Arturo's Bakery and Cafe: Austin

Arturo's Bakery and Cafe is one of those little tucked away gems in Austin.  They serve what I would coin Eccentric South-Central-Mexican Fusion Food.  They are open for Breakfast and Lunch.

When you step into Arturo's, be prepared because you will be arm and arm with the next Joe.  The menu is above the counter on multiple chalk boards.  It's a little overwhelming at first.  On this day, my counterpart ordered a Chicken Salad while I went for Chicken Quesadillas.  In short, it was super yummy.  Just look at the photos below!

Chicken Salad

Chicken Quesadillas

Arturo's Bakery & Cafe
314 W 17th Street
Austin, Texas 78701
512/469-0380

Walton's Fancy and Staple: Austin

Have you ever been to one of those places where you walk in and feel at home?  Walton’s is one of those places.  It is the sister restaurant to Bess Bistro.  Walton’s has a Parisian air about- whether it is the quaint bistro tables, the fresh flowers from the in house florist, or the fresh baked breads and croissants- not to mention the cupcakes, cookies, and other tasty morsels.

I have been to Walton’s a few times.  This morning, I tried a moist blueberry muffin with a streusel top.  It was quite good and filled with some of the freshest and biggest blueberries that I have ever seen.  My counter part tried the white cheddar ham croissant, and said, “It was out of this world.”

In addition, I got a strawberry Danish, a chocolate chunk cookie, and a carrot cupcake.  Everything has not disappointed.  On previous visits, I have tried the Tiramisu Cupcake that was quite moist and surprising with an Italian Cream center.  The cinnamon bun is to die for.  It is pure bliss with just enough sugar- definitely worth a try. 

Walton’s is open for breakfast and lunch.  Their lunch menu consists of salads, soups, and sandwiches.  Thursday and Friday nights they are open until 8.  Walton’s has created a loyal follower.  Definitely stop on by, I promise you will want to linger.

Walton’s Fancy and Staple

609 East 6^th Street

Austin, Texas 78701

512/542-3380

http://www.waltonsfancyandstaple.com/

Trifecta on 3rd: Austin

Trifecta on 3^rd is fairly new to the Downtown Austin scene.  Walking distance from our hotel, my work counterpart took me here because they have a Pizza Happy Hour where 12-inch pizzas are only $3 until 8 pm.  The restaurant is small and quaint with a nice selection of beers, wines, and bourbon.  It has a young, hip, professional crowd

I have been to Trifecta a few times.  In the past, I have tried the Margarhita Pizza (their spelling) as well as the Vegetarian Pizza (with corn and spinach- I’m moving outside of my pizza box).  The first time that we went, the crust was soggy and limp- not good for super thin crust pizza.  Overall, the pizzas tasted good, but it could have been better.  On a recent visit (shown below), the Margarhita pizza  crust was super thin and crispy with a balsamic reduction sprinkled across it that was addicting.

Overall, I like Trifecta on 3rd.  They pour large glasses of wine, so be careful.  The food is pretty good, and you can’t beat a $3 12-inch pizza.  Word to the wise: Be careful on trivia night to not scream out the answer because these patrons are very serious, not to mention, competitive about their trivia.

Trifecta on 3rd

360 Nueces #30

Austin, TX 78701

512/320-9909

www.trifectaaustin.com

Cisco's Restaurant & Bakery: Austin

Rumor has it that you could come to Cisco's before a UT game and get a Bloody Mary before 10 am.  How could you not like a place like that?  How could you not like seeing Texas's Power sitting among the locals?  How can you not like a big circular table with one red phone in the middle of it- Who you gonna call?  And, who cares if celebrities even stop in?????

A trip to Austin without a trip to Cisco's is sacri-relig for this girl.  On this early morning, I found out something pretty critical.  Cisco's doesn't open until 7 am, so hit that snooze button a few more times.
We have always sat in the back room, so walk on through the bakery portion, turn right, and turn right again.

This morning, I am alone in the room filled with memorabilia of early Austin, UT, and how life used to be.  I order my usual: a coffee and two breakfast tacos with potato, bacon, and cheese.  I always forget that they don't give you a lot of salsa, so ask for extra.

Local politicos pile in, and the topic on their mind is Rick Perry and his race for the Presidency.  It's a great place to be nosey, but then again, it wasn't like they were whispering!  I enjoyed my two breakfast tacos: boiled red potatoes, the crispiest bacon just the way i like it, the cheese, and the slightly sour salsa- maybe a hint of vinegar.  Definitely, a great way to start the day!

Everyone should get to experience Cisco's in their lifetime.  It's definitely an experience.  Plus, it makes you realize that Austin isn't just weird because places like Cisco's makes it pretty dang cool.

Cisco's Restaurant & Bakery
1511 East Sixth Street
Austin, Texas 78702
512/478-2420

Dog and Duck Pub: Austin

Dog and Duck Pub is one of my all time favorite places.  Back in the good ole days, we used to come here for Happy Hour for some of the coldest Pilsner Urquell.  Now, we just come here for lunch.  Started in May of 1990, Dog and Duck has 42 beers on tap ranging from Texas to International brews.  In 1991, they sistered the Dog and Duck Pub in London.  Their food ranges from burgers to fish-n-chips to actually some "healthy fare" (per their website).

