Sigh.
I wanted to like Water Street, and they did pretty well for a bit. I was somewhat disconcerted when both a waiter and an assistant manager announced they were waiting our table, but the service early on was okay.
Both the calamari and crawfish tails were nice starters, though I think the crawfish could have used something to spice them up (perhaps cayenne pepper in the batter?) Except for tomatoes, there was little wrong with the salad as well.
Unfortunately, things went downhill with the main course: the kitchen screwed up Lawrence's order (he asked for extra rice instead of veggies). When he pointed this out, they offered to bring the rice on the side. Fine. Except then, the waiter disappeared for the rest of the meal. When he finally showed up, we had cleared our plates, and it was too late for anything but a box for the promised rice. The to-go container appeared after yet another excessive wait.
As for my dinner, I ordered the blackened shrimp pasta. What I got was about six blackened shrimp, on a bed of pasta, with an indefensibly bland alfredo sauce. No zing!, as Emeril might say: there was little spice to the blackened shrimp, and the alfredo sauce tasted like it was made from a McCormick's mix. And for this, I paid $14.95?
I liked what I saw and had early on enough that I figure they may have been having an off night. And the prices are good enough (on some things) that I'd consider going back. But if I do, I'll be wary, and get something simple: boiled shrimp or a deep-fried combo plate, probably.From the outset, Water Street gets a lot of things right. The decor is nicely understated and not too trendy, and the service was very good: most of my Dr Pepper refills were brought before I asked for them.
The appetizers (fried calamari and crawfish tails) were tasty, but the dipping sauce wasn't nearly spicy enough. Despite some complaints about in on austin.food, the salad (consisting of a quarter-head of iceberg lettuce on a plate slathered in dressing) worked for me; on the other hand, if I had paid for it as a separate item I would find it a little chintzy.
However, my entree itself, blackened mahi-mahi, was something of a disappointment. It just wasn't in the same league as the blackened offerings at Gumbo's and Pappadeaux's. I think more butter for cooking (at least as a starting point) is in order.
Water Street is just good enough to make me wish it were better. It has definite potential, but like many an Austin area seafood restaurant, the menu seems unimaginative and the dishes seem to have been "toned down" ("Mr. Sulu, set Quisinart to 'Elderly.'"). At these prices, I expect more.
This is a real nice find. A pizza joint (and it is a joint: the tables and benches look salvaged from a low-rent fast food place) serving authentic "New Jersey" style pizza. And these folks are clearly serious about their Jersey heritage: witness the Jersey state highway map on the wall, complete with pushpins. (Hey, isn't Jersey the state that brought us the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Rest Area?)
Now, I have no idea how "Jersey" style pizza differs from "New York", or "Rhode Island" style (though I get the feeling that "Rhode Island" style involves grilling), but Saccone's serves up a darn fine pizza of whatever style.
We ended up ordering a "Sicilian" pizza: a 17" x 17" thick crust with six toppings that was enough to feed four, possibly five. I loved it: the crust was just right, the thin slices of meatball were nicely spiced, and the sauce was smooth, just the way I like it. I would actually rank this pizza just slightly ahead of the legendary Milto's Lone Star Special in my personal pizza pantheon.
Weak points: the decor, if you're eating in (I get the feeling most of their business is carry-out), there's only one size available for each crust type (the thin crust is 18": but they do offer pizza by the slice for you loners), the house salad is only so-so, and it is a bit far out.
These are slight quibbles, though: I want to go back soon and try the thin crust: or even a white pizza.
(And a tip of the SDC's Hatlo Hat to Christopher Famalette for the suggestion.)
Eh. The prices are decent (but no free refills on soft drinks), and the salads competent if uninspired, but the Siciliam pizza we ordered wasn't anything special, nor was it as good as the Lone Star Deep Dish special at Milto's. I wouldn't mind trying Saccone's thin crust pizza as some point, but with Reale's in the neighborhood, I'm not rushing back.
I'm still very fond of the food at Cafe Spiazzo. Unfortunately, my two previous visits were marked by poor service, so I'd been avoiding it until this dining conspiracy.
At least on this visit, the service was acceptable. (Perhaps this problem only comes up if you're dining alone. See Steve Martin in The Lonely Guy.) My personal favorite main course is still the smoked salmon in a vermouth-cream sauce over pasta: however, I was impressed with the look of the seafood lasagna, and will have to remember to try that next time it's available.
Fortunately, Cafe Spiazzo has also continued to avoid discovery: it remains possible to get a seat even on the weekend for all but the largest parties. Now, if only the management would say a few words to the waitstaff...
Cafe Spiazzo continues to maintain its excellent standards, though I think I got the short end of the entree selection stick this time around. My pork tenderloin in a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette glaze wasn't nearly as interesting as Dwight's vermooth-glazed salmon over pasta or Elze's truly heavenly seafood lasagna. One other nit: both the calamari and brochette appatizers were very tasty, but the portions weren't nearly generous enough. And I wish there had been more appetizers without nuts to tempt me (perhaps a cheesecake).
Still, for fine dining in north Austin, Cafe Spiazzo is one of your best bets.
I swear, one of these days I'm going to go and make a meal out of appetizers alone. Pretty much everything on that part of the menu looks, sounds, and (when I've had a chance to try it) tastes wonderful.
And, once you get in (assuming you can) the service is outstanding. I was impressed when our waitress apologized for the slow service from the kitchen: I actually hadn't even noticed.
However, I do second Lawrence's comments about the seasonal variation in the entree menu: while I think using fresh seasonal ingredients is a good idea in principle, Castle Hill's menus seem to use the same set of things for multiple dishes: this limits choices, and the seasonal variation makes it tough to predict if that memorable dish from last visit will still be on the menu (or when it might show up again).
Hard place to beat, though, especially for people less picky about ingredients than I am.
Castle Hill has a well-earned reputation as one of the premier dining establishments in Austin, and despite slower than usual service from the kitchen (for which our waitress apologized), this visit confirmed that reputation. Our empenada and fried roll appetizers were quite nice, as was the cup of gumbo I had (though Gumbo's has the regional edge for this dish). The beef medallions all three of us ended up ordering were very good and seemed to have slightly more generous portions than some past Castle Hill entrees. And the white chocolate almond (sans almonds) cheesecake I had was among the best I've had in town (though a touch short of Ruth Chris' blueberry cheesecake).
However, a couple of minor caveats: The entrees this time around seemed to lean too heavily on a few ingredients: if you don't care for asparagus or peanuts (neither of which I'm fond of), your choices are whittled down to two or three dishes. Since the menu changes week by week, this may just be a seasonal aberration. Also, the house salads are still dull. While I know it's an add-on, it seems to me that a little bit of the imagination that infuses the rest of the menu could go a long way here.
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