Poster:	beachless
Date:	2009-03-12 02:21
Subject:	Outback Steakhouse, San Marcos, Texas
Security:	Public

This past weekend we got our tax refund in and went to 3 different places to eat. The first was Outback Steak House. We were seated fairly quickly even with a full waiting room when we walked up. Took a little while for our waiter to come to the table however and he was definitely the worst part of this dining experience. He acted nervous the whole time he was with us. Like he didn't know what to do with himself. By the end of the night my 10 year old had a name for him when he wasn't around - Ticking Travis. He clicked his pen a lot which was just plain annoying but when he didn't have a pen in his hand he was nervously fiddling with whatever was availible. It was highly distracting and most unpleasant. We did notice that after our meal was over, a pair of pretty college girls had just sat down near our table. Ticking Travis immediately took himself to their level, squatting down and one knee and visually seemed to relax. He did not do his very annoying ticking nervous habits in front of them. If he had been that way with us, the dinner would of been much more pleasant from the waiter relation stand point. He was a compitent waiter, but didn't do anything that made himself stand out as a great waiter and the nervous clicking habits were definitely a drawback.

Now on to the food. They had a cream onion soup that night. Having had cream onion soups before and having enjoyed them, I ordered the one at Outback. It disappointed big time. It was very greasy and peppery. It tasted more like the gravy from biscuits and gravy with a HINT of onion rather than an onion soup. The onion really played a minor role in this dish. It was so greasy it made me feel like it was more an oil change for my mouth rather than a soup to tickle the pallette. It's texture fell flat as well, it wasn't nearly as smooth as it could be. I had 3 maybe 4 bites before pushing it aside with no intention of eating another bite.

I ordered the shrimp and tenderloin meal for my main meal with a baked potatoe with sour cream only. The baked potatoe was perfect. Danity with enough sour cream for the whole potatoe, but not so much it was swimming in it. The tenderloin was ordered rare and came out cold. Not warm at all. So that was a little disappointing that it wasn't hot. However! It was like butter. Just melted in my mouth. A very good cut of meat, delicious, cooked perfectly, just the wrong temperature. And I'd rather it be a cold rare than a warm medium any day and warm rares are not the easiest steaks to make. The stuffed shrimp - what wasn't wrong with this dish? The shrimps were over cooked, hard and chewy. The stuffing was again way too greasy and would of overwhelmed the dish if it weren't for the fact that there was something in the stuffing that was incredibly sharp. Not hot spicey mind you, but sharp - much like a good sharp cheddar. It was a bit too sharp though. I could only eat one bite of stuffing before having to nibble on something else.


Using a 4 star scale I give thisOutback Steak House the following:

Quality of Service **
Quality of Food **.5
(Soup *, Baked Potatoe ****, Tenderloin ***, Shrimp **)
Accuracy of Description of Food ***.5
Overall Cleanliness****
Overall Atmosphere***
Friendliness of Staff**

Overall rating I would give it **.8 (2.8) Stars.

Would I recommend this resteraunt? Well if you are in the outlet malls and want a good nonfast food meal - yes. I would not recommend making a night surrounding the dining experience to be had here.

Cost of Dinner for a family of three: $48.74 Tip$7.32 (15%) Standard tip - Did not earn a penny more.

Poster:	jenmarie
Date:	2009-02-15 10:28
Subject:	Fiddler's Hearth on Valentine's Day review
Security:	Public

I've been heading to Fiddler's Hearth pretty much every Friday for the past several weeks during the day to work using their free wi-fi. Usually I just get a bowl of yummy soup and maybe a salad. I had also been with the family for brunch and lunch a few times, but never yet in the evening.

Last night I went with my husband and youngest daughter for dinner. Plans were to simply sample some of the dinner fare, but on a whim I decided to indulge myself with the menu that had been teasing me for the past week or two.

