week of dating?) and hadn’t seen either my family or Becky in over a week. I’m a bad, bad daughter and friend sometimes, disappearing into my single life for days on end, popping my head up from time to time to check in. But sometimes the call of male pheromones will lure me away from familial responsibilities into a deep, dark land of fun, flirting, and general debauchery.

So first of all let me tell you a little about Estancia and the whole Brazilian Steakhouse experience. Most Brazilian Steakhouses come in the small chain variety, Fogo de Chao and Texas de Brazil both have about a dozen locations (mostly in the south, fancy that), Estancia, however, is a homegrown non-chain Brazilian Steakhouse. Plus one point. It is rather unfortunately situated on the frontage road of Ben White (near Brodie) in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express – yes, you read that right – in a Holiday Inn Express. Despite its unfortunate location, it’s been wildly popular since opening its doors. I’ve been there a couple of times and it’s always been full, which isn’t surprising since it’s not all that big. There are a couple of dozen tables situated in close quarter around a huge salad bad. The inside is cleanly decorated and understated. White linens, dark wood chairs, no garish artwork, romantic low lighting, etc.

When you’re first seated, a hunky Latin waiter takes your drink order, and you hit the salad bar. All Brazilian Steakhouses have a huge, well stocked salad bar. Some are better than others. I find Texas de Brazil generally has the best salad bar, but Fogo de Chao and Estancia are close behind. . They all generally offer 3 or 4 different kinds of salad, heart of palms, artichokes, fresh mozzarella, marinated peppers and mushrooms, shaved parmesan, and all sorts of other delectable treats. Estancia’s salad bar is similarly furnished, perhaps slightly smaller than Fogo de Chao’s or Texas de Brazil, but all ingredients are extremely fresh and delectable. It’s really only the small details that distinguish one salad bar from the next. Texas de Brazil has FABULOUS Lobster bisque and I don’t think the others have soup. Fogo has smoked salmon, but Texas de Brazil has awesome salamis and even sushi. To be honest, sometimes when my friends go to Brazilian Steakhouses, I don’t feel like I can handle all that meat, so I’ll order just the salad bar (which at Fogo is $20, not sure about Estancia). But that’s only sometimes, most of the time I focus on the real star of the Brazilian Steakhouse, those delicious, soft, hot, cheese filled rolls. Say what you want about the meat, I go to meat orgies fully intending to eat my weight in cheese rolls. I probably have at least a dozen while I eat, seriously.

But that’s probably not why most of you will go to Estancia. You’ll go there to eat meat, and Estancia has plenty of that. 10 different kinds to be precise. The hunky, Latin waiter brings you a huge plate and a little card that’s red on one side and green on the other. In theory, when you want more meat, you flip the card to green and MORE hunky Latin men descend upon you bearing large skewers of meat. They come in a steady stream until you flip your card over to the red side, and then the hunky men stop coming. I always keep my card on green, I still want to see the hunky guy even if I turn down his offering of meat.

Most Brazilian Steakhouses offer a variety of meat options. Fogo de Chao and Texas de Brazil each have 15 different kinds of meat which Estancia only offers 10. I made sure to try all 10 of them.. strictly for the review.. of course.. I even stole the “meat brochure” so I could remember all 10 kinds. I’ll go in order, even. Picanha, the crowning jewel of most Brazilian Steakhouses, is probably my favorite at most Churrascarias, sirloin flavored with garlic and sea salt. I’ve never had bad Picanha at any of the Brazilian Steakhouses I’ve been to, I highly recommend it. Alcata – top sirloin – not memorable to Estancia, skip it. Fraldinha – a “juicy cut of bottom sirloin” as the brochure so nicely tells us and boy are they right. This is probably my second favorite cut at Estancia, and they do it better than all the other Steakhouses. Eat some. Costela – beef ribs – eh, these were ok, I eat a lot of BBQ ribs and these were ok, but not the best I’ve had. Filet Mignon – bacon wrapped no less – yum, try it if you still have room, but its not as good as Estancia’s Picanha or the Fraldinha. Cordiero – leg of lamb – ok so Estancia’s lamb isn’t as good as some of the other Brazilian Steakhouses. The lamb at Texas de Brazil is NOT to be missed, but here, I’d skip it. Lobo de Porco – parmesan pork. Again, the Lombo de Porco at Texas de Brazil is probably my personal favorite, here it’s good and worth eating, but not as nice as Texas de Brazil’s. Frango – bacon wrapped chicken legs – tasty but filler. Fogo de Chao’s chicken is better, but it’s a good palate cleanser between cuts of beef and who can turn down anything wrapped in bacon? Linguica – pork sausage – can’t match Fogo de Chao’s. Costela de Porco, ok so I was getting kind of full at this point and didn’t try these. I had another helping of Picanha and Fraldinha. Sue me.

The meat is generally accompanied by a 4 or 5 side items. Sweet marinated plantains, polenta squares, mashed potatoes, some other filler and more rolls. Most seasoned Churrascaristas (I just made that up BTW) will bypass the side items in favor of more meat, but I love plantains and eat as many as I can. Estancia’s side items are probably the weakest part of the meal. They’re an afterthought here. Texas de Brazil’s plantains are world class and Fogo’s mashed potatoes are drool worthy on their own. This is the one place Estancia could use some work. Onto dessert, if you still have room. I like the papaya cream, a light fruit pudding, usually offered at all the steakhouses. I mean it’s light and creamy, and you’ve already consumed about 10,000 calories on the meat, why not go all out and get dessert. They also have a fine selection of flan, cakes, cheesecakes, etc. Blah blah, I know you’re still drooling over the meat.

And here’s the best part about Estancia, it’s only $30 per person while Fogo de Chao and Texas de Brazil are each $50 per person. Sure you have slightly less selection, but do you really need those extra 5 meats when you already have 10 to choose from?

Bottom Line: Tasty meat, great salad bar, cheaper than Fogo

Estancia - 8.5

Baby Greens

2316 S 1st St

Austin, TX 78704

512-462-1697

http://www.ilovesalads.com/

Some of you may not know this about me, but I’m a belly dancer (and no I WON’T do a private show for you, so don’t bother asking). I’ve been dancing for about 6 years now and was even in a troupe in Fort Worth. We did Gypsy style belly dancing, complete with crazy costumes, skirts, coins, bells, scarves; the whole 9 yards. We performed at local festivals, other dance shows, and even at the State Fair every year. It was awesome and is probably the ONE thing I miss about Fort Worth. But when I moved to Austin I couldn’t find anyone teaching Gypsy style belly dancing, so I decided to try the next best thing, Tribal Fusion style belly dancing. Tribal Fusion dancing involves lots of crazy costumes but the dancing has a more intensity than the vibrant energy of Gypsy.

Anyway, my new teacher is on south Lamar and when I’m done with class at 8:30, I am usually starving. Usually I head home and forage through my fridge for a snack, but this week I was heading out to Christine and Tess’s to do some eyebrow grooming (Tess is a fabulous aesthetician, I’ll gladly recommend her to anyone). So I drove down Oltorf intending to get one of those Fresco tacos at Taco Smell (I know it sacrilege, but I think they’re kind of tasty) when a fabulous idea popped into my head, why not try Baby Greens! The notion of healthy fast food fascinates me and I’ve been meaning to try this place for ages, but they never seem open. Every time I drive by they always look dark and uninviting, so I keep on driving. But this time my stomach was grumbling and I was feeling rather proud of myself for the good work-out I’d just gotten, and wanted to continue the healthy streak I had going that day.

