2006 XL Dining Guide

The Top Ten

With elegance, service and creativity, these 10 restaurants distinguish themselves

By Dale Rice
AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT CRITIC
Friday, November 03, 2006

1: Hudson's on the Bend
3509 RM 620 N. 266-1369.

An exuberant showcase for game and Southwestern flavors, Hudson's on the Bend has reclaimed the throne it held several years ago as the top restaurant in Central Texas. Chef-owner Jeff Blank and Executive Chef Robert Rhoades have an uncanny ability to combine excitement and sophistication in each dish.

The complimentary amuse bouche, for example, brought basil-mojito shaved ice topped with a blackened shrimp — in a stemless martini glass held in a bowl of dry ice that emitted wisps of vapor around the edges.

And the dinner only got better. The risotto of Maine lobster, summer peas and chanterelles was exquisite. Made with lobster stock and lobster bisque, it was rich and luscious, the best risotto I've ever eaten.

The venison rack underscored what Hudson's is all about: game taken to perfection. The two grilled, medium-rare chops were crowned with butter-poached lobster, garnished tableside with a peach beurre blanc sauce and accompanied by grilled peach halves drizzled with habanero honey and holding dollops of Pure Luck Dairy goat cheese.

The Grand Marnier cheesecake represented new heights in desserts for Hudson's, with a mousselike cheesecake sandwiched between a chocolate crust and a thick top layer of dark chocolate ganache. A heavenly finish, it was served with a Grand Marnier reduction sauce and three tangelo segments cloaked in dark chocolate.

Service, another area of improvement, was as outstanding as the food, with a waiter who knew the fare so well that he even suggested what ingredients belonged on the fork together to form a single bite.

Finally, Blank continues to re-invest in his restaurant near Lake Travis, buying new plates and silverware earlier this year, with new stemware on the way. His commitment to an extraordinary dining experience is strong and deep, and with Rhoades at his side, it shows in every dish.

2: Driskill Grill
604 Brazos St. 391-7162.

The Driskill Grill, edged out by the barest of smidgens for this year's top spot, produces captivating dishes with a confluence of flavor, texture and artistic presentation that emphasizes just how good dining in Austin has become in recent years.

Executive Chef David Bull and his chef de cuisine Josh Watkins turn out exquisite fare, such as a white asparagus and arugula salad. To create each of five bundles, a small asparagus spear was paired with a stick of Manchego cheese and rolled inside a fresh, white Spanish anchovy, with three of the bundles resting on a micro arugula salad and two presented with marinated spring onions.

In one of the sparkling entrees, African saltwater prawns joined grilled chorizo, charred tomatoes and micro coriander on a plate with a tomato-chorizo sauce and a buttery corn purée — alluringly combining sugar, smoke and spice.

For dessert, a strawberry-chocolate tasting — the work of pastry chef Mark Chapman — brought a small chocolate crunch bar, a chilled strawberry soup, a warm chocolate-lavender soup and a tiny crust filled with cheese fondue and topped with chopped strawberries in balsamic vinegar.

The sedate and historic setting of the Victorian-era Driskill Hotel provides a classy backdrop to the food, now priced at $65 for three courses, a move Bull instituted this year to encourage guests to have the full dinner experience. Although they can purchase any item à la carte, diners should revel in a multicourse experience. It will be memorable.

3: Aquarelle
606 Rio Grande St. 479-8117.

This small French restaurant, which has ranked among the city's top five for several years, brings extra touches to the table that are unsurpassed by any other establishment in the city.

The meal begins with an amuse bouche, the first of four complimentary courses that set the tone. In this case, an ordinary vegetable — zucchini — was transformed into a gastronomic delight — a nugget of zucchini mousse — garnished with tomato and basil oil.

It is the perfect example of the sophisticated, classic, uncontrived French cuisine that is the essence of the cooking of co-owners and chefs Robert Brady and Teresa Wilson.

Wilson and Brady finesse the dinner in other ways beyond the starter. Before the main course, they serve a chilled melon soup with spearmint in a demitasse to cleanse the palate and heighten the enjoyment of the entree.

After the entrees, Wilson and Brady serve a sorbet as another palate refresher before dessert. The sorbet's flavors change frequently based on seasonal freshness.

Finally, after dessert, the Aquarelle team wraps up with the mignardise, a plate of little sweets. It might include two sand tarts the size of a fingertip, two butter cookies half-dipped in dark chocolate, two bits of candied ginger and two sugar-coated mint leaves.

All that comes on top of outstanding menu items and service that emphasizes attention to detail and professional-level explanations of ingredients and cooking techniques. With its romantic, charming setting, Aquarelle delivers far more than diners expect.

4: Uchi
801 S. Lamar Blvd. 916-4808.

All parts of what began as a stellar sushi bar are now equal, with Uchi achieving a balance that few restaurants attain. The result is an evening of enchantment, with imagination, artistry and deft execution of the fare and service to match.

