A list of my personal favorites in Austin...
Thai Food: Madam Mam's, Thai Spice Cafe (on 360)
Tex-Mex/Mexican: Manuel's, El Chile Cafe Y Cantina, Fonda San Miguel (yes Chuy's does not make my list)
Sunday Brunch: Trudy's, Taverna on 2nd street, Cafe Magnolia
Drinks: Mexian Martinis at Trudy's, Mojitos at Malaga, Breakfast Fresh Orange Juice at Trudy's (haha), Thai Iced Coffee at Mekong River
Italian: Reale's up by 183 and Anderson Mill , Enoteca Vespaio on S.Congress, Osteria Primizie on East 11th, Mandola's
Thin-crust pizza - authentic NYC/Italy style: Brooklyn Pie Co in Round Rock, Mandola's
Indian Food: Clay Pit, Bombay Express for some things, Sarovar for the egg-biryani.
South American (non-Mexican): Buenos Aires (Argentinian), Dona Emilia's (Colombian)
Desserts: Paciugo on 2nd street for the Tiramisu frappe and amazing gelatos, Dolce Vita, Buenos Aires, and a long list of others...
Sushi: Kenichi, Uchi... (both high-end), Tokyo Teppan/Steakhouse
Chinese: Tokyo Teppan/Steakhouse (can't stand any other place... their ingredients are never fresh)
Vietnamese: Sagiang (on Jollyville road), Sunflower Cafe
Crepes: Austin has a load of crepe places now, but the only place that still rings true for me (memories of Montmartre in France) is Flip Happy Crepes!
Soups: Tom Yum soup at Madam Mam's, Tom Ka (with coocnut) soup at Thai Kitchen (William Cannon and I35) and at Satay. (I don't usually venture to try soups at other restaurants because many of them are made in chicken broth).
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Manuel's
If you ask me about my favorite Tex-Mex food in Austin, I'll say "Manuel's" without batting an eyelid! I eat at the downtown location atleast once every 2 weeks and thankfully the quality of food has only gone up in the last 6 months! (They have 2 or more locations in Austin).
The first time I went to the downtown location and was seated at a booth, I plonked myself down on the cushy looking black leather sofa only to be rewarded with a hard thwack. Ever since then, I warn first-timers to seat themselves gently or be punished! The complimentary chips are fresh and the salsa is thick and spicy - I suspect there is the slightest dash of cream in the salsa but I could be wrong!
My favorite appetizer was the Chile Con Queso (not like any queso you've ever imagined)... this one is spicy, cheesy and meant to be stuffed on a warm, fresh tortilla, rolled up and eaten hot! It's stringy and filled with tomatoes and jalapenoes as well - I introduce it as "the queso with a twist" to any first timer (and trust me I take plenty such people there from work)!
And then a friend introduced me to another delicious appetizer that I fantasize about on rainy days :)- the corn Gordita! The gordita is a grilled set of 3-4 potato and corn cakes that are served with the yummiest cilantro, garlic and tomatillo salsa and some pico-de-gallo. The ingredients are fresh so it adds to the flavors beautifully. The gordita does take a while to prepare but the servers usually inform you of the "extra prep" time upfront.
If I don't make a meal out of the above two, I go in for the bean and cheese flauta entree (with no sour cream and with salsa verde) instead. Two fresh flautas are served with guacamole and rice. At one time they made the rice with chicken stock, but then I remember they had changed it, but not sure what it is made of now, and I ususally just avoid eating it anyway.
As for the mole sauce, I was told it's the best in Austin, but a Mexican friend didn't think so. I wouldn't eat it anyway because apparently that's not vegetarian either. They also say Polvo's has the best mole sauce in Austin but after the owner got drunk and behaved like a jerk with us girls there one time, I think Polvo's has a horrible atmosphere and service and would choose Manuel's any day! Of course I've eaten at Polvo's and like the food there, but nasty incidents can unfortunately mar one's memories of a place. But I digress. Back to Manuel's...
At the downtown location, there's plenty of seating space and the bar is usually crowded on a weekend night. At lunch time I would recommend getting to the restaurant closer to 11:30-11:45 am to avoid the inevitable lunch rush and get done on time. (And by now, Monica, one of the main Maitre D's even knows my name!)
The first time I went to the downtown location and was seated at a booth, I plonked myself down on the cushy looking black leather sofa only to be rewarded with a hard thwack. Ever since then, I warn first-timers to seat themselves gently or be punished! The complimentary chips are fresh and the salsa is thick and spicy - I suspect there is the slightest dash of cream in the salsa but I could be wrong!
My favorite appetizer was the Chile Con Queso (not like any queso you've ever imagined)... this one is spicy, cheesy and meant to be stuffed on a warm, fresh tortilla, rolled up and eaten hot! It's stringy and filled with tomatoes and jalapenoes as well - I introduce it as "the queso with a twist" to any first timer (and trust me I take plenty such people there from work)!
And then a friend introduced me to another delicious appetizer that I fantasize about on rainy days :)- the corn Gordita! The gordita is a grilled set of 3-4 potato and corn cakes that are served with the yummiest cilantro, garlic and tomatillo salsa and some pico-de-gallo. The ingredients are fresh so it adds to the flavors beautifully. The gordita does take a while to prepare but the servers usually inform you of the "extra prep" time upfront.
If I don't make a meal out of the above two, I go in for the bean and cheese flauta entree (with no sour cream and with salsa verde) instead. Two fresh flautas are served with guacamole and rice. At one time they made the rice with chicken stock, but then I remember they had changed it, but not sure what it is made of now, and I ususally just avoid eating it anyway.
As for the mole sauce, I was told it's the best in Austin, but a Mexican friend didn't think so. I wouldn't eat it anyway because apparently that's not vegetarian either. They also say Polvo's has the best mole sauce in Austin but after the owner got drunk and behaved like a jerk with us girls there one time, I think Polvo's has a horrible atmosphere and service and would choose Manuel's any day! Of course I've eaten at Polvo's and like the food there, but nasty incidents can unfortunately mar one's memories of a place. But I digress. Back to Manuel's...
At the downtown location, there's plenty of seating space and the bar is usually crowded on a weekend night. At lunch time I would recommend getting to the restaurant closer to 11:30-11:45 am to avoid the inevitable lunch rush and get done on time. (And by now, Monica, one of the main Maitre D's even knows my name!)
And thus began a blog
Welcome to my eating adventures! I am a vegetarian and love eating! I hate when a Maitre D' says with wide round eyes "Oh but vegetarians eat fish" or when I ask a restaurant what's vegetarian on their menu and they say, "The salads...". Errm... vegetarians are not cows, grazing on grass, yunnoh?
We can pretty much eat any cuisine, and at any restaurant except when it says "BBQ"... but only if the rest of the world realized that, especially here in Texas! This blog is the culinary point of view of a vegetarian in Texas.
If you like what you read here and wish to contribute or help, please do get in touch with me at this ID: forlackofagoodnick at hotmail dot com.
We can pretty much eat any cuisine, and at any restaurant except when it says "BBQ"... but only if the rest of the world realized that, especially here in Texas! This blog is the culinary point of view of a vegetarian in Texas.
If you like what you read here and wish to contribute or help, please do get in touch with me at this ID: forlackofagoodnick at hotmail dot com.
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