Alamo DraftHouse
Lakeline (Cedar Park, TX) – January 2016
We’ve
been going to the DraftHouse (various locations) for years, so we’re familiar
with the drill. Ordering our tickets
online was easy, and having the electronic copy downloaded right to my phone
was nice. I ordered my regular bowl of
fries with queso, and the server commented so I didn’t want it with the bacon,
sour cream, cilantro and other stuff. I
told her no, just as I’d written on my order card, “fries with queso.” The server seemed unclear as to what I trying
to order. What the server was referring
to was a different item on the menu, so why she may’ve just been trying to
clarify, I’ve never had my order questioned like that before.
When
the runner (who was not the server) brought my fries out, I asked if we could
get some utensils (as we hadn’t been provided any yet). My order was correct by the way, but I had to
ask two other times to have utensils brought (writing it on an order
card). By the time they arrived, my meal
was cold. I ate it anyway, because it
was what I ordered.
My
date got the buffalo chicken pizza, but it didn’t even have a real buffalo
sauce, and the chicken wasn’t cooked properly.
She reported it was like an entire bottle of siracha had been poured on
it, thus it was completely inedible. I
even tried a bite, and was pretty horrible.
She sent it back, and got a bowl of queso fries like I had. Later during, after our bowls had been
finished, the runner deposited another bowl of queso fries at our table,
something we didn’t order. Didn’t know
if that was an apology for the earlier order error, but we weren’t charged for
it.
There
were no comment cards available to note this.
And when we departed (while my date was in the bathroom) I looked around
for a manager, and none was available.
The only staff I saw were the very-busy people behind the ticket counter. Now as far as the movie-watching experience
goes, that was good, as we had comfortable seats. But we’ve never had such a poor food
experience here.
Mighty Fine (Arbor
Walk, Austin, TX) – January 2016
We
wanted to get a quick lunch, and my girlfriend had never been to a MF location
before. She’s not a “fast-food” person,
but liked the idea of supporting a local business. I’ve been going here for years, so I knew to
order my cheeseburger “red” and get a chocolate milkshake, and I helped my GF
get what she wanted. She went for a
regular burger and fries in order to try it out. Overall, she thought it was “okay,” she found
it filling but not spectacular. She was
glad she got to experience something that she hadn’t before, but it wasn’t her
thing. I still found the quality to be
as good as I’d had many times in the past.
Even though my GF didn’t feel it was “mighty fine,” I’ll still be coming
here because I like it.
Texican (Lakeline Blvd,
Austin, TX) – January 2016
After
spending the day at the local science museum, I wanted to introduce my
girlfriend to one of my favorite Tex-Mex places. Even though there’s patio seating, we opted
for indoors. I got my usual El Paso enchiladas
(sacking the beans for extra rice). My
GF previously had eaten Tex-Mex food that didn’t agree with her, but was
chalking it up to the previous venue she was at. She got the enchiladas Verde, and really
enjoyed the quality of the meal. She
understood why this was my favorite places in Austin to dine, and looked
forward to coming back here many times with me.
The service and quality of this Texican location has always been
top-notch, and I’ve never had a bad experience here. That’s one of the main reasons why I keep
coming back.
California Pizza
Kitchen (Domain, Austin, TX) – January 2016
My
girlfriend and I were in the Domain shopping, so planned to have our lunch
here. It had been a little while since
I’d been there, and my GF (who frequented the Microsoft store next door) had
never eaten there. I was glad to notice
the interior was as clean and warm as I recalled, and the wine selection was
still very good. My GF enjoyed it, as it
carried her favorite (J. Lohr). We each
got our own ten-inch pizza so we could share with each other. The Works had a decent flavor, but I found
the Original BBQ Chicken pizza to be the excellent taste explosion as I
remembered. Considering the location,
there are many fine establishments one could go to, and this was one of my
recommendations.
Brio (Arboretum, Austin,
TX) – January 2016
We’d
come here for our anniversary dinner, and since it was a Tuesday night we
didn’t have wait for a table. While the
layout is very open, there are a number of soft surfaces (carpets, table
cloths, and plush chairs) to help absorb the noise, so even when full this is
still a quiet area. The server was had
was very friendly.
The
Sliced Steak Bruschetta served as our appetizer, and for the main course we got
the soup of the day and the Caesar salad (as we were eating light). Paired with a glass of 19 Crimes wine, the
meal was quite delicious. This venue is
a little more on the expensive side, so it serves as a good “special occasion”
location.
