Here's where I write stuff about lunch
Zocalo / Galaxy Cafe June 16, 2009
I told Brian that I wanted to go somewhere that had great dessert. It was one of those days. Despite that I don't care for the food so much at Zocalo Cafe, we decided to go there for their wonderful chocolate cheesecake. If you're familiar with the Lunch with Brian song, you'll remember... "At Zocalo the chocolate cheesecake's got a kick." The kick is because it's made with some kind of pepper.
We were the first customers of the day. I noticed some backless chairs just inside the door. They were like ceramic stumps with the tops molded such that they hug your butt. I sat in one and marveled at how comfortable it was. Brian brought me a menu, and my eyes went straight to the desserts. My heart skipped a beat when I didn't see chocolate cheesecake. I asked Brian, "Does 'Postres' mean dessert? Because I don't see the chocolate cheesecake on here." He didn't see it either.
One of us asked the guy behind the counter, and he said they didn't have it anymore. They replaced it with Flan. FLAN! I didn't know what to do. The chocolate cheesecake was the whole point of the visit!
So I told Brian I didn't want to eat there. In a show of protest, I raised myself up from the uncharacteristically comfy butt chair and walked out.
We didn't pull off the boycott as well as I'd have liked because we ended up down the street at Galaxy Cafe which is owned by the same people. But at least they have good food like fish wraps and sweet potato fries. They also have a decent chocolate torte. I made it known that I was not happy that Zocalo had dumped the chocolate cheesecake. The cashier said something like, "Oh yeah... they replaced it with flan." FLAN!!!! I let her know that I'd written a song about that cheesecake. She just laughed at me, though.
I'm going to miss that chocolate cheesecake.
Sine Die at the Capitol Grill June 1, 2009
"Sine Die" isn't the cry of a trigonometry hater. It's Latin for "without day" and signals the final day of a legislative session. Brian and I went to the Capitol Grill for some lunch in hopes of seeing what legislative craziness goes on in the cafeteria on the last day.
First, we came upon some legislators apparently waiting for a committee room to free up.
As we headed for the grill, we saw someone delivering Central Market catering going the other way. Then we saw someone delivering flowers. The last day celebrations were beginning.
At the grill, we found the special of the day was all-you-can-eat catfish. That was a little disconcerting because it was Monday, and catfish is usually Friday fare (because of Catholicism and all).
There are several food stations at the grill. The first is cafeteria style where you choose an entree and veggies. They also have Tex-Mex, Grill, Deli Sandwich and Salad Bar stations.
Brian went to the Tex-Mex station for a burrito and the Salad Bar station for a salad, of course. Salad is priced by the size of the dish, so Brian got a salad that was mostly egg and turkey. His burrito made him exclaim, "Mmmmm, this tastes like Mexico."
I went to the Grill station to ask if they would make me an off-menu item, Tuna Melt. They did, and I told Brian, "Mmmmm, this tastes like Atlantis."
While getting his food, Brian overheard some young staffers say they needed to eat real well when the Chik-Fil-A meal was delivered so they could drink a lot that night.
We also overheard some guys talking about the crisis of the day. A key piece of legislation that would allow several agencies to continue operating was getting held up, and there was a real possibility it wouldn't get passed before the end of the day. So these guys were talking about how the agencies could just start to dismantle themselves slowly, and then put themselves back together again when the next legislative session rolls around.
Then we got the inside scoop from The Lone Star Report's Mark Lavergne. Brian went to school with him.
On the way back to work, we passed a couple of 20-something people with a dollie. Another young person asked where they were going, and they said to the ATM. I don't know whether they were going to steal it or just get a lot of money out of it.
Stubb's Bar-B-Q May 27, 2009
The last restaurant we visited on our Red River District tour was Stubb's Bar-B-Q. Stubb's is both a restaurant and a concert venue. They have an indoor stage and an outdoor stage. I've seen The Refreshments and Dog's Eye View on the indoor stage. I've seen 30 Odd Foot of Grunts (Russell Crowe's band) and Polyphonic Spree on the outdoor stage. Brian couldn't remember if he'd ever seen a band play there. Here's a look at the indoor stage:
Here's a guy with with his head on a buffalo's snout:
Neither of us had eaten in the restaurant, and on the way over there, Brian said he thought they had Chicken Fried Chicken which I always think is funny because the name comes from Chicken Fried Steak which means steak fried like chicken. But Chicken Fried Chicken is chicken fried like chicken fried steak, so I think they should call it Chicken Fried Steak Chicken. All that was moot, though, because they didn't have it on the menu.
The special of the day was Pulled Pork Tacos. I paid extra to get Onion Rings as the side dish. The cashier assured me they were worth the extra $1. When Brian ordered the same as me, I thought we weren't managing our risk very well. If we ordered different things, and one of us didn't like what we got, we could always steal food off the other person's plate. But if we both didn't like the Pulled Pork Tacos and Onion Rings, we were out of luck.
