markf424

Just a quick note here, while I can respect jbftx's comments regarding Trudy's and Chuy's, I wanted to mention that they're both Austin based-chains. Trudy's is Austin-based with only 3 total locations, all within Austin. Chuy's was born at the Barton Springs location and has branched out of Austin since. Jeffrey's is a good call, and I'm not sure why I didn't mention it. My wife and I went there the night I proposed to her, just over a year ago, and we have not had the chance to return. Maybe because I haven't had much experience with them, although I've had Cipollina (same owners, across the street) cater my parties and have eaten there for lunch frequently. The comment regarding Castle Hill's atmosphere is also well taken - it looks like a funhouse inside with a drop ceiling. However, in some ways, I find that Austin-funky. Again, good luck and enjoy your visit. Austin's a great town. -edited to correct grammar-

Hey, no problem. Here are some ideas that should suit your tastes and your pocketbook. 1. Siena (http://www.sienarestaurant.com/) has an interesting menu and is somewhat northern Italian. There is a menu online which may be different than what you'll get when you're there. I have yet to go, but I've heard some good things. This is really close to my house, too, so I'm lame for not going yet. 2. Zoot (http://www.zootdining.com/) is a solid "new American" dining experience just west of downtown, and their other restaurant Wink (http://www.winkrestaurant.com/) is another solid choice. Both links include sample menus. 3. Castle Hill Cafe (http://www.castlehillcafe.com/), located just west of downtown on 5th Street combines Southwestern and eclectic fare. This restaurant has been around for a long time in Austin and rarely is poorly reviewed. I've always been pleased with my meal here. They also have a sister restaurant in northwest Austin, Mirabelle, which has recently received higher accolades than the main restaurant. 4. If you're feeling adventurous, Hudson's on the Bend (http://hudsons.citysearch.com/)specializes in game with an emphasis on their famous sauces. They're a little ways out of town, so you'd be looking at a 30 minute drive out towards Lake Travis for this one. We have a number of high-end chain restaurants in Austin, which I would encourage you to miss - not because the food is sub-par, but because you'd miss out on a unique-to-Austin dining experience. These include Fleming's Steakhouse, Sullivan's Steakhouse, Roy's, and even Kenichi, an upscale sushi bar which is only the second of its kind (original is in Aspen, Colorado), but supposedly with plans to expand. I would probably shy away from seafood, as we're a good distance from the sea, but if you insist, Eddie V'd Edgewater Grill is an Austin original with two locations. They fly their seafood in daily. Depending on your schedule, if I was only going to be able to do one nice dinner and two Tex-Mex lunches (or other meals), I'd probably hit Castle Hill for dinner, Angie's for lunch, and Trudy's for a meal when I want a drink as well. Trudy's serves excellent margaritas, and their specialty "Mexican Martini", a top shelf margarita served with a shaker and a martini glass, is excellent. I usually get mine with Herradura Silver and Grand Marnier, but they'll leave that choice up to you. If you're out and about before/after the show and make your way down to 4th street, Malaga is a tapas bar where you could pick up a few Spanish morsels. Best luck, hope this helps. You'll have to be sure to let us know how it went. -Mark

For good, authentic Tex-Mex, there are numerous options and you'll probably get differing opinions. For the record, here are mine: 1. Angie's on East 7th street, just off of I-35 is right downtown and about as authentic as you can get. Incredible homemade corn tortillas - thick and soft. Tacos are made with these so the shells are crispy on the outside but still soft and tender on the inside. The atmosphere isn't incredible, it's a converted home with a hand painted mural of the city on the wall. Angie and her family serve you. Salsa is spicy and flavorful, but the chips aren't made in house. 2. Las Manitas, aka "Avenue Cafe" is on Congress Avenue and 2nd Street on the east side of the road. They have incredible refried beans, made with bacon fat. Good enchiladas and interesting specials. Bagged chips but again, good homemade salsa. 3. For a more popular restaurant, try one of the Trudy's restaurants in town. Excellent queso (I like the especial, with a dollop of guacamole right in the bottom), good red and green sauce, good chips, and great enchiladas. The "Texas Star" location is closest to where you'll be staying, and has the best atmosphere right on campus. 4. For the most popular, but least authentic (while still very tasty) restaurant, you can try Chuy's. There's a downtown location on Barton Springs Blvd (the one where the Bush girls got caught drinking underage). They have good homemade chips, good salsas (order the Creamy Jalapeno for dipping - they'll bring it with your chips if you ask), and more mainstream dishes. Although it's less authentic, I still recommend this restaurant, especially if you're not experienced with Tex-Mex. As far as fine dining, there are a number of choices. What kind of experience do you desire? Also, what sort of cuisine? And finally, on budget, what do you mean by "within reason", as far as budget per couple? -Mark

Thanks for the thread link - exactly what I was looking for. I'll give these a shot - nothing like homemade pizza for an awesome weekend lunch.

I'll definitely give that a whirl next time around. I use a baking stone for mine in a hot oven or even better, a hot gas grill. With the grill, you lose some of the overhead radiation but still get great convection so I keep the temperature around 550 degrees with the lid closed the entire time. You might want to give that a try.

Yeah, I've tried all bread or all all-purpose. I didn't realize they let it rise in the fridge. That must take forever. I never feel like I get a great rise out of my dough, actually. It barely doubles in size. I saw Mario Batali do it once with brewer's yeast instead of active dry and the dough practically filled up the kitchen.

