For more than a few folks in the Austin restaurant business, looking back at 2002 is like looking in your rear view mirror and seeing the T-REX from Jurassic Park thundering down the street after you. You don't want to look because it scares the crap out of you, yet you can't help but look because it's luridly compelling.

A lot of Austin restaurant operators wish they could take 2002 and the horse it road in on and do you-know-what with it. Such was the year that saw customers become increasingly conscious of value, less likely to experiment with new restaurants, and more content to hunker down at home over a couple of bottles of wine instead of venturing out to their favorite establishment. Corporations turned off the spigot in 2002, the profligate spending of years past significantly curtailed. No longer were tech execs blowing thousands of dollars on Vintage Dom and Christal while they presided over lavish corporate dinner parties.

And not surprisingly, as a result, some really good higher end restaurants folded.

Closings
I was sad to see the demise of my favorite northern Italian spot, Girasole. It's a shame to see a restaurant like that flame and die while just a block down 4th st., the lame Spaghetti Warehouse is packing them in. Likewise I regretted the passing of Star Canyon in the Stephen F. Austin hotel. And I was totally bummed to see the end of Café Bleu out at Volente Beach, a wildly creative and amazingly cool Mediterranean restaurant. And the last month of 2002 marked the end of downtown standard The City Grill. They, like earlier casualty The Empanada Parlor just got tired of fighting the tangled urban landscape of east downtown between 3rd and 6th streets. Chalk up another victim to the City of Austin's urban mismanagement goons (had a look at Barton Springs Road lately???)

And lamentably, 2002 saw the end of Warehouse District pioneer, Gilligan's. Their conch fritters used to make my day. Si Bon, one of our favorites on S. Lamar, was another casualty. Peter O'Brien moved off to Maine, so I'm told. Rumor has it that another Sushi restaurant (that will make 31) is preparing to move into the site.

Some restaurants opened and weren't even around long enough for the proverbial cup of coffee. Robbie's Cajun Kitchen on W. 6th, which offered some terrific crayfish etouffee, closed after about three months. The Coyote Grill, at 4th and Lavaca, didn't even last that long. Café Mia in Westlake, a fine little eaterie in Westlake went far too quickly as did Café Spiazzo, also in Westlake (although the northern sister restaurant off 2222 remains open). Baron's Steakhouse, at the entrance to Davenport Village off Hwy 360, lasted a very short time. (Footnote to restaurant types thinking about opening in Westlake: there may be a lot of wealthy folks that live in Westlake, but it is apparent that they don't dine there.) And newcomer El Dorado, on Lake Austin Boulevard, opened under the constraints of a very restrictive lease. They sputtered, sought reorganization protection under Chapter 11, and I'm pleased to report, are on the way back to success. The place has a killer location and the food to go with it. Look for big things from them in 2003.

Then there was the unfortunate disappearance of Chef Ped and his Lemongrass restaurants. Ped apparently left behind a barrel full of bills, bad debts, irate investors, and creditors who were angry enough to hire a private detective to track him down. Rumor was he liked to play the horses. Sad saga. The guy sure could cook.

And in another bizarre tale, Pao's Mandarin, a sensational downtown restaurant that served Mainland Chinese cuisine (and was packed even though you could not see the restaurant from the street) was kicked out of its building by a greedy landlord who bet on the come and lost. After they had dismantled all their equipment and moved most out to their Lakeway location, the landlord asked if they'd like to stay after all. Would have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. Steve and Linda Pao are doing just fine out in Lakeway, but I do miss the downtown Pao's.

Bright spots
But not all was doom and gloom in 2002. There were some bright spots at the higher end of the spectrum. Good, solid restaurant operators still managed to turn in some serious numbers. Cool River Café, one of my favorite steakhouses, reported a nice increase in revenues over 2001. Also, in the Warehouse district, Truluck's reported they were up 9%. (Part of their new strategy was not to have any fish items priced over $20 and to decrease the margins on their wines to appeal more to individual customers and less to corporations.) Looks like it worked.

Ray's Steakhouse also had a strong year. The Shoreline Grill, a fine seafood restaurant, and Jeffrey's, king of bistro dining in Austin, both turned profits in 2002. And things were good enough at Hudson's on the Bend out in Lakeway for owner Jeff Blank to open a new restaurant (Ocotillo) in Lajitas, near Big Bend. Also, popular seafood and steak emporium Eddie V's reported a solid year at its downtown location on 5th St. and at new digs at the Arboretum.

Another source of good information on how restaurants are doing comes from the linen supply folks. My sources tell me that orders are up at Cajun-styled Gumbo's on Colorado and at Z-Tejas (at W. 6th and the Arboretum), where more emphasis has been placed on New American cuisine. Can't argue with that. Both are terrific restaurants and we're lucky to have them.

