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ROB'S BLOG Welcome to Rob's blog. This will feature wide-ranging commentary on dining trends, restaurants, food news and gossip, wine and spirits, politics and even talk radio. August 23rd, 2010. Rob Gives the Lowdown in New KVUE-TV Q&A Feature We started a new feature last week on KVUE-TV. It's a Q&A segment that airs on various Tuesdays during the Midday (11am) newscast. I appear with co-anchors Olga and Melissa and answer questions that viewers of KVUE or readers of DOWR send in via email. The first one ran last Tuesday (August 16th) and was a lot of fun. You can check out the video by going to the Dining Out with Rob Balon Facebook page. Send your questions to askrob@kvue.com or to info@diningoutwithrobbalon.com. Michael Vilim Hits the "Streat" I was chatting with the chef and owner of Los Pinos, Margarito Maldanado, the other day and he mentioned that his old boss Michael Vilim (Mirabelle) had opened a new place at 32nd and Red River called The Streat. So we stopped by on Saturday night and did a sampling. The concept is interesting. The idea is street foods from different cultures and cuisines. Vilim, who got his start working for Elmar Prambs at the then Café at the Four Seasons, is an accomplished pro and serious wine enthusiast. In fact, we walked in right in the middle of a wine dinner (The Streat has taken over the former space of Texas French Bread). I tried the Gumbo which was pretty good (roux was a bit strong for me), a Greek salad (very tasty), and some glazed Churrasco skewers with chimichurri sauce (a little tough but quite tasty). Marge had the Mezze platter which featured some of the best Hummus I've tasted in quite some time, Falafel's made from Egyptian peas (instead of the usual chickpeas) which were excellent, a very competent tabbouleh, and a smooth baba ghan oush. The complement was some Pita bread from the always reliable Phoenicia Bakery. Vilim is also doing some intriguing desserts. We tried a chocolate fudge cake that was rich and indulgent. The others looked tempting as well although I'm just not a fan of the flourless chocolate cakes (too dense for me). So not bad for a place that's recently opened. I would definitely give it a try. Check it out at eatatstreat.com. Dining at the new Gold Class Cinema at the Domain The idea of shelling out $29 per person to see a movie is not immediately appealing. But if you like to indulge yourself a bit, I must admit that an evening at Austin's Gold Class Cinema can be intriguing. Each screening room is limited to forty seats max. All are huge, overstuffed, and can recline to an almost horizontal mode (foot rests of course). They even provide blankets. The best part is the green button that is situated on the tray between each pair of seats. Press that and a server materializes to take drink and food orders. The idea is a kind if upscale Alamo
Draft House. Well, a very upscale ADH. But no queso at Gold Class. Probably
wise. I tried the Caesar Romaine Spears which consisted of sturdy slices
of romaine lettuce which could be dipped in an asiago cheese sauce.
Sensible and tasty. The Calamari proved to be a bit more difficult.
I had trouble getting whole pieces of calamari into the wonderful Wasabi
aioli. Then I tried Niman Ranch burger sliders. They were smaller, which
made them easier to eat, and quite good. Marge tried The Margherita
Pizza (which the chef had made in a cooking demonstration prior to our
movie) and the Bali Salad made with mango, papaya, pineapple and banana.
These dishes were to accompany the exotic locations in our movie: Eat,
Pray, Love in which Julia Roberts spends time in Italy and Bali. The menu price points were on the steep side ($17 for the sliders) but again, if you are craving total indulgence then that or the price of admission (less if you become a member) probably won't faze you. This is an entirely and eminently
comfortable viewing and dining experience! August 13th, 2010. Tino’s Greek Cafes Have Credit Card Problems First off, I don’t think the owners or managers of the Tino’s Greek Cafes had anything to do with the recent credit card fraud suffered by some of their customers. I know several of the owners and they are decent guys. I think they and their patrons got victimized by one of the processing agencies somewhere further up the electronic line.
That being said, you can never be too careful or diligent when presenting a debit or credit card at any restaurant. Think about most times we use credit or debit cards. We are usually within a few feet of the clerk or agent and can easily keep an eye on things. But at a bar, night club, or restaurant, that card can leave your sight for quite some time. Now you can follow your server up to the counter and stand behind them while they run the card (I’ve actually seen some of my more paranoid friends do that) but that’s a bit excessive and can lead to more problems. Just make sure that you have an idea of what’s going on. Check the customer copy of your charge. Stay in the moment (no matter how many Mojitos’s you’ve had).
And go on line and check your card every day. That’s right, every day. Look for any charge that seems unfamiliar or out of place. My Itunes account got hacked last month by some guy in Vietnam to the tune of almost $800. Luckily, I spotted it on the same day it occurred and immediately called my bank. Within a day, with no thanks to Apple by the way (they handled it very poorly), my bank had resolved things and issued me a credit.
This is not to say that some
local restaurants have not indeed defrauded customers. I know of several
that did or tried to: luckily they are all closed. But Tino’s is
not, in my opinion, in that category. Their food’s pretty good
and their ethics are solidly in place. It’s a shame this had to
happen but if you take the appropriate steps in checking your card on
line, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get that next Gyro
or Greek Salad at any of the Tino’s locations. July 23rd, 2010. Thai Food in Austin: Explaining the Inexplicable I have long wondered why so many Austinites seem to be either indifferent toward or uncomfortable with Thai food. It may simply be that the predominant cuisine icons around here: steak, BBQ, burgers, and Tex Mex are so deeply rooted in Central Texas dining attitudes and habits that something relatively unfamiliar has a hard time breaking through. Thai cuisine appears to have its greatest
support around the UT area: Madam
Mam's on the drag is constantly crowded with students most hours
of the day. There are many great Thai joints around the city. Satay on Anderson Lane is an excellent restaurant helmed by the inimitable Dr. Foo Swasdee. Yet it could use some more customers. Chon Som on Wells Branch is another neat place that's searching for a larger audience as is Ka Prow at Howard Lane and N IH-35. Likewise with the excellent Titaya on N. Lamar. And the Thai Spice in the HEB center in Westlake is another good-lunch slow-dinner phenomenon. Also true for the very good Non La in Lakeway and the neat little Subsin on S. Manchaca near Stassney. The only restaurant south that appears to get decent traffic is the second Madam Mam's location at Westgate. So for you uninitiated foodies who have yet to take that first step into the world of Pad Kee Mao and Tod Mum here's a brief tutorial. Thai food doesn't have to be indigestibly
spicy. It all depends on the peppers used. The flavors are diverse and
very appealing. The Panang Curry is a mellow dish that does not in the
least overwhelm. I get mine with Fried Tofu and it's a treat. I could go on. The Drunken Noodles are always great and the appetizers are fun. The Cheese Rolls can be terrific along with the Yam Patties and the Satay skewers of chicken or beef. Take a chance here folks. Thai
food is wonderful, inexpensive, and highly approachable. Any of the
restaurants mentioned here would be a great place to start. July 20th, 2010. Dining Kosher with the Sagers There are few people on the planet that I am fonder of than Susan Sager. Born Susan Hawkins, she fell in love with my long-time friend Alan Sager and formed a lasting bond that produced four lovely children. And, she converted to Judaism from her Protestant upbringing. And like everything Susan does, she handled the conversion at full-throttle speed.
Susan brings life to a room like few others can. She sparkles with wit and enthusiasm and she is an absolute joy to be around. And getting to the point of this food blog, the woman can flat out cook. She and Alan had Marge and I over for a kosher meal last week at the Sager’s home. We were joined by former City Councilperson Louise Epstein and her husband. Susan made a remarkable kosher brisket along with a light sauce made from the jus. It was spectacular. A rice pilaf and a platter of haricot verts (French for green beans) that were al dente and absolutely perfect accompanied. And Louise greened things up with a sensational salad. Then, to top things off, she made a gluten-free dessert for Louise that we all loved: it was a kind of blackberry cobbler with a luscious crème freche that almost exploded with flavor.
There are people who incorrectly think that Kosher meals must be boring. Not in the hands of Susan Sager they’re not. True, there are certain concessions that have to be made involving shell fish for instance, and blending dairy products along with other food groups. But Kosher meals can be fantastic. Last time she had us for dinner, she grilled Kosher rib eyes that were beyond belief on the flavor front.
So thanks Susan. Oh by the way,
we’re free for dinner just about any time with a little notice!
(lol.) July 9th, 2010. Rob Has a Lithuanian Feast One of the occasional pleasures that
comes along with being a restaurant critic is to enjoy some ethnic cuisine
that is not commercially available in Austin. Such was the case last
weekend as we dined at the home Audrey and Dan Lunecki in Barton Creek
West. June 24th, 2010. Food Network Canada Shooting the Austin Trailer Scene Austin's recent surge of food trailer openings has not gone unnoticed by the national media. But the international media? That's right, the Food Network Canada was in town this past weekend filming trailer chow. And they called me down to 6th and Waller for an on-camera interview in front of Lucky J's new location. The film crew was from Vancouver and the first thing I noticed is that they were hot accustomed to Austin's late June heat. I arrived about 2pm on Saturday and it was steaming.The assembled Austin patrons (Lucky J's is in a cluster of trailers ranging from biker fare??? to vegan) were cool but the Canadians were already flushed and sweating. Hence, nerves were a bit taut. But they were pros and knew how to
cut to the chase. My segment was to focus on my opinion of Lucky J's
along with some history of chicken and waffles in the South. It'll be interesting to see how much of my interview actually makes the final cut of the show. They also filmed at Jeff Blank's Mighty Cone on S. Congress and the quirky Garage Mahal off Red River. And they were absolutely stunned at the sheer volume of trailers operating in Austin. Apparently trailer mania has yet to hit Vancouver (one of the great dining cities in N. America). But we'll keep you posted about when the show featuring Austin will air. In the meantime, go to foodnetwork.ca. June 17th, 2010. A Quick Dining Tour of the Heart of the Warehouse District: 4th St. 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 become a perennial favorite down at 4th and Lavaca. The food is designed to be paired with a variety of wines, beers, and spirits and it all works for me. The Sliders are absolutely delicious and come in a number of styles. Likewise the Grilled Lamb Chops and the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. And the happy hours are well, flat out happy. Check out the entire menu at 219west.com.
Fado
So lass, it’s a touch of bonnie Ireland that you’re cravin’? Well, Fado delivers the goods. The food is vintage and its generally quite good. The Shepherd’s Pie is probably the best rendition of this dish in the city. The Corned Beef and Cabbage Boxty (a potato wrap) is also a blast: I love the Bangers and Mash and the All-Day Irish Breakfast (two eggs, Irish sausages, rashers, black and white pudding, mushrooms, tomatoes and pan-fried potato bread).
It’s got every kind of Irish and English beer you can imagine and one can usually wrestle up a good game of darts as well. Social atmosphere is a lot of fun as well. fadoirishpub.com
Peche
Rob Pate’s homage to adult dining and drinking is packing them in. The restaurant is cocktail-centric and Pate has reintroduced such classics as Absinthe, and even a deconstructed Sazerac, one of America’s oldest and most classic cocktails. The mood here is very congenial and the food, by chef Jason Dodge is consistently engaging. The Pan Seared Sea Scallops are a treat and the Seared Grimaud Duck Breast should not be overlooked either. And the Pommes Frittes are irresistible: crunchy and crispy and flat-out tasty. pecheaustin.com
M Two
This is the new restaurant that is opening at the site of the former Saba. I’ve only had a chance for an initial sampling but so far, so good. The menu is short, but that’s a positive. I like a chef who knows what he likes and focuses on that. And that describes Mat Clouter who has cooked at many other fine restaurants in Austin. Joe Reynolds is the owner and I’m looking forward to working my way through the rest of this nifty little menu. m2atx.com
Truluck’s
At the corner of 4th and Colorado, Truluck’s was one of the earlier restaurants in the area. The Stone Crab is still their specialty and deservedly so. I also love their Alaskan King Crab. Not only is it tender but they pick it out of the shells for you: a nice touch. Reach for your melted butter and you’re ready to go. The Niman ranch is a great example of the beef genre as well. Still a good date restaurant, and they’ve survived the departure of Chef Johnny Carrino (yes, that Johnny Carrino). The wine list is impeccable and the bar scene is fun as well. trulucks.com
Spaghetti Warehouse
For parents who want a reasonable place to take the kids (we took ours there many times), this place is fun and it works. The pasta dishes aren’t spectacular by any means, but they are reasonably tasty (if not a bit plodding). Again, this is much better dining for families with kids under 12. By no means would I recommend taking a date or your significant other there. But it works for what it’s designed to be. meatballs.com
Imperia
Just around the corner from 4th on Colorado, Imperia has diligently tried to be the Austin version of the storied Tao restaurants in New York City and Las Vegas. (The top two grossing independent restaurants in the country.) They haven’t managed to make the “vibe dining” concept work as well in Austin as it does in the other cities. But the food is still damned good. New Chef George Thomas is a good as they come and the Edamame Dumplings and the Short Rib remain at the top of my list. Sushi Chef Tatsu San has added a delicious extra dimension to the restaurant. His Maki are nothing short of sensational. One of my favorite places to dine in the area. imperia-austin.com June 3rd, 2010. 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:
So what does all this portend?
It means that great food, in and of itself, can always use a little
help from four of the sexiest women in the US. And it means that higher
end restaurants are willing to take a page on occasion from the Mickey
D’s and Burger Kings of the world. Finally got to watch this movie. Whatever
clever promotions were planned for this film, I hope they were swiftly
executed. I have never seen a slower, more plodding and eminently unfunny
movie in years. It all went downhill after the gay wedding opening sequence.
Too long, too much hype, and too much Abu Dabi. May 26th, 2010. 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.
I get this complaint about Austin dining from our readers on a regular basis. “It was so loud we couldn’t here ourselves talking.” “The noise level was distracting and disconcerting.” “Why can’t someone learn how to build a restaurant where the ears of the patrons are valued along with their palates?!” Ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
Here’s my take on it. Austin is a young, vibrant town. The median age is one of the lowest in the country. It is also a town where there is a fairly high level of discretionary spending on dining out. So you’re going to get a lot of yuppie diners in some of your favorite restaurants. And they tend to grow louder as the wine consumption increases. And it’s not just young, urban professionals. I have heard people my age [vanguard boomers] making lots of noise at some of my best-liked spots. So what to do? If you absolutely must have peace and quiet during your dinner, pick an expensive restaurant with a reputation for elegance and a lower noise level. The Drikill Grill, Trio, Aquarelle, Mansion at Judge’s Hill immediately come to mind. This is not to demean great places like Eddie V’s. The Roaring Fork, Perlas, McCormick and Schmick’s, Uchi, III Forks, and Peche but you’re just not gong to get the level of quietude you seek there, or at most other places for that matter.
I love nothing better than a
good dinner conversation. But I am also capable of picking a table where
the noise level may be somewhat suppressed (in a corner perhaps) and
I’m not averse to speaking up a bit if needs be. This is Austin,
after all, not St. Petersburg. And as Coach Royal said, ‘you dance
with who brung ya.” Places where you can hear a pin drop in Austin
are far and few between. I have no real problem with that. It means
we’re alive and breathing. Perhaps a trifle inconsiderate on occasion,
but hey, most times you get over 80 diners in a room, there’s going
to be noise, regardless of how well the place is insulated. May 10th, 2010. 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 hot dogs to crepes to curry and Cuban sandwiches. So, of course the city had to get involved.
According to a recent AAS article, the decision to review health regulations on the trailer scene was sparked by Tom Ramsey, owner of Snappy Snacks, a company that leases 70 food trucks to firms that cater to construction workers and employees in office towers. He says the fixed trailers are killing his business. His contention is that a lot of fly-by night vendors are violating a boat load of city health regulations along with operating practices that could be downright dangerous (improperly mounted propane tanks). Bob Gentry, owner of Torchy’s Tacos is understandably against any changes in regulation. And from his perspective, that makes sense.
But owners of brick and mortar locations, who have to pass rigorous city code inspections and pay city development fees and property taxes (which most trailers don’t have to worry about), complain that all they want to do is level the playing field. And it’s fairly easy to see their point of view.
So once again, the city of Austin, which has not been the best friend to the Austin restaurant community over the years, has to step up and make a rational decision. Should fixed location trailers be treated different than mobile food vendors? And why should more traditional restaurants be forced into mountains of regulatory red tape while the fixed trailers and carts operate in a virtually unregulated environment?
I like having the trailers around. To my knowledge, almost no complaints relating to tainted food have been lodged against them. But if they’re going to serve food, they should have to work under the same constraints as anyone else. Here’s a breathtaking solution: make everything simpler, for everyone. Less regulation fairly enforced. How about that? Comparable rules, within reason, for everyone, And let’s back off on the suffocating, often deal-breaking policies that the city imposes on some, but not others.
The trailers offer a certain type of appeal: yes they are cheaper to operate, but they can’t offer what a traditional restaurant can: air conditioned comfort, service, ambiance, a sizzling steak, and a host of other things. So I think both types of businesses should be able to coexist with a simple and similar set of rules. Meanwhile, I’m off to Lucky J’s for some chicken and waffles. Let’s hope some sanity will prevail here.
April 30th, 2010. 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 a bit of bite. The Shrimp Scampi, something you don’t usually see in a Sports Bar is excellent. They have a lovely patio out front and serve good beers on tap. The place has a very relaxed and casual vibe to it. And it’s owned by a husband and wife team. zingersbar.com.
Ilsa’s Kitchen: This is a new Bavarian restaurant on Highway 71 just south of Spicewood. This family owned restaurant has an inviting ambiance and some rally neat German cuisine. Try the Bavarian Wurst Salad. For $6.95 it is one of the best and tastiest deals around. Reminds of my time in Munich. The Pork Schnitzel Wiener is another delight and reasonable at $11.95. They have also recently added Sauerbraten and have a lovely Sunday Brunch. Ask for Joel or Marisela. ilsaskitchen.net
Dahlia Café in Liberty Hill: This is a bit of a ride for Austinites but worth every mile. I would classify Dahlia as kind of a slightly more upscale Hoover’s. They have amazing appetizers including crispy chicken livers, seriously stuffed mushrooms, and homemade kettle chips. The Chicken Fried Steak is as good as it gets, the Flat Iron steak is a blast, and the BLT will satisfy any purist (and I am one regarding BLT’s). The pies are all house made: the Buttermilk and Pecan are sinful. This is family operated and my only regret is that it’s not in Dripping Springs. dahlia-cafe.com
Creek Road Café in Dripping Springs: Having recently moved out towards Dripping Springs (not exactly a hot bed for restaurants) you can imagine my pleasant surprise in finding the Creek Road Café on highway 290. Owned by two partners who spent a number of years in the northwest U.S., the food at Creek Road is fresh, innovative and almost invariably delicious. The Crab stuffed Artichoke bottoms are to die for as are the Pan Seared Maryland style Crab Cakes (lots of plump crab meat and very little filler). We like the Creek Road Garden Salad as well. My two favorite entrees are the Pedernales Pork Chop (beautifully grilled with great flavor) and the Trautwein Sauteed Shrimp ($16) is a slam dunk of flavor. The shrimp are pan seared with jalapeno aioli and served with lovely cheddar and smoked sausage grits. Man I love this dish! And the Carrrot cake may will be the best that I’ve tasted in Austin. creekroadcafe.com
The Gruene Door in Gruene, TX. The only reason I used to go to New Braunfels was for tubing or to go to Schlitterbahn. Now, with the advent of Michael Flume’s Gruene Door restaurant, I am going down there more frequently. This is a restaurant where the care in each dish is evident. I fell in love with the Duck Gumbo on my first visit (it’s off the menu for the summer but will be back in the fall). When it returns, order it. Dynamite! The Parmesan Crusted Shrimp makes for a great appetizer as does the House Smoked Salmon. And if you order only ONE entrée, you must have the Garlic Shrimp. I love this dish! The blend of orzo, garlic butter, plump shrimp and asparagus is unique and irresistible. The Angus Beef Rib eye is another blockbuster and at $29 about $20 less expensive than the downtown Austin restaurants. Say hi to Francis when you walk in: she’s the best! thegruenedoor.com April 12th, 2010. Another Austin Icon Bites the Dust I am sad to hear of the closing of Louie's 106. This is the kind of restaurant that gives a downtown a sense of class and vibrancy. It drew a mix of business types and ladies who lunch at mid-days and a diverse group of foodies for dinner. The most recent chef, Frank Bellino, had his game together and was up to the substantial task of replacing the legendary Norbert Brand. My wife and I had many enjoyable meals there: enough to earn Louie's a well-deserved spot in our Top 20. From the Escargot to the Seafood Risotto, everything at Louie's had a signature flavor. Meals there were savored, fondly recalled, and stored in that repository of culinary memories that all true foodies build up. But Joe Elminger is a resilient kind of guy. He has bounced back from closings before (Sardin Rouge) and I fully expect him to resurface. Still, it will be hard to replace Louie's 106. The room just had an élan to it: an ambiance that will be difficult to recreate. The downstairs meeting rooms also had a cachet to them that made groups dinners there delightful. Here's to a speedy return for Louie's 106! Perhaps not the same name, or even the exact menu, but the essence and you foodies know what I'm talking about. Food Network to Celebrate Austin's Trailers, Street Vendors For those who have read our 2009 Food Year in Review, you'll note that we dubbed last year the "Year of the Trailer". That trend toward street fare has not been lost on the Food Network. They've commissioned a TV production company from Vancouver, Canada to produce a series featuring the best street vendors and trailers of a number of U.S. and Canadian cities. And Austin has been chosen, no surprise, to be one of the cities. Some of my favorites in Austin are Jeff Blank's "The Mighty Cone" on South Congress, "Lulu B's" and their Vietnamese Sandwiches on South Lamar, "Hey Cupcake" and their outrageous Carrot Cake cupcakes, "Flip Happy Crepes" on Jessie, "The Best Wurst" with locations on 6th at San Jacinto and Red River, and "The Pie Queen," also on South Congress down from the Cone. And you gotta mention "Torchy's Tacos" that now has four locations. Want to nominate one of your
favorites that I haven't mentioned? Just click
on this link and let us know. I will take all feedback and make
my recommendations within the week! March 31st, 2010. Rob’s Inside Scoop on the Travel Channel’s ‘Food Wars’ BBQ Showdown in Lockhart
The only problem I had with last week’s Food Wars show on which I served as one of the judges of Smitty’s and Kruez’s bisket and sausage is this nagging certainty that Lockhart is NOT the BBQ epicenter of Texas. But that’s TV for you. And as Bob Cole delivered his tie-breaking ballot to a breathless and apparently fairly inebriated audience of BBQ fans, I couldn’t help but think of Rudy’s moist brisket, Luling Market’s amazing pork loin, virtually anything at Cooper’s or Southside, the Iron Works, the Salt Lick, the Railroad BBQ, those bodacious beef ribs at the County Line, Po-keJoe’s ribs, and well, you get the point!
