Blanche Davidian

I would rather eat at the Saltwater Grill on Postoffice than Fisherman's Wharf or Gaido's. It's in roughly the same price range but I think the food is better and more consistent. Their portions are huge, too.

Weikels' is awesome, but I am partial to Hruska's, just down the road on 71. I also like them better than the Czech Stop.

Has anyone been to the Jackalope recently? We were showing some out of towners around 6th street a couple weekends ago, and EVERYBODY had these huge "Polynesian" drinks. I was DD or I would have ordered one. Is that a new development? P.S. I still find their burgers awesome and Casino's burgers dry.

Hey, Kent! It sounds like you don't live too far from me. I assume you've been to Joe's Bakery and the Taqueria Arandas on 7th and Robert T. Martinez. Good stuff! Also, you should try Mr. Catfish out on Springdale. (I don't care for their sides, but their fish rulez.) Also, I hear there's a Peruvian restaurant on E 7th between Pleasant Valley and 183. A good lunch place is Bossa Nova on 6th and Robert T. Martinez. And Rio Rita is now serving cocktails!

This thread made me laugh so hard! I worked the drive-thru ONE day at my veryvery first job at Fazoli's. I think I screwed up every. single. order. that day. It's harder than it looks, and I'm no dummy!

Great review! I have a special occasion coming up at the end of the month and I always forget Hudson's is an option. Thanks!

I go there all the time with work people since it's close, and it's definitely one of the better places for drinks and snacks in the warehouse district. We all love the seafood beignets, but the night we had the ceviche, it was BLAND. I've stumped the bartender with a Manhattan before ("What's in that, again?") but if you stick to the menu you'll have a good experience. Other suggestions for that area: The Lavaca Street Bar hosts ESPN Radio on Fridays during happy hour, with a free nacho bar that is rumored to be supplied by the Belmont. It's standard, but pretty high quality (and free!) The Six Taproom has a long happy hour like 219 but a smaller menu. They are a good place to go if 219 is too crowded. I happen to think the food is slightly better, but I haven't ordered everything on the menu yet. I still contend the best deal in town is Ruth's Chris' happy hour (5-6:50) with $5 anything-you-can-think-to-call martinis and 1/2 price appetizers in the bar. I *don't* like the happy hours at Saba, Cuba Libre or the Belmont.

I've recently been turned on to Lean Cuisine pizzas and paninis. I think they taste better than Hot Pockets, which had been my freezer standby. I'm a little afraid to branch out to the other varieties, but I hear the spa cuisine meals are pretty good. Another thing you might enjoy is frozen indian food. I am particularly fond of the Deep Foods variety. They're a bit hard to find, but it's definitely worth seeking them out. Husband is a fan of frozen meat pies of the British, Austrailian or Jamaican variety, liberally doused in HP or Pickapeppa sauce. I'll ask him what kinds he's tried. Also, did you check out this thread?

I have an uncle that dribbles syrup into every waffle depression and then seals it all off (like honeycomb) with a thick layer of peanut butter. Fascinating!

Alton Brown used a clean pillowcase that zips closed and the spin cycle of his washing machine for his show on greens.

Please, don't put words in my mouth! I didn't call Margy's MIL a bitch! She did, however, press the issue of ordering to the point of making Margy uncomfortable, which, to me, anyway, is rude. Whether Margy was rude or not, it was DEFINITELY rude to make her feel like she was BEING rude. Does that make sense?

I've had success with chicken breast pounded to about 1/2", dipped in egg and rolled in breadcrumbs, placed on a greased baking sheet and baked until done (time depends on heat and the size of your chicken pieces.) The secret to getting the bread crumb coating to appear "fried" is to hose those puppies down with cooking spray about halfway through. I spray the tops, flip 'em, and spray the bottoms (which are now the tops.) When the bread crumb coating is hot, the oil bubbles and sizzles as the crust absorbs it. It's not gourmet, but it IS easy.

I believe Casino el Camino currently holds the title of "Where to get the best burger in Austin," but frankly, it hasn't impressed me. Every burger I've had there has been mmmmmkay: the burger is overcooked, the bun is dry, even when the whole thing is dripping with buffalo sauce or cheese or whatnot. I appreciate that this might have been THE place a couple of years ago, but the 5 or 6 times I've eaten there over the past year really don't hold a candle to my Platonic ideal. Please allow me to nominate a new candidate for Best Burger in Austin: The Jackalope. Basically when I read old descriptions of how good Casino is, I feel like they're describing the Jackalope. The burgers are huge, thick and sloppy, and they aren't afraid to do a true medium rare. I could only get through half of mine, but it was pretty freakin' good. My group actually got a pretty wide variety of stuff--salad, quesadilla, cake, an assorted bucket o' fried crap with ranch, and a biiiiig basket of waffle cut fries--and it was all awesome. Still not the Platonic ideal, but color me impressed! So that's my two cents. I'd love to know what y'all think.

I'm more interested in the behavior of the MIL. I think it was hella rude for her to make a big stink over what Margy was ordering or not ordering. What are you supposed to do after that?

OMFG!!! And then what happened???? See, I have a MILzilla too and I'd still break bread with her. Because I belong the the cult...WWBD? ← You won't believe it: her husband snatched the toast out of his mother's hand and crammed it into his mouth, which made everyone laugh and defused the situation. He'd thrown his toast away, too, but in the garage where it wouldn't be found. We grew up with a criminally polite mother who would rather die than hurt someone else's feelings, so my sister and I are well aware of the importance of being gracious and enjoyable. However, after a long holiday weekend of suffering meal after meal of dreck in suffocatingly close quarters, I'd forgive anyone for passing over another narsty meal. ETA: Sexist?? My apologies! I was just riffing on the post to which I replied.