I drove by slowly to ascertain whether they were open. Again, I felt daunted, the place was dark and there weren’t any cars in the lot. BUT there was large neon sign in the window that said Open. So I cautiously crept into the drive thru thinking maybe those crazy hippies had forgotten to turn the sign off. When a pulled up to the intercom a friendly voice spoke up “Can I help you?” Apparently they WERE open! The menu wasn’t very large, there are really only 6 major salad options to choose from: cobb, greek, caesar, southwest, spinach, and something called Sharon’s. You can choose any of these salads with meat or without AND you can choose to have them as a salad or a wrap. Whatever salad/wrap you choose, you get a further choice of 10 or so dressings to go with it. I went with a chicken cobb wrap with blue cheese vinaigrette dressing. I was already salivating as I drove up to the pick up window. The friendly hippie greeted me again and took my $6 (seriously, it was only $6). I sat at the window for slightly longer than I would at Taco Smell before my wrap was handed to me.

The wrap was tightly packed in white paper and the dressing was in a separate plastic container. Since I was driving, I figured I’d dig into the sandwich as-is to avoid a dressing mess. From the first bite, I was in love. All of the veggies were fresh and crisp. The romaine and cucumbers had a substantial crunch, the carrots slivers were still firm and shapely, and the avocado was creamy and still tasted green! The chicken and bacon was not at all overwhelming and the whole wrap was flecked with the pungent hit of blue cheese. These meaty “extras” in no way detracted from the real star of the sandwich, those fresh veggies. The whole sandwich together was so creamy, fresh and perfect that I didn’t even feel the need to add the fattening dressing. I did decide, for the sake of you readers, to try the dressing, just so I could review it (of course). It had a slightly over-mayonnaisey taste, but was overall very pleasant. It wasn’t very greasy and had a subtle blue cheese flavor. It didn’t particularly add or detract from the wrap, so I decided to finish it without; who needs those extra calories??

Overall: Awesome wraps and salads with fresh greens

Mariah: 9

Laura's note: After Mariah's glowing recommendation, I decided to try the place myself. I love the idea of actually having a healthy option when it comes to getting something on the go.

When I first arrived, the hipster working the drive through acted really annoyed with me. I couldn't figure out quite how the whole thing worked fast enough for him. After he snottily explained that the left top portion of the menu listed choices for tortilla types, I debated in my head just driving off. But cooler heads prevailed and I explained to him that it was my first time at Baby Greens, and he seemed to soften considerably. I hurried up with my choices and ordered Sharon's veggie in a tomato basil tortilla with green goddess dressing. Sharon's veggie contains romaine lettuce, baby spinach, pecans, avocado, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions. I received my order quickly (and for about $5) and drove home.

In the safety of my own house I decided to dig in to the wrap. My first thoughts were awful as all I got was a large mouthful of tortilla, as you do in the first bite of most wraps. However, as I peeled some of the tortilla away, I was left with a very delicious vegetable treat. The pecans were a bit difficult as they seemed to shake loose and fall out every time I picked up my dinner, but such is the nature of the wrap, and I do not fault Baby Greens for this. The avocado was evident but not plentiful, and served as a suitable creamy fusion device for the rest of the vegetables. The green goddess dressing was creamy as well and complimented the ensemble. I finished every bite and then went back and sopped up the remaining dressing with the tortilla.

Overall: A very tasty healthy meal for a great price, but don't be fooled, you will be treated as a fast food customer.

Laura ~ 8

Mars Restaurant and Bar

Mars Restaurant and Bar
1400 S. Congress
Austin, Texas 78704
http://www.marsaustin.com/

Let me start by telling you how I met Elena.

I got an email from a former Italian coworker of mine asking me to show a new to Austin Italian professor around last fall. The former coworker, Walter, is an easy going fun guy in his fifties, so naturally I assumed that this Italian professor would be around his age.

I was preparing in my mind for activities to take such a person to. It was late October and the whole 6th street on Halloween debacle seemed entirely inappropriate, so I searched my brain and decided that a simple brunch was a good introductory session. This would allow us to size each other up and figure out if a relationship was going to beneficial for friendship, but more likely networking or general about-town knowledge.

The shock came when Elena showed up at my house as a drop dead gorgeous extremely friendly and fashionable grad student of 28. Not at all the powersuited serious 50 something professor I was expecting. I guess something was lost in translation between Walter and me.

The other thing that was lost in translation was that Walter had never actually met Elena.

Flash forward to April. Walter’s time in the US is complete and sadly for us, he is about to go back to Italy. He wants to take a drive down to Austin from DFW to meet and greet his fellow Milano over lunch, and I’m in charge of making arrangements.

It’s a beautiful Texas spring day, the sun is shining and the only requirement I can think of is that I do not want to be stuck indoors. I discuss a few options with Elena and decide on Mars on South Congress. The environment is right and the patio is great. I’ve been there once before and found the food not quite worth all the hype, but decent and I believe it will do for the purpose.

Unfortunately, when Walter shows, we give him the options of Italian, American or Asian and he quickly vetoes Italian and Asian. We convince him to try Mars anyway, marketing it as Asian infused American cuisine, and that if he doesn’t like the menu, we can venture down to South Congress Café.

When we arrive, South Congress Café has an hour long wait, so he reluctantly concedes to Mars. I’m feeling a little guilty at this point, after all the guy did drive 3 hours just to have lunch with us and I’m forcing him to eat a cuisine he despises, but I quickly shrug off the nagging guilt feeling when I spot several items on the limited, but adequate lunch menu that I think will do for even the most staunch Asian food hater.

Walter requests that we eat inside and part of me dies right then and there. I console myself with the reassurance that I have the rest of the afternoon to enjoy the sun.

As we are seated, Lach (my boyfriend for all of you new readers) begins to look around and make running commentary on the décor. He says he’s not sure if he’s in a restaurant, a nightclub or a fetish shop. I see where he’s coming from. The black and red interior comes off as quite gothic, the kind of décor I expected and failed to see at Prague. They are trotting a fine line between stylish and overdone, but somehow seem to pull it off. Perhaps it’s the location, type of cuisine, absence of gargoyles and other cheesy relics, or the accommodating demeanor of the staff that day that seals the deal. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why it works, but it works.

We order a bottle of white wine and hummus/baba ganough to start. The starter comes with grilled flat bread with bits of red pepper infused. It’s just the slightest bit spicy and goes well with the hummus. The baba ganough, on the other hand, is something I could have done without. It tastes to me a bit slimy. Perhaps from too much oil or maybe overcooked eggplant? We munch as we pick out our courses and request more bread.

I choose the Mizuna and Tatsoi Salad with pickled onions, crispy wontons and creamy sesame garlic dressing. Elena decides on Salmon with soy wasabi aioli, sticky rice and vegetable du jor. Walter avoids too much Asian with Wagyu Steak and Frites, and Lach picks the Marinated Tenderloin Salad with croutons, Thai Basil, mint and kim chee vinaigrette.

Our food arrives within a decent amount of time and the portion sizes are not oversized. My salad is fresh and green and the onions are slightly sweet and not overpowering. The crispy wontons remind me of being a kid and overindulging on foods that are terrible for me, like the wontons provided by cheap and greasy Chinese restaurants. It’s a secret shameful pleasure executed in a non greasy way that accentuates the rest of the salad instead of taking it over. I’m not sure if I would describe the dressing as creamy, but the leaves were lightly tossed in something that was very tasty.

