The Clay Pit, this time around, held up to the usual standard: a well prepared tandoori mixed grill, good na'an, etc. Some of my previous visits, though, have been rather disappointing, and we had some problems with the service early on this visit.
Give Clay Pit's prices, and rumors that service at Sarovar has actually improved (could it have gotten worse?), I'm starting to think the Austin Indian Food Crown may have to be decided by a jump ball.
I really don't have much to say about The Clay Pit than I didn't say about our last visit. The papadams were crisply delicious, the salad was credible if unexceptional, the naan and appetizers were tasty (especially the mussels), and my lamb vindaloo was good, but not as spicy as I like it (or as that served at Sarovar). I was too stuffed for dessert. The service continues to be much better than Sarovar, discounting a slight bobble when we had to change tables to accommodate our Amazing Expanding Dining Party. Still the best Indian restaurant in Austin by a good measure.
I was one of the poor unfortunates who missed out on the étouffée, so I can only comment on the barbecue, alas. (We got to Ruby's right at 6 PM: the place was virtually empty:there was no one ahead of us who ordered étouffée: so how could they have run out? A big lunch rush? On a Saturday? When UT isn't in session?)
Sadly, the barbecue is overpriced for the size of the plates (the three-meat combo was nearly $13: an equivalent 3-meat combo at Artz runs about the same, I believe, but you get a lot more food). The ribs and chicken were dry: the brisket was about average. The "home fries" might have worked without green peppers, and if they had used a different kind of potato: the texture of new potatos just doesn't work for this side dish. And, finally, the staff behind the counter struck me as being more than a little hostile to our party.
Ruby's makes a point of telling you that they only use free-range, steriod-free, antibotic-free, organically grown, yadda yadda beef for their barbecue. They serve as a valuable example that even the best ingredients aren't enough on their own.
Ruby's offers up great crawfish étouffée, easily the best in Austin, but only adequate (and overpriced) BBQ. The ribs are good but the brisket is , while the sides range from mediocre (the mustard potato salad) to worse (the mayonnaise potato salad and the "home fries"). Unfortunately, they only had a small bowl of étouffée left when I ordered, so the other SDCers had to make due with the que. My advice: drop by for the étouffée, but if they're out of it, turn right around, walk out, and walk next door to Milto's for a pizza.
We ususally try to wait at least three months before eating at someplace new, so that they have some time to settle down. But we decided to waive this for the Boiling Pot: how many ways can you screw up boiled seafood?
However many ways there are, the Boiling Pot North's staff doesn't know any of them. The new Boiling Pot also has better parking, more space, and a nicer men's room: and the staff was very accomodating of our extremely large party.
A nice choice for highly informal family-style dining in the North Austin area.
Boiled seafood seems a favorite cuisine for many SDCers, as the largest crowd in well over a year showed up for The Boiling Pot North. In addition to Dwight and I, other attendees were Andrew "Smash Bridges" Wimsatt and his half-brother, Satanic Disco King Davian, The Brothers Zoch, Mike, Elze, Steve Sparks, Milton, and even a rare appearance by Ann Anonymous Diner and Friend, for a total of 12, two more than we had at Buca di Beppo.
And the food? Quite good, thank you. I had the crab legs this time around, and they seem to do them as well as anyone. It's hard to go wrong with crab legs and a side of drawn butter. I also had some of their sausage, which goes will with their nicely tangy mustard. Service was quite good, especially considering the size of our party. The only thing less than stellar was the bread (which isn't baked on-site), which was merely adequate and served cold. [cue Dwight's Rant]
About the only drawback is a lack of appetizers. It would be nice to be able to snack on something other than bread before the meal comes, say French fries, hush puppies, or even popcorn shrimp. They could also have a larger range of desserts beyond the Key Lime Tart. But what food they do cook up is done extremely well. Rael Bob says check it out.
Decent enough, if a bit overpriced, Chinese food. They've remodeled recently, and the inside looks a bit better. I think the service has improved some, too.
Good food, and they handled our Amazing Expanding Party quite well, but other than that I have nothing to say that I didn't say about our last visit.
See the logs for September of 2001.