Had the Travel Channel gotten in touch with me before they chose Lockhart, I would have had other suggestions. But alas, I was invited to join the show after they had made what appeared to be an arbitrary decision impacted by their fascination with this Hatfield-McCoy like feud that they likened to the Smitty’s/Kruez’ family connection. Of course a case could be made for Lockhart BBQ and many embrace this charming little town near Austin. I like the town but just don’t buy into the best BBQ in the state lore.
Anyway, that being said, there
I was, locked in a vacant building in downtown Lockhart. Lights all
over the place: floods, fills, spots, and a spunky host who apparently
felt she had to compete with the uber cool karate guy who hosts the
Iron Chef on the Food Network. So as a result, since she has a relatively
soft voice, she did a lot of serious yelling. In fact she yelled at
one of the partisan judges so loudly that he dropped his bottle of water. As predicted, the partisans voted for their favorites. I voted for Kreuz Market, the rodeo guy voted for Smitty's and thus it all came down (as luck would have it) to Bob Cole who was in the fifth position. The host continued to call him BBQ Bob-ad nauseum in my opinion (OK we got it). And finally, after milking the moment (I would have done the same thing) Cole voted for B and Kreuz was crowned king of Texas BBQ by a 3-2 vote. So there you have it. The beer-induced
crowd went nuts and all was well. Now in my humble opinion, there is
no way in hell that Kruez Market is the king of Texas BBQ. It's decent
but I don't think it or Smitty's,.for that matter, are even the best
in the Lockhart. I'd vote for Chisolm Trail or Luling Market down the
road. But hey, let's be thankful that we do live in a state that has
the best damned BBQ in the country. Maybe the travel channel will get
the location right next time we have a showdown. March 19th, 2010. SXSW and Fine Dining Usually Don’t Mix
Once again as the “live music capital of the world” celebrates the annual orgy of music, musicianship and technology that is known as the South by Southwest Music, Film, and Interactive Festival, those who enjoy finer dining have cause to lament. And while few restaurant owners will come out and say it lest they seem unsupportive, the higher end restaurants will probably have at best, a very mediocre week. On the other hand, the cab drivers and bars will have one hell of a week. And the pedicab drivers are doing great as well. Except for the poor 110-lb. bastard I saw driving two L&L’s (large and lovelies) up South Congress. He was pedaling for all his life and the cab was barely, and I mean barely, moving. He stopped for a second, gasping for air, and tried to encourage the two ladies to walk the rest of the way. Failing that, he chugged on up the hill. Don’t know if he made it but I wished for a second I’d had my digital video camera or cell phone with me. It would have made hysterical footage on YouTube. So I guess the while table cloth folks will just have to suck it up this week, as they do every year, and take one on the chin for the good of the River City. Perhaps if they didn’t invite so damned many bands the thing would be more manageable. And all eateries, upscale or otherwise, could share in the largess that is SXSW.
Casserole Queens Get Jobbed by Bobby Flay
Okay, it may have aired for the first time last year. But I just saw it last week on the Food Network. Bobby Flay, the master of just about everything there is the food world these days, came to Austin to “throw down” against Sandy Pollock and Christy Cook, Austin’s self proclaimed “Casserole Queens.” They squared off against each other with Chicken Pot Pie being the star of the show. They held the event at Speakeasy and if you’re familiar with the Throwdown process, each party prepared a sample of their very best in the pot pie genre. The Queens, who I’m going to feature next week in a profile, produced one of the best looking pot pies I’ve ever seen. Flay’s, on the other hand, used a Sweet Potato crust and looked, well, kind of dry. Indeed, one of the judges, Kevin from The Woodlands (who make a pretty decent pot pie themselves) said Flay’s was “kind of dry.” The other judge, Fredricksburg pastry luminary Rebecca Rather concurred. Even so, when the vote was final,
Flay had another victory in his apron, and the Queens came in second.
Had they asked me to be a judge, I would have given the nod to the Queens.
And I’m still smarting over the Iron Chef of a few years ago where
Flay beat Austin’s David Bull when the dish was wild boar. Are
you kidding me? No way Bull should should have lost that one. But c'est
la vie, oui? We all live to cook another day March 8th, 2010. Will Oscar for Sandra Bullock Swamp Bess? One thing Austin has never had is an actress who has won an academy award for Best Actress. Congratulations Sandra Bullock. But Austin has also never had an academy award winning actress who owns a fairly visible restaurant on 6th St. called Bess. You think it was bad before when celebrity gawkers would turn away in abject disappointment from a failure to catch a glimpse of Austin's resident female superstar. Imagine what it will be like now? Sandy has won the big one: the greatest and most coveted prize in Hollywood. She has achieved iconic status and that usually carries with it a certain burden: particularly when the actor in question owns a restaurant. Because whether she is there or not, her fans, or those who simply want to be around celebrity, are gong to inundate this place. I like Bess well enough. But it's still a work in progress. I feel it may someday become a really great restaurant. But I fear that Sandy's enhanced status in the celebrity world may snuff out the candle of creativity that has recently been in evidence at this little bistro. So here's my decidedly unsolicited advice for Sandra. Stay away from Bess. No Sandy glimpses. No brief visits. Don't do anything to fuel the buzz. Let Bess continue to be this neat little restaurant with a cool chef and a competent wait staff. Let your staff evolve this place, with your input of course. But now is the time to be an absentee owner, at least physically. This is the ultimate price of fame. You don't want Bess to become a curiosity. But then I don't think you ever did. So all you celebrity seekers: if you must be around some local lunar module head over to Katz's Deli. After all jovial owner Marc Katz did finish with 12% of the vote in the Lieutenant Governor's primary. It's not the Oscar but what the hell, right? Rob Joins KVUE-TV as the New Food Critic It's funny how time passes. One
minute I had gotten a phone call from GM Danny Baker at FOX 7 TV asking
me if I'd like to do a version of my new KLBJ-AM restaurant reviews
on FOX 7. The next minute ten years and more had gone by. As anyone
in the business knows, ten years is an eternity in the world of television.
I taped my last review for FOX on Dec 18th of last year. February 22nd, 2010. David Bull Storms Back into Austin at the Austonian Now this is something to get excited about. One of my favorite chefs to have graced the river city is coming back. David Bull, who turned the Driskill from a mediocre hotel restaurant reduced to doing Mystery Dinner Nights to one of Austin's top three restaurants in less than a year is slated to open two restaurants on the ground floor in the soon-to-open Austonian. The two restaurants will be an upscale affair called Congress while the second store will be a casual dining operation entitled Second at Congress. I was sorry to see Bush leave the Driskill after his six-year run. And his successor, former Chef de Cuisine Josh Watkins, also left, although after a much shorter tenure. Frankly, I don't think the Driskill has matched up since the departure of both chefs. The place is still good, but lacks the absolute panache one could always count on with Bull and Watkins. The key question though is can Austin absorb another fine-dining high-end restaurant downtown? Several have already come and gone and as talented as Bull is, there are no guarantees. Still, I would be disinclined to bet against him. This is the man who kicked the tar out of Bobby Flay on Iron Chef only to be jobbed by a rigged panel. You are never going to convince me that Bobby Flay could outdo bull on a Texas-inspired Wild Boar! So I await the return of one the city's most inspired chefs. If anyone can pull this off, and if anyone is in touch with the Austin palate, it is most definitely David Bull. Stay tuned for the announcement of an opening date. One Really Good Reason to Head to Kyle: Bordeaux's Trust me, I really get very little pleasure out of crawling my way south of Austin on IH 35 on a Friday evening during rush hour. There is virtually nothing that can induce me into such madness. But there is one thing: dinner at Bordeaux's in Kyle. This little gem is worth congestion on a Friday night but probably more accessible via I 35 on a Saturday or even Thursday night. Larsen Wilkes and his wife have carved a wonderful little bistro out of an historic building on 108 Center Street off exit 213. We've dined on everything from a succulent Butternut squash soup to incredibly dense yet wonderfully tasty Stuffed Mushrooms. The 12 oz Ribeye has the requisite marbling and comes with a really nice Bernaise. And we tried a special on our last visit: you want to talk a burst of flavor? The Veal Chop was done is a lovely blueberry and burgundy reduction and it was a melt-in-your mouth love at first bite. I don't normally gnaw bones at the dinner table but this was irresistible. And do try the Cajun pasta. It's the real deal.
February 3rd, 2010. Food Friday Rocks the Austin Food Scene For those of you who enjoy a rollicking hour of central Texas restaurant, wine, and food talk, then make an appointment for the last Friday of each month from 9-10am on 590 KLBJ-am. There are other radio stations around the country that run food programs, but our show is the ONLY one that runs in prime morning drive time. We take calls, give out current restaurant news, and I butt heads occasionally with Sgt Sam: but it's really a show where everyone learns a lot and has a load of fun. The Art of Being a Restaurant Critic As is inherently obvious, there are many user generated websites where critics-in-waiting can hold forth on anything that pleases them. Some say that this abundance of verbiage obviates the need for professional critics like myself or Virginia Wood or Pat Sharp. Needless to say, I disagree. I have put many years into the process of developing the sensibilities and palate that I use as the cornerstones of my reviews. I grew up in a world of restaurants, in a family of chefs. While I chose not to follow in their footsteps, I was nonetheless steeped in the wisdom that virtually flowed from all of them like a fountain of Perier Jouet. When circumstances allowed me the opportunity to begin speaking and writing restaurant reviews and commentary, I was ready! And when you read my reviews, even though by choice they tend to come down on the positive side, my philosophy is simple: I want to spend my time telling my viewers, listeners and readers where to go, and what to enjoy as opposed to telling them where NOT to go. That does not mean that I love every dish I every tasted as is often inferred by faceless and nameless bloggers. In fact, I do not. I simply prefer to write about the ones that I enjoy. Nothing makes me happier than when a reader emails me and says he loved the dish I reviewed, or that my recommendation was "spot on." It's easy to trash places. It's much harder to translate the love of a dish or a restaurant into tangibles that lay people can appreciate or use to make choices. I see too many reviewers who simply regurgitate what's in the dish and then ad a few superlative adverbs. That art of a good review is being able to make that dish come alive for your reader; to create almost a visual or olfactory sensation with the written word. This is what gives me great pleasure and this is why I do what I do. January 19th, 2010. New Restaurants
Load Up at the Ever Changing HEB Center at 360 and Bee Caves And in the space formerly occupied
by Chipotle in the same center, we now have the Izumi Sushi Grill. This
is an owner operated restaurant: Taeyeon Yi is the man, a former engineer
who heard the siren's call of sushi and decided to take the plunge.
He hired chef Sun Han from Dallas and initial reports from our readers
are very good. sushiizumi.com 4th Quarter Reports for National Chains Not Good Financial analysts, looking to the hospitality sector to lead an economic recovery, got some disappointing news as year-to-year figures were released for a number of chain restaurants. Most were flat or in a state of decline. And even the usually reliable fast food segment reported drops in same-store sales. For example, Sonic Corp was down 6.5%. CKE restaurants were also down 6.5%. This may account for McDonald's recent decision to stop charging $2.95 per two hour segment for WiFi and offer the service for free. If that occurs, Starbuck's may be forced to follow that lead. On the higher end side of the chains, Kona Grill reported an 8% decline in sales, this coming on an already poor previous year. The news was also not that rosy for Chili's, Appleby's, and other medium price point chains. And have you seen the recent gamble that Domino's took with its national ad campaign? The ad basically acknowledges that they suck. And if you don't like their sparkling new improvements, you'll get your money back. Are you kidding me? Kind of sounds like whistling past the graveyard, doesn't it? Domino's has sucked for years and they're still awful. No commercial is going to change that. Doesn't look like I'll be adding them to my portfolio any time soon. January 8th, 2010. Austin Cold Wave Proves Conservatives’ Point: Global Warming is a Hoax!!!
Just kidding! Wanted to get your attention. What this recent cold snap really proves is that we all need to know where to find a great bowl of hot soup. Here are some suggestions.
The Pho Tom (shrimp) at Non La in Lakeway is my favorite: wonderful beef broth, rice noodles, plump shrimp and the aromatic enticement of this soup make for a great cold day experience. It even reheats beautifully although the noodles can thicken up a bit.
The Can Chua Ga at Hao Hao on William Cannon and Manchaca. This is a hot and sour soup with a chicken broth, pineapples, cabbage and a variety of other veggies. I love it and you will as well. Served steaming hot, this soup will make you yearn for the occasional cold day.
The Aztec Corn and Shrimp Bisque at Chez Zee. is a must for any cold day. The sumptuous tomato chicken broth provides the starting flavor point and then it’s fired up with popcorn shrimp, whole kernel corn and fresh veggies.
A steaming bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup at Manny Hattan’s Deli. At Gateway Center. This is, of course, the ultimate Jewish penicillin. Whether with or without motzoh balls, it absolutely rocks.
The She Crab Soup at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse is absolutely to die for. This low country delight combines lump crab with fresh celery, onions and potatoes in a luxurious cream base. This is a wickedly good soup for all kinds of temperatures but particularly when it’s cold.
The Russian Borscht at the European Bistro in Pflugerville. Borscht is an amazing blend of beets, sour cream, beef broth, bone-in shank, onions and other delights. In the hands of Piroska at the EB, this soup takes on an entirely different meaning. Perfect for cold weather.
The Tortilla Soup at Zax Pints and Plates. The cayenne and Mexican oregano offer ying to the yang of pureed tortillas, chicken stock, corn and zucchini. This is one of my favorite versions of this popular soup in the city.
The 590 KLBJ Roundtables
I had the opportunity to fill in for Jeff Ward over the holiday season on 590 KLBJ. And I hope you had the opportunity to catch our restaurant roundtable on Dec 29th at 3pm. We had Shane Street from the Grille at Rough Hollow, James Ramsey from Georgetown’s Silver and Stone, and Michael Flume from the Gruene Door in Gruene, Texas. What these gentlemen all had in common was the fact that they had all opened restaurants within the past year.
We discussed the financial difficulties of opening a restaurant in this economy, the challenge of establishing a base of regular customers, and dealing with personnel and vendor issues. The conversation was candid and far reaching. And I hope you came away with a sense of just how difficult the restaurant business can be. But my hat is off to these guys: each one brings a unique set of credentials to the table. What I was particularly impressed with was the unbridled passion that each one of them has for the business itself. That passion characterizes most of the successful operators I’ve run across and should help each of them in the daily adventure that is the restaurant business.
I was also able to have on the irrepressible Beau Theriot, owner of the Oasis. He joined us on Wednesday, the 6th. Beau’s life reads like something you’d find in a Tom Wolfe novel. But I’m most impressed with his rebound from almost total disaster when the Oasis burned to the ground on June 1, 2005. Many entrepreneurs would have been tempted to take the insurance money and simply retire into the sunset. But not Beau. His first thought was for his 180 employees. He had the only part of the restaurant that was not destroyed working as a temporary kitchen within 3 days of the fire. And now, 4 1/2 years later, the building that this renaissance man designed himself, has been rebuilt bigger and better than ever. (And that includes the food as well, which I had not been a fan of in the early years, but which I am now quite happy to recommend.)
New Year’s Eve at Cool River
Cool River is one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. I love the layout of the restaurant which creates an effective distance from the rollicking bar, the cigar room, and just the entire vibe of the place. GM Randy Umlah looked dapper in his tux and the place just sparkled. The Bone-In Ribeyes were to die for and the bottles of Vueve Cliquot Rose went down very easily. And the bread pudding done New Orleans style with a caramel sauce was simply something we couldn’t say no to. Our waitress was 8-weeks into her first pregnancy and we took turns thinking of exotic baby names. Then we ambled over to the bar
and donned the silly New Year’s Eve wear and gave ourselves up
to that magical moment. The ball dropped and 2010 had officially begun
for Austin. My resolution was a simple one. The past is behind us: let’s
leave it there. And welcome the promise of a new decade and a new year!
My best to all of you and may every new restaurant that opens this year
STAY open! December 14th, 2009. It's Christmas! Holiday stories and musings around the River City The Austin holiday season is one of my favorite
times of the year. There are multiple dinners, events, parties and
just the general boatload of good cheer that seems to permeate our
very cool city. Attended uber Divorce and Family Attorney Becky
Beaver's suaree on the 13th. It's always fun to mingle with lawyers.
But the crowd was very eclectic and on the artsy and hospitality side
as well. Also, since it is the season, the scammers are out and about as well. There's a new one making the rounds in the restaurant community. Someone will call and place a large order (say 90 stuffed pork chops) and offer a credit card for payment. Then they'll send a shipper to pick up the order. The scam comes in when the restaurant is asked to pay the shipper. Not only does the order disappear but the cash as well. The credit cards are usually well crafted fakes or stolen. Sounds hard to believe but several restaurants have already fallen for it. Went to dinner with some dear friends at Ciola's in Lakeway which was as snug and Christmas-like as one can get on a cold night. Not to mention it was Frank Sinatra week. Old Blue Eyes had some favorite dishes and Chef Louie was all over them for the week. Like the little neck clams in a sumptuous marinara sauce or the Veal Milanese. Frank also loved a creamy parmesan risotto mixed with artichoke hearts. Needless to say, the evening was a smash. We also had a killer bottle of 2004 Marchesi di Bariolo which, after it opened up, was sensationally smooth with an abundance of fruit. The mood was so nice we broke into an impromptu albeit an a cappella round of Christmas carols on the way home. And why not after a meal like that? Looking forward to a Dec. 16th for a wine dinner and art festival at the Oasis. Knowing owner Beau Theriot and how he loves holidays, I expect nothing less than Christmas overlooking the lake. I think that's why the Oasis has ultimately succeeded despite setbacks that would have crippled other places. I think the owner genuinely believes in Santa or at least in what the jolly old dude symbolizes. Beau is one of the most optimistic and nicest people I've ever met. Also stopped into the European Bistro in Pflugerville on the 12th for some Christmas cheer. The owners, Anna and Peruschka are two Hungarian sisters who have a restaurant that looks like Christmas every day. I am still mystified why they opened this place in Pflugerville but if you ever get a chance to go, the food is exquisite. They will be open Christmas Day and you can bet that the menu will be exceptional. The offer Hungarian, German, and other eastern European delights. Anna has to take her sister back to Hungary January 12th for some surgery to relieve a nerve problem. If any two women deserved your support, it is these two. So between now and January 12th, make it a point to head out to East Main St. in Pflugerville to one of the coolest little Christmas-type restaurants you've probably never been to. And on a personal note, may I say that I
want to thank all of you for your ongoing support of diningoutwithrobbalon.com.
It's been a pleasure these past eight years and we look forward to
many more years of providing you with reviews, blogs, menus, openings
and closings, recipes, and of course our always insightful take on
the central Texas food and wine scene. November 20th, 2009. So Where Do Things Really Stand with Local
Restaurants? It's hard to get a restaurant owner to admit these days that things are not quite where they'd like them to be relative to sales, new customers, growth, et al. Most, when pressed to the task, will give it the old stiff upper lip and talk about how things are "looking up". But many local owners are prone to the doom and gloom scenario that has gripped the hospitality industry nationally. Well, the truth is, relative to other cities in the USA, things in Austin are not bad at all and may well be looking up. I don't want to get biblical here, but this too shall pass. Yes, some restaurants have been forced into changes that they may not have contemplated a year earlier: like the elegant Bellagio downsizing and converting to a kind of Italian-food-meets-sports-bar concept called My Place. And others that perhaps three years ago would have flourished have instead perished: places like Taste Select Wines, Dona Emilia's, Gypsy, Yu Sushi Izagaya, Ms. B's, Yume, Nunnzia, Senorita's, Segovia and several others. But the closing of some restaurants does not in and of itself mean that things have hit rock bottom. Restaurants close both in good times and bad. At best, the restaurant industry is highly competitive with narrow margins. Yet, there have been many new openings this year: like David's Garrido's upscale taqueria and the NYC-styled Mulberry's next door. Justine's is packing them in over in East Austin and Peche on 4th St. has taught folks how cool an upscale cocktail (Absinthe) can be. Mizu has opened to huge crowds out on 620 in Lakeway. Corvina Pizzeria has been a big hit out in Round Rock while the Grill at Rough Hollow in Lakeway is packing them in. Frank, a new hot dog concept is doing well on Colorado at 4th. To put it simply, I think the Austin restaurants
that are riding out these current more difficult times are delivering
a product that people want at what could be considered a fair price.
