A Review: Outback Steakhouse - South

Mr. Wonderful celebrated his birthday a week ago (god, was it only a week ago??? I feel like it was a million years ago!)

Anyway, I told him for his birthday that I would take him out and make him a cake. While the cake turned out awesomely (Thanks Duncan Hines!), the birthday dinner was disappointing.

He narrowed down his choices to BBQ and steak. I opted for steak since I never get steak (we just don't eat it but we should) and we could try a nicer restaurant for his special day. I read reviews, looked at menus, tried to find prices, and I wanted to take him to a uniquely Austin restaurant that didn't break the bank. After I got off work, I called him up and presented his options. He said "How about Outback?"

I said "sure" and off I went to battle downtown, 5:00 traffic.

Apparently Austin has two Outbacks: one south on Lamar and Ben White and the other up north...maybe Arboreteum area?? Whatevs, we live south east so we opted for south.

I have been to Outback numerous times and I've never really been disappointed. Good beer bread, good steak*, good sides, etc. That was not the case this go-around.

I can't speak for Mr. Wonderful but I did not enjoy my experience. First: beer bread was too hard. Second: a table of "business guys" sat next to us and the one guy in direct line with my ear did not SHUT UP, the ENTIRE meal. I'm pretty sure he talked while he ate. And it wasn't even interesting. Third: we both got Caear salads and they were both too salty. Fourth: my potato was too dry. When I tried to get Worcestershire sauce, Mr. Wonderful had to physically get up and find a waiter, despite the fact that they were corralled behind our booth having a gabfest. Our waitress was good at first but after our food was delivered, she disappeared. Fifth: Mr. Wonderful had to flag someone down for a refill. My steak was good but.....

I was very disappointed. Not only was this his birthday meal but we were throwing $50 towards it. I've never had a disappointing time at Outback..at least, not to my memory. In hindsight, we should have gone with an Austin original. Next time, we will know. Until then, stay away from the Outback in South Austin!!!

*I have never really had lots of bad steaks and I'm certainly no steak connoisseur.

Taverna: A Review

Taverna is a restaurant in Austin's trendy new 2nd St section of downtown. It was Easter Sunday and we weren't starving so we went in knowing we'd nosh on appetizers and share a bottle of wine. We didn't have huge expectations, and I think that attitude served us well. We ordered these three dishes:

• Tagliere ($12 for the table) Mortadella, Prosciutto, Sopressata, Parmesan, Speck & Polenta Crostini. The meats were delicious, as was the fried cheese. The Parmesan chunks were too hard to chew, so I didn't finish mine.
  
• Bruschetta ($6) Chopped fresh tomatoes on three large pieces of bread soaked with Garlic & Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was delightful and filling. The toast was crusty on the edges, soft in the middle....just like I like it.
• Fritto Misto ($9) Calamari, Shrimp, Shallots, Zucchini & Carrots with Spicy Tomato Aioli in a ramekin. These were lightly fried and delightful. The shrimp were large and juicy. I think this was my favorite.
  

All of the food was delicious the presentation was also nice-- the Tagliere arrived on a wooden chopping board covered with butcher paper. The Bruschetta was in a large bowl and featured huge servings. The Fritto Misto came heaped on a big platter with a healthy side of aioli for dipping.

For dessert we had

• Balsamic Ice Cream ($6) Sauteed Strawberries & Biscotti. It sounds weird, but it was actually quite nice. It was a sweet ending to our trio of savory dishes, but the balsamic gave it a pleasant edge. The strawberries complimented the flavor quite nicely and the two chocolate biscotti did not overwhelm.
  

The restaurant itself is pleasantly decorated in traditional Italian-style dark wood, with the walls done in burgundy and gold paint. The main room is not large, but the high ceilings and the open kitchen make it feel bigger than it is. The bathrooms were okay -- nothing to write home about, but at least there were no holes in the wall or any tacky wallpaper.

Our waiter was really the only bad thing about our dining experience. He was overly chatty and flirted openly with the three of us. I don't mind a little flirting, but this guy just wouldn't shut up. He didn't know anything useful about wine and he over-explained the dessert tray. After sharing his life story sprinkled with many DOA attempts at humor, we learned he'd been there since the morning, had served the brunch crowd, and wasn't getting off work until much later. (We arrived for our meal at 7pm.) I got the distinct feeling he was either high or had one too many cups of coffee. While our waiter's stream of consciousness was quite quick, the service was unfortunately pretty slow. After we ate, it took a long time to get our check, then even longer to get processed as the credit card machine was down. They had to make a physical impression of my card.

