Dining: Giss's Cafe

This is comfort food, and it's all made from scratch

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: Dec. 15, 2004

Giss's Cafe makes two outstanding chilis, a beef chili with pinto beans, and a spicy white chili with chicken, onions, peppers and white beans. The Monday night special, meatloaf with a Cheddar biscuit, mashed potatoes and peas, is true home-style cooking. Photos by Deborah Cannon/AA-S The peach cobbler, with its thick, cake-like topping over sliced fruit, is a generous portion at the end of the meal.

My latest discovery in that category is Giss's Cafe, a home-cooking enclave in Southwest Austin owned by Mark and Valerie Gibbs (Giss was his nickname in high school sports).

Gibbs, who has been in the restaurant business 24 years, moved to Austin and opened a catering operation five years ago. This restaurant, he says, is a natural outgrowth of that venture, with dishes modified to meet local tastes.

Getting off to a great start, Giss's has two outstanding chilis: a "white" version and a not-quite-Texan variety.

The tasty, traditional ground beef chili ($2.95 for a cup), made with tomatoes and onions, had a smattering of pinto beans (a no-no in many Texans' eyes). At least they were few in number and were not kidney beans, the staple of chili in the North.

The white chili ($2.95 for a cup) featured chicken, onions, peppers and white beans. It had more of a kick than the red chili and won our votes as something we'd definitely go back for, especially on a cold night.

The Monday night special, the meatloaf plate ($6.95) reminded me of dinner at home as a kid, with a big chunk of flavorful meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas.

The biscuit-style chicken pot pie ($7.95) was tasty. However, there was proportionately far more crust than the filling of diced chicken and vegetables, a style that's not appealing to someone like me who likes plenty of cream sauce in his pot pie. It was served with sautéed vegetables and choice of one side (the not-too-sweet cole slaw was a good one).

Another thick-crusted dish, on the other hand, was delightful. The cobbler ($3.25), with its cake-style topping over sliced peaches, was a generously portioned wrap-up to the meal.

It, along with all the other items, made me thankful that restaurants like Giss's Cafe are willing to put in the extra effort required to make all the dishes from scratch.

Giss's Cafe
6001 W. William Cannon Drive, Suite 301
(512) 301-7771
Rating: Forks Up. Price: Cheap.

Dec. 16, 2004 Reviews:
• Chez Zee
• Giss's Cafe

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