And as always, they are creating the perception of VALUE for their
customers. Yes, times are tougher, but people are still going out
to eat. Austin is in much better economic condition than virtually
any major city in the country and the two-year outlook is rosy. There was a piece on Nightline last night about the current national cup cake craze. And we certainly have our own version of that in Austin. People are lining up for $3 cup cakes that have gone beyond the traditional vanilla, chocolate and red velvet. These days you can get just about anything. There's a joint in Georgetown, D.C. where they sell about 6,000 cup cakes a day at $4 a pop! Do the math on that. In Austin we are besieged with trailers for the most part. Trailers to the right of us, trailers to the left of us, God I'm starting to sound like Tennyson. But just go down South Congress and you'll see what I'm talking about. There are virtually unlimited types of cup cakes: some offer custom filling while you wait on the spot. The trend started around the UT campus but has moved south to downtown and beyond. For my money, and this is not to disparage the trailer scene, but the cup cakes at Sweetish Hill on W. 6th have always been the best. Man, I love their frosting. And the Carrot Cake cup cake is to die for. At $2.25 per cake it's a bargain. And now they have mini cup cakes for only $1.25. So why stand out in the heat waiting for a cup cake when you can go into a nice cool store and seal the deal? Why indeed! This is, after all, Austin. There's just no telling how long the cup cake trend will last in this city. But it's unlikely that you'll see yours truly turning into trailer boy anytime soon. What's New in the Wine World? People have always had this notion that to get a rating of over 92 from Wine Spectator the price point had to be equivalent to the rating. Au contraire!!! Take a look at this year's #1 Wine Spectator
pick! It's a Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Reserve 2005 from
Columbia Crest Winery. Everyone is already raving about the '05 growing
season on the west coast of the USA and the wines are showing it.
Winemaker Ray Einberger, who has worked at Opus One and Chateau Lafitte
Rothschild, had made a great wine here for only $27! A blended cab
with 5% Merlot and 4% Cab Franc, this wine is leading the charge that
Washington's St. Michelle Wine Estates has made over the past ten
years. I'm going out tonight to the new Twin Liquors Marketplace at
the Hill Country Galleria to pick up a couple of bottles. October 19th, 2009. News about Perla's. Malaga, Chinatown Downtown,
Rio Grande, Piranha Killer Sushi Malaga, that elegant tapas restaurant on 2nd St. has closed temporarily for lunch. Dinners are alive and well and chef Alex Duran is most certainly at the top of his game. But the "density" that all downtown restaurants seek has really yet to materialize to the degree that's needed to keep all these places going. So when I need my fix of the fire roasted peppers stuffed with goat cheese and chives, I'll have to wait till dinner. I'll let you know when they reopen for lunch. Ronald Cheng's Chinatown
Downtown has been conspicuously uncrowded most nights since its
opening earlier this year. It's on 5th st next to Kenichi. The food
is the same as the famous Greystone store. So what gives? Perhaps
another 100,000 people living in all those abundantly empty high rises
that the Statesman touted so breathlessly for the past three years
would solve the problem. There have been a few complaints about the
service but this is, after all, Chinatown. One of the more interesting word-of-mouth success stories on South Congress has to be that of Perla's. This means oyster is Spanish and the restaurant is from the creative team of Larry McGuire and Dan McBride. It's basically a very creative seafood emporium at the site of the former Mars. I had a soft shell crab sandwich the other day that was to die for. They are crowded most nights and that's something Mars never accomplished. They were recently named as one of the top new restaurants in the country by Esquire's Johm Mariani [the only place in Texas to get the nod]. Mariani and I don't always agree, but there is consensus on Perla's. Rio Grande at 3rd and San Jacinto has made a huge turnaround under the stewardship of Ron Hurley. The guy is amazing. He has an intuitive grasp of how to please customers. The food blends coastal, interior, and Tex Mex for a much improved overall menu. [Try the Shrimp Fajitas] They also sell some very fine Tequilas. Had a couple of shots of the uber-smooth Herradura Suprema tequila which rivals Don Julio's 1942 in my opinion. But this is the new face of Rio Grande. Very cool food and sumptuous libations. Piranha Killer Sushi, just down from
Rio Grande on San Jacinto and next to the quirky but appealing Max's
Wine Dive is the city's newest entry into the sushi wars. And
I think they've started winning. Unusal composition in this restaurant.
The chef is Latino as is the GM. But who cares if they can bring on
the sushi and the sashimi. And from dining experiences thus far, there
is a freshness and boldness of flavors that particularly make the
maki and the sashimi stand out. Local Dishes You Will Love: Part II
The USDA Bone-In Ribeye at III Forks. When I first bit into this steak, I was awestruck. Chef Jamie Guttierez could grill a can of Spam and make it taste good. Imagine what he can do with a quality piece of beef. The temperature is always spot on and the texture is exquisite. It needs no enhancements whatsoever. Just order it medium rare plus and hold on for the taste ride of your life.
The Spaghetti Carbonara at La Traviata. This is the best dish of its kind in the city. Marion Gilchrist is a master with a classic carbonara: egg atop the pasta and all. This is primal Italian cooking: less becomes more but in no way is the taste ever compromised. And the pasta is always al dente.
The Shrimp and Grits at the Grill at Rough Hollow. Chef J.P. La Coste has taken a classic dish and put a new twist on it. The sautéed shrimp are bathed in a garlic broth infused with bacon and scallions and then the wonderful pan fried grit cakes. I could eat this one on every visit.
The Carnitas at Los Pinos. Chef Margarito Maldanado has an unusual pedigree for the owner of a Mexican restaurant. He spent eight years at Mirabelle! So can this guy bring some interesting twists? Try the Carnitas if you want an answer. They are crispy, full of amazing flavors and equally tender. The house made corn tortillas are to die for.
The Lobster Tacos at the Iron Cactus. I never usually care for lobster prepared any other way than steamed with drawn butter. But I made an exception for the lobster tacos at the Iron Cactus. The fresh mini tortillas are stuffed with sautéed lobster meat, Monterrey Jack cheese, a sweet red pepper coulis and tomatillo pico. The first bite says it all: amazing flavor!
The Blazing Masala Noodles at Masala Wok. This is a great example of Indo Chinese cuisine. The dish is a fusion of the classic Chinese Lo Mein noodles fused with wonderful masala, an Indian combination of dry and roasted spices. The flavors are fiery but not overly so. I really get a kick out of this one.
The English Pea Ravioli at Trio at the Four Seaons. Elmar Prambs and his staff at the #1 restaurant in Austin continue to amaze. Their bold transition from the Café at the Four Seasons to the stunning Trio has been characterized by the introduction of many great dishes. The above mentioned ravioli is one of them. It’s not always offered but when it is, go for it. The peas, ricotta cheese and corn make for amazing flavors.
The Crab Salad at Stories at the Hyatt Lost Pines. What a dish! Create a tower or fresh lump crabmeat, hearts of palm, roasted tomato, avocado and an herb coulis. Then break it down! And you have one of the tastiest salads imaginable. If you haven’t tried Stories yet, by all means do so. Once Again, Subway Rises to New Low They've hinged their advertising for years on this geeky formerly fat guy (Jared) who supposedly lost over 200 pounds while walking to Subway and eating the same sandwich every day. I actually tried that sandwich a few years ago; about the time that first I heard the rumor that Jared actually had gastric bypass surgery. Now they've got a catchy jingle pitching their "5 Dollar Foot Longs". Only problem is the sandwiches don't live up to the billing. OK. So where am I going with this diatribe? Well, a few weeks ago I had been challenged with the task of bringing something home for dinner. And like any food critic with A.D.D., I flat out forgot. It was late when I got home and in our area, nothing was open except this new Subway that had opened on Bee Caves Rd. The frig was bare (a common occurrence when you eat out as much as we do) so in a moment of desperation, we broke down and for the first time in at least five years I went down to the new Subway and ordered a couple of sandwiches to go. My first instinct that something was afoul was the awful smell in the store. It smelled like nail polish remover, and it was literally overwhelming. The guy behind the counter seemed like a nice chap but spoke barely intelligible English. "They are panting the door," he seemed to say. The guy sweeping the floor translated. "He means painting! They're painting next door." I should have turned around at that moment and walked out. But hunger is a pervasive force. I ordered two sandwiches, a couple bags of chips, and two cookies. The whole thing came to about $17. I left quickly and was glad to be rid of the offending odors. Got home a few minutes later and unpacked the bag and presented my wife with her sandwich. I unpacked mine as well. After one bite, she turned to me and said "Uggh, this tastes like it has nail polish on it." I tasted mine and had a similar reaction. The odor in the store had been so strong that it had permeated the meat. Ditto for the cookies. The only thing that hadn't been affected were the sealed chips. So we tried to find the number of the store but it was not listed. I called the West Lake Hills Subway and got a young man who was obviously quite busy. "I need to speak to your manager immediately," I said. "Have customer now. Got to go." "NO," I fairly screamed into the phone. "What number would you call to talk to your manager? This is VERY important." "Manager not here," he said. We went down this path for a short while before I was finally able to coax a number out of him. I called the number and got a fairly pleasant lady who told me she had left the other store at around 5:30pm because she didn't like the smell. Why she didn't immediately close the store was beyond me. But she blamed it on the fact that she couldn't reach the owner, who apparently has 15-16 subways. Lord knows how many people walked out of there that night with unpleasant smelling sandwiches. But it's just another example of franchises where managers can't make decisions, even at the customer's risk. And Subway seems to have cornered the market in this arena. To the manager's credit, she was courteous and apologetic and offered to give me my $17 back. Then, in an after thought, she offered us a coupon of an equivalent amount for the store at the Galleria. We did not take her up on the coupons. Driving up to Lubbock that weekend, we noticed
a lot of new Subways dotting up along I-20. So the chain marches on.
It does so because customers continue to march in. And I still don't
get it. July 24th, 2009.
The Mini Caprese Burgers at 219
West at 4th and Lavaca. This is a delightful combination of prosciutto,
basil, mozzarella, ground beef and tomatoes. Great happy hour snack. Competitive Eating: A New Sport or a New Low?
This Nathan's contest has fueled something known
as the CEC or Competitive Eating Circuit. Pizza, brisket, sushi, yakisoba
noodles, blueberry pies, oysters, watermelons, jalapenos, burgers,
polish sausage: just about any food imaginable is fair game on the
eating circuit. The eaters contend that they are athletes; indeed,
they train like athletes as they focus on stretching the capacities
of their stomachs. And it's a match made in heaven for the companies
that make and market these foods: hence, the prize money is growing. June 26th, 2009. What's Behind the Recent Rash of Closings June 5th, 2009. Dewhurt's Wine Bill Get's Deep-Sixed April 24th, 2009. Lt. Governor Dewhurst: Bring Your Own Bottle
to Restaurants?
Other losers in this equation would be distributors
like Glazier's and Block, servers, and ironically, people who really
enjoy a great bottle of wine while they dine out. Many who order a
$50+ bottle of wine need the advice of a sommelier or a good wine
steward. If Dewhurst got his way, those jobs would disappear. And
so, gradually would all of our favorite fine dining restaurants. April 8th, 2009. SXSW trashes fine dining in Austin, again Beer vs. Wine at the Lyric Opera Smackdown In my capacity as a restaurant critic, I
get lots of opportunities to engage in unique dining opportunities.
I had such an moment this past Saturday at the charity "Smackdown"
for Austin Lyric Opera. March 5th, 2009. Those Ubiquitous Food Bloggers Every time one turns around these days, there seems to be a new user-review website for those who are compelled to write about everything from politics to service industries to yes, food. People ask me why I don't have a place on www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com for bloggers who want to share their opinion with the Central Texas foodies. The answer is simple and yet at the same time somewhat complex. I have no axe to grind neither with these sites
nor with those who write on them. It's a free country. But I must
admit that some of the stuff I have read on user-review websites contain
some of the most bird-brained vitriol and uninformed commentary that
it has been my displeasure to have seen in print. Some of the commentary
is actually fairly good: literate, useful, and mercifully brief. The user-review websites draw huge audiences because there are lots of frustrated critics out there. In fact, several of the biggest of these sites are dealing with complaints from businesspeople, restaurant owners and otherwise, who have charged that salespeople from the site have offered to "make the negative reviews" go to the bottom of the page. That way the "good" reviews would come up first. There is, allegedly, a price attached to that particular service. But then it gets even more difficult. How does one know that the negative review is really a serious reflection of an event that occurred, or just the emotional rants of a frustrated critic? The same could be said for the so-called "good" reviews. So my friends, that is why I have chosen to keep Dining Out with Rob Balon free of any reviews but my own. I grew up in a world of restaurants and food and have been reviewing Austin restaurants for 10 years on radio, TV, and the Internet. The fact that I choose to do very few "trash and shred" reviews means only that I prefer to spend the time I have telling my readers, listeners and viewers where to go as opposed to where not to go. Bad news travels much faster than good in the restaurant industry. And there are too many good, little restaurants flying under the radar in Austin and too many of you who don't yet know about them. So that's my take on the whole user-review
website scene. You must choose which presentation of information is
ultimately most valuable to you. Meanwhile, we'll keep on doing what
we do and DOWR. And yes, our readers are MOST welcome to share their
commentary with us. We will reply... but your email and our reply
will be kept confidential. Restaurant Commercials that Greatly Annoy Me Where can I even start on this? My current favorite is Domino's Pizza's CEO saying how their grilled sandwich is better than Subway's. This is the latest in the refined art of the "CEO sale" approach. Are you kidding me? Both sandwiches are mediocre at best. That's the equivalent of saying that vegemite is better than haggis. Ycch. Speaking of Subway's endless commercials with Jared, the hopeless formerly fat nerd who supposedly lost 200+ pounds walking to Subway and eating the same sandwich every day for two years, they border on the ridiculous. If you ask me, Jared probably had gastric by-pass surgery and then tried to suggest that he lost all that weight eating Subway food. Yeah right! I mean, come on. Have you tried his favorite sandwich? And now they're going to add everyone's favorite bong-using 8 gold medal winner Michael Phelps into the ad mix. I can't wait. Better not let Jared near that bong. Wouldn't want him getting the hungries. Then there are the endless commercials for the Olive Garden: you know, "when you're here, you're family!" I find it difficult to believe that anyone eating the sterile pap the OG calls food would find that they are considered part of the family? Yeah, they're family as long as they bring their Master Card! But you know the kids love the never-ending salad bowl and the bread sticks. And dear God, my kids did as well. Equally inane are the commercials where the OG tries to convince you that their chefs go to Italy each year for training. In truth, a very small percentage of the managers and virtually none of the chefs got to Italy. If you were OG corporate, would you send some cook making $8 an hour to Italy? Sure you would.
And how could we forget the incredibly obnoxious Papa John’s spots with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. You want to talk about hubris? Jones, who has probably had as much face work as Cher and Joan Rivers combined, begins the spot by lecturing his players on over zealous end zone dances. He is interrupted by a Papa John’s pizza delivery which prompts Jones to begin his own strange, jerkily eerie (and highly digitized) dance routine. He ends the spot by gulping down a bite of pizza and attempting to project a look of pure pleasure. This one was even worse than the one that Donald Trump did for Domino’s or the one that he and Ivana did for Pizza Hut (in the middle of their divorce). January 21st, 2009. Joe's Bakery On a Roll In my humble opinion, there's no better place
in the city for Huevos Rancheros or a steaming bowl of Menudo than
Joe's Bakery on E. 7th street. The place hums like a beehive full
of happy diners every weekend from 7am-3pm. And it's almost as crowded
on weekedays. Recession? What recession. There's no evidence of it
at Joe's. How Many Steakhouses Can the Downtown Area Absorb? This is an intriguing question. Every time a new
steakhouse opens, the pessimists say that this has got to be it. When
III Forks opened, they said there was no way the downtown area could
absorb another high-end steak joint. Well III Forks is thriving. So
are Fleming's, Sullivan's, Austin Land and Cattle, Eddie's V's, Fogo
de Chao, and The Roaring Fork, just to name a few. Then along comes
the gigantic Perry's from Houston into the mix. Taking up almost an
entire block at 7th and Colorado, the place is huge and upscale: and
from early reports, pretty tasty. And Trio at the Four Seasons has
also ramped up its emphasis on steak. So far, so good. Green Mesquite to Have Its Moment on National TV. The irrepressible Guy Fieri, host of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has completed filming a segment on our own Green Mesquite at Barton Springs and S. Lamar. Owner Tom Davis and his sturdy crew are stoked, and why not? What's the feisty Fieri going to feature? Don't know, but the fact that he's giving some love to the GM makes up in part for his total sell out to TGI Friday's for those ridiculous commercials. The segment will air on February 9th on
Channel 32. Check the Food
Network's website for an exact time. January 5th, 2009. Ten things that I resolve for the
new year: 2009. December 22nd, 2008. Amusing
Moments in the Life of a Food Critic I have a bias for the correct pronunciation of
foods and wines. So I was doubly amused when I gently corrected a
server one night when he replied that they did indeed have "brus-chetta".
I told him that it was pronounced "brus-ketta". ... Wine experts knows that when a wine is corked, it's the result of a bacterium that contaminates the cork during the aging process of the wine. The smell of a corked wine is unmistakable: like a wet basement after a flood or like a moldy piece of cardboard buried in leaves and soil. Experts also know enough to not overreact when a careless waiter pushes the corkscrew all the way through the cork and a few bits of cork are left to be poured out. The sommelier smelled and then tasted the wine. He knew there was nothing wrong with it. But the expert persisted. The wine, by the way, cost upwards of $300. The sommelier held his ground. He assured the customer that the wine was fine. He was not about to eat the cost. Then the expert spied me at an adjacent table. "There's Rob Balon, the food critic. Let him taste it." I was apparently being called on to be the arbiter or ultimate judge. The sommelier glanced over at me and shrugged his shoulders in sort of a non verbal apology. He approached our table and offered me one of the offending glasses. The expert looked over as well, confident that he would be vindicated. By now the entire restaurant was watching. I took the glass, gave it a swirl, and then gave it a sniff. I caught no moldy odor whatsoever. A tasting confirmed it. No astringencies, nothing like that horrible paint-thinner taste one sometimes gets with a corked wine. "It's perfect," I said. I looked over to the expert's table and shrugged my shoulders. "Totally drinkable." The expert slumped in his chair. "Fine, pour the damn wine. What do I know anyway?" Then he looked over at me. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I go to your website again!" he said with some rancor. "And it'll be a cold day in hell before you are ever invited to join our Gonzo Gourmet Club," I replied. The sommelier smiled as he passed my table
and gave a brief bow before he went back into the wine cellar. The
evening passed without further event. December 1st, 2008. Surge of New Local Restaurant Openings: Do They Know Something Everyone Else Doesn't? The national economy is in the doldrums. That's a given. The stock market is like an out-of-control roller coaster, careening wildly up and down from day to day. Doesn't seem like the kind of environment that would make people want to risk a substantial amount of money on one of the riskiest propositions of all: a new restaurant. Yet that is just what's been happening in central Texas. We are awash in a sea of new openings. And many of these openings are not little taco joints: they are fine dining emporia with big-ticket build outs. In just the past month, we've seen the opening of the gorgeously redone Paggi House on Riverside at N. Lamar. They spared no expense to make this one of the most elegant dining experiences in the city. And with Shane Stark at the helm, the Paggi is going to shine. Likewise the opening of the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse off Highway 620 east of Lakeway is another huge and expensive project. The steakhouse promises to be a great dining experience. And hats off to the owners for rolling the dice in these tricky times. Yet another new opening is Cover 3, the elegant sports-themed restaurant on Anderson where Los Flores used to be. This is not your average sports bar: it's much more than that. A fine-dining menu and an elegant theme characterize the appeal of this place. And it's drawing a significant share of female customers as well. And the iconic Castle Hill Café has reopened as Corazon at Castle Hill at 5th and Baylor. The food is amazing and the ambiance is delightful. At E. Oltorf and S IH 35, Mesa Ranch has opened a second and very elegant location behind the Clarion Inn. On Colorado next door to Kenichi, the new Maria Maria boasts a connection to rock legend Carlos Santana (Maria is his sister) and they have spent lavishly on the executive chef and the build out. And up the street on Colorado, the gigantic Perry's Steakhouse (from Houston) seats over 400 in a very upscale-comfortable environment. They also opened at the end of October. And Fujian Asian buffet (formerly the Old San Francisco Steakhouse) opened at the Rundberg exit off N IH 35, just north of the KLBJ studios. This is a very nice and obviously costly building: and unlike most buffet operations, they took their time building this one. That shows in the final product. And there are smaller but no less costly ventures opening as well. Cabo Bob's, a competitor to Freebirds and Chipotle, has gotten off to a promising start on Ben White just east of S. Congress. And Mama Fu's, a local chain, has opened up a new store on Cesar Chavez, next to Taste Select Wines. This is sorely needed as downtown Austin has almost no Chinese at this moment. And if that's not enough, Finn and Porter at the Hilton has temporarily closed for a $600,000 remodel (open end of December)! And north of campus, 5 Guys Burgers, an east-coast chain, has opened at 3208 Guadalupe. And in Liberty Hill, the Italian-themed Cousins has just opened for business. And all of this has just been in the past
four-five weeks! All of these entrepreneurs are taking the classic
line from Mad's Alfred E. Neman: "What, me worry?" And I
say good for them! And by all means, good for us as well. November 7th, 2008. Don't Let Perceptions of Our Economy Turn You Into a "Former Restaurant Patron" One of the biggest downers in the past month has been to listen to the doom and gloom on the news and cable news networks. Every rise and fall (and mostly falls lately) of the markets is reported in breathless animation. And typically, that kind of news creates a self-fulfilling prophecy: people tend to get into a hunker-down mode where discretionary spending is reduced. And that affects something we all love and the reason you all visit this website: dining out. So before we all go out and commit symbolic hari-kari, let's stop and look at a few of the positives about Austin. Many of the people who have kind of put dining out on freeze are reacting more emotionally than pragmatically. First, we are one of the best-positioned cities
in the country to withstand a recession. Businesses are still growing,
entrepreneurship is strong, and the work force is loyal and enthusiastic
about Austin. The beloved Paggi House has finally reopened and it is marvelous. Castle Hill has transitioned to Corazon at Castle Hill and it's also delightful. The Melting Pot downtown is a wonderful way to spend an evening with fondue. III Forks has about as good a steak as one can get. And McCormick and Schmick's (both downtown and at the Domain) has this freshest seafood this side of Gloucester, Mass. Trio at the Four Seasons is better than ever and the timeless Hudson's on the Bend out near Lakeway continues to dazzle. Jeffrey's and Louie's 106 are as good or better than ever and new places like Modern Asian Imperia continue to raise the bar. I could go on but scroll through the rest of my Top 20 and you'll get the idea. We are awash in a sea of wonderful fine-dining
restaurants for a city of our size. Support them. Things are not as
bad as they seem. As Bobby McFerrin so eloquently put it, "Don't
worry, be happy!" November 3rd, 2008. Rob Stops Watching Political Coverage I feel like I am inside the middle of a bad daytime
soap opera. Clearly these things I see happening can't be real and
yet I feel helpless to remove myself from this quagmire. The writers
obviously don't understand: they keep coming up with scripts that
are mind bogglingly inane. It started with Sarah Palin's responses
to Charles Gibson when asked about the Bush Doctorine. I turned off the television at that point. Closed up my lap top. Thank God NFL football was on. I swear to God I will not watch another moment of political coverage until the election is over. I am completely burned out. TMI as my daughters would say. If I don't see another Cable News Channel pundit or talking head for the rest of my life I would be blissfully happy. And as for Pat Buchanan. Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity, I can only say they should both be ecstatic that they have jobs on television. I cannot imagine any other place where these bombastic, self-important, delusional airheads could be employable. As for me, I'm gong to convene a meeting
with that lovable group of losers: G. Gordon Liddy, Billy Ayers, Jeramiah
Wright, Charles Keating, Barack Obama's aunt, Ted Stevens (who will
probably regain his Alaskan senate seat despite his recent convictions)
and anyone else whose name was dragged through the muck of this most
bizarre three months. I mean why not? I've always wanted to know how
Liddy did that hand-over-the-candle flame bit anyway. October 24th, 2008. Talk Radio and the Presidential Campaign: Missed Opportunites As many of you may know, I also have a day job as the head of a market research firm: The Benchmark Company.
