zephyrus

http://titayasthaicuisine.com/default.aspx has anyone been? it comes highly recommended to me but i have yet to go. was thinking about trying it tonight... sorry if it has been discussed before but i could not find it via search.

parkside, a fairly new restaurant from shawn cirkiel is open till 2:00am serving their full menu. roasted marrow bones, mmmm. star seeds on i-35 just past manor rd. magnolia cafe on lake austin the onion on fifth st for pizza

http://www.restaurantlereve.com/ not cheap. but excellent. terms of pricing on wines i doubt it is what one would call reasonable, but i really do not know since on the two occassions i have been i had the wine pairings.... rankings being subjective and all take this as you will, i believe Gourmet ranked them as the Fifth best restaurant in the country....

I have had the best luck with dulce de leche by taking one can of sweetened condensed milk, one can of evaporated milk, a vanilla bean and a few cinnamon sticks, combining all of them and simmering over low heat for about 30 minutes. continue stirring the entire time and remove from the stove when the mixture develops the consistency of soft caramel. i have found the flavor to be superior to the simmer in the can method... casey

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the excellent reccomendations. I think that a couple of days we are going to go for the big lunch/light dinner combination, hopefully save some money and maybe use the savings for a night or two at a starred place. I will say though, the idea of wine and cheese for dinner does appeal, especially since i dont get to see this girl alll that often. Nor do I ever really get good cheese, but thats another matter altogether.....Once again, thanks for all ya'lls imput, if anyone has more suggestions I am taking copious notes and would love to hear them. Casey

Well i guess the topic tells most of the story, but not all of it. I am a student who has been lucky enough to escape not only school, but the restaurant that i work as a chef at, for a week at the beginning of January. I am headed over to Holland to visit a girl that i met over the summer and take her on a surprise trip to Paris. The only problem is that I am not going to be able to spend an exorbitant sum on food, which is one of the many reasons i decided to take her there. So i am hoping that ya'll can provide me with some reccomendations for excellent brasseries, bistros, etc. that are less expensive, or have less expensive options. Since we will likely only go out to eat three or four nights I am guessing on being able to spend sixty to eighty euros for dinner and a bottle of wine(i am hoping that this is not too little, i have not done a whole lot of research yet) for most of the nights with one night being a splurge at a two star place. If I need to spend more so be it, i doubt i will get to make a trip like this again. So if anyone has some ideas about places with great food that fit the parameters I would be beyond obliged. Oh, and I am admittedly bad at using the search feature so if these questions have been asked before my apologies. Thanks so much, Casey Fannin

the fish in question at uchi is indeed striped bass.... casey

am wondering if anyone has some idea about the method i would need to go about to make the yuzu koshou? a rough recipe would be great but all that is needed is some general ideas...thanks so much... casey

western style- nenohi nenox 10 inch corian handle blasts everything else out of the water japanese style- ittosai kotetsu yanagi

what do you mean by the quality? the freshness? the appearance? what do you eat when you are at the restaurant? casey

i work at uchi so am a bit biased, but think you should definitly try us. we offer raw fish dishes that you cant get most any other place.

miguel ravago at fonda san miguel in austin might fit the bill...

rob, you really think that all of the sushi in austin is that terrible? have you been to uchi? the fish there is as fresh as anything you will find in the united states outside of say 10-15 places. i would know, i pick it up from continental when it arrives from tokyo nearly every day... casey

Dale Rices reviews are generally worthless.

Down here in the wilds of Austin i am rather partial to the ritas at Maudies Milagro(only because they come in both regular and large sizes) and the mexican martinis at the Cedar Door (where the mex martini was invented). casey