Today, I chose the Spicy Black and Blue Burger.  My companions chose the Willie Burger and the Turkey Club Deluxe.  We are all not going for the healthy fare today.

This is my black and blue burger.  As you can see, it is a beautiful work of art: freshly ground beef, seasoned to perfection, topped with melted blue cheese, bacon, and covered with an adobe sauce.  Pure bliss, and probably one of the BEST burgers that I have ever had- EVER!

This is the Turkey Club Deluxe.  Do I really need to say anymore?  Look at all of that melted cheese!

This is the Willie Burger- yes, more melted cheese and the State of Texas's vegetable: Jalapenos.

Overall, I could barely walk out of the Dog and Duck Pub.  No, not because of consuming one too many pints, but because we just had an awesome lunch.  If you are in the area, check it out for either the food or the brews.  And, if you do, drink one for me!

Dog and Duck Pub
406 W 17th
Austin, Texas 78701
512/479-0598
www.dogandduckpub.com

The Blanton Cafe: Austin

The Blanton Museum of Art is directly across from our headquarters, so the Blanton Cafe makes a great lunch break.  The Blanton Café offers a variety of sandwiches, gourmet flat bread pizzas, soups, and create your own salads.

On this day, I try to the Basil Pesto Chicken Salad on Sourdough Bread.  Although the sample showed the Chicken to be grilled strips, the sandwich turned out to be Pesto Chicken Salad with whole basil leaves and tomatoes.  The sandwich is grilled like a Panini, and it is served with potato chips and a dill spear.  Overall, it was a great choice.

Photo by Dave Wilson

By the way, check out the fabulous Museum while you are here.  The building is beautiful with a lot of natural light, aqua glass wall tiles, and travertine- the stairwell is actually a work of art called Stacked Waters by Teresita Fernandez (did not know this until I wrote up this Blog). 

It is like you are floating in the Ocean then you ascend from the water to the second floor for the Collections.  As far as the art, some of the art is very modern, but the Blanton has an extensive collection of Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings.  The current exhibition is called About Face: Portraiture as Subject- this exhibits holds the very famous and contraversial Andy Warhol of Farrah Fawcett.

But I digress....If you eat at the Blanton Cafe, you can make it a lovely afternoon by combining a visit to the Blanton Art Museum.  And, don't forget the great gift shop next to the Cafe.  Overall, I really like The Blanton Cafe.

The Blanton Cafe
Blanton Museum of Art
The University of Texas at Austin
MLK at Congress
Austin, Texas 78701
http://blantonmuseum.org/

Frank & Angie's: Austin

This is one of my favorite little places to go to when in Austin, the sister restaurant to Hut's Hamburgers (see the April review). 

This picture is just an example of their pizza not our actual pizza!

Tonight, we decide to split Lugosi's Lament.  This pizza has mozzarella, pecorino, sliced tomatoes, and roasted garlic.  We asked that they add basil.  All I can say is that this pizza was awesome.  The roasted garlic is actually roasted whole garlic cloves.  The tomato sauce was delicious, and the crust was cooked to perfection. 

The other dishes coming out of the open kitchen counter smelled just as good.  In fact, on the next visit, I might have to try one of their pastas.  Decent wine and beer list too.  If you get the chance, check out this neighborhood joint. 

Frank & Angie's Pizzeria

508 West 6th Ave
Austin, TX 78701-2723
(512) 472-3534
www.hutsfrankandangies.com

Bess Bistro: Austin

Bess Bistro is a quaint restaurant right next to our hotel on 6th Street.  You walk down a flight of stairs into a cozy brick columned room with a beautiful wood bar.  A crystal chandelier lights our wooden corner booth.  Tonight, we are celebrating a VIP's birthday.  Although service gets off to a slow start, a gastronomic adventure begins with a nice bottle of Ercavio Tempranillo, Spain '07 and an appetizer of Crispy Artichokes.  This blog has a case of the Tempranillo's, so enjoy my photos accompanied by the menu's descriptions.
  

CRISPY ARTICHOKES: semolina crusted artichoke hearts and fried lemon wheels tossed in Parmesan, served with a roasted garlic aioli .

STEAK FRITES: grilled 6 ounce prime flat-iron steak topped with a mushroom and bleu cheese demi-glace, served with pommes frites;

CENTER CUT RIBEYE: grilled 8 oz. ribeye filet served with truffled cauliflower gratinée and crispy fried Brussels sprouts

MAC-N-CHEESE AU GRATIN

SEASONAL CHEESE PLATE: daily selection of local and world cheeses served with almond stuffed prosciutto wrapped dates and fresh honey comb

Overall, the winner of the night was the Mac-N-Cheese.  All of us agreed that Bess Bistro was just OK.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.  The wine list is very nice.  The atmosphere is superb.  It is quite pricey, but it did make for a nice evening with friends from what I remembered.  :)
  
Bess Bistro

500 West 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 477-2377
www.bessbistro.com

Hill Country Steakhouse: Barton Creek Resort, Austin

The Hill Country Steakhouse is a luxurious AAA Four Diamond-rated formal dining experience that overlooks the stunning Fazio Foothills golf course at Barton Creek Resort and Spa.