Benchmark has for years made a living working with spoken word radio formats. We have published three national studies in a series called Talk Radio in America (beginning in 1994) and have consulted dozens of talk stations around the US and in Canada. In 2006 I delivered a major address to the Radio and Records Talk Radio Seminar in Washington, D.C. where I echoed some of the sentiments you’ll see below.
And once again, as our research suggests, a lot of talk radio stations around the country are blowing the most unprecedented opportunity in years to create new listeners for the format.
And that’s because so many stations have locked themselves into monolithic program blocks almost totally driven by political ideology. And the saddest thing is that as more good local talk hosts lose their jobs only to be replaced by syndicated national shows, the problem only gets worse!
When are these self-serving zealots of conservative talk going to realize that a large number of potential listeners: you know those people that drive ratings and ad revenues, could really care less about Bill Ayers or ACORN, moose stew, or even Joe the Plumber for that matter?
This is a time when talk radio should be broadcast dynamite: looking at all the issues and treating its audiences with some modicum of intelligence. We have a financial crisis of epidemic proportion in front of us. Listeners want to know how to fix it, and how they can continue to have a roof over their heads. They want to see the truth coaxed from all the campaign promises.
Instead, too many right-wing talk stations are beating the drum for a guy they couldn’t stand six months ago, completely ignoring economic realities, and pandering to the lowest common denominator out there: character assassination. And they are irrationally exuberant about a governor from Alaska who has proved to be in much need of some vetting. The recent Rush Limbaugh comments about Powell’s endorsement of Obama being tied to race (and I’ve been a staunch proponent of Rush from an industry standpoint) are beyond belief, even for Rush.
Whatever happened to diversity in talk programming? Believe me, our research shows that listeners are asking the same question! For every local talk station (like a KLBJ-AM in Austin) that looks at the liberal, conservative and libertarian points of view and has a mix of local and national hosts, there are many, many stations that are running solid blocks of programs hosted by Rush clones with arguably variable degrees of talent. In fact some, like Sean Hannity, are close to being embarrassingly unoriginal.
And their argument about Obama and his “ilk” wanting to bring back the fairness doctrine to “shut down” right wing talk is patently absurd. The best muzzle out there is the off button. More listeners should use it. One more analysis of the candidates: their favorite meals As you know, this blog is primarily about food but it also transcends food matters as the demands of current events dictate.
September 18th, 2008. A Tale of Two Malls The two most recent mall openings in Austin have taken an extremely different approach with regard to restaurants. The Domain at Braker and Mopac hit the ground running with a stable of nationally recognized high-end restaurants. McCormick and Schmick's, North, Joe DiMaggio's, Kona Grill and Jaspers's and California Pizza Kitchen all opened within a few months of the mall's opening. I could not help but reflect on the synergy that this provided for the Domain and its upscale shoppers. Thus far, the stars of the show in my opinion are the upbeat Italian-themed North, Jasper's (from Dallas) and the uber-fresh seafood emporium McCormick's and Schmick's. Joe DiMaggio's still has a way to go as does Kona Grill. And unfortunately, Oakville Grocery has closed. As far as California Pizza kitchen goes, well, you know my feelings about pizzas with chicken, sprouts, avocado and pineapples. But all in all, I think the Domain had pretty good timing with regard to its opening and the openings of all the restaurants. The Hill Country Galleria at Highways 620 and 71 in the town of Bee Cave in southwest Austin opened somewhat later than the Domain but with virtually no restaurant presence at all save a few coffee shops. And its sister mall across the street which houses retail giants like Lowe's, World Market, and other large stores also opened with virtually no food service at all. Bad move if you ask me. But things are finally beginning to fill in. Galleria opened with a Mimi's Café, a medium-end chain that seems to be pretty much packed all the time. After dining there, I can't really see why. But then again, Cheddar's draws a crowd as well. The first really decent restaurant, the locally owned and operated Blue Bamboo opened in late '07 at the Shops Parkway Mall across the street. And then the very tasty Panera Bread shop opened at the Hill Country Galleria along with Fish City Grill, a pretty good chain out of Dallas. And finally, we're beginning to see some local names on the directory. Two of my favorite comfort food joints, Waterloo Ice House and Little Woodrow's, have just opened at Shops Parkway Mall. And at the Galleria, local favorite Iron Cactus will open in late September. Also coming in next to the cinema will be Tony C's pizza, owned by the folks that brought you Ciola's in Lakeway. And Phoenix Pai's Tokyo Steakhouse in Round Rock at the La Frontera mall will open next year at the Galleria. I think the malls out in Bee Cave could have used a bit more advance planning. You can't open all that retail space without providing people with some reliable places to eat. It's filling in now, yes, but it was a hungry first year for a lot of shoppers! What's Sandra Bullock Up To Now?
September 4th, 2008. Sarah Palin fires chef. Bad move Pretty bold move from the McCain folks to select a complete unknown for the VP spot. But this feisty NRA poster woman showed at the convention that she could deliver a speech from the teleprompter as well as anyone: arguably far better than McCain himself. That being said, there are a number of things about this woman that alarm me. While painting a picture of herself as a champion of the people and an astute manager of municipalities and states, the facts speak otherwise. She was an enthusiastic pursuer of "earmarks" and she left her small town of 9,000 in debt when she retired as Mayor. She claimed to turn her back on the "bridge to nowhere" when in fact she was initially for the project. She actually tried to ban books in one of the school libraries and she referred to the war in Iraq as a "task from God." But since she is a true-blue conservative, most of that could be expected. What really alarmed me, shocked me beyond all belief, is that she fired the chef at the executive mansion when she was elected governor. I can see giving back the executive jet but firing the chef???? So are we to believe that this family of seven has dinner prepared for them each night by their super mom? That is NOT an example of efficient management. Leave the chef and focus on your gubernatorial duties. And even if her older kids are pitching in, the 17-year-old is soon going to be too pregnant to help out in the kitchen. We get it Sara. You are a tough cookie. But you're
unlikely going to have the time to bake any cookies for your brood
with the duties that you have to perform. Bring back the chef already!
The never-ending construction on Cesar Chavez Every time the city begins a road construction project in an area where restaurants are present, I literally hold my breath. I've seen the horror stories of the three-year improvement on Barton Springs that literally destroyed several restaurants. Or how about the debacle on Pecan Park that nearly finished off Freda's Seafood joint? Or the 4th St. mess that finished off the Empanada Parlour and the City Grill. Remember the mind-boggling inefficiency at Congress and Riverside that destroyed the Sonic on Riverside? But this latest project on Cesar Chavez is past amazement. Not only has the work dragged on forever, (and I'm still not sure what the hell the purpose of it has been), but they even manage to rub salt in the wound. Our plan was to have a steak at III Forks one Saturday night and then to adjourn to Taste Select Wines for some sipping and dessert. Imagine our shock when we got on Cesar Chavez exiting Mopac and found the entire street blocked off: this at 8pm on a Saturday night, traditionally the busiest night for restaurants. We were rerouted to some lame-ass detour which eventually took us back to Lavaca where we had to valet park on the corner. This took a good 15-minutes including a tongue lashing from one of the city's finest on a Harley who got very annoyed when we inquired as to the reason for the "detour." The valet kid finally told us that the street was being paved. ARE YOU KDDING ME??? The city chooses to pave Cesar Chavez on a Saturday night? Why not Sunday morning? The owners of Taste Select Wines, which happens to sit directly on Cesar Chavez and was completely inaccessible to vehicle traffic, must have been beside themselves: and I don't blame them one bit. You think the city is going to reimburse Taste Select Wines for lost business that night? Unlikely, but they darn well should. Moreover, they should plan these "road" projects more efficiently so that restaurants can coexist with the seemingly insatiable need for marginal infrastructure improvement.
Long-time American Statesman food critic Dale Rice is packing in his fork and knife and heading into a new career. I never got to know Dale very well but the times we did bump into each other at some food event or panel were always cordial. He seemed like a decent chap. I wish him well in his new endeavor! August 25th, 2008. Does the concept of a "jinxed" restaurant location really exist? At face value, one would think that the notion
that there are just some locations that will just never work for a
restaurant is true. Frankly, I think the "jinxed" notion is just a lot of romantic hyperbole on the part of those who see the occasional troll under the bridge. Austin has many spots that thrive in locations that would deter even the heartiest restaurateur. Take a look at the original Salt Lick in Driftwood. It is still out in the middle of nowhere, just as it was when it opened almost 40 years ago! Yet most nights it's packed. Why? Well, it would be reasonable to say that most people like the food. Same story for Wink on N. Lamar. You cannot see this restaurant from the street. Most restaurant owners would never pick this location. And yet, the tables are full most nights. Again, it is a very good restaurant. Another great example was the original Pao's Chinese downtown in the Commodore Perry building. You couldn't see Pao's at all from the outside of the building. No drive-by appeal whatsoever. But every time I went in there it was humming with business. And when Pao's lost its lease and moved out to Lakeway, despite the distance, they retained a number of their downtown customers. Ditto for the County Line, another out-of-the-way BBQ joint on Bee Caves Rd. that opened when there weren't many people driving on Bee Caves Road. Consider another location on Barton Springs that originally housed Good Eats back when Hoover Alexander was in the kitchen. When Good Eats closed, the building housed a succession of failed enterprises including Tex Mex and Japanese tepanyaki concepts. For what ever reasons, those establishments simply couldn't find a customer base. But then along comes Uncle Billy's Brew and Cue, a BBQ and beer joint and suddenly, this morose location is rejuvenated. Uncle Billy's is packing them in. I think the jinx notion perpetuates simply because some restaurateurs make really bad decisions about concepts and menus. And then it becomes almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. One mediocre restaurant follows another and the site itself gets blamed. Somebody is going to come in someday with
a menu and operation that will resonate with the picky Westlake crowd
and the Walsh Tarlton location will succeed. Rumor has it that a new
Italian restaurant is about to open there. We'll see. Ditto for Davenport
Village. White table-cloth BBQ was not the answer: but perhaps just
around the next corner lies a savvy operator who can make that spot
work. The restaurant industry has enough problems without having to
worry about "jinxed" locations. What operators need to worry
about are great concepts, terrific and approachable cuisine, and wonderful,
consistent execution. August 11th, 2008. What I expect from a good restaurant server I think that regardless of the pedigree of the
establishment, every restaurant patron should be able to expect competent
and efficient service from their waitperson. 1. Be polite and friendly. That is not meant to read overly solicitous and or casually cool. I've been called "dude" by a few too many times by younger servers. I am not your dude. And I am not your friend. I am a customer and ours is a business transaction. If you know me, address me by my proper name. If you do not know me, Sir will be fine. And please, no monologues or comedy routines after we've gotten to know each other just a bit. 2. Know your menu. One of the most frustrating things for a diner
is a server who is unfamiliar with either the regular menu or the
specials. Research shows that restaurant patrons, on average, spend
less than two minutes looking at menus. They quite frequently rely
on the server for recommendations. The server should have an almost
encyclopedic knowledge of that menu. This builds confidence in the
first time visitor to that restaurant. 3. Understand how to read your customers. This is a very important skill for a good server. If it's a romantic two-top lingering over a bottle of Caymus, don't approach every five seconds. If it's a rollicking evening with a six-top of three couples, the rules change a bit. But a great server knows when to approach the table and when not to. Paul Duce, who used to be the preeminent waiter at Fleming's, understood this beautifully. If you needed him, he was there in a flash. If you did not, he maintained his respectful distance.
One thing that really annoys me is the server
who is a wanna-be chef or sommelier. If the patron doesn't like the
dish, take it back and replace it with no questions asked. And do
it quickly! 5. For God's sake, bring the check already! Nothing can spoil a great dinner faster
than the server disappearing into the night without presenting the
final check to his table. I have seen this repeatedly at Austin restaurants
and there is absolutely no need for this whatsoever! Look at it this
way: the party is done, they want to pay the tab (hopefully with a
nice tip) and then the restaurant gets to turn the table and you get
a crack at another nice tip! July 28th, 2008. Tough Times on E. 11th St. When Brenda McGowan, proprietor of Ms. B's on Mesa was lured over to the new E. 11th St. retail center several years ago, she was told by the non-profit Austin Revitalization Authority that she would anchor what would become a booming revival of what had once been a rundown and generally decrepit area. Two years later, Brenda is less than enthused with the way things have worked out. Her neighbor restaurateurs and retailers are apparently disgruntled as well. The ARA, formed ten years ago by the city of Austin to rejuvenate the 11th and 12th street areas, made big development and traffic promises to Brenda. But according to her, those promises have not been kept. On top of that, her restaurant, as well as other merchants in the development have been getting huge bills for past rent. The auditing procedures used to calculate these fees appear to be somewhat questionable. In the case of Ms. B's, the restaurant was hit with a bill of over $19,000. That type of unanticipated expense can be a back-breaker for a small business. Add in gas at $4.00 a gallon and you have the makings for an economic disaster. I've known Brenda and Billy McGowan for many years. They are good people. And both Ms. B's locations offer up terrific Cajun fare. But they are under the gun at this moment. The city keeps talking about its proactive stance toward small businesses. That does not seem to be apparent in this instance. I was pleased to see the blush on Brenda's cheeks
when she first showed me around after her opening. The place looked
great. She was genuinely excited. Yet, in a phone conversation several
days ago, I caught an entirely different tone in her voice: one of
resignation and disappointment. If Ms. B's becomes a casualty to the
indifference of the Austin Revitalization Authority, it will send
shock waves through the local restaurant community, further straining
what is already a difficult relationship between restaurant owner/operators
and the city.
California achieved another first recently: they became the first state to ban the use of trans fats in restaurant foods. State restaurants have got a year and a half, to Jan.1, 2010, to find alternate sources for shortenings, margarines, or frying media that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Ironically, donut makers were given an extra year to come up with an alternative. New York City and other municipalities have already had the ban in place but California's ban is of course, state wide. The ban was vigorously opposed by the California
Restaurant Association. Their contention was that this was a matter
for the FDA and not individual states. Chef Louie Ciola of Ciola's in Lakeway was more succinct in his reaction to the new California law: "we don't use any trans fats at Ciola's. Period." And a random sampling of chefs on our top 20 restaurant list echoed that same sentiment. So does Texas need the trans fats law? Probably,
because there will be more than a few operators who will lamentably
choose NOT to take the high road. July 14th, 2008. The Notion of Value: it's Importance to Restaurants and Customers With the sluggish and uncertain economy and the rising costs of gasoline, many businesses are strategizing over ways to retain customer loyalty and patronage. Austin area restaurants are certainly no strangers to this dilemma. But with supply costs rising, restaurants are simply not in a position to slash menu price points across the board. So what it comes down to is finding ways to remind customers that they are appreciated and valued, even while fighting the battle of rising costs. We spoke to a number of Austin restaurants and they are most concerned about offering value to their customers. Here's what some are doing. Chez Zee, for example, is offering five good bottles of wine for $10, each day of the week. We're not talking Boone's Farm here: rather wines like JP Tinto from Portugal, Papio Chardonnay from California, and Cruz de Piedra Garnacha from Spain just to name a few. Or how about The Bakehouse? Owner Carl Zapfe is offering an 8-oz. Prime Rib with soup or salad, potato and vegetable every weekend for only $12.99? The Bakehouse recently celebrated its 25 year anniversary and has achieved almost iconic status in South Austin as a genuine "joint". Another coup for seniors can be found at the delightfully eclectic Veranda off Andeson Lane. Adults 59 and over receive a 20% discount off all dinner entrees and a 30% discount off Sunday brunch. Now that's value! Downtown in the Warehouse district, Imperia is doing 2-1 Sushi each night until 8pm. Chef Tatsu is knocking them dead here with a variety of rolls and nigiri sushi. Had some of his rolls the other night and they were the bomb! In a serious stab at value, one of our favorites, Louie's 106 is discounting every bottle of wine (regardless of price) by 50% on Sunday evening. Also, on weekdays, happy hour has half-price appetizers and glasses of wines and cocktails for $1.00. That's right! You read it correctly. McCormick and Schmick's at 4th and Congress, while working to hold regular menu prices steady as a value to customers, has really ramped up the value in the happy hour bar menu. Here's what you can get from 4-7pm for $1.95: Cheese Quesadillas, Debbie's Good 'ole Chicken Wings, a Half-Pound Cheeseburger with Fries, Mediterranean Hummus, Flat Bread Pizza, Bruschetta, and a Trio of Satays. Cool River on Parmer Lane is running a 22-24 oz. bone-in prime rib Thurs-Sat evening with a wedge salad and choice of dessert and a side for $29.95. This represents a 30% savings and is good through Labor Day. They are also doing a half-price appetizer special nights from 10pm to 1am! The bottom line is this: Most customers don't expect restaurants to slash prices across the board. They know that's unrealistic. Heck, even holding prices steady is a real struggle as food costs rise incrementally. But as good business people have known for years, a little "value" goes a long way in building good will and patronage. June 26th, 2008. Our Readers Weigh In On What Bothers Them Most About Local Restaurants My most recent blog was designed to
serve two purposes: first, to let me rant a bit about the annoying things
I see most frequently while dining out at local restaurants; and secondly,
to give our readers a chance to weigh in on their biggest frustrations.
Well, did our readers ever weigh in! And I hope the restaurants are
listening!
JC writes:
AG writes:
AC writes:
Rob responds: Another thing that kills me is when the manager walks around to each table in succession and asks "is everything OK?" Yet, from my extensive experience, especially at chain restaurants, if something is NOT okay, that manager is probably not prepared to act on it. My advice to restaurants: don't have your managers ask that question unless they are empowered to immediately act and solve customer problems. What the Demise of Castle Hill Means for Downtown Dining Each time an owner-operated restaurant like Crimson, Cibo, Café Caprice and most recently, the beloved Castle Hill is forced to close, it's another nail in the coffin of upscale downtown dining. For every great little restaurant that closes, it's an excuse to put up another chain like a Taverna or a Rio Grand Café. I understand the economic dynamics that forced Castle Hill owner Cathe Daley to make the changes to the Mexican-themed Corazon. And I wish her the best on the new venture. But don't expect to see many more new owner-operated ventures like Imperia, Parkside and Taste Select Wines anytime soon that don't tilt toward either Mexican or smoked meats! The stakes are getting too high
and the downtown rents are soaring. The rising costs will make it virtually
impossible at some point for new bistro-type restaurants go get off
the ground. June 12th, 2008. Things That Restaurants Do That Annoy the Hell Out of Me 1. Tell me you're "slammed" when I call to make a reservation. Worse still, be smug about it. As the customer, I could give a rat's ass that you're "slammed". I want to eat there. I want your help: not your immature condescension. So instead of telling me how "slammed" you are, tell me you'll try like heck to fit me in later in the evening. Or ask me if I'd mind sitting at the bar. Inevitably, the day will come when you're not "slammed" and your customers will remember. (There are many restaurants in Austin that get this ostensibly simple point; alas, there are many others that do not.) 2. Have your wait person rattle off all the night's specials (if there are more than two). There's a new invention called the Laser Printer. Instead of making the poor server regurgitate a seemingly endless list of the night's specials, print them out and insert into the menu. Then you won't have a situation where the customer is saying "what was that 4th dish you mentioned again??" 3. Having teen age girls answer
the phone. Now I adore teen age girls. I raised two of them. But
many restaurateurs need to realize that sometimes the first and only
line of communication between them and a potential customer is whoever
answers the phone. I've called restaurants that have sweet young things
answering the phone: unfortunately, sweetness does not equate to knowledge,
maturity, or ability to communicate. 4. Menus that are the size of the
Buda phone book. I agree with Tony Bordain on this one. Give me
a restaurant where the chef has a small number of dishes that he/she
is passionate about. I want to know that I am getting the very best
that this professional has to offer. I don't want to have to choose
from 34 salads (a la The Cheesecake Factory) or 18 different Cajun pastas.
