Here's where I write stuff about lunch
Frank July 27, 2010
Brian and I went to Frank for a decadent lunch. A lady was blocking the front door, talking to a guy about his two Basenji dogs. She looked right at us trying to get in, but continued to block the door. Then one of the dogs tried to eat her child, and she cleared a path. Good dog.
We were seated at one of the small tables which is a challenge because the food we like is usually served in several containers. The sun was shining directly on our table through the skylight making it the brightest table in the room. Brian said it was the brightest table in the room both in intelligence and light. Not long after, Carly Simon sang "You're so Vain" from the the overhead speakers.
Speaking of "You're so Vain," I think "I bet you think this song is about you" is high on the cleverest lyrics list. Brian thinks "So your horse naturally won" from the same song is also clever since Warren Beatty's horse was named "Naturally." Oh, that Carly Simon.
There was a guy with a Beer Police t-shirt. It said "You have the right to remain silent while I drink your beer." Another guy had an Oklahoma t-shirt on. He had a high pitched laugh that sounded like a girl.
We ordered cheese fries (waffle fries with cheese, bacon, chives and sour cream) as an appetizer. Brian ordered a chicken fried dog (deep fried, battered hot dog with sausage gravy). I ordered a chili cheese dog (pretty self-explanatory) and chocolate covered bacon. The waitress asked if I wanted all the food to come out together, and I requested that the cheese fries come first and the rest come out together. As lunch played out, though, the cheese fries arrived last. We decided it's probably a good idea to order in waves there to ensure food comes out in the correct order.
Brian asked for extra sour cream for the cheese fries because they were a little stingy with that. They were also stingy with the bacon and chives, but we let that go.
Overall, lunch was good, and the tea refill service was perfect. From our table, I had a view of the tallest residential tower west of the Mississippi and Brian had a view of two waiters in jorts. Brian said one of the waiters' jorts were more tasteful than those on the jorts web site.
Food Heads April 27, 2010
Brian and I headed for lunch thinking we would eat light. I was snacking on food all morning because my section was having food day to celebrate birthdays and retirees, and Brian had eaten some leftover quesadillas from lunch yesterday.
Since we weren't very hungry, neither of us had a natural craving for anything, so we just started driving to see where we would end up.
Heading north on The Drag, Brian suggested Drungo's Ice House near the UT campus. We found a deserted building and a sign that said it will reopen as a place called Jax. Poop.
On the road again, we found ourselves at Food Heads for sandwiches. I ordered the sirloin chimichurri torta, and Brian ordered the roast beef and brie on a baguette. Both sandwiches were tasty. Brian's came with thinly sliced pickles on the side. He approved. I forgot to ask for the potato salad that I like so much, but still enjoyed the cole slaw.
While we ate, Brian thumbed through a Cook's Illustrated magazine. I looked at the pictures. Some of the pictures showed what perfectly whipped egg whites and chocolate mousse look like. My favorite illustration showed how to repair a cracked cheesecake with a ribbon and a binder clip. Chef McGuyver would be proud.
On the way back to the office, I spotted a yard sign posted for a roommate. I doubt it will be effective, though, because it was painted on cardboard with dripping red paint that looked like blood. Ewwww.
Perry's Steakhouse April 15, 2010
Brian and I went to Perry's to meet Totes McGoat creator, Sarah, and Brian's brother, Hunt, for Fancy Friday. We were 10 minutes early and waited outside for the others. When Sarah arrived, Brian asked the hostess if we could go ahead and be seated because he thought Hunt might arrive late. The hostess said yes, but then she answered the phone. Brian had to start over when she got off the phone.
Another staff member took us upstairs to our table. Brian said something to her as she seated us, and she replied, but her reply didn't make any sense. When Brian asked for clarification, she indicated that she wasn't talking to him, but was talking to someone else through a wireless device she was wearing. Luckily, our waiter didn't have a communication device, so the rest of the visit was interruption free.
On our previous visit, we asked for information about their menu item, Chicken Rikki. The waitress said it was chicken with rikki sauce, but couldn't give us more details without asking the chef, but then never got back to us. Brian's curiosity was piqued, so he ordered it this time. Sarah and I like to call it Chicken Rikki Tikki Tavi, but Brian likes to call it Chicken Rikki Don't Lose That Number. He was hoping it would have a hidden slip of paper in it with Donald Fagan's phone number. It didn't.
Sarah and I ordered the lunch pork chop with extra sides of fried asparagus, and macaroni and cheese.
We had a place set for Hunt, but he sent a message to say he was in a meeting that was running late and couldn't make it. Who schedules a meeting so close to lunch time, anyway?
