2414 Exposition Blvd.
322-0344
Pepper grinder rating: 0. (But the salt and pepper shakers were a very nice design.)
Dwight's comments:
Terri says this is the best Chinese food she's had in Austin. I wasn't quite as overwhelmed (I still prefer Tien Hong or Pao's.), but the food was more that adequate.
The fried dumplings came with an unusual sauce (Shredded ginger in vinegar?) which complimented them nicely.
On the other hand, I thought the prices were slightly stiff, and I wasn't all that thrilled by the hot-and-sour soup.
I can see why this place is popular: it's a good neighborhood Chinese place, but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to go back.
Lawrence's comments:
Better than average Chinese food, although a little more expensive than average as well. As you would expect for a restaurant named after an island, there were a lot of seafood dishes on the menu, so naturally, we all had beef or pork. Definately worth trying again.
8012 Mesa
349-2126
Dwight's comments:
Mangia's is our usual spot for pizza, but we hadn't been in since their move to new quarters (from their previous Anderson Lane location).
The new space is nice (I especially like the apparent segregation into "screaming children" and "no children" sections, though we were seated in the "screaming children" section.), but I'm not sure they've gotten everything worked out.
Our large stuffed crust pizza came with a wheat crust (we asked for white), while a second, small pizza (ordered by RoadRich and a friend) seemed to take forever to arrive, a wait made bearable only by the presense of RoadRich, John, and Andrew "Not Just A Job: A Dating Service" Wimsatt.
Service in general seemed slightly off: I got the feeling they were short on waitstaff, and our waitress probably had more than she could handle.
It's not like we're not going to give them another chance (it really wasn't that bad), but Mangia's management needs to take a hard look at where they are now. Three months should be plenty of time to get the problems caused by moving worked out.
Lawrence's comments:
Mangia is still our favorite pizza place, though the kitchen still seems to need some shaking out at their new digs on Mesa (they got the crust of our pizza order wrong).
Dwight's comments:
Another "no conspiracy, Turkey City Writer's Workshop" weekend.
11835 Jollyville Road
257-2144
Dwight's comments:
Generic Tex-Mex, but I rather liked it: the nachos weren't terribly good, but my deluxe dinner was reasonably priced and a substantial portion of food.
If I worked in the area, I'd give them a try for lunch.
Lawrence's comments:
Merely average TexMex. The hot sauce was a bit better than usual, but they definately skimped on the meat for Beef Fajitas for Two (they were more like Fajitas for 1 1/2). Nothing special.
Send e-mail to Dwight Brown (stainles@bga.com).
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