When: September 8th, 2009
What: Pluckers (The Round Rock Branch)
What I Had: Apps: Fried Pickles Drinks: Psychedelic Frog (a super sweet melon concotion) & Pluckers Lemonade. Entrees: Wings (In 3 different flavors: Spicy Ranch, Buffalo Medium, and Bakers Gold)

This was my second trip to Pluckers since I have lived in Austin. The main thing that drew me back? Well a picture from Tipsy Texan's twitter showing the Psychedelic Frog served in a Mason Jar. I would probably go anywhere that served drinks in a mason jar. Much less $5, 32oz drinks. So off we went.


We attempted to enjoy the nice 90 degree weather that Austin is having, but out on the patio they had a movie playing with the sound at full blast. Since it was impossible to hear each other - much less think - we decided to dine inside. Our waiter did a great job of explaining his favorites and why he did or didn't like certain menu items. Customer service was solid tonight. Fried pickles were a given, we had to order them. Although for $6.99 they only gave us six measly spears.

That's over a dollar a spear and although yes they are tasty they are not worth that price, plus I prefer the fried pickle chips over spears. We devoured them none-the-less.

Of course we ordered the Psychedelic Frog, but I went ahead and threw in a lemonade because who doesn't like lemonade. Claire ended up with the Frog because I am pretty sure it was made of pure melon liquor and sugar. Too sweet for my taste. The lemonade however hit the spot. Refreshing and delicious.

Our wings came with a small side of Sweet Potato Fries coated in cinnamon and sugar. They were good, but didn't hold a candle to Phil's Ice House's Sweet Potato fries.

The wings at Pluckers are big and meaty. They had a perfectly crisp, fried skin that sealed the juicy meat inside. During the course of our meal I decided that I prefer wings that are juicy/saucy over dry rub wings. The Spicy Ranch had a dry rub and while the chicken itself was cooked great it just didn't have that big pop or spice that you tend to get with a saucy wing. The ranch flavor wasn't in full force and so these wings were at the bottom of the list. Anytime I go to a wing place I have to order at least a few of the regular buffalo style.

Although I am not a sissy when it comes to spice I actually like to enjoy my wings. So medium is about the right heat although I would have been happy with hot. Pluckers does the buffalo style wings right. No complaints. The big winner, however, was the Bakers Gold. The sauce was a mix of cajun, honey mustard, and buffalo. They were sweet and spicy all at once - rather delicious, and we should have ordered more of them.

The vibe of Pluckers is fun and relaxing and they have trivia on Wednesday nights which is awesome. The food is overall very tasty and they have great drink specials and everyday prices. My biggest two complaints are that the food is a little pricey for wings and that you only get one small cup of ranch with 15 wings. I will definitely be back for some more wings and most likely some trivia.

Fun place to go with friends, super tasty, tasty cheap drinks, but a bit pricey for casual food.

8/10

When: May 4, 2009
What: Teji (in a strip mall off 620 in round Rock)
What I Had: Apps: 2 Dips: Tamarind Chutney & A Spicy Green Substance w/Pappad. Entrees: Chicken Tikka Masala: chicken breast prepared in fresh spices, herbs, yogurt, and barbequed on a skewer in tandoor. Hara Bara Chicken: cooked in Indian Spices, fresh cilantro, green chilies, and mint paste all accompanied by Garlic Naan.

Simply mouthwatering good Indian food. Only in the last year have I come to be a big fan of Indian food, so I will not claim to be an expert. I will be up front though. Teji is the best I have had to date. On my first and only trip I was blown away that a little grocery/restaurant with about 8 tables could produce the delicious food that I was served. I have always been a big believer in the hole-in-the-wall type places. Teji exceeded all expectations.

It all started on one of those nights when the wife and I just couldn't decide where to eat. So I went to the trusty yelp and somehow stumbled across Teji which had 4 stars on only 16 reviews. Not one of those reviews has a single bad thing to say, so we went trekking up to some obscure strip mall in Round Rock. We found that some of India has been strangely transported to Round Rock. Why you ask? The answer is for pure foodie pleasure.

We shyly took our seat in the empty dining room. Since we arrived an hour before closing most of the food coming out of the kitchen was for take-out. We were eagerly greeted and served by the hostess who we later found out was the sister-in-law of the owner. She was super friendly which took some of the awkwardness out of being one of the two tables in the restaurant plus she was happy to answer all of our questions.

We were promptly served the Tamarind Chutney and spicy green "salsa" with which to dip our crispy Pappad into. The first bite was of the green stuff and it had a rich spicy flavor. It was nicely contrasted by the sweet almost syrupy Tamarind Chutney. We were well off to a good start.

