August 2, 1997: Thai Noodle House.

Posted on August 2, 1997 by dwightbrown

2602 Guadalupe
494-1011
Pepper grinder rating:0.
Men’s room rating:2.

Dwight’s comments:

Good steamed dumplings, and reasonable prices, but otherwise not outstanding Thai food from the people who brought you Satay.
Perhaps if they raised the prices a bit, they could afford some paint.
Within walking distance of campus: but do yourself a favor and walk the extra few blocks to the Guadalupe Thai Kitchen instead.

Lawrence’s comments:

Wouldn’t it be great if there were an excellent Thai restaurant within walking distance of UT campus?
There is. It’s called Thai Kitchen.
Thai Noodle House, on the other hand, pretty much sucks. The Tod Mun cakes were small and their taste merely adequate (Thai Garden and Thai Orchid both do a better job), and the dumplings were inferior to other Austin Thai offerings. The Tom Yum Guew I ordered as a plate (rather than a soup) had too many vegetables and not enough meat or noodles (not unlike a dish I once had at Korea House), wasn’t nearly spicy enough (despite my request and the dish’s designation as the hottest thing on the menu), and just wasn’t all that good. Plus the service was indifferent and (as with Thai Passion) they charged $1.25 for cans of soft drinks.
The food is reasonably cheap, but that’s about all that can be said for it. I’ve eaten better campus-area Asian meals from Saigon Eggroll Stand.
As far as I can tell (though it’s been years since I ate at Bangcock Cuisine), Thai Noodle House is at the very bottom of the Austin Thai food chain.

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March 29, 1997: Pappasito’s Cantina.

Posted on March 29, 1997 by dwightbrown

6513 N. IH-35
459-9214

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men’s room rating: 3.5. (Exceptionally clean, with lots of space.)

Dwight’s comments:

Good but expensive meat dishes. Excellent fajitas (both beef and chicken) and good pork ribs. However, I think it’s a little pricey (unless three or four people go for one of the fiesta platters.)
Serrano’s offers a much better value for the dining dollar, and has better hot sauce and chips to boot.

Lawrence’s comments:

When I opened up the menu at Pappasitos, I was somewhat shocked to see that a full plate of beef fajitas went for nearly $20. Are their fajitas really worth $20?
As much as I hate to admit it, the answer may be yes.
What Dwight, Andrew “dodging lawsuits between worshiping Satan” Wimsatt and I ended up getting was the “Loco” platter for $41.95, which include beef and chicken fajitas, BBQ pork ribs, and butterfly-cut “Diablo”shrimp. I think the fajitas may have been the best I’ve had (and certainly the best this year), with a tangy marinade that really enhanced the flavor. The pork ribs were so tender they fell off the bone. The shrimp were tasty as well, but I thought the chicken was just a tad dry, and not nearly as flavorful as the beef (though mine seemed to be a minority opinion on this point). Our waiter, Bryon, did a good job even though they seemed understaffed.
However, the $7-$10 nachos ARE a rip-off (and the hot sauce was bland).
The Loco platter is an excellent deal, but everything else there seems a bit pricey. My advice would be to visit in parties no smaller than four.

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March 22, 1997: Mr. India Palace.

Posted on March 22, 1997 by dwightbrown

9120 N. I-35
835-4447

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men’s room rating: 1.5. (Typical fast food joint men’s room: which is what this used to be.)

Dwight’s comments:

After two trips, I’m willing to say this is every bit as good as Bombay Grill: we have a tie for “Best Indian Food In Austin.”
The tandoori dishes, in particular, seem well prepared, and the na’an has been excellent. (I especially recommend the house special na’an.)
If Mr. India Palace has a problem, it would be service: I can’t tell if they’re understaffed (although they were nearly deserted when we were there), or if it’s just the common failing of many non-Western dining establishments.
(For that matter, I’ve had service problems at Bombay Grill: and Taj Palace’s service has gone way downhill in the past two years.)
A friend also noted that his na’an seemed dry and hard: none of us had this problem, and we didn’t try his, so I’m puzzled by his complaint.
Mr. India Palace does have a $5.95 lunch buffet as well: if you’re close enough to take advantage, please consider giving it a try.
(Update 3/31/97: The chicken vindaloo, on the other hand, has a lot more tomato (in big chunks) than I like in mine. Be warned, if you’re like me, and stick to the tandoori meats, or perhaps the curries.)

