A Quick Dining Tour of the Heart of the Warehouse District: 4th Street
Ironically, the restaurants that pioneered the emergence of Austin’s Warehouse district, Gilligan’s and Mezzaluna, no longer exist. But the area has continued to attract a number of diverse and interesting restaurants. Let’s take a quick walk down 4th St. and look at some of the attractions. 219 West This elegant little bar and restaurant has […]
Yes, Dripping Springs Does Have a Fine Dining Restaurant: Welcome to Creek Road Café
We were beginning to despair that all culinary possibilities were null and void when we recently moved out towards Dripping Springs. But then, like wanderers in the desert chancing upon an oasis, we found the Creek Road Café. Smack dab in the middle of Dripping Springs on #290, Creek Road is a partnership between two […]
Foreign and Domestic Food and Drink Opens at 306 E. 53rd St.
Husband and wife chef team Ned and Jodi Elliot have opened Foreign and Domestic, a high end restaurant in N. Austin at 306 E. 53rd St. The couple have serious experience working at Per Se in NYC (Thomas Keller’s famous restaurant) and at the Gramercy Tavern. New to Austin, Ned wanted to do a kind […]
High End Restaurants Across the US Selling “Sex”
Fast food and fast casual chains do it on a regular basis, but it’s rare to see locally-owned restaurants hooking up with movie premieres in cross promotional efforts. But the lure of the sequel to “Sex and the City” is apparently irresistible to high-end restaurants across the country. Some of the more frequent ideas: Come […]
Roy’s on 2nd St. Closes
This was a shocker. The staff at Roy’s got a call from corporate on Monday, May 24th, and the news as not good. They were to cease operations. Roy’s, part of a very high end chain began by fusion chef Roy Yamaguchi of Hawaii, was an exemplary dining location in Austin. They opened at the […]
Manny Hattan’s Deli Segues into Manny’s Uptown Kitchen
Aaron Mayers, proprietor of Manny Hattan’s Deli at Gateway plaza looked around the country and didn’t like what he was seeing. True Jewish delis were in a general state of decline, especially in former deli hotbeds like New York City. So the challenge was to preserve the core elements of the deli cuisine while also […]
Is the Fine Art of Dining Conversation Disappearing in Austin?
PBS talk host Charlie Rose recently keynoted at the National Restaurant Association convention in Chicago. And he said that “restaurants are a wonderful place for conversation.” Clearly, from what some of you have to say, he hasn’t dined much in Austin where we have a reputation for acoustic Armageddon, even in our finest dining restaurants. […]
The Chef at Trattoria Lisina is in Fine Form
Chef John Lichtenberger doesn’t sound like he should be at the helm of an Italian restaurant like Damian Mandola’s Trattoria Lisina in Driftwood. But the New York native loves Italian food and he loves to cook it. And he’s one of the key reasons why Trattoria Lisina has gotten off to such a strong start. […]
City Raises Regulatory Issues Regarding Food Trailers
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a tremendous growth in the number of food trailers dotting the landscape of Austin. The number has grown so rapidly that in my 2009 Year in Review, we dubbed it the “year of the trailer.” And the number is only going up. You can get almost anything from […]
Franklin BBQ Opens at 3421 N. IH-35
Continuing Austin’s trailer trend, Franklin BBQ has generated some serious feedback from our readers. I’ve heard great comments about the brisket and the pulled pork. I don’t think they’re going to put Rudy’s or The Salt Lick out of business, but they’ve definitely got a neat little niche carved out. Check out their menu at […]
Cissi’s Market on South Congress Closes
It seemed to be an idea made in marketing heaven. Take an upscale, high-end grocery and deli and drop it into the middle of a teeming, regentrified South Congress. Yet Cissi’s market, next door to first Mars and then Perlas and on the other side of Guero’s never seemed to gain much traction with its […]
Silver and Stone Sizzles in Georgetown
Silver and Stone in Georgetown is the work of one extremely creative chef, James Ramsey. His restaurant’s name suggests class and elegance and that’s exactly what the discerning diner gets there. It’s located on the 4th floor of a nice building at 501 S. Austin avenue across from the Monument Café. The Roasted Duck Flatbread […]
Great New Spots around the Hill Country You Should Try
Zinger’s: Out at the Galleria on Highway 71 in southwest Austin, this is a Sports Bar and quintessential family restaurant. The Patty melt is an exercise in classic tastes and seriously thin and crispy fries. I have a hard time passing this sandwich up. Likewise for the tortilla soup. It has rich flavors with just […]
Houston’s on Anderson to Become “Bartlett’s”
Tim Bartlett, the franchise owner of the popular Austin icon Houston’s Restaurant at Burnet and Anderson has purchased the restaurant from the chain. This has necessitated a name change after many years. The new name as of May 1: Bartlett’s. I have it on assurance from Tim himself that nothing in the food menu is […]
