by Solomon W. on Austin keeps spitting out these "hip" 20's house restaurants that are totally fit for foodies. All of them have the exact same menu: American with French and Italian concepts. They all have trendy but vintage decor. They all have well-dressed servers and loud, fun-loving clientele. Food-wise, very fairly priced dishes, locally sourced ingredients, and tasty twists on classic dishes round out the experience. There is BOUND to be a bad one of these joints sometime in Austin... ESSR is not one of them. My friend and I started with the house-made charcuterie and the shrimp n' grits. We then moved onto the oxtail stew and lamb and goat burger. All were very pleasing. Charcuterie: Rabbit pate was sweet and paired well with spicy mustard. Rabbit liver mousse nice and light. Lamb rilette was gamey and flavorful. Beef tongue was bland and chewy. Shrimp n' grits: 5 large shrimp, a tad overcooked on the grill, but still tasty. AWESOME grits. Laced with curry, they were extremely spicy for grits, but definitely delicious. I also liked the random lumps of grits mixed in by accident. Very unique take on a southern dish. Oxtail stew: Rustic roasted veggies with a few hunks of moist beef. The sauce/stew itself had a huge depth of flavor and had that slow-cooked, complex taste. The gnocchi were pretty good, and some had a nice crisp to them. A bit skimpy on the meat, though. Lamb burger: Very good pairing of flavors with spicy mustard and sweet roasted onions. Fresh, sweet brioche held up nicely, but the patty was a bit overcooked and small. On the side was a delicious, light coleslaw and perfectly mashed, rich sweet potatoes. Overall, there were some very minor mishaps with the great food, but at roughly $12 a plate, you really can't complain... Get a little sampling of everything, you're bound to find something tasty and unique.
by Christinia Geibig on Mexican village is BY FAR the best mexican restaurant this side of the LA river!!! Come for the food and stay for the wonderful service and drinks. The service here is superb, and for a YUMMY vegetarian dish, try the veggie fajitas, they are THE BEST hands down. This is a family run buisness and you can really tell, when I go there I feel like I am visiting my Tia. And I always know the food is great because it looks and tastes like something my mommy would cook!! Bon apetite!
