Best of Austin 2008Readers PollFood & DrinkBest 24-Hour/Late: TIE: Magnolia Cafe, Kerbey Lane Cafe It should come as no surprise that these two tied – asking a group what it deems the best late-night dining joint is bound to start a shouting match split between Kerbeyians and Magnolians. And rightfully so: Both offer tasty food at all hours of the night, which is a blessing when you're jonesin' for a cheeseburger and a short stack of blueberry pancakes at 4am. Magnolia Cafe, 1920 S. Congress, 445-0000; 2304 Lake Austin Blvd., 478-8645; Kerbey Lane Cafe, 3704 Kerbey, 451-1436; 13435 Hwy. 183 N. #415, 258-7757; 2700 S. Lamar, 445-4451; 2606 Guadalupe, 477-5717 www.cafemagnolia.com; www.kerbeylanecafe.com Best Bar Ambience: The Belmont The Belmont continues to hold sway over the sophisticated set, despite a rash of more-recent club openings that haven't fared as well. Matt Luckie and Daryl Kunik are the guys who can turn straw into gold and have their fingers on the pulse of Austin's nightlife like no other bar owners in town. Among their many successes, the Belmont is poised to lead the pack for a very long time. 305 W. Sixth, 457-0300 www.thebelmontaustin.com Best Bar Staff: Molotov Lounge
Maybe it's just the Cold War talking, but you'd think a Russian-inspired bar would be stiff, strict, banal, formal, even mean. Rocky IV bias? Perhaps. But the fact that all the bartenders at Molotov seem to be genuinely nice, warm, efficient, and the type to make conversations unforced, easy, like two friends catching up, well, it makes the happy hours even happier. Don't forget to tip. 719 W. Sixth, 499-0600 www.molotovlounge.com Best Beer on Tap: The Ginger Man The outdoor patio! The comfy couches! The darts! Oh, oh, ohhh, and all that beer! So, so much great beer. So much on draft to choose from, so many countries represented. USA, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Beerzistan. It breaks our heart that the Ginger Man will soon be moving to make way for more condos, but there's no doubt that the new location – opening at 301 Lavaca, possibly by the end of the year – will be a whole new level of beertastic. 304 W. Fourth, 473-8801 www.gingermanpub.com Best Beer Selection: The Ginger Man The outdoor patio! The comfy couches! The darts! Oh, oh, ohhh, and all that beer! So, so much great beer. So much on draft to choose from, so many countries represented. USA, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Beerzistan. It breaks our heart that the Ginger Man will soon be moving to make way for more condos, but there's no doubt that the new location — opening at 301 Lavaca, possibly by the end of the year — will be a whole new level of beertastic. 304 W. Fourth, 473-8801 www.gingermanpub.com Best Beer/Wine Prices: Spec's It's not enough to have a literal warehouse stocked with every imaginable spirit from the ends of the world. It's not enough to offer an amazing deli for gorgeous nibbles and an international selection of treats. It's not enough to have a staff superknowledgeable about the liquidities encased on the shelves. No, they have to be unbelievably economically priced as well. Discounts for cash purchases, weekly specials, and a frequent shopper program, to boot. 5775 Airport, 366-8300; 4960 Hwy. 290 W., 366-8260; 10515 MoPac N., 342-6893 www.specsonline.com Best Business Dining: TIE: Eddie V's, Roaring Fork Inviting atmosphere, sophistication, not too formal or stiff: These establishments have just the right ambience for the Austin business crowd. And they’re both centrally located. So the only real question is whether you and your associates prefer the savory flavors of seafood or wood-fired American classics. Eddie V's Prime Seafood, 301 E. Fifth, 472-1860; 9400-B Arboretum Blvd., 342-2642; Roaring Fork, 701 Congress, 583-0000 www.eddiev.com; www.roaringfork.com Best Cheap Date: TIE: Home Slice Pizza, Alamo Drafthouse