A selection such as the seafood carpaccio sets the bar high. Made this night with escolar (it's usually made with madai, a black snapper from Tokyo), the carpaccio was seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and garlic and lightly seared with a blow torch, which locked in the flavor but did not warm the fish. It was served with a tangerine-infused olive oil and a sanbai zu sauce (flavored with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and dashi), pieces of tangerine and micro greens snipped from their growing containers at the counter.

This year, items from the kitchen kept pace with the sushi bar. The kimo hatchimitsu, produced by chef de cuisine Deegan McClung, exhibited a captivating, graceful aesthetic in pairing seared foie gras with toasted triangles of brioche, saffron foam and a grilled peach topped with local honeycomb — with a sheet of caramelized sugar for garnish.

Dessert, the work of pastry chef Philip Speer, cleared the bar as well, with a sake-rice panna cotta with housemade green apple sorbet and apple foam.

Chef-owner Tyson Cole, who has achieved national acclaim for the way he fuses Japanese and American ingredients and styles, deserves immense credit for the way in which he runs this restaurant, encouraging others on his staff to bring their creativity and talents into full bloom.

5: Café at the Four Seasons
98 San Jacinto Blvd. 685-8300.

One of Austin's top restaurants for the past two decades, the Café at the Four Seasons continues to produce marvelous appetizers and entrees without a flaw, a tribute to one of the region's most respected executive chefs, Elmar Prambs.

Starters such as truffle gnocchi and beef tartar underscore all that is possible at the Four Seasons.

The truffle gnocchi represented a lighter approach to the often heavily sauced Italian dumplings. These gnocchi, with their coveted airy consistency, were coated with a pistachio vinaigrette and topped with shaved pecorino cheese and fennel and a garnish of micro arugula.

The Kobe beef tartare was a riveting mix of raw beef accented with white anchovies, chopped capers, shallots, garlic and Dijon mustard. It was coated on the outside with crisp tempura flakes for texture and sweetness and topped with a soft-poached quail egg. The tartar was served with a horseradish aïoli that offered a contrasting pungent tone.

Service at the restaurant is of a caliber expected at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, which has been named by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler as one of the top 100 hotels in the world. There is great attention to detail, from the attentiveness of the staff to the server's knowledge of the cuisine.

Until the last course, the cafe had again nailed a five-star rating. Unfortunately, dessert did not bring the same level of sophistication as the other courses and pulled the restaurant's rating down a notch.

6: Café 909
909 Second St., Marble Falls. (830) 693-2126.

Café 909 brings creative, artistic cuisine to Marble Falls, vibrantly demonstrating that Central Texas' Top 10 restaurants aren't restricted to Austin.

A meal there gets under way with an amuse bouche, the complimentary starter now offered by most of the area's top restaurants. This small glass of chilled cantaloupe-sparkling wine soup was garnished with vanilla oil and basil oil, and it did exactly what it was supposed to do: deliver intriguing flavors that signaled what was ahead.

In an almost incongruous starter, chef-owner Mark Schmidt combined roasted baby carrots, candy-striped beets, sliced kumquats, shaved fennel and horseradish to produce alternating sweet, sour and pungent notes and form a dish that was inspired and refreshing.

Reflecting the years Schmidt spent in Santa Fe, N.M., the heavily seasoned and crisp halibut rested on a bed of green chile posole that covered the bottom of a shallow bowl. The fillet was topped with guacamole, an unusual garnish that paired delightfully with the spicy posole.

A confectionery treat, the frozen, cylindrical pistachio parfait, was accented with crushed pistachios and a burnt honey caramel that offered just a hint of bitterness to offset the sweetness.

The cafe's high-standards service includes well-articulated knowledge of the menu's ingredients and cooking styles.

Café 909 should not be reserved for Hill Country residents. All fine-dining aficionados in Central Texas should have this inviting spot on their must-visit lists.

7: Jeffrey's
1204 West Lynn St. 477-5584.

Despite the growth of fine-dining options in recent years, Jeffrey's remains the special-occasion restaurant for many Austinites, a role it has played for three decades.

Now Executive Chef Alma Alcocer-Thomas, the longtime No. 2 chef who took over when David Garrido left earlier this year, is working to change that pricey, special-occasion perception.

Alcocer-Thomas' menu has a "bistro" section, featuring smaller portions of main-course dishes that are generally less expensive (three of the five were less than $20) than most of the regular entrées (three of those five were $37-$40). That is a great move for Jeffrey's, making the restaurant more accessible for those who find it too expensive to visit more than once a year.

To that end, Alcocer-Thomas is doing a fantastic job of elevating what is usually ordinary bistro fare — such as hanger steak and pommes frites — to a five-star level. The Kobe-style beef, sliced and topped with a divine sweet paprika chimichurri sauce, was paired with sautéed spinach and french fries. The fries were dark brown and amazingly crisp (so crisp that it was much easier to to pick them up with fingers than with a fork). They were served with homemade ketchup that was so delicious I'll sigh longingly every time I use the bottled variety in the future.

