Macaroni Grill and Italian Restaurant

It's fun to draw on tables, as a matter of fact the best part of last nights dining experience was drawing with crayons on the table.  Besides that the food was just mediocre and the server seemed semi incompetent, mumbling words barely distinguishable from grunts.  The 20 minute wait before the meal made me feel as if we were in store for a fine dinning experience, but by the time the meal was over all I could think was that this supposedly "fancy" chain of restaurants fell short of expectations.

Laura didn't like her Eggplant Parmesan in the least bit, the slices were way too thick and they didn't even have the decency to skin the eggplant before breading it. Our Mac & Cheese bites were "okay" but most certainly didn't come close to Cheesecake Factories version.  Now that I look back somehow I forgot to write a review for the Cheesecake Factory a few weeks back!  What a shame I guess we'll have to go back again sometime soon.

It'll be quite a pleasure to experience true fine dining again as The Macaroni Grill is only exquisite to the masses who can normally sustain themselves on Big Macs and Subway.  They go out to a place like this to feel like they are eating an extravagant meal but in reality they are fooling themselves with just average food in an establishment that tries to decorate itself above it's actual abilities.

The Chicken Marsala I ordered was alright.  I've had better from a deli I used to work at and my cousin who cooked it for the family during Christmas one year.  If a hole in the wall deli in New York serves better Chicken Marsala than The Macaroni Grill then I really can't bring myself to give them a good review.  If I had walked in to a place I had never heard of before that I had no expectations for than I might have been more willing to say a few nice things, but in reality last's nights dinner left me with nothing but left overs.

Macaroni Grill

The Steeping Room Restaurant & Tea Lounge

When Laura and I arrived in Austin on July 23rd the first thing I did was apply to every job on Craigslist which I was qualified for.  That meant an odd gauntlet from restaurants to tech support and a few random jobs in between.  The first week alone I had to have had 10 interviews, I went in to Frank on Colorado Ave,  I interviewed for a cafeteria position at a private school, 34th St Cafe, a place called 1st Shred, Longhorn Village, and multiple others that just blended in to each other.

I was offered positions at Frank and 34th St Cafe on the same day.  I ended up taking 34th St, going in for one day of training and leaving due to the mismanagement and a gross kitchen environment, not to mention the fact that they offered me one pay rate during the interview then lowered the offer the day I came in to start.  I was confident that if I was offered two jobs in my first week of interviewing that it wouldn't be hard for me to garner further offers as long as I didn't limit my options by getting stuck in a job that wasn't right for me.

In early August I went in to an interview at The Steeping Room, a small tea house that offers lunch and snacks that pair well with their massive selection of teas.  They offered me a job which would start on August 8th, but that didn't stop me from scheduling multiple interviews for August 7th.  I am always looking to advance myself and gain not just any employment, but the best possible employment.  My interview on the 7th went great but they had a hiring process that went on for over a month so I went in to work on the 8th at The Steeping Room ready to learn.

What I learned there will never leave me, their selection of off the beaten track Asian influenced cuisine astonished me.  One of the options I was responsible for making at my station was the Napa Rolls which were rice wraps filled with chicken or tofu. napa, carrots, cilantro, basil, mint, and scallions with a splash of rice vinegar served with Sriracha and "home made" peanut sauce.  I had the opportunity to try one and it was absolutely an amazing change of pace from crispy deep fried spring rolls that most places serve, it is hand rolled and completely health conscience.

The sandwich that made me a true believer though was the Roast Beef Chili Lime... ::drool::
The first time I was honored to have it was after a shift during my orientation with one of the owners.  I spent almost a half hour savoring every bite as I filled out paper work and went over the rules and regulations. Natural roast beef, feta spread, arugula, sauteéd chili lime tomatoes and caramelized onions made this sandwich something I had never tried before at any of the dozens of deli's and restaurants I have found myself in over the years.

Each and every morning shift I worked I also had the pleasure of scarfing down their version of an egg sandwich in between tickets.  Which for $3.95 comes with scrambled eggs topped with white Vermont cheddar and a your choice of spicy or regular on wheat or white bread.  I always went with spicy and added bacon to it.  The bacon they serve has nearly no fat and is thick and wonderful to consume to the taste buds if not the arteries.

Finally in my last week of employment with them I went ahead and gave the Turkey BLT a try, twice!  Not your run of the mill BLT, the natural Turkey and basil mayo really add something to what has to be the most bland sandwich on the menu.  But by bland I definitely don't mean bad in any way.  With selections that tempt and stretch the taste buds in so many different directions this sandwich is the option for those who are normally afraid to try new things.  It is the foot in the door to moving on to a much more diverse and eclectic way of eating.

After working for The Steeping Room for 3 weeks I was offered the job at which I had interviewed on August 7th.  A job that I truly deserve and have dreamed about for many years, which also gets me out of the kitchen.  Sadly I have to pay for my lunches, but fortunately I can afford to now.  I am more than pleased with the time I spent at The Steeping Room, not only because of the food but because of the great people I got to meet and the lengthy review I was able to write today.  If you find yourself in The Domain any time soon, The Steeping Room is right next to a Starbucks and a few doors down from The Apple Store, definitely give it a try and let them know that Frank sent you.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro

Let me start by saying, the food at P.F. Chang's is very good.  However the Wikipedia page description hits it on the head when they claim it is "Asian-themed American casual dining".  The 204 locations around the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Middle East are to Chinese food what Olive Garden is to Italian food.  That's not to say anything negative about the food, just that if you are looking for authentic Chinese food you're best bet is to find the small greasy hole in the walls ran by actual Chinese people.

