Lambert's Restaurant -- Austin

[claire797]

I'm not much of a restaurant reviewer, but a lot of people have expressed interest in Lambert's so here's the scoop.

Had my birthday dinner there last night and am looking forward to going back. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was relaxing and the prices were quite reasonable.

Lambert's is located along the South Congress strip not too far from Guerro's -- blink and you might miss it. Parking was relatively easy for Saturday night at 8:00 -- not that I've had problems parking in SoCo before, but that was a plus.

Walking in the door, I had a quick flashback to my days in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Lambert's is small, dimly lit, and teeming with hipster/artist types. The decor is "snazzed-up-loftish" with pipes showing here and there and a few paintings on what little wall there is. There's a tiny bar with a few seats up front and behind that is the dining room which sits alongside an open-line into the kitchen. If you have the inclination, you can peer in and watch the action.

Acoustics were perfect. I could hear snippets of other people's conversations but still hear my husband directly in front of me.

Nice touches -- our table had a tiny, retro looking red-glass vase with a rose in it and instead of wine glasses, we were given what looked like juice glasses. Bread was served prompty (I'm kind of a bread freak) and while not warm, it was the crusty sort which is good at just about any temp.

The service was fine. Unobtrusive yet attentive, and the attitude seemed to be one of "Welcome to our restaurant where we do things our way and hope you like it." That is, I felt like I was being waited on by friends rather than obsequious droids. And when I say friends, I don't mean in a TGI Fridays "sits down at the table with you" kind of way either.

The hostess was wearing jeans and what appeared to be a peasant blouse. I didn't realize she worked there until she started breaking down tables and helping the manager/owner (Lou maybe? Whomever it was) turn people away at the door. I probably would have felt a lot better if I hadn't dressed up (i.e. put on make-up and worn a dress) for my birthday. Next time, I'll wear jeans.

Aside from feeling squarish in our "special occasion" clothes, we had a nice meal. I had just about the best, juiciest roast chicken I've ever eaten and my husband had a beef tenderloin in a shallot demiglace with grilled asparagus on the side. We also tried a new wine -- Avalon Cabernet. Very good -- from a list that was succinct, reasonably priced and gave me the impression that Lou had chosen each wine himself. The dessert menu was okay, but I wanted cheesecake so we ended up going somewhere else. Maybe next time I'll stay and try the chocolate buttermilk cake.

Here's a link to the menu (with apologies to my Rob-Balon-loathing-friend David ;). Since I can only attest to the chicken and beef, this may help. I'm sure each of these other dishes are cooked perfectly as well since the restaurant is so small.

http://www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com/revie...erts/menu1.html

Last note. MAKE A RESERVATION!! My husband was amused at the number of drop-ins being turned away simply because there were not enough tables to accommodate people who hadn't booked ahead. If you call a day ahead, you should be fine. If it's your birthday, don't bother to tell them because I was afforded no special treatment. Oh well. You can't have it all...

[NewYorkTexan]

Great review. Did you order any apps?

I do not get to restaurants on South Congress very often, but I need to go to Lamberts.

[claire797]

Great review.  Did you order any apps?

I do not get to restaurants on South Congress very often, but I need to go to Lamberts.

Thanks. A friend of mine read this and asked "so what about the food?" since I included only about 2 lines. Granted, I'm not much of a food writer (yet) and tend to focus on the whole.

We are "save room for dessert" people and don't usually order appetizers. Next time, I probably will. I've heard the spinach, chevre and fennel ravioli is amazing.

[claire797]

David,

Have you made it to Lambert's yet? I've been several times in the past few months and each time the food has been terrific.

We finally stayed for dessert this past weekend and I have to report that the Lambert's Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake is out of this world. I am now on a quest to make one of my own. Boy. That was some good cake.

[NewYorkTexan]

I am late in responding to this one.

Finally made it to Lamberts, albeit just for dessert. The timing was funny, coinciding with the post.

Claire797, You did a great job of describing the décor and ambiance.

We split the chocolate buttermilk cake, and the two of us could not finish the large piece. I probably could have, but Sharon took away my fork after she felt I had eaten enough. It was the rare chocolate cake that did not disappoint me, it was moist and dense with a rich chocolate flavor. In most restaurants I am saddened to find myself served a chocolate cake that is too heavy, too sweet and lacking in true chocolate flavor.

Our friends ordered the tapioca pudding and a piece of the banana cream pie. The pudding was ok and the pie was fabulous.

We are defiantly planning on going back for dinner. With the spate of restaurant closings, I feel obligated to support this promising new addition to the Austin dining scene.

[claire797]

We split the chocolate buttermilk cake, and the two of us could not finish the large piece.

Oh. I sure could have finished it -- but I would have hated myself afterwards.

My goal for this week is to make a clone of that chocolate cake. Not that I need a huge buttermilk chocolate cake around the house....

[leightx]

...tapping my fingers waiting on that recipe!!!...

I've been trying to make it to Lambert's for a while. Once, we were rained out, and once, they were closed. One of these days...

Until then, the chocolate buttermilk cake should hold me over...