Gilligan’s
407 Colorado, 474-7474
Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm
Dinner: Mon-Thu, 5-10pm;
Fri & Sat, 5-11pm; Sun, 5:30-9:30pm
Austin’s only Caribbean restaurant, Gilligan’s has been a favorite place for
quality seafood for the past four years now. And considering the downtown
location’s consistent reputation, the announcement of additional menu items
(made in celebration of the restaurant’s fourth birthday) is a welcome one.
What fans of the downtown location may be surprised to find is that the new
items — except for blackened redfish with shrimp �touff�e
($18.95) and the mesquite grilled lobster (market price), available weekends —
have little to do with the fish dishes for which the restaurant has become
known. Instead, the latest contributions, such as shiitake fettucine alfredo
with grilled corn salsa ($9.95), and tenderloin of Angus beef with granite
mustard butter ($19.95), expand the possibilities available to vegetarians and
hard-core carnivores alike, although diners of all persuasions will likely
enjoy the new offerings I sampled.
A recent dinner inside the tropical warehouse began with a look at the wine
list. The selection at Gilligan’s is top-rate, but wine lovers beware: so are
the prices…. Then it was on to more solid considerations.
Much more mouthwatering than it sounded on the menu, the new appetizer,
shiitake quesadillas with ajili mojili ($5.95), was a cheesy, mushroomy affair
accented by sweet red bell pepper and served in moist, whole wheat tortillas.
Although the ajili mojili (a Jamaican pepper relish spiked with onion)
was the featured salsa, what best complemented the dish was a New Mexican red
chile and sour cream sauce that was zig-zagged prettily across the plate.
Earthy and smoky, the deep red chile enhanced the wildness of the mushrooms
without overwhelming their subtle flavor. A “fun” addition to the plate was a
handful of adobo chips — blue and yellow corn tortilla strips that had been
sprinkled with cumin, oregano, and black pepper, and fried until crisp.
The stand-out starter was without a doubt the field green salad with grilled
corn salsa and blackberry ginger vinaigrette ($6.95). Again, the rather
ordinary menu description didn’t do the dish justice — what came out of the
kitchen was beautiful. A mound of mixed field greens sprinkled with pungent
feta and corn salsa sat atop a thick, raspberry-red colored glaze. Polenta
triangles (called “Cou Cou”), surrounded the salad and were crisp on the
outside, smooth and creamy on the inside. No ordinary side salad, the fresh
creation offered a myriad of flavors and the blackberry-ginger dressing was
among the best I’ve ever tasted. My only criticism? A heavy hand with the
garlic could be reined in just a wee bit.
Instead of opting for the new pasta dish which again featured shiitake
mushrooms or steak, I allowed myself to be tempted by one of the evening’s
entr�e specials, a grilled wahoo served with a Veracruz salsa of cherry
tomatoes, olives, and capers atop a bed of coconut rice and West Indies black
beans. The wahoo, a tropical game fish similar to marlin, was seasoned with a
rub of red, black, and white pepper. Gilligan’s knows fish and the wahoo was
cooked just long enough to be done and retain its inherent juices.
Lesser restaurants may have opted to celebrate years of success with a “Why
change a good thing?” menu philosophy. My bet is that Gilligan’s willingness to
gamble on the new will be met with approval from Austin’s diners.
This article appears in June 21 • 1996 and June 21 • 1996 (Cover).