Carnivores in the House

Despite the urgings from my vegetarian friends, I am an unrepentent meat lover. And on those days when I'm struck with a carnivorous craving the only obstacle to happiness is deciding what and where to eat. Writing about the best chicken fried steak or fajitas in town is a dicey business. Everyone has their fiercely defended favorite, so feel free to leave a comment informing me of where I should've eaten instead of where I do. At least I'm sticking with locally owned establishments.

1. What's the first thing that comes to my mind when conjuring up an image of a tender, juicy slab of prime Texas beef? A steak from Austin Land & Cattle. I always order the 10oz ribeye, black and blue, with a side of jalapeño blue cheese sauce, mashed potatoes and the veggies of the day. Ordering a steak "black and blue" ensures that it's charred on the outside but cool bordering on cold in the center. Definitely not for those who eat their beef grilled dead, but it's oh so fork tender and juicy.

ALC offers a choice of hand cut in house ribeye, filet mignon, top sirloin, New York strip, t-bone and porterhouse steaks, cooked to your specification. Prices range, depending on the size and cut of meat. Expect to pay between $20-30 per entree.

2. Did someone mention fajitas? I know this is a hotly contested topic, but I get mine from Enchiladas y Mas, where they come grilled with onions, bell pepper, tomatoes and even serrano peppers, if you order the spicy version. Add the usual sides of rice and beans and sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo for toppings and you're one bite away from sheer satisfaction. A spicy fajita platter for two is $19.95, a plate is $9.95.

3. Dining in? Order up a Carnivore Special from Mangia Pizza. Available thin or Chicago style stuffed, this pie features "two layers of pepperoni buried beneath beef and sausage". This pizza is not for the faint of heart (or those with high cholesterol). I've never gotten beyond two slices of the stuffed version before heading to the couch to sleep through whatever dvd was chosen for our dinner and a movie night. A 14" large stuffed pizza is $23.55 while the thin version is $17.95.

4. Ask five people who has the best BBQ in Austin and you'll probably get at least 4 different answers. My choice for a mixed plate of smoky meats is the Saltlick, just outside the city limits. My friends and I love the all you can eat 'cue served family style with beans, cole slaw, potato salad, pickles, onion and bread. For $15.95 per adult or $4.95 for kids under 12, you can devour all the pork ribs, beef and sausage you want. Even better, children under 4 eat for free.

The Saltlick doesn't sell alcoholic beverages, but allows you to bring in coolers of beer. There's nothing better with their just greasy enough ribs than an icey cold Lone Star, so come prepared. Be warned, this establishment is cash only.

5. Chicken fried what? My yankee friends don't understand chicken fried steak. But Hoover's Cooking does, and that's all that matters to me. Hoover's serves their CFS with a peppery breading and full flavored cream gravy, your choice of two sides, or "house mates" as the menu calls them, and a basket of hot breads, all for $9.79. I recommend the traditional mashed potatoes as one side item and the jalapeño creamed spinach as another.

Aficionados of CFS know that it's rare to find a fork tender one. Because of the cut of steak and method of cooking, it can often be chewy. Hoover's steak is as close to an optimum CFS as I've found in the Hill Country. I've been eating Hoover Alexander's CFS ever since I discovered the 1/2 price night at the now defunct Good Eats Cafe. There are others in town that run a close second, but this is my standard first choice for a beefy southern comfort meal.

Tell me, is there an entree I've not mentioned that will sate my most ravenous cravings for red meat?

Restaurant Poll 2007

The Chronicle has their annual restaurant poll going on right now. I thought I'd share my votes with you. And yes, Chel, I voted for Giss's, only not as my top three.

