Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions: Texas
(And an amusing court order from the Lone Star state.)
The summer associate lunch spot solicitation continues. We’re traveling around the country to find out where summer associates should be going for their leisurely law firm lunches, and where they should be eating when they’re footing the bill. We’ve been to many the Biglaw city and will be winding down soon. We’ll do a round-up post at the end, but you can find a collection of the lunch suggestions posts here.
Today, we’re doing a road trip through the Lone State, looking for restaurant suggestions in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Please be explicit about the city for which you’re making recommendations in the comments.
If this weren’t a virtual road trip, we would want to stop by the District Court in Austin to meet Judge James Nowlin, who wrote this hilarious order (PDF) on the location of a deposition, as noted by the WSJ Law Blog:
The Court is sympathetic with the Defendant’s argument. Surely Defendant’s corporate representative, a resident of Arkansas, would feel great humiliation by being forced to enter the home state of the University of Texas, where the legendary Texas Longhorns have wrought havoc on the Arkansas Razorbacks with an impressive 55-21 all-time record.On the other hand, the Court is sympathetic with Plaintiff’s position. Plaintiffs might enter Arkansas with a bit of trepidation as many residents of Arkansas are still seeking retribution for the “Game of the Century” in which James Street and Darrell Royal stunned the Razorbacks by winning the 1969 National Championship.
Nowlin then orders that the deposition be held in the Texarkana Federal Building along the Texas and Arkansas statelines.
For those summer associates happy to be in Texas this summer, where do you like to go to be wined and dined? Texas attorneys, which restaurants are the hot spots, and which are the not-so-hot spots?
In Texas-Arkansas Spat, Judge Orders Parties to Midfield [WSJ Law Blog]
Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; Boston; Los Angeles; and Philadelphia.
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texas roadhouse
Austin:
Gotta be Trudy's. The Mexican Martinis are the best!
Also, Sullivans and Kenichi
college football sucks.
What's next, best lunch spots in South Dakota!!!!
Austin is the only cool city in Texas.
taco bueno
Artista
Reef
Vic and Anthony's
Brennans
Treebeards
Droubi Brothers
Barnabys
all in Houston
Crescent Hotel in Dallas. Good food, great view.
Flaco's Texarkana Cafe -- Houston
1:50- Good list for Houston, though Artista takes forever, so you have to be ready to lose 2 hours if you decide to go for lunch.
Also good in Houston:
Gravitas
Max and Julie's Brasserie
Indika
Dolce Vita
buenos noches
Austin:
(1) On the firm's dime: Sullivans, Roaring Fork, Manuels;
(2) On your own dime: Mike's Pub, Guerro's, or Torchy's Tacos.
Yee-haw! I reckon I done eat some chow anywhere that lawyer-firm let's me!
-Anonymous Texan
Regarding the judge's order, if you plug in the address '500 State Line Avenue, Texarkana' into Google Maps Satellite view you will see that the courthouse actually sits right on the state line (not a shocker), but half the courthouse, and half the courthouse steps, are in Texas and the other half are in Arkansas.
Applebee's
Olive Garden
Texas has the best food in the nation!
Applebee's
Olive Garden
Texas has the best food in the nation!
-Snob from SF/NY
Go to the BBQ restaurant owned by J.T. in Planet Terror ... Best in Texas
More Houston-
Firm Money:
Mark's
Da Marco
Your Money:
Pauli's
Teotehuacan
I done had some cheetos and grits at a few places when i was summering in San Anton'. Reckon that done be some of the best lunches i ever had. The Ponderosa and Country Buffet ain't to shabby neither.
-Anonymous Texan
I done had some cheetos and grits at a few places when i was summering in San Anton'. Reckon that done be some of the best lunches i ever had. The Ponderosa and Country Buffet ain't too shabby neither.
-Anonymous Texan
See a picture of the inter-state Texarkana courthouse steps here.
http://sophisticmiltonianserbonianblog.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/a-federal-order-that-would-make-the-southwest-conference-proud/
Texas sucks - fat women with too much makeup and overgrown merkins eating through their pantsuits
Rule of thumb:
Blue states always have better restaurants than red states.
1. Texas has amazing barbecue. Anyone in Austin should take a weekend trip to Lockhart and eat a different meal at each place in town.
2. Steaks. Texas has the most high-quality-beef-to-SA-ratio in the world.
3. Game of the Century? Not a chance. Ohio State-Miami (2003), followed by Miami-Nebraska (1984).
Texas bbq is overrated.
Yee haa!
Don't mess with Texas, y'all!
Yeah, I am sure the bbq is awesome in New York.
Austin: County Line on the Hill (best BBQ ever).
baker's ribs in dallas
Austin BBQ:
Have to go Salt Lick over either of the County Lines.
And Hill's Cafe for the best chicken-fried steak.
TX = yuck
Voice (formerly Bank) at Hotel Icon
Sambuca
The Strip House
Another vote for Brennan's.
All in Houston.
160k goes really far in Texas. NY associate lives in cracker box. TX associate lives in a house larger than that of the partner that cracks the whip on the NY associate's back. Hilarious.