Give me a break! What's your biggest gripe? Email
Rob... May 23rd, 2008. Trademark Bloodbath on 10th St: Chico's (from El Paso) vs. Chuco's! In my other life as head of a market research firm, I do a fair amount of work as an expert witness in trademark infringement cases. Sometimes you run across some lawsuits that are petty, vindictive, and totally lacking in any kind of understanding of trademark law. We have our own example here in Austin with the situation of the former Chuco's on 10th St. (where Basil's and Café Caprice used to be) which has been forced to change its name to 10th St. Tacos! Here's the deal. A smallish restaurant chain in El Paso with a fiercely loyal fan base named Chico's hired a swank Dallas law firm to sue Chuco's claiming they infringed on their brand and their trademarked beef taquito. In truth, Chico's cannot legally enjoin Chuco's from making a beef taquito and calling it beef taquito. But you know how it is when you first get that law suit: kind of a sinking helpless feeling arises along with pictures of large amounts of money headed out the door in the hands of some attorney. So Chuco's decided it wasn't worth the fight and changed its name to 10th St. Tacos. The new sign's going up today. But this is so silly it's laughable. What in the name of the Big Serrano in the sky could some little taco joint in El Paso care about a company 600 miles away choosing a somewhat similar name? I went there today and I think I see the answer to what really made Chico's so litigious. The place on 10th st. makes really excellent taquitos and tacos. Everything is made from scratch and the flavors are terrific. I tried the Veggie Taquitos with Tomatillo sauce and they were, crispy and wonderful: and totally inexpensive as well. Owner David makes the six different salsas himself and they are very tasty. I liked what he calls "the red sauce" (although it's not red) the best. Now it's unlikely that I'll ever go
to Chico's in El Paso. But with the quality of 10th St. Tacos in Austin,
why would I need to? To paraphrase a certain English bard: "What's
is a name? A taquito by any other name would taste as good." The
website for 10th St. Tacos for now is www.chucostacos.com There has been a tremendous amount of discussion and speculation about the relationship between surges gas prices and discretionary spending for things like dining out in a restaurant. We like feedback from the readers
of www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com. What's your
take on this? Have gas prices altered your dining out habits? Is there
a tipping point for gas at which your own personal household budget
for discretionary spending will change? Or are you just such a foodie
that the last thing you'd give up is a meal at your favorite restaurant.
May 2nd, 2008. The Demise of Cibo I'm really bummed about the closing of Cibo. This restaurant at 10th and Congress was the pride and passion of Chef Will Packwood. Everything he knew about Italian cuisine he poured into Cibo. He had actually spent a couple of years cooking in Italy (north of Venice) and every night some new taste extravaganza with its genesis firmly anchored in Italian culture rolled out of his kitchen. My favorite dish was the Braised Pork Shank with a side of risotto. But then again, every dish was my favorite. But he didn't serve spaghetti and meatballs! Imagine that. Of course, that is the dish that epitomizes Italian cuisine for many uniformed people. But Italian cuisine has many facets, and spaghetti is hardly the universal dish. So Packwood went ahead with his esoteric and splendid menu (lots of meat and fish dishes) and tried to maximize his profits by building a core customer base of serious foodies. But he just couldn't get it done. There are people who will say that
this is his third failure: the other two being Emilia's and 7. But that's
not true. Emilia's closed because the owner demanded price points that
were not realistic in the Austin economy of 2001. And so another fine dining restaurant in the River City bites the dust. Like Crimson, Collin B's, Jean Luc's, Girasole, Demi Epicurious and many others before him, Packwood's decision to digress from the tried and true cost him. At this point, we will probably lose him to a larger city that will have an appreciation for his huge talent, and that's too bad. Meantime, that ole' never ending salad bowl at the Olive Garden will keep packing them in. Dining Out and Gas at $3.60-$4.00 a Gallon? I was filling up the old gas guzzler
this morning when I heard this profane muttering from the other side
of the pump. Curious, I leaned closer and thought I heard this lady
talking on her cell phone to someone. She was unleashing a tirade of
invectives regarding gas prices. But she was talking only to herself.
In my best Bill Clinton accent, I leaned across the pump and said: "I
feel your pain." Point taken. The pain of spiraling
gas prices has been well documented by just about every damned blogger
in the country so we might as well add one more opinion to the mix.
The truth is, short-term pain notwithstanding, I'm in favor of rising
gas prices. Because at some point, the American public is going to demand
from our pathetic Congress that they unhook themselves from the gigantic
pipeline of cash that flows from Exxon etc to capitol hill. In the meantime, I'm sure that
people will continue to dine out in the River City. They may be looking
for a bit more value and restaurants will have to buck up on this point.
And they will. But dining out is too deeply ingrained in the Austin
culture. People will figure out a way to do it even if they have to
split an entrée. And life will go on. April 15th, 2008. Gordon Ramsey Decides Not to Dance with the Bakehouse It looks like bad-boy Fox TV chef Gordon Ramsey has really delivered the ultimate slap in the face to the south Austin icon, The Bakehouse. Ramsey, well-known for his mercurial rants, has apparently passed on doing one of his "Kitchen Nightmares" segments that would have focused on a drastic makeover of this 30-year-old establishment. Owner Carl Zapfe is philosophical about it: "I probably would have really pissed him off anyway" said Zapfe! Ya think?? It's too bad because I was really looking forward to this one. Josh Watkins Exits Driskill Grill to Open His Own Restaurant No sooner had I finished praising The Driskill Grill's Josh Watkins and the way he had guided the seamless transition from outgoing Chef David Bull last year than I find I have to write another "departure" story. It's unusual for a restaurant of the Driskill's stature to lose two seriously good chefs in under two years. But Watkins, the former Sous Chef under Bull announced his resignation last week. He's going to open his own place. I'm a huge fan of Watkins' work in the kitchen. But the Driskill seems to have been a veritable revolving door of upper level executives lately. When long-time manager Jeff Trigger left, his replacement, Sergio Ortiz barely lasted six months before giving way to new Managing Director John Spomer. I don't know. Is something going on at the venerable old Austin hotel that we are not privy to? Jonathan Gelman, Director of Culinary Operations for the Driskill is subbing for Waktins in the grill. But that's not permanent. No news yet on who will replace Watkins. We'll keep you posted. The Driskill has been a long-time fixture in our Top 20. Sure hope it stays that way. It's one of the few, really classy old-school restaurants that we have in the city. It's Time for Another Restaurant
"Poll" A poll is a randomly selected
sample of a larger population that is designed to be able to reflect
the attitudes or characteristics of that population. The truth of the matter is simple:
The publications/web sites that conduct these polls do so mostly for
sales purposes. Restaurants that win "best something" are
much more likely to buy advertising so they can brag about it in the
publication/web site. Now I don't have anything against making a buck.
But come on: enough with the bogus methodology and the seemingly endless
categories. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before someone starts
adding categories like "Best Doorway", "Best Ceiling
Tiles", "Best Barstools" and "Largest Napkins!" March 31st, 2008. SXSW: Not So Kind to Fine Dining Restaurants? Much is made over the millions of dollars that SXSW brings into the Austin economy each month. But an informal poll we conducted with owners/chefs at fine dining restaurants revealed a segment of the Austin economy that was not blessed with the magic dust that SXSW seems to spread around each year. Most high-end restaurant folks we spoke to say their business was down during the week: some by as much as 40-50%. This was particularly the case when the film and interactive events closed and the bands took over the city. It's not hard to understand why. Access
to many downtown restaurants was limited due to the sheer scope of the
musical events going on. And many of the fine-dining restaurants did
not stay open late enough for the revelers who developed appetites around
1am. "If we had stayed open to 3am each night it might have worked
for us, but that's just not practical," said Will Packwood of Cibo,
an Italian restaurant on Congress. Rick Dietrich of Vin Bistro was another
who noticed a downturn during the week. And those sentiments were echoed
by many other restaurateurs. A number of the fine dining places also complained that they didn't see any of their regular customers for the entire length of the festival. As we all know, regular patrons are the life's breath of a fine dining restaurant. Far be it from me to criticize the whole uber-music thing but perhaps it would be wise to scale things down a bit. I mean, 1700 bands? How would it be humanly possible to see even a fraction of those? And what about the urban sprawl that all that humanity creates? I love music and my daughter and I play regularly around town. But the sheer size of SXSW seems a bit counterproductive. When one component of the local economy suffers while others print money, is that not incompatible with the "great for the whole city" goals of the festival? Just my opinion but I'm sticking to it. March 18th, 2008. Cabernet Sauvignon: The Grape of Destiny In most upscale restaurants across
Austin, you will usually see an extensive part of the wine list usually
devoted to cabernet sauvignons. The cabernet sauvignon grape is the
most widely grown in the world for wine production. Many think that
this is an ancient grape but in truth, a DNA analysis in the 1990's
proved that it's actually a hybrid of Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet franc
that dates back about three hundred years.
Ironically, many women tend to shy away from cabs because they are perceived to be "big" wines. The truth is, I've always felt that the term big is a misnomer for this wine. Rich, full-bodied, bold all work for me. And what's wrong with that ladies? What's more, as cabs age and the tannins diminish, aside from being an elegant accompaniment to steaks and chops or seafood dishes with a burre blanc sauce, a good cab will pair nicely with damned near anything! And it drinks just as well sans the accompaniment of food. Right now, some of my favorite cabs
are Callifornia based: Caymus Special Selection (the '03 is incredible)
is nothing short of remarkable. Silver Oak is quite good as well
but I feel that Opus 1 (which gets enormous publicity) is good
but overrated. The Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet may be the
best of the lot. And film fans will find that Francis Ford Coppola knows
a thing or two about wine as well: his 2003 Rubicon is equally
delightful. And do try the amazing cab blend from South Africa, the 2005 Ernie Els Stellenbosch. This wine is getting better by the day and in a few years, it will be too expensive for casual consumption. But it's ready and totally drinkable now. Twin Liquors on 71 at Bee Caves has some in stock. Of course, the beautiful Bordeaux's from France also feature the cabernet sauvignon grape. Of course, the history here is remarkable. The classic names are steeped in antiquity: Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, and the always astonishing Chateau Haut-Brion. 2,000 was a fantastic year for these great wines along with many others in Bordeaux and these are now hitting the shelves. If you can get your hands on a bottle, split it with friends if you have to. But if you're a wine fan, you will enjoy a bottle of one of the all stars. Tasting: You don't have to be a wine snob to enjoy a good bottle of Cabernet sauvignon. Enjoy it for what it is. Have fun with it. When you first open the bottle and the sommelier pours it for you, gently swirl it around in your glass. This will increase the surface area of the glass that the wine makes contact with and will enhance its natural aroma (very critical in the first impression of a Cabernet). Then put your nose to the rim of the glass and inhale deeply. If you detect an aroma of a moldy newspaper or a wet dog, there's a good chance your bottle is corked. That does not mean that it has pieces of cork floating in it; rather, a corked wine is one where the cork has been affected by a bacterium which then taints the entire bottle of wine. Your odds of opening a bottle that's corked are about 1 in 30 so it shouldn't happen often. Normally, you'll get very pleasant aromas from your deeper inhalation (often known as the nose or boquet). Wine expert Stacy Slinkard suggests what to do next when you're ready for the first sip. Start with a small one and let it roll around your tongue. Then allow a small breath of air in through your lips (this takes a bit of practice) and let the wine mingle with the air. This is called swirling. And it will let you taste the flavors even more fully. As you begin to enjoy your wine, pay attention to what's known as the "finish". This is how long the flavor lasts. Also tilt your glass to the side and see if there are any rivulets running down the glass. These are known as "the legs" of the wine and are an indication of the wine's alcohol content. Most cabs have fairly high alcohol contents. So there you have it. The Cabernet sauvignon is my favorite wine: either as a French Bordeaux or it's Napa valley cousin. Remember, the younger cabs, as a rule, are going to have fairly high levels of tannins. Give these wines extra time to open after uncorking. If you're fortunate to have an older cab, well then just sit back and enjoy the ride. Twin Liquors has a number
of excellent value-priced Cabernets along with a good selection of the
more notable bottles. March 4th, 2008. Westlake Restaurant Scene Continues to Defy Logic You've all heard me rant about the ongoing paradox that characterizes dining in Westlake. I've mentioned the Bermuda triangle of restaurants more than once in this blog: so then what happens? Two new restaurants open within a few months of each other and they are both packing them in. I'm referring of course to the fast-casual
Zu Zu's on Bee Caves Rd. next to
the Capital One Bank building. This place hit the ground running and
its message of lard-free healthy Mexican cuisine is resonating with
Westlakers. Even more interesting is the overnight success of Zu Zu's
next door neighbor, The Grove. This is a wine bar with outdoor dining
available and an Italian theme to the cuisine. The Grove has had waits
of as long as 2 hours on the weekend which is virtually unheard of in
this area. The Grove is about the 10th restaurant that owner Reed Clemons
has started in Austin, and as is the case with most of them, (Granite
Café, Mezzaluna, Bitter End, Capitol Brasserie, Reed's Supper
Club to name just a few) they start out very strongly. Could one reason for the success be that the restaurants are located on Bee Caves Road (across from the County Line) outside the dreaded 360 Loop? One wonders how they would have done in that almost totally inhospitable environs of the Village Center mall down the street that housed Ruggles, The Four Corners, Austin's Cheesecake Kitchen, Canyon Café, and several other failed restaurants? And upscale Italian cuisine has never worked in Westlake unless you mistakenly place The Macaroni Grill in that category. The excellent Café Spiazzo bombed on Bee Caves Rd as did Madame Nadelini's and Vincent's at Davenport Center. So all of a sudden up pops the Grove and it's killing them. Well, I couldn't be happier for both Zu Zu's and The Grove. Let's hope they can continue their hot streak. And as for Reed Clemons, let's hope he maintains his enthusiasm for his new venture. Some industry wags claim that he enjoys opening restaurants more than operating them. I don't necessarily totally agree with that assessment but it would be nice to have him stay the course with a popular restaurant. Westlake could use a few more stars in the firmament. Josh Watkins is in fine form at The Driskill One of our traditions in the Balon family is to stay home on Valentine's Day (would you believe home-made Philly Cheese Steak hoagies) and dine out the evening after. Such was the case with our last meal at The Driskill Grill. Josh Watkins, who took over the
reins from David Bull last year, was in the kitchen that night as we
worked our way through a delicious 10-course tasting menu. Some
of the highlights included a stunning Poached Lobster Salad with
Bibb Lettuce, Tasmanian Honey, Radish and Rosemary butter. Equally superb
were the Australian Prawns done with Grilled Chorizo, (a perfect
offset to the shrimp) Charred Tomatoes, Coriander and Corn Butter. At
first bite these reminded me of Dan Haverty's Shrimp Harisa at
the Shoreline Grill which is a dish that features flavors of North Africa.
But no, Josh's prawns were unique and easily the rival of the Shoreline's
superb dish. February 15th, 2008. Paris Hilton gets burned at Benihana The Roach Report finds a new home on KVUE It used to be KXAN-TV that carried the torch for all the hue and cry regarding reports of restaurants that were regarded as "unsafe" by the Austin-Travis county health inspectors. Now KVUE, Channel 24, home of the seriously cute Christine Haas, has stepped into the breach with a feature entitled Eat, Drink and be Wary! While I applaud the fact that the station believes it is performing a public service, I often question how the scores that these restaurants receive are calculated. A failing score is anything less than a 70. And while it's one thing to observe roaches and rodents running around, mold on the ice machine, or proper temperatures not being maintained (and I certainly want to know these things), a number of the scores, according to restaurants I've spoken with, are highly subjective. Many claim the scores can literally depend on the mood of the inspector on the day they visit the restaurant. And isn't it interesting how the restaurant that flunked almost always seems to get a higher score on the "follow-up" visit? I happened to be in an Asian restaurant
one day and heard that a food inspector was there. I had been in the
same kitchen he visited only moments before and had observed numerous
fruit flies. So when that week's "failing grades" came out,
I was sure I'd see that restaurant on the list. But they were not there.
They'd passed. Another problem that's been alleged by restaurateurs is that many inspectors have no real restaurant background. And some, restaurants claim, flat-out don't know what to look for or overreact to other minor problems. It would be my contention that
the health department post two scores from two unannounced visits by
different inspectors and average them out before stating, and then plastering
across the TV screen, that someone has "failed". I have no
problem with reporting the findings on TV. I just think we need to revisit
the process and clean it up (no pun intended) so that the public can
be best served. February 4th, 2008. Gordon Ramsey coming to The Bakehouse??? If you've seen Ramsey's show, the plots are fairly simple. Ramsey takes on a restaurant that he deems to be in, how do we put this politely, disrepair. He then moves in with the cameras following his every move, assaults the ownership, cooking staff, waiters, equipment even the vendors as he attempts to retool and reboot these festering turds other wise known as restaurants. The result is a U.S. knockoff of Ramsey's wildly popular UK show called Kitchen Nightmares. Ramsey, well known for his pit bull-like personality (does Simon Crowl on American Idol come to mind?), is also an acclaimed chef having garnered several Michelin stars. The question then becomes: how much of his bullying and brow-beating can the featured restaurant put up with?
The show has
not yet been totally green lighted. But Zapfe tells me he is leaning
in that direction. What the hell, if you subscribe to the notion that
no publicity is bad publicity, this is a no-lose deal for the Bakehouse.
They might even get a brand new kitchen out of it, courtesy of the show.
