900 Palm Vally Blvd. Suite #1008
Round Rock
(512) 218-1036
Dwight's comments:
Here's the rumor, as I've heard it: Mr. "Gunther", the owner of Gunther's (I don't know that his name is really "Mr. Gunther": I just call him that to make it easy. Or, if you prefer, think of Reservoir Dogs.) had a quadruple bypass and sold Gunther's. The person (or group) he sold Gunther's to promptly fired much of the staff and (as you may have noticed) changed/expanded the menu to add Spanish and Cuban food. (No, we haven't been back: I want paellea, but Lawrence wants to let them settle down some.)
Some of the fired staff then supposedly went off and started up Taste of Hungary. And here we are.
How was it? Interesting, and a bit odd, but not in the spooky Cafe Mozart way.
I thought the chicken pappreskh appetizer was good, if a bit pricy, but the main dishes were hearty and reasonably priced enough for me.
I thought the dumplings were slightly better than okay, but I actually prefer spatzle. (You get two side dishes with your entree: recommendations are printed on the menu, and I should warn you that the staff is very serious about those recommendations.)
And I can't recall the last time I was asked to sign a guest book at a restaurant...
Taste of Hungary does lose major points with me, however, because of one item on their menu: they charge for tea refills. I'm sorry, but charging for refills, on iced tea, in Texas, is the sort of thing that makes people say, "Get a rope."
Even with that policy changed, it is a bit far for me to drive on a regular basis: however, if you live in Round Rock and are looking for something different (perhaps for an intimate dinner with that special someone), Taste of Hungary is worth a try.
Lawrence's comments:
I'm always hopeful when restaurants offering heretofore unrepresented ethnic cuisines open up in the Austin area, so I was pleased to learn that Taste of Hungary had opened up in Round Rock. The meal started well, with a chicken paprika pocket appetizer that was quite good, if a touch pricey ($3.95 for one, if memory serves), though the bread was undistinguished.
While the main entrees seemed reasonably priced, my pork loin with sausage plate suffered from The French Problem, though the dumpling portions were quite generous. My spatzle (German noodles) confirmed my initial impression, first conceived at Gunther's, that spatzle is at the very bottom of the pasta foodchain. For dessert the cinnamon crepe was quite good.
Oddly enough, Taste of Hungary left me with no strong impressions. I do think they need a wider range of appetizers, and at least one "standard" salad (all the ones on the menu seemed based on cucumbers or fruit). Though I wasn't overwhelmed, I still hope they make a go of it, and I think it might be worth coming back to try the goulash.
9616 N Lamar #156 491-8856
Men's room rating: 2? (I didn't rate it: Lawrence says it was "adequate").
Dwight's comments:
I was developing a mild flu (which hit full force on Saturday) that night, so I don't feel comfortable rating the food. From what I could tell, it was okay.
What I do want to comment on is the service, which can best be described as "appalling". It took at least half an hour from the time we ordered until the first appetizer was brought out. (And they never brought out the steamed dumplings: when we pointed this out at the end of the meal, the server disappeared for about fifteen minutes and came back to tell us they were "out of steamed dumplings".)
Whoever prepared the soup pot used a heavy hand with the Sterno: I seriously thought we might have to evacuate the table because of the flames shooting out from underneath.
Tea and water refills were impossible to get: at one point, I resorted to holding my glass above my head for about five minutes, desperately trying to get someone's attention, and was still ignored. Lawrence resorted to filling his own water glass at the server's station.
I don't believe the theory that they were overwhelmed because of the review in XLEnt the day before: as far as I could tell, they had plenty of staff on hand, but no organization.
It will be a cold day in Hell before I give Classic Thai another try.
Lawrence's comments:
Good food, bad service.
Part of the service problem probably stemmed from them getting a good review in the Statesman the day before, as I got the impression they had never filled all their tables before. Even so, the service seemed disoriented and haphazard at best, and abysmal at worst. Dwight spent several minutes imitating the Statue of Liberty in an attempt to get his ice tea refilled, to no avail. I finally walked over to the service counter for my own water refill. The wait staff apologized, but even after that it took a good five minutes to get tea, water, and extra rice. Though this was clearly a case of organizational impairment rather than actual malice, it made for a far less pleasant dining experience.