Dallas:
Stephan Pyles
Aurora
Perry's
Nick and Sam's
Hattie's
On your own dime: Jake's, Breadwinners, Mi Cocina, Coal Vines
160k goes really far in Texas. NY associate lives in cracker box. TX associate lives in a house larger than that of the partner that cracks the whip on the NY associate's back. Hilarious.
Hilarious I tell you.
Saltlick is overrated. Also, its way out in BFE so it's not really a lunch option.
I got my first masters' from UT-Austin, and can testify that Texas BBQ is the bomb. God I miss it .
- Kansas Citian
Dallas:
Bob's Steakhouse
Trulucks
Nick and Sam's
Stephen Pyle's
and Saltlick is overrated. I can only eat so much all you can eat crap.
2:21 is right-on, I tells ya. I got me the biggest trailer in the whole park. It's actually 2 traliers stuck together! I hear them New York city slickers live in big old buildings, but they got them itty bitty apartments. Me, reckon I'll take my trailer any day. I can sit back an eat my grits and ain't nobody gonna bug me none. And no matter what you might say, I know some folks 'round here who are real sophisticated-like.
Sometimes when I want me some ethinic grub I take my little lady over to Olive Garden. She get all the free bread sticks she likes.
Mark's
Pappasitos
Thai Village
Ruggles (for the dessert)
You'll quickly get sick of Artiste
Disagree w/ 1:40 - Trudy's has horrible food. The Mexican Martinis, while still good as Mexican martinis go, are a far cry from what they used to be. They instituted a 2 Mexican Martini (w/out any other alcoholic beverage) somewhere around 2000 or 2001. Somewhere around that time they changed their formula as well - not nearly as strong as they used to be. There was a time when you could stop by Trudy's on your way downtown, down a couple of those bad boys and be set. They won't fuck you up anymore.
I second Sullivans and Kenichi.
On your own dime, try Texas Chili Parlor (TCP) on 14th and Lavaca. Great chili, open late. Also, try Chuy's. They have an amazing pico de gallo salsa at their salsa bar which tends to get spicier the more you eat. Their sirloin crispy tacos are pretty good too.
Dan McClusky's is okay, mainly because it's right on 6th and you can cause trouble before you go out.
Unfortunately, most of the bars in Austin serve SHITTY beer (even in the Warehouse district). If you're a beer snob and like your beers hoppy and absent that metallic-like taste (see all major beer brands served in the US, including the crap they import), stick to liquor. Texas is not for microbrewery fans, especially if they've been to Northern California.
Heard Jeffrey's is pretty good for steaks (and formal) but I've never been. I don't like my steaks in a formal joint.
Drive down to County Line and Salt Lick for BBQ at least once - not the best BBQ in the world and slightly overrated (yet still good), but hey - you're in Texas. You might as well get some Texas BBQ.
For breakfast, go to Austin Java.
Ah.. just adding to the reasons why I feel I can live a full life without ever having to step foot in Texas or Arkansas
Houston:
-The Grove at Discovery Green
-Ibiza
-Fleming's
Old standby: Quattro at Four Seasons
2:10: I'm a huge fan of Texas beef. However, I don't care what any quotable statistics say. NO ONE, not even Texans can fully appreciate beef until they've actually gone to Alberta and had a steak. And yes, I am a Texan, have lived here my whole life and do love Texas. But, sadly, they have us beat up there.
Austin:
I'd vote Magnolia over Austin Java for breakfast (or lunch for that matter).
And if you don't practice downtown but are instead further west towards Lake Travis, Hudson's on the Bend is my favorite culinary spot in town.
Dallas: the Angry Dog. Best burger in town.
2:39 - How many teeth do you reckon i need to eat one of them burgers? I got me 6 chompers, and so beef can be tough...
-Anonymous Texan
Fat ugly hog beasts in Houston.
I went to UT law, but I must admit, aside from a percentage of the UT students, there's nothing else in Austin but Steers and Queers.
But at least in San Francisco where there's nothing but hippies, Asians and queers.
Lankford Grocery (Houston) burgers put Angry Dog (Dallas) burgers to shame.
2:28,
You're an idiot. Texans don't eat grits, Southerners do (and yes, it is a big difference). Go get your copy of My Cousin Vinny, find the parts where they say they are in Alabama and watch'em a couple dozen times, until you figure out they are in ALABAMA.
Seriously, what's with all the Texas hate? Jealous much? Austin is one of the top 5 coolest cities in the US. But if you don't want to come, good, too many damn Yankees and Californians moving here already.
Guero's taco bar = the best
Went there at least once a week when I was in Austin
2:39, I must disagree. If you're heading towards Angry Dog - you'll find a MUCH better burger at Twisted Root Burger.
Austin:
(neither of them all that close downtown)
Phil's 78704 burger or Mighty Fine by the Domain.
Ah, how funny that NYC people think they have such attractive women. Having lived on both the east coast and Texas, I can say without a doubt that there is a much higher percentage of extremely attractive women in Texas than anywhere D.C. and farther north.
California can more than compete, but I still would vote for Texas women over Californian for personality and other reasons.
