Kit Kat Named Most Influential Candy Bar
I know that news has been suffering from the “Olympics vortex” lately, but what a reach for Time Magazine to publish a piece on the 13 most influential candy bars of all time. What blows my mind is the winner: I immediately thought it would be Snickers but the winner was the Kit Kat bar, […]
Shandeez on Anderson Mill: Distinctive Persian Cuisine
If you have a occasional craving, as I do for Middle Eastern cuisine, then you should try Shandeez on Anderson Mill. For starters the Hummus is smooth and nicely textured, and the Tabouli has a very fresh flavor and is not too spicy (as can sometimes be the case). The meats are delicious and distinctive. […]
Restaurants I’d like to Have Back for Christmas
I was thinking about some of my favorite former Austin restaurants the other day, and how much I’d like to see them back in operation as a foodie Christmas present. C’mon Santa, make some magic happen and bring these back! In no particular order… Cafe Mangu This little Pflugerville joint fused Puerto Rican, Dominican and […]
Rob’s Favorite Dishes at Austin’s Newer Restaurants
I’ve tried a lot of great new dishes in the past six months. Some have made it into my reviews and some are still waiting for print. But I wanted to share some of them with you. Sway My only negative on Sway is that I drove by it three times before finding it. The […]
The Ultimate Austin Movable Feast
I fantasize from time to time about staging the ultimate Austin movable dinner. You know, one course at each restaurant with a fleet of limos at our disposal as we move for each course. Of course each limo would be stocked with chilled bottles of Yellow Lable Veuve Cliquot! Starter Cocktail This would be the […]
Austin Ale House Dishes Up Some Serious Food
The current occupant of 301 West 6th is the newish Austin Ale House. After a quick sampling of their food, it’s my firm wish that this places sticks around a lot longer than the former places at this address like the uber-hot and then almost instantly cold Oslo. Emilio Oliva is from Vera Crus, Mexico […]
Rating Zagat Since the Google Purchase
Zagat and Michelin used to to be among the stuffiest and most pretentious restaurant guides around. Michelin still pretty much is. But Zagat, after the recent purchase by Google has, in my opinion, become more approachable and more useful. The likelihood of dining at a 3-star Michelin restaurant for the average American is unlikely at […]
Is Austin Where it Should be on the Ethnic Dining Front?
Could it be that the reason that Austin doesn’t show up on more Top Ten lists for food (as is does on just about every other list these days) is our lack of diversity of ethnic restaurants. And no, Tex Mex doesn’t count. Let’s look at some various cuisines, and analyze our standing on each […]
Stanley’s Farmhouse Pizza: 180 Acres and Lots of Dough
Chad Nemec is a developer by profession yet he and his wife Cinnamon have found themselves making pretty decent pizzas out at the old Stanley Ranch off Fitzhugh Rd. north of Dripping Springs. We tried some pies a few days back, and they were good. There’s lots of variety, and the pizzeria is next to […]
Chinatown Adds New Features for 30th Birthday
When Ronald Cheng first opened Chinatown on Bee Cave 30 years ago, Austin was a town full of sleepy little mom and pop joints with menus where everything had a number. Cheng changed all that by introducing innovations in menu design, variety from different regions, and plating innovations that shocked the average diner at Chinese […]
Perry’s Grows from Houston Butcher Shop to Texas Steakhouse Chain
When Chris Perry was growing up in Houston in the 1980’s, the plan for him was to follow in the path laid out by his father Bob, who had once been the regional manager at Kroeger’s Meat Markets. But a Butcher Shop intervened and soon a second location in Friendswood. And the younger Perry had […]
Austin’s Best Pizzas: Pizza Wars 2013
Welcome to the 7th installment of our annual review of owner-operated central Texas pizza restaurants. We fondly call it Pizza Wars. As many of you may know by now, I grew up in one of the best American pizza cities, New Haven, Ct. Classics like Frank Pepe’s (1925) and Sally’s (1931) both located on Wooster […]
Wild Wood Bakehouse Serves Up Gluten-Free Cuisine Just North of Campus
Joan Griffith is one indomitable lady. She’s taken an amazing work ethic, entrepreneurship, and an abundance of knowledge about various foods and turned it into a successful restaurant called Wild Wood Bakehouse just off Guadalupe near 30th (former site of El Greco). Having breakfast with Joan is like attending a crash course in everything you’ve […]
Making Sense of the Lingering Sushi “Substitute” Problem in Austin
I’ve been getting quite a few emails from our readers lately after the recently released results of a two-year national study by non-profit Oceana. Turned out that according to the study, many restaurants and stores across the US were apparently substituting a cheaper fish for the fish they told the customers they were purchasing. Worse […]
Parind Vora Latest Austin Chef to take on CHOPPED
I’ve always enjoyed Parind Vora’s cuisine, from the early days of Jezebel on Congress to his current Restaurant Jezebel and Bar Mirabeau on 800 West 6th. Vora, who gave up a promising career in medicine to enter the world of the kitchen, will be taking on the ever-so-tough environment of CHOPPED on the Food Network. […]
