Angie's Mexican Restaurant: Austin TX

Angie's Mexican Restaurant
900 E 7th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 476-5413

I'm one of the few Austinites who doesn't rave about Angie's. I've never understood the attraction. When they were in the old location, the parking lot was awful, there was always a wait for lunch, the food was average (and in Austin there's no need to tolerate average Mexican food when there are so many excellent and cheap options to choose from) and the service was spotty.

So now they have a new location in the same neighborhood; they built the restaurant from the ground up. It looks great from the street, very pretty colors. But the second thing you'll notice is that the parking lot is very limited. We had to park on a side street and walk. Strike one.

I was with four office mates on a Thursday at 12:30pm. We had to wait at least fifteen minutes in a crowded vestibule. Strike two.

The new building has one large, open dining room. The floor is a beautiful terazzo-like tile. Pretty, but awful for acoustics. The dining room has a wood cathedral ceiling. Looks nice, but awful acoustics. Why do restaurant designers allow clients to make these choices. Our group had to shout at each other to be heard. And of course every other table has to do the same. Who wants to eat with friends in an environment where you have to shout to be understood? Not me. They had this place built to their specifications; in my book, there's just no excuse for building a dining room where people have to shout. Strike three.

The tables are all two-tops and four-tops. So if you're a group of five, as we were, one person has to squeeze into the end. Very uncomfortable. Strike four.

Service was lacking. They initially gave our table of five only one bowl of salsa. It was quickly devoured. After waiting a few minutes for a refill, I had to take the salsa bowl to the server station to get it refilled and ask for a second bowl for our table. I had no issues with how long it took to get our food, but felt like I had to beg for refills and removal of empty plates and bowls. Strike five.

They refuse to split the check among our group of five. I understand that some places don't like to do this. But it is quite convenient when a group of office mates visit a restaurant together. Very few people pay with cash these days, so it's just so convenient when a restaurant will split up the check and let everyone pay with their own cards. I'll continue to frequent those places who provide this convenience. Strike six.

Now... the food itself. Look... everybody knows that Austin Texas has no shortage of good Mexican restaurants. I had the Carnitas lunch special which consisted of shreded pork, refried beans and rice with some corn tortillas on the side. The pork was good, the refried beans were refried beans and the rice was rice. So I'd say the food was ok but nothing special. The corn tortillas were the best part of the meal, frankly. No strike, but no hit either.

Prices were acceptable. I paid $9 for the serving of pork, beans, rice, tortilla and water plus tax and tip. Not terribly expensive, but I wouldn't call it a good value. No strike but no hit either.

So in the end, it is quite unlikely I'll go to Angie's Mexican Restaurant again. There are too many good choices in Austin to put up with mediocre food, inhospitable environment, poor service and poor value.

Nau's Enfield Drug Store

Cheeseburger at Nau's Enfield Drug

An old neighborhood pharmacy at the corner of Enfield and West Lynn, Nau's Enfield Drug Store probably hasn't changed much in the past fifty years. They offer service with a smile, they still sell crutches, magazines and perfumes. And they still have a soda fountain in the back that churns out sandwiches, ice cream delights and a few homemade desserts.

I enjoyed a cheeseburger for lunch one recent day. Regrettably I must admit that I was a bit disappointed with the food. But c'mon, it's hard not to be disappointed. The visual appeal of this anachronism, a real-life soda fountain something quite rare these days, is just so enchanting and filled with expectation. How can a little patty of grilled beef slapped on a bun with lettuce, tomato and a schmear of mustard compare with the nostalgia and charm of such a scene?

Still, the burger was decent. Sandwich, chips and water set me back less than five bucks. And when you include a free step back in time, I consider it a great value.

Brad & Conner

Brad & Conner

These closeup images of Bradley and Conner are arranged to fit a six-picture frame we bought at Target. Thought it was an interesting way to capture the two boys at their current ages.

Taco Deli

Taco Deli - Fish Taco & Al Pastor

Today I enjoyed another fine lunch at Taco Deli. I love this place and recommend it enthusiastically to anyone who asks. Though today's weather was cold, overcast and not conducive to outdoor dining, Taco Deli does have a nice outdoor seating area underneath handsome old Live Oak trees. The place is located just a stone's throw from a popular entrance to the Barton Crreek Greenbelt called Spyglass Trailhead. Those who travel by car can find it at the intersection of Barton Skyway and Spyglass Drive.

The indoor seating area is small and often crowded and the outdoor seating area is always crowded on fair weather days. But once your order is placed the food generally arrives quickly. Today I had my usual: one Fish Taco and one Al Pastor taco. The Fish Taco has a very generous serving of grilled catfish burried under a pile of red cabbage pico de gallo (red cabbage, red onion, tomato, cilantro). Yum! Light, healthy, cheap. What more could one ask for? The Al Pastor taco features chunks of pork marinated and cooked in Taco Deli's homemade Adobo sauce. It is always moist, tangy and delicious. Here's my favorite part: two tacos, glass of water with a wedge of lime, just six bucks.

Taco Deli
1500 Spyglass Drive
(512) 732-0303
Website: http://www.tacodeli.com

Freebirds World Burrito

FreeBird Burrito

Freebirds is a chain of about 15 or so fancy burrito joints. There's a location on South Congress at Riverside which is close to where I work, so I go there often for a cheap, quick and relatively healthy lunch. Pictured above and below is my usual dish: Freebird Steak Burrito with whole wheat tortilla, rice, white cheese, black beans, cilantro, red onion, lettuce, tomato, a splash of mild verde sauce and a healthy pinch of roasted garlic.

If you're going for lunch, be sure to order ahead by phone. If you're going during peak lunch times and you didn't order ahead, you might have to wait 10 to 15 minutes in line. That's no fun. But the burritos are tasty, healthy and at five and a half bucks, a really good value in my book. Oh, and be sure to say "hi" to the manager for me (pictured at left). He tried to stop me from taking a picture of the joint.

Freebirds World Burrito
515 S. Congress
Phone: 512-462-3512
Website: http://freebirds.com

Snow In Austin?!?

Snow and Ice on the Deck

This picture was taken from the sliding glass door looking onto the deck to the rear of our house. It was Wednesday, January 18th and everything was covered in ice and snow. That's right... snow in Austin. Most peculiar.

Sam

SamCam

Taken January 18, 2007. What a cutie!

Wahoo's Fish Tacos

Wahoo's Fish Burrito

I was thrilled to discover that Wahoo's Fish Tacos now has a location in Austin! I had come to know Wahoo's while I lived in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, and they'll be a very welcome addition to the taco and burrito scene in central Texas. On my first visit to the Austin location, I tried the Grilled Fish Burrito. Grilled fish, rice, black beans, grilled veggies, with an awesome hot green sauce on the side. I believe the cost was was about five and a half bucks. The Austin location has the same menu and the same in-store atmosphere as the Costa Mesa locations I'm familiar with. Highly recommended!

Wahoo's Fish Tacos
509-A Rio Grande
Phone: 512-476-3474

Penne Pasta with Pesto and Seafood

Dinner At Home

Made a nice dinner a few nights ago, thought it'd be worth describing here. The main dish consisted of Penne pasta drenched in a sundried tomato pesto sauce with mixed seafood (shrimp, calamari, oysters, clams, octopus and mussels).

The pesto sauce was made by TexaPesto, and I found it in the refrigerated pasta and specialty foods area at my local H-E-B store. They have three varieties of sauces, and the Sundried Tomato flavor is really great. I dumped a generous amount of freshly grated parmesean on the pasta and served it with a bottle of Pellegrino and a glass of AirBorne (hoping to avoid a cold!).