Green Pastures
811 W. Live Oak, 444-1888
Daily, 11am-2pm; 6-9:30pm
The ancestral home of John Henry Faulk and Mary Faulk Koock was transformed into the lovely old Grande Dame of Austin restaurants in the 1950s. A quintessential Southern dining experience, Green Pastures has a brunch that is not to be missed. Begin by sipping milk punch on the sunny veranda of the stately Southern mansion while listening to the tinkling of the grand piano. Be careful not to fill up on cheese wafers, boiled shrimp, and assorted salads before you ever make it to the giant polished silver chafing dishes filled with entrees and vegetables and the standing prime rib roast. Then the veritable groaning board of desserts awaits on the antique sideboard. Before you realize it, the whole afternoon will have slipped away.
The Emerald Restaurant
13614 Hwy. 71 W., 263-2147
Mon-Thu, 5:30-11pm; Fri-Sat, 5:30-midnight; Sun, 5:30-10:30pm
A short drive into the Texas Hill Country leads you to this cozy, candlelit cottage with Irish lace curtains, imported Irish bone china, and hosts with just a hint of an Irish brogue. For more than 20 years, the Emerald has been known for what was once called “continental cuisine,” voluptuous European meals with ample cuts of meat, fish, and fowl napped in decadently rich sauces. The atmosphere is casual and the service is friendly but leisurely paced, making dinner an all-evening affair. We’ve heard that on nights when neighbor Willie Nelson and friends show up, dinner sometimes lasts until the wee hours of the morning.
Paggi House
200 Lee Barton Drive, 478-1121
Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; 6-9:30pm
Sat, 6-10pm
Nestled under sheltering oaks on a gentle rise overlooking the Colorado River, the Paggi House occupies one of the three oldest surviving homes in Travis County. The original structure was a pre-Civil War plantation house and later the home of a prominent 19th-century Austin businessman, Michael Paggi. Today, the charming brick cottage is home to a small, romantic restaurant serving an eclectic mix of continental and American regional dishes. Choose to dine on the comfortable enclosed patio or in one of the tastefully appointed dining rooms. Full bar and professional service.
Jean-Pierre’s Upstairs
3500 Jefferson, second level, 454-4811
Mon-Thu, 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-9pm; Fri, 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10pm; Sat, 5:30-10pm
Jean-Pierre’s is a restaurant of the old school that transcends culinary fashion frenzy, an attribute valued by its mature clientele. It’s a quiet, comfortable oasis where the service is professional and the dining experience consistently first rate. The menu demonstrates the skills of popular Austin chef Raymond Tatum, who boldly combines Southwestern foodstuffs with Asian spices and prepares them with sophisticated continental techniques. Dessert souffles are a house specialty and should not be missed.
Sardine Rouge
311 W. Sixth, 473-8642
Sun-Thu, 6-10pm; Fri-Sat, 6-11pm
A stunning stained glass window swirls sumptuously across the streetfront window of this continental dining establishment where customers are referred to as “sir” and “madam,” and the menu departs from the norm in both content and price. Delightful details, like a white grand piano and intimate banquettes, complement a menu rich with innovative takes on French classics. Highlights include Oysters Rockefeller with a Pernod Sabayon, Lobster Cardinal, and silver-dollar-sized sea scallops floating in an incredible English pea sauce.
Jean-Luc’s French Bistro
705 Colorado, 494-0033
Tue-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; Tue-Thu, 5:30-10pm; Fri-Sat 5:30-11pm; Sun, 5:30-9pm
Jean-Luc’s is a fresh, warm French bistro named for its Gallic owner Jean-Luc Salles, who also works magic in the kitchen. The restaurant boasts the city’s most interesting list of lesser-known French wines and turns out sumptuous creations like the Napolean de Riz de Veau (veal sweetbreads and mushrooms in potato tuiles with pepper-infused oil), Salade Jean-Luc (romaine with beets, orange segments, pecans, and red onions with a toasted cumin-Sherry vinaigrette), and bouillabaisse maison (shrimp, sea scallops, salmon, fish of the day, squid, and mussels cooked in a saffron seafood broth with seasonal vegetables and aioli).
Chez Nous
510 Neches, 473-2413
Tue-Fri, 11:45am-2pm; Tue-Sun, 6-10:30pm
Tiny and intimate, this granddaddy of Austin’ s French restaurants serves classic bistro fare such as homemade p‰t/, croque monsieur, escargots, poisson meuniere (fish of the day in butter, parsley, and lemon juice), and steak frites to a dedicated downtown lunch crowd. Dinner customers love the restaurant’s Menu du Jour, a choice of one of three daily entrees plus soup, salad, or p‰t/, and dessert all for $18.50. A la carte favorites include the Roti de Veau au Madere (veal tenderloin wrapped in smoked bacon, roasted, and served with a creamy Madeira wine sauce and sauteed wild mushroom julienne) and the Noisette d’ Agneau Poelee (lamb loin sauteed with chanterelles, roasted garlic, Cognac, and parsley).
The Belgian Restaurant
3520 Bee Caves Road, 328-0580
Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; Sun-Thu, 6-10pm; Fri-Sat, 6-11pm
This veteran Austin restaurant recently changed ownership, but the kitchen still serves French and French-inspired fare in a setting renowned locally for its romance. Cream sauces, butter, and demi-glace add richness to most every dish, among them the Waterzooi fish selection (fish of the day, jumbo scallops, tiger shrimp, celery and leek puree, julienne carrot, and mushrooms in cream sauce), the Chicken Archiduc (chicken tenders sauteed in brandy veal stock with a mushroom cream sauce), and the Gibier Grand Veneur (peppercorn crusted venison medallions in a veal stock cream sauce).
La Madeleine
3418 N. Lamar, 302-1486
701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 306-1998
9828 Great Hills Trail, 502-2474
Sun-Thu, 7am-10pm; Fri & Sat, 7am-11pm
This now vast Texas-born bakery/cafe chain does a mean weekday lunch business and draws a thick Sunday-after-church crowd. Folks slide their trays down the cafeteria-style line to order quiches, salads, soups (among them an addictive tomato-basil cream concoction), and sandwiches on dense housemade breads and croissants. You can slip into La Madeleine to buy breads and a few other select specialty-food items from its bakery side, and breakfast (with good coffee) and dinner (with wine) are also served inside the homey, “French country” location.
This article appears in October 8 • 1999.