The Short List

This is the AustinFoodReview.com short list.

No restaurant mentioned here has offered or paid me in any way (either in way of free food, discounts, or cash. I have no relationship with any entity listed here, other than I like their food.  Of the list below, there may or may not be a review listed.  I’ll mention if they are standouts in being Mommy or Mommy-To-Be Friendly (or unfriendly) or Kid-Friendly (or unfriendly).

My opinions on what should be on your short list is below…

Upscale

Shoreline Grill – Downtown Austin just off 1st Street / Cesar Chavez.  Wonderful & original gastronomic creations.  Too many to mention.  GREAT view of Lake Austin/Lady Bird Lake (it’s right on the lake).  This is where I took my wife the night I asked her to marry me.
Eddie V’s – Very nice.  I like the one at the Arboretum– great view and nice place to walk around after you’re done.  White table cloth, wonderful wait-staff, and fantastic menu selection (one of the few places that I found that offers Bannana’s Foster).
Z-Tejas Southwestern Grill - Austin original.  This is a yuppie must.  Very original food.  Not truly upscale, but it is on the upside of the Yuppie joints.

BBQ

Pok-e-Jo’s – I like their sausage. They used to have Kid’s eat free, but now it’s $1 for your kid. Sometimes the policies are a bit flakey, but best bang for the buck, and the best sausage (beats Rudy’s hands down). Two BBQ sauces. Regular & Spicy. Great condiment bar (pickles, spicy butter pickles, dill pickle spears, pico-de-gallo, etc.)
Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ – I like their pork ribs. San Antonio and Austin-area favorite due to their friendly atmosphere. Plan on eating on butcher paper. Good BBQ sauce (spicy). Limited condiment bar (pickles & onions, and that’s it– you pay for everything else). Can be pricey.

Catfish & Chicken Fried Steak

Springhill Restaurant - I like the chicken fried steak and catfish. Good lunch buffet ($10 w/tea).
Texas Roadhouse – Very corporate, I know, but descent CFC and descent catfish. Rowdy, and peanuts are on the floor. Good food, okay chili. They have kids eat free days (at the time I went).  My son’s favorite.  Nothing special, but they do know how to make Chicken Fried Steak, and their catfish is outstanding.

Hamburgers & Chicken Fried Steak

Fran’s (no website) – Fantastic burgers and CFC. Cheap. Off Cameron at US-290. Great lunch joint. Reminds me of the defunct 2J’s.  If you want to visit a hole in the wall that’s a great place to eat where all the locals go, this is it!

Mexican / Tex-Mex

Pappasito’s – Corporate. Mildly to moderately expensive. Excellent fajitas and tortillas. Go in with two to four people and get the Toro (fajitas, brochette shrimp, baby-back ribs). Don’t miss the Cajeta for your desert. Otherwise, get the Del Mar (fajitas and brochette). Don’t hesitate to ask them to cook the meat your way– they aim to please. Good iced tea too.
Rio Grande’s - Local outfit I believe with descent Tex-Mex. I go to the Hutto location– kinda small, nice patio, okay with kids. Relatively inexpensive.
Chuy’s - Self-proclaimed Austin Weird. Not so much so, IMO. Seems to be always packed at lunch, and usually a wait. Pretty much all their food is good. You’ll love the Elvis booth or room, depending on which location. Get the Elvis Chicken– potato chip encrusted and fried chicken breast– with boom-boom sauce. Chuychunga is a good choice too. Most everything is fried, but the Tortilla Soup is not, and is very good. Get the spice ranch dip for your tortilla chips. Also, can be rowdy– usually kid friendly, but service can be erratic. Mildly moderate prices (~$8 for many things, though ~$6/7 is avail).  Note– this place made the news when one of President G. W. Bush’s daughter’s tried to use a fake ID to order alcohol while underage.

Chinese

P.F. Chang’s – Very corporate. Mildly to moderately expensive. I love the Wok Seared Lamb and Wok Charred Beef. They take call-aheads/reservations of sorts.
T&S Seafood (off North Lamar)- Average cost. Great dim-sum on weekends; excellent variety. This is not Tian Hong, but is a local Chinese food restaurant with authentic cuisine. If you see the chicken-leg dish, it’s for the bone marrow, not the meat.