Elena’s salmon looked really nice. I watched her carefully pull the skin off the top before diving in. The sticky rice looked unpalatable to me, but the asparagus accompanying the plate looked delicious. Walter had this same asparagus on his plate as well. The style it was cooked in was the only Asian influences his plate contained. The steak seemed nice, and he did not complain. The frites were curly bits of fried potato that looked mildly unappealing and mostly remained on his plate. Lach enjoyed his salad, but was surprised to find that the tenderloin was presented in skewered chunks as opposed to thinly sliced pieces. He admitted to me that he enjoyed Mars more than he had enjoyed his past experience at South Congress Café.

We were all satiated. Walter (being the typical coffee-snob Italian) did not trust the espresso at Mars and suggested we travel to Starbucks to finish our afternoon. I cringed and proposed Mozart’s instead. Not only did I want to avoid the ever-present Starbucks, I could finally get some time outdoors on a nice patio. He agreed to try it and was actually quite surprised. Although he and Elena recoiled at disgust at the ice cream/gelato, he and Lach gave the espresso two thumbs up.

Overall: Asian influenced American food in trendy dark atmosphere. Although overrated amongst most Austin hipsters, it does pull off a good meal and has a fabulous patio perfectly situated on trendy South Congress.

Laura ~ 8 (8 on food, 9 on atmosphere)

Hai KY

1931 E Oltorf St # B

Austin, TX 78741
(512) 693-2464


A co-worker (Kevin) and I decided to try a different Pho restaurant than Phở 888, on Oltorf. I had read a few reviews before deciding on the place so and based on the reviews, the place was worth a try.

Typically, Vietnamese restaurants that have Phở or Mi on their sign, specialize in soup. So, you shouldn't expect to see Banh Mi, Clay Pot, Bo luc lac, or any other Vietnamese dish on the menu. Typically, when I have Vietnamese, I have Phở, which is why I chose Hai KY. Phở and Mi were on the sign so, I would be judging them on my typical meal at a Phở restaurant: Spring Rolls, Phở Dàc Biêt, and Cà phê sữa đá.

Ok, Hai KY is a pretty small place and I could see that it's popularity outstrips it's seating. We ended up sitting at a bar facing the window, so I had to turn and face Kevin when I wasn't slurping noodles. We shared the bar with 3 other people but, many of the customers were sharing tables with strangers. This is typical for a Phở restaurant. The wait staff was quick and courteous, seating us quickly, getting our orders quickly, serving the appetizer quickly and leaving us just enough time to finish them before the main course was delivered. They even delivered the bill early so people with short lunch breaks (like me and Kevin) could rush back to their jobs.

On to the meal. The Spring Rolls had the right ingredients (pork, shrimp, noodles), were not rubbery or chewy, and the taste was completely obscured by one of the most peanut-y tasting peanut sauces I've ever had. It was so good, I had a few spoonfulls when the Spring Rolls ran out. I should have had a bite without dipping it in the sauce.

It takes a while for the coffee to drain out of the drip filter so I usually drink the Cà phê sữa đá after the meal so, I'll get back to this.

The soup stock (which is really the heart of Phở) was not that great, sadly. Since this was Phở Dàc Biêt, I expected to see a mountain of eye round, and flank steak, tripe and soft tendon, but, there wasn't really much to go around. There wasn't much in the way of noodles either. The bulk of the solids were white onions, green onions, and cilantro. It was worth about the price I paid for it (under $6). By comparison, though, most Phở kitchens give you much more for the price.

Towards the end of the meal, the Cà phê sữa đá was ready (as predicted), so I mixed it all up, and poured it over the ice. I've never had a bad glass of Cà phê sữa đá... until today. It tasted bad. I still can't place exactly what the problem was. Could it be the water was too hot, or the grains too old or was it that the condensed milk was expired? I ended up leaving half a glass, which never happens.

I'll reserve my final judgement until I visit them again, since it could have been an off day. Until then:

Eric - 4.5

Magnolia Cafe

1920 S. Congress Ave.

Austin, TX 78704
512-445-0000

2304 Lake Austin Blvd

Austin, TX 78703
512-478-8645

http://www.cafemagnolia.com/

Hello my fellow foodies. I hope the weekend found you eating well. I found myself eating very well.. in Seattle.. I flew up Thursday night to visit my friend Kasie and immediately threw myself into the local cuisine. Friday morning I was having shrimp and crab benedict at a warfside diner, Friday night I had 5 different types of chowder (yes there are that many!), Saturday I got thoroughly toasted at 9 local Washington wineries, Saturday night I had the perfect hang over food – fish tacos, and Sunday I had fresh salmon lox and banana french toast all the while glutting myself on fabulous Seattle coffee. Yum! But Sunday afternoon came around and I had to make my way back to Austin. I managed to successfully transport the 11 bottles of wine I had drunkenly acquired at said local Washington wineries through American Airlines checked baggage (yes it can be done foodies, and for future reference, they make suitcases specifically for transporting wine, seriously, only $386 and its yours). I managed to make it back to Austin only 2 hours later than the intended arrival time (thanks American), and when I finally landed I was STARVING. Not just any kind of hungry, the kind of hungry you get from being tired, hung-over and traveling 2000 miles. The kind of hungry only pancakes can satisfy.

I met up with my friend Ben and headed for Magnolia, my favorite Austin late night dining spot. I’ve been coming to Magnolia on and off since 1999. And how can I pinpoint that year? It was the year I got a car and could leave the confines of campus eateries. A whole new world of culinary delight opened up to me in that year. And one of the first places I ended up was Magnolia. The lure of 24 hour queso and pancakes is strong when you’re 21 and hopelessly drunk. And this is one restaurant that is so quintessentially Austin. Like Hula Hut, Magnolia is one of the places I always recommend to people from out of town. The interior is the perfect blend of crunchy granola and Austin funky chic. The wait-staff appear all rough and pierced but are in actuality very friendly and helpful.

Since I’ve started going there I haven’t strayed too far from the few favorites I started eating back in 1999. The first is the Eggs Zapatino. Its amazing. Fluffy yellow scrambled eggs on a crisp toasted English muffin covered in spicy, cheesy queso. It was incredible hang-over food then and it still is now. I got it last time I was at Magnolia (the day after my awesome Mardi Gras adventure on 6th at the 80’s Sing Along). I sometimes get the Love Migas. Picture it, regular migas, but made with a garlic & serrano infused butter. They’re nice and spicy, a real zinger of an egg dish. Magnolia also has awesome omelets. My favorite is probably the #15 Popeye. A huge monstrous omelet stuffed with spinach, bacon, cheese, onions, and sour cream. Not the healthiest breakfast in the world, but damn tasty.

This particular time I ordered a breakfast taco. I seem to be having quite the breakfast taco cravings lately, and this one fit the bill. The tortilla was perfectly toasted while the eggs, sausage and cheese inside were a lovely blend of all the wonderful things a quality breakfast taco should be. It wasn’t as good as the excellent and apparently aberrant (check out the SAT vocab) breakfast taco from Kerby Lane. But considering the Kerby Lane taco was a fluke (as I discovered on my second trip) I consider this taco to be superior.