We did find that all utensils, plates, cups, etc were plastic and self serve. Which was not a big deal and it suited the atmosphere of the place. Claire chose her classic Chicken Tikka Masala and I ventured out with the Hara Bara Chicken. Of course we couldn't skip out on the Naan. We went with what seemed to be the popular choice: Garlic Naan. They have about six different choices ranging from plain to garlic to Keema (lamb stuffed). Our meal arrived within about 10 minutes if not less and we dug in.


This Naan may have been the stuff that they called manna back in the day. It might have fallen from heaven this very night. It did pack a garlic punch but hey its the spice of life, right? As you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed Teji's naan. As soon as our food arrived we dived in. Both of our meals came out in styrofoam bowls that are deceptively large. Once again we come across the lackluster tableware but the food more than makes up for it.

The Tikka Masala was superb. I think we are slowly figuring out what Indian food flavors we both like. Going to authentic places like Teji definetely helps. Even with the popular dishes like Tikka Masala at Teji you just can't help but feel like your in a little shop in India.

I hadn't ever had Hara Bara. I was rewarded for my courage. The green chile chutney that the chicken swam in was hot, I mean it was spicy, but oh so good. It was one of those dishes I won't soon forget. The meal itself was an experience that will continue to bring us back to Teji. We both had plenty left over to take home and make second meals out of. I think Teji could easily turn itself into a full blown Indian Restaurant and hold it's own against Austin's best. I do hope they take this place to the next level otherwise due to the lack of ambience it will continue to be a really, really great take-out place.


Cheap, delicious, and way out of the way, even for people that live in North Austin.

9/10

That's right. I am going on vacation to San Francisco. Which means no Austin reviews until I get back later in June. I do have a few stored up and ready to go but in the mean time I will probably try to post some quick thoughts up about all the great places we are going to in San Francisco!
My long list so far consists of:

Dosa
La Note
Chez Panisse
Pyramid Alehouse
Beard Papas
Sushi Ran
Avatar
Weird Fish
Bi-Rite Creamery
Mamas
The Slanted Door
Little Star Pizza
Humphrey Slocombe
A16
Genki Crepes
Four Barrel Coffee
Osha Thai
El Farolito
Ikes Place

If you can't tell I am super excited and have all the meals planned out. The wife took care of the giant shops to see list and together we created the most well thought out vacation ever. Throw in a day trip to Sonoma and muir woods and we should have an awesome 8 days!

What: Yummy Yo
When: Friday, May 1st, 2009
What I had: Frozen Yogurt: Blueberry, Strawberry, Cookies and Cream, Cheescake. Tasted: Green Tea, Country Vanilla. Toppings: Kiwi, Pineapple, Cap n' Crunch, Sprinkles, Toffee, Oreo.

Although the overall purpose of Austin Review is to try and taste as many and as much of Austin's culinary offerings as I can, I seem to have fallen into a rut. That rut is full of yogurt. After eating at Yummy Yo I have officially tasted 5 of the 8 frozen yogurt places that I know of in Austin. I have reviewed 2 of them here, & here. So maybe this will become a yogurt related blog, but I really can't get enough of this new creamy and delicious fad here in Austin. I guess I will have to hit up the other three and write blogs on the final 5 so that we can have an official record of which I claim to be the best.


Yummy Yo, unfortunately is not the best. Don't get me wrong it is actually my favorite out of the ones I have blogged about, but not necessarily a destination yogurt spot, especially with the parking situation Downtown. Yummy Yo is located right beside the Convention Center in the new Nueces 360 building. The problem is on any given night the Convention Center is packed and you have to fight for your life for parking.

Once you finally locate parking and make your way to Yummy Yo you will be happy to find a sleek, modern, lounge type area with a row of yogurt machines (that are cleaned nightly, a big plus).


The choices aren't as creative as other places but they do have the traditional options: cheesecake, vanilla, strawberry, cookies 'n' cream, and tart. They also mix it up just a bit with blueberry and green tea. The latter two were spot on in the flavor department and tasty as well. The blueberry would be great for breakfast as it perfectly resembled a blueberry muffin.

An added bonus for Yummy Yo: they presented their nutrition facts on a card above the yogurt dispenser. Most (if not all) of the other local yogurt places skip this nicety. Calorie-counters, weight-watchers, and even just plain curious consumers will appreciate this.


After a quick taste test I decided blueberry and strawberry would be great a great mix and topped it all off with pineapple, kiwi, sprinkles, and for an odd touch: Cap N' Crunch. The wife went sweet with cookies 'n' cream and cheesecake topped with Oreo and toffee. We took a spot in the "lounge" with super bright lights and discussed our sadness that we weren't at the Death Cab For Cutie concert next door.



