Max’s Wine Dive: Eclectic Flavors

May 14, 2013 by greystar

‘Fried chicken and Champagne? Why not?!’

That’s nearly the slogan at Max’s Wine Dive, which lets you know it’s not just another snooty wine bar. Gourmet comfort food, an eclectic selection of wine from around the world and a funky, relaxed setting with a jukebox is what’s earned them a host of fans. Stop by for lunch to chow down on a Puttanesca Caesar Salad, Shrimp & Grits or Max’s Signature Burger. The dinner menu features many of the same dishes as the lunch menu, including Max’s Famous Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes & greens, the Fried Egg Sandwich with applewood smoked bacon & gruyere, and the Texas Haute Dog with onion rings & French fries. Stop by for happy hour for nice food and drink specials. Open every day.

Max’s Wine Dive
207 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, TX 78701
Neighborhood: Downtown
(512) 904-0111
http://www.yelp.com/biz/maxs-wine-dive-austin

Wine, Wine Bottles

Filed Under: Dining Tagged With: Austin Dining, Max's Wine Dive, Restaurants, Wine Bars

Second Bar + Kitchen: The Wow Factor

April 22, 2013 by greystar

Second Bar + Kitchen is a trendy little hotspot that will wow you. Order something from their hefty selection of beer, wine and artisan cocktails paired with an appetizer like Smoked Salmon Fritters, Black Truffle Pommes Frites or Green Garlic Gnocchi. Lunchtime offerings include a Congress Burger, a Fried Egg & Avocado Sandwich and Short Rib Sliders. Dinner rolls out some delectable artisan pizzas, plus entrées like Roasted Rainbow Trout with black radish salad, Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop with green chile hominy or Braised Beef Short Ribs with black truffle grits. Brunch offerings include Steak & Eggs, Brioche French Toast, Corned Beef Hash and Texas Eggs Benedict. Open every day.

Second Bar + Kitchen
200 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 827-2750
http://www.yelp.com/biz/second-bar-kitchen-austin

Filed Under: Dining Tagged With: Austin Dining, Austin Restaurants, Restaurants, Second Bar + Kitchen

Frank: Frankly Good Hot Dogs

April 15, 2013 by greystar

Frank's artisan hot dogs are are paired with an amazing array of fresh ingredients. The Jackalope is made with antelope, rabbit, & pork, Notorious P.I.G. features pork, bacon, jalapeno & sage, and the Texalina is beef & pork. They come served on a bun and dressed up with a variety of toppings including barbeque sauce, spicy mustard, sauerkraut, curry sauce, cheddar cheese and mac & cheese. Not a meat eater? Get yours veggie or vegan-style. Add on some sides like cheese waffle fries, chili cheese fries, baked beans, ranch style beans, mac & cheese, coleslaw, and loaded baked potato salad. Coffee, beer, well drinks and cocktails are on the menu, too. Open for lunch and dinner.

Frank
407 Colorado St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 494-6916
http://www.yelp.com/biz/frank-austin

Filed Under: Dining Tagged With: Austin Dining, Austin Restaurants, Frank, Restaurants

219 West: Drink With Style

April 8, 2013 by greystar

219 West is a fave for their extended happy hour, which offers great deals on drinks and food. Also a plus is their expansive selection of libations and their spacious seating, which includes a front patio, an indoor lounge & dining room and rooftop patio with a primo view of Austin. Prepare to blow away the day’s cares with something yummy like a Blackberry Martini or Mojito and a tasty tapa like Beef Carpaccio, Shallot French Fries, Tilapia Nachos or Creole Crab Dip. If you want to go the entrée route, they’ve got taste pleasers like Teriyaki Ribeye with wasabi mashed potatoes, Chicken Fried Ahi Tuna with sugar snap peas and Lump Crab Stuffed Mushroom with grilled asparagus. Open every day.

