90816 Thu Sep 18 18:00:16 -0700 2003 16 5 Texas 0 499205 I'm looking for some good spots to eat at during the prime time dinner hour on Fri/Sat. night that ARE NOT very crowded, but are tasty. I've encountered 1 hour + waits at Vespaio, Lambert's, Guero's, Curra's, Maudie's, Trudy's, Chuy's, Hoover's, East Side...the list goes on and on... Thanks for your help! Thu Sep 18 18:00:16 -0700 2003 0 Bob 1 499206 If you're talking specifically about THIS "Friday and Saturday night in Austin," good luck. First of all, I guess I'd say that if you can find a restaurant that's not crowded on those popular nights, there's probably a reason. But specifically this Friday and Saturday, doubt you'll be able to manage it. You do recall that the ACL music festival is in town, right? That said, there is a small, family-run, little-known restaurant up in Cedar Park that is very, very good. And since nobody knows about it -- yet -- it's still uncrowded. It's La Cocina Michoacana on North 183. Thu Sep 18 19:57:30 -0700 2003 499205 0 ChrissieH 2 499207 I just got a reservation at Eddie v's downtown for tomorrow, no sweat. My suspicion is that a lot of out of towners won't make reservations ahead of time. Work that phone! Thu Sep 18 20:12:28 -0700 2003 499206 0 Greg Spence 3 499208 Eastside takes reservations, but you need to call early in the week. 1600 South Congress, a hot new place named for its address, accepts "call ahead" which means you can call and get your name on the list and ask how long it will be. A wonderful Vietnamese place, the Sunflower, on Research next to Target, has never had a line. Enjoy your weekend! Thu Sep 18 23:30:33 -0700 2003 499207 0 TravisL 4 499210 1600 South Congress, aka South Congress Cafe was listed in directory assistance as Trudy's on South Congress. I second Travis' recommendation; I've been eating there about once a week. Fri Sep 19 08:36:30 -0700 2003 499208 0 Greg Spence 4 499211 Actually, I waited in a line at Sunflower 2 weeks ago (Saturday)...it was worth it though. Fri Sep 19 09:46:24 -0700 2003 499208 0 Bob 2 499213 Thanks for the tip! I'm actually talking generally about Fri/Sat nights--not this one... But, I've got friends coming in from out of town for the ACL Festival, too... and they like to eat...maybe I'll pick up a bunch of 'cue from John Mueller's to put in the fridge...any other ideas? Fri Sep 19 09:49:29 -0700 2003 499206 0 Bob 3 499217 ~~ "Thanks for the tip! I'm actually talking generally about Fri/Sat nights--not this one." ~~ Well then, let me go into a little more detail regarding La Cocina Michoacana - 331-9067. It is a bit of a drive north, true, but it's worth it if you like authentic interior Mexican food. The place is completely family owned and operated. Mama speaks very little English and Granddad (her father) speaks none. The kids and cousins and other relatives wait on the tables. Everyone really is from Michoacan. The prices are excellent, and the menu offers some very exciting and difficult to find dishes. Some that I've had are Cuitlacoche Chicken - tender chicken breast stuffed with cuitlacoche. Pollo en Salsa Achiote - chicken chunks cooked with purple onions and achiote salsa Chicken Mole - authentic mole - served Mexican-style, which means a large piece of chicken, most typically a breast, with the mole sauce poured over it. (However, I should add that I had to ask for it that way, because, I was told, "although that's how the Mexicans usually order it, the white people seem to want it all chopped up in the sauce.") Camarones Alaparilla - perfectly-flavored grilled shrimp served with chipotle sauce for dipping, and a side of the best Mexican rice I've had in Austin, bar none. Carne Guisada - just as good as you hope it will be The Enchiladas Verde are also delicious. And for desert, they not only have their own home-made flan, but also the crepes in a caramel sauce made with cajeta that are so popular in Mexico. Absolutely everything is made in their kitchen, including the tortillas and the flan (which most Austin restaurants get from one of two "flan ladies," so it all tastes alike). These people don't know a blessed thing about marketing, and so the word has definitely not gotten out. There's never a line. The service is excellent - the food wonderful. They deserve all the business they can get. Fri Sep 19 12:20:45 -0700 2003 499213 0 ChrissieH 4 499222 Chrissie, what's the exact address? I'll be up in that neck of the woods in a few weeks, but am not really familiar with the area. Thanks-- Fri Sep 19 14:03:55 -0700 2003 499217 0 Zorra 5 499226 Restaurant: La Cocina Michoacana 251 North Bell Blvd Cedar Park 331-9067 Bell Boulevard is what they call HWY 183 when it goes through Cedar Park. So just get on 183 and go north a loooooong way, until you get to Cedar Park. Other options are to take Parmer to 1431, and then turn left; or I35 to 1431 and turn left, so that you are heading west on 1431. Then, when you reach 183 at Cedar Park, you will be about a mile north of the restaurant. If you choose the 183 option: head north until you reach Cedar Park. Landmarks to watch for include Hilltop Baptist Church on the right. Keep going. You've still got a couple of miles. On your left-hand side as you are heading north, you will eventually see a Popeye's Chicken. It is in an L-shaped shopping center, with the short part of the L pointing to the street. Cocina Michoacana is in that shopping center, right back in the corner. Obviously, if you have chosen to take either I35 or Parmer to 1431 and head west, when you reach 183, you will turn left, (or south), and you will be watching for the Popeye's on your right-hand side as you drive south. Fri Sep 19 16:22:49 -0700 2003 499222 0 ChrissieH 4 499263 They have the crepes in a cajetan caramel? omg!!!! I am SO THERE. Could you tell me how to get there from Loop 360 and 2222? Mon Sep 22 17:19:07 -0700 2003 499217 0 amysuehere 5 499264 nevermind...just read on. oops. Mon Sep 22 17:20:16 -0700 2003 499263 0 amysuehere 2 499219 wow that sounds awesome and I love authentic interior Mexican cuisine...you're not a shill or anything are you? i don't wanna take a long drive with 2 kids and be disappointed Fri Sep 19 13:29:58 -0700 2003 499206 0 Lou 3 499231 A shill? That's really pretty funny. As I said, these people are fairly recent immigrants. Would be nice if they were sophisticated enough to hire a shill. I'd have better confidence in their longterm survival. They are just a family from Michoacan struggling to make it in a less than favorable location, with no advertising or publicity whatsoever that I have been able to discern. I just happened upon them because I live in the area and am always searching out Mexican restaurants. I think the food is absolutely wonderful. But I've traveled extensively throughout Mexico, so know what to expect. If you really like TexMex, you might be disappointed. But if you're up for "the real thing," then bite the bullet and drive up there and see for yourself. PS - I've been posting on CH for about a year now, so don't think that the shill thing is too likely. But funny. Fri Sep 19 19:32:07 -0700 2003 499219 0 ChrissieH 4 499256 ChrissieH knows what she is talking about, especially when it comes to mexican. Tell us a little more about the michoacan food. Mon Sep 22 10:08:14 -0700 2003 499231 0 John Scar 4 499262 be still my beating heart! Chrissy - chile rellenos? (please say yes...) Mon Sep 22 17:15:52 -0700 2003 499231 0 amysuehere 5 499267 Ah, Miss Amy - that's where we came in - remember? Yes, they have chiles rellenos. Yes, I like them. But are they the ones of your dreams? Can't say. I think they're very, very good, though. Although as we both recall, one person's "heaven on a plate" is someone else's "not THIS again - that's what I'm trying to AVOID." Mon Sep 22 19:17:38 -0700 2003 499262 0 ChrissieH