Frank and Angie's Pizzeria

This past Saturday Laura and I drove to downtown Austin to pick up some books from the Faulk Central Library that she needed for a few of her online classes.  We planned on attending the Night of the Bat Fest on the Congress Avenue bridge afterwards as well as visiting a small neon sign gallery called Roadhouse Relics on 1st St that afternoon, but what we didn't expect to accomplish that day was eating at an eatery named Frank and Angie's!

The reason this name rung such a bell with us when we found it in the GPS is that Laura is pregnant and we are waiting till the baby is born to find out it's sex.  The two names we have chosen are either Frank IV or Angela Rose, so the moment we saw the two names we have chosen for our soon to be born child in one location we knew we had to at least check it out.

As we drove there I wondered what kind of food it would be, as if in retrospect there was any other type of food they could serve than Italian.  The instant we arrived and saw that it was a pizza place I was extremely excited.  From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall but when we walked in it was surprisingly roomy and incredibly decorated.  Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin posters littered the walls along with The Godfather and other Italian American staples.  

The far right wall which we sat near was a painted mural of a robust city scene.  It is an absolutely beautifully decorated establishment.  Our waitress was pleasant as could be as well.  She was excited to hear our story about why we had chosen Frank and Angie's and told us that just last week a married couple had driven in from San Antonio because their names were, you guessed it, Frank and Angie.  She also shared with us the history of the name.  The original owner had named it after his Grandma, Angie and when he brought in a partner, whose name was Charlie (R.I.P., He passed away two years ago), Charlie loved Frank Sinatra and added the name Frank to the title.  

I said, "Gee he must have really loved Frank Sinatra to add his name to the other owners Grandmas in the moniker of the restaurant"  Charlie must not have liked either of his grandparents all that much to go ahead and choose his favorite performer as opposed to a beloved relative, however I am not saying this in a negative manner.  My dad loves Frank Sinatra as well so this story actually made me all that much happier to be eating there.

So, on to the food.  As I have come to find very quickly, Austin Pizza is nothing like New York Pizza.  They tend towards thin crust and personal ten inch pies more so than the eighteen inch, eight slices, we are used to in NY.  With that said I decided against the personal pie, even though when I saw one delivered to the table next to us it did look delicious.  I went with a calzone,  The Mira Sorvino Calzone to be exact.  Chicken, feta, spinach, banana peppers, tomato, red onions and mozzarella found its way in to this particular recipe.  Laura ordered the Cheese Raviolis with a side of garlic bread, which we shared.  

Right before the food came out Laura asked me "What is a calzone?".  To which I was slightly surprised to hear considering we are both Italian and from New York, however as I was trying to explain what it was our food was presented to us and I let her eyes do the work of figuring out what a calzone is as opposed to my words.  The presentation of this calzone was slightly more rectangular than the crescent shaped ones I have become accustomed to.  Nevertheless the taste of this rectangle was absolutely superb!

I scarfed down my calzone while Laura enjoyed her Raviolis which were very attractively plated.  I also tried one of course and it was top of the line.  From the delicious Austin Amber beer I drank to the absolutely charming service we received, Frank and Angie's was a perfect choice for dinner this past Saturday night.  The Night of the Bat Fest afterwards was a great way to cap the evening as well.  We acquired a wonderful hand crafted giraffe as well as a print from a local artist of a painting she has created of Vincent Van Gogh.  When we arrived at home later that night we were completely satisfied on all levels, physically, mentally and spiritually.  

Frank and Angie's Pizzeria

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse

Walking in to BJ's the first thing I thought was "I wonder if this is a franchise or not".  Laura and I sat down to wait for our table to be ready and I stared over at the art work on the wall advertising each of the beers they brewed on premise.  From Nutty Brewnette to Piranha Pale Ale the choices were making me salivate just waiting to be seated.  When we reached our table the first thing Laura pointed out was how nicely dressed everyone was compared to us.  This place was fancy!  Surprisingly when we received our menus the prices were actually ridiculously cheap and we were pleasantly taken aback by over 14 pages of drinks, appetizers entrees and lunch specials to choose from.

I was away from the table for a moment and Laura ordered a Nutty Brewnette for me, when I sat back down our waiter humorously came over to ask if I definitely wanted it or if a Blonde Ale was more to my liking.  I told him that Laura wasn't ordering the Brewnette just cause of her hair color but that it was actually the beer I wanted to try first.  When I found out it was a Brown Ale (which I should have guessed) I almost did change my mind as a Real Ale Brown Ale from a few nights before had really turned me off from the style, but this particular brew was much hoppier according to the menu and once I tried it I knew I hadn't made a mistake, it was delicious.

I normally can't stand the idea of spending $12 on a salad, when it costs less than a dollar to put one together, so when I saw that the tomato and fresh mozzarella salad was $2.99 I was in shock.  Sure when it arrived it was a relatively small portion, but I feel as if less scrupulous eateries would still charge $10 for a small salad just for the fancy drizzle effect the chef adds to it.