There’s
a bar which we’ve previously frequented, so if you want to just stop by for a
quality wine you can do so. A variety of
wines are available both by the glass and by the bottle. On our first visit, our server was kind to
let us sample a couple until we located a wine we liked.
Tarka (IH-35, Round
Rock, TX) – January 2016
While
this is my most-frequented location of this Austin-based chain, I have been to
other locales, and noted the quality has been good across the board. My girlfriend loves Indian food, and had
never experienced this, so it made since to introduce her to it. I got my favorite chicken vindaloo while my
GF ordered the chicken kabob. Everything
was made-to-order, and came out hot and fresh.
This place got high marks from my GF both because of how well the food
was, and the fact it was a local business.
I’ve never considered this “fast food” but “great food which comes out
fast.” While great for a light dinner,
this is an excellent destination for lunch considering the speediness of the
service.
The Pub (Anderson Mill
Tavern, Anderson Mill Road, Austin, TX) – January 2016
Years
ago this was known as “Anderson Mill Tavern,” and I recall the venue not being
best for both drinks and live music. As
time has changed, this has vastly improved.
The stage is situated at the back of the main room, and the acoustics
are good no matter where you might be.
The bar is situated to one side, so those patrons who didn’t wish to
listen to whatever live music playing aren’t in the way of those who were
present for that. With the location
being at the corner of a strip center, there’s a lot of available parking as
the neighboring businesses have closed.
While this was a good venue for local music, I did notice that once the
bands took the stage, the vast majority of the “regular patrons” left the
establishment. That was something very
different than other venues I’ve seen bands at.
Kerbey Lane (IH-35, Round
Rock, TX) – January 2016
We
stopped here for dinner because it was close to where we were. I asked for a regular queso, but was brought
the Kerbey queso (which contained things other than cheese). By the time our server came back with the
corrected item, it was nearly time for our food to arrive. My girlfriend ordered the Black Angus
cheeseburger, and she was not pleased at the “bun to burger” ratio. She needed to get rid of the bun completely
in order to eat it. I got the buffalo
chicken sandwich (something which I’ve had a number of times in the past), but
it still came with the cole slaw and avocado which I had asked to have removed. I mentioned this to our server, and there was
a half-hearted apology, and not an offer to send it back to have it
corrected. When we received our bill,
there wasn’t anything noted on it to make up for the incorrect order. We were under a time constraint, and I wasn’t
able to locate a manager. I’ve been a customer
of Kerbey for many years, and a frequented the Round Rock location since it
opened. I expect occasionally to have
something messed up, as we’re all human and make mistakes, but I judge a place
on how they respond to a situation to correct it. This was not up to the usual standards of my
other visits to this location.
Satay (Anderson Lane,
Austin, TX) – February 2016
This
is tucked away in a plaza, so it’s hard to see from the main road, but it also
means there’s plenty of parking. While
there’s a small patio seating area, the interior space was nicely laid out in
order to provide an intimate but casual setting. There were a lot of soft surfaces to help
minimize the noise, but there were few patrons when we went (as we were ahead
of the dinner rush). We started off with
an appetizer which sampled all the available flavors of the Thai dumplings,
plus some beef and chicken skewers, all which were very good.
My
girlfriend ordered the Pud Ped Ga Prao (with beef) which was a delicious
stir-fry with basil and chili peppers. I
got the D.W.I. chicken (from the Asian Noodles section of the menu) and found
the combination of broccoli and meat made a fabulous taste (although I found
the tomatoes detracted from the taste, it was still very good). We enjoyed all aspects of this establishment,
and was a place we’d return to.
Sherwood Forest Ren
Faire (McDade, TX) – March 2016
This
has been a fixture in the area for a few years now, but this was the first time
my girlfriend and I were able to go.
While some of the side roads off the highway still need some improvement
in order to handle the traffic, the parking situation was well-handed. The layout inside has many trees to provide
much-needed shade in most sections (the arena being excluded). The dirt path makes it easy to walk and easy
on the feet, although does create some mud puddles here and there. The food vendors and merchants are spaced out
so the area doesn’t feel crowded. The
only quibble we had were the condition of the restrooms (the ones which weren’t
a collection of porta-potties). These
were not cleaned on a regular basis, a few lacked paper, and some of the stalls
were out-of-commission, which created longer lines. Other than that, it was a great experience,
and a good way to spend the day
Cedar Park Center (Route
183, Cedar Park, TX) – March 2016
I took
my girlfriend to her first hockey game ever, and she was entirely absorbed the
whole time. She intently watched the
action on the ice, and enjoyed the fast (and sometimes rough) action, plus the
sudden-death overtime which happened.