Despite that, the food turned out to be pretty good. The Tod Mun was crispy on the outside, though perhaps a touch too moist within, and the Tom Yum Gai soup was perfectly acceptable (even though there was a delay in getting our bowls). My Tiger Cry seemed every bit as good as that served at Thai Kitchen, though not nearly as spicy as I like it, and the spicy chicken noodle dish we ordered (I forget the name--yet another oversight was the lack of carryout menus--but it's the dish right above Pad Thai on the menu) was very savory.
However, Thai Kitchen and PooThai have food that is as good as or better than Classic Thai AND competent service. Though I'm not willing to write off Classic Thai entirely, I would suggest staying away for the next few months, since they really need to get their act together.
105 Tillery Street
385-8002
Dwight's comments:
Hey, hey: this is a find.
Excellent fajitas, and plenty of them. (The one-pound combo fed two of us, and provided leftovers.) Pretty good hot sauce (with a larger than average touch of garlic: I approve). Good service. (Of course, we were the only people in the place at six on Saturday.) Small children don't seem to be a problem.
And they have a live mariachi band on Saturday nights: I'm sorry we couldn't stay long enough to hear them. (But I'll try to make it up to the band: Mariachi Oro del Sol, directed by Jennifer Luna. (512) 418-5339. Why not hire them next time you need a mariachi band?)
I commend Tio Tito to the attention of the adventurous diner, or anyone tired of waiting in line at Chuy's.
Lawrence's comments:
Just off First Street in deep Hispanic East Austin (Is "Hispanic" the currently accepted politically correct phrase? If not, .), Tio Tito's serves up better than average TexMex at reasonable prices. If memory serves, Tio Tito's placed at Fajita Fest several years running, and the fajitas we had there were skillfully enhanced with lime and quite delicious. Not the best fajitas I've had in town, but certainly in the top five.
The service was attentive (they didn't seem very busy), though the nachos and hot sauce were merely adequate, and I wish the menu were a touch more adventurous.
Though a definite step or two above the average TexMex fare, Tio Tito's prices hover just above those at good hole-in-the-wall TexMex places like Arturo's Tacqeria and El Borrego del Oro, but below those of the Ninfa's and Chuy's of the world. Worth a trip, and I wouldn't mind checking them out again at some point.
Previously visited: January 25, 1997.
801 Barton Springs Road
477-1022
Dwight's comments:
Same as it ever was.
Once again, Clyde's Birthday Party rolls around. Once again, dinner at the Filling Station.
The burgers are still pretty good, but I think the fries have declined in quality: they seem more grease laden and less fully cooked than they should be.
The entrees other than burgers are mostly average imitations of dishes done better elsewhere: I wonder why they even bother with some of them.
Lawrence's comments:
Pretty much the same as last year, though this year's party seemed more subdued. The hot wings (aka Pistons) were quite nice, though I think you should get more for the price. The cheese fries are usually good (albeit inferior to the Outback Steakhouse's offering), but we weren't able to judge this time around, since our beleaguered waitress never managed to get them out to us (I'm willing to cut her a little slack, since there were something like 30 people at our table). I enjoy the large hamburgers, but something seemed...lacking. (Offering a version with Cajun seasoning, ala Back Yard Burgers, could be a real winner.) I know, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but maybe it's time for The Filling Station to consider a little innovation.
7517 Cameron Road
302-1768
Dwight's comments:
Standard issue Chinese buffet, with worse than average food.
Life is too short to eat crap like this.
Lawrence's comments:
All you can eat buffet dinner for $5.95 (lunch for $4.95). About what you'd expect for $5.95. Adequate and cheap, though the service was a bit sketchy. Avoid the wonton soup. Better yet, avoid Oriental Express altogether, cruise over to Hwa Yuen or Buffet Palace and spend a few bucks more for a wider (and tastier) range of buffet selections.
Return to the main Saturday Dining Conspiracy page.
See the logs for February of 1998.
See the logs for December of 1997.