This place isn't cheap, but it isn't outrageously priced either. We ended up spending $82 (before tip) for one bottle of wine ($40), three apps, and one dessert. Taverna isn't exactly a place I'd go to regularly, but I'm not against trying it again. Hopefully Chatty McChatterson won't wait on me next time.

Shoal Creek Saloon

Shoal Creek Saloon offers up delicious Louisiana-style cookin'. Fried seafood, piles of boiled crawfish, and gumbo. We went to this cajun place last Saturday night and found a table by the bar. The room was crazy packed because of the annual seasonal crawfish boil so service was exceptionally slow. The food was quite tasty, however. They had run out of shrimp earlier in the evening so we split a basket of fried oysters, crawfish and catfish. The four accompanying hushpuppies went fast. Mark had a huge serving red beans and rice with sausage. He cleaned his plate easily and hungrily. We shoveled satisfying spoon after spoon of garlic mashed potatoes and Southern-style green beans into our mouths.

Shoal Creek Saloon has a full bar, but we opted for the cheap and wonderfully cold cans of Pearl for $2 a pop. It was a hot night for February, even by Texas standards and I welcomed the perfectly chilled Pearl sliding down my throat. There's something about cheap American beer that really hits the spot sometimes.

I would like to go back when there isn't such a huge crowd. SCS is a laid-back kinda place that caters to all kinds of folk. There are multiple TVs so no matter your favorite team, they're probably on one of them. The waitstaff, although slow when we went, were really nice guys. I give this place a thumbs-up.

Oaxacan Tamaleo: a review

Mr. Wonderful and I decided to try out another Farmer's Market favorite: Oaxacan Tamaleo.

This place hardly needs more publicity (a quick Google search yielded many hits from foodies of a professional and amateur nature) but when I'm impressed, I'm impressed. And I can't keep my mouth shut.

Tamaleo's story is a feel-good, only in America type story with a happy middle (which I hope is what is occurring right now). It's family run with local food and authentic flavor. We were greeted by Leo's stepson greeting us and her husband taking orders from the other tables. It's small and only three people were working on Wednesday night (no dine and dash for this place!). But the reason everyone loves Tamaleo?? The food! My God, the food.

I had a chicken mole tamaleo. Tamaleos are Leo's specialty. It's a tamale, made with less lard and some other things her stepson told me but I have forgotten :(, wrapped in a banana leaf. The banana leaves are huge and I asked her stepson if I was supposed to eat it. He said "no, it's indigestible" and we all laughed at my ignorance. Hey, I was willing to try anything!

Mr. Wonderful had lamb barbacoa. Fall off the bone wonderful!

We both got rice and beans and they were as flavorful as the meal. My only regret was that I did not order two tamaleos with my dinner. I thought they would be really big but they weren't incredibly huge. Next time: I'll order two.

The great thing about this place is that it's authentic. I couldn't put my finger on it but everything is flavorful and simple. I feel like Tex-Mex is too much sometimes, especially compared to this. Like they have to outdo themselves by deep frying this and refrying. Tamaleo didn't need to do that. It is perfectly able to let each item taste magnificent in it's own way.

I highly recommend Oaxacan Tamaleo. It's less than the price you would pay for Tex-Mex and you feel better after you leave it. Not only do you eat some outstanding food, you just supported a local business!!

Special note: Mr. Wonderful doesn't like rice and beans. He ate every last scrap of the ones at Tamaleo because he enjoyed the flavor so much :0)

Star of India

Last night I dined at Star of India over on Anderson Ln. I was starving when we arrived so I went the buffet route and was not disappointed. I had veggie korma and rice, a divine salad with chunky seasoned cucumber, and 3 wedges of naan, my most favorite bread in the world.

Now, this isn't the best Indian food I've ever had, but it was still very tasty and falls neatly into my comfort foods category. The server was excellent, save for her shy quiet voice. She refilled my water glass four times! Yay! I left her a nice tip.

The buffet is $10. Not bad for a spread that includes salad, multiple main dishes, and choice of dessert. (I had the perfectly-sweetened rice pudding --- it was lovely.) Check this place out!

My Sunday Brunch at Bull & Boar

What can I say? Booklahver's review of Bull & Boar made my mouth water. She and her husband invited me to brunch 2 Sundays ago and I of course said yes! The restaurant resides in a quaint, remodeled building on Pearce Road.

We arrived around 11:30. We were greeted at the door by smiling faces and led to a table in the back by the buffet, next to three other tables of diners. The buffet stretched out over a long white tablecloth covered table, ending with an omelet and waffle station.

