The Status of the Athenian Grille
The Status of the Athenian Grille
I’ve gotten huge amounts of mail about this obviously popular Greek restaurant that was at 8th and Congress before it lost its lease to a newer, larger occupant.
Anil Simicia, the owner of Athenian Grille and former owner of Zorba in Round Rock, is still looking to find the right space that works for him. He was forced out of his space at 8th and Colorado and since the city did not consider him to be of “iconic” status, no one from the council stepped up to the plate with a generous financial package.
Well, the Athenian Grille may not have been iconic, but it certainly had legions of loyal fans. And they have been barraging me with emails about the status of the reopening. So far, sorry to say that there is no current opening date scheduled. So, sorry to say, all of you with Gyro or Pastichio cravings will just have to wait a bit longer. We will let you know as soon as we have an update. Until then, the Tino’s Cafes on Brodie and 183 are still open. And also Konstantino’s in Bastrop is also open and doing quite well. Also Yhaggi’s New York Pizzerias on William Cannon and Highway 71 have a decent Gyro.
More Vandalism Directed at Parind Vora’s Jezebel
The foie gras Nazis are at it again. Jezebel, owned by Parind Vora, was vandalized again as someone ruined his windows by painting “Spit it Out” in gigantic letters.
While other restaurants in the city serve foie gras, Jezebel has, for some reason, become the poster child for boorish behavior by animal activists. But this time, cameras installed by Vora caught the defiler in the act. Police know who he is and I’m told that he faces felony charges. And that’s just fine with me
Those who choose to commit acts of vandalism against fellow humans in the name of animal rights (particularly those animals that are generally earmarked for consumption) are usually misinformed and almost always borderline sociopaths. There is a simple alternative: don’t dine at the restaurant if what they serve offends you. I mean, how long does it take these people to GET IT??? Spare us these ridiculously contrived protests: it’s all getting pretty boring.
As for Parind Vora and all his fellow chefs who serve foie gras: good for them! It is one of the single most beloved delights for the HUMAN palate.
Tyson Cole of Uchi to Appear on Iron Chef
The news is in. Tyson Cole, hot young chef at uber cool Uchi on S. Lamar has been set to appear on the Food Network’s popular Iron Chef TV program.
This is quite an honor for Cole. And I wish him the best. However, may I offer a word of caution. I watched the episode last year where David Bull, former chef at the Driskill, took on THE Bobby Flay. In my considered opinion, Bull eviscerated Flay (the surprise ingredient was Wild Bore). But when the idiot judges handed in their ballots, Flay won handily. And therein lies the caveat: recognize that for the local chef to beat the NATIONAL CELERITY CHEF requires almost an act of God or Congress: perhaps both!. When do Mario Batali or Flay or any of the Food Network deities ever lose? Can you spell BALLOT TAMPERING!
Maybe Cole will blow everyone away to the extent that voting against him would seem disingenuous. But if he’s up against one of the FAVORED FEW, don’t bet on it. Nonetheless, as noted earlier, it’s an honor just to be asked. Good for Tyson. Now go kick some ass!
Why Not More Negative Reviews?
I get asked this a lot by those who seem to like the nails-across-the-blackboard-school of restaurant criticism. So let me tell you our philosophy at Dining out with Rob Balon.
It’s quite simple. With very few exceptions, I prefer to spend my energies telling people WHERE to go instead of telling them WHERE NOT to go. Too many good, little restaurants perish each year in this city because they remain undiscovered. If I can help people discover some of these places, then I’ve performed a valuable service.
And no, it has absolutely nothing to do with advertising. Some of the restaurants we review advertise with us: and some do not. Fine with me. But I’m still going to write about where I’d like to send my readers. And one thing is certain: bad news in the restaurant world travels much faster than good. Word of mouth can kill a restaurant a lot faster than a negative review. So I try to focus mostly on the good news: and fortunately for us, there are many excellent little restaurants in the River City to command my attentions.