I quickly discovered my "fresh" pineapple was distinctly flavored like canned pineapple. Not a good sign. The kiwi wasn't bad, and the Cap N' Crunch kept it interesting but in the end I think the high price per ounce (46 cents, compared to 39 at most places) just didn't add up. The yogurt wasn't bad, it had a decent texture. It attempted to be creamy but came out just slightly runny. Perhaps it was a bit hot that night? All the flavors tasted like their namesakes and weren't off-putting but none of them made me want to go back for more. It was average. I hate to say it but the only real thing they have going for them is that they are better than Yogurt R' Rock and Yogurt Spot, and they are located downtown. The negative side of that is, well, that they are located downtown.

I wouldn't pass Yummy Yo up if I was in the area and in the mood for frozen yogurt but it is not a destination dessert I would go hunting for or go out of my way to eat. This first time around I would have to say it was just average in all aspects.

6/10 -- Just because I had to rate it higher than Yogurt R' Rock.

Next Up: Teji

When: Friday, May 1st, 2009
What: Mother's Cafe & Garden (Hyde Park area)
What I Had: Starter: Chips and Salsa: complimentary. Entrees: Lintel and Tofu Curry Soup, Farfalle Gorgonzola w/ smoked mushrooms. Burrito a burrito with black beans, organic brown rice, in a whole wheat tortilla covered in jack cheese and ranchero sauce.

We ended up at Mothers somewhat by default. When Claire and I attempted to take my sister-in-law Luci to Eastside Cafe on a Friday night we found out that popular restaurants in Austin do still have waits, a hour and half at Eastside. Being hungry, we headed off to healthy option #2: Mothers Cafe & Garden.

Claire and I came across Mother's about two years ago. We were new to the area and had heard that the Hyde Park area had some cool and tasty dining options. So we went that way and when Hyde Park Bar & Grill ended up having a long wait we aimlessley headed over to Mother's. This first trip, while waiting for a table, is when I found out that there was no meat on the menu. It still sounded good and we dined in the pre-fire garden room. In early 2007 Mothers had a fire that consumed a good part of the dining area including the amazing garden room. Since then they have rebuilt and seem to have become a pheonix and risen from the ashes. The interior dining is warm and usually has local art adorning the walls. The first time around the food was delicious and since has become one of our favorite restaurants around town.

On this night there was not wait, we sat down and I promptly decided to have a Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen. I think the beer was the most surprising thing about the meal. Not because Mothers was bad or unoriginal but the beer was that good.

It was incredibly delicious, but I am a sucker for wheat beers. Plus, I knew the food was sure to satisfy. What's the perfect compliment to beer? Chips and salsa of course. One thing that always earns a restaurant bonus points with me is complimentary chips and salsa, especially if it is not a Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurant. So score one up for Mother's, as we were promptly delivered a bowl of tasty salsa and crispy chips.

Not being incredibly hungry and half full on chips and salsa I ordered the curry lentil soup. This little bowl was hot and warming (not that I needed to be warmed in May in Austin).


Claire's Farfalle Gorgonzola was even better. It had a great cheesy flavor countered by rich, smoky mushrooms.

The waitress informed us that this dish was at one time a special but it's now a permanent menu item. Good choice, Mother's, very good choice to make this a constant on your menu. Lastly I sampled aptly put burrito. I am a big fan of steak in burritos, but, this guy had a great chewy tortilla and the tangy ranchero distracted from the somewhat bland and uninteresting filling of beans and rice.

I think I probably could have just dipped the tortilla in the ranchero and been just as happy.

The thing that keeps me coming back to Mothers is the friendly service. I have yet to encounter a slow kitchen or a rude server. They have been more than happy to answer questions or make suggestions for the meat eater who finds himself in the headlights at a vegetarian restaurant. I guess I will just have to continue to take family to mothers as this is the second time around we have taken out of town guests to dine here. The only thing yet to do on my list at mothers is consume a slice (or whole) of their Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.

9/10 -- An excellent choice for a vegetarian night out.

Next Up: Yummy Yo

When: Wednesday, April 30th
What: Pad Thai (in the Walmart shopping center @ Parmer, also in the Mueller Development)
What I Had: Appetizer: Shrimp Spring Rolls stuffed with vermicelli, shrimp, carrots, cilantro, leaf lettuce, and cucumbers. Accompanied by peanut sauce for dipping. Entree: Pineapple Fried Rice with raisins, egg, cashews, pineapple, chicken, carrots, green peas, bell pepper, and onion with a yellow curry seasoning.

