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Food
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Restaurant
Events
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Openings
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As
Midtown Club looks at possible $750,000 “gift” from city of Austin,
Dot’s Place rebuilding fund languishes, with just over $24,000 raised!
It’s a tale of two
fires: one decimated the beloved Dot’s Place last Fall. The other
took down the Midtown Club on Cameron Road. Dot, alas, did not have
insurance. The Midtown Club did have insurance to the tune of 1.1
million.
On top of that city manager Toby Futrell has
suggested that a forgivable loan in the amount of $750,000 be given
to Midtown to aid in the rebuilding. The effort for Dot’s Place,
which has raised only $24,000 (she needs about $400,000 to rebuild)
is languishing. Somehow, it just doesn’t seem fair.
To give a donation to Dot’s, go to the
web site at www.dotsplaceaustin.com.
Somebody needs to step up and help this woman. We’ve made our donation
over here at Dining Out with Rob. Will you join us?
3/22
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In
town for South by Southwest and looking for a restaurant?
Nothing like five days
of avant garde films and cutting edge music to stoke the appetite
of those hardy souls who venture to Austin for South by Southwest.
Here’s a list of restaurants that are close to the downtown action:
Café
at the Four Seasons—Fine Dining
The
Shoreline Grill—Seafood and Steaks
Dona
Emillia’s—Colombian fare
Eddie
V’s--Seafood
Manuel’s--Mexican
La
Traviata--Italian
Truluck’s--Seafood
Silhouette
--sushi[
The
Driskill Grill—Fine Dining
Katz’s Deli—classic
deli fare
Hut’s Burgers—20
different kinds of burgers
Frank
and Angie’s Pizza—pizza and Italian
Castle
Hill Café—quirky excellence
Saba Blue
Water Café—tapas and other goodies
Moonshine
Patio Bar and Grill—comfort food
Thai
Tara—classic Thai
Opal Divine’s
Free House—pub fare
Aquarelle—elegant
French
El Sol
y la Luna--Mexican
Guero’s--Mexican
Sullivan’s--Steaks
Kenichi—Sushi
and Japanese
Mezzaluna--Italian
Bitter End--Eclectic
Fleming’s
Steakhouse—steaks and chops
Roy’s—Hawaii
fusion
Thistle
Café—upscale steaks and seafood
Roaring
Fork—cuisine of the American West
Zax Piints
and Plates—southwest and very cool sandwiches and mico brews.
03/01
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The
“Big” Kolache Opens in S. Austin at E. Oltorf and S. Congress
Kolaches are making
a comeback in Austin. While the original Kolache Shoppe on 7113
Burnet Rd. is still my favorite, the “Big” Kolache has opened at
2407 South Congress. (512) 383-9050. They have a fairly limited
menu but what I tried (sausage and jalapeno, regular sausage, and
cherry) was good.
03/29
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First
Bites: Maiko Sushi and Japanese
There's another new
Sushi and Japanese restaurant in the downtown area and it's called
Maiko. Occupying the 6th St. [next to Oslo] space that formerly
housed Pfuzzi, Sardine Rouge, and Demi Epicurious, Maiko is going
for the sleek, sophisticated look.
They got the sleek down well: from the hostess to the bartender
to the wait people, we are talking seriously short skirts worn buy
seriously cute young ladies.
But from my first tasting several weeks ago, there is, thankfully,
substance and culinary sophistication to go along with the form.
Chef Seiju Onami was apprenticed at age 14 to a sushi master in
his native Tokyo. Now, at the ripe old age of 38, he's got 24 years
of experience under his belt, and it shows!
We tried a very tasty Teppan Gyoza to begin
with. A lovely flavor to the classic dumplings characterized by
a fiery chili oil that jumped out at mid palate.
Also intriguing was the Aizamo Tamaro Soya Braised Duck Breast.
The eggplant and the ginger emulsion were the crowning glories of
this intricate dish.
The Sea Bass was buttery and had perfect texture.
Better than the butterfish at Roy's and equal to the one at Kenichi.
And that's saying something. I also found the Shrimp and Scallop
Sei San, tossed in a wok with green tea soba noodles, to have an
extremely interesting flavor. Part of the charm is that the noodles
are dipped in Tobiko [fish eggs], causing them to better retain
all the flavors from the yuzu beure blanc. This had some serious
flavor.
We moved on to let chef Onami serenade us at
the Sushi Bar. He dismissed my request for O Toro and Hamachi and
instead pressed us to try the more unusual fare. First rule of Tokyo
style sushi: you are not presented with a side chunk of wasabi and
soy. No soy sauce from Onami! The chef hands you a morsel ready
to be eaten, dipped in his own special sauce [Nikiri] and wasabi.
We tried Wagyu [torch seared beef], Kani [crab stick], Hotatega
[scallop], and Suzuki [sea bass]. All were quite good.
