Craving an American Style Gyro? Phoenicia Still Stands at the Top
I have long enjoyed the classic American style Gyro (pronounced yē-rō), the combination of lamb and beef cooked on a rotisserie and served in thin slices on fresh pita bread with tzatziki sauce, white onions, lettuce, and tomato. In Greece, gyros are stuffed exclusively with beef but in this case I opt for taste over […]
Rob’s Take on the Piadas at The Pizza Cave
When we first recently wrote about the introduction of Piadas to the menu of the mostly pizza and pasta centric The Pizza Cave on Highway 290 in Dripping Springs, I promised to let our readers know my first take on this Italian classic. Well, we tried them the other night with some friends and they […]
David Gobbles up Goliath: Rudy’s and Mighty Fine Sold to Local Restaurant Group
When it comes to a cash-flowing giants like the Rudy’s Country Store & Bar-B-Q and Mighty Fine Burgers, Fries & Shakes, they are usually purchased by some huge national entity like Darden Foods (which purchased Eddie C’s several years ago). That’s because the cost is usually prohibitive for a somewhat smaller local player. So I […]
Wandering Through the Suburban Dining Gridlock of Fort Worth We Find a Real Owner-Operated Restaurant
Fort Worth, like any large Texas city, has an accommodating and bustling downtown area with genuinely good restaurants. But as a city spreads out (as has often happened in Texas with the availability of virtually endless amounts of land) a series of seemingly never ending subdivisions and sprawling apartment complexes gradually appear. To serve the dining needs of these […]
Stricter COVID Protocols Make Things Increasingly Difficult for Restaurants in Austin and Across the Country
As hot spots of COVID cases confine to spread across the country, many of the nation’s local and neighborhood restaurants are teetering on the brink of closure and bankruptcy. Restaurants nationwide are struggling to make ends meet in the face of crippling restrictions often arbitrarily administered by public officials who are desperate to flatten the newest […]
Staten Island Bar and Restaurant Closure Sparks Giant Protest
A restaurant and bar called Mac’s Public House in Staten Island was recently closed because the owner openly defied coronavirus restrictions imposed by New York governor Andrew Cuomo. The general manager was taken away in handcuffs Tuesday night. The establishment is located in one of New York’s so-called orange zones where COVID-19 cases have spiked. The […]
Coping With the Pandemic: Restaurants and Those of Us Who Write About Them Face Uphill Battle
Let’s face it: the last ten months have been a brutal time for just about all of us, regardless of vocation. In the hospitality sector (which accounts for the largest amount of jobs in the Austin area by far) things have been horrible for both restaurants and customers alike struggling to cope with virtually weekly changes […]
Rob’s First Tastes of Tumble 22
I first came across Tumble 22 when a neighbor brought me a box of their fried chicken. I’ve been waiting since then to give them a proper tasting. That moment arrived last week when I visited their store on Lake Austin Boulevard (at the former site of the Magnolia Café). They have a nice combination of […]
Rob Finally Finds the Red Velvet Cupcake He’s Been Longing for at Mozart’s
My search for the ultimate red velvet cupcake has joyfully come to an end. I thought I’d found it a few years ago when I first tried Larry Perdido’s version at Moonshine. Then I recently had one at Mozart’s Coffee Roasters on Lake Austin Blvd. OMG!! This was cupcake bliss. A smooth creamy frosting atop […]
The Lights Are Still Up: Mozart’s Christmas Light Show Is One of a Kind
While it may a bit early to start thinking about Christmas, I suppose I can safely say that we can all use some of that warm cheerful feeling that comes with such a special day. So Mozart’s Coffee Roasters on Lake Austin has stepped up and readied their Christmas light show to begin now and […]
