Xena
10201 Jollyville Road, 345-9944
Sun-Thu, 11am-11pm; Fri & Sat,
11am-midnight
As Austin’s growth explodes to the north and northwest, the Arboretum area has become an
entertainment destination, a second downtown with business, shopping,
dining, and recreation all in one area. One of the most popular new eateries in
this hot growth sector is Xena, the foundation of what ultimately plans to be a
five- or six-restaurant chain. Two years ago, a young, enthusiastic group of
managers left the Atlanta-based Houston’s restaurant company to strike out on
their own and Xena is the prototype of their new venture. They plan to
standardize the operation in Austin and export it to a few well-chosen cities
in the near future.
Located in a densely developed shopping strip between Jollyville Road and
Research, Xena is housed in a well-landscaped, free-standing building with
plenty of parking. The entry hall opens into a small, cozy bar area on one side
and a wide-open dining room on the other. The dining room faces a completely
open, gleaming stainless steel kitchen where busy cooks in spotless whites
prepare food in full view of the clientele. Roomy booths lit with rustic
sconces line the walls and comfortable hardwood tables and chairs complete the
decor. The hard surfaces, stucco walls and a finished concrete floor make for a
significant noise level when the dining room is full.
Trying to categorize the cuisine at Xena is a bit of a challenge. The menu
incorporates several ethnic dishes into what is essentially an upscale comfort
food menu priced in the $3.50-$16.95 range. The wine list features a selection
of well-chosen and mostly reasonably priced West Coast, Australian, and Texas
vintages available by the bottle and the glass. Wine buyer and manager Len
White also offers five red and five white wines at $10 per bottle during a wine
happy hour every day until 7pm. White is also available most evenings to make
well-informed wine suggestions of better bottles that may not appear on the
wine list.
I visited Xena with two groups of friends in recent weeks and found several
hits and a few misses on the menu. We gave the appetizer selections a thorough
examination and determined that the Crawfish and Artichoke Heart Dip ($6.50)
and the Fresh Lump Crab Cakes ($8.50) were our favorites. The molten bowl of
creamy dip is chock full of artichoke hearts and crawfish tails and arrives
surrounded by crisply toasted bread rounds. Mildly spiced, it made a good
choice to share around the table. The plump Xena crab cakes sit in a delectable
puddle of Chardonnay butter sauce and would make a plentiful lunch or dinner
with one of the several salad choices. One evening we opted for soup out of
curiosity because the waiter described the She-Crab Soup ($3.50) as so rich it
is “almost a bisque.” Though the soup was thick enough to stand a spoon in, it
was truly decadent with a marvelous crab flavor.
Entr�e choices range from a perfectly respectable Vermont White Cheddar
Cheese Burger ($6.25) to Golden Fried Shrimp with a loaded baked potato
($11.95) to a popular item called Tumbleweed Chicken ($9.95). The fried shrimp
were 10 large butterflied beauties in a very crisp coating (cornflakes,
perhaps?) cooked just right and served with a piquant cocktail sauce. The
chicken dish was an enormous amount of food: three 4oz chicken breast pieces
are pounded flat, rolled around a stuffing of cheese, bacon, jalape�os
and sun-dried tomatoes and then baked. The chicken rolls arrive on a bed of
tangy aguacate (avocado) sauce and were more than filling, especially
with a side of homemade macaroni and cheese. Off-the-menu specials included
filets of tuna one evening and salmon another, simply grilled and served with a
Mediterranean sauce, tasty wild rice pilaf and a vegetable saut�
($14.95).
Though the food at Xena is not haute cuisine by any stretch of the
imagination, most of the menu items are very serviceable dishes, simply
prepared and satisfying when comfort food is your dining pleasure. We did
experience a few sour notes, especially with the Pork Adobo ($8.95), a large
bowl of tough pork in a greasy, separated sauce on top of a tooth-ache sweet
slab of cornbread. The Xena Meat Loaf Muffin ($7.95) was just too cute for
comfort and a real disappointment in flavor.
On our most recent visit, the dessert list had been expanded past the usual
Chocolate Truffle Torte ($4.25) in a pool of vanilla cream anglaise, Mile High
Cheesecake ($4.25) and Cobbler with ice cream ($3.95) to include Root Beer
Floats and Milk Shakes. We didn’t go for the floats or shakes but I can report
that the Truffle Torte is wonderful, especially if you can refrain from
devouring it until it has had time to come to room temperature and achieved
maximum creaminess.
The one area where Xena most resembles its progenitor is the service. The wait
staff is well-trained, very knowledgeable about the menu and friendly almost to
the point of effusiveness. However, it is clear at all times that they are
there to serve the customer. A refreshing change in a city where wait
service often ranges from comatose and slacker-like to snotty and
condescending. Well-prepared food and good service in pleasant surroundings can
go a long way in mainstream America. When Xena becomes the hot new national
chain, we can say we knew her when.
— Virginia B. Wood
This article appears in October 25 • 1996 and October 25 • 1996 (Cover).