I ended up ordering the Grilled Chicken Club lunch combo with a Chicken Tortilla Soup and Wedge Fries.  Laura went with a Garden Vegetable Loaded Baked Potato.  We shared a Spinach and Artichoke dip with Tortilla Chips as well.  Let me start by saying that I am so happy that a club sandwich in Texas always comes with a piece of avocado on it.  Up north it's limited to lettuce, tomato, and bacon, that added piece of squishy green fruit really makes the difference to me.  The Spinach Artichoke Dip was the perfect appetizer, the tiny bite of Laura's baked potato I tried was superb and my sandwich was outstanding.

The most impressive part of my meal was the soup though.  I loved how it was served.  They approached me with a very shallow large bowl with tortilla strips and cheese in the middle of it.  Our waiter then poured the soup in to the bowl all around the center piece from a metal serving canister.  This is a genius way to serve soup in order to keep it at it's warmest and make sure it doesn't sit under a heat lamp for too long.  I am sure that fancy eateries the world over have done this for years but seeing as how my experience has been limited it is the first time I was privileged to be served this way.  

The entire atmosphere, the service, the on site brewed beers, and the menu made us feel like we were eating at a restaurant reserved for the rich and famous.  When the check came and it was less than $40 we realized just how incredible this place actually is.  No pretentiousness, no over priced meals, no huss and fuss, just incredible food in a beautiful restaurant at affordable prices.  After our meal I was so impressed with everything that I even took the time to visit the bar and grab a second beer before leaving.  The bartender was beyond nice and I hadn't even realized it before hand but the house beers on tap were only $3.50 during lunch, a steal!  So I had to go for the Pale Ale and it didn't disappoint.

Just to get a little back story, apparently BJ's started in California as a Deep Dish Pizza place in the late 70's.  In 1996 with only 7 locations they started brewing their own beer, just 16 years later they've expanded to 121 locations!  Talk about an idea taking root.  With pizza and beer being my two favorite things in the entire world (note: I said "things" of course I love some people and places more) BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse is definitely going to become a regular haunt over the coming months.

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse

La Madeleine Country Fresh Cafe

This past February Laura and I took an impromptu trip to Washington D.C.  I wanted to see an original comic book art exhibit at the Library of Congress and the two of us had our first romantic getaway in D.C. the year before so it was time to revisit that trip.  In May of 2011 when we went we found an amazing little French Bistro that served us the best, and actually my first, crepes ever!  When we arrived there in February of 2012 we did all of the touristy things we wanted to do, the Library of Congress, Folger Theater and most impressively the Botanical Gardens.  The next morning we craved crepes and tried to find the original place we had visited in Alexandria, VA.

We ended up finding ourselves in more of the downtown area and tried a different little French place, the service was so nasty that we ended up walking out.  It ended up being the best decision we had ever made, because literally right down the street we stumbled upon the most amazing little French Cafe we could ever imagine.  It was like a French Panera Bread, a cafeteria style restaurant.  La Madeleine impressed us so much that when we found out that they originated in Texas and that there was locations in Austin we knew we were going to move there, if not for the music, art and culture, at the very least for the delicious French Cuisine.

We arrived in Austin last week and yesterday we went to sign the lease on our new apartment.  Afterwards we were starved so we searched the GPS for the closest eateries.  While we knew we would end up at La Madeleine's sooner than later we were amazed that their Austin location was literally a half mile away from our soon to be home.  With complete exuberance we made the four minute trek over to them and when we entered we felt like we were right back in Alexandria.

It is a little overwhelming when you walk in.  You are given the opportunity to look over the menu at the door while waiting on line, then when you reach the host she... or he takes your order on a little touch screen device.  From there you walk down a cafeteria line to pick and choose any extra salads or pastries you might want to add to your meal.  When you reach the register they have your order in the computer and ready to ring up.  Very impressive service and style.

Since we were in a French Cafe I went with a lunch combo of a French Dip Sandwich with French Onion Soup and tomato basil pasta salad.  Laura got a Savory Strawberry Crepe as well as a small tomato basil pasta salad.  I also ordered a Mango Iced Tea, which I was upset to realize wasn't sweetened, it still hit the spot though.  The salad was freaking incredible, the crepe which I had tried in Alexandria and also yesterday was top on the line and my French lunch combo was absurdly good.

I was dressed to impress as I had just gotten out of one interview and was on my way to another, so it was one of the first time's I ever put a napkin on my lap and ate VERY carefully.  I truly felt like I was eating at a top of the line restaurant even though it is literally closer to a school lunch room in style.  One of the most impressive, although silly, parts of my visit was my trip to the bathroom.  The stall was made out of fine wood that looked like it was ready for a King to use.

The fact that there is a La Madeleine in Austin is enough to make me salivate at the thought, finding out it is less than a mile from my home is priceless.

I wasn't aware until right now but apparently they have over 60 locations, the majority of which are in Texas!  According to their website:

We have 60 locations in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and surrounding areas. Click here for a list of all cafes.

La Madeleine