Far south Austin, which used to suffer from restaurant deprivation, has had a renaissance lately with a number of new, casual and family-friendly places coming on like at South Park Meadows. Now I'm sure most of you are familiar with 6th St. icon Little Woodrow's: picnic tables, fun, and loads of beer. But I want to introduce you to the new Little Woodrows's at South Park. They've got the beer (over 100 beers with 30 on tap) and the fun, but they also have some seriously tempting vittles on the menu.

It always helps to have something tasty to go along with all that beer. And Little Woodrow's at South Park delivers. The Chips and Queso, featuring a Pepperjack cheese with Rotel tomatoes has a mellow yet spicy vibe to it. Nice texture. They go well with an ice cold Tecate. I am also a fan of the Fried Mushrooms. The batter is the key here and Woodrow's nails it. Taste and texture is as I would expect. I also appreciate the fact that they are not served dripping in oil as is often the case. And you absolutely have to try the Sliders. These little mini hamburgers are the perfect appetizer. I haven't had any these good since the demise of Ray's Steakhouse. Kudos to Woodrow's for reviving a lost art. And of course, with beer, one always has to have Wings. I like the Lemon Pepper spice myself: this makes for a lip-smacking appetizer. The more venturous might want to try the Wings with Stubb's Inferno sauce. A hot prospect, but goes well with a cool one.

Pizza is an integral part of the menu offerings at Little Woodrow's. You can choose either a 12" or 16" pie. I like the Pepperoni, Sausage, Onion, and Mushroom version. This is very decent pizza: not vintage Connecticut pizza, but not bad at all. Another fun and enjoyable pizza choice is the Dante's Greek Pizza. This Mediterranean treat features Grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, kalamatta olives, bell peppers and feta cheese. If Dante himself had been around to try this pie, he might have been more optimistic about eternal damnation.

The Chicken Tender baskets are another part of the charm of Little Woodrow's. While not fodder for the serious gourmet, they are crisp and tasty enough to go along with the celebration of Cervesas that this restaurant offers. We're talking fun, casual food here and with a little ranch dressing on the side, it's light years removed from DQ.

So your repast is complete. You've enjoyed their really decent service (seriously cute waitresses as well), their cool outdoor patio, perhaps sampled one of their weekly Steak Nights, and all the goodies described above. But one thing remains: the hard-to-pass-up Fried Oreos.

Picture crisp Oreo cookies battered and deep fried, covered with powdered sugar and chocolate syrup. This original confection quite literally melts in your mouth. The hard part is to escape with just one order.

Little Woodrows's is at Slaughter Lane off IH-35 across from the Chick-Filet. It's a fun part of the newer, hipper, cooler South Austin restaurant scene. And who knows? You might even find yourself out there on some Tuesday night caught up in the unremitting joy of a Washers tournament!

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