What Magnolia is really known for are their pancakes, and not just any pancakes, their gingerbread pancakes. At Magnolia, you don’t order a stack of pancakes, you order them one at a time. Yes, they’re really that big – they fill up a whole dinner plate! Really! They’re always griddled (if that’s even a word) to perfection. Slightly crisp exterior and cakey interior. I’ve never had an over or underdone pancake at Magnolia. And the taste is always excellent, a hint of spice from the gingerbread, but not enough to overwhelm you. Covered in a glob of melty butter and maple syrup they’re spectacular.

Bottom Line: Fresh diner food with funky Austin charm

Mariah – 9

Nunzia's

7720 Tx-71 W
Austin, TX
(512) 394-0220

http://www.nunzias.com/

Mariah: The week before last, Laura was preparing to go on her big Mexican Adventure. She had planned on doing her laundry the Wednesday night before she left, but Wednesday rolled around and she found herself sick and far too tired to trek to a Laundromat or to someone’s house. So Thursday morning she awoke in a tizzy with the realization that she was leaving in a day and her laundry wasn’t finished. I suggested she do what my wonderful working mother had done when I was growing up and take it to the cleaners. They’ll wash, press or fold any laundry you bring them, often with same day service. So Laura did some research and found a reputable cleaners with an in by 9 out by 6 same day policy. So she dutifully brought her clothes to the Laundromat only to have them inform her that it was 9:03 and the truck had already left.

Laura: Can you believe that? 3 measly little minutes?

Mariah: So I did the only thing a good friend would do in a situation like this, I offered up my washer and dryer. That afternoon, we sat on my patio with Eric and Cory enjoying the 3 degrees of Hill Country view you can see from my apartment. Around 8, though, our stomachs started grumbling so we struck out in search of food. Since this was my end of town, I suggested a nice joint about a mile from my apartment called Nunzia’s. It used to be the Y Bar and Grill but the owners and the name have since changed to Nunzia’s. I’d eaten there dozens of times as both the Y Bar and Grill and as Nunzia’s, so I figured it was a pretty safe bet for some tasty food on the south end of town.

Laura: I’d never been before so I was up for trying it. By the way, thanks for letting me borrow the good ole W/D.

Mariah: The first thing you notice as you enter the restaurant is the huge glass door you have to pass through. It’s not a normal door hinged at the edge, but its some crazy-hinged futuristic door contraption that throws you off when you try to open it. The inside of the restaurant is lovely though. It backs up to a wooded creek and is very rustic. The floors are red glazed concrete, there are several frosted glass accents, but the décor manages to mesh together providing a warm and inviting atmosphere. There is also a large patio on one side that also abuts the wooded creek. Its covered with fans and heaters providing a sufficient level of temperature control to make it habitable most of the year. In the summer, they usually have bands that provide a nice ambiance to the patio.

Laura: My first thought was that the door was really heavy and confusing and that the ceilings were high. But overall the restaurant showed serious potential. Calling it a creek was a bit of a stretch, but it was nicer than sitting next to the highway.

Mariah: We were seated on the patio and immediately started perusing the menu. It all looked pretty tasty (from my perspective). There were a dozen or so delectable sounding appetizers, a decent selection of salads, a dozen pasta entrees and an equal number of grilled dishes. Cory and I, both aficionados of raw meat decided to split a tuna tartar appetizer while Eric opted for a French onion soup. For entrees, Cory and I both got pasta, his was spaghetti with meatballs, mine with Bolognese.

Laura: The menu had a lot to offer, but I was still feeling a little under the weather so I went for a salad. I debated back and forth between the warm goat cheese salad (arugula, spinach, walnuts, poached pears, tangerine and pomegranate vinaigrette) and a mango habanero salad (field greens, mango, avocado, fried won-tons and red and green bell peppers.) I decided on the warm goat cheese salad as it seemed safer for my healing stomach to avoid anything spicy.

Mariah: The appetizers arrived and we dug in… Then stopped.. Cory’s and my tuna wasn’t too bad, but there was a surprising lack of tuna dipping sauce; not being the greatest quality tuna, a sauce was needed. We quickly ran through the drizzle of red chili mayo on our plate so we stopped the waiter to request more. But he didn’t just bring us more of the red chili mayo, be brought a green wasabi sauce as well. That’s when we realized the plating only had one sauce and a meager dribble at that. I started to get a little surly, but one mistake is forgivable. That’s when Eric piped in that his soup was cold. Not just cool or room temperature, but cold. We flagged the waiter down again and sent the soup back for a little more heat. To appease us, he brought out a big loaf of rosemary garlic bread. Now I have to say, the bread was excellent. It was reminiscent of the bread you get at Macaroni Grill, but better (I’m sorry I had to mention that dreadful place, I hope I don’t give any of you fellow foodie’s nightmares tonight).

Laura: Mariah forgot to mention the incessant physical contact the waiter was giving the men. And not the “I want to take you home” kind of contact, more the “hey I read in a psychology book somewhere that waiters who physically connect with their customers get tipped more” kind of way.

I agree, the bread was good, but I feel the need to address the soup issue.

When the soup was delivered, Eric realized he had ordered the wrong size (the waiter hadn't asked if he had wanted a bowl or a cup so he ended up with a bowl.) At that point, I did the honorable thing and offered to split it with him. We asked the waiter to bring an extra bowl so that we could share the soup. Now a good waiter would have the kitchen divide the soup up into two smaller bowls, but not doing so is nothing to get upset about. However, the waiter not only did not have the forethought to split the food into two, he also forgot the extra bowl several times and when it finally arrived, it was basically tossed at me.

Now on to the technical merits- They served it in a large open bowl so that it wouldn’t keep heat. Also, they used way too many croutons, which completely made the dish more into a way garlic-y turkey stuffing gone awry kind of thing. It just made it even worse when they re-heated it. The re-heating caused the croutons to soak up the soup until the bowl was just full of wet disintigrating bread.

Mariah: Eric’s soup came back suitably re-heated about the same time as out entrees. We were all getting a little more than peeved about the quality of our food. The chef was that night must have been smoking crack to let such huge mistakes out of his kitchen. The entrees were ok, not anything to write home about. My Bolognese pasta was on par with (brace yourselves) Macaroni Grill, and Cory’s meatballs, while better weren’t really anything special either.

Laura: My salad didn’t seem to taste very good, but I hadn’t eaten in 9 hours, so I gobbled it up anyway. The goat cheese was… weird. It was fried in some sort of batter reminiscent of the coating on Sonic jalapeno poppers (which by the way was next door). I’m not knocking Sonic jalapeno poppers, but they have their time and place, and that time and place is late after a night out or in the middle of a long road trip, not on my dinner salad.

Mariah: I asked to try a bite of Laura’s goat cheese and was shocked and appalled at the sub-par quality of the goat cheese. It was sharp and acrid and had a distinct “off” flavor, not the usual creamy delicious goat cheese I’m used to having (it wasn’t even the slightly goat-y tasting goat cheese that I don’t care for but eat sometimes anyway). That’s when I got mad. We had suffered one food insult after another. I flagged the waiter down and asked to speak to Manager. He looked affronted and immediately took a defensive posture. He didn’t say “Yes Ma’am” or “I’ll get him immediately” he instead chose to say “Why?.” I got even more pissed off. And said in my firmest bitch slave-driver voice, “I would like to speak to the manager please.” Without saying anything else, he turned and walked off.