I thought the tacos were okay, but not outstanding. Neither of us was impressed with the onion rings.
I saw on the board that yesterday's special of the day was Apple and Chorizo Stuffed Pork Loin. I asked Brian what Chorizo was, and he said sausage. Mmmm... pork stuffed pork.
The music overhead was "Don't Rock the Jukebox." Brian said that if Hell was a bar, it would be a country bar that plays this song over and over.
Jaime's Spanish Village May 21, 2009
Still focusing on Red River District restaurants in downtown Austin, Brian and I headed to my car for a visit to Jaime's Spanish Village. The elevator in the parking garage at work smelled like licorice which wasn't bad but made us wonder what happened that made it smell like that. Maybe some kind of licorice extract spill or a fennel fiasco.
At Jaime's, we parked right out front at a meter and for the second lunch trip in a row, the meter didn't steal one of our quarters.
According to Jaime's Web site, they've been serving food since 1931. On the way in, we saw a sign that lead us to believe they'd lost their liquor license. We wondered why, but we weren't going there to get boozed up, so we weren't bothered.
Inside the restaurant, the ceiling was low, and it was dark until they turned on one of the neon beer signs. Then it was dark with a red/orange glow. The menus were both hard to close and hard to keep open, permanently bent at that perfect angle a choir member holds the music folder during a performance. Because it was dark, I found myself trying to read the menu as if I had bifocals. Tilting my head up, but looking down. This was even more odd by the fact that I don't wear glasses at all.
We didn't order an appetizer, but noticed the half orders seemed pretty high priced and wondered how they define "half." For example, the full order of Beef, Beans & Cheese Nachos was $8.95, and the half order was $7.75. Maybe most of the cost is in the labor?
Madonna was on the radio singing about a holiday. Then Rod Stewart was singing about a reason to believe. We think it was the hit parade that is Austin's Magic 95 radio. There weren't any people there at first, so I tried to annoy Brian by singing loudly with America's "Sister Golden Hair," but Brian's pretty hard to annoy or hides his annoyance well. I kept singing loudly when other people came in, but not for long because I grew bored with being obnoxious.
The chips and salsa were good. They were both warm. Brian ordered the special of the day, Quesadillas Supremas Beef. I ordered the Chicken Enchiladas. I also ordered some flour tortillas and butter, but it took a couple of requests to get the butter. The butter turned out to be liquid butter in a squirter. It reminded me of the time I went to a Mexican restaurant in Texarkana, and they served something pale orange in a squirter. I thought it was queso and ate some on a chip, but it turned out to be thousand island dressing. Not so good on a chip.
Elton John came on the radio singing "Tiny Dancer," so I sang along some more. I checked to see if they had free wi-fi and was pleased that they did.
The longer we were there, the less impressed we were. We were held hostage waiting for the bill and then our credit card receipts while listening to Bruce Hornsby sing "That's Just The Way It Is."
I think it was one of those times when we were glad we went, but really don't have to ever go back. Brian called it "Tex-Mex for those who don't know better."
Moonshine May 18, 2009
Brian and I decided to try some of the restaurants on Red River in downtown Austin. Moonshine was our first. It's in an old brick building like many you see around the warehouse district.
We parked a couple blocks away and are happy to report the parking meter didn't cheat us out of any quarters this time. We had to cross over the new train track that's supposed to bring people from north Austin to downtown, but there seems to be some trouble with it like cost overruns or something. We didn't see any trains.
At Moonshine, they brought us a bucket of spicy popcorn and water in Mason jars. The menu has some interesting items like beer battered asparagus and buffalo meatloaf. I ordered the pork tenderloin with griddled polenta. Brian ordered the broiled rainbow trout with baked macaroni.
The pork tenderloin was topped with pineapple and green chile salsa. I thought I might get the hiccups because that's what happens sometimes when I eat pork. They must have done something special, though, because I didn't get the hiccups. It could have been the garnish of pineapple and green chile salsa that helped.
Brian's trout was topped with cornbread dressing and chile sage butter. At first, I declined his offer to take a bite, but I'm glad I changed my mind. Wow... it was yummy. I ordered it for myself on a subsequent visit without Brian, and I declare it my favorite dish there so far.
Both meals came with carrots and zucchini. Brian and I negotiated a deal where I gave him my carrots, and he gave me his zucchini.
The griddled polenta was okay. It's more fun to say than it is to eat. The baked macaroni wasn't very good at first, but Brian said it grew on him.
Every single thing on the dessert menu sounded good. I ordered the peanut butter mousse pie with Oreo cookie crust. It was $7.00, and Brian and I agreed it was a dessert that was actually worth $7.00. It was HUGE! And TASTY! It had chunks of peanut butter cups in it and was drizzled with fudge and caramel syrups. We both attacked it with spoons and finished it more than satisfied.
Moonshine is definitely on its way to becoming a Lunch with Brian All Star... if we ever get around to actually compiling the list.
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