XL Food & Drink: The Main Course

Best of Food & Drink 2006: Revival was on the menu

By Dale Rice
Thursday, December 28, 2006

Finally, things have turned around for the area restaurant business. After several stagnant or slow-growth years, 2006 proved to be the year of revival in Austin.

In fact, there was a virtual restaurant boom downtown, with the new Lambert's barbecue joint across from City Hall and the Woodland on South Congress Avenue making their debuts the week before Christmas, adding even more luster to a vibrant dining scene.

Other late-year openings included Cibo, the Congress Avenue Italian eatery of chef Will Packwood; Bess, the West Sixth Street bistro launched by actress Sandra Bullock; and III Forks across from City Hall, the second location for the famed Dallas steakhouse.

They joined a 2006 lineup that included El Gringo on Manor Road, Blue Star Cafeteria on Burnet Road, Mangieri's Pizza Cafe on West Slaughter Lane, Jezebel on Congress Avenue, Rio Grande on East Second Street, Ms. B's on East 11th Street, Phil's Icehouse on Burnet Road and Cantina Laredo on West Third Street.

And judging by the response to an item in my blog, Dale's Table, one of the most exciting restaurant events was this month's opening of Austin's first Steak 'n Shake at 9300 S. Interstate 35 (Slaughter Lane exit).

However, all those new spots do not mean everything came up roses for local restaurateurs.

Houlihan's closed, filing for bankruptcy in November after six months in business. My favorite enchilada place, Las Palmas on East Seventh Street, shut down, the victim of a family dispute.

Although I still long for another plate of chicken enchiladas with avocado sauce, 2006 was a stellar year for the restaurant table.

Exceptional fare ranged from down-home items such as the lemon meringue pie at Elgin's City Cafe to ultra-sophisticated dishes such as the seafood carpaccio at Uchi.

Here are my Top 10 favorites from 2006, from the hundreds of dishes I consumed during restaurant reviews:

1. The rich and exquisite risotto of Maine lobster, summer peas and chanterelle mushrooms at Hudson's on the Bend (3509 RM 620 N., 266-1369).

2. The lavender and white chocolate cheesecake, light and luscious with specks of the herb, from Cedar Grove Steakhouse (9595 RM 12, Wimberley; 512-847-3113).

3. The seafood carpaccio of seared escolar served with tangerine-infused olive oil, sanbai zu sauce, tangerines and micro-greens, at Uchi (801 S. Lamar Blvd., 916-4808).

4. The lemon meringue pie with tall peaks of meringue over a puckeringly tart filling at City Cafe (19 N. Main St., Elgin; 512-281-3663).

5. The Kobe beef tartar, made with raw beef accented with anchovies and capers, at the Cafe at the Four Seasons (98 San Jacinto Blvd., 685-8300).

6. The coq au vin, with its fall-off-the-bone-tender chicken and wine-soaked mushrooms over housemade spaetzle, at Fino (2905 San Gabriel St., 474-2905).

7. The dulce de leche crèpes, sweet pancakes filled with caramel mousse, at Buenos Aires Cafe (2414 S. First St., 441-9000).

8. The huitlacoche empanadas, homemade masa pockets filled with the "exotic corn truffle," at Sazón (1816 S. Lamar Blvd., 326-4395).

9. The Greek salad of greens, tomatoes, cucumber, basil, olives, chick peas, onions and feta at Jo's Hot Coffee and Good Food (242 W. Second St., 469-9003).

10. The homemade pickled vegetables — a mix that includes green tomatoes — from the Romanian restaurant Drakula (8120 Research Blvd., Suite 104b, 374-9291).

drice@statesman.com; 445-3859