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Posted
18 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Be More Pacific used to be a food truck that came by my office weekly a few years ago.  Good to hear they made something of it!

One restaurant I really miss after leaving Houston 

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Posted
11 hours ago, Js1 said:

One restaurant I really miss after leaving Houston 

Cajun in general.  Austin has one or two decent Cajun restaurants that might pass for acceptable in Houston.  Other than that, I really don't miss Houston at all.

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Posted
1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

Cajun in general.  Austin has one or two decent Cajun restaurants that might pass for acceptable in Houston.  Other than that, I really don't miss Houston at all.

I hear you.  I miss our friends.  I wish my parents were here... otherwise... 

I really really miss Dolce Vita but that ship sailed in 2020 when Marco Wiles decided to sell off the building.  Having Giacomo's in Austin would help.  Nothing like really good quality affordable Italian in Austin.  That's a big gap here.  Pizza is good if you know where to go and having a new DeSano within shouting distance will kick ass.

Posted
Just now, texasdago said:

Nothing like really good quality affordable Italian in Austin. 

Have you been to Andiamo or Reale's?  They're closer to my hood and way out of your way.  I've actually never been to either yet, but I keep hearing that they're legitimately good and affordable Italian in a more homey setting than something like a Vespaio or Red Ash.

Posted
3 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Have you been to Andiamo or Reale's?  They're closer to my hood and way out of your way.  I've actually never been to either yet, but I keep hearing that they're legitimately good and affordable Italian in a more homey setting than something like a Vespaio or Red Ash.

Andiamo was bought by the same jackasses that ruined Aviary. I hear it's been run into the ground, but I haven't eaten there since it was purchased. It used to be really good. 

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Posted
3 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Have you been to Andiamo or Reale's?  They're closer to my hood and way out of your way.  I've actually never been to either yet, but I keep hearing that they're legitimately good and affordable Italian in a more homey setting than something like a Vespaio or Red Ash.

Andiamo is good Italy-Italian but I wouldn't call it "cheap" or "affordable."  Despite its humble strip mall location, it can get pricey.  But I do like it quite a bit.

Reale's is the American-Italian style and is relatively affordable and overall pretty good.  My New Jersey next-door neighbors approve of it.

 

2 minutes ago, Bolero88 said:

Andiamo was bought by the same jackasses that ruined Aviary. I hear it's been run into the ground, but I haven't eaten there since it was purchased. It used to be really good. 

When did that happen?  I haven't been in a couple of years but it was still good then.  If it's declined, I'm sorry to hear that. 

Posted
10 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Having Giacomo's in Austin would help. 

Wife and I live about a mile from Giacomo’s and at least one of us drives by it on a daily basis. It took nearly five years of living here before we ate there and even then it was at the invitation of friends. We are idiots. That place is great. It’s in our regular rotation these days.

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Posted
7 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Andiamo is good Italy-Italian but I wouldn't call it "cheap" or "affordable."  Despite its humble strip mall location, it can get pricey.  But I do like it quite a bit.

Reale's is the American-Italian style and is relatively affordable and overall pretty good.  My New Jersey next-door neighbors approve of it.

 

When did that happen?  I haven't been in a couple of years but it was still good then.  If it's declined, I'm sorry to hear that. 

I believe it was 18-24 months ago. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Andiamo is good Italy-Italian but I wouldn't call it "cheap" or "affordable."  Despite its humble strip mall location, it can get pricey.  But I do like it quite a bit.

Reale's is the American-Italian style and is relatively affordable and overall pretty good.  My New Jersey next-door neighbors approve of it.

Andiamo has gone way downhill.  Skip it.  
 

Reale’s is the kind of place that used to stand out a lot more before Austin’s culinary upgrade over the last 20 years.  It’s a good value but you’ll go into a carb coma after.  I like their Greek pizza as something you wouldn’t expect to be quite so good coming from there.  
 

You can also see fitlump there if you time it right. 

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Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

Reale’s is the kind of place that used to stand out a lot more before Austin’s culinary upgrade over the last 20 years.  It’s a good value but you’ll go into a carb coma after.  I like their Greek pizza as something you wouldn’t expect to be quite so good coming from there.  
 

You can also see fitlump there if you time it right. 

Despite any culinary upgrades in Austin, I don't really see any other restaurants that have replaced it for its style/value, which I think was the point of the discussion.  There are more expensive and more upscale places but there still aren't a lot of NY/NJ style American-Italian checkered tablecloth-style places in Austin.  And carb coma is the standard reaction for any of those kinds of places.

