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blacklab

By blacklab
in Austin

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Mack Tripper

Mack Tripper 693

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Posted
On 10/15/2023 at 6:21 PM, ztejas said:

Las Palomas makes good food but it's very safe, white texmex. 

I wouldn't call it Tex-Mex. Their main combo plate is cochinita pibil with a mole enchilada. There's no Tex-Mex chili gravy, no queso, no tamales, no crispy beef tacos, etc. Which is fine, but it's one of the those schizophrenic interior Mexican places that feels the need to do some Tex Mex (fajitas, nachos, enchiladas) to appeal to the masses, which aren't exactly the best things on the menu. 

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19449

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Good point.  They some more interior stuff than I remembered.  and their more 'tex meets mex' stuff is largely forgettable.  It's never bad there, but never outstanding.  I'd hit it up more, since the kids like it, but it can be too crowded and it's overpriced even for that area.  But they still kinda have that market cornered with just below-average Vacquero's and chain Lupe Tortilla in the immediate vicinity.  Curious to see what Fajita Pete's does to to-go sales from those three places.  It's not superb fajitas, but to feed a family of 4, it certainly hits the spot, decent prices, and no need to blow money on booze and tips when you can just take it home.  

I guess there's now that Polvo's on the backside of BC Square.  I used to love the S. 1st one when I lived in Travis Heights.  But I dunno how this one is gonna make it, nobody goes by that part of the mall anymore and it's only gonna get worse.  And their lease deal/TI's was horribly done on their part.  Somebody started the rezoning process for a mixed-use reboot for the old Chase building/drive-thru at Walsh-Tarlton across the from the mall.  It'll be a few years, but anything there would almost certainly include a restaurant, or two.  Probably too saturated to put in a Tex-Mex place there, probably end up being Italian or some other doomed-to-fail endeavor in a part of town that everybody thinks, "Oh, disposable income with lots of families and foodies."  Only a handful of places last in that area, Las Palomas being one of them because they know how to get family crowds, sling booze, and accurately price their menu.  I've noticed Sway's receipts have dropped off alarmingly since post-Covid reboot.  

I've been pleasantly surprised at how Maudie's Milagro has upped their game recently.  Not always quite worth the drive but it's been enjoyable last few times.  

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19449

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Shit, I forgot they opened.  In the old Berryhill's spot, right?  They do great breakfast tacos (though I'd never fight that traffic up 360 for one except maybe Sundays).  And I love their family chicken package.  Certainly not tex-mex, but damn good .  Gotta check that out soon.  Completely spaced out that they opened up .  

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ztejas

ztejas 43244

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6 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

There was a Berryhill in Austin? That chain sucked.

Holy shit yes. It was one of the worst restaraunts I've ever ate at in Austin. We went 3 or 4 times when I was growing up and after the 2nd time I was like... this place fucking blows, why are we eating here? There was a Maudies across the street ffs. 

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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Holy shit yes. It was one of the worst restaraunts I've ever ate at in Austin. We went 3 or 4 times when I was growing up and after the 2nd time I was like... this place fucking blows, why are we eating here? There was a Maudies across the street ffs. 

I’m not a fan of Maudie’s but it is definitely better than berryhill. Fucking garbage. I guess people go there because it has a bar?
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ftf82

ftf82 485

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Yeah where the Berryhills was. I never went to Berryhills so have no clue about it or even know what they served. Rarely go to the Jack Allen in that center either. Getting in and out of there from the South is a PITA. Will definitely try the new Fresas, but may take Westlake Drive to get there just to avoid Cap of Tx Hwy.

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CooterBrown

CooterBrown 17874

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Met someone at Mama Betty's on Parmer the other day.  I'd never heard of this place since I am never up north.  This place was really, really good.  They probably have the best tortillas in town by a large margin.  It was very San Antonio style Tex Mex and those were the best tortillas I've had outside of SA.  I had the Mama Betty tacos which were fajita soft tacos with queso. They were great. If I find myself in BFE again, I'll definitely go back.

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UTPhil2006

UTPhil2006 3790

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1 hour ago, CooterBrown said:

Met someone at Mama Betty's on Parmer the other day.  I'd never heard of this place since I am never up north.  This place was really, really good.  They probably have the best tortillas in town by a large margin.  It was very San Antonio style Tex Mex and those were the best tortillas I've had outside of SA.  I had the Mama Betty tacos which were fajita soft tacos with queso. They were great. If I find myself in BFE again, I'll definitely go back.

Yeah definitely good food. It’s the one of the owners of Dogwood (amongst others) and his wife’s place. The name is a nod to his late mother. 

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40678

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Posted (edited)

We went to Santa Catarina in Cedar Park yesterday afternoon.
Mrs. Brat loves their $8 happy hour shrimp cocktail. It had 3 large shrimp on top with a lot more chopped up in the sauce & salad. She can only eat half of it.
I splurged and had my first TexMex steak platter ever. It was delicious with the melted goat cheese butter on top. I ate all of it.

 

 

F3310703-9316-4074-A462-BDADED418839.jpeg

Edited by Armybrat
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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45512

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1 hour ago, Spoosner said:

Thoughts on Joann’s fine foods on south congress? Alternatives in the area if the vote is no bueño?

No idea about Joann's.  Pretty much nobody on here will vouch for Guero's, although I still like it for a few things.  If you go down to Oltorf there's Habanero and Curra's, both of which are great.  Habanero is not open for dinner, though.  Curra's isn't open for dinner on Sundays.

