XL Dining Guide 2003 - Top Ten Restaurants - No.3: Cafe At Four Seasons

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Austin's Top Ten Restaurants

Photo by Robert Godwin For AA-S

Even the Caesar salad has a little kick at the Cafe at the Four Seasons, where innovative chefs aren't afraid to try something new and different.

Caf� at the Four Seasons
98 San Jacinto Blvd.
(512) 478-4500
Wine: 17 by the glass ($7-$15), 259 by the bottle ($22-$650)
Rating:

No. 3: Caf� at the Four Seasons

A continuous drive for perfection marks executive chef Elmar Prambs and his kitchen staff, who are responsible for the Cafe at the Four Seasons consistently ranking among Austin's top restaurants.

When Prambs returned his famed blackened shrimp to the menu, for instance, he wasn't content to simply duplicate the old dish.

The shrimp, pan-blackened and finished with a Shiner Bock glaze, now rest on a Stilton cheese grits cake encircled with candied pecans and small pools of white wine sauce.

Prambs used to sprinkle Stilton over the plate, but concluded it sometimes melted unevenly and frequently dominated the shrimp. To update it, he put the strong cheese taste into the grits cake that forms the foundation of the lovely dish.

However, it's not innovation alone that distinguishes the hotel restaurant. There are big -- the desserts of pastry chef Tony Sansalone -- and small things alike -- such as ice cubes made of tea -- that add up to a lot at this consistently above-the-mark place.

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