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Closings
Going
Strong
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Heard
on the Street
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Transitions
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At Schlotzsky's..what's
your favorootsky?
Since 9-11, many upscale restaurants have
taken a hit. But the medium priced comfort food concept spots have
done just fine. Schlotzsky's, truly an Austin original now known
the world over, is a good example of that. Went to their "superstore"
on S. Lamar near Riverside for lunch the other day, spent $5.95
and had the original sandwich, chips, and a diet coke. The bread
was fresh, the sandwich very tasty, and even though the place was
packed, I got my lunch in about 3.5 minutes. On my next visit, I
tried the pastrami sandwich and it was excellent. And again, the
place was packed.
This superstore, where Schlotszky's actually brings in franchisees
for training, also boasts a bakery where delicious breads and pastries
abound. You can buy a latte cheaper than at Starbucks, log on to
an I-Mac computer and surf the NET, buy a bottle of wine, or just
make like an original Austinite, kick back, and watch the people
come and go.
The original Schlotzsky's store dates back to 1971, the year the
ORIGINAL sandwich [and only one at that time] was introduced. Inspired
by the famous New Orleans Muffuletta, the ORIGINAL developed a cult
following of UT students. [It still accounts for almost 40% of Schlotzsky's
sales today].
Since then, Schlotzsky's, under the stewardship of John Wooley,
has gone public, added more than 600 stores around the U.S. and
the world, many new sandwiches, and yes, even Pizza!
But despite its size, this Austin superstore retains its feel, and
the attitude is decidedly Austintatious.
I criticized Schlotzsky several years ago for diluting their product
line. I was fiercely loyal to the ORIGINAL and was miffed about
all the new stuff. But I'll tell you what, after finally breaking
down and trying some of that new stuff, it's pretty damn good.
So head down to S. Lamar, bring the kids, and have a meal at Schlotzsky's.
Have a piece of Key Lime pie for dessert or bring home a loaf of
bread. The place just feels right.
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Economic Slowdown Helping Restaurants
The nation's financial woes have a silver
lining for the restaurant industry. Many chains and individually
owned places have had a much easier time hiring help over the past
several months. Z-Tejas, the popular Austin eatery, recently opened
up stores in Dallas and Costa Mesa, CA without, for the first time
in a long while, any major staffing problems. It seems that now
that the dot-com craze has cratered, many young would be zillionaires
are turning to the food business. Life is indeed funny.
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| Emelia's
Has No Plans to Close
Contrary to what you may have heard, one
of the crown jewels in our dining firmament, Emelia's, has not plans
to close. Owner Dennis Tracey says the restaurant is his passion,
and he will indulge that passion. Good for him. And good for us.
Chef Will Packwood rocks the house. His foie gras al torchon [the
recipe appeared in this column several months ago] rocks the house!
They also have the city's largest and certainly one of the top wine
selections.
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| Jean
Pierre's
Jean Pierre's, however, has closed. That
is irrefutable. However, Jean Pierre, indomitable restauranteur
that he is, has a new concept in Oak Hill called the Y-Bar and Grill.
The theme here is upscale-family friendly. Hmmmm. Should be interesting.
Call 394-0220.
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| America's
Dining Habits Since September 11th
According to
some unofficial polls conducted by others, and myself here's what's
going on around the country.
- Sales decreased dramatically in the week
after the incidents but they have drifted back up again.
- Comfort food appears to be doing very
well. (I was at El Patio the other evening and it was mobbed.)
- Many upscale restaurants reported guests
ordering less but lingering longer. Almost as if they didn't want
to go home.
- Some restaurants are selling more bottles
of wine at lunch than usual.
- While dessert sales have been mixed,
sales of expensive bottles of wine seem to be up.
- Bakeries report an up tick in sales.
(The need for sugar perhaps?)
- Fast food spots report business pretty
much as usual. (I mean after all, don't ask me to give up my Chicken
Mc Nuggets.)
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Barton
Springs Road and the Never Ending Construction
I don't know what the city's doing
on Barton Springs Rd. near Lamar, but if I were the owner of Romeo's,
Henry's, Pizza Nizza Et al., I would be outraged. It's been dug
up now for months, little if any progress appears to have been made,
and access to those establishments is more difficult. The same beaurocratic
black helicopter types killed Ashe Correa's Empanada Parlour on
4th st. several years ago with the project from HELL Let's hope
these restaurants can get past the city's eternal blundering.
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Celebrity
Sightings
I know you all wait breathlessly for every
installment of our celebrity sightings. So here goes:
Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey and his crew closed down Gumbo's
for a film shoot on October 9th. Good for Gumbo's but I was craving
some Shrimp Eddy. Word on Kevin from the local observers: "He's
short."
Sandra Bullock was spotted at Eddie V's downtown again, but minus
Bob S. this time. Rest assured that when Eddie's opens its new north
location, there's a good bet Sandy will be there.
Star of one of the most incredibly bad movies of our time, Battleship
Earth, John Travolta was seen at Louie's 106. One more crummy flick
and JT will be back to making movies about talking fetuses.
And local girl makes good Rene Zellwegger astounded customers at
Sugar's (where she used to work) by taking a shift as a waitress.
Actually, just kidding on this one. Wanted to see if you were paying
attention.
Dennis Quaid was back in town briefly and
spotted at Artz Rib House on S. Lamar.
One of my long time favorites, Richard Dreyfuss, was at Kenichi
the other night. No one made a fuss. I guess if it had been P.Daddy,
people might have gotten excited. Ah well. More next month.
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Wine
Notes
'98 Cataldi Madonna…Montepulciano
d' Abruzzo In the Chianti family, but with less acid. For $12.99,
a very drinkable red wine. Great with pasta. Not bad for just sipping
either.
Since September 11th, Grapevine Market reports a drop in sales on
$25 + bottles of wine but an increase in volume on the $12-15 bottles.
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Readers: Do you have suggestions for this
list?
Drop us an e-mail
and we'll share your opinions next month.
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Question
of the Month
This month's question is from Maureen Sedgwick
of Austin.
Dear Rob: I ordered a bottle of wine
the other night that tasted and smelled like damp earth on cardboard.
I sent it back and the owner immediately nodded his head in agreement.
He said the wine was corked. Yet I saw no pieces of
cork floating in it.
What does that mean exactly?
Dear Maureen: For years the French have
used corks to seal their wine bottles. While it is technically not
necessary to do so with today's technology, history and tradition
have worked to preserve the use of the cork. Unfortunately, every
so often, bacteria invade the cork and the wine takes on a moldy,
heavily distinctive, unpleasant taste and odor. That wine is said
to be "corked." That doesn't mean there are pieces of
cork floating in it. (Indeed, you may have a perfectly fine bottle
of wine with a few pieces of the cork floating in there. Not to
worry. The taste and bouquet are the key.) This phenomenon can happen
to any bottle of wine that uses natural cork. The odds of getting
a corked bottle: about 1 in 30. Cost has nothing to do with it.
Expensive wines are just as susceptible as cheaper wines.
IF YOUR QUESTION IS CHOSEN FOR PUBLICATION,
YOU'LL RECEIVE A DINNER FOR TWO AT ONE OF OUR FEATURED RESTAURANTS.
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