But can Austin put up with Gordon Ramsey? We shall see, and we will
keep you posted. The 2008 Presidential Candidates:
You Are What You DON'T Eat??? But each of the above presidents was a known entity. We know less about the current crop of candidates. So can we learn anything useful about them by the foods they eat, or perhaps even more interestingly, by the foods they avoid? Recently the Associated Press, in what was apparently an attempt at a lighter moment, asked the 2008 presidential candidates to name their least favorite foods. Hilary Clinton's response: "I
like nearly everything. Just don't like things that are alive." The republican candidates didn't fare
much better in their responses. OK, tongue in cheek of course, but you get the idea. Politicians really can't say much without offending someone, even when commenting on something as innocuous as food. By Dr. Robert Balon January 3rd, 2008. Fine Dining in Austin: Too many restaurants for too few customers? We are extraordinarily fortunate to have the variety of fine dining experiences that are available in Austin. I have been to many cities of comparable size that don't have a fraction of what's available here. Still, were I to council someone contemplating the opening of a new restaurant, I would discourage them from heading down the fine dining path. Why? Well, the truth of the matter is that Austin has been unable or unwilling to support many of the upscale restaurants that have opened, and unfortunately closed in the past six-seven years. The names of the fallen roll off the tongue in a depressingly long list: Girasole, Collin B's, Emilia's, Sardin Rouge, Demi Epicurious, Café Caprice, Seven, Ruggle's Grill, The Four Corners, Crimson, Mezzaluna, Reed's Supper Club, Jean Luc's, Noodleism, Ararat, Y Bar and Grill, Houlihan's, The Thistle Café, Selene's Bistro, The Little Bistro (in Buda), Baron's, Vincent's, Tuscany, JC's Steakhouse, Ray's Steakhouse, Rocco's on W. 6th, Mimosa, Monica's 701, Juan Mario's, Tintinnio (great Italian joint at 183 and Burnet), Cathy's Steakhouse, West Lynn Café, Hyderabad, Café Spiazzo, Belgian Restaurant, The Holiday House, Pacific Blue, Canyonside Café, Fuji, Tocai, Pao's Downtown, China on the Avenue, Lemongrass, Café Mia, Kaya Blue, Star Canyon, Jean Pierre's, El Dorado, Café Bleu……and so many others that we would virtually run out of space had we listed them all. There were some very good restaurants on this list that expired without even enough time for the proverbial cup of coffee. Bear with me here. How many Tex-Mex or BBQ joints have gone out of business in the same time? You could count them all on one hand. Does this mean that Austin diners disproportionately desire Tex Mex and BBQ? Perhaps. It could also mean that the simple truth is that we are NOT as sophisticated a food city as we like to think we are. I remember sitting at the late Girasole one night (now 219 West) and watching as a party of lawyer-types came in. They wanted spaghetti and meatballs. The owner tried to explain that Girasole was northern Italian: and that he had some lovely risotto and gnocchi. But instead of trying something different, the well-dressed GQ types all got up and walked down street to the Spaghetti Warehouse. I've seen this scene repeat itself at Cibo, the gifted Will Packwood's third and probably last attempt at restaurant success. Likewise at Parind Vora's Jezebel, a fine restaurant next door that could be doing better. Vin Bistro is another restaurant that should be packed every night. They have a remarkable chef and a great wine list. It's not that there's anything wrong at all with these places: indeed, they are excellent. But to stay alive, they require the support of a clientele knowledgeable enough to know what fine dining really is. And watching these fine places remain half-empty on many nights suggests to me that there simply may not be enough people in Austin who really enjoy or understand fine cuisine to support all the excellent little restaurants we have. There's a lot of what I call "default dining" that goes on in Austin. People go to places they see on TV a lot because they're hungry and because there's a certain comfort zone there. That's the only thing that explains the ongoing success of the Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Joe's Crab Shack, et al. But if they would just take the time to sample the Linguine Carbonara at la Traviata or the Butterfish at Roy's, or the Risotto at Cibo, they would find a world of amazing tastes and textures at price points comparable to what they'd spend at the OG or RL. But in all likelihood, that's not going to happen. So when I addressed a hundred or so would-be restaurant operators at the City of Austin's small business seminar last spring, as much as it was against my own selfish instincts as a foodie, I told it like it is. Austin has rarely ever met a burger joint, Asian buffet, Tex Mex restaurant or BBQ place that it hasn't liked. (Would that the same could be said for our fine dining operations.) I told them not to overestimate the inclinations or predispositions of the dining public in central Texas. Dire implications for us foodies,
huh? A Christmas Birthday Memory Today is December 17th. Christmas is looming, retailers are fretting, and everyone is starting to get that warm, toasty, fuzzy inner glow that seems to start manifesting itself this time of year. It's also my father's birthday. Edward Joseph Balon would have been 90 today. There was never a man that enjoyed life more than my dad. His appetites were huge: he loved wine and a good single malt scotch. True to his New England heritage, he loved Maine lobster, fried clams and raw clams on the half shell. He could tear into a good Ribeye with unparalled gusto and like me, he loved great bratwurst, chicken paprika, and adored my mother's cooking. Toward the end of his life, he took
great pleasure in bragging to his friends about his son in Texas who
had recently become a food critic. He got the radio and TV parts down
but never had time to come to terms with the Internet. It's too bad
because I know he would have enjoyed reading the reviews: he had an
opinion on just about everything, food included. No day was inclement enough to keep him from at least 9 holes. I recall one day in January where we played this little 9-hole course near his home in CT. It was cold as hell so he grabbed these huge muckluck gloves that would have kept Nanook warm and off we went. I asked him how many strokes I had to give him (we always played a $2 Nassau). And he just looked out across the course, pointed to the pond on the first hole which was frozen over, and grinned broadly. "Don't need any today," he replied. He was easy to shop for. "Just get me another one of those Barton Creek sweaters," he'd say. And he never complained about the fact that Christmas and his birthday almost overlapped; because for him, it was all about giving, and not receiving. How ironic that his grandson-in-law, whom he never got to meet and who shares so many of his finer traits, has an almost identical birthday. And he loved my wife and his grandchildren. And they loved him back. Grandpa Ed was special to them. His death at 83 was untimely and accidental. I never had the opportunity, living 1600 miles away, to get there in time to say goodbye. But someone like my father had a presence that was so large that it created its own vacuum: a vacuum that transcended his passing. So every time I step up to the first tee on any course I play, I feel he is watching. If I smoke one down the middle, or not, I smile and think of him. And when I hoist my glass of red wine at dinner that evening or crack open a huge lobster claw at our favorite seafood place, I can see that ear-to-ear grin that he was his trademark. As Charles Dickens once observed of a re-born E. Scrooge: "He knew how to keep Christmas well." My father had the same talent. Christmas was his favorite holiday. And so it is at this time of year, like so many of us Baby Boomers who have lost parents, that we miss them the most. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa.!!! Love,
Writing about food is not without its hazards. I once was almost attacked with a clever by a chef who mistook me for another critic who had been more vindictive-unnecessarily so in my opinion-toward his establishment. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed. Another observation: while I enjoy going to see a movie at the Alamo Draft House, I have learned that eating there once the lights go out has its perils. This is particularly true if you are wearing black and trying to dip chips into a bowl of queso. Upon emerging from the movie, my shirt had streaks of queso in various configurations. After taking the shirt off and looking at it, one queso manifestation seemed to bear an uncanny resemblance to a caricature of Bill Clinton. I was dining with some long-term Benchmark clients from New York who were unaware of my second life as a food critic. About half way through dinner, a woman approached our table, smiled at me, and proceeded to reach down and rub my stomach. Stunned, I sat there mute as did my clients. "I've always wanted to rub your tummy since I first saw you on TV," she said by way of explanation. As she left I couldn't help but imagine what would have happened had I approached her table and started rubbing her stomach. Ah, the old double standard is alive and well. How often one encounters servers who don't listen! In a nice Austin bistro the other night, I asked my waitress to allow me to remove a piece of polenta from the serving plate and put it on a side plate where it could receive a resounding dose of ground pepper. Instead, she ignored my plate and proceeded to inundate the serving plate with more pepper than anyone in my party but me would enjoy. She later asked why the tip was only 15%. "What?" I replied. Has this ever happened to
you? For some strange reason the other morning, I found myself desiring
a Sausage/Egg/Cheese McMuffin from McDonald's on Barton Springs. This
happens rarely: perhaps once a year. But when it happens, I must fulfill
my craving. So I pulled up to the drive-thru at about 10:25am (so said
my cell phone)...
December 7th. Restaurant Etiquette 101 on 6th St. We all know that Austin is a town where the restaurant noise level can sometimes be a bit more than people are comfortable with. I do get a few complaints occasionally on this from readers. But one has to stop and consider that we are a youngish, booming, seat-of-the-pants kind of town. Couple that with the way most restaurants are designed for acoustics and you have the potential for a higher than desired noise levels. But I had an experience at Katz's Deli
the other night that was off the charts not just with regards to noise
but also with respect to basic customer rights. No father likes to have to endure such
boorish behavior in the company of his daughter. My first impulse was
to walk over and swat the cell phone out of the moron's hands. But instead
I asked my waiter to tell the guy to tone it down. My waiter replied
that that was not his job. Okay. Fair enough. So I asked for the manager.
She arrived at my table and seemed annoyed that I had summoned her.
I have unfortunately seen egregious breaches of etiquette in restaurants before-on the part of unruly customers. But never have I witnessed a scene where management chose to totally ignore such atrocious behavior. We paid our bill and got the hell out of there. I cannot imagine for a moment that proprietor Marc Katz, had he been on the property, would have handled the situation as poorly as his manager did. But he wasn't there and the entire event left a bad taste in my mouth that no amount of the best pastrami could diminish. The sad thing is the idiot at
the adjoining table was so drunk that even were he to read this blog
in the light of sobriety, he probably wouldn't remember a thing regarding
his loathsome behavior. He'll probably pull another stunt like this
the next time he gets wasted because he thinks that acting like a complete
tool is part of the "keep Austin weird" zeitgeist. Perhaps
on that next occasion the offended party will not show as much restraint
as I did. And that would be just fine with me. November 26th. Pangaea Opens on Colorado
This must be the year for the way-too-cool
nightspots in and adjacent to the Warehouse District. First
We had a blast. Couldn't hear a damned thing anyone was saying, but the beat was infectious and drinks were flowing freely (love those media preview parties). I believe this was the same event that caused one of our local TV anchors to be later detained by the gendarmes. Ah well. Saw uber DJ Brian Beck from KGSR-FM. He is one really nice guy. And I saw AAS humor columnist John Kelso there furiously scribbling notes on a yellow pad. It was comforting to know that someone at the party was older than me.
Will I be a regular at Pangaea?
Probably not. I'm a bit out of the target demographic. But I will certainly
pop in now and then. The place just oozes cachet.
November 16th. Finally, Fogo de Chao Opens After months of anticipation and unmitigated hype, Fogo de Chao, the huge chain of Brazilian steak houses or churrascarias has opened on 3rd St. next to The Melting Pot and across from the convention center. I dined there at their preview dinner last week and had a very pleasant evening. Aside from seeing the usual suspects one sees at these dinners-the very talented Virginia Wood and Wes Marshall of the Chronicle-I had the singular pleasure to dine with my own culinary interpreter of sorts, Magna Sampaio who aside from being the owner of Sampaio's on Burnet is Brazilian through and through. Fogo has a humongous salad bar that dominates that center of the restaurant. The items range from hearts of palm to fresh asparagus, tabouli salad, sautéed peppers, a variety of greens and much more. The idea is to start with the salad bar which we did. No problems there. Then you put up the green sign on your table for espeto comido or continuous dining and the real fun begins. Waiters dressed in gaucho garb come to your table and offer you various grilled meats on huge skewers. Having been to other churrascarias around the country including our own Estancia Churrascaria which opened in April in Sunset Valley, I had developed some favorite meats. I like the Picanah or top sirloin which is the favorite cut in southern Brazil where this "cowboy" cuisine developed. I also love the Alcatra and Cordiero (young leg of lamb). Alas, I found the Picanah to be lacking
in that sensual, juicy flavor I'm used to. Ditto for the Alcatra. There is another plus to Fogo's concept in this time-challenged environment we life in. You can enjoy the salad bar and the meats, have a bottle of wine, and be out in and hour and a half. Or linger longer if you choose. The fee for this continuous dining is about $40 per person which includes the salad bar, side dishes, and the meats. Drinks and desserts are extra. But after first blush, at $28
per person for almost identical fare (and a slightly smaller salad bar)
Estancia Churrascaria must be considered an extremely viable dining
alternative. And I'm hoping that Fogo will also raise the bar for aware
of all Brazilian cuisine in Austin: thus directing more diners to the
exquisite Sampaio's as well. There used to be a time in this country when finding a restaurant to dine in on Thanksgiving was virtually impossible. Thanksgiving meant a huge family dinner with a variety of family members, nuclear and otherwise, and yes, even crazy Uncle Albert who got a one-day pass to come home from the Institution (that no one ever acknowledged). It meant the men drinking beer and hunkering down to watch football and the women cooking, sipping wine and gossiping in the kitchen. And in most houses, the kids always had their own special little table. This enforced seating presupposed that all the little brothers and sisters and cousins would get along for an hour or two. You bet! Times, to say the least, have changed. More Americans then ever are dining out on Thanksgiving these days. Does this signal the end of a cultural epoch? Has one of our most cherished Clark Griswoldian traditions fallen victim to the siren's cry of an afternoon of relative serenity outside of hearth and home culminating in somebody NOT having to do the dishes? No, I think not. The simple reason is because we Americans have more disposable income than ever before. We're dining out because we're able to! And because a great premium has been placed on time. Many see a Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant as a way to maximize the interaction potential for the day. Instead of cooking and cleaning, the entire family-Uncle Albert included-- can eat and drink to their heart's content. And another ugly little truth has also fueled this holiday dining surge: quite a few Americans really suck at cooking! There was a giant disconnect between mom's of the WWII generation and their daughters with regard to skills in the kitchen; and a even larger gap between Baby Boom moms and their precious darlings. As a result, fast casual restaurants have leaped in to fill the knowledge gap. Thanksgiving is no difference: overcooked or undercooked turkey and runny mashed potatoes can send even the most devoted family into a mood altering tailspin. So don't feel guilty over the next week if you suddenly decide that 9 hours of kitchen labor on the 22nd is not for you. Log on to www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com and check out our copious list of restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving. And if they're on our list, you know you don't have to worry about the cook.
November 1st. Restaurant news and gossip: Miguel Rovago, Brad Womack, Tyson Cole, Sharon Watkins, Beau Theriot and more! We went to Fonda San Miguel for brunch last Sunday and I was surprised and delighted to see Chef Miguel Rovago back behind one of the serving stations. Miguel had announced his retirement last year and had planned to teach at a cooking school in Spain. But to our good fortune, he's rotating between Austin and Europe and will continue to be a presence at my favorite interior Mexican restaurant in the city. Some of you will recall that a few
weeks ago, for a few short days, we ran on DOWR a picture of Austinite
"Bachelor" Brad Womack's old girl friend and our family
friend Laurel Kagay. Since Brad is in local the hospitality business
(he owns college bars like The Chugging Monkey) and starring in a national
reality show, we thought we'd have a little fun with the story. Well,
you can imagine my surprise when somebody from a national website that
focuses on TV called a few days later and wanted to know about the baby
that Brad and Laurel had, and if the girls on the "Bachelor"
knew about this. I couldn't believe this woman had asked the question.
I told her that there was no baby as emphatically as I could: and she
seemed disappointed. Ran into Tyson Cole of Uchi fame at La Dolce Vita last week. He was just back from his Iron Chef competition in New York. He wouldn't fess up as to whether or not he had won, but there seems to be a standard order of business on this show. If you go up against Mario Batali or Bobby Flay, regardless of your talent, you're going to lose. I watched the episode where the former exec chef at the Driskill Grill, David Bull, went up against Flay. The surprise ingredient was Wild Boar (right in Bull's wheelhouse). In my opinion, Bull flayed Flay. But the lame celebrity judges they had didn't see it that way. Their comments were so inane that I chuckled through the last part of the show. But Tyson is fortunate that he didn't go up against one of the BIG TWO. So maybe some sanity will be forthcoming and he'll prevail because he is one hell of a chef. Chez Zee, one of my favorite little bistros in north Austin has concocted a Pumpkin Crème Brulee in honor of the season. I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie or anything pumpkin as a rule, but even I loved this. Stop by and check it out. They also have a pumpkin cake that's quite good as well. We went to Beau Theriot's
way fun Halloween party this past Saturday night on the top floor of
the newly rebuilt Oasis. Sat with
Travis Country Sheriff Greg Hamilton and his wife Mayzie. Greg looked
great dressed as a pimp. Marge was the Queen of Hearts and I was Mr.
Cool, wearing my blonde Jesus wig, a jacket with no shirt and shorts.
October 19th. What a week: Imerpia, Sicola's, La Dolce Vita and MORE!
This was the kind of week that food critics both love and hate: so many delicious opportunities to wine and dine and unfortunately, so little time! But it was a blast!!!
I also had the distinct pleasure of
dining at Sicola's: A Culinary Experience.
This is Austin's private dining ONLY establishment and it's designed
for parties, events, social gatherings, catering and such.
To me, there was no one winner. Everyone
had something interesting and well-planned to offer. The winner was
the Austin Museum of Art. October 9th . NoRTH at the Domain Opens with a Bang! We went to one of the preview dinners for the new restaurant NoRTH at the Domain off N. Mopac last Thursday. In a word, we were impressed. The scene was chaotic, as is almost
always the case when new restaurants try to get everything smoothed
out for opening night. But the food looks like it going to be very enjoyable.
Three entrees were absolutely terrific. The Strozzapretti Pasta with mushrooms, wilted spinach, pine nuts and parmesan cheese was excellent. And the Short Rib Osso Buco with white polenta was tender and amazingly tasty. The polenta was the perfect complement. And the Shrimp Fettuccine with a Spicy Garlic Sugo sauce had sensational flavor. The Snapper (fish of the day) was a tad dry but still showed potential. NoRTH is now open at the Domain. Go
to the MENU section of www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com
and click on Italian to see NoRTH's Menu. Westlake: The Restaurant Woes Continue It's such a regular headline that it's almost becoming monotonous: Restaurant Closes in Westlake. The latest two owner-operated stores to bite the dust are Austin's Cheesecake Kitchen (formerly Ruggle's Grill) and the Red Bud Grille. How is it that an area with one of the highest per capita incomes in the state can systematically fail to support its restaurants? I've lived in Westlake for 23 years and I am continually stunned by the restaurants that fail there. And location doesn't seem to matter.
Las Palomas, a good Mexican joint located at the very back end
of a strip mall with very poor visibility from Bee Caves Road is routinely
packed. Yet Bombay Grill, a great little Indian restaurant in
the same center is having trouble keeping the lights on most nights.
Ditto for Lotus Hunan, a very decent Chinese restaurant in the
same center. And Tin Star is the third concept that's gone into
one location in the past three years in that same center; prior to that
was the Holiday House, then a sit-down Sonic, both of
which crashed and burned quickly. When I went into Tin Star last week
at on a Tuesday at about 7:30pm, there was ONE table that actually had
customers. And the food's good. Across Bee Caves at the Randell's Center,
Linda Cheng's Chinatown is not exactly SRO, and Jason's Deli
continues to make a living off Westlake High kids and their parents.
Amy's Ice Cream does well in the total absence of competition (and besides,
it's Amy's). And this phenomenon is by no means
limited to the Bee Caves/Walsh Tarlton area. There's a store next to
Breed's Hardware that has housed so many restaurants that I literally
can't remember them all (Café Spiazo, Dragon Gate,
Madame Nadellini's are a few that come to mind). The Albertson's Shopping Center has seen more than its share of failures as well. The Ruggle's Grill location first housed a Mexican restaurant which failed. And at the current site of the Wachovia Bank, there were two good restaurants: The Canyon Café and then the Four Corners. Neither lasted for more than a couple of years. And the Davenport Center, smack dab in the middle of one of the most upscale areas in Austin, has failed to support at least a half dozen restaurants that have come and gone. The site where the Salt Lick now stands was the site of several failed steakhouses and Italian restaurants. And from what I hear on the rumor mill, the Salt Lick out in Driftwood continues to overwhelm the Davenport Village location in sales. The excellent Dragon Gate which moved from the aforementioned spot across from Breed's should be packing them in but business is spotty at best. The only restaurant that seems to do a very consistent business there is Maudie's: you guessed it, another Tex Mex. So if you look at the sum and total of restaurants that have had any real staying power over the years in Westlake, three are Tex Mex (Las Palomas, Tres Amigos, and Maudie's) one is BBQ (County Line on the Hill), one is Amy's Ice Cream Parlor, and the other is the excellent Bistro 88, Jeff Liu's pan-Asian fusion restaurant that has the benefit of being very close to Mopac. Now I'm not counting the Taco Bell at Walsh Tarlton and Bee Caves or the McDonald's further down the street. They both seem to have steady business: in fact, come to think of it, they have REALLY steady business. Maybe I'm missing something there! Or perhaps it's just that many of the people who live in Westlake got all that money by not spending it on dining out. Or perhaps they choose to dine out downtown up uptown or anyplace but Westlake. Or maybe they are amazingly myopic in their dining tastes. Should we look for a rash of new Tex-Mex joints in Westlake? What do you think? Email rob at info@diningoutwithrobbalon.com. September 21st . Finally, Athenian Grille ready to begin construction I'm pleased to report that owner Anil Simicia has found a new location for his much-missed Athenian Grille. (Formerly at 8th and Colorado). The new location is on W. 6th St. across from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Expect an opening around January or February of '08. This is great news to all lovers of Greek food. First, long-time favorite Ted's Steak House on Congress closed several years ago. The owners there were larger-than-life types: rude, boisterous, and totally out of control yet they had great Gyros and a regular clientele (me included). Then the Athenian opened. Anil was a bit more retiring than the guys at Ted's: but a very nice guy who developed a real rapport with his customers. But he too was forced out of his lease. So finally, we have a happy ending. I'll be counting the days.
The one thing that you could always count on at Southwest Airlines was a reasonably fresh bag of peanuts or two and the expectation of arriving pretty much on time. Beyond that, with regard to comfort, accommodations, and scheduling, well, it was pretty much a crap shoot. Now, even the peanuts are iffy. Got
some stale crackers of dubious nature the other day that were essentially
tasteless. No peanuts in sight. So, Southwest now has a new system.
No, they have not joined the modern age and started preassigning seats
to customers. Rather they have revamped their "open" boarding
system because their research shows that customers still like to choose
their own seats. They're still using the Group A, B, C, D etc. boarding
group mentality. But now when you get assigned a boarding group, you
also get a number to determine your place in line in that group. So
instead of your ticket saying Group C, it will now say Group C12, meaning
you will be twelfth in the C line. (Wonder if it ever occurred to any
of the suits that customers booking though an agent or on-line could
still "choose" a seat from whatever was left in the inventory.) And now, after losing their ridiculous
campaign to try assail the dignity of every overweight passenger (remember
that era where heavier passengers had to demonstrate that they could
put both armrests down or face the prospect of having to buy an additional
ticket, not to mention unrelenting public ridicule?) they've moved on
to assessing the sartorial standards of their fliers. They kicked a
young woman off a flight the other day for wearing a mini-skirt and
a short top. Told her to go to the airport gift shop and buy a shirt.
This from the same airline that allowed its flight attendants to prance
around in hot pants for the better part of a decade. Where the hell
is Herb when we need him? September 7th . 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. 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.