2:54 - you obviously haven't seen Sex & the City. NYC women are hot!
Oh wait. That chick looks like a horse. Nevermind.
I just have family in Fort Worth, so I don't know the town that well, but for your own money, the Purple Cow is a great little diner (plus they serve milkshakes with whiskey in, so if you can get there for lunch - whee!)
Proof that 2:58 is correct.
http://sophisticmiltonianserbonianblog.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/my-sex-in-the-city-fanpost/
Waco is filled with hog beasts.
Countryside is filled with violent inbred families who eat you when you are lost.
Joe T. Garcia's
3:01- I believe you're thinking of either West Virginia or parts of Pennsylvania and New York state that are outside of major metropolitan areas.
Geez, not feeling the love here much...
Houston (in additon to above):
Ibiza - 2nd vote
Tony Mandola's seafood
Quattro - 2nd vote
Massa's
"Blue states always have better restaurants than red states." - A more ignorant statement has never been written on the Internet. That's like going to Italy or Brazil and saying the espresso is not as good as Starbucks. Try leaving the co-op sometime, hick.
This red-state/Texas bashing is reminding me of my law school days out East. The prejudice was really shocking. For any summer associates or law students reading this, you should really consider a legal career in Texas. The pay is excellent and goes signficantly farther than it does in cities that pay similar salaries. The work is very sophisticated and the firms are much more humane than those elsewhere. Just recently, Texas passed New York as the state with the most fortune 500 headquarters.
2:54: are you kidding me? Women in Texas still tease their hair, and they wear pancake makeup so thick you could stick a pin about half an inch into their faces and not hurt them.
Dallas - Al Biernat's (steak)
I can agree that the food in Texas is not as good as it is in N.Y., Chicago, or L.A . That being said, Austin has some standouts that have not been mentioned:
Vespaio for Italian (Vespaio Enoteca for lunch)
Lambert's for BBQ
Musashino for Sushi
El Chile for Mexican
Chez Nous for French
Depends what you mean by "better restaurants". As a NYer, I will freely concede that you probably have better steak, better Tex-Mex, and better barbeque than NYC. But we have you beat in Italian, Spanish cuisine, French cuisine, and all types of Asian food, to name a few. So, if you think going out to dinner means going to a steakhouse - you will think Texas has better restaurants. If you're more into a wide range of cuisines, there's no other city in the US that will match or top NYC for quality and variety.
I can only speak to Austin and Houston.
Austin: (Austin does not have great food compared to Houston)
3 Forks
Roaring Fork
Roy's
Austin Land and Cattle
El Arroyo
Eastside Cafe
Chuy's, Trudy's, Hula Hut (because they are Austin things)
The Oasis (For the sunsets over the lake)
BBQ:
County Line
Ironworks
(Lockhart 30min away from Austin: Krutz's, Smitty's)
(Llano 1 hour away: Coopers)
Houston:
Brennans
Mark's
Grotto
Tony's
Cafe Annie
Vic and Anthony's
Damians
Strip House
As for the women in NYC v Texas I guess it all comes down to preferance I guess.
I for one think Texas women on average are MUCH HOTTER than NYC Women but that is what I've been conditioned to like.
Still though.....Texas women are hotter.
3:28- maybe you're spending too much time at mass tort depositions in the middle of nowhere or trying to hookup with cougars while here, because the younger women don't match your description. Actually, that's true even in the smaller communities. Yep, you should do a little less cougar hunting and go for someone younger.
I'm pretty damn tired of all the Texas hate. I grew up in Houston, and I've spent the past six years of my life in NYC. Is Houston the coolest town? Absolutely not (Austin is). But it's got great people and great food. And if you hang out in the right places, you'll figure out that there ARE hot girls who don't have big hair and wear makeup. Go figure!
The reality is that I can list just as many cons for the redneck hicks who live in Bublefuck, Texas as I can for the wifebeater-wearing, blowout-sporting douchebags who live anywhere on Long Island.
If you think NYC is the center of the universe, fine. I think you're wrong, but whatever. At the end of the day, I could end up dropping change on a five bedroom Spanish-style villa in Austin while you're struggling to find quarters for your laundry machines and whining about not having a dishwasher. And if you hate on Texas without ever having been to Austin or Houston, go eat a dick. At least I decided to live in NYC before passing judgment.
3:41 PM:
Nice post. HAHAHAHA
I have found that NYC people defend themselves the most against Texas.
Wonder why that is?
I'm shocked no one's mentioned Kanomwan in Houston. (Everyone calls it "Telephone Thai," because it's on Telephone Road.)
The owner is notoriously surly, but the food is amazing.
SUCH a male dominated site...all these comments about southern women being hot/not...
As a southern girl (College Station, TX!) now living in NY, I just wanted to throw in my vote for all the gorgeous southern gentlemen in Texas, too. We miss y'all up here in the City!
I like the food in Texas. Momma used to make Texas BBQ sandwiches, and let me tell you, they were great. Once, I saw a Texan come through in Alabama, and let me tell you, he was a friendly man. He had a cowboy hat and liked to smoke ceegars. But you know what, he smelled like those ceegars. Momma didn't like kissing him much.
