Mixed Mex in Edge City

While Smart Growth sinks its sluggish, cumbersome roots into Austin’s aging downtown, an explosive and untamed growth phenomenon is taking place in the Northwest Hills. Although many may fear and loathe an unruly urban sprawl, it is already happening, spreading like crabgrass across most of the city’s perimeter. As with so many swelling urban regions, Austin now has two commercial centers: downtown and the blossoming edge city near Research and Loop 360. Many time-tested downtown businesses have made the move to the bustling area — Whole Foods, REI, InStep, and Amy’s have all opened stores near the Arboretum — and restaurants are following their lead. The most recent to show up in the area is Manuel’s, which has opened a new location on Jollyville Road.

Taking its cue from other downtown eateries such as Z’ Tejas, Brio, Mezzaluna, and Kyoto, this successful restaurant has shrewdly positioned its newest incarnation within the heart of Austin’s most fertile growth area. Rising like a plumed serpent from the unfortunate ruins of Zena and, more recently, El Mirador, Manuel’s Great Hills seems to have established a firm foothold in this four-year-old building across from PF Chang’s. Like a terraformed, floating Chinampa, Manuel’s seems to fit right in among the proliferating developed spaces currently nurturing the denizens of Northwest Austin. Its potential to feed the many surrounding residents is rapidly manifesting itself: Manuel’s Great Hills restaurant does a brisk business.It is so busy, in fact, that on our initial visit my husband and I felt lucky to be seated right away — the restaurant was packed almost to capacity.

Upon being seated, however, we soon discovered that not every seat in the house is a good one. We were tucked away behind a yellow half-wall at the far end of the dining room, where our view of the kitchen and the rest of the restaurant was partially obscured. I enjoy spectacle dining, and I found myself wishing that I had more of an opportunity to see this impressive, bustling one unfolding before me. The new Manuel’s is visually stunning. Anyone familiar with the black-white-and-red-all-over tones of the very industrial-looking Manuel’s Downtown will be surprised by this colorful and festive incarnation. Each of the plaster walls of the geometric interior space is painted with a different bright color, reminiscent of the work of renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legoretta, famous for the new San Antonio Library and the Hotel Camino Real in Cancun. The kitchen is open, framed by tile, and giant windows allow the building interior to be drenched with warm Hill Country sun, giving the restaurant a lazy, summer ambiance perfect for relaxing and drinking refreshing margaritas. It is the kind of place that invites you to gaze, hypnotized by color and ceaseless activity.

The menu at Manuel’s Great Hills is identical to that of the Congress Avenue location, right down to the happy hour specials which advertise dollar-off margaritas and half-price appetizers until 7pm — a royal offering by any standard. Those familiar with happy hour at the original Manuel’s will find the same reliable fare served here as there. Appetizers include boiled shrimp, chicken in mole, a lovely, citrus-y ceviche, trustworthy green chile nachos, and a puffy, potato-y gordita designed to please even the pickiest meat-and-potatoes eater. Although not particularly elaborate, the appetizers are all well-prepared and hearty — the perfect stretching exercise for the stomach at prices that hardly lighten the wallet.

Manuel’s strikes out into more adventurous terrain with its entrees. Although the kitchen offers the ubiquitous plates of enchiladas, flautas, and fajitas, it specializes in slightly upscale Interior dishes such as Snapper Veracruzana, Pork Loin with Sesame and Pumpkin Seed Salsa, and the exotic Chile Relleno en Nogada. Unfortunately, these dishes are not always as attentively prepared as they should be. For instance, I found the Chile Relleno en Nogada ($10.50), a specialty of Puebla involving roasted poblano peppers stuffed with spiced pork and topped with a walnut cream sauce, to be somewhat overspiced. Too many cloves was my first impression, but I came to realize the dish also suffered from too much nutmeg and cinnamon, and too little salt. The spices so overwhelmed the pork stuffing that I was unable to taste the other components of the dish. The walnut cream sauce covering the chile offered little variation; it too was sweet, overly cinnamonn-y, and paired with the spiced pork, the dish was more like dessert than dinner. As with many traditional recipes, the preparation of chiles en nogada will vary from cook to cook; consequently, it may be that this was simply not to my taste.

I was similarly disappointed by the enchiladas in mole that my husband and I ordered on another occasion. While the pork stuffing for the enchiladas was quite tasty, the mole lacked complexity, almost as if it were missing a few of the 21 spices purportedly used in its preparation. On the whole, the enchiladas were adequate, but not special — and not worth the $9.95 price tag.

Another initially promising but ultimately mediocre dish I tried was the Grilled Flounder ($14.75). Not listed on the regular bill of fare, I discovered this non-menu item when I asked the waitress whether the restaurant ever offered dinner specials. With a somewhat embarrassing service industry faux pas, she replied that yes, they were offering flounder that night, but that most of the waitstaff usually neglected to mention this when taking orders. Although feeling a bit disgruntled at this slightly unprofessional behavior by the Manuel’s waitstaff, I ordered the flounder anyway, with what my waitress said was the usual preparation: a mojo de ajo (garlic butter sauce). When it arrived, the dish certainly looked impressive: a whole scored flounder filled the little plate brimming with rice and black beans. However, while the fish was fresh, the overall flavor turned out to be rather banal. The garlic in the mojo de ajo came from a jar, but more importantly, the sauce was simply too skimpy. There was not enough with which to eat the whole — or even half — the fish.

Still, I’ve found that not all the house specialties at Manuel’s Great Hills are misfires. The Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Chile Pasilla Sauce is outstanding. When I ordered it, the meal consisted of two rather thin but perfectly cooked medallions of beef perched atop a toasted chile sauce. Like oppositely charged atoms, the mild, hearty flavor of the meat bonded seamlessly with the pungent vinegar of the pasilla sauce. Served with cool guacamole, this dish was like a benign miniature explosion for the taste buds.

Desserts are also a good bet at the new Manuel’s. In particular, it offers a homemade triple-tiered Buttermilk Coconut Cake ($4.50) that is as luscious and silky as a tropical honeymoon. Flan ($3.50) and Chocolate Bread Pudding ($3.95) are other fine choices. And on special occasions, the kitchen makes a traditional tres leches cake.

Overall, Manuel’s Great Hills is more interesting than the corporate-cuisine chains that surround it — it is fun, it is bustling, and the food is competent — but it is not outstanding. Most of the menu items are reliable but not stellar. The dinners alone are not enough to make me want to return. What will keep me coming back, though, is its fabulous happy-hour appetizer and drink specials, which satisfy a five o’clock hunger without fanfare or excess expense. And the new Manuel’s boasts a luxurious outdoor courtyard that beckons patrons to relax among lush tropical foliage and a gurgling fountain. During happy hour, the outdoor space is clearly one of the most attractive spots in North Austin. The service at Manuel’s is low-key, something I always appreciate when I dine out. However, the flounder faux pas made it clear to me that most of the waitstaff is woefully undertrained in the art of fine dining service. More than anything else, Manuel’s offers casual dining in a stylish setting. But like so many of the crowded and slightly upscale eateries that attract hungry diners to Austin’s edge city, Manuel’s Great Hills has better scene than cuisine.

This article appears in August 13 • 1999 and August 13 • 1999 (Cover).