On this celebratory evening, the Chef has created a goat cheese leek spread served with homemade potato chips. The dip was really good, but the chips were the stand outs. Who doesn't love home made potato chips?  In addition, we decided to split the crab cakes served with pickled cucumber relish. The cakes were light and filled with crab meat. The pickled cucumber relish was incredible.

The Hill Country Steakhouse uses only the top 2% quality USDA Midwestern beef known as “Prime Grade Black Angus,” and their steaks are aged up to four weeks for flavor and texture. The steaks are broiled to seal in the flavor. My husband ordered the 12 ounce New York Strip ($40) which he swears was the best steak he has ever eaten, and trust me, he has eaten a lot of steak. I ordered the 10 ounce Bone In Filet ($44). Personally, I didn't care for my cut even though it was well seasoned and quite tender. The problem was that the bone was the majority of the 10 ounce filet.

For sides, we shared the Wild Mushrooms which were sauteed in olive oil and herbs- they were good. However, the scalloped potatoes missed the mark completely- the potatoes were still raw, and the taste was bland and unimpressive. We were really looking forward to the potatoes since our server went on and on about how good they were- well, they weren't.

For dessert, we shared the Triple Layer Decadent Chocolate Bombe: Layers of black velvet cheesecake, milk chocolate mousse, and orange ganache. It was really quite heavenly.  In addition, Barton Creek provided some chocolate truffles for our anniversary. They were really good, but don't ask the husband because he didn't get any!

Service was impeccable.  Be prepared to drop some money.  Actually, for that kind of money, I wish the Steakhouse was a separate dining area rather than the same large room where we ate breakfast.  Overall, our anniversary dinner was very nice- so nice that my husband wants to come back again for that New York Strip steak.

Hill Country Steakhouse
Barton Creek Resort and Spa
8212 Barton Club Drive
Austin, Texas 78735
1-800-336-6157
www.bartoncreek.com

Hut's Hamburger: Austin

Hut's Hamburgers is always a stop for this girl when staying in Austin.  This Hut's location originally started in 1939 as Sammie's Drive In.   It has been Eli's Lounge and Picante Mexican restaurant.  But, in 1969, Homer "Hut" Hutson moved in with Hut's Hamburgers.


At Hut's, they have every and any kind of burger you can desire- in fact 20 listed on the menu ranging from the Tuby's Tickler to the Boodieburger to the Theta Special.  Located on West 6th Street, this place is packed at all hours.


For starters, we ordered a half order of onion rings.  Their onion rings are HUGE, thick cut onion slices tossed in a black pepper batter.  You can make a meal out of these alone- especially when they are dipped into their homemade ranch dressing.

Today, our burgers were just OK.  They didn't seem to be the usual Hut's Hamburger.  The burgers are filled to the brim with fresh lettuce, onions, tomatoes and pickles.  The patties are 1/2 inch thick and seasoned well.  The meat is fresh never frozen from Johnny G's Meat Market in South Austin.  The fries rock especially when dipped into that homemade ranch.


Overall, Hut's Hamburgers still rocks.  If you are not in the hamburger mood, they have daily blue plate specials, buffalo from Thunderheart Bison Ranch, longhorn from Bandera Grasslands, chicken and if you must, veggie burgers.  If you find yourself on 6th Street, wonder on down to Hut's Hamburgers.  You can also visit their sister restaurant, Frankie and Angie's, for pizza.  Neither will disappoint!


Huts Hamburgers
807 West 6th Street
Austin, TX 78703-5403
(512) 472-0693
www.hutsfrankandangies.com

Shady Grove: Austin

Shady Grove is my favorite place to eat in Austin.  It is so hippie, so Austin, yet so comfortable.  It was a Thursday night, and they were having a lawn concert.  You can eat either outside among the trees or inside. 

Tonight, I decide to move beyond my normal hamburger and fries, and go with the 100% ground sirloin meat loaf with a twice baked jalapeno potato.  But, first, we start with chips and queso and salsa roja.  Their queso just rocks- its a cheesy blend of incredible ooze!  It's a must try.

My meatloaf was interesting.  The actual loaf was quite spicy.  It was covered in a tomato sauce more like salsa.  Overall, it was pretty good, but a little too spicy.  The twice baked jalapeno potato was good, but I think they put all of the jalapenos in the meat loaf.

If you get a chance, check out Shady Grove.  It will not disappoint!  Word of Caution: their wine list is a 4x6 piece of paper whipped out of the waiters pocket.  Plus, on nights of lawn concerts, only plastic cups are used.

Shady Grove
1624 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 474-9991http://www.theshadygrove.com/