Billy Rieger, Co-Founder of Kenichi, Passes Away
September 21, 2011Billy Rieger, co-founder of the popular downtown restaurant Kenichi, has passed away. Rieger was a larger-than-life kind of guy who lived life to the fullest. His Harley was always parked outside the restaurant when he was not in Colorado. And I honestly Continue Reading »
Join Rob Tuesday Night and Dine Out to Raise Money for the Wildfire Victims
September 15, 2011Rob and Ronald Cheng of Chinatown have enlisted the support of a number of fine Austin restaurants to raise money for the victims of the recent wildfires. We hope that the readers of Dining Out with Rob Balon will help us. On Tuesday night, September Continue Reading »
Aquarelle to Close its Doors on September 3rd
September 2, 2011Aquarelle I cannot count the number of lovely and intimate dinners we’ve enjoyed over the years at the lovely little French bistro Aquarelle on West behind Opal Divine’s. But owner Teresa Wilson has decided to go in a different direction and Continue Reading »
Paul Peterson Returns to Austin at VIVO on 620
September 1, 2011One of my very favorite chefs and people (can’t always say that in the same breath), Paul Petersen, has returned from the territories and landed at VIVO on 620 in Lake Creek Center. Petersen had the amazing Little Bistro in Buda for three years and Continue Reading »
Best Chicken Pot Pie, Shrimp Enchiladas, Vietnamese Pho… Part 2 of Rob’s Best in Austin
August 11, 2011Thank you for making the first installment of our “Best of Austin” series one of our most downloaded stories of the year. But we’re just getting started. We have a lot of favorites and we’d like to share more of them with you. Continue Reading »
Gonzo Gourmet Club has Dinner and a Movie at iPic
August 11, 2011Our Gonzo Gourmet Club had dinner and a movie at the new iPic (formerly Gold Class Cinema) Theater at the Domain on Tuesday night. We began with cocktails and appetizers, chatted with Chef Casey, and were extended cordial and competent service from the Continue Reading »
Dining at Caeser’s Palace
July 21, 2011Caeser’s Palace The word is out among foodies that Las Vegas has arrived as one of the most desirable dining destinations in the country. Red-hot chefs are falling all over each other to follow in the steps of Wolfgang Puck who hit gold with Spago and Continue Reading »
Sesame Hill Ramps Up Chinese Takeout in Oak Hill
July 8, 2011Annie Jiang of Sesame Hill I had driven by Sesame hill, which used to be occupied, I think, by In and Out Burger, probably a dozen times. From the outside, it looked, well, unusual. But then one day I pulled over and met the owner Annie Jiang. She walked Continue Reading »
Rob Samples Apatite Café
July 8, 2011Chef David Sanchez Had my first tastes at David Sanchez’s Apatite Café at the Galleria behind Mandola’s Thursday night. This is a thoughtful, intimate and highly sensual dining experience. Sanchez, who hails from Vail, opened this with his Continue Reading »
Fire at Los Pinos Causes Temporary Closing
July 5, 2011I hate to see those breaking news stories (almost never good news) on local TV. And true to form, KVUE reported a fire at Hudson Bend favorite Los Pinos which apparently started early Tuesday morning. We don’t know the extent of the damage but apparently Continue Reading »
