Second Helpings: American Cafes
Chronicle Cuisines writer MM Pack on Austin’s American cafes.
Fri., June 23, 2000
The weekly Chronicle feature "Second Helpings" offers readers the opportunity to sample tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week's entries were compiled by Chronicle Cuisines writer MM Pack. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here.
Hole in the Wall Arcade and Restaurant
2538 Guadalupe, 472-5599
Daily, 11am-10pm
Despite its official name, I suspect that most of us don't think of the Hole in the Wall as either an arcade or a restaurant. But this venerable (27 years this month) watering hole and music venue leads a double life beginning at lunchtime, serving an inexpensive, fundamental, and hearty selection of sandwiches, burgers, tacos, salads, and (mostly fried) snacks. A personal favorite is the crisply battered and delicately seasoned redfish tacos, with a smoky housemade salsa and sliced jalapeños thoughtfully served on the side. There is a $4.95 hot-lunch special, different every day, that ranges from meat loaf to brisket to crawfish étouffée. On weekends, take advantage of the $2 hamburger or $3 garden burger specials. And if you don't wish to partake from the bar, milk, juice, lemonade, and sodas are available, too.
Rocky's Texas Grill
6116 Hwy. 290 West, 892-2281
Mon-Sat, 7am-10pm; Sun, 7am-9pm
"Wraparound ranchhouse memorabilia" is how one friend describes the décor of this trës casual Oak Hill establishment. Although the stamped leather sign says, "If u smoke n here u better be on fire," the kitchen is smokin' for sure, cranking out breakfast tacos and egg dishes, an array of fajitas, rotisserie chicken dinners with a choice of sides, and hamburgers. An especially decadent choice is the Rio Grande Burger, sloppily resplendent with chili, cheese, and jalapeños. To enhance your selections ordered at the counter, an impressive do-it-yourself condiment bar offers everything from ripe tomatoes to sliced red onions to fresh pico de gallo. Along with fountain drinks and the necessary iced tea, longnecks and wine are available.
Texicalli Grille
534 E. Oltorf, 442-2799
Mon-Thu, 7am-4pm; Fri, 7am-9pm; Sat, 7am-4pm
When you walk into this tiny, quintessentially South Austin eatery, Danny Young welcomes you as if you were an old friend dropping by for lunch at his house. But unlike the fare in most of our dining rooms, you get to choose from 14 carefully crafted sandwiches, six salads, five kinds of burgers, four large plate lunches (including a serious chicken-fried steak), and a panoply of interesting appetizers, such as Spicy Fried Squash with Herb Dip. And don't forget the renowned crispy waffle fries drizzled with a mildly spiced queso, a meal in itself. In addition to the personal attention, cheerful service, and fresh ingredients everywhere you look, Texicalli offers some ice cream concoctions that you won't find just anywhere. Sundaes, floats, malteds, and shakes are constructed with everything from real Dr Pepper (the original syrup imported straight from the source in Dublin, Texas) to mocha to avocado. So save room for dessert.
Vic's Restaurant
6519 Hwy. 290 West, 892-9801
Mon-Tue, 6am-5pm; Wed, 6am-2pm; Thu, 6am-9pm; Fri-Sat, 6am-10pm; Sun, 6am-2pm
Vic's in Oak Hill takes you straight back to a time when Oak Hill wasn't a suburb but a gateway into the rural Hill Country. Built as a truck stop in 1957, the vintage Naugahyde booths and counter seats would make any retro-restaurant designer weep with desire. And the framed Star Trek poster next to the rack of deer horns is a nice touch, too. Vic's specializes in substantial Texas ranch-style fare -- a variety of steaks (including chicken-fried, of course), catfish, chicken, and grilled liver and onions. Breakfast at Vic's is not for the faint of appetite either, with a particularly wide selection of breakfast meats available alongside the standard egg, biscuit, and pancake offerings. The housemade hash browns are exceptionally good, well-seasoned, and delicately grill-flavored. Vic's opens every morning at 6am, but closing times vary depending on the day of week.
Flip's Satellite Cafe
7101 Hwy. 71, in Oak Hill, 301-1883
Mon, 7am-3pm; Tue-Fri, 7am-9pm; Sat-Sun, 8am-9pm
Flip's Satellite opened some months ago as the suburban sister establishment of the Flipnotics Coffeespace Cafe on Barton Springs Road. Nestled in the crook of an L-shaped shopping strip near the Oak Hill "Y," Flip's began by serving espresso and coffee drinks, and light lunch and breakfast fare similar to its hip older sibling's offerings. Recently, however, the Satellite has moved into a somewhat different orbit, morphing into an American bistro, with full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, and a small but thoughtful wine list. Well-prepared dinner dishes run the gamut from crab-filled mushrooms in a lovely lemon and blueberry beurre blanc, to poblano rellenos stuffed with smoked chicken, grilled pineapple, cheese, and toasted pecans, to grilled salmon, steaks, and hearty pasta dishes. Lunch selections include a variety of salads, focaccia sandwiches, wraps, and pastas. For a special breakfast, check out the unusual offerings like vanilla ice cream-dipped French toast. And, of course, you can still just get a great cup of coffee.