 

 

 

And yeah, I've seen fitlump there.  

Edited by utee94
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Posted
27 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I hear you.  I miss our friends.  I wish my parents were here... otherwise... 

I really really miss Dolce Vita but that ship sailed in 2020 when Marco Wiles decided to sell off the building.  Having Giacomo's in Austin would help.  Nothing like really good quality affordable Italian in Austin.  That's a big gap here.  Pizza is good if you know where to go and having a new DeSano within shouting distance will kick ass.

Have you been to Pizza Di Roma or Artipasta?

Posted

Some of you have been living under a rock for the last thirty years. Olive Garden and Carrabba's are beloved around the country, and we're very fortunate to have them right here in our backyard.  What's next?  You're going to say you haven't heard of Chili's or Texas Roadhouse?   If they weren't top quality, there wouldn't be so many of them.  The open marketplace is the ultimate truth teller, after all.

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Posted
3 hours ago, PvilleStang said:

Cajun in general.  Austin has one or two decent Cajun restaurants that might pass for acceptable in Houston.  Other than that, I really don't miss Houston at all.

Yeah....this is accurate.  I enjoy Shoal Creek Saloon (their duck and sausage gumbo is legit), and Evangeline is ok.  Never been to Louisiana Longhorn.  There's a new French Quarter grill or something like that up north, lineage includes folks who cooked at Gumbos (which was always very good, but never great or super down-home authentic), and I've heard good things about it.  Stuffed does real-deal fried seafood poboys, I recommend those.

But to this day, the best gumbo, red beans and rice, and etouffee in this town are mine.  Of course, I feel that way about most of the cajun places in Houston, too - I have a pretty high bar for cajun grub.

Also, Andiamo is gone, folks.  Shut down a coupla months ago.  Austin italian, especially classic/east coast mid-range italian, is lacking.

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Posted
6 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, Andiamo is gone, folks.  Shut down a coupla months ago. 

Stealing server tips? We're they transitioning into bbq?

Posted
4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah....this is accurate.  I enjoy Shoal Creek Saloon (their duck and sausage gumbo is legit), and Evangeline is ok.  Never been to Louisiana Longhorn.  There's a new French Quarter grill or something like that up north, lineage includes folks who cooked at Gumbos (which was always very good, but never great or super down-home authentic), and I've heard good things about it.  Stuffed does real-deal fried seafood poboys, I recommend those.

But to this day, the best gumbo, red beans and rice, and etouffee in this town are mine.  Of course, I feel that way about most of the cajun places in Houston, too - I have a pretty high bar for cajun grub.

Also, Andiamo is gone, folks.  Shut down a coupla months ago.  Austin italian, especially classic/east coast mid-range italian, is lacking.

What about the place that took over Huts on 6th, Sammies?  I've heard good things, but have yet to go there.  I do miss Frank and Angie's, but that wasn't anything 5* by any means.

Posted
5 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

What about the place that took over Huts on 6th, Sammies?  I've heard good things, but have yet to go there.  I do miss Frank and Angie's, but that wasn't anything 5* by any means.

We miss Frank and Angies too - not 5 star, but solid and a great place for a casual dinner with friends.

I hear good things about Sammies food....but the freaking prices are insane.  Spaghetti with meatballs?  $34.  Lasagna?  $38.  Pasta dishes are all around 50% pricier than at North Italia.  Dude.  It's f'n spaghetti and meatballs.  I had a nice plate of that at a real-deal Italian restaurant in Boston's North End a few weeks ago for $20 or so.

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Posted

So, this is where the Italian snobbery comes out...

I wouldn't go to Reale's.  Very Italian-American and I'm trying to wrap my head around $17.99 fried calamari.  Anyway, Austin just kind of sucks for your "trattoria" type Italian places... good quality unpretentious Italian food that is reasonably priced but well executed. That's why I mentioned Giacomo's in Houston.  

Artipasta is good but its a food truck... owner is nice and he does a great job.  Its not like Dolce Vita where I can go on a Sunday and have a two hour relaxed lunch (sniffle sob sniffle).  I DO like Bufalina and particularly for happy hour. 

Austin's Italian food scene sucks.  

2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Lasagna?  $38

For the whole sheet, right?  RIGHT???

Posted
28 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

There's a new French Quarter grill or something like that up north, lineage includes folks who cooked at Gumbos (which was always very good, but never great or super down-home authentic), and I've heard good things about it.

Used to love going to French Quarter Grille when I lived closer to it. Fancier cajun food but everything was good. 

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Posted
11 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

They have a brick and mortar in Lincoln Village.

