Eatr Austin

We're Eating Again...and mostly out of trailers

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:00:16 -0600

Last night we tried East Side King and loved every flavor packing bite. The pork belly buns are nearly as good as Momofuku’s. The Veggie Meshi is the perfect crunchy yet soft roasted fried brussels sprout/ garlic rice combo with just the right hint of sweetness. Hands down, he shining star of the meal was the beet home fries. Don’t let the name fool you…they’re the traditional round slices and not chopped up. Ideal for dipping in the cool, thick flavored mayo dollop they come with. We think we could even give up french fries for these!

One request East Side King, please re-park on Rainey. We’ll visit much more often. You’re the only reason to walk through Liberty Bar right now and that’s the low point of your brand experience.

Chi’lantro BBQ Did you miss us? Sorry we haven’t been posting...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:29:00 -0600

Chi’lantro BBQ

Did you miss us? Sorry we haven’t been posting lately, as we’ve been too busy eating at all of the amazing Austin trailers including two of our favorites: G’Raj Mahal (yeah Rainey Street!) and Gourdoughs. Thanks to @tastytouring, let’s add another to that list: Chi’lantro BBQ. The fries are awesome, but I would probably skip them next time to make room for another delicious Korean-Mexican fusion taco. The concept is borrowed from Kogi of LA, but is well executed, especially for Austin. Follow @chilantrobbq for their roving destination. It’s well worth it!

Sushi Showdown

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:52:00 -0500

After having a great experience at Pirhana next door to Max’s we thought we’d try Zushi Sushi next to Mean Eyed Cat. Pirhana:P Terry’s::Zushi:McD’s. In other words if you are looking for downtown sushi, skip Zushi and head to Pirhana which is an all around better experience.

Public Service Announcement: Max's Wine Dive

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:56:37 -0500

We went to Max’s to try to their new “lunch” yesterday and found out its not lunch at all, but rather their regular dinner menu. Their prices are high to begin with and especially for lunch when everyone else in town has a separate lunch menu. Don’t be fooled.

Homemade, healthy fish & chips Panko crusted cod with sweet...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:59:11 -0500

Homemade, healthy fish & chips

Panko crusted cod with sweet potato fries. See, we do cook!

Counter Cafe The recent Texas Monthly hype over Counter’s...

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:07:47 -0500

Counter Cafe

The recent Texas Monthly hype over Counter’s burger (they rank it #2 on the top 50 list) has made it even more difficult to snag a table at this tiny Lamar diner. Neverthess, it’s a fun place for lunch/ brunch when you’re not in a hurry. We haven’t tried the burger yet, but Nick’s parents did and loved it. They recommend the wheat bun and to definitely go for sweet potato fries as the side. Their endorsement is good enough for us and we’ll be trying the burger soon since we are already fans of the pimiento cheese sandwich. Our one complaint is that the the cafe’s tagline, “Local Food, Global Love,” doesn’t exactly apply to the loveless, bare bones service…par for the course in Austin though.

Thai Fresh We tried Thai Fresh located in the heart of 78704 on...

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:34:35 -0500

Thai Fresh

We tried Thai Fresh located in the heart of 78704 on South Fifth for lunch yesterday and were quite pleased. They only serve prepared foods from a case, think Whole Foods, but exclusively thai cuisine. The pricing options perplexed us so we tried both ways. One is by number of entrees/sides and the other is per pound. We each had 3 dishes, 1 protein and 2 sides. By the pound, it was $8.50 and the “choose 3” was $10.29, a curious price.

All 6 dishes were very well done and even reheated tasted great (they nuke the dishes for you). They source all of their ingredients locally though the sriracha is straight from Thailand, and better than the famous green capped Huy Fong, made in LA.

He says: Hippy meets Hua Hin at this Southeast Asian Southside Austin no frills high flavor establishment.

She says: The flavors were satisfying allowing you to eat less but be fulfilled.

Bennu Looking for a 24 hour coffee shop near dowtown? Bennu is...

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:54:15 -0500

Bennu

Looking for a 24 hour coffee shop near dowtown? Bennu is located on East MLK a mile or so east of the UT ballpark. It has pizza from Hoboken Pies and other tasty snacks from various local purveyors. Their ‘bennu iced coffee’ roasted with pecans is delish.

Frank Bruni Interview

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:00:44 -0500

Big thanks to Mike Sutter (Austin American-Statesman food critic) for asking Frank Bruni (New York Times food critic) a question for us in a recent interview.

Mike Sutter: We asked readers through Twitter if they had questions for you. Here’s one: ‘I would love to know what unique characteristics are common among great restaurants. What makes what might be an otherwise “good” restaurant “great”?’

Frank Bruni: This isn’t a particularly original answer. But the characteristic that is most common to great restaurants is they approach every dinner service and they approach every order they get as a chance at perfection. They set the bar really high.

Check out the full Q&A here: http://www.austin360.com/food_drink/content/food_drink/stories/2009/08/0819bruni.html

Piranha Killer Sushi We tried Piranha for lunch today which...

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:22:00 -0500

Piranha Killer Sushi

We tried Piranha for lunch today which opened recently next to Max’s Wine Dive. (1) I must say, best fish I have had in a long time. At least as good, if not better, than Uchi. Don’t get me wrong: I am not talking about decor (which is quite nice), service (which was quite average in absolute terms but better than average in Austin) or the rest of the menu, but strictly the sashimi, which was transcendent. The escolar, salmon and tuna literally melts in your mouth. The $12.95 sashimi bento was worth it because of the proteins but the “daily salads” (one of which the waiter forgot to bring, but offered a dessert on the house after the fact) and the california roll (imitation crab!! and poorly rolled) were ho-hum. That being said, I think this is the best sushi in downtown Austin - leagues above Maiko, Kenichi and Kyoto (duh) and a little better but more affordable than Yu Sushi Izagaya.

