Fore in Lakeway Celebrates 1st Anniversary
It seems like just a few months ago when I first met James and Ose, two Austin guys who had lots of bar experience but had never run a restaurant before. However, they had a firm belief in themselves and they knew precisely what they wanted to do. The result was the upscale casual Fore […]
Overheard in a BBQ Queue
We shot my KVUE-TV review last week at the almost universally discussed and acclaimed Franklin BBQ last week on E. 11th. When we arrived at 11am, the equally-discussed line was just over 2 hours long and well down toward the parking lot behind the restaurant. In between setting up different camera shots, I had the […]
Larry McGuire’s Latest: Clark’s Oyster Bar Opens
Like Oysters? Well then head to Clark’s Oyster Bar and 1200 W. 6th St. in the Clarksville neighborhood. This is the latest opening from young dynamo Larry McGuire (Lambert’s, Perlas, Elizabeth St.). I like the look of the oysters on the menu, although I’ll be damned if I can figure out how they managed to […]
Midtown Live Reopens on Cameron as Sports Bar
Few living in Austin in 2005 can forget the day the Midtown Club on Cameron burned to the ground while police were alleged to be texting, “Burn baby burn,” to each other. I was filling in for Jeff Ward on KLBJ that day, and the calls on the topic came in non-stop for three hours. […]
Maria Maria at 415 Colorado Closes
There could have been a variety of reasons behind this closing. Was it the food, or was it once again, the supposedly restaurant-friendly city of Austin that loves to tear up streets for months (even years) at a time? Or was it both? Maria Maria was inspired by the legendary Carlos Santana, and was a […]
Nuevo Vallarta Closes
The former Amaya’s Taco Village space at 5405 N. IH-35, where the restaurant enjoyed a very successful run for quite some time, was leased less than a year ago to Nuevo Vallarta after Amaya’s moved across the highway. The new restaurant did not fare as well and the place has closed. Our readers commented that […]
The Russian House to Finally Open on Friday, October 19th
Had my first look at the interior of the new Russian House on 5th and Trinity (next to Rival’s Steakhouse) and received assurance from co-owner Varda that the long-awaited opening will actually occur on Friday evening, October 19th. Her husband, Chef Vladamir and GM Constantine have decorated the place with Russian kitsch so that it […]
Fans of JP Mueller’s BBQ Have a Tense Moment
A faulty propane line at JP Mueller’s caused the fire department to temporarily close the popular BBQ trailer on South 1st over the weekend. Rumors immediately started to spread that the place was permanently closing. But I was there today, Wednesday, and all was well. They were running out of sausage and turkey as usual […]
Adam Weisberg Turns Zen on South Congress into a Full-Service Concept: The Lucky Robot
Adam Weisberg has been successful staying ahead of the curve in dining trends. He spotted an opening for self-serve Japanese fast food and hit a home run with his Zen stores across the city. Now, he’s at it again and has changed the South Congress Zen into the Lucky Robot. Customers will have a more […]
The Reasons We Do What We Do on Dining Out with Rob
We occasionally see some blogger commentary regarding our site, diningoutwithrobbalon.com. Many of these comments have a prevailing theme. And of course that revolves around my decision to primarily write about restaurants that I like, while essentially ignoring the ones that I don’t like. This apparently drives some in the food blogger community to the point […]
This Little Piggie Went to Market…
Austin’s current fascination (some might say obsession) with all things pig-related probably had its genesis in Bryce Gillmore’s Odd Duck Trailer on South Lamar (which morphed into the brick and mortar Barley Swine), and prior to that with Will Packwood’s amazing pork bellies at the late and lamented Cibo on Congress. I for one am […]
Food We’ll be Checking Out this Weekend at ACL
You gotta give credit where credit is due. The food offerings at ACL took a serious step forward when Hudson’s on the Bend impresario Jeff Blank first introduced the Mighty Cone. Finally, a finger food that you could eat with one hand and still have room for a beer in the other. Since that momentous […]
East Side Pies Opens 3rd Location on Anderson Lane
East Side Pies, a perennial member in our Top 5 pizzas in Austin has opened a third location on 1809 W. Anderson Lane. I am a big fan of the work of Noah Polk and Michael Freid, and it’s cool that the pizza starved fans of North central Austin get a joint of the quality […]
Are You Kidding Me: Quaker Steak and Lube?
There are many comfort food based chains around the U.S., but with their most recent and first entry into to Texas (in Waco) and later New Jersey, Quaker Steak and Lube, a motorsports-themed casual dining chain now boasts a total of 56 owned and franchised restaurants. I can’t imagine why this chain hasn’t scheduled an […]
