Rainbow Seafood Restaurant 4544 S. Lamar, Suite 700, 892-2742
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11am-3pm
Dinner: Monday-Frxiday 5-10pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11am-10pm,
Dim Sum 11am-2:30pm by Virginia B. Wood
Early in the summer, Chronicle bookeeper cindy soo piped up in a “Best
of Austin” editorial meeting and told us about her new favorite Chinese place,
Rainbow Seafood Restaurant. It seems the Rainbow was the first place she had
found here that lived up to the restaurants in Houston’s Chinatown neighborhood
where she grew up. soo was pleased to have credible versions of the Cantonese
specialties and Dim Sum favorites so much closer to her South Austin home.
The quality and diversity of ethnic food in any area depends in large part on
the size and complexity of the immigrant population. A large portion of the
19th-century immigrant population in Central Texas was German and the delicious
smoked meats of the area have become their legacy to us. Our large Mexican
population brought with them an abundance of ancient ingredients and regional
dishes. The most recent population in Central Texas is Asian, primarily Korean
and Vietnamese with some Thai and Chinese for good measure. The larger Chinese
population seems to have settled in Houston, a city with its own Chinatown
neighborhood where some street and business signs read in Chinese characters
and the restaurants are legendary. Rainbow Seafood Restaurant is a new member
on the short list of Chinese fine dining restaurants in Austin.
On cindy’s recommendation, I enlisted the company of a Chinese food-loving
friend and went to check out Austin’s newest Chinese eatery for myself. On a
quiet Sunday evening, we were quickly seated in the large pleasant dining room
with a tree-top view of southwest Austin. Tall, straight-backed black lacquer
chairs are one of the only Oriental touches in the dining room, which is
decorated in muted colors and features white tablecloths. It was a calm and
soothing atmosphere in which to converse and enjoy a wonderful meal.
As in many Asian restaurants, the Rainbow menu is voluminous, almost daunting
in that it features 173 choices. We thoroughly enjoyed our soup choice, the
Velvet Corn Soup with Shredded Chicken ($2.95 for two). The silken texture and
subtle flavor made a perfect beginning to our meal. After considering Peking
Duck ($17.95 whole) and Pan-Fried Quail w/Pepper Salt ($7.95 for three), I made
a selection from the Clay Pot section of the menu and had the Oysters with
Roast Pork Pot ($6.50). Plump, juicy oysters and tender chunks of pork roast
are slow-cooked in a mild broth with tofu, celery, snow peas, and carrots to
make a very comforting meal. The stellar choice of the evening, however, was
Saut�ed Lobster with Ginger and Scallions (seasonal price varies). The
lobster had been cut in pieces, unshelled, and saut�ed in a marvelous
brown sauce with ginger and scallions. We joked about the fact that it was not
a meal you’d want to order if you needed to impress someone with your table
manners, but it was absolutely finger-licking good.
Only open since April, Rainbow Seafood has quickly developed a loyal clientele
for the Saturday and Sunday Dim Sum service. The Rainbow owners ensured the
success of this venture by hiring former Tien Hong chef William Wong, and he
brought his Dim Sum magic along with him. The dining room fills up early, with
many Chinese and a few American families seated around the tables, patiently
awaiting the treasure-laden carts as they make continuous circles around the
dining room. The dining room atmosphere during the Dim Sum service is
remarkably different than the quiet dinner hour. Families share the communal
dining ritual of their culture and greet each other from table to table.
Something about the experience was very evocative of Ang Lee’s delightful 1994
film about families, food, and communication, the entertaining Eat, Drink,
Man, Woman. Perhaps it was the carts filled with stacked metal steam
containers like the ones the chef in the film filled with exquisite culinary
creations for his future step-daughter’s school lunches.