Only in Austin can two of the hippest homegrown places to grab a beer and a slice of pie or canoodle during a flick also be the most economical date places. Home Slice, with its delectable pies by the slice and cold brews by the pitcher, holds the title for when you want to see and be seen. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is perfect for when the lights are low and being seen isn't as important as what you're seeing. The potential "cheap date" label incited by such economical lifesavers as beers by the bucket and big bowls of popcorn (to accidentally brush hands in) is lost among the immeasurable coolness factor. Home Slice Pizza, 1415 S. Congress, 444-PIES (7437); Alamo Drafthouse, 2700 W. Anderson, 459-7090; 1120 S. Lamar, 707-8262; 320 E. Sixth, 476-1320 www.homeslicepizza.com; www.originalalamo.com Best Cocktails/Cocktail Menu: TIE: 219 West, Brown Bar From the Brown Bar's jaw-slacking list of specialty martinis to 219 West's mouthwatering Southern cocktails, both watering holes have enjoyed our readers' attention in the "Best of Austin" but never before in a tie. Both offer scrumptious appetizers (and then some), but each has its own take on hospitality served alongside the colorful, exotic cocktails. 219 West, 219 W. Fourth, 474-2194; The Brown Bar, 201 W. Eighth, 480-8330 www.219west.com; www.thebrownbar.com Best Drive-Through: P. Terry's The real reason for that traffic jam at Lamar and Barton Springs Road. Patrick and Kathy Terry’s home of hormone-free beef, real potato fries, daily delivery vegetables, freshly baked buns, and that richly marbled double-chocolate shake is a reminder that the drive-through is a Great American Art. 404 S. Lamar, 473-2217; 3303 N. Lamar, 371-9975 www.pterrys.com Best Farmers' Market: Sunset Valley Farmers Market Saturday mornings are the time to begin planning your meals for the week by picking the foods that are in season at the market. We all know that buying fruits and vegetables direct from the farmer is the best way to ensure quality and freshness, but the Sunset Valley Farmers Market is so much more. Local vendors provide a wide variety of other goods from breads to candles, massage, and live music. It’s a weekly fair for foodies, and we all like to eat. Toney Burger Activity Center, 3200 Jones Rd., 443-0143, 280-1976 www.sunsetvalleyfarmersmarket.org Best Food Event: 'Austin Chronicle' Hot Sauce Festival Yeah, yeah, keep Austin weird, we know. Well how 'bout an annual festival in the middle of the sweltering Texas summer centered around hot sauce? That's just plain crazy and, for the past 18 years (way before weird), tremendously popular. The array of colors, textures, and variations in spicy ingredients dares attendants to be their own critics as they battle the many incoming heats with water and beer. And chips. Lots of tortilla chips. The lines are packed but move quickly through the different areas: green salsas, red salsas, weird salsas. 4000 N. I-35, 454-5766 austinchronicle.com Best Intimate Dining: Wink
A proud practitioner of the international Slow Food movement – which does not mean that your food will crawl out of the kitchen, but rather that your meal will be derived from as many local sources as possible – Wink wholeheartedly embodies this theory of cooking in its chicly intimate dining and wine bar settings. The ever-evolving daily menus are unique and sentimental, but be careful not to eavesdrop; it's easy to do in this li'l goldmine of a bistro. 1014 N. Lamar Ste. E, 482-8868 www.winkrestaurant.com Best Local Food Company: Greenling The Interweb was supposed to bring us closer, but let's face it: It killed snail mail and any remaining excuse to interact face to face. On a bright note, it did give us Greenling. Place your order online, and look forward to a nice delivery person coming to your door laden with locally grown organic produce, meats, and other essentials. And – voilà! – you have a basket full of goodies, more time to Facebook, and a reason to scratch "groceries" off your to-do list. 3913 Todd Ln. #618, 888/789-2352, 440-8449 www.greenling.com Best Lunch Delivery: Jimmy John's There are fast sandwiches that are just okay, the kind you eat when you're hungry and in a rush. And then there are those sandwiches that are so packed with yum that you wait with bated breath, counting the seconds until they arrive. Luckily, this speedy shop has as much of a handle on efficiency as it does on flavor. And its lightning-fast delivery is pedal-powered, leaving so much less of a carbon aftertaste. 601 W. MLK, 478-3111; 3203 Red River, 499-0100; 515 Congress, 457-4900; 6317 Bee Caves Rd., 327-6500; 2937 W. Anderson, 465-9700; 10900 Research, 340-0050 www.jimmyjohns.com Best Neighborhood Grocery: Wheatsville Food Co-op What's not to love about our friendly neighborhood co-op? Knowledgeable and enthusiastic employees, tasty treats for full-on vegans and meat-and-dairy lovers alike, an excellent deli for hungry lunchers, a wide variety of organic and natural foods, and more locally produced food products than you can shake a stick at. 3101 Guadalupe, 478-2667 www.wheatsville.com Best Neighborhood/Dive Bar: Nomad