I chose links of locally-procured sausage and strips of bacon, a serving of Eggs Benedict (a new steaming-hot tray of which had just been added to the table), and some plump strawberries. I also got some Texas toast and covered with it with homemade mixed berry jelly. The Eggs B were a delight! The Hollandaise sauce was delicate and flavorful and the pork was perfectly chewy and salty. The sweetness of the strawberries and the jelly balanced the savory foods quite well. The coffee was lovely, too. My cup was refilled multiple times without my having to ask or wait.

After finishing my plate, I requested a waffle from the made-to-order station. A few moments later the cook signaled it was ready. I was directed toward the bar to choose from a variety of toppings including strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, butter, and whipped cream. If ever breakfast had dessert, this was it! I covered the waffle with the fruit and its juices and hurried back to my seat. The soft waffle with crisp edges soaked up the juices and it melted in my mouth.

Overall, I rate Bull & Boar highly. They know how to put out a spread of delicious locally-grown foods that satisfy. And for $15, it's an experience well worth the drive to Del Valle.

Kenichi: A Review

The Austin branch of Kenichi is a chic little place downtown. The host was quite gracious to us when we entered and he sat our party quickly, even though we all looked pretty haggard (we'd just walked 5 blocks from Flugtag and were hot, cranky, and sweaty). The decor was very modern and warm and the other patrons were well-dressed and sipping expensive-looking drinks. I honestly felt out of place, but none of the staff seemed to notice, which speaks really well of their professionalism and hospitality.

At the table we were presented with steamed paper towels instead of cloths. (Am I too much of a traditionalist to want cloth?) We also had to wait a little longer than we expected to be greeted by our waiter and have our drink orders taken. I had a Metropolitan, a mix of raspberry vodka and berry liqueur. It was refreshing, and most importantly, it soothed the frustration headache Flugtag had given me. For an appetizer we had spicy edamame in the pod. It arrived steaming hot, coated in what I assumed was a spicy hoisin sauce. Delicious!

Kenichi offers a wide variety of food, including Pan Asian entres and a long roster of sushi choices. For my entre I ordered some fairly standard stuff: sweet potato tempura, spicy tuna rolls, and shrimp tempura rolls. I usually get 3 rolls when dining for sushi, but since each roll cost at least $9, I held back in favor of getting a refill on my $10.50 drink. The sweet potato was great --- the tempura was light and crunchy. The dipping sauce was nothing to write home about so I pushed it aside and favored the soy sauce instead. The two maki rolls I had were tasty, but not the best I've ever had. Certainly not for $9 a pop.

So for $61, I got some decent food and a mildly pleasant experience. Not bad, but not mind-blowing either. This is not a good first date restaurant --- it's very noisy and busy, especially on Saturday night. While the food is good, you can get the same quality or better for less money elsewhere. The staff is neat, accommodating and professional, which is really the only reason I would return, as Austin is full of restaurants that treat customers poorly "just because." Oh, and the ladies room is the last door on the left. There are no standard men's and women's room signs on the doors, only 3 fish, pointing in meaningless opposite directions.

Eating Locally in Georgetown

Mr. Wonderful and I stopped in Georgetown, TX on our way to Oklahoma (we took the new, delightful toll road. BELIEVE ME: it was worth however much we paid in tolls) for a bite to eat. Originally, we were looking for just food of the fast variety but then I recognized where I was and we found the Monument Cafe once again!!

Suppersister Theresa had told us about this wonderful place when we made our only other trip to Georgetown to accompany our wondermous niece Mandi on a college tour. Anywhoo, Monument, Monument, wherefore art thou Monument?

Besides being exceptionally good food, Mr. Wonderful and I were delighted to know (we are often delighted) that the food is locally grown and organic! We really had no intent of eating completely locally, we just wanted to go to a place that we remembered fondly.

I had a chili burger *oh yes, it was great!* and a mixture of onion strings and french fries. Truly "junk" food but Kobe beef burgers, organic everything, and locally grown onions makes it the best junk food choice we could make!

Mr. Wonderful had a club sandwich and the same mixture of onion strings and french fries. We didn't have room for dessert but some day, we will. All of the desserts sound fantastic!

Theresa can provide a much better review but I have nothing but glowing feelings about Monument. Definitely a place to stop when we make our way through Georgetown.

Eating Locally in Del Valle

Last night, Mr. Wonderful (aka my husband) and I ate at The Bull and Boar. Oh My GOD! Wonderful! I'm still tasting it, in a good way. We went all out and got dessert AND a beer apiece. I had the Skinny Dip...it was o.k. Mr. Wonderful had a Shiner 98 which he really liked. I thought it was o.k. I'm not a huge beer drinker and mostly stay on the wheat/pale ale side of things. Anyway, on to the food!!