We waited patiently for probably about 5 minutes before the waiter reappeared. “The manager has left for the evening,” he said. I think at that point I snapped. “Can I speak to the Manager on duty??” I mean was this guy really that crass and stupid not to produce another manager? That’s when he said (and I still don’t know whether to believe him or not), “I am the manager on duty.” At that point I was so pissed I ripped into him. I told him about the poor plating of the tuna appetizer, the cold soup, the off taste of the goat cheese, and about the general poor quality of a usually very fine dining establishment! And did he say “I’m sorry Ma’am” or lie and say their cook was training new staff tonight? No. That asshole said “well you didn’t send anything back I can’t do anything.” I think he thought we were trying to skip our bill! The nerve! I tried in my calm but iciest voice to tell him that it wasn’t that the food was inedible, it was just not up to the standard excellent quality I had experienced at this establishment on numerous occasions. After going back and forth with him, he finally offered to comp a few things for us. I really wanted him to say “I’m so sorry, I’ll talk to the manager about it tomorrow and have him call you.” But I didn’t want to argue with him anymore and let him comp us whatever he was going to. I think he ended up halving our bill down to $30. And honestly, it was a perfectly adequate $40 meal, but would have been a tragic $80 meal.

Laura: Yeah, the food was pretty gross and we were treated like freeloaders by a skeezy waiter. I felt like I was at Chili’s in the burbs. Worst of all, Mariah was mildly embarrassed for even having suggested the place. It’s ok, Mariah. Restaurant management changes, food suppliers flake, cooks quit, and well, another restaurant knocked off our list. C’est la vie.

Bottom Line: Used to be good, sucks now, poor quality, crappy service

Laura - 3
Mariah - 5 (but only because they have a history of being good, but I won't be going back any time soon)

Evangeline Cafe

8106 Brodie Lane
Austin, TX 78745
512-28-CAJUN

http://www.evangelinecafe.com/

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Eric texts me and says “going to a wine tasting at Specs” so I thought, sure, why not go along for the ride. My current rate of wine tastings per week seems to be running about 1.5 to 2. What’s another? What I didn’t expect was the awesome 2nd Tuesday Specs Wine extravaganza. Apparently once a month, the Specs on Brodie does this ginormous wine tasting event. Its $10, you get a free Riedel glass then you sample wines from 10 different wine tasting stations. Each station has 2 wines to taste and you move around from station to station ultimately trying 20 wines. Now these aren’t huge samples, probably the equivalent of one good swig per wine, but 20 swigs adds up to a nice buzz. In addition to the wine (which is a good enough draw for $10), they also have food tasting stations throughout the store. Everything from grilled chicken, to veggie sandwiches, to cheese. When we had made it around, I felt like I’d been teased and titillated with finger food want wanted some real food. I waited around for Eric to buy like 8 cases of St. Arnie’s Winter Bock (you think I’m lying, it really was 8) and load them into his car. At that point I was getting hungry and cranky, and wanted some food.

The area around Brodie and Ben White always seems like it has so much to offer. There is literally every chain store on the planet in those 4 shopping complexes, plus within a 2 mile radius you have like 50 strip malls. It would seem on the surface to have a dearth of places willing to take your money, but food is not one of them. Sure you can have a Cosi Sandwich, a Chipotle burrito, or stir fry from Fire Bowl, but there is a surprising lack of decent sit down restaurants in that area. So, milling over the options in my head, I decided we needed to try someplace new.. someplace Cajun (cue the backwoods banjo music). I’ve been wanting to try Evangeline Café since I moved to town. I was extremely lucky that one of the few good restaurant options is Fort Worth was a pretty decent little Cajun joint. However, I knew when that Cajun place closed last year, that Fort Worth had finally sucked the soul out of everything good and pure that it managed to touch. It was time to move. Fast forward six months and I am in the same place. I still hadn’t found a good Cajun place I could call my own. Now in all honesty, I haven’t exactly been looking that hard, but I get serious jambalaya cravings from time to time and I really did need to find one. Since I live on the south end of town, I started there, hoping to make my way east, trudging along one etouffee at a time. Cypress Café on William Cannon left A LOT to be desired: overcooked, oversalted food that just wasn’t all that Cajun (I’ll spare you that review unless I’m required to eat there again).

That led me to Evangeline Café. I’d been hearing good reviews from various places for a while, and that jambalaya craving was starting to take hold of me. So Eric, a fellow food adventurer, and I headed down to give it a try. The Cafe is in a slightly run down strip mall down Brodie - waaaay down Brodie - so far down Brodie that Eric thought I was spiriting him away to Louisiana to get this fabled south Austin Cajun food. But, once you get inside, you totally forget you’re in a suburban strip mall and are somehow carried by way of a Star Trek transporter, straight to the bayou. The walls were covered in tin and mardi gras decorations. The tables were mosaics of beer bottle caps. There was a great little Cajun band playing in the corner filling the place was a great party-like atmosphere. And the place was absolutely stuffed with people. We had to wait a few minutes to get a table, but in the friendly style of all things Louisiana, some guy offered to let us sit with him and drink a beer while we waited.

I quickly ordered and cracked open my favorite bad Louisiana drink staple, the Abita Turbo Dog. On its own, the beer is rather marginal, but it manages to always quench my thirst from a spicy attack of cayenne pepper. We managed to snag a table in the corner and started to peruse the menu. This is where the disappointments start. They didn’t have hush puppies or gator tail! What kind of self respecting southern/Cajun restaurant doesn’t have hush puppies or gator tail (grumble). But they had a decent selection of yummy smelling Cajun fair, gumbo, jambalaya, po boys, red beans and rice, and variety of other southern dishes like chicken fried steak. All very stereotypical Cajun food, nothing too extraordinary, but they did have jambalaya and that’s really what I was craving. I think Eric ordered Gumbo, but like I had mentioned earlier, I’d been drinking and things are a bit hazy in my memory. We enjoyed the great Cajun band (who honestly was pretty good), and the fried bread they offered us as an appetizer. Yes, you read that right fried bread. I am now truly convinced that everything can be deep fried. Our food came out surprisingly quickly for the restaurant being as full as it was. And one bite proved why. The jambalaya was pretty crappy. It was an underseasoned, over tomatoey, dry lifeless jambalaya. Now, I know jambalaya is a real regional dish. There are a million variations. I happen to prefer my jambalaya wetter and tomatoless (in the south central variation jambalaya) rather than dryer and tomatoey jambalaya (the Creole variation). Either way, I didn’t like the dry lifeless jambalaya at Evangeline’s. But that’s ok, because ultimately if I’m going to go back to Evangeline it will be for the atmosphere not for the food.

Bottom Line: Sucky Cajun food with an awesome atmosphere

Mariah: 7 (5 if you rate the rood alone)

Kerbey Lane

2606 Guadalupe St Austin, TX (512) 477-5717

2700 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX (512) 445-4451

3704 Kerbey Ln, Austin, TX (512) 451-1436

So I feel like we've gotten into the habit of only writing about the really great Austin restaurants or the really bad ones. When was the last time we reviewed just an ok restaurant? Well here's a good 'ok' Austin restaurant for ya - Kerby Lane. Now, before you start whining about how its an Austin institution, let me say that I fully acknowledge its innate Austin-ness. I've been eating at Kerby on and off for 10 years now and back when I was in college (and didn't know or couldn't afford better) it was a late night institution. But I am older and wiser and have since discovered the joys of other better local Austin institutions like the Omlettery and Magnolia Cafe. So how did I end up at Kerby again? Sheer laziness.