The first thing that threw me off was that our waiter was Caucasian.  This should have been a good thing as in the past I have always commented on how the Asian people who have served me are hard to understand and have no interactions beyond taking your order and delivering it as a faithful servant.  This white kid who took our order the other night was like any other waiter you would find at any casual dining restaurant in America.  He did a great job, however his eyes were a bit too wide to make me feel like we would be getting authentic Chinese food.  

When he came to take our order he recommended going with the four course meal for two selection to save a few bucks.  We went with his recommendation and ended up ordering Egg Drop Soup along with Hot and Sour soup to start with, as well as Spring Rolls as an appetizer.  Everything was top notch to begin with but slightly off from what we are accustomed to.  The meals we went with were the Sweet and Sour Chicken, which is my meal of choice to judge a Chinese place before moving on to the other entrees on later dates.  Laura went with the Garlic Noodles.

I tried a little of everything and as I said at the very beginning it was very good.  However it was not the crispy, large chunks of chicken, served with a side of sauce and vegetables that any normal take out Chinese place would serve.  It was homogenized for service anywhere in the country.  I could tell that every single P.F. Chang's in America serves this exact style of Sweet and Sour Chicken in the same way you can order the exact same Cajun Pasta from any Applebee's in the country.

There was very little authentic feeling to the food we were served at P.F. Chang's.  Once again, that doesn't mean it was bad, just not exactly the Chinese food I was looking for when we searched for our first Asian dining experience in Austin.  When we got our dessert though there was no mistaking how delicious it was.  We each got a shot glass, mine was called "The Great Wall of Chocolate" and Laura's was the "Triple Chocolate Mousse".  Both were exactly what we expected.

There's no question that next time we're in the mood for a fine dining Chinese experience that P.F. Chang's will be the first place we think of, however we are still in search for our take-out Chinese place to order from on any given night of the week when we don't feel like cooking.  It took us four or five attempts with pizza before we finally found the place for us, so I am sure that out search for authentic Chinese food will also be just as pleasurable and fun.

P.F. Chang's

The Melting Pot A Fondue Restaurant

"Oh my God" were the only words I could think before, and after eating at The Melting Pot last night.  Seventy eight dollars to feed two people, and that doesn't even account for the multiple beers I would have to drink to forget about how much we would be spending.  However I sucked in my cheap skate ways and told Laura that we could celebrate another wonderful Saturday together by sharing my first experience at a fondue restaurant.  The basic tenants of which are that there is a stove top at every table, which they place a pot on top of to cook your food right in front of you.

When we were seated the hostess asked right away if we had been there before, to which we replied that Laura had been with her brother on a few occasions but it was my first time.  When our server came over he  had already been informed of my new comer status and was very helpful and patient in allowing us time to choose our courses.  When asked if we were there to celebrate a special occasion I replied, "Yes we're celebrating it being Saturday" as Laura went on to say "Yes, we are celebrating a bunch of things".

We take the opportunity to celebrate every day, however the "bunch of things" she referred to were me getting hired at a very prestigious computer company here in Austin, her being 9 weeks away from giving birth and the both of us being excited over what a great day we had wandering the Zilker Botanical Garden and Art on 5th Galleries earlier in the day.  So we deserved a delicious dinner to celebrate such wonderful happenings.

When I say delicious it hardly gives credit to just how amazing everything we ate last night was.  We were completely enthralled from our first course of Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue which was a mixture of Gruyère and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses together with white wine (which we 86ed for obvious reasons), garlic, nutmeg, lemon and Kirschwasser to the grand finale dessert The Flaming Turtle, which they consider Fondue Candy. It’s an irresistible combination of milk chocolate, caramel and candied pecans flambéed tableside.

As for the cheese platter it came with apples, mixed veggies, and three types of bread.  A costumer next to us must have also been new because when he was told about the apples and cheese he proclaimed "What the fuck?!  Apples and cheese that sounds delicious!"  Which had us cracking up.  As for the chocolate fondue it was served with strawberries, bananas, graham and Oreo covered marshmallows, cheese cake, pound cake and rice crispy treats!  It was a smorgasbord of wonderful foods plated in a majestic manner which you then dipped in cheese and later chocolate, how have I never been here before?!

In between we ordered a Ceasar and Spinash and Mushroom Salad which were a tad small in quantity but made up for it entirely with the quality.  As for out entrees I went with a meal called The French Quarters and Laura ordered a simple side of raviolis.  I had no idea that when you ordered meats they came to you raw!  It became my responsibility to cook the meats in a oil concoction placed on the stove top.  When my eight little pieces of chicken, four pieces of steak and four Andouille sausage slices came out to me the first thing I thought was "That's all?"

After eating only half of them I was completely full though.  The entire process of cooking each piece gave my stomach ample time to register the food it was eating and let me know that I had surely had enough.  Even though when a steak or chicken breast is served to me normally I can eat twice as much, it has more to do with the speed at which I scarf it down that allows me to stomach so much food.  We also had a nice side of vegetables with our meal which we let sit in the pot and cook slowly throughout the meal.  Of course like I mentioned earlier I had to have at least two Fat Tire Amber Ale's with my meal and even with that all accounted for the check ended up being $85.

We spent an hour and a half slowly enjoying our meal and being thoroughly entertained by the entire process.  At any other restaurant I feel the urgency of the server to get us fed  and gone in order to move on to the next table of tippers.  However here our server was never in any rush to move us to the next course and we were given the full opportunity to enjoy our meal and our time together.  The $100 bill I slipped in to the check holder was well worth it considering the fact that I am hardly hungry 14 hours later as I write this review.  Well fed, completely satisfied and able to proclaim that I have been to a fondue restaurant in my life time!

The Melting Pot

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