I had the Pan-fried Rainbow Trout. It was served with a corn and onion relish with lime. I'm still salivating. It was served opened (like the split it down the back) with tail intact. :) My sides included macaroni and cheese and sauteed squash. The squash was exceptionally good. I have found a new veggie: squash!

Mr. Wonderful had the Country Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and a small Caesar. He said it was good. We split a creammmmmmy cream cheese icing carrot cake for dessert. It was served with a strawberry and the coolest orange syrup glazed thing on top. Yum! We also had sourdough bread that was baked fresh that day!

The Bull and Boar supports local farmers and makes many of their own dishes on site including frying their own chips, smoking their own salmon, and other things. They are owned by two brothers (we talked to one of them) who are also the chefs and their mother waited on us. They have been open for four months. A brunch occurs on Sunday: all you care to eat for $15. I remember Belgian waffles, made to order omelets, and a whole host of other things were on the menu, definitely enough to get your money's worth.

The atmosphere was pleasant. It looked like an old diner inside. Everyone was very nice and we were the only people in there. We got out of there paying about $33. Overall, great experience!!

What do you say Suppersisters??? Care to brunch this Sunday?

**I forgot to add that the portion sizes were adequate (as in: I was served on a plate, not a platter so I could not overeat!) and the availability of food is seasonal so the menu is always changing. If you go to their website, you will notice the carrot cake and the Rainbow trout are not displayed. Even more reason to go!**

Torchy's: One Incredible Roach Coach

Perhaps you are offended by the endearing term "Roach Coach," but that's how I have come to recognize some pretty unique fare. That said, don't dare drive to South Austin for another meal (and certainly not to El Mercado) until you check out Torchy's Tacos on South First.

The milieu: a cute trailer setup in a parking lot, creekside; tables and chairs scattered around under pretty electric string lights. Screams "South Austin." Don't dare go across the street to crappy El Mercado when Torchy's awaits.

Alamo Drafthouse: a review

I love going to Alamo Drafthouse to see a movie! Where else can you share a pitcher of cold beer, a basket of fried pickles, AND watch the latest flick or see a cult favorite? The menu is your typical American-fare type stuff, but it's usually expanded with yummy specialties for certain movies. (For example, when we saw The Simpsons Movie, Buzz Cola was on the menu.)

Last night we saw Stardust, a fairly entertaining film adaptation of the book by the same name. There were no fairy-related food stuffs*, so Mark and I split a frosty pitcher of Shiner Bock and Melinda helped us nosh on a basket of fried pickle spears. Alamo's pickles are quite tasty. For my meal, I ordered the "Over the Top Dog" which is a 1/4 lb hot dog in a toasted hoagie bun. The dog was great, but the bun was wayyy too big. I ended up eating only half the bread. Ketchup, mustard, and relish come on the side so you can dress it how you like. The fries were crisp and potato-y, just the way I like them. Overall, a very filling meal.

*What do fairies eat, anyway?

Wink (Theresa's take)

Last night we dined at Wink, a little restaurant tucked away behind Whole Earth Provision Co on Lamar. The place is tiny, but since we had reservations, we walked right in. The tables are very close together, so if you're claustrophobic, you'd best eat elsewhere.

Our server was a very knowledgeable woman who happily suggested wines and provided tastings so we could choose which wine we liked best. We decided on a bottle of chardonnay. I'll let the other gals go into detail about the wine, as I'm not really an oenophile, I just like what I like. Needless to say, I really liked this wine.

For starters we had cold gulf shrimp on a bed of Fuji apple, fennel, and minted cucumber. It was delightful. We also had four plump grilled sea scallops (1 each) that melted in my mouth. Warm square rolls and butter kept us sated until our main courses arrived.

I ordered the hanger steak with potatoes and fennel in a caramelized butter sauce. The meat was a delicate medium-rare and it disintegrated into a flood of flavor in my mouth. The potato wedges were tiny browned delights, especially when paired with the wilted greens. After, I was quite full, but we decided on dessert.

We enjoyed a piece of El Rey chocolate cake surrounded by whipped cream and zinfindel-infused cherries AND a wonderful orange lavender risotto tart. The chocolate was divinely rich but the orange lavender confection won me over with its sweet and delicate flavors. Yum!

OVERALL OPINION: I rather enjoyed Wink. The service was good, the food was better, and the lighting was nice. However, the bathroom was kinda crummy; I expected it to be nicer since we had just dropped $250 on our evening. The close nature of the dining room can be off-putting to those of us who don't like to be elbow-to-elbow with our dining neighbors. But if that's the worst of it, Wink should be around for a very long time!