Our seats were low, so we got to see everything up close. The arena was open and airy, with lots of
vendors and bathrooms within easy reach.
Parking was orderly. When we got
home from the game, my girlfriend immediately ordered tickets for the next home
game (as looked at the possibility of getting season tickets), as she enjoyed
it so much.
Brio (Arboretum, Austin,
TX) – March 2016
My
girlfriend and I stopped here for a nice lunch because we were in the area. We only had light fare, which tasted great,
and had the usual excellent service.
This has been why this place is something we’ve recommended to many. We sat out on the patio, as it was a
beautiful day to do so (on this Easter weekend), and we had the area pretty
much all to ourselves. At one point the
chef even came out to talk to us, which we found a pleasant touch. We did observe a number of other guests
waiting for indoor seats during this time (and getting annoyed at the staff),
when they could’ve easily solved the issues and sat outside. Kudos to the staff for remaining calm when
dealing with unruly patrons.
Bombay Bistro (Route 183,
Austin, TX) – April 2016
It had
been a rainy day, so my fiancée and I were looking for some comfort food, and
we couldn’t beat some good Indian food.
We timed our arrival perfectly, so we were able to get in and seated
before a large crowd came in. Our
servers were very good with keeping the water glasses filled, and inquire if we
needed more wine. The food was
excellent, filling, and a great value.
The décor is simple but inviting, with a friendly atmosphere and great
staff.
Amy’s Ice Cream
(Arboretum, Austin, TX) – April 2016
My
fiancée and I were looking for a tasty afternoon treat, and a place where we
could sit and enjoy it, so this was the logical place to go. The Amy’s location closer to us (Austinville)
has limited outdoor seating, and was always crowded with high-school kids
whenever we visited. The Arboretum
locale was much nicer with the nearby park we were able to sit at while we ate
our ice cream. My fiancée especially
liked how the flavors could be tried, and found the Mexican vanilla to be top
notch.
BB Rovers (Jollyville
Road, Austin, TX) – April 2016
My
fiancée and I were looking for a good burger for the evening, and we decided
this was the place to go. Prior to
meeting each other, we’d both been here a few times, so we knew the level of
quality we’d be getting. She had the
regular burger, and I the cheeseburger, both of which were juicy and
delicious. We’d arrived before the
dinner crowd, so we were seated quickly and had excellent service. There’s an extensive beer and wine list which
covers a range of tastes. The menu is
also varied so it’s more “comfort food” rather than “bar food.” With a clean interior, some outdoor seating,
plenty of parking, and easy to reach from two major roads, this is a great
place to go.
Long Center (Austin, TX)
– May 2016
Cinderella
was playing, and I’d never been to a ballet before, so when my fiancée asked me
if I wanted to go, I looked forward to the new experience. We were able to get tickets right in the
orchestra section, so we had a great view of the stage. The acoustics of the hall were excellent, as
the sound filled the entire venue with a majestic fullness. The performance was great, as it showed the
skill of the artists. There were two
intermissions which allowed bio-breaks, a refill of wine, and a chance to step
outside to see the Austin skyline after dark.
Parking was easy, and well directed (although upon leaving we were
instructed to go a route which would require us to traverse some back streets
until we could get back to Congress). It
was a great experience, both of what we watched, and where we were.
Maudie’s Milagro (Davenport
Village, Route 360, Austin, TX) – May 2016
Since
2008 I have been coming here to have a meal around the time of my
birthday. This is a “special occasion”
location due to scenery, and always relaxed nature of the venue. I’ve always gotten good service here, which
was one of the reasons why I’d come back.
When I went for my comfort food this year (my favorite dish, the Josie’s
Enchiladas), the service wasn’t up to the same standard I’d gotten in the past. We timed it right, so there wasn’t a long
wait to get seated and the food came out promptly, but the service received was
less than pleasant. The meal was good,
but our server was uncaring about us. We
were on the patio, and it wasn’t that crowded.
Russo’s New York
Pizzeria (Stone Hill Center, Round Rock, TX) – May 2016
The
group was looking for someplace good before heading out to a show, and this was
recommended. My friends knew the server
we had, so we had some extra special attention.
Since I’d never been here before, I ordered chicken parm (which was what
I used to gauge the quality of an Italian place). The kitchen had gotten the orders crossed, so
I had eggplant parm with the side I wanted, and one of the table-mates the
opposite. It was quickly noticed once we
cut into our items, and the kitchen had to prepare new versions. I was able to enjoy tasty mozz sticks as I
waited. The corrected dish came out in
an appropriate manner, and it was decent.
