5517 Manchaca
326-5205
Dwight's comments:
Okay, but not exceptional, Thai food. I wasn't as blown away by the appetizers as my fellow diners, and the phat thai, while still very edible, tasted a little beefy. (This seems to be a common flaw, in my opinion, of lower-end Thai places.) The larb (I had the pork, +Rich the chicken) also didn't seem quite as flavorful, and perhaps a little drier, than my standard.
The Tom Yum Goom soup was up to Thai Kitchen standards, though. Service was pretty good, and the prices relatively cheap.
Thai Garden's biggest problem, I think, is the somewhat limited menu: there are certain "gold standard" dishes I use for testing that they didn't do, and I wish they had a wider choice of appetizers.
Thai Garden is a place I wouldn't drive miles out of the way to visit, but it is one I'd keep in mind if I spent a lot of time in the neighborhood.
Lawrence's comments:
Though Thai Kitchen is still the reigning champion, I think Thai Garden gives it a good run for its money. The Tod Mun (fried, minced fish fritters) was perhaps the most tasty Thai appetizer I've ever had, and the Tom Yum Goom soup was good as well. The portions for my Neur Pud Grapow were generous, and my only complaint was that it didn't come from the kitchen nearly as hot as a I had specified. However, since they brought out a hot condiments tray, this wasn't a major problem. Defintely worth trying.
As far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many Thai restaurants.
1600 South Congress
447-5375
Dwight's comments:
I was prepared not to like Shaggy's, based on the commentary on austin.food. However, I was pleasantly surprised once we started eating. The "Buffalo wings" (really jerked chicken wings) were as good as almost any I've had in town (except maybe Shady Grove's) and certainly much better than the "jerk" wings at Plucker's.
The various jerk entrees were also quite well done, though I think my jerked pork chops could have been larger for $8.95, and I wasn't thrilled by the rice dish served as a side.
This wouldn't be a bad lunch spot, or a bad place to hear live music over dinner (especially if your taste runs to reggae).
And I do hope you appreciate my sacrifice in not making a single Scooby Do joke during this review.
Lawrence's comments:
Shaggy's has a number of things to recommend it: pretty waitresses, suitably funky and colorful decor, Bob Marley on the stereo system, and good jerk chicken. The buffalo wings (actually hot jerk wings) are also a value for the big basket. However, though Shaggy's does what they do pretty well (jerk chicken and pork), they don't do enough. Their menu is entirely too limited, as there's pretty much nothing else on the menu beyond the jerk permutations and the empanada-like beef dish. Come on, Mon, Jamacia is an island! Don't you think a few seafood dishes might be in order? You've got the basics down, now it's time to expand the menu.
Also, the Hot Bannana Empanada dessert (ala mode) was excellent!
8833 Burnet Road
459-0701
Dwight's comments:
Indefensibly bland Italian food. Good breadsticks and decent salad. Average service.
Why do the Olive Gardens continue to be packed every damn night, when there are better choices available?
Lawrence's comments:
Yes, it's a chain, but we come here mainly for the excellent garlic breadsticks (the best "free bread" in town) and the salad. Though service started out iffy (our waitress ignored our first request for breadsticks),they quickly made up for it. While the appitizers were good (from Chili's "Awsome Blossom", to the Outback's "Bloomin Onion" to the Olive Garden, fried, spicy onion shreads seem to be the appitizer of the 90s), I thought the "Tour of Italy" (lasgana, fettucine alfredo, and chicken parmigana) were a good deal blander than usual. C'mon folks, this is Italian food. "Show me the garlic!" When it comes to entrees, Mama Mia's does a much better job.
9120 N. I-35
835-4447
Men's room rating: 1.5. (Typical fast food joint men's room: which is what this used to be.)
Dwight's comments:
After two trips, I'm willing to say this is every bit as good as Bombay Grill: we have a tie for "Best Indian Food In Austin."
The tandoori dishes, in particular, seem well prepared, and the na'an has been excellent. (I especially recommend the house special na'an.)
If Mr. India Palace has a problem, it would be service: I can't tell if they're understaffed (although they were nearly deserted when we were there), or if it's just the common failing of many non-Western dining establishments.
(For that matter, I've had service problems at Bombay Grill: and Taj Palace's service has gone way downhill in the past two years.)
John also noted that his na'an seemed dry and hard: none of us had this problem, and we didn't try his, so I'm puzzled by his complaint.
Mr. India Palace does have a $5.95 lunch buffet as well: if you're close enough to take advantage, please consider giving it a try.
(Update 3/31/97: The chicken vindaloo, on the other hand, has a lot more tomato (in big chunks) than I like in mine. Be warned, if you're like me, and stick to the tandoori meats, or perhaps the curries.)
Lawrence's comments:
The first time I ate Indian food (at the now defunct Passage to India) I threw up. Since then, I've slowly come to realize that it was only that particular meal I hated rather than Indian food in general,and Mr. India Palace was a pleasant data point along that learning curve. The appetizers were tasty, and the various sampler grills (I got the tandoori curry sampler, while Dwight had the tandoori mixed grill) were quite good and had very generous portions. And at least one of my orders of nan came steaming from the oven (and was large enough to encase a medium-sized fish). The only drawbacks were somewhat indifferent service, despite the place being almost deserted. I got the impression our waitress/owner was also doing some (if not all) of the cooking in the kitchen. This is obviously a family-run resteraunt,and I'd really like to see them make a go of it.
6513 N. IH-35
459-9214
Men's room rating: 3.5. (Exceptionally clean, with lots of space.)
Dwight's comments:
Good but expensive meat dishes. Excellent fajitas (both beef and chicken) and good pork ribs. However, I think it's a little pricy (unless three or four people go for one of the fiesta platters.)
Serrano's offers a much better value for the dining dollar, and has better hot sauce and chips to boot.
Lawrence's comments:
When I opened up the menu at Pappasitos, I was somewhat shocked to see that a full plate of beef fajitas went for nearly $20. Are their fajitas really worth $20?
As much as I hate to admit it, the answer may be yes.
What Dwight, Andrew "dodging lawsuits between worshipping Satan" Wimsatt and I ended up getting was the "Loco" platter for $41.95, which include beef and chicken fajitas, BBQ pork ribs, and butterly-cut "Diablo" shrimp. I think the fajitas may have been the best I've had (and certainly the best this year), with a tangy marinade that really enhanced the flavor. The pork ribs were so tender they fell off the bone. The shrimp were tasty as well, but I thought the chicken was just a tad dry, and not nearly as flavorful as the beef (though mine seemed to be a minority opinion on this point). Our waiter, Bryon, did a good job even though they seemed understaffed.
However, the $7-$10 nachos ARE a rip-off (and the hot sauce was bland).
The Loco platter is an excellent deal, but everything else there seems a bit pricey. My advice would be to visit in parties no smaller than four.
Send e-mail to Dwight Brown (stainles@bga.com).
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See the logs for April of 1997.
See the logs for February of 1997.