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Varmintmist
Posts: 8,305 Senior Member
Texans, need to get dinner in Austin..
Varmintmist
Posts: 8,305 Senior Member
next Thurs evening.
Apparently my wifes work is going to fly us down for a corp get together at Freedmans around lunch time. We are going to be free in the AM for a bit and likely headed out with others for dinner, but any suggestions would be appriciated in case they turn out to be lepers or worse, vegans.
Apparently my wifes work is going to fly us down for a corp get together at Freedmans around lunch time. We are going to be free in the AM for a bit and likely headed out with others for dinner, but any suggestions would be appriciated in case they turn out to be lepers or worse, vegans.
It's boring, and your lack of creativity knows no bounds.
Replies
It's in north Austin, out near "Mo-Pac" thoroughfare. Easy place to find.
Peche, downtown, quite pricey but elegant and superb French food. Dress code I think, last time I was there.
But La Traviata & Fonda San Miguel are both pretty causal dining. All have good service and are priced as you might guess, Peche very upscale, amazing French cuisine but you pay thru the nose.
I'd recommend all 3 but you'll enjoy Fonda San Miguel the most, I think. Great margaritas of course, and an amazing array of specialty sauces to sample.
"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and speed is the economy of motion" - Scott Jedlinski
Any particular style you are looking for?
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
NRA Endowment Member
As long as its in cab range.. Like I said, we might get stuck with others, but if I can suggest a place that I "heard" about. Mexican would be good, Italian I can get here, Freedmans looks like it is going to cover the bbq portion of the trip, and they have a whiskey wall. ( I might stay there)
Looks like we are staying at the Hyatt.
Torchy's is a great taco joint. So is Taco Deli. Both are more of a grab-n-go breakfast/ lunch counter kinda place.
http://torchystacos.com/
http://www.tacodeli.com/
Fonda San Miguel is great, as Sam said, but I'm not sure it's as good as it's prices indicate. Last few times I was there, service was a little lacking for the upcharge.
http://www.fondasanmiguel.com/
Whatever you do, DON'T go to "Matt's Famous El Rancho". Mediocre Food and horrible Service. For some reason, people think this place is the best. It's not.
http://mattselrancho.com/
For Fine dining downtown, One of the best is The Driskill Grill. Very spendy, though:
http://www.driskillgrill.com/
Austin Land and Cattle is a DARN good steak place, but again, pretty pricey:
http://alcsteaks.com/
DO NOT confuse it with the chain place "Texas Land and Cattle".
My favorite Mexican places are nowhere close to where you will be. Most are in South Austin-
Azul Tequilla for Interior Mexican:
http://www.azultequila.com/
La Fuentes for Tex-mex diner faire
http://lafuentesmexicanfood.com/ (BTW, that waitress on the header photo has been working there for about 15 years.)
Local to downtown, here are two good solid Mexican places:
Manuel's:
http://www.manuels.com/
Curra's Grill:
http://www.currasgrill.com/
Austin has a surprising amount of world class Thai places. Madaam Mam's and Sap's used to be the same places, but Mam and Sap got divorced and split the place
http://www.sapsthai.com/
http://www.madammam.com/location/
I could go on and on. Lots of great places to eat here.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
True, and you might be able to get a table on a random Thursday when school is out. That place is CROWDED at times.
However, it is right next to a great little cigar joint. Bobalu Cigars: http://www.bobalu.com/
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
Re. cab trips, all the restaurants listed are well known and cabs will easily take you there, no biggie. The "fun" areas of Austin are all within easy driving distance, "fun" meaning clubs and restaurants.
Yep, I order all my smokes from Jeff at Bobalu. He's one of us and very pro-troops, he's hooked me up several times sending cigars to friends and family downrange.
NRA Endowment Member
Pffft, you can paddle all day, I have seen your threads:)
If you can, it is TOTALLY worth it. Heck, I'll drive (with wife approval
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
It it a rotten city to drive in? Parking?
I'm thinking that cabs are going to cost as much as renting a low end car for a day.
We are getting in at around midnight, then the "get together" then possibly be free around 2P. Unless we are shanghied by the bosses for dinner, where I will make a dinner suggestion. I have the feeling that it is going to be like one of those time share vacations. Stuck with the corp people until they want to let us go.
