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ROB’S
FAVORITE DISHES: PART 1
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People often ask me for
the dishes I like, my personal favorites. Well, here in no particular
order, are a few. As you might imagine, I have many favorites:
so many that we’ll need a Part 2 and Part 3. But this will get
us going. Bon appetit! |
Huevos Rancheros: My favorite ones are
at Joe’s Bakery on
E. 7th. Amazing flavor with this bacon that they dip in a batter
and then deep fry. And the ranchera sauce is perfect.
Chile Relleno: Azul
Tequilla makes a seriously good Relleno with an almond cream
sauce. Melts in your mouth.
BBQ Shrimp: A delicious variation of
this classic New Orleans dish can be had a Fleming’s
Steakhouse on 2nd St. So good that I often order it as an entrée,
even though it’s an appetizer.
Bone-In Ribeye: There are many good ones
in the city but the stunning cut at Cool
River Café remains my favorite. Also like the idea that
you can have a stogie after dinner in their very cool cigar lounge.
Poached Maine Lobster: Amazing preparation
at the Café at the
Four Seasons. Removed from the shell, in a burre blanc sauce
with edamame and white asparagus.
Jade Dumplings: Perhaps my favorite pot
stickers in the city at Chinatown
Mopac. Minced shrimp with a wonderful soy and chili oil sauce.
Get them pan fried.
Gulf Snapper with Lump Crabmeat: This
long-time favorite at Eddie
V’s is one that I find myself ordering over and over. It’s just
that good. The fish, in a sauce of lemon and brown butter, just
work to perfection.
Duck Confit: A lovely dish at La
Traviata that has withstood several menu changes. And for good
reason. It rocks. Tender, unbelievably tasty, the ethereal flavor
borne of hours of preparation.
Texas Flat Iron Steak: An off the shoulder
cut that’s said to be the second most tender piece of the cow. They
do this to perfection at Moonshine
Patio Bar and Grill. Have it with the corn relish.
Pork Chops and Peppers: A classic dish
at Ciola’s in Lakeway.
Wonderfully tender center cut chop with garlic and sautéed
peppers. Mangia!
Blue Fin Sushi: There is one Austin restaurant
to visit first when the Blue Fin is in: Musashino.
The chu toro, o toro, and kama toro must be tasted to be believed.
Smokey is the master!
Diablo Chicken Pasta: What can I say?
I’m a sucker for a good southwestern style chicken and pasta dish.
And Z Tejas has a winner
with this dish. This dish mixes red pepper linguini with jerk chicken
and jalapeno along with a killer sauce of spicy jerk rub and heavy
cream.
Philly Cheesesteak Fajitas: New comer
Tin Star offers up this
delicious concoction. Didn’t think I’d like it upon initial presentation.
Boy was I wrong! I love it!
Shrimp Flautas: The
Texican Café offers this dish at its Manchaca and Lakeline
Mall locations. Served with an ancho mayo sauce that complements
the blend of grilled shrimp and white cheese served in red chile
corn tortillas.
Tortilla Soup:
Chef Sean Bradshaw has created a delightful version of this winter
favorite at The Oasis overlooking
Lake Travis.
02/02
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Celebrity
Sightings
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News From the
Rumor Mill: Damien Mandola of Carraba’s Starting Up a New Bistro
in Austin?
Nothing official yet, but word has it that Carraba’s
co-founder Damien Mandola is looking for some space in Austin to
do a new Tuscan concept. Mandola has gained notoriety with his PBS
cooking show and several well-received cookbooks. We’ll keep you
posted as more news comes in.
02/09
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Pronto
Italiano Opens
Hill Country Pasta
House is proud to announce the grand opening of Pronto Italiano!
Their new location at 3620 RR 620 South is now open.
Check them out at www.ProntoItaliano.com
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02/28
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Sushi/Japanese
Maiko Preparing to Open on 6th St.
Sunday, March 6th looks
to be the official opening date for Maiko, the new Sushi and Japanese
restaurant on 6th St. at the site of the former Demi Epicurious,
and prior to that, Sardin Rouge and Sfuzzi.
The ownership is from Houston and they are prepared
to leave no stone unturned in the roll out of this place. Now, the
$2 million dollar question is, can Austin absorb another sushi restaurant?
Within walking distance, there is Silhouette, Kenichi, Kyoto, Finn
and Porter, Mimosa, and Uchi is a short pedi cab ride away. But
the owners are confident that the demand is there. Wish them, as
always, the best.
As soon as I get a chance to try the food,
I’ll give you my opinion.
02/25
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Banderas
opens in the Renaissance Hotel in the Arboretum
Banderas has opened
at the Renaissance Hotel at the Arboretum, at 9271 Arboretum Bld.