3:46- you're right about a male dominated state, but appreciate you throwing your support into the mix...I personally don't think anywhere can match the good looks in College Station, but I'm biased.
3:46: 3:48
In recent years College Station women have become increasingly hotter I would go as far to say that College Station women on average are hotter than Austin women. However some sorority girls in Austin are goddesses.
Gotta love Aggies and Longhorns
3:46: you're probably the one hot girl the NYC guys are relying on for their evaluation of how hot the women can be...and, as expected, your not from there. Damn, it's surprising how that happens!
3:48, male dominated web-SITE =)
I think the state of Texas has produced plenty of strong beautiful women--Kay Bailey and Ann Richards as a couple of example...
Don't say Jessica Simpson.
Why the favorable bias towards College Station?
Telephone Thai
Irma's
Ninfa's (the original)
The Fish
Feraggo
3:53- as an Aggie who has dated Longhorns before, I must agree. There are some extremely hot women there.
3:54 PM: There are extremely hot women in Austin as well. No favorable bias here.
3:54- good catch. Favorable because I spent four years there and now, having returned from the east coast, still spend several saturdays during the fall there at Kyle Field (sorry if you're not an Aggie, I know a lot of College Station people aren't big fans).
My ideal journey:
Growing up in College Station
School in Boston
Working here in NY
Retiring to Austin and watching the sunset from Oasis every friday night
Any intelligent, cute, funny guys up for that?
Ok, now, let me put an end to this debate. There are plenty of hot women in Texas. There are also plenty of hot women in New York. (Plenty of dogs in both, too, of course.) I'm in favor of all the beauties no matter where they're from. But if you guys want to limit yourselves to a particular state, hey, more for me...
Sorry, 4:02, having too good of a time here in Houston. But, I'll wave at your building while running the NYC marathon in November. Sunsets in Austin sound nice, though.
If you want to bite on the easy joke and rip Texas, go right ahead. But you're ignoring reality. Anyone that has spent any time in either Dallas or Austin will tell you that the food, while simple, is tremendous. Furthermore, the women in both Dallas and Austin are among the best looking in the country, hands-down (and not in that small-town, big hair way). And believe me, BigLaw in Dallas does not put you in a trailer. Stop stereotyping and speaking on things you're not familiar with.
4:02 PM(the girl): Want to get married?
4:02(guy): Could not agree more. (but Texas women are hotter )
4:00pm, I love you for being an Aggie!
Both of my parents are Aggies and they're now on the faculty at A&M, so College Station is still very much home.
I didn't go to A&M, but I have a big crush on Aggie men!
3:41 How did Long Island get caught in the crossfire?
I agree with some general themes being mentioned here - if your idea of fine dining is Tex-Mex or BBQ, then you probably also enjoy Jeff Foxworthy jokes
Hmmm this begs the question.
Where are the hotter men?
NYC or Texas?
How did these comments get so off track?
Please, PLEASE feel free to stay in NY if Texas does not appeal to you. As a non-native, I have to say that Texas has great food, fun people, and interesting work. Houston has a decent nightlife (not quite on par with some other cities, but fun nonetheless) and, to be fair, obscenely hot weather. But it's a great place to live nonetheless.
And back to the topic at hand:
Da Marco's- is there a firm in town that will pay for this?! Great if you can swing that.
Mark's
Reef
Indika
Smith & Wollensky's: totally overrated steak
Your own dime:
Irma's
Max & Julie's
Benjy's
4:08- are you in NY, or (better) in Houston? I can appreciate crushes on Aggie men. . .
4:14pm- Here in NY for now. Just graduated a year ago today, so I want to get a few more years out of the City before I think about anywhere else...
I went to Texas A&M as an undergrad. :)
Why must Austinites offended by provincial New Yorkers' slurs against Texas respond by telling them about our highest effective rate of compensation in Biglaw ($160K in Texas = $330K in NYC, even before taking taxes into account), our gorgeous downtown and surrounding hills and rivers, our stunning women (augmented yearly by a fresh batch of some 10,000 freshman gals at UT, voted #1 hottest campus and #1 party school by Playboy), our $500,000 6-bedroom mansions with tennis courts and swimming pools, and our highly educated, eclectic, and tolerant populace?
I guess y'all like our city being overrun by Yankees with their hearts and faces shriveled and blackened by the stink of taxis, halal stands, and rampant careerism.
Look for me (guest) in upcoming posts, where I second every ignorant Texas-bashing in hopes of keeping Austin's population shy of one million.
-NYU 1L summering in Austin
4:16- that's a shame. Though, I do look forward to visiting your city again for the marathon in November.
Texas blows. Why would an NYU 1L summer there? The food sucks, it's hot as hell down there during the summer, the people are fat as hell and they're all rednecks, the women are fat and ugly too, and the only food available seems to be fast food and buffet places running up and down every street. Could the NYU 1L be the last in his class and therefore was forced to take the only job he could? How can a buffet compare to Cipriani's or Masa in New York? Please, Texas, secede from the Union again, I beg of you.
Another good spot, not too far from downtown, Greenway Plaza, or the Post Oak office area, is Ouisie's.