Lawrence’s comments:

The first time I ate Indian food (at the now defunct Passage to India) I threw up. Since then, I’ve slowly come to realize that it was only that articular meal I hated rather than Indian food in general, and Mr. India Palace was a pleasant data point along that learning curve. The appetizers were tasty, and the various sampler grills (I got the tandoori curry sampler, while Dwight had the tandoori mixed grill) were quite good and had very generous portions. And at least one of my orders of na’an came steaming from the oven (and was large enough to encase a medium sized fish). The only drawbacks were somewhat indifferent service, despite the place being almost deserted. I got the impression our waitress/owner was also doing some (if not all) of the cooking in the kitchen. This is obviously a family-run restaurant, and I’d really like to see them make a go of it.

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March 15, 1997: Olive Garden.

Posted on March 15, 1997 by dwightbrown

8833 Burnet Road
459-0701

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men’s room rating: 3.

Dwight’s comments:

Indefensibly bland Italian food. Good breadsticks and decent salad. Average service.
Why do the Olive Gardens continue to be packed every damn night, when there are better choices available?

Lawrence’s comments:

Yes, it’s a chain, but we come here mainly for the excellent garlic breadsticks (the best “free bread” in town) and the salad. Though service started out iffy (our waitress ignored our first request for breadsticks),they quickly made up for it. While the appetizers were good (from Chili’s “Awsome Blossom”, to the Outback’s “Bloomin Onion” to the Olive Garden, fried, spicy onion shreads seem to be the appetizer of the 90s), I thought the “Tour of Italy” (lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and chicken parmigiana) were a good deal blander than usual. C’mon folks, this is Italian food. “Show me the garlic!” When it comes to entrees, Mama Mia’s does a much better job.

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March 8, 1997: Shaggy’s.

Posted on March 8, 1997 by dwightbrown

1600 South Congress
447-5375

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men’s room rating: 2.5.

Dwight’s comments:

I was prepared not to like Shaggy’s, based on the commentary on austin.food. However, I was pleasantly surprised once we started eating. The “Buffalo wings” (really jerked chicken wings) were as good as almost any I’ve had in town (except maybe Shady Grove’s) and certainly much better than the “jerk” wings at Plucker’s.
The various jerk entrees were also quite well done, though I think my jerked pork chops could have been larger for $8.95, and I wasn’t thrilled by the rice dish served as a side.
This wouldn’t be a bad lunch spot, or a bad place to hear live music over dinner (especially if your taste runs to reggae).
And I do hope you appreciate my sacrifice in not making a single Scooby Do joke during this review.

Lawrence’s comments:

Shaggy’s has a number of things to recommend it: pretty waitresses, suitably funky and colorful decor, Bob Marley on the stereo system, and good jerk chicken. The buffalo wings (actually hot jerk wings) are also a value for the big basket. However, though Shaggy’s does what they do pretty well (jerk chicken and pork), they don’t do enough. Their menu is entirely too limited, as there’s pretty much nothing else on the menu beyond the jerk permutations and the empanada-like beef dish. Come on, Mon, Jamacia is an island! Don’t you think a few seafood dishes might be in order? You’ve got the basics down, now it’s time to expand the menu.
Also, the Hot Bannana Empanada dessert (ala mode) was excellent!

Posted in Closed, Jamaican | Leave a comment

March 1, 1997: Thai Garden.

Posted on March 1, 1997 by dwightbrown

5517 Manchaca
326-5205

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men’s room rating: 2.