Oh my! ( review behind cut.... )

Poster:	boi770
Date:	2008-12-25 15:58
Subject:	Christmas Dinner...
Security:	Public

Anyone know of a good place to eat on Christmas Day? (what the heck is actually open?) looking for something nice... maybe downtown...

Thanks!

Poster:	penny246
Date:	2008-12-22 12:25
Subject:	anyone know the difference...
Security:	Public

between sour tapioca flour (azedo) and sweet tapioca flour (doce? Also, is there a place in Austin to get them?

Poster:	earthguy82
Date:	2008-08-21 12:08
Subject:	Vegan Cooking School?
Security:	Public

I know this isn't the totally right place, but maybe someone in here will know. Is there any Vegan Culinary Schools in Austin?

Thanks.

 

Poster:	texasoddity
Date:	2008-07-10 12:50
Subject:	"Real Texas" Food
Security:	Public

My office has Korean VIPs coming to town and we can't decide on a restaurant for dinner tomorrow night.  We've done County Line and Cool River...  and can't go all the way to Salt Lick...  Where can we get both margaritas/Texas Beers and "Texas Food" thats North-ish?

Poster:	dinaofdoom
Date:	2008-05-03 19:00
Subject:
Security:	Public

i live on anderson mill road and work at parmer and riata.
my co-workers and i wanted margaritas and mexican food.
we tried tres amigos (183 and anderson mill road) and lo and behold, they were gone.
a sign proclaimed it to be the future location of kerbey lane.
i was surprised because i had just driven by the restaurant not that long ago.

so then we drove over to curra's at parmer and mcneil.
they haven't paid their rent so the landlord locked up the property.
although their service has completely and totally sucked and my order was always messed up, at least the food and drinks were good.

we ended up at baby a's at gateway but it was not really what we were looking for, and a bit further to boot.

so, boo. not many more options left in the neighborhood.

Poster:	wineandfoodtube
Date:	2008-03-14 12:19
Subject:	Vegan recipes
Security:	Public

There are great Vegan recipes and videos of Restaurants all around America at www.wineandfoodtube.com

Poster:	pjoseph
Date:	2007-12-30 14:21
Subject:	Veggie Heaven
Security:	Public

This may be the best restaurant in Austin. Cheap, nutrient rich, vivacious vegan fare. The room is cramped and the hall way to the bathroom is a claustrophobe's worst nightmare. However, the service is fast, in a decade of going there I have never had to wait to sit, yet the place is always full.

At one point in the past the walls were covered with promotional material for some kind of messiah on earth from a country I had never heard of. The menu seemed to be chosen in tribute to her teachings. These images seem to be gone now.

Less culty feeling in the messiah's absence, but with the same diverse selections of TVP, fresh vegetables, and simple grains, the menu is colorful, offering savory promises of vegan food from a variety of Asian regions. Faux beef, chicken, shrimp, and pork bowls are available. Tofu fried and grilled, balled and sculpted. Hot steaming curry bun, or sweet bean paste bun are delights.

We usually go for the water, but there are as many variations of tea drinks as their are soy dishes.

The typical Asian restaurant will offer you 16 pages of beef, chicken, pork, and a tiny paragraph of vegetarian options. It's the kind of thing that makes most people assume vegan cooking must be a hellish pursuit, fit only for monks and hippies. This restaurant proves that assumption wrong a hundred times over.

Most dishes $6 or under. Large portions, sharing encouraged for calorie minded diners. Try Protein 2000 and a sweet bun to start. Buy a shirt on the way out. $5.