A few weeks ago I was out with Laura, Jenn, and Elena. The night was promising, we had special invites to a 1 year anniversary party at Prague. Now I thought Prague was a goth bar. The gargoyles and red lights usually signify goth-like tendencies, but Laura assured me it was just "European". So we get all tarted up and head to Prague. Boy were we disappointed. We were lured there with the promise of free drinks (it was sponsored by Grey Goose, which usually means free vodka) and free food (it was also sponsored by a local restaurant). Well we get there and not only was the place dead (as in we were the only people there), but there wasn't any free food, AND to add insult to injury, we had to pay for our drinks. Suck. So we headed for Betsy's, a nice little bar near the warehouse district and got our Lone Star on ($2 Lone Stars on Thursdays, as if Lone Star is even worth that much). Well it got to be 10:30 and being the working girl I am, I started packing up. I offered to drop Elena off at her place. As we were walking back to my car, I mentioned I was hungry and Elena said she was too, I mean, we were expecting free food. We decided on pancakes and since it was on the way, we thought we'd hit Kerby Lane.

We stopped at the Kerby on Guadalupe and 27th and the first thing we noticed was that the place was Hopping (with a capital H). We parking lot was full, we had to wait a second for a spot and we had to wait in line to get a table. But the wait was only 5 minutes, so we decided to stick it out. As we waited in and amongst the college students, something occurred to me, I am old in their eyes. I remember being a 19 year old college student looking at the late 20 something semi-professionals that would come to our frat parties and thinking, wow, that guy is 28, how old is that. And now that old guy is me and I'm a stranger in the world of the young and hip.

Anyway, it was chilly out and by the time they seated us, we were quite cold. We immediately ordered tea and hunkered down to warm up. As we scanned the menu, I noticed that it had changed considerably in the 5 or 6 years since I'd been there. The menu seemed less dinerish and more organic. As Laura noted on a trip there a few weeks later, there were more veggie options. But the reason Elena and I went there was for (a late night) breakfast. After hemming and hawing over the various options, we both decided to get a breakfast taco and a pancake. The pancakes, when they arrived were exactly as I had remembered them, large and spongy. I was less than enthused about the spongy (I use that word again because truly it is the best description) pancake in front of me having been a loyal patron of Magnolia Cafe for so many years. I have to say, in a side by side comparison the firmer, more flavorful Magnolia Cafe pancake would win. However, what really amazed me was the breakfast taco. Now, I've lived in Texas for 10 years and consider myself something of a breakfast taco expert, I've eatten a short ton of breakfast tacos in my lifetime. That Kerby breakfast taco was one of the best I've had. I went with a normal taco, egg, cheese and sausage and all were exceptional. The tortilla was lightly toasted and crunchy on the outside. The eggs were light and fluffy; the cheese to egg ratio was perfect. And the sausage.. Oh the sausage. It was tender, rosemary infused, and perfectly cooked. All together, the taco was tasty and damn near perfect.

Now, the reality of Kerby. They are really inconsistent. I went back to the same Kerby, on the same day of the week at the same time with Laura a week later. I wanted another breakfast taco. The first one was so good I had been dreaming about it. What was delivered to me was less than what I was expecting. The tortilla was overtoasted to the point that it wouldn't bend, and crumbled as I ate it. the bottom of the taco was soaked in grease. The sausage was overcooked and tasteless, and the eggs were dry. It was made up slightly by the tasty but not spectacular tortilla soup I had as a side. And overall disappointing experience.

Bottom Line: Inconsistant OK Food - If you want breakfast, stick with Magnolia Cafe

Mariah: 6.5

Zax Pints & Plates

(512) 481-0100
312 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, TX


http://www.zaxaustin.com/

I wanted to post this last week (when I actually went to the restaurant), but I’ve been holed up in bed for a week and a half with a killer sore throat. Sorry for the tardiness. Anyway, last Saturday I went on date with a nice gentleman (I know, me on a date!). Since we had already established that I was the resident foodie, I was left to pick the restaurant. The only guidelines I were given were it had to be mid-priced, in south Austin, and American cuisine was preferable. Those restrictions immediately left of some of my favorite south Austin hang outs: Mars, Havana, Guerros, Vespaio, and Maudes. So really the only options left were So Co Café, Zax, Freddies, and Threadgills. Now we can argue all day about Threadgills, but I don’t particularly like the food there. I had been to Freddie’s recently (read the review), and I couldn’t convince him on So Co Café, so we were left with Zax Pints & Plates.

To be honest, Zax is a great place for a first date. Its easy to find (if you’re being a good first dater and meeting at the restaurant), the food is reasonable priced, there is a good drink selection (because you can’t go on a first date without consuming some alcohol to calm your nerves), and its well lit (if your date turns out to be a creep). The ambiance really is nice - hard wood floors, white walls, big windows, and nice vaulted ceilings. If it’s warm out, they have a nice secluded outdoor patio.

My date, being the wine snob, decided on a bottle of Pepi Pinot Grigio. I did take a gander at the wine and beer list and noticed it was surprisingly small for a place that had “& Pints” in its name. But the small selection was well rounded and reasonable priced. Plus, most of the beers offered are on draft instead of bottled, which honestly does make for a better glass of beer. This time though we stuck to wine. I wish we had picked the beer though. The wine was VERY tart. But after a couple of glasses, I didn’t seem to care. Besides I was on a date, who rates the wine when they have such beguiling company to keep them occupied?

The menu at Zax is like its beverage list, small but well rounded. There are a couple of appetizers, a couple of soups, quesadillas, burgers, pizza, a few entrees, and a couple of pasta dishes. On previous jaunts to Zax, I have had the Crab Cakes, which are nice plump offerings of fresh crab, the Grilled Polenta, grilled polenta triangles covered in a creamy blue cheese, and the slightly chewy and disappointing Calamari. This time my date and I opted to drink out appetizer in the Pepi Pinot Grigio. I think the waitress assumed we weren’t going to order because we had both gone through 2 glasses before she came to take our dinner order. I went with the Seared Sea Scallops. To be honest, I was getting a little buzzed at that point (2 glasses of wine and no food!) and I totally don’t remember what my date ordered. I THINK it was the Mediterranean Tilapia, but he turned out not to be a food sharer so I didn’t get a chance to taste his meal. I got the impression he didn’t like whatever he ordered mostly because he told me he didn’t later in the evening.

Our dinner arrived quickly (or what seemed like quickly in my buzzed state). The scallops were firm, slightly chewy and well cooked, not the tender, tasty morsels I would have liked. They were rather unremarkable and tasteless. The polenta, however, was really awesome. It was covered in a creamy goat cheese and some sort of red pepper sauce. It had a nice texture and finish, and was really the star of the dish. The green beans were cooked perfectly - firm and green beany (really, what else can I say about green beans).

We ate and talked and laughed. I even managed a sleeve touch or two, just to show I was interested (hey, Cosmo says you have to bridge the physical gap on a first date). When we were finished we went to Alamo South for our evening entertainment: the Master Pancake Theater’s bashing of the Breakfast Club. And Master Pancake Theater did not disappoint. They transformed a truly awful 80’s movie into something fun and watch-able (I don’t want to get any disparaging e-mails about my hatred of the Breakfast Club – it’s not a generationally defining movie, it’s just bad, period).

