(September 7, 2007)

The so-called Austin Entertainment District between 2nd and 3rd streets has lots of restaurants that unfortunately lack any Austin connection. That cannot be said for Austin Java, the café at 2nd and Lavaca at the East end of the City Hall Building. Austin Java is locally owned and operated and it's the epitome of what light, casual dining in the entertainment district ought to be.

The five Austin Java locations are perceived by many to be a place for coffee and breakfast in the morning and for a quick lunch. That's correct as far as it goes: but AJ is also much more. We stopped in for dinner at City Hall the other night and had a very pleasant evening. As can sometimes happen during the day, we were not joined by people sipping coffee and browsing the Internet on their laptops. It was just a casual dinner atmosphere and the food was quite good.

We began with the Tai Sesame Noodle Salad. This is a mélange of Tai noodles with sprouts, red cabbage and green onions served over mixed greens along with bell peppers and sprinkled with peanuts. The salad is large enough to be an entrée and has wonderful flavors and crispy textures. We also tried the Crawfish Avocado Salad. The combination of crawfish tails and green onions over mixed field greens with a zesty remoulade sauce made for a very palatable dish. The balsamic vinaigrette, pickled red onions, sliced avocadoes, tomatoes and corn added to the colorful presentation and delightful tastes.

Next we tried a couple of their classic sandwiches. First we had the colorful Black and Blue Burger. A long-time Austin Java favorite, this sandwich perfectly lends itself to dinner. It's big, flame roasted, and topped with cracked peppercorn sauce and crumbled Gorgonzola. Immediate flavor rush here along with robust textures. Probably a little much for lunch but perfect for dinner. And the Blackened Tuna Sandwich is another great dinner entrée. The tuna has that characteristic seared flavor which goes beautifully with the tomatoes, greens, remoulade and a fresh whole wheat bun.

And then on to the pasta entrees. Yes, we were hungry that night. And who could resist the Cajun Blackened Crawfish Pasta? I like to get mine with penne pasta [it usually comes with linguine] because the garlic cream sauce makes this dish and goes perfectly with the penne. The crawfish tails, red bell peppers and onions round out this dish. Can't finish it: no problem. Take it to go and you'll enjoy it even more when you reheat it. And it can't resist the Creamy Mushroom Pesto Pasta. The creamy pesto sauce is alive with flavors that offer both comfort and titillation to the taste buds. This is quite a different pasta dish but equally appealing.

So head downtown some evening this week to the locally owned Austin Java at City Hall. Enjoy a leisurely and comfortable dinner either indoors or out on the patio. People watch to your heart's content. You might even see our mayor who some say had a hand in the genesis of this restaurant. Nonetheless, you will enjoy.

Top of page