Lakeside restaurant in the LINE Hotel, presided over by Top Chef 10 winner Kristen Kish and her storied culinary flair.
Winner of 2011’s Best of Austin Critics Pick for Best Dinner Destination on a Damp, Cold Night, this place is about as authentically Italian as you can get without jumping on a plane to Parma. Antipasti, Neopolitan pizza, and a good wine list make for good shelter here.
Celebrating sausage on Rainey Street, this place has become a neighborhood staple. Sure, the ample and often unexpected selections of sausage are responsible, but don't forget the creative specials, such as fried chicken sausage atop creamy mashed potatoes.
Some say the sliders here are the best in town. Happy hour draws a crowd, and so do the 31 TVs for the sports set.
The best meal to have here is Sunday brunch. The steak and eggs are just that, a decent-sized rib eye and a couple of eggs, all cooked precisely to order. All seats are alfresco.
The offerings from Jae Kim’s brick-and-mortar "Home of the Kimchi Fries" should be as yummy as those of the popular truck’s. The menu is slightly different, sporting kimchi fried rice balls containing rice, cheddar, Monterey Jack, nori, and gochujang, but retains plenty of crowd favorites.
This restaurant has an extensive wine list with several brave international choices. A light food menu is well-chosen to complement the wines.
"Traditional bar food with a Southern edge" is what is promised here, and by the look of satisfied customers looking for their cars, it must deliver.
Located in the Driskill Hotel, this cafe is a convenient and casual option for Downtown workers and hotel guests. Favorites include the aptly named Hangover Burger and the pricey but delicious selection of baked goods.
Southern food’s humble building blocks – buttermilk, black-eyed peas, grits, and salt pork – are refreshed through a combination of molecular gastronomy and just plain ingenuity.
Our favorite dishes here are the dahl makhani, perfect lentils in a creamy sauce; and Malabar, with lamb, coconut, and caramelized onions. The level of spiciness here depends on who is in the kitchen on a given night, so it's a good idea to ask.
As the first Texas outlet of a famous Memphis fried-chicken chain, this newcomer comes in strong. The simple menu includes chicken by the plate or individual piece. Plates come with a choice of two or three pieces: white, dark, or the "half chicken" option – one piece of each. Plates come with baked beans and slaw, but substitutions are allowed for 50 cents extra. Start with a couple of cans of Austin Beer Works brew and a plate of the best fried green tomatoes ever.
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