Recommendation for gift certificate

[leighchoate]

A gentleman recently recommended me for a job, and I wanted to give him about a $150 gift certificate for a nice restaurant.

He's mid/late 30s, has a family (pregnant wife), and I'm thinking someplace he and his wife could go for a date. He's in high tech, very visible.

He's well-off, so I want to gift him with a nice place, but not the places that folks usually go like Sullivan's or Truluck's (though I could be wrong if chowhounds disagree).

My first impulse was Lambert's, but I have heard sketchy reviews (though I loved it). I guess I would like someplace a little more... special. I thought about the Mansion on Judge's Hill but then read a bad review of it.

What do you recommend?

thanks!

[leighchoate]

If anyone's interested, last night my husband and I went to celebrate my new job at Backstage Steakhouse (based on Chowhound recommendations - thanks!!) and had the best meal we've ever had, so I decided to get the gift certificate from here. I'm almost positive it's somewhere he has never been.

Thank you for the recommendations!

[Meshelle]

What did you eat? My 2 sisters and their families are coming into town next week. This may be something different to go to. We have taken them to all of the "Austin favs" during the last 5 years. Also, my husband and I went to Nancy's Steakhouse in Bastrop last weekend. I wasn't impressed. It was more of a classier Sizzler. I had the prime rib and he had the ribeye. Nothing special.

[Twill]

How about La Traviata? Two could easily get by for that amount.

[amykragan]

If you want classy and something they don't normally do make it for Driskill Grill

[jwynne2000]

Classy move. And smart staying away from the places like Trulucks, Sullivan's, Eddie V's, Ruth's Chris, etc.

My vote would be for Aquarelle or Cafe Josie.

[NirvRush]

i second Aquarelle!!!

[leighchoate]

Isn't a meal at Aquarelle more in the $300 range?

[NirvRush]

when my husband and i went for my birthday, it was $180 including a bottle of wine, an appetizer, a salad, and 2 entrees.

[shan]

My husband got a $150 gift certificate for Aquarelle last year. We took his aunt and the meal for the 3 of us including entrees, salads and a bottle of wine was around $200. The meal was phenomenal and well worth the price. His aunt got the beef tenderloin and if she could have gotten away with licking the plate, I think she would have tried. She is normally a person who grazes at meals, but she polished the whole thing off because it was so good. I had the red snapper which was also excellent, but the tenderloin was better.

Service was excellent and it stands out as one of the top meals we've had here in Austin.