I have limited experience in Texas, and have probably spent a total of about 2 weeks in the state, mostly in Houston.
Here's what this Yankee remembers:
- Crazy number of huge SUVs (Suburbans and Tahoes) and pickups, expecially when you start getting into the more rural suburbs.
- Parts are very green (I was surprised).
- It's very, very hot and humid in parts, but even where it's not humid, it's still hot.
- And, finally: BUGS, you know, like gross ones. Even in nice houses in nice suburbs. Snakes and stuff hiding in bushes. It's kind of like a rainforest.
Hugo's has great food and some of the best (if not THE best) margaritas in Houston.
4:23pm: An Aggie and a marathon runner. Kudos for that, I'll have to buy you a drink.
I'm just so happy to be close to Louisiana for cooking. Every restaurant I've been to in Houston has had a chef from Louisiana, and God bless them all.
From the p.o.v. of someone who likes Louisiana cooking, comparing NYC to Houston cooking is like a discussion between the English and the French. A Londoner, like a New Yorker, will make a case for his city's food based on how many other cuisines you can find there - great Indian, Thai, etc.. A Parisian will just look at him blankly and go back to what he considers to be the best cuisine in the world. It is a question of tastes, but for me, after spending my school year in NYC, I'm so, so happy to be eating Louisiana food again.
Oh, and screw Boston. Can we all agree that the food there sucks? I'm giving them clam chowder, lobster brought in from Maine, and nothing else. And man, talk about annoying people - we can argue hicks versus cold-hearted city slickers all day, but neither of those groups compare to the fans of "Red Sox Nation".
4:39- I'll take you up on that. But, I won't be a marathon runner until I cross that finish line on my own...until then, only a marathoner-in-training. Thank God they have a lottery to let foolish people like me into the race!
austin:
fonda san miguel (dinner only/sunday brunch is amazing)
and yes, trudy's food is awful. just go for the mexican martinis.
austin:
fonda san miguel (dinner only/sunday brunch is amazing)
and yes, trudy's food is awful. just go for the mexican martinis.
I second 4:41/42.
Also in houston: Hugo's and Ouisie's Table.
Austin: Ranch 616.
Fonda san miguel has the most amazing stuffed seafood stuffed avocadoes.......
I will have to check Fonda San Miguel out.
Austin: Lamberts.
Burger King. Fine dining Texas style.
To actually talk about food in Austin for a moment. It's not in the same league as LA, SF, or (3rd down the list, in my opinion) NY. It might not even be the best in Texas (Houston beats it on virtually anything ethnic). There's still a few good places however.
As for BBQ, it's good. I prefer pork BBQ (KC and Memphis), but Texas focuses on beef. The ubiquitous brisket can get dry, however at some of the great places in Lockhart you wouldn't ever know. Kreuz's and Smitty's are both great. Hill Country BBQ in Manhattan, if it's still open, actually imports its sausages from Kreutz's. Salt Lick's food is mediocre but it is BYOB and great with a keg and a party bus. None of this probably works well for lunch, so I'd recommend Ironworks as a standby downtown. Less traditional, but highly recommended, is Lambert's, which rhetorically asks "Fancy BBQ?" Yes, it's good.
Tex-mex is, as a whole, is overrated. Superbowl snacks risen to the level of cuisine. Trudy's drinks are good, but their food is dressed up kibble (the fried avocado is a guilty occasional pleasure). Somebody said Guero's? Seriously? Gross. Their chips taste like they were taken from trashbags behind a litlte league stadium, and that's just to start. I vote Matt's El Rancho if your hankering for fajita's (which is what 95% of people order at Tex Mex places anyway). It is consistant and good quality, and has the best bar.
More approximating real Mexican food (Mexicans, you know, those people who you keep segregated east of 35) El Chile is good, as is (supposedly) Fonda San Miguel. Both would be good on the firm dime. If you find an advernterous associate, Borrego Del Oro on S. Congress has transcendent Birria, or mexican lamb.
If your out to spend money there's Sullivan's Flemings, Roys. None do anything special other than make chain resturants feel exclusive. Chain or not, Austin now has a Fogo De Chao that'd be a great lunch if you can afford to spend the afternoon taking meat induced poos.
In that vein of restaurant, I'd do Moonshine or Roaring Fork first. I've had good and bad meals at Eddie V's. NEver been to Jeffrey's but would be interested to hear opinions. Vespaio and Uchi are also supposed to be great if you can pull them. For those in NY, even the Times has sang the praises of Uchi. So temper your NY condescension with that bible of NY condescension.
Austin: Uchi, Gumbo's
Also, I second Fonda San Miguel's, if only so that you can better understand the difference between Tex-Mex and Interior (which most New Yorkers don't).
na na na na boo boo, i said lamberts first
-4:55
and by "first," i mean second
-4:55
Fer Dalas dont foreget Steele which is a good suchi place specially since most peeple are too stupid and inntolerant to know that it is ok to eat raw fisch
When I am out of Texas I miss Mexican (Tex-Mex and Interior) the most.