Dwight’s comments:

Okay, but not exceptional, Thai food. I wasn’t as blown away by the appetizers as my fellow diners, and the phat thai, while still very edible, tasted a little beefy. (This seems to be a common flaw, in my opinion, of lower-end Thai places.) The larb (I had the pork, +Rich the chicken) also didn’t seem quite as flavorful, and perhaps a little drier, than my standard.
The Tom Yum Goom soup was up to Thai Kitchen standards, though. Service was pretty good, and the prices relatively cheap.
Thai Garden’s biggest problem, I think, is the somewhat limited menu: there are certain “gold standard” dishes I use for testing that they didn’t do, and I wish they had a wider choice of appetizers.
Thai Garden is a place I wouldn’t drive miles out of the way to visit, but it is one I’d keep in mind if I spent a lot of time in the neighborhood.

Lawrence’s comments:

Though Thai Kitchen is still the reigning champion, I think Thai Garden gives it a good run for its money. The Tod Mun (fried, minced fish fritters) was perhaps the most tasty Thai appetizer I’ve ever had, and the Tom Yum Goom soup was good as well. The portions for my Neur Pud Grapow were generous, and my only complaint was that it didn’t come from the kitchen nearly as hot as a I had specified. However, since they brought out a hot condiments tray, this wasn’t a major problem. Definitely worth trying.
As far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many Thai restaurants.

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April 27, 1996: La Madeleine.

Posted on April 27, 1996 by dwightbrown

Research Boulevard

Pepper grinder rating: 0.

Men’s room rating: 4. (The taped French lessons in the bathroom are an amusing touch, for a few minutes.)

Dwight’s comments:

“I am of the firm opinion that La Madelaine is hideously overpriced. And also exceedingly pretentious.” -Mike, responding to the original announcement.

I’m not sure I agree with the “pretentious”, but I did dislike La Madeleine intensely.

First of all, I hate cafeteria dining. (As a young child, I entertained dreams of making my first fortune, and using some of the spare money to buy up all the cafeteria chains and close them down for good.)

But La Madeleine doesn’t even impliment that concept well: you have to order certain items directly from the waitress at the front, but if you want anything like salad, soup, or drinks, you still have to stand in the cafeteria line.

This line, of course, bottlenecks at the salad (because each salad is made while you stand there: god forbid that they should make it and bring it to your table), so you wind up waiting in lines that stretch out the door.

And for what? Not terribly good food. I’ve had better french onion soups and ceaser salads elsewhere. (Ancho’s makes a very good onion soup.) The prices aren’t moderate (by the time you add up a soup, a decent sized salad, drinks, and a “main course” such as quiche.)

As far as I can tell, the cafeteria concept doesn’t result in any savings in staff. (We saw a large number of waitstaff, most of whom seemed to have nothing to do.) And, frankly, I don’t see any reason for the continued existance and popularity of this chain, other than as vindication of Mencken’s statement, “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.”

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April 20, 1996: PooThai Restaurant.

Posted on April 20, 1996 by dwightbrown

200 Buttercup Creek Blvd
331-3810

Pepper grinder rating: 0.

Men’s room rating: 3.

Dwight’s comments:

PooThai is a pleasant enough place, with friendly waitstaff (although the guy who waited on when we first came in looked suspiciously sleepy and suspiciously Austrailian). The decor isn’t too bad, either: it’s better looking on the inside than Thai Kitchen’s south or central locations. (Internal evidence led us to believe it used to be a steakhouse.)

But the food…well, the pad thai noodles reminded me of the ones my mother used when she made beef stroganoff, and the dish itself seemed strange tasting: somewhat beefy, which is odd for a chicken dish. PooThai’s larb with chicken (chopped chicken, roasted rice, lime juice, onions and cilantro) is pretty good, though. Ann Anonymous Diner found the Thai Shrimp Curry a little too soup-like for his taste, I think.

Lawrence did his usual, “This dish can not be too hot for me” routine, and was disappointed (both with the dish, and that, with a name like “PooThai”, he couldn’t get the larb tigger or pad eeyore). The tom ka gai soup was also good, as were the steamed dumplings we had as an appetizer.