Suggestions for wasting a evening in Austin in case we are cut loose? Water front? I am liking the drive to Driftwood idea.
And I-35 thru downtown is a parking lot during rush hour, on both the express (upper) and local (lower) decks.
NRA Endowment Member
Austin is constantly ranked as one of the top cities for horrible traffic in the US. I-35 is ALWAYS a hot mess, and Mo-Pac (Loop 1... that does not go in a loop...) is only marginally better at certain times. The city is strung out north-south along the two main highways and has more choke points than an autoerotic asphyxiation convention.
Oh, and it's all by design. Our lovely city leaders are good little socialists, and wants everyone to ride trains and move on a fixed, master planned schedule. So they make traffic worse and worse so we will vote for rail. Then we get rail, and that makes traffic worse as they take existing traffic lanes to use for choo-choo right-of-way.
You are correct. Cabs are few and far between here, and pricey when you can find one
Going to the Salt Lick in Driftwood is a pilgrimage that everyone should take. It is BYOB, so make sure to swing by a Specs to pick up a 6-pack or bottle of a local beer or wine to enjoy with your BBQ.
Other cool ways to spend an evening:
http://thegoodnightaustin.com/ (a tragically hip bar with a retro bowling alley/ pool hall )
The bat emergence from under the Congress Street Bridge.
Texas State History Museum: http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/
Sunset from either Mount Bonnell:
http://www.austinparks.org/our-parks.html?parkid=287
or from the Oasis (OK food with a stellar view over our horribly empty local lake):http://oasis-austin.com/
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
http://peterpanminigolf.com/
https://www.esthersfollies.com/ (this would involve being on 6th street. Which can be bad or good depending on how you like being around lots of people drinking. But it should not be TOO bad since schools out. But it is Thursday, which is the beginning of the weekend for the professional party crowd). Next door is a comedy club called "the Velveeta Room" which can be hilarious.... CAN be.
http://brokenspoke.com/ (Old school saloon in south Austin. Been there for EVER)
Go play Chicken "____" Bingo at Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon: http://thelittlelonghornsaloon.com
And get some ice cream from a over-tattooed perpetual English-Lit major: http://www.amysicecreams.com/
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
Hutt's on 6TH gets my vote.
May I also suggest, margaritas on the patio @ sunset, at The Oasis.
Too bad the Stallion burned down. Best chicken fried steak on the face of the planet.
!!! The Broken Spoke !!! Just the mention of that gem brings back fond memories, and a hang over.
The crowd is of course young but generally okay, a few raucous party goers here and there, like any college town, but mitigated somewhat by the fact that Austin is also a big govt center and commerce, too, so there are plenty of "adults" around.
The "6th Street" area is legendary, running from just west of I-35 for about 12-15 blocks (6th Street runs east-west), and extending north & south from 4th to 8th. Many many bars, clubs, restaurants of any type -- upscale, good (and bad) bar grub, pizza of course, anything in between.
Evenings you'll find people of any age (tending toward the young the later it gets of course) strolling along the wide sidewalks, dodging street buskers and whatever, dipping into a bar here, a bar there. It's actually a lot of fun. Just do some quick internet glimpses for the types of clubs you want to attend, because there are plenty of choices -- hard rock, jazz, blues, CW, anything.
Esther's Follies is a sort of burlesque show, raunchy and fun, a "review" that's well known in Austin. It's held at a bar on 6th.
When I was more agile I've had plenty of fun evenings along 6th and nearby, even into my 60s, as I really love hot-chord blues, Texas style, so I'd pick a club, pay the $5 cover, and my date & I would dig it.
Negatives? Late night in the area are too many drunk young people and it may get a bit trashy around 2am, but up to midnight, okay. Plenty of cops around. However, just like any popular area in any city, there are muggers who prey on folks late night on side streets.
Taxis? I've had no problem getting a Yellow Cab at all. They cruise the 6th St. area evenings and I've phoned and they took maybe 10 min to appear. Good idea if you're drinking because the Austin cops are very watchful in that area for tipsy drivers, and not forgiving.