Bottom Line: Good place for a first date

Mariah: 8

Freddie's

1703 S 1st St

Austin, TX

(512) 445-9197

Last night, Laura and I were feeling particularly energetic and decided to take a dance class. But it wasn’t just any dance class - it was an exotic dance class. It was at Laura’s gym, that really nice hip meat market gym on 6th and Lamar. We thought it was going to be some sort of sexy pole dancing kind of class, but it turned out to be a Britney Spears-esque hoochie dance class. It was a lot of fun, but all the hip gyrations were hard work! After we were done, we decided to head to a good greasy comfort food restaurant to counter-act our healthiness. We decided on Freddie’s on S. 1st because neither of us had been there before and well, they have a cool sign.

For a Tuesday night the place was pretty empty. But it had the unmistakable trash-funk décor that characterizes other “Austiny” restaurants. Wood booths, tin wainscoting, funky decorations and all. They even had 1970’s era framed pictures of families and kids (not sure who those people are). We immediately noticed their HUUGE outdoor patio, but since it is January and last night was a little chilly, we opted for an indoor seat. But, I will not that their patio is freakin huge and nicely shaded by large oat trees. It would be a very nice place to have a beer and relax on a warm April afternoon.

The menu was everything we could hope for in comfort food. It had burgers, fries, sandwiches – everything that is greasy and good. Laura was initially scared that, being a vegetarian, she wouldn’t have that many options. But, we soon discovered that Freddie’s is a vegetarians greasy spoon paradise. Not only do they offer veggie burgers, they also have grilled portabella cap burgers as well. What’s makes the burgers really awesome are the selection of toppings. You can choose from 3 different types of buns, 6 different cheeses, and anything from avocado to pineapple to bacon. It’s essentially a build your own burger. I went with a veggie burger with a spicy pepperjack cheese and a fat slice of pineapple. They also offered a veggie cheesesteak sandwich, which Laura opted for. At first we thought it was going to be a cheesesteak with onions, peppers, and mushrooms, but it turns out that they chop up a veggie burger patty instead of the usual shaved beef. Genius! Probably the one thing that impressed us (well Laura) the most on the menu was the Texas Style Portabella entrée. Chicken fried portabella caps in a veggie gravy. Laura, who is a huge fan of the deep fried comfort foods went nuts over it. When she wants to blow her diet and eat a bunch of nasty fried food she usually opts for potatoes, because “they’re meaty” as she puts it. Now, she has another “meaty” deep fried comfort option to try.

While we waited on our food, Laura and I discussed our lives. She thinks everyone in the world is mad at her (I told her I wasn’t!). I on the other hand got ditched by a date so he could “play video games with his brother.” He’s not getting a second chance. Loser. We also discussed the merits of deep fried food. We tried brainstorming to think of any food that didn’t taste good deep fried. We went through a whole list, from cheese, to fruits and veggies, to meets, to desserts, and even coke (honest to god, look up the Texas State Fair website if you don’t believe me). Laura thought maybe bread wouldn’t be good deep fried. I pointed out that I thought Melba toast was deep fried bread, but its not, its broiled, I’ll admit to my mistake. In the end we decided that everything tasted better deep friend and just to accept that particular fact of life.

At that point the food arrived and we dug into the deep fried goodness. Laura raved about her veggie cheesesteak. She basically licked the plate clean of the veggie filling (but left the bun). My burger was good, but not great. It was large and the bun was fresh and chewy. The pepperjack cheese was melted perfectly on top of the pineapple and the veggie patty. The veggie patty left a little to be desired. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the crisp veggie greatness I’ve had at other restaurants. It was, however, thick and “meaty” and tasted pleasantly of grains and carrots. The basket of fries that Laura and I shared were the perfect sized fry, a wonderful balance of mealy potato to crisp deep fried coating. The fries were slightly grayed and not a nice golden color indicating it had been a while since they changed their fry oil, though. But they tasted wonderfully and I wholeheartedly admit to cleaning out the whole basket.

The most spectacular part of the evening had to be the dessert. We tried getting the smores, but were told the restaurant did have “a fire” and they couldn’t be served. I wondering what that means. Do they usually serve them with sterno lamps (a la Cosi) or do they have a fire pit on the patio going on normal when the weather is nice? So since we were shot down from our smores request went with the moonpie sundae, just because we’d never had one before (a moonpie sundae, not a moonpie, everyone from the south has had one of those before). We weren’t expecting much, but what we got was delicious (and I’ll underline delicious). The moonpie was warmed to the point of being an ooey-gooey-chocolately-cakey marshmallow extravaganza. Topped with ice cream, chocolate sauce, nuts, and a cherry it was incredible. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good southern dessert. Mm.. Transfats…

Bottom Line: Great veggie comfort options and you HAVE to try to moonpie sundae

Mariah: 7.5 (if you rate it on the merit of the moonpie sundae alone, it’s a 12)

http://www.freddiesplaceaustin.com/

Uchi

801 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704-1509
Phone: (512) 916-4808

This past weekend I was given the honor of entertaining some British friends. Needless to say it was a weekend of overindulgence, indeed. And what better way to celebrate pure gluttony than to take a trip to Uchi on South Lamar?

This was my second trip to Uchi. I would probably be a more frequent visitor if not for the painfully long wait times for a table, the fact that they don’t take reservations most of the time, and my inability to exercise any self control in the amount of food I inevitably will order and consume.

But it was a Sunday night, and early at that. Just a little past 6, so for certain we could get a table, right? Wrong. The place was packed and there was a 45 minute wait for a table, so the four of us opted for a seat at the bar. I pouted and grudgingly sat down. Although sitting at the bar makes it more difficult for one to hear their friends, share food and you generally have less space, it is quite wonderful for ordering as you go (tapas style) and watching the sushi chef.

Our sushi chef was very talented, yet unaware of the menu. When I asked for vegetarian suggestions, he suggested fish (not vegetarian and a personal pet peeve), shrugged a bit, and perused my menu, pointing out the obvious salad. I mumbled a forced polite “don’t worry about it”, quickly snagged back the menu and decided this was going to be a DIY job. As it turns out, between the permanent and daily menu there were plenty of meat free items.

The three Brits in my company started with some uchivichi, Uchi’s version of ceviche, containing salmon, striped bass, tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, garlic and cilantro. The ingredients were so fresh and colorful, pulled from stylish containers displayed in front of us. I sampled yellow bell peppers and tomatoes, and they were even tastier than they appeared. After a few quick bites, I forgot all about not getting a table and the unknowledgeable sushi chef. And when the wine arrived, a delicious 2006 Domaine Pellehaut Sauvignon Blanc, I was actually smiling again.

At this point, the food orgy began. Edamame. Sunomono, a variety of seaweeds, Japanese cucumber and rasdish sprouts in ponzu. An incredible uchi salad of baby greens with carrot-ginger vinaigrette. A hakujin roll of fresh salmon and grilled asparagus for Sally. Maguro sashimi and goat cheese with cracked pepper, fuji apple and pumpkin seed oil for Chris with delicious and smooth goat cheese. Some Age Dofu (lightly fried tofu) for me. I wanted to try a bond roll. But at this point I was just too full, but yet the boys kept ordering and the food kept coming. And of course another bottle of wine as well. Everything was presented beautifully and not a dish went unfinished.

And then there was the star of the show. We ordered our coffee and teas and settled on the Jizake Crème Caramel with brown butter sorbet and ginger consommé. At this point all manners were abandoned as Sally and I recklessly dove in. Sweet sorbet, but without the grit of too much sugar, light ginger soft, and creamy incredible caramel.