Chicken Wings (a.k.a., Buffalo Wings)

I can’t find a local outfit, so below are the one’s I’ve tried.
Wing Stop – Corporate. That’s the only thing they do– wings and strips. Best flavors, in my opinion, are the Cajun (I like it hot) and Lemmon Pepper. Cheaper than other wing places, but I think this may be due to the fact that their chicken wing pieces seem to be smaller than the competition.
Wing ‘n More – small franchise/small corporate.  Close second to Plucker’s Wing Bar.  Fried Mushrooms are outstanding, and this is one of the few places that you can get fried green tomatoes (besides Springhill Restaurant).  Wings are good sized (comparable to pluckers).  I’ve not tried all their flavors, but they have heat.  If you like Lemon Pepper, stick with Wing Stop.
Plucker’s Wing Bar – Corporate. Not especially family friendly (this is equally a sports bar). Especially family unfriendly are the not-so-veiled catch phrases that the younger crowd probably thinks are witty; I’d call them border-line vulgar. I’m won’t take my son there due to this (you don’t want your kid asking “What does ‘giving the bird’ me, daddy?”, or “What’s a mother plucker, daddy?”). Recommendation to Plucker’s corporate? Get rid of the border-line ‘humor’. ANYWAY– although I greatly disagree with the culture, I do have a Plucker’s card because the wings absolutely ROCK. Each wing is 50% to 100% larger than Wing Stop, and they have excellent choice of flavors. I’d recommend the Buffalo Hot (closest to Wing Stop’s cajun on the scoville scale), the Spice Ranch for mildly spicy, and Ranch for a mild flavor. Stay away from the lemon-pepper if you like Wing Stop’s lemmon pepper. No comparison. I also love the Buffalo Wing Salad– great lunch option. They do To Go well– and they have Fried Pickle Spears and Fried Mushrooms. IMO, best overall wing place in town. One more the– the absolute best blue cheese in town!! Get the homemade chips, with blue cheese– nothing better!
Buffalo Wild Wings – Good wings, good choices.  Most corporate franchise like than the rest mentioned here.   Their potato chips are okay– not too crispy.  Unless you really like strong garlic flavor and a lot of breading, stay away from the fried mushrooms.  Wings are good.  You can find them in North Austin at Parmer and IH-35.
Buffalo Wings & Rings – Excellent chicken tenders, and excellent wings.  Onion rings are very good if you prefer the heavier battered type.  Stay away from the mushrooms unless you like a lot of batter of the same heavy type.  GYROS!  They have GYROS!  They are just as good as the gyros you can get at Tino’s Greek Cafe off Braker and MoPac, in my opinion.  Wings are excellent, and I love the way you get to order your flavors.  It’s a two step process once you know your meat– choose the flavor (e.g., Cajun, Garlic Parmesan, etc.) and then choose the heat (e.g., Mild, through Atomic).  IMO, this is the most economical of the wing choices listed.  As of September 2010, you can get a lunch that includes wings, tenders, or a gyro, with a side (o-rings, or sarasota chips or other) and you get a drink.  All for $6.99USD.  Compared to Plucker’s ($7.49+$1.89), this is a wonderful deal, and the quality is just as good!  If you like Plucker’s, you’ll like Buffalo Wings & Rings (unless you die for fried twinkies, or like the magic mushrooms) and you’ll love the price.  The one I visit is off Andy Grimes Rd. in Round Rock between Gattis School Road and Beltway 45.

Austin Weird

If you’ve seen the shirts, think eclectic. These are the places that tell me Austin Weird.
Kerby Lane Cafe – This has decent food and is definitely Austin Weird. Food is good, and they have some signature plates. Tatoos galore, along with alternate hair-styles. Vegetarians and Vegans welcome.
Hyde Park Grill and Bar – The only one I’ve been to so far is the one off Duval in the Hyde Park area (just North of the University). Fantastic ‘Hyde Park Fries and dipping sauce’. I also like the Fried Egg Sandwich. Check them out. Vegetarians and Vegans welcome. Mommy and Kid Friendly (we went there quite often when my wife was still nursing our son).