It was an honest mistake, and something which was easily addressed. That gives this establishment high marks for
going out of their way to make sure a situation was resolved.
Frank Irwin Center
(Austin TX) – May 2016
We’d
come here to see The Cure. Since there
was a UT football game that night, the parking situation was a little crazy, but
we were able to get a space close by.
The nature of the venue was designed so we could enter via any door, and
it was easy to locate where our seats were.
There were vendors and restrooms spaced adequately about, so they were
in easy reach when needed. Inside the
arena, the view of the stage was clear, and the acoustics were excellent. The environmental controls also worked
properly so it didn’t get too hot from the thousands in attendance. Great place to see a show.
Brio (Arboretum, Austin, TX) – May
2016
My fiancée and I
wanted to have a nice gathering with friends, so we recommended the place where
we had our first date at (considering none of our friends had been here
yet). Since it was a Sunday afternoon, I
used the online reservation service to secure our table (highly recommended for
when planning something for a potentially busy dinner hour). Once we’d all arrived, we were seated in a
circular table that was spacious and allowed for conservation (plus the
restaurant was normally pretty quiet to begin with). There was a good wine selection (as we had a
couple bottles), great appetizers, and excellent main courses. Our friends were extremely impressed with the
quality of the food and the service.
That high level of caring was something my fiancée and I had always
received from here, and that’s one of the reason why we keep returning.
Fast Eddie’s (Highway
183, Austin, TX) – May 2016
This
is primarily a pool hall, yet I’ve never picked up a stick in all the times
I’ve been here. I’ve only come to this
place to see bands play, as there’s an excellent stage section with great
acoustics for it. The bar portion is
easily accessible, plus there’s also an outside patio (on the front) and many
dart boards (in the back) that don’t get in the way of those wishing to play
pool or watch a concert. We were here to
see FireFlight, an excellent 80’s cover band made up of local residents. The band is worth seeing every chance you
get, and this is a great venue to do so.
Jenna’s Asian Kitchen
(RR 620, Austin, TX) – May 2016
My
fiancée had a craving for some good Chinese food, and I’d noted there weren’t
any decent places in the area (much less in the Austin metroplex). With a bit of determination, we found this
listed on line, and since it had a scathing bad review from Austin Chronicle, we knew this was a
place would be good and worth checking out.
I’d been to this building when it was North & South, and pleased to
see the interior resembled nothing like that dark dingy environment. Jenna’s was spacious, and had a warm and
inviting modern element to the interior design.
It was a Saturday evening, but we didn’t have much of a wait, and the
venue was only partially filled.
We
started with the lettuce cups, and were amazed at not only of the amount of
food in this appetizer, but the quality of the fresh vegetables. For our main courses, my fiancée got the
orange peel beef, and I had the General Tso’s chicken. The menu was correct in saying “lightly
battered” as it was a thin coating which didn’t overpower the taste of the
meat. We could smell the fresh orange
from her dish, and I liked how the veggies crunched. The portions were good, much bigger than
you’d get for the same price at lower quality places nearby. With a single visit, this became our new
favorite restaurant in Austin. This is a
place we’ll be coming back to a lot!
Thank you for providing us with a great dining experience!
North (Domain, Austin,
TX) – May 2016
I’d
been here once before with friends, so when my fiancée wanted to go to a “nice
place” for dinner, this one came to mind.
We were there on a Saturday evening, so having the reservation secured
online (via OpenTable) was a smart idea.
The interior was clean, but it was noisy due to tables being within
close proximity to each other. While it
didn’t echo, it was difficult for us to hear each other. She ordered the New York Strip, and I got my
favorite Chicken Parmesan. The food was
excellent, and everything was made well.
The pasta which came as my side was freshly-made. Our server was very attentive too, so overall
it was a good dining experience. There
are few places in Austin for good Italian fare, and this is the one which tops
my list.
Pluckers (183 &
Burnet Road, Austin, TX) – June 2016
I’ve
been frequenting this location since 2004, and have always done my “birthday
dinner” (for Club Members) here. A place
is gauged not by the problems it has, but how it gets resolved. So I came in for my “birthday dinner” in May,
and had such a rude experience from the hostess that I was not even able to get
seated (much less eat). It took two
attempts to reach corporate management before I received a response from the
store manager. The store manager
provided an apology for the attitude I received from the hostess, and offered
to honor the “birthday dinner” even though the window of opportunity had
passed.
So it
was the next month before I could do the “birthday dinner” (better late than not
at all). As instructed by the store
manager, I made sure to let my server know the situation. My food was as good as it always was, and I
thank Pluckers for rising to the occasion and demonstrating good customer
service. I was able to get in before the
lunch crowd, and enjoyed my boneless basket.