Tucked away in a strip center in the Windsor Park neighborhood, this new kid on the block is the coolest new hangout in the area. Nomad specializes in cocktails, beers, and wines from around the world, as well as coffee. The service is friendly and fast, and it's never too crowded to find a table. The patio sports as many tables as inside. And even on the hottest of summer days, this dog-friendly bar keeps the patio cool with misters and plenty of shade. Stop by on Sunday for all-day happy hour – Bloody Marys to die for and $3 mimosas. Get there early at 11am for all-you-can-eat brunch. 1213 Corona, 628-4288 www.myspace.com/nomadbar Best Outdoor Dining: Shady Grove When the Texas weather turns mild for a few months in the spring and fall, nothing feels more like Austin than dining alfresco under the pecan trees along the Barton Springs Road strip. Shady Grove’s combination of good Texas roadhouse food, cold beer, and people-watching makes everybody feel like somebody. 1624 Barton Springs Rd., 474-9991 www.theshadygrove.com Best Place to Take a First Date: Romeo's Grapevines hanging from the roof and a thousand cupids peeking out of corners beckoning in love, sweet love, make this Italian dining place a perfect first-date location. Gorgeous varieties of wine, music tinkling from the piano keys, lovely pastas, and lighting just dim enough to see the twinkle in your sweetie's eyes. Add to that the option of alfresco patio dining and a nonintrusive waitstaff, and you know why Romeo's is synonymous with romance. 1500 Barton Springs Rd., 476-1090 www.austinromeos.com Best Restaurant When Someone Else Is Paying: Uchi Uchi's well-earned reputation precedes it, and its menu is so tempting that somewhere between the mesmerizing Uchi Shot (quail egg yolk and sea urchin) and the Tako Pops (octopus on a stick), your date will finally come out of the cuisine-induced haze to realize that the evening will cost more than a car payment. After savoring all that seafood flown in that day from Tokyo's Tsukiji Market, you, however, will be so warmly sated and still be able to make rent. 801 S. Lamar, 916-4808 www.uchiaustin.com Best Sweets/Goodies: Tiff's Treats
Hot, fresh-baked cookies and brownies made to order and delivered all across town. What an ingenious idea! Add-ons like miniature milks (chocolate and regular) and birthday balloons are the special touches that make this Austin favorite a gorgeous, chocolaty mainstay. Tiff's superfriendly staff (now, at two locations!) is standing by the phone and Internet ready to serve up sweet sugar to make your tummy smile. 1806 Nueces, 473-2600; 11011 Research, 349-2200 www.cookiedelivery.com Best Tea Room: The Steeping Room
With more than a hundred varieties of superior loose-leaf tea, carefully selected from producers throughout the Orient, the Steeping Room is an exceptional tea shop, as well as Austin's finest tearoom. Here you will find stellar quality baked goods, innovative salads and sandwiches, and superb teas (both hot and iced) served in just about the most civilized atmosphere imaginable. 11410 Century Oaks Terrace #112, the Domain, 977-8337 www.thesteepingroom.com Best Tea Selection: Tea Embassy A British accent might find its way past your lips after you step into this beautiful store dedicated to the art of teatime. A formidable array of tea sets greets you at the door, along with goodies like stone-ground, South American Taza chocolate (an amazing organic cocoa creation only found here in Austin). Bulk teas are where it's at, and the staff is eager to turn customers on to brews never before imagined. 900 Rio Grande, 330-9991 www.teaembassy.com Best Wine Selection: Vino Vino As the condos rise, so must our cultural cachet. Pinkies up darlings, your palate is thirsting for a well-guided tour of the world's grapes. The oenophiles at Hyde Park's Vino Vino are ready to share the nuances of their passion, offering hundreds of wines by the bottle. Chances are if you can't pronounce it, it's pretty good, and most of the wines on their extensive list are a challenge to say. 4119 Guadalupe, 465-9282 www.vinovinotx.com Best Best-Kept Secret: Fricano's Deli
What made our readers reveal their best-kept secret? Is it the handcrafted sandwiches or homemade cupcakes and cookies? No, it’s that place where they say your name to say hi and shake your hand goodbye. That’s why this tiny eatery with the big heart has enchanted Hyde Park and the North Campus area: It’s just how mama used to make it – with love. 104-C E. 31st, 482-9980 www.fricanosdeli.com |
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