It’s new restaurant under the helm of renowned Chef Raman Natarajan,
and it will focus on the history of Texas and the cuisines of our
region. Emphasis will also be given to Texas wines. It will be open
for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
02/25
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Truluck’s
183 to open on February 22nd
They experimented with
the concept of the Florida Seafood Grille and then closed it down.
But David Tripoli, Johnny Carino, and the gang are back with Truluck’s
on Research. The menu will mimic that of the popular warehouse district
restaurant.
This is an area that is sorely in need of quality
restaurants so I couldn’t be happier to see the opening. The address
is 10025 Research, phone is 794-8300.
Hours of operation
will be Sun-Thu 5-10pm, and Fri-Sat 5-11pm.
02/21
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Sea
Island Shrimp House To Close on 2/27
The popular Sea Island
Shrimp House, the Austin extension of the long standing San Antonio
chain, will close on February 27th. The restaurant, adjacent to
Fry’s superstore on N. Mopac, always appeared to be crowded. However,
last year the restaurant had to be evacuated four times because
of road construction issues in the area. And apparently the last
closing was just too much for the owners.
On a nice note, the company is lining up interviews
for its employees with other restaurants and is relocating employees
to its San Antonio stores as well. The official word from management
is that they may begin researching other locations in the Austin
area. And for those who just have to have their Sea Island fix,
the closest store to Austin is in north San Antonio at the Agora
shopping center.
As usual, we’ll keep you posted on www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com.
02/25
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Granite
Café Closes: To Reopen with Mediterranean concept in late
Spring under the stewardship of Asti’s Emmit Fox
For a substantial part
of the late 80’s, The Granite Café was unquestionably my
favorite restaurant in Austin. I can still taste the Smoked Chicken
and Pasta with Adobo Cream Sauce. Awesome. But all good things come
to and end. Reed Clemons and company folded the tent recently at
Granite. Chef Sam Dickey went off to start “7” with Will Packwood
(late of Emilia’s) and the landlord apparently became delusional
with regard to the lease renewal. (That’s not uncommon in the restaurant
biz.)
The good news is that Emmit Fox of Asti,
one of my favorite little trattoria’s in Hyde Park, will reopen
the restaurant with a Mediterranean theme. Opening projected for
May. But stay tuned, as always, to www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com
for details.
02/21
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Closings:
Zio’s and Bistro 88 at Oak Hill
Two restaurants at
opposite ends of the food spectrum closed last week: Zio’s, an Italian
chain on Research that I was not particularly fond of and Bistro
88 Oak Hill, Jeff Liu’s noble experiment in bringing his stellar
cuisine to fine-cuisine starved S. Austin. This marks the second
closing of a chain in the past month (Rockfish in Westlake bit the
dust).
No comment from the corporate office on why
Zio’s closed. Formulate your own opinions I guess.
As for Bistro 88 Oak Hill, the good news
is that Bistro 88 on Bee Caves in Westlake and their sister restaurant,
Noodleism on 5th St., are still open and doing just fine. We hear
that many of the core customers of the Oak Hill Bistro 88 are now
heading over to the Westlake store. So in a way, that takes a bit
of the sting out of it for Jeff.
02/18
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Golden
Harbor on Middle Fiskville Folds Up the Tent
The Golden Harbor Chinese
and Sushi Buffet at Middle Fiskville at N IH 35 has closed. This
was the former site of the Oishi Sushi House which also ran into
trouble at this location. Golden Harbor was one of the better Asian
buffets in the city. The owner, Edward, is very congenial and knows
how to woo customers. But even he couldn’t work his magic at this
site. Taj Palace, a good Indian restaurant in the same center, has
the same problem as Golden Harbor.: good lunch crowd: little to
no dinner crowd. And alas, those kinds of numbers just don’t add
up.
02/01
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Stonehouse
Grill on Burnet Calls it Quits
Stonehouse Grill at
6701 Burnet has also closed after a six-year run. I liked the restaurant.
It started out targeting the high-end dining crowd, but then segued
toward families with kids. Burnet, for whatever reason, has not
been particularly kind to a number of restaurants. Curras, which
does huge business on E. Oltorf, is having a tougher time at the
Burnet location. Go figure.
02/01
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The
wrath of Westlake Strikes gain as Rockfish bites the dust
In what may go down
on record as being one of the most phenomenally unlucky restaurants
sites in Austin history, the space at Walsh Tarlton that has housed,
by my recollection, 9 different restaurants since 1983, saw the
most recent tenant, Rockfish, crash and burn last week.
Rockfish is a chain with deep pockets,
not great but OK food, and a decent advertising budget. But they
couldn’t beat the curse of Westlake. Prior tenants have included
Serrano’s, Chez Zee, and many, many others. It amazes me how many
restaurants routinely bite the dust in Westlake each year. Makes
one wonder why anyone in their right mind would start a restaurant
in that area.
02/01
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