So maybe renting a car would be too expensive unless you're planning to tour the area, like Barton Springs at Zilker Park (a fair drive to the southern outskirts of Austin).
A quick geographic look:
Austin proper is mostly to the west of I-35, which bisects the city north-south. East Austin (east of I-35) can be chancy, a bit rougher.
Parallel & west of I-35 is "The Drag" - Guadalupe Avenue, which runs n-s and runs along the west edge of the UT campus. So the main UT campus is essentially between I-35 to the east and The Drag to the west. The UT campus is also north of the State Capitol, which is on Congress, another main N-S street. South of the Capitol is the 6th street area and Congress generally bisects that area. Congress continues to the river (which flows generally E-W through Austin at that spot, and then continues across a bridge and goes into South Austin (south of the river).
All around the Capitol and the UT campus are many good restaurants and other places, easy to find.
I'd recommend that you set a general boundary of a rectangle bounded on the south by the river, east by I-35, north through the UT campus and just beyond, west about 15 blocks from I-35. Avoid east of I-35 especially at night.
Now I'm a city kid and I love the bustle of night life, so 6th Street beckons me, but that's just me. There are plenty of more rustic and scenic areas surrounding Austin but those are car-rental day trips.
But if you like live music from new or local bands, all sorts of genres, the 6th street area is the place to go. A bit crowded and rowdy occasionally, but that's show biz.
Btw, Salt Lick is terrific BBQ but it's also a drive out, BYOB, and although it's certainly excellent, maybe you don't want to spend an entire evening getting there and back. Your choice.
Upscale restaurant but not "dressy" ? La Traviata on Congress (or near Congress) at about halfway between the Capitol and 6th street. Really good Italian food, great service, fine wine by the glass too. A bit pricey but hey, it's not Wendy's and you're enjoying the evening.
Oh, about driving around in Austin... the town proper is crazy w. 1-way streets. They're alternating and there are many "no left turn" signs so you may find yourself driving 3 blocks to make a turn, typical for most cities.
Daytime, ask where to find a "Moon Tower" and don't let anyone tell you what they're for, just try to guess. "Moon Towers" are found only in Austin and are on the National historic registry. There used to be a lot of them but now there are only about 6-8 left. Keen.
AKA: Former Founding Member
If we get out of there with time to hunt up dinner, I am going to be armed with suggestions from here, thanks.
On another note, I stole the kids iPad for the trip. Kinda like this thing, they might not get it back.
New Braunfels is an excellent "day trip" from either Austin or Houston, been there many times, great place to enjoy an afternoon.
There are just so many superb BBQs in and around Austin (or Houston for that matter) that you could likely travel 500 miles and stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner BBQ all 3 times, and still find a new, good BBQ just down the road.
We got out of the company function around 630-7, someone there also suggested the Iron Cactus. Since it was on 6th st and 3 blocks from the Hyatt, we got a cab there. I was going to hunt up something I had never had, until a steak fajita plate passed within 3 feet of me. It was all over, "The choice is made, the traveler has come". It was pretty good, though not excitingly different than a place near here. The chocolate chile torte however............... UN BE FREAKING LEAVE ABLE!!
Once we did dinner we walked 6th, not my atmosphere but we were there, and then headed to the hotel to get some rack time to catch the 0835 flight.
The weather was exactly the same as what we left in PA, 85, and intermittent rain.
My impression of downtown Austin was that it was trying real hard to copy Portland OR, even down to the Keep Austin Weird shirts that were all over. I would have liked to get out of town, just didnt have a lot of time.
A question though. Flying over, almost every Lego development (they all look like the same blocks from the plane) near Houston and Aus seemed to have a pond with a serious aerator in it.
Why?
Rainwater retention ponds. Keeps the smaller streams from flooding during the spring/ fall downpours. they are also off almost all large parkinglots.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
That was me for the Iron Cactus, my favorite place in Austin. Glad you enjoyed it!
NRA Endowment Member
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
NM, had to read back a page :::: "Rainwater retention ponds. Keeps the smaller streams from flooding during the spring/ fall downpours. they are also off almost all large parkinglots"