(1) Max’s mini review: good for happy hour but not much else.

Trip to Lockhart with the Parents We recently were convinced by...

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:04:00 -0500

Trip to Lockhart with the Parents

We recently were convinced by Nick’s parents to make the quick juant from Austin to Kruez Market in Lockhart. It took a little nudging since we love the bbq joint that’s two steps from our place, Iron Works, and can’t get enough of their two bbq sauces and brontosaurus ribs.

The verdict is in though and Kreuz is well worth the trip. One can go without sauce when the meat is salted properly. The tender pork ribs and spicy jalapeño cheese sausage are stand outs. The sides lack vibrancy though, so we recommend sticking with the meat. A few last tips: 1) make sure to dress lightly or bring a friend to fetch your meat for you…you order and pick up that meat at unbearably hot bbq pits (pictured above) and 2) BYOP…P for plastic silverware if you don’t want your fingers to smell smoky for a good few days.

He says: Best pork ribs I’ve ever had - loved the peppercorn crust - save the trip and stay in Austin for brisket.

She says: It’s the perfect cure for sleep deprivation. After eating, I immediately passed out for two hours. There’s got to be something dangerous in that dry rub!

Garrido’s Since Las Mas closed there has been a gaping...

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:28:00 -0500

Garrido’s

Since Las Mas closed there has been a gaping hole in the Mexican category downtown for reasonably priced not fussy Mexican fare. Garrido’s fills that gap. Everything on the menu is under $10 and their happy hour margs and paloma’s are only $4 until 7pm. Two of us got out of there with an app, 2 entrees and 2 drinks for under $30. The space has a nice ambiance without being too uber-chic and the patio overlooking downtown is an urban oasis. The tuna tacos were light and fresh while the skirt steak tacos had some serious kick. The guac was just average but for $2.50 who can complain?

EASTSIDE SHOWROOM Wow. WOW! As some of you have noted in the...

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:37:53 -0500

EASTSIDE SHOWROOM

Wow. WOW! As some of you have noted in the comments to this blog it is hard to impress us. But its not impossible. Showroom did it tonight (well just me…he). The owner, Mickey, whose identical twin sister also works at the joint, opened up in Brooklyn initially but decided Austin was the proper home for this gem. Everything in this place is homemade. From the furniture (welded by Mickey) to the soda (that’s right, no coke for you, but the house cola is incredible). All of the food ingredients come from no greater than 150 miles away and the freshest of which are listed on a chalk board by the entrance. The bar menu is also unique and is the only real challenger to Fino I have come across. I think Bill Norris might even agree (though he did also create the new bar menu at Annie’s). The staff couldn’t be more friendly and knowledgeable. The head bartender and some of the other barbacks are ex-Lambertites (another favourite). Our lamb and goat burger (with chevre and homemade mustard) was paired with carrot mashers and a parsley salad. We also tried the liver pate with candied bacon, which though far from kosher, was transcendent. With a capacity of 52, I am not sure how they are going to manage the demand, but I hope they remember me, because I plan to be a regular.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf comes to Austin Check out their...

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:58:41 -0500

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf comes to Austin

Check out their first location (owned by Nolan Ryan) here at 221 South Lamar. It has a pleasant and welcoming feel- a 3rd space that is in between a local coffee house and franchise operation. The staff couldn’t be nicer and the parfaits are heaping with endless ingredient options.

Appropriate food trailer? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:47:24 -0500

Appropriate food trailer? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Whata Whataburger

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:38:20 -0500

Whata Whataburger :

No, this isn’t a shameless plug for one of the brands I’ve been working on this summer, but rather a genuine endorsement of what I think is the best fast-casual burger around. For the non-native Texans like me, you probably don’t know much about the orange A-line roofs. I can promise you that they’re the go-to spot for juicy and well-seasoned burgers “just like you like it.”

A friend introduced us to the newest vodka craze we’ve...

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:21:00 -0500

A friend introduced us to the newest vodka craze we’ve been missing. Firefly is a sweet tea infused vodka that seems to have widespread liquor store and restaurant distributrion. Tonight we enjoyed the Firefly martini at Sullivans- Firefly, simple syrup, lemon and a smidge of water. An even easier recipe is Firefly and Sweet Leaf Half and Half.

Walton’s Sanda Bullock’s new coffee, light fare...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:58:00 -0500

Walton’s

Sanda Bullock’s new coffee, light fare & florist combination works and it works really well. We’ve been there a few times and all have been enjoyable experiences. The staff is friendly and the food selections are fresh and thoughtfully prepared. We particularly like their salads and paninis. Their iced coffee is actually cafe americano which was tasty with a serious kick. Highly recommended.

He says: Bring a book but not your laptop. No wifi yet. She says: My pick is the veggie sandwich.

Asparagus bacon and manchego coca topped with a fried egg...

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:22:00 -0500

Asparagus bacon and manchego coca topped with a fried egg (Fino). Paula Biehler’s favourite. The cocktail is a “Jerry Thomas manhattan”. Delish!

Sushi at Soma

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:12:42 -0500

Sushi at Soma