XL Food & Drink

Phil's Icehouse

Amy's side project honors colleague with first-rate food and funkiness

One of the things — among many — I've always loved about Amy Simmons is that when she does something, she does it right.

Thao Nguyen
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

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It's not all about burgers at Phil's: The grilled hot dog is topped with cheese, onions and tomatoes.

Thao Nguyen
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

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The Rosedale keeps it sweet with mesquite barbecue sauce.

Thao Nguyen
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

The Violet Crown boasts bleu cheese and a mix of sweet and white potatoes on the side.

Thao Nguyen
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

Phil's Icehouse not only honors the memory of Phil Clay, it lives up to everything Amy's Ice Cream stands for.

Phil's Icehouse.

• 5620 Burnet Road, 524-1212.
• Rating: Forks up.
• Prices: Cheap.

Two decades ago, she set up shop in Austin with an ice cream parlor that combined a high-quality product with performance art from her scoopers — a pairing that captured the very essence of Austin in the 1980s. The city was on the move with new products and businesses, but it didn't let go of the laid-back attitude that differentiated it from Houston and Dallas.

Now Amy and her husband, Steve, have taken the same approach with an expansion project: a burger joint named after their late business partner, Phil Clay, who died in a motorcycle accident.

Phil's Icehouse not only honors the memory of Clay, it lives up to everything Amy's Ice Cream stands for.

The Rosedale ($6.50), on a toasted sourdough bun, includes cheddar, onions, pickles and a sweet mesquite barbecue sauce. The Violet Crown ($7) features blue cheese, grilled onions and a jalapeño-cheese bun.

Both were served with fries, a scrumptious combination of regular and sweet potatoes. The big basket of thin, lightly crisp, hand-cut onion rings ($3.75) was on a par with the fries.

For those craving something besides burgers, there are thickly breaded foot-long corn dogs ($4.50) and a grilled foot-long dog ($6), a thicker dog on a bun with tomatoes, onions and cheese. Both are served with fries.

But it's the burgers I'll come back for; they're among the best in the city.

By taking the time and care to produce first-class food, Amy and Steve Simmons have memorialized their friend and partner in an outstanding way. I'm sure Phil would be proud to have his name on the marquee.