1004 W 24th Street
478-7427
Men's room rating: did not rate.
Dwight's comments:
A much better than I expected barbecue joint, located reasonably near campus. The ribs are pretty good, as are the fries: the chicken is slightly better than average, and the brisket is a little dry.
Also, the building isn't well ventilated: we did a dining conspiracy here a few years back (when it was Texas Rib Kings) during the summer, and were driven away pretty quickly by the lack of air conditioning.
Slightly better, and a bigger bang for the buck, than Green Mesquite.
Lawrence's comments:
Good, reasonably priced BBQ in crummy surroundings. Though the brisket was mediocre, the sausage was good and the ribs may be the best in central Austin--they were fall-off-the-bone tender.
Next to the ribs, the best thing were the fries, skillfully enhanced by a dusting of Cajun seasoning.
The only drawback was the fratbar feel to the place, and that it's too small for a non-smoking section. Still, decent food, reasonably priced. Worth a taste if you're in the campus area.
8440 Burnet Road, Suite #100
454-8636
Dwight's comments:
A nice new addition to the Indian scene in Austin, especially worthy of note because of the huge menu. (The takeout menu I have lists 178 items.) Sarovar serves both North and South Indian dishes (I'm not an expert, so please don't ask me to elaborate on the differences: if I remember right, the tandoori, curry, and vindaloos are North Indian: South Indian dishes include dosa, described to me as being crepe-like.)
My tandoori mixed grill was good, but not quite as good as Bombay Grill, and the food is a bit more expensive. They do, however, offer the dinners both a la carte and as the "dinner Thali", which includes several (smaller) dishes of various curries and vegies, as well as na'an. (The na'an is at least as good as any in town.)
I've also heard good things about the lunch buffet, and plan to give that a try next chance I get.
The variety and quality of food (and quality of service) make me think Sarovar is a cause worthy of celebration.
Lawrence's comments:
Good Indian food, albeit on the pricey side. Their papadaums are the best I've had anywhere; you could make a tidy profit selling these as snacks. My lamb dish was very good, though I don't find the side dishes here as interesting as those at Mr. India Palace (the lentils in particular seemed too watery). The tomato curry sauce on another diner's vegetarian dish seemed particularly good. Also, except for a long delay in getting the bill, the service was generally good (and they do give free soft drink refills, though I had to settle for Coke rather than Dr Pepper). Worth a try, but Mr. India Palace still beats them on price/performance ratio.
1200-B W. 6th St
322-9226
Dwight's comments:
I had trouble parking, and wound up on a side street walking to Cafe Josie just as the rain hit in force. By the time I found the door, I was soaked. Immediate reaction from the staff: "Would you like some towels? Some hot coffee?"
This is how you know you're eating at a first rate establishment.
Cafe Josie's menu is a bit on the short side, but the selection offered is excellent: several of my fellow diners were heard to complain that they couldn't just ask for one of everything.
As you might expect from an establishment founded by some of the same folks who brought you Gilligan's, the emphasis seems to be on seafood. I thought the bay shrimp potstickers (Chinese style steamed dumplings) and calamari appetizers particularly fine, while my snapper main course was crisp and light and finely prepared.
The dessert menu also wins big: my white chocolate mousse was a highly sensual experience. And, above all, the service was gracious, even when Andrew "Red Wine Is Good For the Skin" Wimsatt had an unfortunate accident.
On the basis of one visit, I'm a little hesitant to draw firm conclusions. But I plan to revisit Cafe Josie soon: it may be close competition for Castle Hill.
Lawrence's comments:
The last time we tried to eat at this spot (I think it was the West End Cafe then), we arrived only to find that the restaurant had closed. I hope the same fate does not befall Cafe Josie, since they're a worthy addition to the Austin Fine Dining scene.
This may be the first time I've been to a restaurant that qualifies as "nuevo cuisine" where I didn't feel ripped off. Cafe Josie's has an eclectic approach, maybe Continental by way of Jamaica, Belize and New Orleans. All the appetizers were good, with the blue crab quesadillas and the very tender calamari being especially fine. The quesadillas also came with a delicious summer salsa that was hot, tangy, and spicy, all at the same time. My yellowfin tuna and saffron rice with a tamarind sauce was very nice, even though I don't usually care for tamarind-based sauces.
The service was outstanding. When Dwight came in drenched from the torrential downpour, the waitstaff scurried to bring him towels to dry off with. They also responded to a couple of unusual requests (like more sauce for my saffron rice) with quick, cheerful grace, kept my bottomless glass of Coke (no Dr Pepper, alas) filled even without my asking, and even replaced Andrew "Doing Postdoctoral Work at the Chevy Chase Institute for Pratfalls" Wimsatt's glass of wine after he spilled it.
Besides the lack of Dr Pepper and adequate parking (they're situated next to the Antique Mall Strip on West 6th Street), the only drawback I had with Cafe Josie was that my Banana Chocolate Souffle tasted too much of a very dark, semisweet chocolate and not enough of banana, though I'm sure there are many chocoholics who would have loved it.
Though I think I would still give the edge to Castle Hill Cafe, Cafe Josie (which is mere blocks away) is certainly a worthy Fine Dining contender.
6406 N. IH-35 (in Lincoln Village, next to Lone Star Cafe)
452-3888
Dwight's comments:
Thai Village is a much higher and better use of the space than the late unlamented Cafe Di Roma, and has gotten some pretty good reviews on austin.food.
I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The seafood soup and calamari are excellent (especially the sauce for the calamari: sort of like sweet and sour, but not exactly, and better). The pad thai (a benchmark dish for me) was interesting, with an unusual choice of noodles and bean sprouts served more-or-less on the side: different, but okay (and better, I think, than PooThai).
On the other hand, the pineapple fried rice (served in a hollowed-out pineapple) is really more of a geek trick than a dish, and I was put off by the excessive (in my opinion) use of bell pepper in the pa nang.
Service was pretty good (though they lost points for screwing up Lawrence's drink order), but not quite up to PooThai standards.
I've heard that Thai Village has more than one chef, and the weekend chef may not be up to speed yet, so I plan a return visit: right now, though, Thai Village falls smack in the middle of the Thai pantheon in Austin.
Lawrence's comments:
Another month, another new Thai restaurant to try. Though it doesn't come in at the top of the list, Thai Village is a solid addition to my Thai Top Ten. (In fact, I'm rather pleased that you can make a top ten list for Thai restaurants in the Austin area--two years ago you couldn't.)
Both the calamari and the seafood soup were quite good, and the pineapple fried rice was interesting (though not interesting enough to order again). My Tiger Cry main dish was quite different than those of the same name at Thai Kitchen. First it was all beef, and second it had American sides (white onions, potatoes , etc.) that, despite the menu description, didn't seem sauteed. That said, the beef was pretty good, but not as hot as I like it, and I think I'll try something different the next time I drop by. Service was generally good, but they were out of the banana fritter dessert I wanted.
So far, Thai Village doesn't threaten to displace Thai Kitchen or PooThai from my favorites list, but they seem to be a good, solid addition to Austin's Thai food scene.
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