Houston:
- Sambuca
- Vic & Anthony's
- Otto's
- Luling's
Austin:
- Hoffbrau House
- Roaring Fork
- Ranch 616
- Z Tejas
- Austin Land & Cattle
- El Patio
- Little Mexico
- House Park BBQ
- Enchiladas y Mas
Dallas:
leave Dallas and drive west to Fort Worth
How's about a game of rock paper scissors? http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/06/07/law-blog-judge-of-the-day-gregory-presnell/
What's so sad about guys like 5:00pm/Dallas Steele is that they're spending so much time and mental effort to come up with things like "suchi" based upon their idiotic stereotypes of other regions is that they don't realize they're fully fulfilling those stereotypes themselves.
Was that too much for you to follow? Do you want me to give you more time so you can come up with other creative things like "fisch?"
4:40 marathon runner, I'm sure you'll make Texas proud.
I disagree with the distinction between Tex-Mex and Interior. It's something I never heard before living in Texas. There's Tex-Mex and then there's Mexican food (with, admittedly, all its own variety).
Granted, there's food unique to the "interior" of Mexico, but's it's pretty meaningless when presented as a dichotomy with Tex-Mex.
I disagree with the distinction between Tex-Mex and Interior. It's something I never heard before living in Texas. There's Tex-Mex and then there's Mexican food (with, admittedly, all its own variety).
Granted, there's food unique to the "interior" of Mexico, but's it's pretty meaningless when presented as a dichotomy with Tex-Mex.
NYSouthernGirl, love the new name and icon.
Austin:
Fonda San Miguel (interior mexican)
or Matt's El Rancho (one of the better tex mex places)
Jeffrey's
Cipollina, a bistro across the street, run by Jeffrey's owners/chefs is great
East Side Cafe (call for reservations)
Hyde Park Bar and Grill (get the hyde park fries)
for Texas homestyle (don't miss the chicken fried steak)
Hill's, Threadgill's or Hoover's
Hula Hut is on the lake and fun. can have long waits on the weekends but not too far from downtown to go for lunch. good place to take visitors.
BBQ
Don't go to the County Line (gag)
Ironworks in town (too bad John Mueller's closed)
Salt Lick, Elgin, or Lockhart - Salt Lick has the best ribs, Elgin is famous for sausage, lockhart's brisket is best
call ahead because some of them are cash only, BYOB, and/or closed on Sundays.
Thank you 5:20pm =)
Some of these comments kinda got on my nerves so I wanted to show some pride.
Wow, these are some legit reccomendations! I have never seen such a thorough list of Houston/Austin restaurants. Kudos.
Don't Mess With Texas = the sticker that was on the front of my laptop and faced my law professors in D.C. I think they, and my classmates who sat in front of me, appreciated it. A little flare, if you will.
Salt Lick in Austin is the best BBQ on planet earth. Those who have been there will attest. If you want to stay in downtown Austin, Kenichi is nice. I've been away from Austin for a few years, so new stuff has probably cropped up all over 2nd/3rd/4th/5th streets.
Anyone who thinks that Austin blows (there seem to be a few of you out there) is ignorant and has probably never been there.
Otto's is terrible even if you are a fan of George Sr.
The one thing George Jr. got right over his old man is that Cooper's is far superior.
In Houston, there's this great Italian joint called The Olive Garden, and this great little Mexican place called Chipotle.
Seriously, I spent a couple days in Houston once, and could feel my I.Q. decreasing the more I was there.
Never has there been a collection of such ignorant, socially unconcsious, right-wing, selfish people as Houston. Working at a corporate law firm must be a joy there.
Austin is a nice enough town. But that's all it is - a nice little"town" with some character. Great place to spend your undergrad or even law school years.
As far as an actual city in which to live and build a career, Houston will provide you with better opportunities.
Some Houston favorites of mine that haven't been mentioned:
La Griglia
Barnaby's
Fish
As a Texas now living in NYC... can someone please tell me where to get some queso around here?!
You people claiming the Salt Lick has good food are sheep. It's a cool place to go to when you have out of town guests. That's it. The food is mediocre. The original County Line on Bee Caves is far superior to Salt Lick.
Austin: get the freakin' quail at Ranch 616. Awesome.
Austin: Thai Passion on 7th and Congress.
6:44 hits the nail on the head.
"Never has there been a collection of such ignorant, socially unconcsious, right-wing, selfish people as Houston."
I like how you've insulted and entire city anonymously, and then called the "ignorant" and "socially unconcsious."
The kicker? The entire basis for the stream-of-insults was that you're "I.Q. dropped" while you were there. That is, Houstonians are to be insulted because YOU got dumber.
I may not be as smart as you, 6:41 anonymous commenter, especially now that your I.Q. has fallen so, but this is one Houstonian who can appreciate irony.
Houston:
Del Frisco's
Shade
Glass Wall
Lupe Tortilla
Mockinbird Bistro
Rainbow Lodge (in the Heights, it moved and it's better)
Houston:
Del Frisco's
Shade
Glass Wall
Lupe Tortilla
Mockingbird Bistro
Rainbow Lodge (in the Heights, it moved and it's better)
Houston has great resturants....And in these comments we have listed many
Don't know much about Dallas
Austin food is not that great, but there are a few places that are good.