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. 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. August 23rd. The 100 Top Grossing Restaurants in the U.S. Ever wonder what kind of revenues the uber restaurants around the US rake in on an annual basis? The numbers for 2006 are out and they are flat-out staggering. The Pan Asian Tao Las Vegas at the Venetian Hotel, the parent restaurant of the soon-to-opened Imperia here in Austin, took in an amazing $56,000,000. The originator of "Vibe Dining" served over 600,000 customers! I've eaten there and enjoyed the food a lot but it's not Nobu or Per Se. It's an awesome testimony to the power of being a cool restaurant/club in the coolest city in the US. Over $18 million behind in second place was the venerable Tavern on the Green in New York City with $38,000.000. Tavern on the Green is by no means a great restaurant. It is the ultimate rip-off tourist trap but I guess there's something to be said for cachet and being adjacent to Central Park. In third place was one of my all-time favorites, Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach with $28,000,000. The food here is remarkable. In 4th place was the New York City version of Tao with $26,000,000. And in 5th place was the remarkable and historic Old Ebbit Grill, just steps away from the White House in Washington, D.C. This favorite of the politically connected was opened in 1856 and was host to Presidents Grant, Harding, and Teddy Roosevelt. It rang up $22,000,000 in sales last year. Austin did not have an entry in the Top 100 although I have a feeling that in a normal year, The Oasis atop Lake Travis would come close. The highest grossing Texas restaurant was the trendy Aquarium on the boardwalk in Kemah with 12,000,000 (64th place). It was closely followed by III Forks in Dallas with 11,800,000 (67th place). Of the top 100 grossing restaurants,
a stunning twenty were in Las Vegas and nineteen in New York City. It
would be interesting to compile a list of the hundred BEST restaurants
in the US and correlate that ranking with gross revenue ranks. But one
commonality was obvious: they were all pretty damned big! Tao in Vegas
seats accommodates 400, for example. Joe's Stone Crab seats 450! August 14th. Women in France-especially in foie gras country-are living longer! Helene Vialard is 100-years-old. This is not a rare occurrence among women in France. There are thousands of centenarians there, especially in the southwest's Midi-Pyrenees region which is famous for its fatty foie gras-made from the livers of overfed ducks and geese. And guess what: Helene drinks red wine, and perish the thought, indulges in foie gras. (As recently reported in the Washington Post.) You've recently read in this blog about my unfettered annoyance with animal rights activists who are vandalizing Austin restaurants for refusing to stop selling foie gras. Well if my first and most transparent reason wasn't enough for my militant PITA friends--that we humans are at the top of the food chain and thus have a certain prerogative-(I believe the bible refers to it as dominion over the beasts of the field) then let's look at the possible health issues here. While the results have yet to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, imagine if these early reports cited above are scientifically verified and consumption of foie gras is found to be correlated to increased human longevity. What then oh noble protectors of ducks and geese? I can see the lines forming now
at Central Market's gourmet foods section. Hell, drug stores will be
selling extract of foie gras in capsule form. And picketing offending
restaurants or committing random acts of vandalism: well that will be
a dim memory at best. It's funny how the possible extension of our own
lives can cause a seismic shift in some attitudes. August 8th. Beware of friends or relatives who are prone to corpulence? Well, the research is in. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, you are 57% more likely to become fat if you have a fat friend. The authors of the study, as is usually the case with academic research, did not just hint at an association between the two variables. No sir. They went for total causality. In the crusty world of social research, that is tantamount to saying that watching TV violence CAUSES people to behave violently. One almost never sees anything like this (and I spent five years in academia pursuing the "publish or perish" route). So what are the implications of this? I being the overweight one (although 60 pounds less overweight than last year) am apparently the culprit here. My friends and colleagues, even my employees are in peril. God help the poor souls. So in a moment of introspection, I sat down, munched on some celery hearts and reviewed my social networks. The results of my examination were perplexing to say the least: I don't have any close friends who are fat. And these are people I have known for at least 20 years. Many of them have never even been on a diet. And they go out to dinner with me regularly. Most are ridiculously normal. One friend, who shall remain nameless, eats chicken fried steak like it's popcorn and complains about having to take protein shakes to keep his weight up. Oh please. I could puke when I think about these people. I mean I like them but they piss me off. And extending it out a degree (thanks Kevin B), I doubt if they even have any friends who are overweight. So where's the causality? Perhaps it's just the opposite. Maybe seeing them being so absurdly normal with regard to weight triggers a self-pity gene which produces a chemical reaction that lowers my metabolism when I'm around these folks. Maybe I should exclusively seek out other robust men and Rubinesque women: the sight of these folks might then jump-start some noveau-motivational gene lying dormant in my less-then-skimpy body. My tormented psyche would then scream: "I can't be like them. Brain: do something." Sound silly? Well so do the astonishing
conclusions of this study. Or perhaps I am just one of those ridiculous
statistical outliers: some errant mutation falling considerably outside
the bell curve. But after having spent more than my share of years in
social sciences, I kind of doubt it. July 23rd. Animal Rights Stooges Now Vandalizing
Restaurants Serving Foie Gras July 5th. Rob answers the most frequently asked questions from readers of DOWR How did you become a restaurant
critic? When I finished grad school at U of Michigan and came down to teach at UT, my wife and I enrolled in a wine course at the student union: first reds, then whites, then champagnes, then reds again. We were hooked. We got involved with the UT Faculty foreign foods club and had monthly dinners featuring the cuisine of a different country. The job of purchasing the wine for these dinners inevitably fell to me. We had no children then and had the free time necessary to cook some truly delicious meals at our home: Chinese black pepper noodles one night, Escargot in pastry crust, even a lightly pounded and breaded Vienerschnitzel with handmade spetzels and red cabbage. We had a ball. My life changed in many ways a few years later. We had our first daughter and I left academia and started a market research firm. One of our first clients was Ch. 36 TV here in Austin. This was easily 23-24 years ago. One night, in a strategy session, someone brought up the idea of a weekly restaurant review show. The details are a bit fuzzy (it might have had something to do with this killer potato salad I made for the station picnic) but somehow the reviewer wound up being me. The audience seemed to like it and I had a ton of fun doing it. But my travel schedule was too rigorous to commit to the show for any length of time. Nonetheless, as I traveled to many major US cities as well as foreign ports of call in my market research career, my passion for learning about and sampling various cuisines continued unabated. Fast forward to 1998. We'd just finished a major research study for 590 KLBJ-AM radio. The lifestyle preferences section of the research indicated a strong interest in dining out among listeners to news and talk radio in the Austin area. As part of our report, we suggested initiating a restaurant show. I had no plans to host the show but a series of serendipitous events unfolded and voila, there I was back on the air again. Thus, the "Roving Gourmet" was born. I must admit, I really enjoyed it. Then, Danny Baker, the GM of Fox 7 TV called and asked if I would like to do the show on TV as well. OK, so a bit more "roving" was in store. That was in 1999. I just celebrated my 9th and 8th anniversaries respectively on KLBJ-AM and FOX 7. When you love what you do, finding the time is easy. The next year, inspired by dot com mania in Austin, we launched www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com. It was hardly an overnight success. But we worked on it, refined it, and really concentrated on the content and building the brand. Today, the site has an incredible audience and is a major force on the net in central Texas. So that's how it call got started. I never planned for it to happen. Never attended formal cooking school or even worked in a restaurant. But those are not the most important criteria for what I do. What matters most is being able to write about food and wine with some wit and insight and to be able to communicate the essential elements that define a restaurant worth going to. And more than anything, you've got to be passionate about the art of cooking. There is nothing more boring than a food critic who just dials it in or worse, one who deliberately eviscerates a restaurant, just because he has the bully pulpit. And other questions that I am frequently asked: How much do you dine at home these
days? How do you choose new restaurants
to review? How many times do you visit a restaurant
before posting a review? I do not tend to get irritated over noise in the dining room (this is Austin, after all), the extraneous TV on somewhere, or the waiter who wasn't prompt in filling my water glass. I recognize that we're not in New Orleans. We have very few professional waiters here. I make allowances for that. You seem to focus on owner-operated
restaurants almost exclusively. Are you comfortable accepting advertising
from restaurants on your site? Isn't that a conflict? If you have more questions
for Rob, feel free to write him at info@diningoutwithrobbalon.com. June 21st. List of Iconic Restaurants that City Failed to Help Grows Longer I had lunch with Beau Theriot of The
Oasis today. His restaurant was almost totally destroyed by fire several
years ago. Millions of dollars later, with no forgivable loans from
any municipal entity, he is almost finished rebuilding his restaurant.
If any place qualifies under the "iconic" criteria used by
Mayor Wynn as an excuse to give Las Manitas a forgivable loan, it would
certainly be The Oasis. How much has Austin benefited from the "sunset
capitol of Texas" as a drawing card? Needless to say, I don't think
Beau was in favor of a forgivable loan to Las Manitas. In fact I haven't
spoken to one restaurateur who was in favor of it. Low interest yes,
but forgivable, come on!!! Why Are There More Conservative than Liberal Talk Radio Stations? In the wake of the failed Air America
talk radio network, a new watchdog group has done a study on liberal
vs. conservative talk. The disparity, they say, is alarming. Comments: email rob at info@diningoutwithrobbalon.com June 8th. Las Manitas Gets Some Serious Love from Our City Council Temperatures were rising at 590 KLBJ-AM on Thursday of this week. Sitting in for Jeff Ward, I began the 2nd half of the show with an interview with councilperson Jennifer Kim, one of the five on the council who had voted for a $750,000 "forgivable" loan package for the displaced Congress Ave. restaurant. I asked Jennifer why Las Manitas was so special to merit such an entitlement: especially in light of other restaurants like The Empanada Parlour, City Grille, Pao's, The Athenian Grille, all who were forced to move yet received no largess from the city. (In the case of the Empanada Parlour, owner Ashe Correa and her husband were actually forced into bankruptcy.) Jennifer told me that the council considered Las Manitas to be an icon of sorts. And she voiced concern that the Perez sisters, who were moving into a building down the street that they already owned, would have their loyal customer base disrupted with a move that was any substantial distance from the original restaurant. She also mentioned that this was a pilot program and that anyone who either operated on Congress or part of E. 6th was eligible. Uh huh! From my understanding, Las Manitas
is a favorite of a lot of local politicians including Kirk Watson and
Gus Garcia. Garcia was quoted as saying that this loan would go a "long
way toward keeping Austin weird." We fielded many calls on KLBJ-AM that afternoon. Not one of them was in support of the council's vote. One call came from restaurateur Howard Kells of Dona Emilia's. Kells made a great point: his restaurant had to borrow $400,000 from the SBA to get rolling on their transition from E 7th St. to downtown across from the Four Seasons. And he was forced to get very creative on construction costs and supplies. And not one cent of his loan is going to be forgiven. Sound familiar? It's called business. He pointed out that he would be supportive of a low-interest loan to the Perez sisters. But not an almost total bail-out. I agree with Howard. In fact, instead of targeting Congress Avenue, the city should reach out to all the downtown restaurants that are being touted as "magnets" for all those people moving into all those new condominiums. You can't single out Las Manitas when there have been no comparable offers to downtown restaurants in similar situations. And I do enjoy Las Manitas. And you know what, if they moved a mile down Congress to S. Congress, I would still go there. And I'd bet money 99% of their regulars would as well. What do you think? Email rob at info@diningoutwithrobbalon.com. All coherent replies will be posted. The Passing of Nu Age Café When Ethel Liu's husband Greg, co-owner of Nu Age Café in W. Austin suddenly passed away from a major heart attack, I was deeply saddened. Greg was one of the most affable, congenial, and genuinely nice guys in a business that can sometimes fray the nerves of proverbial saints. Ethel cannot make a go of it without her friend and partner, and so this extraordinary woman and gifted chef is packing up her bags for San Francisco to be with her daughter and son-in-law. All of us will miss Nu Age. It
was more than a vegetarian restaurant. It was a celebration of the spirit
manifested by its two amazing owners. Sadly, I doubt that we will see
the likes of it anytime soon in the River City. May 25th. Dining Prospects in South Austin Looking Up When former FCC commissioner Newton Minnow delivered his famous address about television being a "vast wasteland" rumor had it that he had just spent several days attempting to find a restaurant in Austin south of Oltorf. Hence the inspiration. For years, it seemed as if the classic
Bakehouse on Manchaca was the only restaurant south of Oltorf in the
entire city. The Bakehouse
is still alive and doing very well [I love the sausage crisps] but they
finally have some company. Cherry
Creek Catfish down the road on Manchaca offers up excellent gumbo
with a mild roux and crispy catfish and fried shrimp. Great family spot.
And at Manchaca and William Cannon you'll find Hao
Hao. This is Chinese/Vietnamese at its best. The ribs are to die
for. The pho is amazing. And the Egg Foo Young will rock your world. Top Five Things That Restaurants Do that Irritate Me 1. Tell me you're "slammed"
when I call to make a reservation. As the customer, I could care less
if you're slammed. I just want a table. And I want to come away with
the impression that you are genuinely interested in somehow helping
me to get one. May 14th. A Night at Patsy's Cowgirl Café with the Balons If you haven't heard about Patsy's
Cowgirl Café yet, it is the brainchild of Shannon and Michael,
the driving and creative forces behind Austin's long-running satirical
review, Esther's Follie's. It's recently opened on E. Ben White. Take
the Woodward exit, proceed through some construction, and you'll see
it on the right hand side past Catfish Parlour. The food is southern
comfort-based and the drinks are stout. And the entertainment is just
starting to roll.
I had not done a solo set since my performance last summer at Angel's Ice House in Spicewood. Jennifer had gotten some kind of facial peel and her face was like post-war Dresden. She simply couldn't move her mouth enough to sing so she had to bail at the last minute. So I bonded with the locals, took requests, filled up the tip jar, and had a blast. Just when I was freaking about what
the next song was going to be, Jenn finished her meal and appeared on
stage and we rolled into "Brown Eyed Girl". Then quickly into
Don Henley's "Last Worthless Evening" and we were off and
running. The two hours just flew by and we were back. Harmonies were
tight; Jenn's vocals as usual were soaring. And even the old man hung
in there pretty well. First Report on Mario Batali's B&B Ristorante We got to try Mario Batali's new Vegas
restaurant B&B Ristorante while at the Wine Spectator Grand Tour.
Batali, in partnership with Joseph Bastianich, has set up court on the
so-called restaurant row at the Venetian. In fact, I have never been to a restaurant
where the staff, from manager to wait person, were more full of themselves.
They refused our request for grated parmesan because they felt it might
"compromise" the flavor of the clams presented with the pasta.
They were condescending, smug, and rather annoying. That being said
though, the food was great. Now if the staff can just get
over the Mario thing and realize that even at B&B Ristorante, the
customer's needs must prevail, they just might make it. May 3rd. Olive Garden's Chefs Study in Italy??? You have to give the marketing people at Olive Garden credit. They've created a classic default dining option by using a massive television campaign that suggests that the customers are party of the "family." When my children were younger, they demanded that we go to the OG for the unending salad bowl and the bread sticks. Funny, but I never felt like bosom-clutching hugs from some Italian grandma out of central casting were going to be forthcoming. I never really got the "family" thing at all. I also never got the food for that matter. Now the OG ads are creating the illusion that all their chefs, and I use that word loosely, are being flown to Tuscany in Italy for training on the mother ship, the corporate owned Culinary Institute of Tuscany. That is simply not the case. The chefs do not attend. Out of the 613 Olive Garden restaurants in the US, about 100 managers each year are sent to the Institute for further education in ostensibly learning how to choose the freshest produce, how to perfect al dente and how to layer sauces. Since the chefs are the people responsible for turning out the food, it would make sense that they should attend as well. I've eaten at Olive Gardens where the chefs were so clueless that the concept of al dente might as well have been E=mc2. But given what the average chef probably makes at an Olive Garden, I can't see corporate picking up the tab for a week overseas for hundreds of them. But don't expect the huge and misleading TV campaign to end any time soon. To paraphrase PT Barnum, you can fool most of the people just about all of the time if you use enough television. Mario Batali invades Las Vegas. Noted Food Network luminary and
famed NYC restaurateur Mario Batali has opened two new restaurants at
the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. The first, B&B Ristorante is modeled
after his hugely successful Babbo in New York. This is upscale Batali
with dishes such as mint love letters with spicy lamb sausage in a "setting
that captures the soul of an Italian grandmother dancing the tango with
pop rock hipsters." I'm not sure I can get my culinary imagination
squarely around the idea of an Italian grandmother dancing the tango.
But I will give it a try and report back to you. April 25th. Rattlesnake fritters, radio and Karl Rove I was on my way in to the KLBJ-AM studios recently for a Food Friday show. No sooner had I walked in the door of the newsroom than I was confronted with the site of a half-dozen live diamondback rattlesnakes being handled by several ballsy snake wranglers in town for the rattlesnake roundup. I was truly stunned and an expletive that most surely would have been banned from the airways slipped out of my mouth. I have eaten Jeff Blank's Rattlesnake Fritters at Hudson's on numerous occasions and have found them to be delicious: the taste being very much like chicken. But I had never encountered a rattler live and in person until that morning. "Go ahead and feel his rattle" said one of the wranglers. And without waiting for a response, he brought this five foot snake to about a foot away from me. I looked into the snake's eyes and met the malevolent stare of this cold-blooded assassin. I took a deep breath and reached out to touch the skin above his rattle. I figured it was about as close as I would ever come to shaking hands with Karl Rove. And the snake's skin was actually quite dry and rather smooth; not at all unpleasant. Of course all the while I was silently praying that the wrangler's grip on the snakes head and jaw did not slip. Bottom line: it was an interesting experience. Yet the week after that, as we dined at the sumptuous Octotillo restaurant at the Lajitas resort near Big Bend, I had the opportunity to once again sample rattlesnake fritters. I passed. There's something about looking your meal in the eye that can change your perspective on future dining choices. Guess I better stay away from cows, pigs and lambs or I'll be forced to become a vegan! The Wine Spectator Grand Tour One of my favorite events is
coming up on May 5th: Wine Spectator Magazine's Grand Tour at the Venetian
Hotel in Las Vegas. This 3-hour extravaganza at the hotel's Grand Ballroom
brings in some of the world's best winemakers for an evening of tasting
and discovery. One can roam past different booths offering the wares
of Chateau Palmer, Caymus, Penfors, Dom Perignon, Petrus, Chateau la
Tour on to newer wines with great promise like Chateau St. Michelle's
Canoe Ridge or Ernie Ells' Stellenbosch Cabernet. April 20th. What to do if you've had an unpleasant dining experience I get a surprising amount of email from people who've had a bad experience at a restaurant: and I'm talking two page, single-spaced letters with lots of invective and displeasure. While I don't mind reading them, frankly, there's not a lot I can do at that point except forward the emails to the management of the restaurant. If you're looking for resolution, the complaints should be addressed to the management of the restaurant, preferably while the customer is still there. Yet many folks are very reluctant to do this. Most quality restaurants are aware of the fact that not every dish is going to please every customer. And these establishments make a living by keeping their customers happy. So if you have a problem and your server can't resolve it, immediately ask for the manager. Here's a rule of thumb on what to expect:
Most restaurants want to avoid
doing battle with customers over issues that can be easily resolved.
But diners need to speak up during the dining experience. Emailing your
local food critic a week later may be an exercise in venting but it
won't solve your immediate problem. And from my experience, most of
these problems are indeed solvable. April 12th. Dinner with Don Imus
Not surprisingly, the radio industry is rallying around one of their own. That's to be expected. Kind of a "there but for the grace of God go I" circling of the wagons. But from my seat as a consultant to the industry and a talk show host myself, the CBS brass made the only move available to them in these politically correct times. Imus has teetered on the edge of impropriety for years and gotten away with it time and again. But he bared his fangs for real last week: and the ugly side of the "I" man was exposed for all to see. And there was not getting past that, even for long-time fans Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves of CBS. That being said, about how long do you think it will be before some other ratings-starved broadcaster will give Imus a new bully pulpit? My bet would be not long at all. After all, this is the free-enterprise zone of America. And if you're looking for some kind of permanent healing or meaningful racial dialogue to come out of this: well, it's just not going to happen. As long as young rappers can throw the "n" word around with impunity, call women "ho's", and generally act disgracefully, the myriad black commentators (Whoopi Goldberg included) who were so unanimous in the condemnation of Imus, had better clean up their own houses, lest they get sent to "Himeytown" (re: the reverend Jackson). Did Imus deserve to fired: perhaps, but not, in my opinion, solely as an apologia to black America. He acted like an aging version of the acid-mouthed idiot he's always been. His comments should have been offensive to everyone in his audience. Yet if we strictly use his remarks as a standard for termination, then there are about another 200-300 radio and TV, cable and Internet commentators, both black and white, whose jobs are about to become substantially less secure. (Is Ann Colter reading this?) Personally, I would have liked to see the marketplace solve this problem. In broadcating, ratings are everything. If Imus insulted or offended enough of his listeners to the point where the used the most powerful tool in media, the off button, then his fate would have been sealed anyway. No orchestrated grass-roots campaigns against advertisers would have been necessary. Yes, Imus has his first-amendment rights. And the audience has the right to go away; which they may well have done. It would have been nice to see ALL the people given the opportunity to have a vote, for once. Cannoli Joe's Is South Austin starved for restaurants? One look at the mob at newly opened Cannoli Joe's last night On Highway 290 S would suggest the answer is yes. Bob Hauser's concept is an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet. The buffet line winds around what management would like to have you imagine is a street in some Italian town. Weeknight price points are $12.99 for dinner and $8.99 for lunch. Weekend nights the price is $15.99. We dined there last night and
the food for the most part was not bad at all. It neither tasted nor
looked like the standard buffet fare that one often sees. The Rigatoni
Bolognese was fresh and tasty as was the Fusilli with sausage in a creamy
tomato sauce. I liked the Sausage and Peppers as well: really nice texture
and flavor. It was a bit chaotic and it is kid friendly: I almost stomped
on a rambling four-year-old who was way below my eye level. But the
servers were earnest and enthusiastic, if young. I'll head back again
on a weekend night and give you my complete impressions. April 2nd. Austin Chefs Rock at Food Festival event The 22nd edition of the Hill Country
Wine and Food Festival unfolded this weekend. In the absence of former
corporate sponsor Saveur Magazine, the event had a more local flavor.