Haven't been up there in a while.  Need to find something central.  But I was looking at the menu of his location... simple dishes executed well.  That's what it's all about.

Back to pizza... y'all like Allday pizza next to Flo's?  I know its more NY Style but I like the concept of a slice of pizza and wine.  The patio is great... if you can get a spot.

Posted
45 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

There's a new French Quarter grill or something like that up north,

LOL "new".  They've been there forever, probably 20 years or so would be my guess.  My wife and I both love it, but I wouldn't say either of us is a cajun/creole food expert.  It's nicer than a strip mall restaurant should be.

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Posted
7 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

LOL "new".  They've been there forever, probably 20 years or so would be my guess.  My wife and I both love it, but I wouldn't say either of us is a cajun/creole food expert.  It's nicer than a strip mall restaurant should be.

Yeah, I recently read an article about it...but it was an old article talking about when they first opened.  Had that in my brain.  Still haven't ever been, because I naturally default to "I'll make it myself" when I want cajun food in this town.

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Posted
4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, I recently read an article about it...but it was an old article talking about when they first opened.  Had that in my brain.  Still haven't ever been, because I naturally default to "I'll make it myself" when I want cajun food in this town.

Looks like I overestimated how long it's been open -- 14 years.  Give it a try.

Posted (edited)

French Quarter Grille is good.  I have a vendor that likes to take us there once or twice per year.

I was introduced to Louisiana Longhorn by a bona fide cajun who says he liked it, so that's good enough for me.  I haven't been in several years though.

As for making it better than a restaurant, well, yeah.  That's true pretty much across the board for any type of food that you care about making.  My brisket is better than every commercial place I've ever had, which includes all of them in Austin and Central Texas.    It doesn't mean I want to do it myself every time I want BBQ.

 

 

 

Edited by utee94
Posted
1 minute ago, royiv said:

Not a good sign for Delta’s big expansion at AUS. 

Nobody flies into Bergstrom anymore. It's too crowded.

Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, McFly said:

Used to love going to French Quarter Grille when I lived closer to it. Fancier cajun food but everything was good. 

This is the one that was started by the original Gumbo’s owners. Don’t know if they sold to one of their chefs and changed names before she murder suicided her husband.  It is good though. 

Edited by Hook1997
Posted
3 hours ago, PvilleStang said:

What about the place that took over Huts on 6th, Sammies?  I've heard good things, but have yet to go there.  I do miss Frank and Angie's, but that wasn't anything 5* by any means.

Good food but ridiculously expensive.  

Posted
38 minutes ago, Paper_jam said:

While we discuss fine Italian cusine, I hate to break it to everyone, but the Johnny Carino's Tech Ridge location closed recently.

 

Sad Oh No GIF

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Posted

Probably been mentioned but worth calling out Giovanni's Table in Bee Cave (or on the way to Bee Cave) on 2244 for a great family owned Italian place.

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Posted
2 hours ago, ztejas said:

Broken axle? Looking at 7 figures plus and 18 months to fix.

Sir, we're going to need some $1M consultants first, so hold your horses on that 18-month time line.

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Posted
8 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah....this is accurate.  I enjoy Shoal Creek Saloon (their duck and sausage gumbo is legit), and Evangeline is ok.  

 


Just wanted to say that I had a muffaletta at Shoal Creek about 5 months ago and it was the worst sandwich I've ever bought. 

Posted
19 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

We miss Frank and Angies too - not 5 star, but solid and a great place for a casual dinner with friends.

I hear good things about Sammies food....but the freaking prices are insane.  Spaghetti with meatballs?  $34.  Lasagna?  $38.  Pasta dishes are all around 50% pricier than at North Italia.  Dude.  It's f'n spaghetti and meatballs.  I had a nice plate of that at a real-deal Italian restaurant in Boston's North End a few weeks ago for $20 or so.

Sammies is pretty good but just like any other MML place... good but expensive. Be ready to spend $100pp min.

Posted
7 hours ago, mchookem said:

Cypress Grill on William Cannon is pretty good. they make a great sazerac anyway. 

Oh really?  Close to me and have never tried it.  The sazerac may be the clincher.

Posted
20 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

But to this day, the best gumbo, red beans and rice, and etouffee in this town are mine. 

Maybe, but a Yelp review said the service is subpar and the place smells like burrito farts.

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Posted
50 minutes ago, ZB'Tejas said:

Sammies is pretty good but just like any other MML place... good but expensive.

Fake Italian to go along with their fake Vietnamese and fake Mexican.

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