Brick Oven on Slaughter Closes
Not used to seeing Brick Oven restaurants closing, but the one on Slaughter is shuttered. Other locations are still alive and well; and why shouldn’t they be? Brick Oven was the first and best in among quality Austin pizza restaurants. Not sure why this one closed, but that’s been a rough location for several places […]
Creek Road Café Dodges Major Bullet
The city of Dripping Springs ruled last week that the owner of the building in which Creek Road Café resides could not replace the popular fine dining spot with an AutoZone. This is great news for area foodies, yours truly included. They’re not entirely out of the woods yet, but things are definitely looking better. […]
Spec’s Deli at Arbor Walk Worth a Visit
I had normally associated Spec’s with a vast wine selection and their light-hearted TV commercial. But as the MC for a burger blast for charity Monday I watched 20 local DJ’s attempt to throw down the Deli’s 2-lb Colossal Cheeseburger in under 30 minutes. What was really fun was tasting a sampling of foods from […]
Fine Dining and Comedy: New Twist on Valentine’s Evening
We went to a friend’s house off Far West Saturday night instead of doing the usual Valentine’s Evening dining orgy at one of 900 hundred competing restaurants. About 8 couples met to enjoy the wares of Johnny Tibbs, a man of many trades including insurance broker and consultant, not to mention chef and stand up […]
Creek Road Café Could be Replaced by an Autozone
Creek Road Café in Dripping Springs, the best fine dining restaurant south of Ben White, may be replaced by an Autozone. For Creek Road fans this is an unthinkable scenario. But unless the owners are able to get the building rezoned as historic, they could be forced to close as the owner of the property […]
Apis Restaurant and Apiary in Spicewood Nearing Opening
Chef Taylor Hall and his wife/partner Casie have created quite a buzz, literally, with the impending opening of their new Apis Restaurant and Apiary. Spoke to Casie today, and she intimated that the opening would occur by early February at the latest (that would precede Valentine’s Day). The couple have built 20 honey bee hives, […]
East Side Pies to Debut New Pizzas
East Side Pies has been a perennial occupant in our Top 5 slot in our annual Pizza Wars. I normally go for the NY style pies with sausage et al., but one night I got talked into a newer pie called the Little Piggy. This is another creation from the mad minds of owners Michael […]
What’s Up with Creek Road Café ?
Word around Dripping Springs is that the best high-end restaurant south of Ben White, Carl Shroyer’s Creek Road Café, may be giving way to an auto parts shop .I have not yet been able to verify the information. But assuming it’s correct, I hope to hell that Creek Road will remain open and simply change […]
The Cost of Dining Out: a Look Back
I found the equivalent of a food time machine last night at El Patio in the form of a menu from the mid 1960’s that owner David Joseph recently came across. Joseph, who was not yet born when his parents opened the restaurant in 1954, will join us shortly on Dining Out with Rob for […]
Austin Bar/Restaurant Owner on Undercover Boss
I first met Doug Guller about ten years ago as he was readying his first Bikini Sports Bar and Grill for opening at IH-35N. The concept is simple: girls in bikinis serving drinks and comfort food, and lots of sports on TV. Doug even coined the term “breastaurant.” Since then the business has grown to […]
The District Launches Bloody Mary Bar
The District Kitchen + Cocktails will debut a Bloody Mary bar during their New Year’s Day brunch. I’m more of a wine guy, but I’ve always loved a properly made Bloody Mary. The District has served up some tempting cocktails this year, so I’m looking forward to their take on this classic libation! As soon […]
Michael McNeilly new Chef Partner at Fleming’s Domain
Just heard from head honcho Darryl Wittle at Fleming’s at the Domain. The official announcement of the new chef partner has been made, and it’s Michael McNeilly. Michael is quite talented as I discovered tasting his cuisine at Trattoria Lisina out in Driftwood. This should be a great match for Fleming’s and their patrons. He […]
Noble Pig or Noble Sandwich? All Still Good
After John Bates and company changed the name of their wonderful sandwich shop from the Noble Pig to the Noble Sandwich Company and added locations at The Oasis and on Burnet, a question came up the other night about the name change. If there is a city where restaurants are obsessed with pork, bacon, et […]
Cho Sushi Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
There is plenty of good sushi and sashimi in the Steiner Ranch area thanks to John and David Cho of Cho Sushi. They are celebrating their 5th anniversary next week with a variety of specials at the Steiner Ranch location. On December 13th from 11am to 10pm, ALL sushi and maki (rolls) on the menu […]
Jezebel Reported Closed, But Internet Rumors Prove False
Okay, here’s the deal. Initial reports that Restaurant Jezebel has closed are not correct. The story now is that they are open, but that the space remains available for lease. Either way, that doesn’t sound promising. Upon their opening, we pointed out that their mandatory jackets-only for men probably wasn’t the best idea for laid-back […]
