Austin Restaurant Week

[amykragan]

Starts this weekend. Where are you going to dine?

Couldn't see most of the menus on the ARW website. Says overload.

[bigfoodie4life]

Went to Uchiko for ARW. It was great!!! We had:

Suzuki Carpaccio
Ika Yaki (this was very tasty and better than the carpaccio)

Shiki Sakana
Karaage (this was the better of the two, but how can you go wrong with fried chicken)

Fried Milk and Sweet Corn (didn't like the sweet corn as much)
They also had more dessert options on the menu than what ARW website says

We were also fortunate to arrive for "social" hour (before 6:30) so that meant we got to eat a lot more food that was about half off from the regular price and was a great bargain!

[chrisdds98]

went to several places for ARW. I think the best overall meal was at paggi house. braised short ribs were amazing! my favorite entree was the tenderloin at aquarelle

[gilintx]

Hit Foreign & Domestic last night (not sure if they are an official participant, but they do have a prix fixe menu for ARW). I have to say, everything was pretty impressive. I had arugula and beet salad, and ditali and cheese with oxtail. Mrs. had the summer lovin' salad, which is a mix of greens and fruit, and the crispy chicken thighs. The salads were huge, and the entrees were plenty of food, and well prepared. We both had the carrot cake sundae for dessert, which was a little sweet for our taste, but worked ok if you composed your bites well. Three courses for $30, and it came with a Lone Star tallboy, to boot. Not too shabby.

[NirvRush]

could you possibly describe the ditali and cheese/oxtail? been very curious about that dish.

[gilintx]

Pasta was dripping with a thin cheddar cheese bechamel sauce. Poached or possibly soft boiled egg was sitting off to the side, and shredded oxtail in the center (just a dollop, but it was enough). Sprinkled with fine herbed breadcrumbs. Garnish was celery leaves. If you had asked me before, I would not have believed that these ingredients mixed, but they did, and fabulously so.

[TheSprinkler]

I have a reservation at Green Pastures this evening - will keep you guys posted on how it goes.

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Green Pastures Restaurant
901 W Live Oak St, Austin, TX 78704

[amykragan]

Tried El Arbol and Sushi Zushi this week. Liked Sushi Zushi even though we ended up just ordering off the regular menu since it was much more cost effective.

El Arbol was awesome and a true value on the ARW menu compared to the regular menu. Would love to go back on a nice night and sit on the patio under the trees!

[verily]

I have a reservation booked for El Arbol on Sunday. Are there any standout dishes that you recommend? I'm intrigued by the anticucho de corazon dish.

[amykragan]

The beef heart (anticucho de corazon )was great! Came n 3 short metal skewers over a volcano of carmelized onion and a balsmic reduction. Super tender and great grilled taste.

I also had the ribeye which was more like a filet mignon also super tender and great flavor. The chocolate dessert was rich and a perfect finish!

[txgrl99]

I've had the beef heart prior to Restaurant Week, and really love it. It wasn't something I was super excited about trying, but amykragan is correct: it is very tender and flavorful.

[chrisdds98]

We went to parkside yesterday and wasn't terribly impressed. the tuna tartar and quail were both very tasty. but the mains could have been better. She had the steak which was burned on the outside (though nice and med-rare as requested inside). the el ray brownie wasn't great either. She said it tasted like it "came out of a box". I liked my donut with ice cream though!

[txgrl99]

That's why I never order the RW menu at parkside. I prefer their small plates. I love the place dearly, but agree that desserts have not been the same since their original pastry chef left. Now they are very hit or miss.

[danny_w]

Are these really a good deal? I was looking at McCormick & Schmicks and the ARW menu is apparently the same as their weekend special but for $5 more! I was looking for something in the Domain/Arboretum area for tonight's dinner.

[agoodbite]

You have to do your homework. Some places offer a better deal than others. I think of restaurant week as a cost-effective way to try out a new place or revisit a place that's normally out of my budget. Of course, I do my homework first.

[danny_w]

Do you have any suggestions, esp. the Domain/Arboretum area, that have been good deals in your experience?

[agoodbite]

Nothing in the Arboretum/Domain area intrigued me so I'm skipping everything in that area. Of other choices that are north central, I'm thinking of hitting Uchiko or maybe El Arbol. Foreign & Domestic is running a special prix fixe menu from Sept 21 - Oct 2. You get 3 courses and a Lone Star tall boy for $30. I suspect they're not participating in the official event because they're closed Mondays and Tuesdays and ARW is on a Sunday - Wednesday schedule. Out of the rest of the options, Parkside and The Carrillon both have intriguing menus.

Details for F&D's event:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-...

[danny_w]

Eddie V's looks good too from what I can tell. We might try that tonight, because I would never go there otherwise.

[amykragan]

we'll be at Eddie V's tonight. I liked their menu

[danny_w]

We went tonight and had a great time. The waitress was very attentive, and the restaurant is quite nice. The scallops and swordfish were both excellent (or was it the excellent company I was with?). The chocolate mousse was a perfect finish; she had the fresh berries and did not like them as much (she's Korean and not used to the cream, and would have preferred just the plain berries). Very pleased with the evening with that one exception.

[amykragan]

We had a great time too! Most of the tables around us were ordering from the ARW menu.

We had:
Scallops (perfectly cooked and a large portion with the accoutrements)
Halibut (green olives were a great contrast with texture and flavor)
Mixed Berries (only strawberries and raspberries with pastry cream-a coconut macaroon and a super rich chocolate cookie)
and
Lobster bisque (super rich but full of lobster bits)
Snapper with almonds(delicious!)
Chocolate mousse(AWESOME and gorgeous) 2 tables nearby asked me what I had ordered.

No sides come with the ARW menu, but it was so much food we still took boxes home!

Service was very attentive!

[danny_w]

Great night. This is the type of place that I would never go to normally, so ARW gave me a chance to try it (and a chance to take my date to a place she would never have gone, and I think she enjoyed it a lot). I had only been to Eddie V's once before (downtown) but that was years ago. Very pleasant experience. Do you have any suggestions for next Sunday night?

[amykragan]

Driskill grill is a great value and even better service!
Perry's is also a nice choice!

[dinaofdoom]

i love eddy v's HH items.
such good bargains!

[verily]

I'll probably be trying Parkside and Fabi & Rosi this time.

[JackWood]

Buenos Aires Cafe at The Galleria.

[donnaaries]

Have a reservation at Aquarelle for next week.

[ieathereforeiam]

East Side Showroom is doing an entirely locally sourced menu for restaurant week. chicken fried rabbit and lamb rilletes sound pretty good. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9769070/EAST.pdf

[singlemalt]

Going out Monday with some friends but haven't chosen a place, but we will definitely be hitting Parkside. I think they have a very interesting menu.

[amykragan]

Do you have a link to menu other than the ARW site?

[singlemalt]

first course
guest's choice of:
grilled Texas quail, bleu cheese, celery, apple
tuna tartar, late summer vegetables, aged balsamic
grilled farmers salad, basil pesto, petite vegetables
…..
entrée
guest's choice of:
wagyu flat iron steak, smashed potatoes, grilled scallion vinaigrette
loup de mer, poached faro, oven roasted tomatoes, herbs
foraged mushroom risotto, port wine reduction
…..
dessert
guest's choice of:
cinnamon sugar yeast doughnut,
brandy-citrus mascarpone, saffron caramel, honey ice cream
peach upside down cake,
crème fraiche ice cream, blueberries, almond tuile
warm el Rey chocolate brownie,
chocolate pecan toffee, vanilla ice cream, pecan tuile

$35.00
$20.00 wine pairings

Valet parking available.