I prevailed upon cindy soo to join me at the Rainbow for Dim Sum on
a recent Sunday to find out more about Cantonese cuisine. My previous Dim Sum
experience had been in the excellent 1980s cooking classes of Sara Aleshire and
at Tien Hong. My advice would be to get to the Rainbow early to ensure prompt
seating and the opportunity to sample each new cart of tidbits as it rolls
fresh from the kitchen. We sampled a variety of dumplings, both steamed and
fried. The round Steamed Shrimp and Cilantro Dumplings were delicate little
bundles full of tender shrimp, and the rectangular Chicken Dumplings had a
subtle chicken and scallion interior. The fried dumplings, encased in a thin,
flaky pastry, are excellent, but only when they are fresh and hot from the
kitchen.
I was surprised to find very sweet barbeque pork inside a soft bun that had
been wok-steamed and was especially impressed with steamed stems of thin
Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. The Steamed Spare Ribs with either plum or
black bean sauce needed more meat, less gristle and fat for my taste, and the
flavor of the Rice Soup with 1,000-year-old eggs that was comfort food to cindy
was entirely too bland for me. It was explained to me the Cantonese cuisine is
not known for spicy, strongly flavored food. I learned that the barbeque beef
and pork dishes are likely to be sweeter than dessert offerings like the Golden
Egg Custard, the Sweet Rice Coconut Bun, or the Fried Sesame Seed Puff. The
soft, quivering egg custards encased in flaky pastry appeared to be a favored
specialty. Knowledgeable diners were assertive about getting orders to take
home. The most interesting dessert items we shared were thick slices of yellow
sponge cake, warm and moist, fresh from the steamer. Naturally leavened only
with eggs, the soft cake is plain and genoise-like. As we ate it, cindy
lamented the lack of chocolate sauce in Chinese desserts.
My spirit of adventure failed me in the face of Curried Squid and Steamed
Chicken Feet. The area of my brain that governs cultural curiosity and culinary
anthropology could not convince the part that controls swallowing to relax and
take chances. (I have the same problem with snails and tripe; go figure.) I was
somewhat less embarrassed when my Cantonese companion didn’t eat them either.
No matter, the Chicken Feet are not required eating to partake of the Rainbow’s
extensive menu or immerse yourself in the fascinating cultural event of their
Dim Sum service. I suggest you take your family to Sunday dinner. n
The Family Circle Restaurant
1721 Briarcliff, 927-1906
Monday-Friday, 11am-6pm
During the very same week I was being educated about Dim Sum and Cantonese culture, I discovered a
restaurant that serves definitive renditions of the cuisine of my native
culture, the American South (my ancestors having come to Texas from Ireland and
England by way of Mississippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma). MEXIC-ARTE Museum Vice
President Gloria Moore tipped me off to her favorite neighborhood dining spot,
describing in vivid detail the delectable yams – thinly sliced and layered with
butter, brown sugar, and spices. It sure sounded like the genuine article to
me.
Family Circle Restaurant chef/owner Sister Deborah Nalls certainly puts a
righteous meal on the table. Regular entr�es include a meat, two
vegetables, cornbread muffins, and tea for a modest $4.95. Specials like the
Smothered Pork Chops ($5.95) are only a little higher and very well worth it.
The chops are fork tender, meat just melting off the bone, with plenty of good
gravy to slop them around in. The yams were all sold out the last time I
visited but I feasted on homemade macaroni and cheese and dipped the tender,
slightly sweet cornbread muffins in the tasty black-eyed peas. A piping hot
bowl of Sister Deborah’s peach cobbler under a melting scoop of vanilla ice
cream was the perfect ending to the meal.
My next thoroughly satisfying Family Circle meal included crisp Fried Chicken,
Corn, Rice, and Gravy and more of the those divine, souffle-like cornbread
muffins. Sister Deborah’s son serves up his barbeque on Fridays at the Family
Circle (brisket, ribs, Elgin sausage, chicken, sandwiches, and combo plates),
and she fries up a mess of catfish, but I’ve yet to make it by there to try
those things out. This place is obviously run by people who understand that
good food and fellowship are meant to nourish the body and comfort the soul.
Hallelujah, Sister. n
This article appears in October 6 • 1995 and October 6 • 1995 (Cover).