We missed Hunt, but enjoyed listening to Sarah talk about her recent trip to San Antonio when she stayed at El Tropicano Hotel where they have toucans named Ricky and Lucy.
They brought our food, and I noticed they were carving one of the pork chops. They'd never done that before, and I was resisting change that day, so I asked if they would leave my pork chop intact. Sarah was okay with having hers carved, so it worked out well.
The Rikki sauce on Brian's chicken was tasty, and the dish was garnished with onion rings. Brian said they were so light, that it was like eating crunchy, onion flavored air.
The chops were delicious as usual, and both extra sides were keepers. The waiters didn't explain the anatomy of the pork chop like they usually do, but that's okay because Hunt created the following diagram to help.
Frank April 1, 2010
Brian and I picked up our friend Sarah and headed to Frank. It's in a building on Colorado close to 4th Street that seems cursed. Many restaurants and bars have opened and closed there. It still has a sparkly star on the roof from when it was The Starlight.
If someone asked "What kind of food does Frank serve?", one might answer "fancy hot dogs." But that doesn't adequately describe a menu that includes hummus, portobello cheesesteak and chilled pasta salad. It's difficult to boil Frank down with a few words.
Frank dedicates a section of the menu to waffle fries. Sarah ordered the Canadian waffle poutine as an appetizer to share. That's waffle fries with cheese curds and brown gravy. Brian asked for an extra bowl of gravy. After a mouthful of waffle fries and cheese curds, Brian droned, "Mmmmmm... cheesy business."
For those keeping track, my fork was not flat today, but Sarah's knife had some leftovers from a previous meal. Public service announcement: Always check your utensils for leftovers.
Sarah and I ordered simple chili cheese dogs, and Brian ordered a more complex Carolina Pork It. Brian's dog was 100% Vienna beef stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep fried, topped with grilled coleslaw and house made green chile pimento cheese. He said the cole slaw made it challenging to eat. Sarah described it as trying to fit an octopus into a pet carrier.
For dessert, Brian and Sarah shared bananas foster and chocolate covered bacon, and I had a slice of chocolate covered bacon. Everything was delicious, and Sarah got her daily requirement of potassium. At one point, Brian was eating the bananas foster sauce like soup.
We didn't try the Whoopie Pie (sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between two mounds of housemade chocolate cake), but we wondered if it made a farting noise when sat upon. An experiment for another day.
We enjoyed our lunch, and it's always wonderful to visit with Sarah. Brian and I encourage you to visit Sarah's site, That's a Girl's Car to see her hand drawn comic strip "Totes McGoat," a crime-fighting hipster hero.
Lunch with Brian at Frank sponsored by Sarah and her $20 groupon. Thank you, Sarah!
Chuy's March 31, 2010
Brian and I had never been to Chuy's together, and our past experiences apart left us thinking it might not be great. We decided to give them another chance. One issue with Chuy's is that it's usually crowded with a line out the door and no parking. Our early lunch time (10 to 11:00) helped with that. We found plenty of parking and not too many people in the restaurant.
Another typical problem with Chuy's is that it's so darn loud. Entering by the back door, we had to walk through the front room where we observed a collection of mommas and babies that threatened to make our visit today quite loud. But the host walked us to the back room which never reached the decibal level of past visits, even after the tables filled up.
Elton John proclaimed that Saturday night is alright for fighting as Travis, our waiter, brought us chips and salsa. I asked for a small bowl of creamy jalapeno sauce as an alternative to the salsa. It's like ranch dressing with finely chopped jalapenos. Brian said Chuy's has chips and salsa down.
Chuy's has a fascination with Elvis, yet I couldn't find anything with peanut butter on the menu. Then again, peanut butter doesn't really go with Tex Mex. That would make it Thai Mex and that takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Ba doomp boomp.
The special of the day was Green Chili Chicken Taquitos. I ordered that and Brian ordered the Appetizer Plate with nachos, queso, taquitos and quesadillas. His was only a dollar more than mine, and he seemed to have more substantial food than my taquitos with sides of beans and rice. That's okay, though; my dish filled me up nicely.
My fork was almost flattened which was odd because the fork I got at Polvo's the day before was almost flattened, too. Will I get a flattened fork on our lunch outing at Frank tomorrow? Check back.
Travis was a great waiter, and even offered to split the check for us. We were impressed with the food, service and noise level this trip and will likely go back another day.
Begging Endorsements
We are not above accepting free meals and yacking about our experience. If you'd like us to visit your restaurant, contact us.
