Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2009 > November > 16 > Entry
You may not know about The Carillon, but you should
Statesman restaurant critic Mike Sutter recently did a fabulous review of The Carillon (which you can read here), but I wanted to pile on some of my own praise.
If you aren’t familiar with the Josh Watkins-helmed restaurant in the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the University of Texas campus (that’s a mouthful), you are probably not alone. Until Sutter and I went there last month, I had only a foggy idea of the place, as we had written about it a year ago or so when it opened.
Located on University Avenue, the street that runs into the UT Tower from the south, The Carillon sits on the ground floor and would likely go unnoticed if you weren’t looking for it. The dining area of the restaurant is massive, with stone arches inscribed with philosophical quotes framing the lengthy room. The giant proportions can make you feel a little small in the restaurant, especially when it is empty, which has been the case on two of my three visits.
True to the vibe of being in a conference center-hotel, when empty, the restaurant can make you feel as if you have snuck into a closed resort, although there just so happens to be staff on hand to greet and serve you. It is kinda spooky in that regard, which can give off a slight feeling of having landed in “The Shining.”
But once the food comes, it is pure warmth and luxury. More than once now I have tried the hamachi crudo appetizer that comes topped with shaved celery, dried blueberries, hazelnuts and ponzu sauce. The toppings, which may sound numerous, do nothing to overwhelm the rich, buttery fish. It is probably one of my favorite appetizers in town. On my last visit, I also had the tuna tartare, which had tart, crunchy pieces of Granny Smith apple mixed in with the fish and came on a plate that had a rich balsamic reduction and some toasted/candied nuts. And, just to complete the seafood trifecta, I also sampled some of my girlfriend Marita’s pistachio-crusted scallop, the subtle flavor of which is kicked up with a rich, earthy chanterelle mushroom puree that is eye-rollingly good. Maybe I have a three-way tie for favorite apps in town now.
I can’t seem to stay away from the coffee-rubbed New York strip, which comes with delicious, chunky roasted parsnips, candied garlic chips and an in-house mesquite-smoked syrup. And I’ve also sampled the herb butter baked chicken breast from my guest’s plate on a couple of occasions. Not one wrong note on either of those two dishes, both of which Sutter writes about here.
The main reason for this post is to draw attention not just to the amazing food and good service, both of which have moved The Carillon into one of my Top 5 in town, but also to highlight what a great deal you can get there. For $38, you can get a three course meal. All of those courses are standard sizes, no small plates here, and they can be arranged as you like. For instance, I had two appetizers and an entrée, while Marita had an appetizer, entrée and a dessert, which we split. Add an $8 glass of wine for each of us, and the total before tip came out to just a hair under $100. To get an idea of the price, the strip is usually $36 on its own. How or why do they do it? I don’t know. But it’s unarguably the best non-happy-hour deal I’ve discovered in town.
(Note: The Carillon is open to the public for breakfast and dinner only, as lunch is reserved for UT faculty and staff.)
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.