help! :o)
Hi all!! We're going to be in Austin this weekend (VERY last minute plan) celebrating my father's birthday and cheering him on for his triathlon. Unfortunately, we will only be in town for a day in a half and am trying to cram in as many food things as we can.
Basically I'm looking for recs on:
1) a fun/nice dinner on Friday night that is kind of quick as we get in fairly late and dad goes to bed early before races. We eat ALL types of food, but since he lives in San Antonio I would prefer not TexMex or Mexican (unless it's just blow-your mind authentic/delicious...otherwise we'll save that genre for bfast).
2) a good bfast taco place
3) lunch rec (Japanese perhaps? or a place that uses mainly local ingredients?).
4) a place for dinner where he can load up on carbs (but is also good for us lazy, food-lovin' folks). Italian is mainly the go-to genre for carb-loading but after reading a bunch of posts on here, it seems like Austin doesn't have great options (perhaps Vespaio is the best?). I rarely eat at Italian restaurants because there are way too many places with pretty mediocre pasta/sauce/everything. That being said....ANY carb-heavy recs are appreciated, Italian or any other cuisine...!
5) and....any bar with either well-made or unique cocktails...or microbrews (for after he goes to bed)!
I was really intrigued by Uchi or Olivia but I don't think they can fit into a race weekend, unfortunately. And if this helps, we're staying in the northern part of Austin (the hotel recommended for the race) but obviously have a car.
Thanks so much!!!
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You said ANY, so I'd have to recommend Cannoli Joe's if you want a place that is a carb-loading dream. It's an all you can eat Italian buffet. I've heard that it's decidedly average (it is a buffet after all), so it's definitely not going to be Vespaio caliber.
I personally like Andiamo, which is in a strip mall off Burnet RD in N Austin. It's a nice Italian joint with good cheesy bread and some solid seafood dishes. The portions seem fairly large.