Salt Lick is easily the most overrated BBQ on the planet. Coopers out in Llano is excellent, and almost any place in Lockhart.
NYC people and Texans have alot in common.
NYC people live in "The City"
Texans live in "The State"
Thus each others way of thinking about their respective location is similar.
In response to the earlier post that Houston was able to compile such a thorough list of the excellent places to eat, that is largely because of how much more reasonable working here is...many of us actually get to eat at places other than our desks year round, rather than just pretending we leave the office for the sake of recruiting summer associates.
Dallas:
Fearing's Restaurant
Perry's Restaurant
Bob's Chophouse
Cafe Pacific
The Crescent Club
Craft
Stephan Pyle's
On your own dime:
CoalVine's
Twisted Root
Village Burger
Taco Diner
Salt Lick isn't "in" Austin, and even if it was it's far from the best BBQ restaurant on Earth, the US, Texas, or even Austin. It's a fun place to BYOB and get drunk with a meat chaser. Lockhart is better BBQ. Coopers is better. Probably even Rudy's is better. County Line is similarly overrated.
In Houston, on your own dime, Nikos Nikos has great food. As for all of the Texas-hate... please get over it. Texas is a great state, has great food, wonderful people, and lots to do. Also, for those spending a summer in Texas, take the time to get out and explore the state a bit: Big Bend, El Paso (the BEST Mexican food in the U.S.), the hills around Austin, etc.
Leave it to a bunch of Texans to start arguing about BBQ.
Anybody want to argue about something else?
Do you put beans in chili?
8:11- be careful, you may be starting something you don't want to deal with. Worse yet might be a debate about sauce versus dry rub BBQ.
8:14: Im a Texan, and I know damn well what I am trying to start.
Sauces v Dry Rub is a very interesting debate.
There are no beans in chili, and if a person things so...then they are wrong...that simple.
I ate at Coopers not 5 days ago!
If you put beans in your chili, they are by default, Yankee beans.
8:14/8:18- fair enough. I'm a sauce guy all the way. As for no beans in chili, that's right as far as Texas chili goes (and I grew up in West Texas), but there are some other good varieties out there. The best, is probably a no beans venison chili...but that's just me
Chili with beans is in and of itself a misnomer. Chili with beans is more like a stew. (If you want my bias Texas Opinion). I have had some good "chili" in other places as well.
Venison chili is exceptional. I do prefer another type of greasy meat along with the Venison because Venison can get pretty dry.
Im a sauce guy myself, but I can see some value in a dry rub. (We all know that real good BBQ doesn't use sauce)
8:29: I will use that joke.
Austin - overrated
Dallas - concrete hell
Houston - giant suburb
Texas lawyers - TTT
Texas sucks, period.
Dallas on your own dime: anywhere in Deep Ellum - Angry Dog, Twisted Root, Adair's, Allgood, Baker's
Also, Jimmy's in Old East Dallas.
And 10:19, where do you live that has less concrete than Dallas? Stupid comment.
East coast people suck, period.
anyone notice that most of the responses in defense of texas are either unintelligible or completely illogical? wonder why that is.
anyone notice that most of the responses attacking Texas are either from NYC or spew forth jealousy? wonder why that is.
More places in Houston:
Christian's Totem (favorite burger joint)
Ragin Cajun (crawfish)
Churrasco
Austin -
Jeffrey's in Austin is over-rated. It's the most unjustifiably pretentious restaurant in town and the tables are about six inches apart, you can just as easily have a conversation with the person at the next table as with the person across the table.
Aquarelle is REALLY good - a french restaurant with a food and wine tasting menu available.
Las Manitas - Breakfast hole-in-the-wall with really good foor and entertaining legislative and legal gossip bouncing around.
La Traviata or Carmelos for Italian.
Shoreline - Good anything-menu meal and view, quiet, good for business lunches.
Flemings, Ruth's Chris, Sullivans for steak. Hoffbrau's if you want a uniquely Austin experience and your meat swimming in butter.
Trulucks - Eddie V's also, but the one downtown has spotty service. Sullivan's has good seafood, too.
Malagas for tapas and wine.
Uchi for sushi.
Amy's for ice cream.
Z-Tejas, Moonshine, Roaring Fork for ordinary lunch.
Hula Hut for the Austin experience, especially if you can hit it on a pretty day just before sunset and get some drinks. I wouldn't bother with it on a non-pretty day, the food's not that good. (The Oasis, yeah the sunset is pretty, but it's a HECK of a long drive and the food SUCKS and it can be so loud and crowded.)
And of course, the Capitol Club, the Headliners Club, and the Austin Club tend to be the membership-required places to be seen and the view is good, though the food isn't great at any of them.
Damn, I miss Austin.
I forgot Aquarelle and Thai Passion - have to second those recs...
Also, I see not one poster talking about Austin has mentioned The Alamo Drafthouse. Don't go for the food specifically - go for beer and a movie (and grab a burger or a pizza while you are there).
Skip the franchised one at Lake Creek or in Houston. Blah.