The fact that I didn't have to worry about running into Mario, Bobby,
Wolfgang or Emeril at every turn was actually rather calming. My only real complaint: I'm not sure what Absolut or Grey Goose vodkas were doing at a Food and Wine festival. If you ask me: too many spirits on display that night that took away from the smaller wineries. Estancia Churrascaria No sooner had we mentioned the imminent
arrival of monster Brazilian meat emporium Fogo de Chao than up sprang
Estancia Churrascaria on Highway 290 in Sunset Valley (next to the Holiday
Inn Express) which opened on Monday, March 26th. Go figure. Estancia
is managed by Fogo alumni and the place just exudes great tastes and
aromas. The Pichana (top sirloin) was amazing as was the chicken and
the sausage. The place is small and they're going to have to do a huge
volume to make it at the price points they're at. But I'll certainly
be back. Chicago Style Italian at Botticelli's on S. Congress Two brothers from Chicago have
opened Botticelli's on S. Congress just up from the Continental Club.
If you crave Chicago-style Italian beef and sausage subs with hot peppers,
then this is your place. The bruschetta is a delight as is the Boticelli
bread. Make sure to try The Original. (Hint: if you love Italian cold
cuts, peppers, et al baked into hot bread) you'll love this sandwich. March 23rd. Fogo de Chao First, for all of you foodies breathlessly waiting for word on whether or not the wildly popular Brazilian churrascaria Fogo de Chao will be opening downtown in the space on 3rd St. formerly occupied by Houlihans: the answer is yes! It's a done deal. Look for, in all likelihood, a late fall opening. If you haven't had the pleasure, Fogo de Chao is a unique dining experience for carnivores. This is Brazilian BBQ, gaucho style, from the pampas of southern Brazil. The various fire-roasted meats, ranging from sausage to rib eyes to filet mignons, are brought to the tables on long skewers. Operating under the idea of "espeto corrido" which translates from Portugese into "continuous service," patrons are provided green and red flags. Red means stop for a while and green means keep it coming. Portions for each customer are sliced off and the gorging begins. Salads and sides are also continuously delivered. Look for more information on www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com as the rollout date gets closer. Beau Knows Villas Oasis owner Beau Theriot is a well-traveled and sophisticated designer, art collector and restaurateur. But even our jaded party was not expecting what awaited us at his Acapulco villa, Las Colinas. Set on a hill overlooking Acapulco Bay, the villa has five bedrooms, a gorgeous pool, a unique dining and conversations lounge, a bar, and most importantly, a staff that will make your stay most memorable. Delores, the house manager frets over your every need. Fredo, the bartender and waiter superior, makes a mean Rum Punch and even accompanied the girls to the market to act as translator. Leo, the chef, and I mean chef, has years of major hotel experience. His Poblano Soup brought cheers from our table, as did his Chili Relleno. In his capable hands, even a mundane cheeseburger becomes a work of art. And Herme, the gardener, delighted the girls by making them midnight quesadillas and personalized bracelets. The only thing we had to do all week that presented even the slightest challenge was to say goodbye to our attentive hosts and "amigas nuevas." So if a week of basking in the sun, swimming in sparkling waters, sipping exotic drinks, dining like you're an Escoffier member, and having your every need catered to doesn't appeal to you, then by all means don't log on to www.theriotvillas.com. Believe it or not, there is a second villa with the same amenities (Casa Tres Palabras) just across the street. Life is tough! Goodbye and Hello at the Driskill Grill As you've undoubtedly seen by now,
uber chef David Bull has resigned from The Driskill Grill. His brilliance
was obvious: from his designer foie gras dishes to his duck confit ravioli
to perhaps the best short ribs this writer has ever had. Airports to Avoid: Mexico City At the helm of my market research firm
The Benchmark Company for 20 years, I've logged millions of miles in
the air and been to countless airports: somehow though, I'd missed Mexico
City until last week. Dear God! What an absolute cluster ##&&&***###!!!!
this place was. We got off the plane from San Antonio and were confronted
by a dizzying array of signs that meant little or nothing to us (and
I speak Spanish). We tried to find our gate for Acapulco and were told
that it wouldn't be available until 20 minutes before the flight: as
in no one would knew what gate it would be. How is that possible? Then
we had to stand in an interminably (and poorly marked) line to get our
passports stamped. People we knew from Austin who we'd met on the plane
to Mexico City missed their flight to Puerto Vallarta because they blundered
into the wrong line. March 9th. I managed to make it unscathed through three days of hosting the Jeff Ward Show on 590 KLBJ-AM earlier this week. Aside from the usual 4-page, invective laced single-spaced email from someone with more time than sense, the feedback was good. Topics ranged from HPV vaccinations to the latest blunder by the Texas Supreme Court, purity balls, and my continued loathing for right-wing bimbo Anne Colter who attempted to denude John Edwards by calling him a "faggot" on her website. When I attempted to actually use the word faggot on the radio, the board op informed me while not one of the "seven deadly words"; faggot has fallen into the grey radio area of "let's not go there either." This is all in direct response to the heavy-handed tactics of the FCC as they continue to react to pressure from the right to sanitize radio and TV. Since no station wants its license yanked, most quickly comply. And you can't blame them. But the ultimate losers are the listeners. You'd think we should be the ultimate arbiters: if we're offended, then we simply don't listen. And the offending station thus suffers in the ratings and consequently in profit margin. But the FCC wants to do our thinking for us. Wednesday we talked food for the day. The likelihood of needing the kill button on a food day is remote. We had a panel with Howard Kells from Dona Emilia's, Rick Dietrick of Vin Bistro and Russell Arnold from ZuZu's. These guys have been through it all and we had a fascinating hour as they explained the day-to-day challenges and rewards of owning and operating restaurants. Next time we do a panel, I'm going to have Sharon Watkins from Chez Zee, Hoover Alexander from Hoover's Cooking, and Bernie Brozek from Romeo's. Then Brent Childs, exec chef from Sandra Bullock's new Bess joined us on the phone for an update on how they're doing. He was reluctant to talk much about Sandy (understandably) but she apparently has had considerable involvement in menu design and continues to take a proactive role. Good for her. I can't stand these faux celebrity restaurants (like Kobe Bryant's) where the star simply lends their name to build the brand. Those are usually nothing more than an exercise in hubris. And then we got to talk restaurants with callers for almost two hours. That was very cool: my favorite part of the show. It's my pleasure to help you find restaurants you might otherwise not know about: like Drakula, Sampaio's, Pacifc Star Oyster Bar, Cherry Creek Catfish, Cibo, Pao's, Tomo, Dragon Gate, Dry Dock at Canary Nest and many more. And to reiterate: that's why I don't do many nasty reviews. I'd prefer to spend my energy on telling you where to go than where not to go. We have dozens of fine, little restaurants in the city that need to get some exposure. If I can direct your attention toward some of them, I'm a happy camper. The South by Southwest Music/Film/Digital Media/et al Conference is in town this week along with the Rodeo and Livestock show. How's that for two disparate groups of diners? Then throw in St. Patrick's Day and you have a real circus. But the local restaurants have got to be licking their chops. My suggestion: if you want to dine downtown this weekend, plan ahead. There will be lots of competition for reservations. Try some of the places that don't always get swamped like Thai Tara, Silhouette, Thai Passion, La Traviata, Aquarelle, and the Boiling Pot, just to name a few. Several cool items of note: McCormick and Schmick's has gone to a new level in providing fresh seafood. Chef Joe Ramirez tells me that when halibut season begins on March 17th, his restaurant will have Austin's only fresh halibut until the season ends in August or September. The restaurant will take a loss on the dish but Ramirez figures it's worth it to continue to build their brand for the freshest seafood. Also, if you like you java at a place
with a little attitude, stop by 2401 E. 6th and try Hot Mama's coffee.
This place is the brain child a former sex therapist from Alaska named
Holly who believes that coffee is the definitive and perhaps only personal
moment in most of our days. So it damn well better be served with love
and genuine affection. This is one of the most interesting places I've
been to in a long time. As a sex therapist, Holly is adamant about the
fact that while one can fake an orgasm (and she should know), one cannot
fake good coffee. Try the Hot Mama's Latte. Also great snacks. March 2nd. For those
of you who are fond of the genre of talk radio you can catch me next
week on 590 KLBJ-AM on Monday-Wednesday (March 5-7) from 3-6 pm. Those
are the hours normally occupied by Jeff Ward. In my dual role as weekly restaurant critic and occasional fill-in talk host, I get some interesting mail. There are those who tell me to stick to my main beat: talking about restaurants. Of course those are typically the ones who vehemently disagree with my sometimes pointed comments on politics or social issues. I had a guy actually call me at my office one day to ask me how I could have possibly discussed a plan for dealing with Iran's Amidenijad when I didn't even know how to pronounce bruschetta. And strangely, even when I politely informed him that bruschetta was correctly pronounced brus-ketta, his antipathy did not dissipate. Anyway, there's almost always some food commentary worked in when I host Ward's show. So even if you think I am in league with Satan (as several of my fans from the religious right have suggested) you really should listen on because chances are, somewhere in the show, I'll be commenting about new restaurants that have opened and ranting once more about how the Driskill's David Bull got jobbed by Bobby Flay on the Food Network's Iron Chef. As for me, I'm heading to La
Traviata on Congress tonight. Marion Gilchrist doesn't listen much to
talk radio but my-oh-my can that woman cook. My wife recently ran into
THE Paul Mitchell at the Le Madelin in Westlake. (He prefers to be called
John Paul.) They got to talking about food and she tried to find one
of my cards to give him. As luck would have it, she was out and had
to scribble my name on a napkin and ask him to Google me. But she had
independently recommended La Traviata to the titan of hair as well.
Perhaps we'll see JP there tonight. Have a great weekend, and as always,
bon appetit! February 26th. Our Gonzo Gourmet Club dined out Sunday night at Fleming's Steakhouse downtown at 2nd St. We had a superb meal in every sense of the word. Fleming's has the most amazing BBQ Shrimp in the area. The rib eyes were delightful as was the salmon. But I must share with you one genuinely
embarrassing and hysterical moment. Our server Fabian brought a three-liter
bottle of Chalk Hill Chardonnay to the table and opened it in front
of me with a great flourish. We all shared a huge laugh over
the bogus Chalk Hill and then opened the real bottles, which were excellent. February 23rd. I was the MC last night at the Busby Foundation's fund raiser for ALS. I personally picked a dozen of Austin's finest restaurants for a Taste of Austin event including Jeffrey's, Mirabelle's, Chinatown, III Forks, Eddie V's, the Roaring Fork, McCormick and Schmick's, Sicola's: A Culinary Experience [private dining], Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill, Kenichi, Dona Emilia's and Amy's Ice Cream for dessert. I want to thank all the restaurants for donating their time and their delightful food. Also kudos to the Hyatt and their catering staff. They were great! There is a real synergy between the restaurant community and Austin charities. The major draw for these "taste of" events is the restaurants themselves. Without great food, these events flat out wouldn't work. And the tireless work of all these fine restaurants deserves some recognition. The evening was a phenomenal success for its first year. All the monies raised will go toward helping Austin families afflicted with ALS. As is our tradition on the last Friday of the month, I joined Mark Caesar and Sam Cox (Ed Clements had the day off) at 9am on our Food Friday program on 590 KLBJ-AM. The show is a blast. Even with the occasional restaurant owner calling up and posing as an enthusiastic patron (most are almost instantly and humorously obvious), the show moves quickly, is lots of fun, and we cover a lot of ground. To my knowledge, the show is unique in the Top 50 US radio markets. It's the only one of its kind in morning drive time. Well, by the throngs around the
town lake area today, (a very young crowd), it would appear that Senator
Barack Obama kept his scheduled campaign stop in Austin. Sorry, but
I can't muster much excitement. While he may be blissfully idealistic
at this point, by the time he gets to the final run, he'll be as jaded
as the next one. Our system is screwed. Obama is going to have to cosy
up to some major corporate fat cats at some point to get the core dollars
he needs to fund his media strategy (thus building his brand and name
ID). He will then be indebted, as virtually every politician is, to
some corporate entity that can accumulate soft dollars. He seems like
a nice, engaging guy and I wish him luck. But he is about to step into
the fetid cauldron that is national US politics. None emerge unscathed
or uncorrupted. February 14th. Happy Valentine's
Day. While the origins of this day remain shrouded in mystery, many
scholars attribute the impetus to St. Valentine, a christian martyr
who died around 300 AD. The roman emperor at the time had apparently
decided that single men made better soldiers than married men. So, in
the true style of Rome, he issued a ban on marriage. Valentine did not
agree with this and was secretly performing marriage services when he
was arrested and jailed. He supposedly fell deeply in love with the
daughter of his jailer; and, just before his execution, sent her a note
from "your Valentine." He apparently also shared his cell
with a failed scribe name Hallmarkus. (Sorry, couldn't resist that one.) February 5th. Booking a restaurant for Valentine's Day continues to be a total freak show. I've gotten hundreds of emails from a variety of panicked men who thought that calling Eddie V's or McCormick and Schmick's two weeks in advance was more than enough time. No way Holmes. Basically, at this point, the downtown restaurants are full; unless you don't mind starting your dinner at 11:45pm. But not all is lost. There are many other cool, little restaurants that still have reservations at civilized hours. On our Valentine's page we've got many restaurants listed. Try some of the newer ones like Mood and Food, The Veranda, Ruggle's Grill, Bombay Bistro, Cantina Laredo, Ka Prow, Mesa Ranch, Vin Bistro, and Selene's in Cedar Park. And also, as you head farther out toward the lake, you have some nice choices in Ciola's, The Oasis, and the Iguana Grill. All still have plenty of reservations available. You know there are days when my enduring and almost chauvinistic love for and devotion to Austin actually wavers: those are the days when the allergens are at their worst and my body responds by going into spasmodic fits of sneezing which are inevitably followed by sinus leakage, a hacking cough and the intense battle to keep all of this from descending into chronic bronchitis. These are the days when it really sucks to be a food critic AND to have no prescription cough syrup on hand. Such was the case with me on this Monday. The only saving grace of a lost day was to watch Jack Bauer's latest outrageous moves as he attempts to save America from another terrorist-induced nuclear holocaust. You have to like 24 though. The show just gets under you skin. I'm addicted. The other saving grace was getting some food to go from Rosie's on Highway 71 near RR620. Since I am low-carbing it these days, I ordered some guacamole, some queso, and three burritos minus the flour tortillas. I did have a few small few corn tortillas (a minor indulgence) and it was all quite tasty and relatively innocuous. We've been going to Rosie's for
over 20 years. It's a BYOB kind of joint with crappy chairs and Mexican
felt art on the walls. Also a lot of pictures of Willie; and strangely,
a faded photo of Robert Redford looking as if he's just realized that
he's not Brad Pitt. But the food's always been very reliable. I love
their bean and cheese nachos, cheese enchiladas, burritos, and guacamole.
With the possible exception of El Patio on Guadalupe, Rosie's makes
my favorite enchiladas. Rosie, always the indomitable force behind the
cash register for years, has retired. But son Vincent carries on the
tradition. And they still don't take plastic! February 1st. One of the more rewarding aspects of
being a food critic is the often fascinating people I get to meet who
run restaurants. I don't often get to write about them because I tend
to concentrate on their menus and service et al. But this blog gives
me some more latitude. So I'll tell you about Magna Sampaio. January 29th. Saturday night was fun. We went to Café Mangu in Pflugerville with our friends Carol and Skip. Café Mangu, is in my humble opinion, the absolute best Caribbean fare in the Austin area. This place is hands down better than Habana. The flavors are more nuanced, the mojo is to die for, and the food just rocks. You like Lechon Asado (pork shoulder)? It was moist and delicious. I had the Asado de Res which is flank steak marinated in Dijon mustard. WOW! It was sensational. (I couldn't help dipping each bite in a bit of the mojo sauce as well.) I also can't get enough of the yucca fritas. And the flan and tres leches were over the top. The Arroz con Pollo is as good as the one at Dona Emilia's, and that's quite a compliment. And, if you have a problem with your car, you can drop it off next door to Three Points. Owner Rafael also owns a car repair shop. You are doing yourselves a disservice if you don't venture out to Café Mangu on 1825 and try this place. The original founder Alex may have departed but the restaurant has not skipped a beat. Sunday we had a family dinner at Chez Zee. What a lovely and sympathetic waitress we had. Her name was Alice. Cute blond girl who put up with some semi-serious family drama. (My daughter Lauren and I were having a mild disagreement.) I had the bacon burger with a side of sautéed mushrooms. It was very tasty. Everyone one else had the Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta. I like this dish. It has a nice, mellow flavor. Probably could have used a bit more seasoning but still good. Before that, we went out to see
Dreamgirls. What a movie! Jennifer Hudson has got some pipes. And it
was nice to see Eddie Murphy stepping of character a bit along with
Jamie Foxx. I can't recall when I've enjoyed a musical more than this
one. The only problem with the experience was the lame employees at
Barton Creek Cinema. My God, if these kids are the future of our country,
we are in serious trouble. I asked the girl in the ticket booth if the
theatre was crowded. She responded: "What do you mean?" Perhaps
if I had phrased it in the form of a TAAS test question she might have
broken through with a glimmer of insight. Oh well! January 23rd. I saw a piece in Austin Fit Magazine
about the Ton of Fun weight loss contest that I participated in last
year. The idea was that ten local celebrity "fatties" would
assemble teams and raise money for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. January 17th. Well, these have been a couple of really
crappy days if you're in the restaurant business. Not much more to say
about it. Many restaurants couldn't even open. Those that did probably
saw a bunch of empty tables. Got to hand it Sharon Watkins at Chez Zee
though. She lost power, battled the elements, and has still been open
every night. If I could get the hell up my driveway, I would have been
there in a heartbeat. January 15th. Dinner at Sampaio's sat night was,
for the most part, excellent. The yucca cakes with mozarella cheese
and a light marinara sauce were very tasty. I didn't like the salmon
croquettes as much; the taste was a bit strong for me. A little too
"salmony." (Is that a word?) However, Marge liked them a lot.
That occasionally occurs with us. I'll not like a dish and she'll enjoy
it or vice versa. That can be very useful in analyzing flavors. January 12th. I'm heading up to Beluga in Round Rock tonight for dinner with Marge, my daughter Jenn and her new husband John. Fish and Jae, two of my favorite restaurant owners, are having some kind of Russian rock band in to mix with their killer menu. Now there's a combination: their classic Ahi Tower and Ivan and the Howlers (not really sure if that's their name). Should be fun. As many of you know, I sometimes find
myself in the role of talk-show host on 590 KLBJ-AM when I fill in for
Jeff Ward from 3pm to 6pm. Sometimes I talk food and wine, but often
I comment on the social and political scenes. I've been doing it for
the last 10 years or so and always immensely enjoy my outings on the
air. One thing is abundantly clear to me: I'm not as liberal as I used
to be. I'm leaning much more to the libertarian side and have developed
an increased disdain for politics and politicians in general. I mentioned earlier that I would not want to own a restaurant. Nor would I ever, under any circumstances, want to run for any kind of office unless I could guarantee that every lobbyist would have to stay at least 10 miles away from any state or national capitol. Saturday night we're heading for Sampaio,
the Brazillian restaurant on Burnet. Chef Magda is an excellent cook
and I'm looking forward to her wares. I'm often asked if we are going
to get a Churrascaria (such as Fogo de Chao) in Austin. I would love
to see us have one of these South American meat palaces in the river
city but that does not appear imminent. San Antonio had one for a while,
Du Brazil, out near the airport. But it closed after a fairly short
run. I've been asked to MC the Busby
Foundation's Taste of Austin event for ALS (Lou Gherig's Disease). It's
going to be at the Hyatt on February 22nd from 6:30 to 9:30pm and will
feature tasting stations from some of our finest restaurants: definite
attendees include III Forks, McCormick and Schmicks, Kenichi, Roy's,
Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill, Dona Emilia's, Mirabelle, Jeffrey's,
The Veranda, and Sicola's: A Culinary Experience. This is going to be
one very tasty evening. Please make sure to mark your calendars for
this terrific event. January 10th. People often ask me why I don't open up a restaurant: as if the fact that I write about restaurants would somehow make me a candidate to run one. Well, as T. Soprano would say, "fuggadaboudit". I have seen how hard restaurateurs work. It takes constant care and feeding to run a successful operation and even then there are no guarantees. It takes a dedication and perseverance that is almost unnatural. It also takes the abandonment of what most of us would call a normal life.
Running a restaurant is one tough
job and I have the utmost respect for those who venture into those turbulent
waters. But for me, I'll just keep dining in them and writing about
them. That keeps my plate more than full. January 8th. Not good news for restaurants on Congress in downtown Austin. Due to the inexplicable deaths of sixty-three grackles, everyone's favorite bird, the avenue was closed down from the Capitol to Cesar Chavez. Many restaurants had to close for lunch, losing valuable weekday revenue. Paranoia over this event was so high that even The Department of Homeland Security got involved. I really can't see Al Queda coming at us via the grackles but apparently somebody tried to make that connection. The grackle slayings made the national news that night and Internet bulletin boards buzzed with speculation as to the cause of the deaths. Bird flu or something environmental was almost immediately ruled out. Here's my take: Some merchant got fed up with having to wade through mounds of grackle droppings on the sidewalk and took matters into their own hands. The birds are most definitely a pain in the ass and annoying as hell. Worse than that, they occasionally even eat their young. It's tough enough for downtown
restaurants as it is. Recent closings of Houlihans and Thistle Café
(for dinner) are good examples of just how tough it is. Allow me to
offer a point of view that may be deemed by some to be politically incorrect.
If another grackle slaying occurs, I say clean 'em up quickly and let
commerce proceed.
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