FAVORITE RESTAURANT
One: La Reyna
Two: Wink
Three: Austin Land & Cattle

BEST DISHES
Appetizers: Sampaio's
Barbecue: Saltlick in Driftwood
Hamburger: Billy's on Burnet
Steak: Austin Land & Cattle
Comfort Food: Giss's Cafe
Chicken-Fried Steak: Hoover's
Chile Pepper Dish: Green Chile Cheeseburger from Shady Grove
French Fries: Billy's on Burnet
Hot Dog: Bad Dog from Shady Grove
Chips and Hot Sauce: Chuy's (the chunkier salsa, not the thin one)
Taco: Juan in a Million's Don Juan
Soup: The Soup Peddler
Salad/Dressing: Baby Greens grilled veggie salad with lowfat lemon vinaigrette
Seafood Dish: Sampaio's Camarão ao Molho de Cachaça
Pub Grub: Mother Egan's
Bagels: Einstein's (yeah, I know they're a chain, but I like 'em)
Sushi: Musashino Sushi Dokoro
Tofu Dish: Chooby Doo International Cafe's Buddha Tofu Sandwich
Dim Sum: no fav
Bowl of Pho: no fav
American Breakfast: Kerby Lane Cafe
Mexican Breakfast: La Reyna
Sandwich: Thistle Cafe's BLT
Dessert: no fav
Bread: Texas French Bread
Ice Cream: Amy's Ice Creams
Gelato: Whole Foods (is there anyone out there who hasn't heard me rave about the avocado gelato?)
Coffee: Austin Java
Pizza: Frank & Angie's
Enchiladas: It's a tie between La Reyan & Enchiladas y Mas
Vegetables: Threadgill's
Chicken Dish: Chicken, mushroom, Gruyere, carmelinzed onions and scallions crepe from Flip Happy Crepes
Wild-Game Dish: I know it doesn't qualify as "wild game" but the sweetbreads at Wink are fantastic.

Bargain
Dish: Any La Reyna breakfast plate---they're all under $5
Restaurant: Taco Xpress
Veggie Burger: P. Terry's
Vegetarian Dish: Stuffed Poblano from Kerby Lane Cafe

BEST ETHNIC OR SPECIALTY RESTAURANT
Mexican(non-Tex-Mex): Fonda San Miguel
Tex-Mex: La Reyna
Taqueria: Taco Xpress
Italian: Vespaio
Cajun/Creole: Evangeline Cafe
Middle Eastern: Phoenicia Bakery & Deli
Indian: Sarovar
Chinese: Hao Hao
Japanese:
Korean: Koreana
Thai: Thai Passion
Vietnamese: Sunflower
Other Oriental/Asian: Zen
American: Giss's Cafe
Vegetarian/Natural Food: Eastside Cafe
French: no faav
Other Ethnic
Type: Romanian
Restaurant: Drakula

OTHER STUFF
New Restaurant Opened in 2006-2007: Bess Bistro

Chef
Name: Lawrence Kocurek
Restaurant: Roy's

Service/Waitstaff: Daniel Webb at El Chile
Full-Service Bakery: Sweetish Hill
Pastry Shop: Mi Victoria
Grocery Store: Central Market (N. Lamar location)
Ethnic Market: no fav
Patio/Beer Garden: Shady Grove
Decor: Vivo
Romantic Dinner Spot: Wink
Sunday Brunch: Moonshine Bar & Grill ties with Fonda San Miguel
Fast Food: Zen
Takeout: Whole Foods
Delivery: Austin's Pizza ties with China Hill
Wine List: Cork & Co
Smokers Restaurant: Shady Grove
Beer Selection: The Gingerman
Buffet: Moonshine's brunch buffet

Happy Hour/Free or Cheap Deal
Happy Hour Deal: Eddie V's half price appetizers
Restaurant: Hut's Hamburgers
Late Night/All Night: Magnolia Cafe
Restaurant Bathroom: Vivo
Place to Take Kids: Phil's Ice House
Place to Take Parents: Austin Land & Cattle
Restaurant Within 60 Miles of Austin: Bluebonnet Cafe in Burnet
Place We Wish Were Still Open: Paggi House, just for their Sunday brunch
Any Other Restaurant Worth Noting: Taco Shack
Food Event: Tour de Vin

Rockin' at Red Eyed Fly, Red Eyed at Hoek's Pizza

Last night's Humiliator's show at the Red Eyed Fly was a rockin' great time! Although short a member due to a family emergency, the guys pulled off a fantastic show. Interestingly, the combination of 8pm and Wednesday must be magical. The crowd was the largest it's been since Toddfest and Rock For The Ride.

Panties were thrown (see above pic), shots were bought for the band, crazy headbangers stormed the stage during the last song...what a great night. The euphoria lasted through a trip down to see Ashley, the hottest bartender at the Library. The feeling even maintained itself through a visit to see Hunter, Ashley's boyfriend, next door at The Aquarium.

It came to a screeching halt when we walked across to Hoek's, for a slice of death metal pizza. The music was low, too low. The staff was somber. Things were not all right with the world. Sensing impending doom, I ordered pizza and asked the staff why it was so quiet.

DEATH METAL PIZZA IS CLOSING! Because their building, which also houses The Ritz, is being turned into Alamo Drafthouse's downtown location (lease is out on the old spot), they're closing shop. Saturday is their last night, so make the time to go see the only heavy metal rocking pizza guys in town. And buy a slice or two, or a whole pie.