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South Austin

South Austin 52037

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18 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Pretty much nobody on here will vouch for Guero's

To me Guero’s is like Matt’s. A mediocre and bland Tex Mex restaurant that believed it didn’t need to up its game after so many other better Tex Mex places popped up all around Austin. The best I can say about it is that I’ve never had a terrible meal there.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45512

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19 minutes ago, South Austin said:

To me Guero’s is like Matt’s. A mediocre and bland Tex Mex restaurant that believed it didn’t need to up its game after so many other better Tex Mex places popped up all around Austin. The best I can say about it is that I’ve never had a terrible meal there.

I used to live about a block away, so I went there quite often.  They had a dish called "chicken especial" which probably wasn't traditional in any sense but damn it was delicious, mostly in enchiladas or sometimes soft tacos.  Good margs, too.  I like the vibe of the place.

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LCHorn

LCHorn 2582

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4 hours ago, Spoosner said:

Thoughts on Joann’s fine foods on south congress? Alternatives in the area if the vote is no bueño?

I really like June’s All Day, although when I went last week the updated cocktail menu was disappointing and kind of out of season (ingredients and recipes looked like summer leftovers).  
 

I also want to try Chapulin Cantina because Oaxaca cuisine is the best.  

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Spoosner

Spoosner 86

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We stuck with Joann's to try it out. I thought it was pretty good. They have happy hour 7 days/week from 5-7, which meant half price apps and some decent $5 margaritas. Queso was good, their ribeye steak fajitas were probably the highlight, and my SIL said she liked her chicken tinga tacos but I didn't try them. We'd heard from a friend their pozole is excellent, but apparently that's a special they do which wasn't available last night.

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Gale Snoats

Gale Snoats 242

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Any thoughts on Santa Rita? It’s one of those places I’ve driven by a million times but never been to. It’s close to the house and would be great if it was a spot we could go to but I worry it’s not very good. I think it’s the same people who own 34th street cafe which is a comfy neighborhood spot we go to from time to time.

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Gale Snoats

Gale Snoats 242

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We stuck with Joann's to try it out. I thought it was pretty good. They have happy hour 7 days/week from 5-7, which meant half price apps and some decent $5 margaritas. Queso was good, their ribeye steak fajitas were probably the highlight, and my SIL said she liked her chicken tinga tacos but I didn't try them. We'd heard from a friend their pozole is excellent, but apparently that's a special they do which wasn't available last night.

I think the fajitas at Joann’s are good and also like their non Tex Mex stuff. Good chicken fried.

I think the best fajitas in Austin are la piscina. Expensive but very very good.
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ftf82

ftf82 485

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57 minutes ago, Gale Snoats said:

Any thoughts on Santa Rita? It’s one of those places I’ve driven by a million times but never been to. It’s close to the house and would be great if it was a spot we could go to but I worry it’s not very good. I think it’s the same people who own 34th street cafe which is a comfy neighborhood spot we go to from time to time.

It's in our regular rotation. Food is fresh, salsa is good and there's rarely a wait. Perfectly fine. Nothing really stands out though. 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45512

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5 hours ago, Gale Snoats said:

Any thoughts on Santa Rita? It’s one of those places I’ve driven by a million times but never been to. It’s close to the house and would be great if it was a spot we could go to but I worry it’s not very good. I think it’s the same people who own 34th street cafe which is a comfy neighborhood spot we go to from time to time.

I haven't been in a couple of years, but it was always "good enough".  It scratched the itch when we wanted TexMex and either didn't want to drive or wait.  I kinda like the interior vibe of the place, too, moreso than the food itself.

They have a little back room where we used to do end-of-season parties for kids' soccer.  That was a bonus.

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thrillhammer

thrillhammer 683

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On 2/3/2024 at 3:03 PM, Gale Snoats said:

Any thoughts on Santa Rita? It’s one of those places I’ve driven by a million times but never been to. It’s close to the house and would be great if it was a spot we could go to but I worry it’s not very good. I think it’s the same people who own 34th street cafe which is a comfy neighborhood spot we go to from time to time.

hasnt that place been a few different mexican restaurants?  seems like there was a dos bobos or dos hermanos or something like that in there.

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ftf82

ftf82 485

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4 hours ago, thrillhammer said:

hasnt that place been a few different mexican restaurants?  seems like there was a dos bobos or dos hermanos or something like that in there.

Tres Amigos, but that was probably 20 years ago. 

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LCHorn

LCHorn 2582

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On 3/1/2024 at 9:26 AM, Pam Cummings said:

Count me as a fan of Mama Betty's. Really good salsa.

Just by chance we were on Parmer yesterday evening so I could give it a try.  It was good, very strong tortilla game and drinks were well priced.  

I didn’t prefer their chips or salsa (the chips were fine, reminiscent of Julio’s) but were no worse than average.

 

 

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UTPhil2006

UTPhil2006 3790

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On 4/19/2024 at 8:00 AM, LCHorn said:

Just by chance we were on Parmer yesterday evening so I could give it a try.  It was good, very strong tortilla game and drinks were well priced.  

I didn’t prefer their chips or salsa (the chips were fine, reminiscent of Julio’s) but were no worse than average.

 

 

image.thumb.png.01bb53bd75d3172d12d1165049ffe7b4.png

They’re opening a second location on Burnet in 2025

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ztejas

ztejas 43244

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1 hour ago, South Austin said:

I always thought Serranos was pretty solid, but I haven’t been there in a long time. The last time, I think, was the old Red River location.

Their menu is pretty hit or miss but I'd get the fajitas again. The tortillas especially were very good. 

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DalTxHornFan

DalTxHornFan 3084

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56 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Last meal I had at Serrano's sucked total ass.  Symphony Square location.  That was over 20 years ago, though.

Great happy hour vibe at Symphony Square, but I don't eat there since Texas Chili Parlor is so close by.

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