Best.Dessert.Ever.

The flavors in each dish were distinct and playful. Uchi focuses on creative combinations and blends of flavors in a crisp and unintrusive way, relying on natural flavors of high quality ingredients to do most of the work for them. Contrast this with the application of funky colored mayonnaise type sauces many other sushi restaurants use to try to achieve the same result and you will understand why it is so hard to get a table.

The shock of the bill woke me from my food high. However once the number was divided by 4, it didn’t seem so bad anymore. But regardless, it was so worth it.

I love this place. If I was an heiress, I would eat here every day. OK, well at least twice a week.

Laura - 10

Cosi

5207 Brodie Lane, Suite 120
Sunset Valley, Tx
Phone: 512-899-9500

I’m going to write a quick review about a chain restaurant that’s new to Austin, Cosi (there’s an accent on the i and it’s pronounced cozy). Well, their website says they’re a chain, but I’ve never heard of them before. It just opened a month ago on the south side of town at the new shopping center by Brodie and 290. I have to admit that for a chain, I LOVE their food. Its my guilty secret, but I probably eat there at least once a week for lunch. The atmosphere is ok. It is a chain restaurant in a strip mall. There are several nice booths, but I hardly ever eat in. They serve mostly sandwiches, a few pizzas, and breakfast (though I haven’t gotten their breakfast yet).

What I have to rave about is their bread. It is seriously awesome. They have a “rustic white” and an “Etruscan wheat” (supposedly an ancient recipe handed down, whatever), and both are equally good. They are cooked in a wood oven right in the restaurant (really, you can watch). The white is a thick, crispy, yet chewy, slightly salty flatbread even the pickiest eater would love. The Etruscan wheat, though is my favorite. Its every bit as wonderful as the white, but it is definitely whole grain. You can even see bit of grain in the bread. I could make a meal of the bread alone. It is that good. The other thing I love there is the turkey. We’re not talking sliced, processed deli turkey. We’re talking large juicy, delicious chunks of fresh turkey breast. The toasted turkey and cheddar sandwich has become my usual there.

Their sandwiches are excellent. I haven’t had a bad one yet. They sometimes sound a little off (a Chicken Masala Indian sandwich? Huh?) but they always taste excellent. The Turkey Delight sandwich (without the cheese) is a healthy and filling way to eat lunch. The Chicken Masala, though odd, is probably one of the best sandwiches on the menu. The Asian Chicken is always very good and healthy with large lovely pieces of chicken tossed in an Asian vinaigrette. Probably my favorite, though it is not the healthiest is the turkey, bacon, cheddar melt. It is truly orgasmic. Fresh chunks of turkey, bits of smoky bacon, a thick cheddar cheese, and toped off with a rich tangy honey mustard. Yum.

They even have dessert. Smores! I know, how can they have smores, you ask? Well they bring out a mound of fluffy marshmallows, a bar of hershey’s, a stack of graham crackers, and a sterno “pu-pu” platter-style burner. I got the smores the first time I went to cosi. I was having a bad day and wanted an easy dinner (that I didn’t have to make). The hominess of the smores instantly attracted me. I had to have them (smores and rice crispy treats are a particular weakness of mine). Cosi had literally just opened the week before and they didn’t quite have the kinks worked out. I ordered the smores with my sandwich and the boy behind the counter asked if I went the smores now or after my meal. I opted for after my meal. I had a lovely meatball flatbread sandwich, but I was interrupted not once, but twice by the pimply faced boy asking if I wanted my smores yet. Didn’t he see I was still eating?? When I was finally finished, I expected said pimply faced boy to come running out with my smores, but I waited and waited, and he never appeared. I guess he got sick of me yelling at him (did I mention I’d had a bad day?). When I did finally track him down, he brought those smores out on the double.

They arrived in a cute little tray with the little sterno cauldron in the middle. The graham crackers were neatly stacked, the marshmallows (which I think might have been homemade – not packaged) were heartily mounded on one side of the tray, and a big bar of hershey’s was next to the marshmallows. I wanted to dig in and get my smores on, but it had been years since I’d actually had a smore and I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to make them. I applied my highly honed engineering mind to the problem and eventually decided that I needed to place a graham cracker on the sterno grill, and put a marshmallow on top of the graham cracker. That way the graham cracker would get all toasty and the marshmallow would get warm enough to melt. I did this with one and it turned out suitably well. I even managed to flip the graham cracker once with my fingers before putting a marshmallow on. Though I do remember thinking to myself “man, this is really dangerous! I almost burned my finger trying to flip that graham cracker”. But, the ooey gooey rewards of a tasty smore had me hooked. So I tried it again. I put a graham cracker on the sterno grill, after a minute I quickly tried grabbing it with my fingers to flip it. Only, the graham cracker had gotten stuck to the grill. I was really confused! How the hell were you supposed to cook these bastards? I tried flicking the graham cracker off the grill, but by this point it was thoroughly fused the grill. It quickly turned a black sooty color and starting to smoke.. a lot.. Then the graham cracker burst into a poof of flame. People all over the restaurant were looking and pointing at the little fire I had created at my table.

At this point, I realized I needed professional help. I ran up to the counter and was greeted by a pimply faced teenager. “Can I help you?” he asked, his post-pubescent voice cracking. I told him I thought my smores had caught on fire. He stared at my blankly then realized I was asking him to put the fire out. He looked around the counter and grabbed the only two utensils lying around - a paper napkin and a plastic knife I didn’t think either one of those would be very useful in a fire, but – hey - it’s his problem. When he saw the burning graham cracker I on my table, he quickly abandoned the knife and napkin, grabbed the tray of smores and walked off. I started to wonder if this happened often, if this was just a fluke, or whether I had done something seriously wrong.

The pimply faced boy returned a few minutes later with his manager. They had brought a whole new tray of smores for me! But this time I was really leery of the burning napalm smores. How was I supposed to avoid harming myself? That’s when the manager produced two wooden skewers that had been missing from the last tray. It all clicked into place. I was supposed to use these skewers to roast the marshmallows over the grill.. I got it! I guess I’ve lived in the suburbs too long and had forgotten that there is an integral piece of hardware one needs in order to make smores. I happily used the skewers this time and made myself a whole batch of wonderful gooey smores. Next time I won’t forget the skewers….

Authors Note: I am sad to announce that Cosi has closed its Doors after only 9 months of business. I'll miss their flat bread. Sniffle.

Mariah - 9.5

Thai Spice - Westlake

701 Capital of Texas Highway South
West Lake Hills, Texas 78746
Tel: (512) 330-0203

My tour of Austin’s Thai restaurants continued last week as I knocked another one off my list, Thai Spice. I went there for lunch with my girlfriend Sarah (with an h). Its kind of out of the way for most people, being out on Capital of Texas Highway, but Sarah works out that direction, so we thought we’d give it a try. She’d eaten there a few times and convinced me I needed to try it. She said their sushi was good. At first I cringed. Not only was there sushi at a Thai restaurant, but it was a sushi buffet at a Thai restaurant. I had a flashback to the last horrific experience I had with sushi on a buffet, I was worshiping the porcelain god for days. I vowed to never again eat sushi off a buffet. It’s just not natural. But, Sarah is quite the sushi aficionado and swore up and down that the sushi was pretty good, so I decided to give it a try.

When