It was a very pleasant birthday dinner, with +Rich, Terri, and Ann’s Friend showing up (as well as Lawrence and Ann); though I found the food not quite up to Thai Kitchen standards, the company made up for it. Thanks, gang.

But would I go back? Well, PooThai is way out in Cedar Park, a long way off my usual routes. If I was in the area, though, I’d like to try their pud grapow squid and perhaps the other noodle dishes.

Posted in Closed, Thai | Leave a comment

April 13, 1996: Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Posted on April 13, 1996 by dwightbrown

3010 Guadalupe
477-7884

Pepper grinder rating: 0/5. (Ruth’s Chris defines the standard for Class 5 pepper grinders. Unfortunately, our waitress on this visit didn’t see fit to offer us fresh ground pepper for our salads or steaks, so we had to watch the pepper grinder in action at other tables.)

Men’s room rating: 3. (It could have been slightly cleaner, but, other than that, perfectly acceptable.)

Dwight’s comments:

Lawrence and I have our birthdays in the same week in April. (His is the 14th, mine the 20th.) So, about this time every year, we indulge ourselves in the expense of Ruth’s Chris, so that we can remember we’re men, dammit, and we eat from the top of the food chain.

Usually, one or two other friends join us: this year, it was the notorious Andrew “Get Out Of Town Before Sunset” Wimsatt, late of the local highway department office and now a citizen of Fort Worth. This gave us a chance to wallow in political incorrectness, instead of reading the Wall Street Journal (thoughtfully provided for free to Ruth’s Chris patrons.)

Lawrence claims that his steak wasn’t actually the best he’s had here, but I didn’t notice any decline since last year with mine. A fillet (cooked at 1800 degrees F, served around 500 degrees F, or so the waiter’s spiel claims), a nice baked potato, some sauteed onions and mushrooms, a large Ceaser salad, and some good French bread later, I eased my chair back from the table, sighed…

…and ordered some of the chocolate mousse cheesecake and a glass of the Napolean VSOP ($13 a shot, and smooth, very smooth.)

All a meal like this needs afterwards is a good cigar. (And I don’t smoke, but I would have gladly walked over to the nearby cigar shop/newsstand and bought one.)

To hell with mad cow disease. To hell with health food. To hell with PETA (and, spekaing of PETA, Doug suggested this link. Thanks.) And to hell with the cost. This is living. And, after all, are we not men?

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April 6, 1996: T.G.I. Friday’s.

Posted on April 6, 1996 by dwightbrown

10000 Research
345-6410

Pepper grinder rating: 0.

Men’s room rating: 3. (When did they stop putting ice in the urinals? Wasn’t that a T.G.I. Friday’s trademark?)

Dwight’s comments:
A large menu of mostly undistinguished food, with decor by the BMTCRSC.

Much to their credit, the waitstaff dealt quite well with moving our unexpectedly large party (with Ann Anonymous Diner and Ann’s friend and RoadRich showing up at a conspiracy for once) to another table.

Unfortunately, the appetizers and main courses (such as my salmon with a Jack Daniel’s glaze) were excessively bland. (I was able to spice the fish up a bit with some Cajun mustard dipping sauce left from a shrimp appetizer, but why should I have had to?)

Really, what can you say about T.G.I. Friday’s that hasn’t been said about Bennigan’s or every other fern bar/fern food chain?

Additional comments from Lawrence:

For what it’s worth, I liked TGI Fridays a bit more than you. I liked the appetizers well enough, my burger was quite tasty, and they kept my bottomless glass of Dr Pepper well filled.

All in all, I think they did the Fern Bar thing pretty well–well enough that I’d have a hard time picking between them and Chili’s for the Fern Bar Championship (haven’t been to Bennigens in a while).

Additional comments from Ann Anonymous Diner:

Amazingly, I have nothing bad to say about Friday’s, except that I hate their TV commercials. I’ll point out that it is easier to eat healthy at Chili’s, however.

Posted in American, Closed | Leave a comment