What I thought: Delicious! I think one word will suffice to describe this locally owned, humble, strip mall restaurant. Although this was my third trip to the establishment I have yet to actually eat in. This is the result of two things. One, it is a strip mall restaurant with single room dining and poor decor. Two, this is the perfect take-out food, it's close to my house, and it tastes great out of a Styrofoam container.

This time around we had spring rolls since we were splitting the entree. In times past we have forgone the appetizer in favor of each ordering our own entree. We have since learned that it is much easier for us to have portion control and cost control if we just meet in the middle and split something. The one problem with this is that Asian/Oriental food is the one type of food that mine and Claire's taste buds usually disagree on. Luckily we quickly settled on Pineapple Fried rice, with spring rolls to start. The rolls were a good beginning to a tv-watching dinner. They had a good amount of filling that was well balanced and crunchy. They unfortunately did heat up a bit in transportation since they were sitting on top of the steaming rice. I prefer my rolls cold, but, when dipped in the peanut sauce they satisfied that never quieted craving for all things peanut-y. The peanut sauce, although not as amazing as Thai Noodle House's, was good. It had a little bit of kick to it which I was a fan of. For $3.79 they were a bit on the small side but still satisfying.

The Pineapple Fried Rice like I said was DELICIOUS! The fried rice was perfectly cooked and a mixture of textures and flavors that created the perfect take-out meal. Juicy pineapple, chewy raisins, crunchy cashews, and delectable chicken all mixed together with a hint of curry...Perfect. This was my third dish from Pad Thai and I have yet to be disappointed and am continually surprised at the quantity and quality of their dishes. As long as they stay in business, which I fear they need more of, this will probably be my #1 spot for Thai take-out.

On previous trips I have had the Basil Fried Rice and the Gang Keow Wan, both were stellar and both are spicy. I would order either of them again and will probably have to add in the pineapple fried rice to the rotation. The problem is with so many excellent choices I will want to continue to try other things just to make sure I am not missing out on something amazing. Honestly, I am really amazed at this un-assuming restaraunt's ability to put out multiple and subsequent dishes that thrill and satisfy. Next time count me in for the Duck Curry or the Basil Talay (Scallops, shrimp, and mussels in Thai Seasoning). However, Claire has said that the Pad Thai was average. Many yelpers, who informed me of the new location at Mueller, disagree with her and have said they loved the pad thai. Either way I am not a pad thai (the dish, not the restaurant) fan so I am neutral, but, I would be willing to say most things on the menu would be a excellent choice for your next take home meal. Just remember to have a big glass of water next to you because the 2 pepper rating does mean HOT.

9/10: If they had a nice dining room It would be a 10 easily.

What: Parkside
When: Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

I didn't really think there would be any perks in taking up a hobby like food blogging. Little did I know that the "media" actually gets a pretty good hook-up. Well, the Austin food bloggers have been treated well, anyway. So far we (the food bloggers) have had invites to Uchi, Trio, III Forks, Fino, and now Parkside. And those are just the ones I've heard about. However due to my strenuous work schedule Parkside was the first happy hour I was able to attend. Claire and I both agreed that we are going to go out of our way to make it to this particular happy hour, even if I had to adjust my schedule to do so.

Claire and I both commented during SXSW how cool Parkside looked. This was our chance to scope it out inexpensively, having to pay only for beverages. Prior to this happy hour, I had not heard about Parkside in detail, but I had gotten the general vibe that it was a hip place with a talented young chef and a great raw food menu. That vibe was accurate - not only that, but Chef Shawn Cierkiel has got the chops to make Parkside a mainstay on 6th street and in Austin. I also have to compliment the bartender mixing for the party. She was super friendly, knew here stuff, and made me forget why I usually hate the elbowing and maneuvering it takes to order drinks at bars. I don't think I ever caught her name, but she was great. The rest of the staff was always wearing a smile and cleaning up used dishes as we ate. Service was spot on.

The setting upstairs really made me want to check out the actual dining room sometime on a date night. The bar didn't disappoint either. The "Strawberry Sunshine" was a delicious strawberry take on a martini, and at only $4 dollars during happy hour it made a great summer drink (I know, it's only April). It was fresh, fruity, and perfectly sweet. Of course, we didn't discover the drink until the end of our meal, but now we know for next time. Since we were both nervous about meeting fellow bloggers we took full advantage of happy hour. With a pleasant rooftop deck, superb service, and a cool atmosphere Parkside has created a great dining experience.

