Austin TX entertainment, events, food, movies, music

Events

Suggest an event

Photo by Shelley Wood For AA-S

It's hard to choose a dessert at Moonshine. The skillet apple pie is just one great option.

Moonshine
303 Red River St.
(512) 236-9599
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for lunch Monday to Friday, 5 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners
Wheelchair access: Yes
Wine: 30 by the glass ($5-$8.50), 75 by the bottle ($20-$68)
Rating:

December 4, 2003 Reviews:
• Moonshine
• Caf� Spiazzo

More In Restaurants:
• Complete Restaurant Reviews
• Austin360 Foodie Board
• Girl Walks Into A Bar

Moonshine

Comfort food gets a classy twist

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Thursday, December 4, 2003

There's macaroni and cheese. But it's made with pimiento cheese and topped with a bacon gratin.

There are mashed potatoes. But they're prepared with roasted garlic and garnished with thin slices of fried garlic.

There's corn mush. But it's molded, grilled and crowned with a smoky tomato sauce. Down home meets uptown at Moonshine.

The new restaurant, with its sophisticated approach to American comfort food, is located in the historic compound at Third and Red River streets that once housed the five-star Emilia's.

It may be a step down from foie gras and squab, but it's a big step up from the typical American fare that is often more mediocre than impressive.

At Moonshine, though, chef Larry Perdido isn't content with acceptable fare. He often twists it, putting imaginative spins on some dishes, illustrating that basic American food can be fresh, lively and alluring.

He epitomizes that with the "corn dog" shrimp ($8.95), an appetizer whose name alone -- invoking a state fair midway more than a fine-dining venue -- could easily send many diners scurrying in another direction.

But this is no battered hot dog smeared with plain mustard.

Four shrimp are skewered, battered and fried to a golden brown, creating a crisp-soft crust. For dipping, there is a side of honey mustard with a swirl of blueberry mustard through it.

A second appetizer, the spinach and artichoke fondue ($7.95) made with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, was tasty and nicely spreadable. However, the thick wedges of garlic toast that accompanied it dominated each bite. I would have preferred a thinner base for the spread, perhaps something more like a cracker, that also didn't have a competing flavor as strong as the garlic.

Moving to the entrees, where the down-home-uptown theme reverberated, the horseradish-crusted salmon ($16.95) had a light coating of horseradish that yielded a subtle background flavor for the moist, flaky fish, permitting the accompanying lemon-dill sauce to be the stronger complementary accent.

The flat iron steak ($18.95), a lean cut off the shoulder, came with precise slicing directions from the waiter, who was attentive in a casual, relaxed way. The tender meat also came with a delicious port wine sauce and a dollop of blue cheese butter on top.

Both main plates were served with three vegetables -- carrots, green beans and corn -- and a choice of one starchy side.

Again, the vegetables were a cut above the typical comfort food. The carrots, sliced in half-moons, were honey-glazed; the green beans were sauteed; and the roasted corn was cut from the ear and combined with finely diced zucchini and bell peppers to form a relish.

The starches presented a tough choice: the macaroni and pimiento cheese that is lusciously creamy, the mashed potatoes that are tantalizingly garlicky, or the firm, griddled polenta with tomato sauce that is a rare menu item.

The fact that selecting a side is the most difficult task at Moonshine is a tribute to Perdido and his business partners, Chuck Smith, Greg Schnurr and Buckner Hightower.

Conceptually, I had my doubts when I first heard that Emilia's -- an inviting spot formed from a 19th century home, carriage house and Sunday house near the Convention Center -- would become a comfort-food haven.

But it works beautifully, because it's so much more than basic.

Take the desserts.

The moist bread pudding ($5.50), made with white chocolate and raisins, was served with a bourbon sauce and a scoop of housemade vanilla ice cream.

The skillet apple pie ($7.50), designed for two (or possibly four) to share, was topped with maple ice cream and caramel sauce.

Like virtually everything else at Moonshine, they turned an American basic into something special.

You may contact Dale Rice at drice@statesman.com or 445-3859.

Now Playing in Central Texas Search for movies playing at theaters across Central Texas, purchase tickets, read reviews from our team of critics and leave your own review.

CENTRAL TEXAS BARS AND RESTAURANTS Find a new bar or restaurant to try tonight. Search by cuisine type, distance, location and price range. Then be sure to come back and leave a review.