[Austin] El Gringo

[Kent Wang]

http://www.elgringoaustin.com/

For apps we had:

Mango wings - Chicken drummettes with mango chipotle barbeque sauce. 4.95

Pâté de Pato - Duck pâté, sangría jelly, jalapeño mustard and bolillo toast. 5.95

Oxtail Barbacoa - Braised oxtail, charred onion relish and crispy cheese grits. 7.95

Portions were substantial, especially considering the cost. Mango wings were nothing special. Pate was mostly duck leg meat, similar in texture to the barbacoa, not really what I expect from a pate though it was still quite good. Oxtail barbacoa was the favorite of the table.

Mains:

Mango Duck Confit - Duck leg confit, mango chipotle barbeque sauce, sweet potato mashers and pico spinach. 12.95

South Padre Platter - Cracker crusted cod, crab cake, oysters, diablo shrimp, fries and pickled vegetables. 14.95

Chorizo Stuffed Pork - Stuffed pork loin, poblano cumin sauce, sweet potato mashers and pico green beans. 12.95

I had the South Padre Platter. Prodigious portion size. The cod was breaded and fried. Crab cake was also breaded and fried -- I thought it was a hush puppy at first. Overall, a pretty good dish, especially considering the quantity.

I had a bite of my friend's duck confit and it was pretty bad. My first shot at making duck confit at home turned out way better than this. The meat was very tough; it tasted as if they had simply roasted it -- and overcooked it in the process, too.

I didn't have enough of the pork to judge, my friend loved it though.

The food was all quite lackluster in my opinion. The only redeeming factor is the generous portion size.

So strange to see the old John Mueller's location turned into a semi-posh restaurant. The decor and layout is quite awkward. The paintings are atrocious Old West paintings, really reminds me of Mesa Ranch. El Chile has a very pretty dining room, so El Gringo was clearly done on the cheap. The acoustics also really amplify noise.

[MissAmy]

After reading glowing review upon glowing review on our neighborhood email list, my aunt and I tried El Gringo on Friday night.

One of the reviewers had said, "Four star food at two star prices!" While quite a glowing critique, I doubt this individual has ever had four star food. The food at El Gringo is good, somethings are great, somethings are lacking. The prices really are great, though.

For appetizer we had the Cracker-crusted Oysters. They were nice and the portion was generous given the price. The oysters had been breaded in a cracker crust and deep fried, then topped with a chipotle aoli and pico de gallo. They were served with a side of pickled vegetables made in house, which provided a nice complement to the rich fried oysters. I had been afraid the oysters might be over-cooked, which is a common complaint of mine about fried oysters, but they were not. They were juicy and briny and the crispy crust was excellent.

For my entree, I chose the Shrimp and Grits. The shrimp were stuffed with cheese, placed on a peice of jalapeno, wrapped in bacon, deep fried, and served with a tomatillo sauce. If the jalapeno had been roasted first, and if the cheese had been omitted, this would have been a great dish. The raw jalapeno was just too spicy for the shrimp, and the crunch of it was unpleasant. I ended up picking them out. Also, the cheese used was too rich and there was too much of it. I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to add, and to me it distracted from the shrimp and bacon. To be fair, the shrimp was cooked really well, and the tomatillo sauce was quite nice.

The grits were served in a cake, pan fried, and were crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and flavored nicely. They were the best part of the dish, in my opinion. Also served was some sauteed spinach, which was too greasy and forgettable.

My aunt had the Roasted Chicken with Chimmichurri Sauce. The chicken was flavored well, and it was tender, if a bit greasy. The sauce was complex and spicy, while not being over-powering, but again, the use of oil was over-the-top. About half the amount of oil, and the sauce would have been perfect. The chicken was served with a sweet potato gratin. It was delicious, but the portion too large. Inexplicably, the chicken came with a quarter of a grilled avocado, which did nothing to enhance the overall effect of the plate. It was just a plain avocado that they threw on the grill - no seasoning, nothing special - we were confused as to why it was there.

Dessert was a bit of a disaster. We ordered the Peach and Blackberry Crisp. There was nothing "crispy" about this crisp, it was more like a big bowl of cobbler goo. It also tasted strongly of corn syrup, which kind of was disgusting. We ate two bites and left it.

Despite the definite misses, there were certainly hits at El Gringo. The prices are indeed quite good, and I wager this place will become very popular for that reason alone. I want to give them a while to work out the kinks and go back. I'm hoping that the misses we encountered will be worked out, and this place will rise to its fullest potential.

[Kent Wang]

Very thorough and informative review.

[MissAmy]

Thank you.

[Kent Wang]

Dale Rice rather likes El Gringo.

The place has a great feel, with an upscale version of Southwestern comfort food that will make an old cowboy or a young techie feel right at home. It is a welcome addition to the restaurant row on Manor Road.

[Kent Wang]

Virgina Wood of the Austin Chronicle identifies some of her favorite dishes -- and which to avoid.