Dining: Little Texas Bistro

Small-town charm, big-city cuisine at Buda's Bistro

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: July 20, 2005

Photos by Larry Kolvoord/AA-S
Don't let its country exterior fool you: Little Texas Bistro, owned by Paul Petersen, bottom left, serves up elegant fare such as peppercrusted veal, top, and banana nut French toast, middle. LITTLE TEXAS BISTRO 214 N. Main St., Buda (512) 312-5828 Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Wheelchair access: Yes Wine: 30 by the glass ($7-$30), 45 by the bottle ($28-$160) Rating:

The old sign, replaced last month when the restaurant received a facelift, referred to the small spot on Main Street as Little Texas Bistro & Deli -- implying a place with a casual approach to food. The new sign simply says Little Texas Bistro, with a slogan on the bottom of the menu that expands on the theme: "Fine Dining ... Lone Star Style."

This restaurant, which just celebrated its second birthday, showcases the work of chef-owner Paul Petersen, who abandoned a promising career in Manhattan for an even more auspicious one in the Austin area.

In New York, it might have taken Petersen years to distinguish himself from the crowd of great chefs. Here, in less than 24 months, he stands out as one of the best.

Petersen, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Beth, is a talented, creative cook who has steadily added to and refined the menu, developing one of the best all-around dining experiences in Central Texas.

One of the appealing aspects of his approach is the unexpected combination of ingredients. Recently, as the name suggests, his peach and sausage risotto ($9) combined unlikely ingredients: spicy, crumbled sausage and firm, diced Texas peaches, with yellow raisins, parsley and Parmesan cheese in the traditional Italian rice dish. The sweet and spicy elements were part of every bite, forming an appetizing union of classic Texas items.

The proscuitto-crusted morbier cheese ($9) used a thin slice of the salty meat to encase the rich cheese. Fried so that the meat was crisp and the cheese was barely warm, this tantalizing pairing was accompanied by a salad of marinated grapes over field greens with a balsamic vinegar reduction.

In the spiced grilled shrimp ($9), three shrimp -- heavy with Cajun-style spices -- rested on a salad made of watermelon balls and sliced fennel, with bits of shrimp ceviche sprinkled about. It was another unusual dish, bringing together the anise-flavored fennel with sweet watermelon and spicy shrimp.

For the main course, the butter-roasted scallops ($21) came with orzo that had been augmented with grilled leek, red peppers and capers and a saffron shellfish fumé, a delicate sauce with abundant flavor.

The pepper-crusted veal striploin ($27) delivered a thick, tender piece of meat with a goat cheese-roasted corn cake and a luscious blueberry demiglace.

For dessert, Petersen was serving down-home items that finished the meal with more comfort than fancy sophistication.

The banana nut French toast brûlée ($7) featured two slices of banana bread that had been given the French toast batter treatment and grilled. They were finished with caramelized thin layers of sugar that provided crisp coatings usually reserved for crème brûlée, and served with a side of buttered pecan ice cream.

The country-style chocolate bread pudding ($7) was garnished with a warm vanilla bean cream that counter-balanced the strong chocolate confection.

Service at Little Texas Bistro was friendly and attentive, with a dining room staff of five to handle the nine tables on the weekends.

Given that small number of tables, the ambience is not one of a crowded little space. The long building, with its tall ceilings, lends a spacious feel, while the dim lights (the staff automatically provides flashlights to read the menus) adds a romantic aura.

It's a wonderful setting for Petersen's food, which is sophisticated and stylish, but not out of place in a small-town atmosphere. With Petersen's progress, Buda is now home to one of Central Texas' best restaurants.