hankston
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Posts posted by hankston
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i was visiting from texas over the thanksgiving holidays and had a simple and magnificent meal at L'Osteria del Forno. two of us enjoyed 4 of the antipasti with wine and it was more like an osteria meal that i could have in tuscany than anything i've had in the states. we had roasted carrots and fennel bulbs, roasted tomatoes au gratin, speck and white beans [the beans were cooked perfectly], and the beef carpaccio, which was both rich and delicate. really beautiful food. also, it was a very charming space [try to get one of the seats in the window].
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also, regarding austin cocktail joints and manhattans: a visit to the longbranch, also on the east side, yielded a manhattan with cointreau instead of vermouth. not good, not at all. make sure you mention to your longbranch bartender that you want that manhattan sans cointreau. even better, order a martini and avoid the insanity.
NB: East Side Pies, best pizza in austin, will deliver to Longbranch drinkers.
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blanche,
i'm sorry to see that, though i have had a similar experience there. when i was confronted with an ice-bound manhattan, i said, "oh, no, i ordered a manhattan." i was informed that the manhattan/rocks was the way most of the clientele ordered, but was made an up manhattan promptly. for what it's worth, that was the 10th or 11th manhattan i had enjoyed at the peacock and the first time it had come on the rocks. since then, i haven't run into that issue.
one key element, i imagine, is that i am almost exclusively a post-work patron. it is not uncommon for me to be the only person in the bar or one of less than 10 on a friday. also, i usually have Slim as my bartender, and she always makes the drinks just right. luck of the draw, i guess. i have had a bartender there who didn't seem to care, but most of the bartenders i've had there were very attentive to the quality of the drink they served. one, i don't know her name, would even take a bar straw and suction a little of the drink up to taste before she served it.
anyway, long rambling blurb to say: give the peacock's cocktail knowledge and skill another chance. go when they aren't all hipped to the gills to have some of the cleanest classic cocktails in town.
also, i see that they are doing a cocktail of the week now. this week's is the rob roy.
viva!
hank
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i've seen them at both the sunset valley and the downtown market at different times. with patience and diligence, you'll get your eggs.
viva,
hank
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also, for a generous pour of booker's [or one of many other boozes], try Casino el Camino on 6th street. i wouldn't ask one of the just-on-the-happy-side-of-surly bartenders for a cocktail beyond a highball, but they are consistently heavy pourers.
NB: The Casino el Camino has the best hamburger in austin.
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my favorite cocktail bar in town, by far, is the Peacock. if you like classic cocktails that highlight the hootch, like an old-fashioned, a manhattan, or a martini, this is the place.
they make my drinks just right.
you can find it on pedernales between e. 5th and e. 6th.
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this morning, i spoke to someone at laidback manor who said that the restaurant is closed as of yesterday, 9/12/06. he said that it may be relocated to uptown Houston in 3 months.
having just had my first food of this sort at wd-50 a couple of weeks ago, i was excited to come back and try this restaurant, but i missed my window.
are there any other restaurants in texas that are working with molecular cuisine?
viva,
hank
Where do you go for breakfast in SF?
in California: Dining
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during a visit, i ate at Venus for brunch and was really blown away by how well-done it was. perfect eggs and lemon ricotta pancakes that blew me away [how does something so ephemeral in the mouth even stay together on the fork? amazing.]
Venus, brunch, yum.