Maiko has been open for several weeks
now and is about to start serving lunch. Check them out. (512) 236-9888
03/21
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New
Whole Foods Market Location Opens on 6th and Lamar
Whole Foods Market
opened their new location on 6th and Lamar at 8am Thursday. The
80,000 square-foot store offers a wider selection than traditional
grocery stores. In addition to an impressive produce section, Whole
Foods is home to a walk-in beer cooler and a chocolate station.
Pastry chefs and wine experts are on staff, and the store offers
five dining areas.
Whole Foods Market began as a small neighborhood
grocer 25 years ago. John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO and co-founder,
and other executives were onhand for the opening. Though much larger
in size, the store retains the charm of its first location, with
an intimate, village-style layout.
The new World Headquarters features a 25,000-square-foot
roof garden and plaza with 200 shaded seats, a space for entertainers,
native landscaping and prime city views. Store hours are 8am to
10pm, seven days a week.
For more information call (512) 476-1206.
03/04
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China
on the Avenue closes leaving downtown Austin without an Owner-Operated
Chinese food option
China on the Avenue,
which has been hanging on by its figurative fingernails for the
past year closed recently. The Congress avenue location was the
only downtown venue for Chinese food.
The closest establishments available to downtowners
now are Suzi’s China Kitchen on S. Lamar, Wan Fu II on Barton Springs,
and Mandarin on E. Oltorf near S. Congress.
Perhaps some entrepreneur will pick up
the hint that the downtown area could use a good Chinese restaurant.
03/25
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Hyderabad
Closes Temporarily
One of our favorites,
the new Indian restaurant Hyderabad at N. Mopac and Wells Branch
has closed temporarily. They literally have been unable to pay the
rent.
This underscores how difficult things are for
many new restaurants in the central Texas area. Hyderabad is not
alone with its problems nor is its situation unique. There are far
too many new, little restaurants hanging on by their fingernails.
When they reopen, we’ll post it immediately
here on www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com.
03/09
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Round
Rock Location of Azul Tequila Closes
The Round Rock location of Azul Tequila has
closed. They operated for four years off of Exit 254, but have unfortunately
closed their doors. The Ben
White location is still open and doing fine.
03/09
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Events You Might Have Missed:
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Mack
Brown’s recipes on tap during March at the Café at the Four
Seasons: Cooking for a Cure
Curious about the dishes
that UT football coach Mack Brown and his wife Sally enjoy cooking?
Well, you can sample their favorite recipes at the Café at
the Four Seasons as executed by Chef Elmar Prambs.
The Cooking for a Cure series features the recipes
and favorites of a different celebrity each month presented in a
four-course dinner at the restaurant.
A portion of all proceeds from Cooking for a
Cure is donated to the Seton Shivers Cancer Center at Brackenridge.
The series will conclude in June with
recipes from Lance Armstrong. Call 478-4500 for more information.
03/07
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Austin’s
First Videoteca Audiovisual Lounge at Doña Emilia’s
The first Videoteca
Audiovisual Lounge will arrive in Austin at Doña Emilia’s
Atrium Lounge in a series of Thursday night performances beginning
at 9:00 PM on March 24, 2005. These nights are planned to be a “cinematic
drinking experience” where the HD Plasma TV’s, Video Screens and
lighting effects, rather than a sound system, is the focus of the
night. Doña Emilia’s Videoteca is a mix of audiovisual performances,
DJ/VJ (Disc Jockey/Video Jockey) sets and screenings, combining
some of the most innovative music videos, computer animations and
audiovisual mixes from both accomplished and emerging talent. The
door is complimentary.
The Videoteca Audiovisual Lounge concept has
been a critic’s choice in Paris, Tokyo, London, and Hamburg as well
in the major cities of South America.
"Videoteca: Where cinema meets club culture. An exciting opportunity
to see new work and marvel at the wonders of technology. For chilled
clubbing types who feel in need of some midweek lounging with a
Latin twist. These evenings offer a sensory smorgasbord of audiovisual
delights...."
03/24
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St.
Patrick's Weekend Specials at Nonna's
Nonna's Cucina in Georgetown
will have several Chef's Specials for St. Patrick's day, Friday
and Saturday.
Linguini with Pistachio Pesto.
Green-Lip Mussels with Tomato Basil Linguini in a white wine, garlic
sauce.
Spinach Fettuccini with Roasted Garlic Cream and Sundried Tomatoes.
Pesto stuffed Foccacia Chicken Breast.
Starting this weekend they will have a "Setup"
fee of just $1.00 per person for alcoholic berverages. Pricing will
be the same for wine that they offer or you may still bring a bottle
of your own.
For reservations, call (512) 863-3442.
Nonna's is located at 124 E. 8th St. in Georgetown.
03/18
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