1914 Guadalupe St Ste A
Austin, TX 78705-5607
Phone: (512) 457-1013

Poster:	texasoddity
Date:	2007-12-30 10:40
Subject:	Chips and curry?
Security:	Public

I've been watching Britcoms all weekend and now have a terrible craving for chips with curry sauce.  Does any place in Austin serve this?    Bagpipes and Sherlocks on 183 don't appear to have it.  :(

Poster:	dinaofdoom
Date:	2007-12-23 18:47
Subject:	tortilla soup recommendations
Security:	Public

i'm not from texas, so sometimes i am not aware of all the different mexican, tex-mex and texan foods.
after my friend was blathering on and on about how delicious tortilla soup is, i decided to order it while i was out shopping at the arboretum.
big mistake.
i got a skimpy "bowl" of anemic chicken soup without the noodles, with huge chunks of carrot and celery (which i hate).
there was a tiny blob of avocado, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and some tortilla strips.
obviously i felt cheated! where is the *good* tortilla soup i hear about?
the rich, spicy, flavorful bowls chock full of all sorts of mexicany goodness??

north or northwest preferred but at this point i am willing to travel.

Poster:	mud_turtle
Date:	2007-11-01 10:29
Subject:	Gobble gobble
Security:	Public

Time to start thinking about the turkey - deep fried, that is. Any suggestions in Austin, or anywhere along the way from Austin to Houston, where I can order one? Someone had mistakenly told me to try Rudy’s, but they only do smoked. Thanks for your help.

Poster:	mielikki
Date:	2007-10-17 19:22
Subject:	European Bistro review
Security:	Public

Friend Gordon offered to take my husband Eric and I somewhere to eat, but wanted to go somewhere we don't usually go. We suggested Venice Cafe in Pflugerville- we'd been there once a year ago, and remember it being good- but not good enough, I guess, because now it's another Mexican restaurant. So Gordon remembered a place nearby and we went there- behold:

European Bistro!

...Hungarian, German, Albanian, and a couple other cuisines in the same general area. ( Read more... )

Poster:	bingsy
Date:	2007-09-15 11:12
Subject:	Aster's
Security:	Public

You may have noticed the sign for Aster's, the new Ethiopian restaurant, on the I-35 feeder road, just before Dean Keeton. It's in the old Enchiladas Y Mas location.

A few months ago I was finally able to go give it a try, and I think it is my favorite food ever.

Dinner will run you between $30 - $40 per couple, which I think is fairly typical for most restaurants and actually pretty good for Ethiopian - which tends to be a little more expensive.

The flavors are wonderful, and it is fun to go with 3 - 4 people, as the presentation encourages socializing.

Here is a blurb in chowhound and the Austin Chronicle.

Poster:	nancynewt
Date:	2007-08-27 16:46
Subject:	Paella
Security:	Public

I am looking for paella in Austin. There used to be a place on 360 and Bee Caves that I loved, but that was in 1999. So were is there paella and what do you think of it?

cross posted

Poster:	lovemonster
Date:	2007-08-09 14:48
Subject:	Coffee Cake
Security:	Public

Your favorite place place in town to get a really nummy coffee cake?

x-posted


Better yet, do you have a recipe you want to share?

Poster:	lovemonster
Date:	2007-08-02 13:17
Subject:	Sauce w/out sugar?
Security:	Public

Is it possible to get Chinese food in Austin who's sauces do NOT contain copious amounts of sugar?!

Poster:	mud_turtle
Date:	2007-07-18 13:29
Subject:	Quick recommendation if looking for good Mexican food...
Security:	Public

We went to Casa Chapala for lunch on Saturday. It was literally some of the best Mexican food we've ever had and their queso was the best we've ever had. The service was also great. It's in a shopping center at Shoal Creek & Anderson.

Poster:	capsaicinoid
Date:	2007-07-12 14:53
Subject:	intro
Security:	Public

hello everyone!

just joined this community. thought i should introduce myself. my name is Brian and i own Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop on 6th st. (same block as Emo's).

so to the chileheads out there, swing on by! i sample stuff out and make my own hot sauces and salsas.

(oh, and i just found an excellent vietnamese place on east oltorf called 888 Vietnamese Restaurant. highly recommend it!)

Poster:	suphaltus
Date:	2007-04-26 22:48
Subject:
Security:	Public

( Slow Feast at Green Gate Farms )