I have been able to successfully make pizza dough for a good, authentic Napoli crust - crispy and charred on the bottom and fairly crunchy throughout. I haven't been able to duplicate a Northeast (Philly/NYC) style pizzeria crust, however. I usually use 2 1/2 cups of bread flour with 1/2 to 1 cup of all-purpose nonbleached flour, 1 cup water with salt, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and proofed yeast. Does anyone know the solution to getting that chewier crust? -Mark

fredbram: Excellent point and one I hadn't even considered. I once made cheesecake without the requisite pan of water underneath. Not only did it crack, it overflowed the pan and burned all over the floor of my oven. Cheesecake is delicious, but torched cheesecake juice is atrocious.

Thanks for the replies. Pretty much as I expected. If I purchased the grill, I probably would have only used it for fish filets and grilled sandwiches or bread anyway. I have a heavy two-burner griddle already but assumed the built in griddle would cook more evenly (not that I'm having much trouble with my existing griddle). Being that the house is going to be in Austin, Texas, and I'm planning on building an outdoor kitchen with a 48" grill, I think 4 burners and a griddle are probably the direction I'm headed. Cooktop, with separate electric ovens. -Mark

While I've read the threads on DCS vs. Viking vs. Thermador vs. Wolf, etc., one thing I've missed is a conversation on whether to purchase the grill option or the griddle option on these ranges. Which is more useful? I understand that the grill option is probably going to require a more significant ventilation system - is it worth it? Who has the grill and who uses it? What about the griddle? Is it better to skip both of these and just add another set of burners? Yet another question - why not cooktops with separate ovens instead of a combination piece? It seems that everyone here agrees with purchasing a full stove. Aesthetically and ergonomically, I prefer having my double oven at a higher level off to the side of my range. Any feedback there? I'm just full of questions today. -Mark

I'll be right over.

A side question - what about for cocktails? I can still agree that autumn and winter are my favorites for drinking hearty wines with hearty meals, but for a cocktail, the question becomes tougher. I think it comes down to the refreshment factor - when is it most refreshing? It's hard to beat a fresh margarita on the rocks with a basket of tortilla chips and fresh spicy salsa in the heat of the summer. -Mark

Interesting responses. I was thinking we'd have a more varied group, but it seems that the autumn crowd has it - or could it be that we all feel this way because it's right around the corner and we've mentally prepared for it? What if I had posed this question in early March? Would everyone say spring? Great responses, though. You're all making me very, very hungry. -Mark

A conversation with a friend this afternoon got me thinking - which season is my favorite for food? Is it the freshness of primavera, baby vegetables and greens with a delicious spring crop of strawberries? Do I prefer the flavor bursting from sun baked tomatoes and bell peppers with the spice of jalapeno and scotch bonnets that are the product of a hot summer? Perhaps the swallow of a warm pumpkin bisque on a cool autumn night, reminding me of the summer just past is truly my favorite. Or is it the comfort and warmth I receive from a hearty meat sauce poured over pasta in the middle of the winter after shoveling the driveway? (OK, so maybe in Austin that doesn't happen, but you get my drift) . To be honest, I love them all. If I absolutely must choose, and since this is my thread, I'm guessing it would be completely unfair not to do so, I think autumn would be my favorite. I can still throw fresh fish and meat on the grill on some nights, but cook a hearty supper on others without disobeying the natural order of weather and food. I'd love to hear your thoughts. -Mark

I haven't hit Rounders but plan to do so next time I'm in town - sounds awesome. I'm definitely partial to Saccone's and have tried to convince Dan to open another shop further south, but he didn't seem terribly open to the idea. Seems he's pretty stubborn on remaining a mom and pop shop, which I can definitely appreciate. Guess I'll just have to keep driving for my pizza fix.

My wife and I have been living in St. Thomas for the last 9 months or so, and have had some really bad luck dining. Only recently have we begun to find acceptable, and then exceptional places to dine. Tonight was an exceptional experience and I want to share with anyone living or visiting the island. We headed over to Frenchtown and hit Craig and Sally's for the first time since living here. Reservations are highly recommended. The menu changes nightly with Sally's one signature dish remaining at the top of the appetizer list - eggplant cheesecake with Parmigiano Reggiano, roasted garlic, roasted eggplant all topped with a tomato basil confit. Excellent. Salad of spinach greens, goat cheese, sun dried cherries, prosciutto, and melon was also well put together. My wife had pan seared diver harvested sea scallops, 3 huge ones with 3 jumbo shrimp atop a cajun bean and crawfish chowder. I had a half roast duckling with pancetta peppered polenta cakes and a port wine poached pear stuffed with bleu cheese and chorizo all on top of a sweet potato sauce with cinnamon hints. The pear was delicious, although I'm unsure how the chorizo flavor fit into the sweetness of the duck dish. Regardless, it was excellently prepared. They offer 20 or so wines by the glass and have about 350 bottle offerings on their wine list. Apparently they have about a 5000 bottle inventory, which is probably the best you're going to find on an island with a tropical climate. Desserts all sounded great but Sally goes a tad overboard on the entree portions so we had no room left over to find out. Regardless, Craig and Sally's comes as my highest recommendation thus far on the island. The only other places I can recommend so far are Randy's Bistro, where you pick your wine from his colocated wine shop and pay a $5 corkage fee - a bargain place to quaff some wine, and the Old Stone Farmhouse over near Mahogany Run. I've had well prepared, fresh meals at both of these establishments and have left happy - Randy's on a number of occasions. Additionally, I've had luck at Off The Hook in Red Hook for fresh local seafood prepared in a (somewhat liberal) local style. Not recommended: Frigate East, Herve (It was acceptable fare, but you can do much better for the price), Molly Malone's (even a turnoff for casual bar food). If anyone's interested, I'll keep this topic updated on my experiences. Thanks for reading. Mark