The combination of great service and solid food might even lead me to go as far as to say Parkside could revitalize sixth street into looking more like fourth or second. Meaning, we could see an uprising of unique, inventive, creative, and delicious eateries spring up around Parkside. Parkside is holding an Ace in it's picket: dessert chef, Callie Whigham. If she can continue to come up with delicious bites like she did during Happy Hour, I would drive all the way from Pflugerville once a week just to try them. After enjoying the food, company and atmosphere the only thing I was still trying to wrap my head around was the inspiration behind the name. Where was this park?

On to the food:
The menu listed the 8 Courses in a simple, detail-less way:

1- Fluke, Lemon, Almonds
2- Crab Fritters, Sauce Ravigote
3- Green Garlic Soup, Duck Confit
4- Cotto Salami, House Pickles
5- Salmon, Green Beans, Linguisa
6- Lamb Belly, Sweet Potato Puree, Chili Oil
7- Bar Steak, Roast Mushrooms, Red Wine Sauce
8- Petite Chocolate Crunch

Everything sounded delicious if not subtle and vague. For me the winners were the first three courses and then the dessert. In fact, had those options been presented to me as a Prix Fixe menu I would have chosen it in a second. However, the middle of the tasting honestly fell a bit flat. No need to worry about that though, because we had 8 courses to try.

First course: I hadn't had fluke before and honestly wasn't sure what it was until I saw it, but I was excited to try it!

The menu was nothing but a composition of ingredients so I really wasn't sure what I was in for. The spoon sized bite was packed with complimenting flavors. The crunchy, slightly sweet almond paired perfectly with the citrus soaked raw fluke fish. If this taste is any representation of what Chef Shawn and Parkside can do with raw foods then they definitely have got what it takes to addict Austin to the raw foods scene.

The Crab Fritters came out next and were scrumptious. Usually crab fritters are heavy and thickly battered. These guys were airy, had a light chewy crust, and highlighted everything that is great about crab. I am still torn between this, the soup, and the dessert on what was my favorite item of the night. The Green Garlic Soup came out next. The only proof I have of how delicious it was is the fact that we ate it so fast there is no photos of it. I love savory and this soup would satisfy the deepest craving I could have for something rich, salty, and savory. The little shreds of duck only added to the depth and complex flavor of this incredible soup. This is another dish I would happily drive downtown from Pflugerville just to have a bowl of.

After three amazing dishes we moved into the middle more substantial, yet, less impressive plates.
I'm not a salami expert and probably won't ever be one but the fourth course's Cotto seemed like fancy lunch meat (Claire even went so far as to compare it to a "Lunchable"). The homemade pickle however, was intriguing if not tasty. The Salmon was good and perfectly cooked just underwhelming. The only thing of note was the use of lemon zest on the green beans that really made them pop.

Amongst myself, Claire, and possibly other tasters, the lamb belly was the least popular. It was mostly just fat. Even though it had lots of different components and flavors going on the only thing you could do was chew the fat and try and fat some belly underneath the cilantro. For my first foray into dining on belly I wasn't impressed.

The bar steak was good. A bit chewy, but it had a great flavor and the best part was the crunchy little onions on top. The mushrooms and crispy onions outshone the steak itself.

By this time everyone was mingling and Claire and I finally met Addie of Relish Austin. She is half the reason that the food bloggers are getting any attention from local restaurants. She introduced us to Kate over at Hunger Sauce. Who is a blast to have around and chat with. She has so many great stories and such a diverse background in Austin that she could probably go on for hours about this city. As we were conversing, the dessert came out. With such a shy description as Petite Chocolate Crunch we had no idea what it would be. What it was: easily, one of my favorite desserts ever. Seriously it was that good. I had heard about Parkside's famous donut holes but these little chocolate bars were incredible. They had a small scoop of banana ice cream, a subtle peanut butter flavor, rich creamy chocolate, and a crunchy wafer that added texture. This was the only dish I had seconds on because we just couldn't resist. Kudos to Callie Whigham for the amazing dessert.


Thanks to Parkside for a tasty and fun happy hour. My only recommendation: make sure and hold on to your Executive Chef and your Dessert Chef as they are both amazing, inventive, and talented. I can't wait for what's to come. I think with just a little refinement on the larger entree style plates we could have a new heavy-weight contender for top restaurant in Austin. This is one case were I think you, the readers, need to be the decision maker instead of my tongue.

I was full of excitment about going to eat at Parkside. I figured out that the excitment I get from eating the food does not always translate into timely blogging. As we were leaving the happy hour Kate asked me if I am one of the bloggers who goes home and immediately blogs about my food experience. Let this be your answer, it's been over a week!