Credit: Photo by John Anderson

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill

303 Red River, 236-9599
Monday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-11pm; Sunday, 10am-2:30pm, 5-10pm
www.moonshinegrill.com

Housed in a historic old building with limestone rubble walls, Moonshine sits right across the street from the Convention Center. The dining rooms are sunny and spacious, the hardwood floors are shining, the waiters wear black-and-whites, and the chef’s name is on the menu. In short, this place is a little upscale.

Moonshine’s full bar is known for its superlative cocktails: hard lemonade ($6.75), Planter’s Punch ($7), Ruby Slipper Martini ($7), and Silvermoon Margarita ($7), to name a few. The wine list is extensive and appropriate, and the beer list is more than adequate.

Moonshine also has an ample menu, with starters, entrées, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Each category boasts a large variety of tempting options, making it a good choice for any sort of business meeting: There is truly something for everyone here. The starters include a lot of bar favorites, in simply enormous portions. The homemade potato chips ($5.95) with sour cream and chive dip are enough for a table of four and are as delicious as they sound. Moonshine’s own “corn dog” shrimp ($8.95), served skewered and fried in batter and accompanied by mustard with a blueberry swirl, is rightfully an Austin favorite. The entrées are similarly gigantic in portion and skillfully prepared: Broiled rain­bow trout with corn-bread stuffing and sage butter ($18.95) and buffalo meatloaf with mushroom gravy ($14.95) are only two of a list of 14, and that’s not including the specials.

Moonshine also has a lovely patio and an even lovelier happy hour, Monday through Friday, 3-6:30pm, with half-price starters and $4 cocktails. – Kate Thornberry

This article appears in March 7 • 2008.

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Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.

Wes Marshall is the author of What's a Wine Lover To Do? (Artisan) and The Wine Roads of Texas (Maverick), as well as the Executive Producer of the PBS television series of the same name. Wes has written for The Austin Chronicle since 1999, covering wine, cocktails, food, and travel.

Kate Thornberry worked in renowned Austin restaurants for 30 years while pursuing a reasonably successful career in music. She began contributing to the Chronicle in 1988 and became a regular contributor to the food section in 2006.

Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.