Uptown, Not Upscale
Xena and Z-Tejas, New at the Arboretum
Fri., Oct. 25, 1996
Xena
10201 Jollyville Road, 345-9944
Sun-Thu, 11am-11pm; Fri & Sat,
11am-midnight
As Austin's growth explodes to the north and northwest, the Arboretum area has become an entertainment destination, a second downtown with business, shopping, dining, and recreation all in one area. One of the most popular new eateries in this hot growth sector is Xena, the foundation of what ultimately plans to be a five- or six-restaurant chain. Two years ago, a young, enthusiastic group of managers left the Atlanta-based Houston's restaurant company to strike out on their own and Xena is the prototype of their new venture. They plan to standardize the operation in Austin and export it to a few well-chosen cities in the near future.
Located in a densely developed shopping strip between Jollyville Road and Research, Xena is housed in a well-landscaped, free-standing building with plenty of parking. The entry hall opens into a small, cozy bar area on one side and a wide-open dining room on the other. The dining room faces a completely open, gleaming stainless steel kitchen where busy cooks in spotless whites prepare food in full view of the clientele. Roomy booths lit with rustic sconces line the walls and comfortable hardwood tables and chairs complete the decor. The hard surfaces, stucco walls and a finished concrete floor make for a significant noise level when the dining room is full.
Trying to categorize the cuisine at Xena is a bit of a challenge. The menu incorporates several ethnic dishes into what is essentially an upscale comfort food menu priced in the $3.50-$16.95 range. The wine list features a selection of well-chosen and mostly reasonably priced West Coast, Australian, and Texas vintages available by the bottle and the glass. Wine buyer and manager Len White also offers five red and five white wines at $10 per bottle during a wine happy hour every day until 7pm. White is also available most evenings to make well-informed wine suggestions of better bottles that may not appear on the wine list.
I visited Xena with two groups of friends in recent weeks and found several hits and a few misses on the menu. We gave the appetizer selections a thorough examination and determined that the Crawfish and Artichoke Heart Dip ($6.50) and the Fresh Lump Crab Cakes ($8.50) were our favorites. The molten bowl of creamy dip is chock full of artichoke hearts and crawfish tails and arrives surrounded by crisply toasted bread rounds. Mildly spiced, it made a good choice to share around the table. The plump Xena crab cakes sit in a delectable puddle of Chardonnay butter sauce and would make a plentiful lunch or dinner with one of the several salad choices. One evening we opted for soup out of curiosity because the waiter described the She-Crab Soup ($3.50) as so rich it is "almost a bisque." Though the soup was thick enough to stand a spoon in, it was truly decadent with a marvelous crab flavor.
Entrée choices range from a perfectly respectable Vermont White Cheddar Cheese Burger ($6.25) to Golden Fried Shrimp with a loaded baked potato ($11.95) to a popular item called Tumbleweed Chicken ($9.95). The fried shrimp were 10 large butterflied beauties in a very crisp coating (cornflakes, perhaps?) cooked just right and served with a piquant cocktail sauce. The chicken dish was an enormous amount of food: three 4oz chicken breast pieces are pounded flat, rolled around a stuffing of cheese, bacon, jalapeños and sun-dried tomatoes and then baked. The chicken rolls arrive on a bed of tangy aguacate (avocado) sauce and were more than filling, especially with a side of homemade macaroni and cheese. Off-the-menu specials included filets of tuna one evening and salmon another, simply grilled and served with a Mediterranean sauce, tasty wild rice pilaf and a vegetable sauté ($14.95).
Though the food at Xena is not haute cuisine by any stretch of the imagination, most of the menu items are very serviceable dishes, simply prepared and satisfying when comfort food is your dining pleasure. We did experience a few sour notes, especially with the Pork Adobo ($8.95), a large bowl of tough pork in a greasy, separated sauce on top of a tooth-ache sweet slab of cornbread. The Xena Meat Loaf Muffin ($7.95) was just too cute for comfort and a real disappointment in flavor.
On our most recent visit, the dessert list had been expanded past the usual Chocolate Truffle Torte ($4.25) in a pool of vanilla cream anglaise, Mile High Cheesecake ($4.25) and Cobbler with ice cream ($3.95) to include Root Beer Floats and Milk Shakes. We didn't go for the floats or shakes but I can report that the Truffle Torte is wonderful, especially if you can refrain from devouring it until it has had time to come to room temperature and achieved maximum creaminess.
The one area where Xena most resembles its progenitor is the service. The wait staff is well-trained, very knowledgeable about the menu and friendly almost to the point of effusiveness. However, it is clear at all times that they are there to serve the customer. A refreshing change in a city where wait service often ranges from comatose and slacker-like to snotty and condescending. Well-prepared food and good service in pleasant surroundings can go a long way in mainstream America. When Xena becomes the hot new national chain, we can say we knew her when.
-- Virginia B. Wood