The new spicy BBQ sauce was now available (as it had been being worked
on the last month or two). The new
version of the sauce had more “spicy” than “BBQ” in the flavor, so I felt it
didn’t balance properly (as the previous recipe had done).
Freda’s Seafood (Pecan
Parkway, Austin, TX) – June 2016
I’d
been here once previously, so when my fiancée commented there wasn’t a place
for good seafood in the area, I recommended we go here. Thanks to an online reservation secured
through OpenTable, we knew we’d have a seat on a potentially busy night. There were a few graduation dinners
happening, but our server made sure we weren’t lost in the shuffle during this. We could hear the live piano player from the
bar area, which added to an already good ambiance of the venue. My fiancée ordered the Chilean sea bass,
which was one of her favorite dishes. I
was able to get the special of the night, rock lobster tail, which was
something I’d missed due to lack of quality sea food places in the Austin
area. This was a great place for a
romantic dinner for two, and was worth every penny we paid for the meals. One of the nice things was the interior was
designed to make use of the space, so it’s not every table in one noisy room.
Panera Bread (183 &
360, Austin, TX) – June 2016
We met
some friends here for lunch, as it was close to the location of errands we
wanted to run. This isn’t a bad place
for soup and sandwich fare, but not spectacular either. The person who took our order didn’t seem to
know the menu very well, and the food had the most minimal amount of meat as
possible (quite contrary to the pictures displayed in the establishment). I guess that made sense as this was primarily
a *bread* location. For a quick lunch
when in the area, this is good because there’s no other destinations, but not a
place you should make a special trip too.
Casa Blanca (Harriman
Road, Round Rock, TX) – June 2016
My
fiancée and I attended a wedding here, as it served as a good way to scope out
a potential venue for us. The grounds
were nicely kept, there was a great view of Brushy Creek, and plenty of
parking. There was a building which was
set aside for “inclement weather” which the venue felt was not something to be
used on a day which was 90 degrees with over 80% humidity. Because there was no air moving, it made the
entire outdoor ceremony rather stifling.
Guests were removing ties and jackets as the bride and groom exchanged
vows with sweat pouring down them. The
dining area was small, but sufficient for the number of guests. The bar area was outside on a patio, and they
refused to provide any water while we waited for the ceremony to begin. And once the reception began, the outer doors
were opened, which negated any air conditioning which might’ve been used. It made it a rather miserable experience, and
from information we got from staff it was “standard procedure.” While good at other times of the year, this
was not the time to have an event in a non-AC venue. From these observations, my fiancée and I
knew this would not be the location we’d choose to use.
Main Event (Highway 183,
Austin, TX) – June 2016
My
fiancée and I came here to play mini-golf initially, although the course wasn’t
being very good. The black light didn’t
provide enough light to see where to hit the ball, much less walk without
nearly tripping over obstructions. On
the fifth hole I had to stick my hand inside one of the structures to retrieve
my lost ball (and found a couple more which were lodged in there), we decided
not to complete the course. Main Event
was very good about just transferring my refund to a power card so we could
enjoy skee ball and air hockey, so we ended up having a fun afternoon.
We
came back a few nights later so we could bowl and have an adult beverage while
doing so. Reserving our lane online was
easy, and we arrived at the required fifteen minutes prior in order to check
in. Because the counter-person decided
to assist others while we were trying to get our shoes, we didn’t get our
entire allotted hour that we reserved.
We would’ve liked to have the option to continue on this lane, since no
one else had booked it, instead of having our session expire mid-game. We liked being able to order appetizers
there, but the quality was so-so.
Considering we still have to try the pool and rock climbing, there’s
reason for us to return.
Chipotle (La Frontera,
Round Rock, TX) – June 2016
We
were running errands in the area, and were looking for a quick place to get a
decent lunch. I’d been here previously,
as it fit the bill for “decent and quick,” and was better than any of the
competitors next door. The caring stuff
which had been here previously weren’t here now. I had a chicken bowl, which was okay, but it
was a fight for my fiancée to have any toppings placed on her salad. She almost ended up with just a bowl of
lettuce and meat, as the servers grudgingly put other toppings on (and tried to
charge extra). The fountain beverage
machine had some dried food particles to it (which necessitated us wiping it
off prior to use), and the bathrooms were filthy with garbage all over. That was mentioned to the server (as no
manager was present), and we received an apathetic response. This used to be a decent place to go, but not
anymore.
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