When in Austin

It's been 2 days since I made my way back from what I will refer to as my gorgefest in Austin, and I am looking back at the trip and thinking of that song "Deep in the heart of Texas." I would definitely say that some stars are in fact big, bold, and bright. And then you might also encounter a few that are just lack luster...Deep in the heart of, in this case, Austin Texas.

It was my first visit to Austin so typical of most recreational and obsessive eaters, I did plenty of homework ahead of time. Probing past visitors, interrogating coworkers, reading every restaurant write up on the city possible. What I came up with was pretty much the most unachievable, unrealistic laundry list of 20 plus places to indulge between Downtown, SoCo, and South Austin. All seemed amazing, and I was determined to somehow eat my way through all  of them within my 2 days in Austin.

Long story short, myself and 2 girlfriends made it to about 10 places, not all of which were even on my list. Some stops were intentional and then a few just popped up along the way by convenience, location and sheer hunger pangs. For those of you first-timers like myself who are looking to make the most of your limited time and more importantly, your taste buds while in Austin, here are some memorable spots that stand out as shining stars that I would recommend, as well as those that just don't meet the hype and that you should keep on the back burner.

La Barbecue and Uchi have full reviews. Click on the name of the restaurant to read more.

STARS

BBQ: 
La Barbecue, South Austin
http://labarbecue.com/
- A BBQ trailer with loads of options and southern hospitality. Bring yourself, bring the friends, bring the family.You can get down and dirty. Get there early before things start selling out.

Sushi/Japanese: 
Uchi, South Austin
http://www.uchiaustin.com/
- Fresh fish and contemporary hot and cold dishes with clean flavors. Presented beautifully and executed well. Quaint, casual, but sophisticated air. A great place for a cute date night, or a girls/guys night. Getting resos can be tricky and waits are long. Make your reso way in advance (Meaning, at least a month in advance to get a decent time slot.)

Cocktails/Wine Bar: 
Peche, Downtown Warehouse District
http://www.pecheaustin.com
- Peche is more of a restaurant than a bar, but with a long bar that stretches down the length of the restaurant, you're likely to find yourself a seat, or three. 2 walls are fully lined with every liquor and spirit imaginable. Choose from creative cocktail concoctions, classic cocktails, and interesting wines. The drinks are slightly on the pricier side, but to find this euro bistro style, calm haven in the middle of the downtown chaos makes it worthwhile. I didn't eat, but I did find myself salivating over the mussels that were cleverly adorned with pieces of bone marrow that the gentleman next to me were slurping down. They have friendly bartenders, good music, and a great vibe. A great breath of fresh air. And next time I'm getting those mussels.

Bar:
Lustre Pearl, Rainey Street
http://lustrepearlaustin.com/
-One of the many old rustic bungalow turned bars on Rainey street, and this one is pretty charming with their rocking chairs out on the front porch and just enough back yard seating to make it a party. Honestly, you will feel like you are in a college bar when you cram your way through the crowd to order a drink, but what you'll find is actually a good mix of young and mostly older, mid 30's crowd, which is pretty typical of Rainey street. This is a laid back local bar good for conversation under the string lights and stars, and if you can't make or find good conversation, you can at least stare at (or talk about) one of the many people trying to hula hoop with beer in hand. Do yourself a favor though while you are there, and don't try to order anything fancy or you will end up with a disaster. Stick to beers, and your standard mixed drinks. Oh, and the best (smartest) thing about Lustre Pearl is that there is a taco food truck parked out back for the late night munchies.


BURN OUTS

Trendy/American:
Second Bar + Kitchen, Downtown Warehouse District
http://congressaustin.com
- A pretty large menu incorporating the typical fad ingredients and dishes. The food is approachable, but unfortunately execution and some logic seem to be lacking (I'll just leave you with this hint: warm avocado). The space is bright and light-hearted; feels like somewhere you would go for a casual work lunch. And if it was a work lunch, you may find that the table service may not be too impressive. But hey, if you don't like being checked on and you don't mind your your glass being empty, then maybe this could be your next lunch spot.

Trendy/American:
Swifts Attic, Downtown Warehouse District
http://www.swiftsattic.com/
- It may take a minute to find, but as the name suggests it's located upstairs in the old swift's building. You walk up to a buzzing restaurant with great energy, and the decor and the atmosphere are well thought out. It's dim, it's hip, the cocktail program is adventurous. The menu will intrigue and it will definitely speak to the "foodie" crowds. But don't come here if you are starving, because the menu just won't sing to you and the portions are so small it's almost offensive. Actually, it is offensive. Oh, and hopefully someone will tell the guy at the front to smile a little (and if he was a manager, shame on him.)

Seafood:
Perla's, SoCo
http://perlasaustin.com/
- Trust me you are going to end up at this restaurant if you spend a day in SoCo. I will guarantee it. Not just because it happens to be one of the only nicer dining establishments that you will come across in SoCo, but because their large, tree-shaded patio will call your name for a cold drink on a sunny day in Austin. Have a drink but beyond that, there's not much to see here. Specializing as a seafood and oyster bar, the menu is standard and safe, and the dishes are mediocre but enough to pass the "I'm satisfied" meal test. But when the check comes you may just find yourself feeling rather disappointed. For example, as an oyster lover a half dozen is hard to pass up, but at over $3 a pop, next time I'll save my oyster cravings (and money) for better and for more back in California.

American:
Banger's Sausage House, Rainey Street
http://bangersaustin.com/
- Let me tell you now that this is the only sit down restaurant you will find on all of Rainey Street, and the wait will likely be somewhere from 30 minutes to an hour long. With that said, it's not a shabby choice as you can enjoy one of the many beers they offer at the bar while you wait, and eventually you will get to sit inside or outside in a fun, communal seating environment and take in the Austin scene. You will also have the pleasure of perusing Austin's largest selection of sausages. All of Banger's sausages are made in-house and their selection includes traditionals like Bratwurst, Bockwurst, and Andouille as well as exotics and specialties such as Alligator Boudin, Duck Bacon and Fig, South Texas Antelope and Merguez, and even vegetarian sausages such as Beet and Goat Cheese. Everything comes out on butcher paper on a tray, which is a fun presentation, although slightly uneventful when the dish comes out taking up only 1/16 of the tray. Starting off with fried pickles and cheese curds, I found the batter to be heavy feeling and greasy on the palate. Of the two, I was beyond disappointed by the cheese curds, which resembled frozen fried mozzarella sticks from a drive through or late night greasy pub food. I am sad to say it didn't get much better from there.The Bockwurst lacked interest in texture and flavor, and the bread was the farthest thing from being pretzel- like. The dough wasn't chewy at all, just dense and bready. The BBQ Shrimp was also quite a failure. It was like a once frozen and then defrosted, microwaved culinary experiment gone array. The texture was completely off-putting: mushy, mealy and lacking all of that crunchy bounce and consistency that shrimp sausage should have. To top it off, it was paired with grits of  a similar consistency which I found to be thick, pasty, and could have passed as wall spackle. The overall combination was just texturally unsound. There is a however a light at the end of this tunnel and not all is lost here. Banger's has an impressive beer selection of over 100 local, domestic, and imported microbrewed beers on tap and by bottle, and the taps are displayed on the wall in a heavenly fashion behind the bar. They offer daily rotating beers as well. You will find the bartenders to be kind, knowledgeable and helpful with making choices so if are into your beer, it's highly worth the visit.