90770 Tue Sep 02 11:59:05 -0700 2003 15 5 Texas 0 498858 We are looking for a casual dinner spot with food distinct to Austin or Texas. The requirements: 1) We will have a 1 year old baby with us, so the atmosphere must be amenable to that. 2) TEXAS! TEXAS! TEXAS! When visiting a different part of the country, we like to try food that is difficult to find outside that area. We are northerners. We DON'T need Thai, Vietnamese, Italian etc. We want food native to the area. So far, based on my research, we are consdering: Hoover's Maudy's Polvo's Granite Cafe Any thoughts on these or any other suggestions? thanks! Tue Sep 02 11:59:05 -0700 2003 0 C. Simon 1 498869 Hoovers - Great choice for chicken fried chicken and the sides. Absolutely fine for a one year old. It's casual. Wait can be horrible, though. Take that into consideration Maudie's - well, the ONLY Maudies I like is the new one way down south (and the only one I'll recommend). Good for kids and has a nice western atmosphere. some of the food can be a bit "generica" though. Polvo's - I love Polvo's (if you've been reading this board, you probably already know that). They certainly have had many children there and are okay with them. Place is well suited for large parties. Very loud most of the time, unless you manage to snag a patio table. Granite Cafe is the only one I'm gonna call "no children" on. I'm sure G.C. doesn't frown on children, but I suspect some of the other patrons may. Unless your child is very well behaved, I wouldn't go there. Tue Sep 02 15:27:57 -0700 2003 498858 0 amysuehere 1 498878 Magnolia Cafe near downtown Elsi's on Burnet Rd. in Central area Enchiladas Y Mas on Anderson Wed Sep 03 04:23:26 -0700 2003 498858 0 donice 2 498890 I went to Elsi's on the advice of a friend of mine. After my meal there, I will never trust another recommendation of his. It was downright bad. The food was bland and did not taste fresh. The place is filthy, too. Unless it's totally changed in the last 8 months--I would choose something else. Wed Sep 03 14:49:20 -0700 2003 498878 0 Bob 3 498892 Thanks for the warning. What would you choose, given the criteria? Thanks. Wed Sep 03 15:19:53 -0700 2003 498890 0 C. Simon 4 498905 I would choose one of the following for a kid friendly Texas kinda joint-- for down home style food: Hoover's, or Hill's they're both great for kids and have good food. for Mexican: Maudie's (the one on Lake Austin Blvd.) Curra's (either location) Guero's for a first-timer w/ kids I'd go w/ one of these...probably Guero's. I'd probably scratch off Granite Cafe. A little too fru-fru and not too typical of Texas. Just ok for kids. You may also consider going to Central Market's reataurant. Big pond nearby...you can sit outside...lotsa kid-oriented stuff there, and the food's pretty good, too. Thu Sep 04 09:58:32 -0700 2003 498892 0 Bob 1 498904 Hoover's is indeed a kid-friendly good bet. The Curra's (interior Mexican) on Oltorf is another one, but the Curra's on Burnet is for some reason nowhere near as good. Thu Sep 04 09:31:23 -0700 2003 498858 0 John Morthland 1 498911 You should be thankful that it's only one casual dinner. There are people that actually live there! BTW, I would avoid the cafe at Central Market -- truly horrid food -- and Maudie's is for those who value bland, uninteresting food -- no fat = no taste. Thu Sep 04 12:11:46 -0700 2003 498858 0 Aggie Bob in College Station 2 498913 oh, yeah. college station's a MECCA for outstanding food... Thu Sep 04 13:53:08 -0700 2003 498911 0 amysuehere 3 498914 Lighten up, Amy -- that was a joke (not the part about Central Market's cafe or Maudie's, however). See "Bob's" response to "One Night in College Station" above. However, if the truth be told, Austin is far from a mecca for outstanding food. Thu Sep 04 14:00:00 -0700 2003 498913 0 Aggie Bob 4 498938 I agree...Austin is far from a mecca for outstanding food. But, compared to College Station, well.....it is! Central Market's not fine cuisine...it's a square meal with good stuff for kids and adults alike. Maudie's is also a classic Austin family restaurant. Try the Hernandez enchiladas. And if you actually live in Colleges Station, I understand your bitterness. But, this is a free country. You can only blame yourself. Sat Sep 06 01:39:10 -0700 2003 498914 0 Bob 1 498921 Good suggestions. I notice lots of recommendations for Hoover's. But there's a relatively new restaurant that I and my friends think is considerably better. Same sort of "down home" cooking; same kid-friendly atmosphere. But in my mind, the food is much more delicious. And that's at Tony's Southern Comfort Restaurant. Link: http://www.statesman.com/dining/content/dining/reviews01/tonys.html;COXnetJSessionID=1Xfftq0Ab2pG4rdLh5accgoLGcmK26tLJoFgdbQECLvPOqq1gKld!-277635621?urac=n&urvf=10627070398480.15593992991926664 Thu Sep 04 16:27:19 -0700 2003 498858 0 ChrissieH 1 498954 do you only have one night? I'll prob get lambasted for this, but i think that you should go to Threadgills downtown, have a CFS, then walk over the Congress Bridge and see the bats. After dark, walk over to the pedestrian bridge over Town Lake, sit for a while, and enjoy the night. For BBQ, go down S Lamar and try baby back ribs at Artz Rib house, esp on Bluegrass night. Mon Sep 08 02:42:21 -0700 2003 498858 0 rudeboy 2 498957 You won't "get lambasted" from me. For myself (and I realize not everyone shares this opinion) there is more to restaurant selection than simply the food. Of course that's important, but there are other factors that weigh into my choices. Huge, to me, is the history, the ambience, the atmosphere of the place. There are those that say that Threadgill's food has gone downhill. So okay. So maybe it's no longer my number one "Texas comfort food" stop. That spot has been taken over by Tony's on 6th. But when I have out of town guests, I take them to Threadgill's. I talk about how in the late 30's it was a service station "way outside" of town on the Dallas Highway where my dad would fill up the car with Good Gulf Gasoline on his way north to court my mother. And how Kenneth Threadgill stood in line all night long to get the first liquor license in Travis Country after prohibition was repealed, and how you can still see it nailed to the wall "Liquor License #1." And how my husband who went to UT in the late 50's would go there with his buddies and listen to Threadgill warble his country tunes. And how Janis Joplin set the place afire on Wednesday "Open Mike" nights. Yessiree bob. There's more to going to a restaurant than just stuffing the food into your face. That's what I'd do, too. Go to Threadgill's (the original one on Lamar, of course), and read about the history, and imagine a young man of 19 stopping to get gasoline on his way north to visit the pretty little gal he'd eventually marry. And remain married to for some 63 years. Mon Sep 08 14:02:05 -0700 2003 498954 0 ChrissieH 3 498965 Chrissie, I got all misty when I read that. *sniff* Mon Sep 08 18:05:31 -0700 2003 498957 0 Val G 4 498972 Thanks for saying that. I don't know how much longer I'll have them around, and everytime I go to Threadgill's, I get a little misty, too. Mon Sep 08 19:17:27 -0700 2003 498965 0 ChrissieH