Counter Cafe in old G/M Steakhouse (6th/Lamar)
We went for a Saturday lunch at the old G/M Steakhouse now called completely renovated and called the Counter Cafe. The place is still long and narrow but the counter/tables/stools have been upgraded (but it appears some of the original tile is still there). Anyway, the vibe inside is completely different than the old place--much more 34th Street Cafe than greasy spoon.
They've only been open a week and are still getting the feel for such a small kitchen. We sat at the counter and got to watch them prepare the food. The menu is mostly sandwiches and salads with some interesting choices like polenta crusted fried oysters (not bad). I continued my streak of burgers and had a pretty good one here. Though I asked for medium rare it came out medium but had a nice juicy taste still. The cheddar was thick sliced--unfortunately on mine they put it on after the burger had cooked instead of while cooking like they did others so it was as melted as it could be. The main drawback to the burger was the bun (from whole foods) and was too dry and tasteless. The fries were hand chopped and thick sliced and not bad but not stellar. My friend had a nice salad as well as the oysters.
The menu is limited: they had a tortilla soup and crab cakes (looked pretty small) in addition to 4 sandwhiches and 3 salads or so. The owner (I assume) said they were going to offering breakfast all day on Saturday in addition to one or two lunch items and the breakfast menu looks more promising. She said they were also looking at opening on the Thursday-Saturday nights but for now they are open 7am-3pm Mon-Saturday. Their beverage selection is eclectic (no Diet Coke but they do have Dos Equis)
This part of town needs more casual places as I live nearby I'm glad to have a new option that's not Whole Foods or Portabla. We'll be back to watch them develop--I definitely see promise here.
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Sooooooooo disappointed! I ate here for lunch last fall and had a really good burger and bite of my sisters great pimiento cheese sandwich...we also ordered a couple of really great desserts. My husband and I went this evening and had a bad experience. When we got there most tables were finished with their food, and there were multiple spots at the counter, so we sat there. It took the two men behind the counter awhile to get our drinks, and when they brought me my wine my glass was very, grossly dirty and grease marked...truly, I'm not prissy about these things, but this was icky. So, we waited another ten minutes while the guys behind the counter putzed around before they returned to take our order and I could try to get a new glass. When I mentioned switching glasses, the guy looked at the glass, looked at me like I was crazy, then shook his head and shrugged before getting me a clean glass (indicating that I was being high maintenance). No apology for the grossness, and just really, really bad customer service. Very disappointing, and I'm not going back.
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Checked out Sunday brunch here yesterday. I tried the grilled pimento cheese - so good. But then again, I really love pimento cheese. Their fries could have been hotter, but had great flavor. My bf ordered the crab cakes with poached eggs on top - also really yummy. The dish comes with two sauces (one lemony and one tomato-ish) which are nice for dipping your fires in also. We ended up ordering a couple of their biscuits because the smell of them right out of the oven was too much to resist. These were perfect - buttery and flakey. The service? Um...kind of weird. Everyone was nice, but they all seemed kind of dazed and forgetful. Maybe too much Halloween partying the night before. At least they were nice though. Boy and I will definitely be headed back to sample more from the menu.
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I wanted so badly to be a regular at this establishment, mainly bcz i had missed the opportunity to frequent the place when it was still G&M Steakhouse. Although the food was quite good, bad bad customer service will prevent me from returning to this cute cafe. The owner ran short on mugs at one point, walked by my table and grabbed a mug off of it without even asking if i was done with it. It was being used by my friend who had to take a serious cellphone call outside - the owner just swiped it, rinsed it, and gave it to someone else. Then, she hurried us out, repeatedly saying that we needed to pay up front -- we were still finishing our coffee and our conversation and she began wiping down our table (not clearing off our dirty dishes, mind you, but wiping it off for the next customer!) we were drinking our coffee! That was very annoying, very pushy, and she didn't even thank us for coming. sigh. the food was good, but i won't ever go back there.
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I absolutely love this place - went there on Saturday for breakfast. I had the egg sandwich and it was amazing. Nothing like a perfectly cooked over-easy egg with bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato on lovely wheat toast. It was heavenly, and the vibe inside was awesome.
I have also had the crab cakes and eggs - the sauces that they serve with the cakes are really good.
I wonder if they've changed their hours recently though? I know they used to be open from 11-4, but I thought I heard they extended their hours. Anyone know?
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eloralr
May 9, 2007 03:46 PM
I went there today actually. I had the grilled pimento cheese sandwich with a side salad. It was great. I don't know if they make it there, but it did't taste pre-packaged. It was topped with thinly sliced red onions, tomatoes and bib lettuce. The spring mix salad with the Citronette (I think that is what it was called) complimented eachother well. Yummy stuff. I went with about 8 people, which lucky for us the "big" table wasn't taken. We all got different things and tried each otheres food out. The cheeseburger was very tastey. I didn't end up tasting the oysters, but everyone else said they were delicious. The roasted veggie sandwich was a winner also. I agree that this area needs more casual eatery's. Waterloo makes me queezy and is over priced, and one gets tired of going to the food hole ( whole foods) every other day. I'm excited about Counter Cafe. It does seem promising.
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re: eloralr
I think they make most things there. We went for breakfast recently and watched them whip some butter for honey butter. Breakfast was also nice. The Counter Benedict was super with the pastrami in the eggs benedict. My friend had the biscuits with sausage gravy that were also good--though the biscuits were already sitting out on the stove so I don't know how handmade they were. They moved Saturday breakfast up to 8am despite what the menu says.
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re: rudeboy
Castle Hill Gym (not Cafe) smoothies are the best I've had but not cheap. The burger at The Tavern and the briskit at House Park BBQ are also good for Austin. Otherwise, outside of Wink which I love but can only afford on very rare occasions, I haven't been amazed on much else between 6th and 12th Lamar.
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femmenikita
Apr 30, 2007 09:12 AM
Oh Alas! They closed G&M? I had no idea...Not that I had eaten there of late, but as a native Austinite, i have to admit it's a bit sad. I remember going there as a kid and watching the surly counter folk slinging the pickles at tthe glass window for show. On the upside, i am thrilled to hear that what has appeared in its stead is a potentially delicious cafe, so I appreciate your review. Always looking for a new place to eat breakfast all day that's close by my 'hood. Hmm. No diet coke, though? Blasphemy ha ha.