And the purveyors of Tex Mex, BBQ, and down home comfort foods, all Austin staples, did just fine in 2002. Restaurants like Hoover's Cooking on Manor Road, the inestimable Maudie's, and my personal favorite, El Patio, all had solid years. As did Rudy's BBQ, The County Line, Artz Rib House and the good old out in the middle of nowhere Salt Lick, [which each day disproves the adage that location is everything]. Austin traditions like Huts, Dan's Hamburgers, Frank and Angies, The Bakehouse and even the seedy but delightful Magnolia Café were all reported to have good years. Ditto for Pizza stalwarts like Stan Adams' Brick Oven pizza and the raucous and totally east coast Saccone's on Research near 620.

Openings
And there were some sensational new openings in 2002. First and foremost was the amazing Demi Epicurious, (at the site of the former Sardine Rouge on E. 6th) Don Rhode's valentine card to Austin. This restaurant stormed into our TOP 20 in record time for good reason. The idea is smaller versions of entrees at lower price points, to induce sharing and tasting. Hence, the name Demi. We were also delighted to see the rebirth of Yoli's Jambalaya out on Bratton Lane. Exquisite Cajun fare. And how about the great family-style Italian restaurant out in Lakeway, Ciola's?

One opening I really enjoyed was the rebirth of Hill's Café on S. Congress. Austin radio personality Bob Cole rebuilt this long-time Austin legend after it had been closed for 13 years! And I'm pleased to report the food is even better this time around. (Try their new Philly Cheesesteak and see if you don't agree!)

Further north on S. Congress, neighborhood bistro Lambert's opened over the summer. Nice little place with European sensibilities.

And out in Pflugerville, of all places, an elegant and seriously tasty Hungarian/German restaurant known as the Euopean Bistro opened in the fall. Also worthy of mentioning: Azul Tequila, a delicious Tex mex-Interior Mexican place on Ben White in the Target shopping center, opened a second location in Round Rock as did another of my Asian favorites: The Mongolian Grille.

And we must mention the opening of the Backstage Steakhouse on Highway
71 in Spicewood. Chefs Raymond Tatum, and Jim Ryan, two of my favorites, are making magic together. It may be out in the boonies, but pay a visit. On a similar note, Reed Clemons, one of Austin's leading restaurant developers, rolled the dice with Reed's Supper Club at the site of his former Mezzaluna North restaurant at the Gateway Shopping Center. The theme is Jazz, seven nights a week downstairs, and steaks and seafood upstairs. The mood is adult, the service impeccable, and the food's excellent. If anything, it (the service) might even be too attentive (if that's possible). This is a fun evening for grownups. Seen any lately?

And Austin finally got a new Deli: Manny Hattan's opened up in the Gateway Center to rave reviews from yours truly. They have not Texanized their Deli fare. Want Gefeltefish? They got it? Stuffed Derma? They got it. Go try it.

But the year belonged to the Asian invasion. It seemed that everywhere one turned, there was a new sushi or Tepanyaki restaurant. The epicenter of this development was particularly strong in the Northwest area of the city. New places like Midori Sushi on Research near Anderson Mill and Mikado, on Research near Burnet proliferated. But new arrivals punctuated other areas of the city as well: witness Dragon Gate on Bee Caves Rd, Sake on Sixth, at 621 E. 6th St. And don't forget these Asian eateries: Noodleism by the folks at Bistro 88 opened on 5th St. Thai Tara, a truly delightful Thai restaurant opened on 6th, Mimosa, a Tepanyaki and Sushi house opened on Barton Springs Road , The Tea House, combining Chinese and Vietnamese opened on Research, and Lotus Hunan, a nifty Chinese restaurant on Bee Caves at Walsh Tarleton in Westlake. Also, Japanese fast-food emporium Zen opened a second location on S. Congress next to the new Amy's Ice Cream (which is ironically housed in the first-ever Schlotzsky's location).

So, on the whole, things could have been worse. Austin is a wonderful city to live in. And restaurant-wise, we have far more than our fare share of quality spots for a city of our size.

News flash though to all of you Olive Garden and Red Lobster fans: we have to keep supporting the owner-operated restaurants in our city. Every time we lose a gem like Girasole or Café Bleu, we are more likely to see it replaced with some godawful chain restaurant like Zio's or, even worse, Landry's. There are cities in this nation where you can drive along that city's equvalent of our Ben White or Burnet Road and see nothing but an endless sea of theme park chain joints like Joe's Crab Shack. Yes, I acknowledge that there are some decent chains. I actually kinda like Chili's, and Burger King for fast food (love that whopper with cheese). But that absence of quality, owner-operated places is my own personal vision of Armageddon.

I hope Austin never comes to that.

Well, happy New Year Austin, and bon appetit.