The word on the street is that the owner is looking for a new location. Seriously, the staff came out on the street to talk to us as Chel took pics and posed for snapshots in front of Hoek's. I hate to see a 6th Street landmark leave, especially one as entertaining (not to mention delicious) as Austin's own Death Metal Pizza.

Get your last taste before the the order window is permanently shut.

Five Delicious Dives in Austin

One of the biggest perks of living in Austin is that we have so many restaurants per capita. You can find everything from BBQ to dim sum, upscale fine dining to dives. While I'm not one to pass up a gourmet meal served on fine china, I have to admit that I love dives. Not only are they usually cheap eats, but they're normally quick to serve you a delicious meal. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Chooby Doo International Cafe located in a strip center on W. William Cannon at Brodie Lane. Chooby Doo serves up bubble teas with tapioca pearls made fresh on site daily. They offer various sandwiches, gyros and soups, including Tom Yum, the spicy hot and sour Thai soup. I recommend the Buddha Tofu sandwich. While I don't always go for vegetarian fare, this grilled tofu sandwich is tasty enough for me to ignore the Chicago Style hot dogs and Chinese BBQ sandwiches on the menu. You[ll be happy with the prices, too. I don't think I found anything over $5 on their menu.

2. Flip Happy Crepes was one of South Austin's best kept secrets until a great review in the Statesmen trumpeted the news that fabulous crepes are easy to find. Flip Happy is an Airstream trailer restaurant at 400 Jessie Street, off Barton Springs and close enough to S. Lamar that you can see the "silver bullet" and awnings from your stuck-in-rush-hour-traffic vantage point. Hands down, my choice of crepes will almost always be a roast chicken, carmelized onion, goat cheese one and a shredded pork, cheddar cheese, Tabasco, pickles and mustard one. Not as inexpensive as Chooby Doo, the crepes range between $6 and $6.50 each. For made from scratch savory crepes, I'm not complaining about cost. Dessert crepes and a kids menu are also available. Cash only, unless they've added a telephone line for a credit card machine when I wasn't paying attention.

3. La Reyna is the closest to a non-dive restaurant on my list. I've heard it described as looking like a "Mexican diner". La Reyna is pure, no frills Tex Mex food, the kind you can find in any home kitchen but that you don't have to trouble yourself to cook. While I do enjoy their enchilada plates ($6.45-$7.25), I am there most often for breakfast. Their priciest breakfast plates top out at under $4 and are always enjoyable. If you're a fan of huevos rancheros or migas, this is the place to satisfy your cravings. Their homemade corn and flour tortillas go perfectly with some of the best refried beans in town. Here's a hint from a regular: ask to try the "morning salsa". The table salsa is fresh, spicy enough and good but the morning salsa, served warm, has more of a kick. Service is fast and friendly although you may find that your waitress only speaks Spanish. Even so, I've never had an order come to the table wrong.

4. Hoek's Pizza is known among my social group as "Death Metal Pizza". This joint is tops among the 6th Street pizza places and blares out hard/metal rock all night long. The pizza is unpretentious New York style thin crust fare, perfect for a midnight snack. Sold by the gigantic slice for just a few bucks, it's well worth it. I'm sure I'll have comments extolling the virtues of Roppolo's, but after eating pizza for 5 meals out of 6 during SXSW it's my pic as the best on 6th.

5. Mike's Pub is where my work friends and I head to when we need a good burger without the lengthy wait at Hut's. Mike's is, I kid you not, in a parking garage. Okay, more like on the side edge of a parking garage. Their website says the are on "north side of E. 7th St. between Congress Ave. and Brazos St. Next door to the Stephen F. Austin Hotel, and directly across the street from the Driskill Hotel Bar." Take the short flight of stairs up to the pub and you'll enter a world of scrumptious greasy burgers and beer. The "salad bar" next to the cash register is your toppings headquarters. In other words, they cook 'em but you build 'em. Any given lunch hour you'll see blue collar workers, business men in suits and all kinds of downtown office staff like me wolfing down a cheeseburger and fries. Some days you may even run into local celebrities like Earl Campbell. When the Lege is in session, you may sit next to a well known politician or two, and the inevitable lobbyist. Check them out for breakfast or lunch, where a double meat/double cheeseburger is under 6 bucks.

There's so many more inexpensive but great eats in Austin that I could blog about, but hey, who has the time? If you think I've missed a fabulous dive, leave a comment and tell me where I need to eat next.