First Impressions: Red's Porch

3508 S. Lamar Blvd. 440-7337, www.redsporch.com. Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight daily, until 1 a.m. Saturdays.

When the hot dog trailer next door is more visible from South Lamar Boulevard than your place, you have to work harder. That explains the red, white and faded blue sign the size of a drive-in movie marquee proclaiming Red's Porch, which opened in late November.

Red's is hidden behind the Citibank building, where it captures a sweeping view of the Barton Creek Greenbelt from a covered second-story patio and two more patios on ground level. The tiered design, with brown and green wood slats and wire screens, suggests an urban chicken coop. Inside, it's all fun and board games on the walls, with TVs here and there and a mix of white tablecloths and fat lacquered wood. The effect is both contemporary and vintage.

The sprawling menu touches on all three corners of the South Austin canon — burgers, Tex-mex and chicken-fried steak — but saves room for exotics such as gumbo, po' boy sandwiches and New Orleans chocolate bread pudding.

The Smokey Goat Burger ($9.95) is a double-handed, half-pound monster with crumbly goat cheese, dense bacon and fried onion strings. From a choice of whole wheat, sourdough or jalapeño buns, we ran with the last one. It was dense, fresh and slightly sweet, and the peppers aren't in there just for show. Here's what sold us on Red's early prospects, though: The burger price includes fries, but you can sub for one of the other sides — among them Southern green beans, creamed spinach and red potato salad. We picked macaroni and cheese, so for $10, we got that burger plus a big baking dish of creamy mac with a toasted cheese top. You could split that dish between two people, and each of you can get a bottle of the best ginger ale I've ever tasted from Maine Root.

Instead of an unidentifiable, tenderized piece of beef, Red's Porch uses rib-eye in its chicken-fried steak ($10.95), and from the first bite, you'll notice an improved texture and flavor in this Texas staple. With a well-seasoned, crispy crust, this chicken-fried steak outshined the bleu cheese and horseradish-laced smashed potatoes and even the gravy.

In addition to gumbo, Red's Porch offers a smoked chicken corn chowder that at $6.25 for a bowl is one of the cheapest and most delicious ways to fill up on a cold wintry day.

Even nonvegetarians will flock to the Veggie Veggie Enchiladas ($8.50), topped with an arbol cream sauce that doesn't overwhelm the perfectly grilled vegetable medley inside the tortillas.

With almost as many cocktails as beers on tap, Red's is a drink-lovers' paradise. You'll recognize plenty of local companies on the drinks list, and the cocktails are heavy on the classics, such as the Dark 'n Stormy, mint julep and salty dog, plus margaritas as well as a red and white sangrias.

For dessert, the fried Snickers are fun, but not nearly as tasty as the banana pudding or Derby Kahlua Pie.

'Red' could be short for 'redneck' here, and that vibe feels a little forced. But with modest prices and a bountiful bar, this South Austin playground from North by Northwest's Davis Tucker shows potential to rise above the artifice. And Chris' Little Chicago next door will be glad to know there aren't any hot dogs on the menu.

— Mike Sutter and Addie Broyles