If dinner had ended with Alcocer-Thomas' offerings and the impeccable, attentive service that accompanied them, it would have been a five-star experience. Unfortunately, the pastry chef's desserts didn't live up to the other courses — the second formerly five-star restaurant where that happened this year.

8: Zoot
509 Hearn St. 477-6535.

There's a new generation in the kitchen at Zoot, where chef-owner Stewart Scruggs has handed the reins to a young chef de cuisine, Jesse DeLeon.

Scruggs has twice occupied the top cook's job at Zoot, initially when the American bistro was opened by Erika Brown and later when he and Mark Paul bought it. Now, he's stepping back into a supervisory and advisory capacity.

DeLeon, a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, is bringing his own brand of creativity to the restaurant.

His fried soft-shell crab, for example, took the form of a summery salad, with the crisp crustacean topping a tower of frisée over a slice of heirloom tomato. A delicious and unexpected way to find soft-shell crab, the appetizer was garnished with whole-grain mustard and chive aïoli.

DeLeon's duck breast had been roasted and rendered to produce a crisp edge to the layer of fat that covers the breast. The medium-rare breast was sliced and fanned across braised Boston lettuce that in turn covered a base of curried cauliflower. A roasted poultry jus rounded out the combination, adding a rich tone to the bitterness of the greens and the intensity of the curry.

Zoot's service, with the waitstaff working in concert as a team (a longstanding tradition there), was as good as can be found in Austin. In addition, the server who took our order not only was amazingly well-versed in the food, but at times almost poetic in his description of the dishes.

And it's poetry — of the culinary kind, with DeLeon as the latest author — that keeps Zoot among the Top 10 restaurants.

9: Wink
1014 N. Lamar Blvd. 482-8868.

One of the reasons I love Wink, the small, upscale bistro featuring small, upscale portions, is that no server there will pass off a dish with the response, "Oh, I don't eat that." Instead, a diner receives a complete description — and a confident recommendation if asked.

So, when I inquired about the lamb salad and the waiter replied, "It's the most underrated dish on the menu," I knew I had to have it.

The nightly changing menu alone wouldn't have hinted at that. The item was listed simply as "seared rare lamb with baby beets, petit herb salad and zinfandel reduction." But the server's guidance was dead-on. The dish was fabulous.

The lamb was so lightly seared — "just kissed" by the grill is the way co-owner Mark Paul puts it — that it was closer to carpaccio than cooked meat. The thin, abundantly flavorful slices were fanned on the plate over miniature sweet beets, with a tiny salad of herbs and a wine sauce that added depth to the plate.

Another dish, the smooth, creamy artichoke velouté was the equivalent of drinking artichoke hearts. Garnished with chervil and spinach pesto, the velouté packed the maximum flavor possible into each spoonful.

In one of the main-course items, quail rested on a bed of risotto, with fennel and lambs quarter (a green) in between. It was augmented by a blackberry-rosemary compote that brought sweetness and additional herbal tones to the dish.

With dishes like that, Wink demonstrated once again why it has consistently ranked among Austin's best restaurants: The kitchen delivers, and the servers make sure you know it.

10: Starlite
407 Colorado St. 374-9012.

Starlite, an eclectic American bistro, moved downtown this summer into the space once occupied by Crimson and Gilligan's in the Warehouse District. The change to a larger location obviously was a good one.

Executive Chef Joshua Hines' cuisine became even more creative and artfully presented, topping his efforts of years past. The service moved into the big league, another leap forward. And the ambience is contemporary and conversational, two qualities that seldom mesh in modern restaurants.

Hines seized the imagination with items such as the wedge salad of Belgian endive. It was simple, but incredibly elegant. The endive leaves had been separated, covered with a Neal's Yard cheddar dressing and then reassembled, with a garnish of bosc pear confit and bacon lardons beautifully distributed across the plate. Sweet, salt and bitter united in grand style for this salad.

Starlite's portobello mushroom and three-cheese lasagna was one of the best vegetarian entrees I've had in Austin. Thin slices of mushroom joined with layers of cheese in what was more of a Napoleon. Chestnut gnocchi formed a heavenly, adjacent pile of dumplings, lightly fried to make them crisp on the outside, paired with a tomato Pernod coulis that injected a light anise flavor on the plate.

In the finale, the s'mores crème brûlée delivered chocolate crème brûlée over a housemade graham cracker topped with marshmallow cream with a side of chocolate ice cream.

That cuisine, along with the ambience and service, propels Starlight to the front ranks of the area's best restaurants, where ever-higher dining standards have become the norm.

Talk of Austin

Restaurant critic Dale Rice is out with his annual list of the city's top restaurants. Do you agree with Dale's picks? Any restaurants that should -- or shouldn't -- have made the list? Let us know. Post your comment.