219 West
612 W 6th St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 474-2194
http://www.yelp.com/biz/219-west-austin

Filed Under: Dining Tagged With: 219 West, Austin Dining, Bars, Restaurants

Easy Tiger: Take it Easy

March 13, 2013 by greystar

‘Slow Down, Stay a While’, is the motto at Easy Tiger, a friendly little bake shop and beer garden where you can settle in with a brew, a baked pretzel and a knockwurst. Order up a Snack Board with freshly baked pretzels, beef jerky, beer cheese, and some house mustard and munch away to your heart’s content. Artisan sandwiches include Smoked Pastrami with kraut & Swiss cheese, Smoked Turkey Breast with avocado & jalapeno aioli, and House Smoked Salmon Spread with cream cheese & cucumber. All are served on their freshly baked bread, which is also sold by the loaf. Order one of their house made sausages on a tasty pretzel bun. Sides include collard greens, grilled broccoli, sauerkraut and potato salad. Coffee drinks, beer, wine and cocktails are also served.

Easy Tiger
709 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 614-4972
http://www.yelp.com/biz/easy-tiger-austin

Filed Under: Dining Tagged With: Austin Dining, Easy Tiger, Restaurants

The Jalopy: Classic Cuisine

March 6, 2013 by greystar

Need a bite to eat? Look for the giant, brightly painted truck and get ready to chow down at The Jalopy. Everything is made in-house in their mobile kitchen, including bread, salsas, pickles, and veggie chips. They also brine their chicken, so it’s super moist and succulent. Chicken sandwiches include the El Campo with chipotle adobo sauce, cabbage & pickled peppers, the Gadd Thai with coconut peanut sauce, sriracha & pickled onions, and the Suite 709 with tomatillo cilantro pesto, fresh herbs & red cabbage. Some creatively inspired veggie sandwiches are also on the menu, like the Butler with double cream brie, apples, almonds & agave nectar and the Jelly Gibson with peanut butter, onion marmalade, almonds & berries. Open Monday through Saturday for breakfast and lunch.

The Jalopy
1502 San Antonio St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 814-8557
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-jalopy-rotisserie-and-press-austin-2

Farm Fresh Chicken sign for an organic food locavore farmers market. By 4 Walls.

Filed Under: Dining Tagged With: Austin Dining, Food Trucks, Restaurants, The Jalopy

III Forks: A Terrific Steakhouse

February 20, 2013 by greystar

III Forks is a fine dining steakhouse offering a sophisticated, upscale setting, including a piano bar/lounge area, an expansive dining room, and patio seating with a primo view across Cesar Chavez Avenue to the river. Sample a varietal from their extensive wine selection stocked with over 4,000 bottles from the world over. The menu is Texas-French, with a sumptuous array of starters like Bacon-Wrapped Scallops, Shrimp Cocktail, Lobster Bisque and Crabcake St. Francis. Entrees include Filet Mignon, Bone-In Ribeye, USDA Prime Porterhouse, Rack of Lamb, Atlantic Salmon and Chilean Seabass. All entrées are served with duchess potatoes, creamed corn and fresh veggies. Other sides include sautéed spinach, fresh asparagus, sautéed mushrooms and sweet potato hash. Open for dinner only every day.

III Forks
111 Lavaca St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 474-1776
http://www.yelp.com/biz/iii-forks-steakhouse-austin

By photo by mase (photo by mase) [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Filed Under: Dining Tagged With: Austin Dining, Austin Restaurants, III Forks, Restaurants

The Backspace: Gastropub Goodness

February 6, 2013 by greystar

The Backspace is a great little gastro-pub is helmed by revered Austin chef Shawn Cirkiel. His small, Italian-themed menu is eclectic, giving diners some yummy options for antipasti, pizzas and desserts to pair with wine, beer and cocktails. Order yourself a fruity chardonnay or rich cabernet sauvignon alongside an antipasti like Lamb & Pork Meatballs with stewed tomatoes, Baked Ricotta with lemon poached tomato, Farm Greens Salad with pecorino romano, or Brussel Sprouts & Fontina. The pizza selection includes the classic Margherita with mozzarella, basil & tomato, the Bianco with arugula, mozzarella & ricotta and the Roasted Mushroom with ricotta, tomato, capers & thyme. Delectable desserts include Hazelnut Chocolate Budino, Salted Caramel Panna Cotta and Ricotta Cheesecake. Open Monday through Sunday from 5p.m until 11p.m.

The Backspace
507 San Jacinto St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 474-9899
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-backspace-austin

By Gonzosft (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.