The best part are the clips they put on before the movie so get there early.
I'm from Austin, and I now live in Dallas and have traveled widely though out my life. I'm astonished that all these highly educated leaders of our country have such hateful, intolerant, and ignorant things to say about Texas vs. anywhere else (especially NYC). If you don't like Texas, leave and we won't miss you. But honestly, some civilized discourse, please!
As for Austin - most if not all the amazing restaurants have been covered. Add Z Tejas to the list (6th St. location).
Dallas seems to have been left out a bit, so here goes--
firm paying:
Stephen Pyles, Hibiscus, Local, Nobu, Abacus, Bob's Steak & Chophouse, Javiers
out of your own pocket:
The Porch, Taco Diner, Mi Cocina, Campana (byob, awesome pizza), Campizis, Trece, Chuys, Village Burger Bar
Anybody notice that, although Texas has three of the 10 largest cities (all of which are larger than Boston or DC), Texas lunch spots get lumped together as a whole while smaller cities get their own blog posts?
1:12: thank you for speaking the truth but I wouldn't call these posters edcated or leaders.
My additions
Dallas cheap: matt's on Lakewood, green papaya, teppo or blue fish on greenville for sushi but I will never disclose the location of the best sushi I have had anywhere including LA, NYC and places like nobu.
For tacos (it gets its own post): tacos y mas on Greenville or fuel city on industrial.
On the firm:
del friscos, bobs, stephan pyles cannot be missed, 1717 at the DMA, nobu, abacus
For foodies, to overlook Wink is to overlook one of the finest tables in Austin at the moment. Ambience is on the noisy side, but the kitchen turns out some amazing things on a menu that changes daily.
This is my go-to place at the moment, followed closely by Aquarelle and Zoot. Hudson's is also a fine choice.
Dallas: Hands down- York Street. Without a doubt the best food in the city. No lunch, though.
craft is great as well.
Houston:
Marks
Vic and Anthony
Sullivans
Fung's Kitchen
Telephone Thai (anyone who thinks Houston doesn't have fantastic asian food is just wrong. There's nothing else I can really say - and this comes from someone who has lived in both Asia and New York.)
Fish
Actually, York Street has lunch one or two days a week now. I want to say Wednesday, but I could be wrong.
i can't believe i forgot about las manitas. i second that. they have legit salsa...and that is THE sign of a good mexican (this one is a little more mex-mex than tex-mex, but does have both...) restaurant. i was born and raised in austin and now am in california. cal mex is good, but damn, i just want some tex mex sometimes.
i can't believe i forgot about las manitas. i second that. las manitas is always a must when i'm in town. they have legit salsa...and that is THE sign of a good mexican (this one is a little more mex-mex than tex-mex, but does have both...) restaurant. i was born and raised in austin and now am in california. cal mex is good, but damn, i just want some tex mex sometimes.
and yes, this vegetarian grew up on brisket from lockhart. my mouth is watering right now thinking about it. salt lick is fun, very fun, but overrated.
6:47 - I hear ya on the queso.
Why do people from New York spew forth such hatred towards Texas? People from Texas do not jump at the slightest opportunity to bash the residents of New York. What is the source of all that rage? Is it simply thinly veiled jealously? New York is an amazing place to live and work, no doubt. I have vistied there many times and have close friends (some are lawyers) who reside there. I always enjoy my visits and I am always struck by what a fascinating place it is. Why then, if New York is so thoroughly amazing, do so many New Yorkers feel such a pressing need to attack the State of Texas and its residents? Does Texas somehow threaten the stature of New York as a world-class city? As I said above, I have been to New York many times - and yet I strongly suspect that most of the posters who so savagely impugn Texas have never set foot in the state (not that they would ever willingly do so). Since this is a post about food, let me say this: I have been escorted by knowledgable New Yorkers to what they assured me was a "great" and "authentic" Tex-Mex place. It sucked. Same goes for barbeque. I have had great steaks in New York - so that category seems to be a bit of a wash.
As for various other ethnic cuisines (Italian/Chinese/Indian, etc.), New York is without a doubt far superior to Texas in terms of high-end quality and quantity. That seems so obvious that it isn't worth arguing. That said, I can attest (from having lived there) that great food of nearly any type is available in Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. The same is no doubt true of Houston (the nation's 4th largest city, lest New Yorkers forget).
Fortunately, my preference for living in the great State of Texas isn't based on my desire to have the finest multi-ethnic culinary options available to me at all times of the day and night. Instead, it is based upon the fact that I was born and raised here (aside from my college years), and have thus come to greatly appreciate all that is so unique and endearing about the state and the people who live in it. The funny thing is, as much as people in Texas love to boast about our state, you also see plenty of "I (heart) New York" stickers and t-shirts in Texas. It seems that by and large, the average "Texan" loves where they live, yet is fully capable of acknowledging the genuine merits of another place (like, say, New York). New Yorkers (or at least the miserable trolls that inhabit this little corner of cyberspace), seem incapable of such peaceful co-existence.
Again, I would ask, why is that? As sort of a collective geographic short-guy syndrome? College football envy? I wish I knew.