Zuzu's claim to fame is that its traditional Mexican offerings are made fresh and by hand each day, without lard or chicken stock. Accordingly, the food is delicious, although their purportedly healthy dishes tasted anything but. Granted, my choice of their queso-smothered rice, bean, and cheese chimichanga probably wasn't the dish they were referring to when they said they served healthy Mexican food. I managed to push visions of my arteries aside and enjoyed this amazingly decadent meal. I tried to exercise restraint in my choice of sides and ordered the simple and tasty green salad and their corn relish, which tasted too much like canned corn for me to enjoy. My partner had the sunrise breakfast burrito, filled with eggs, black beans, mozzarella, and grilled vegetables. His burrito certainly rivaled my chimichanga, in addition to the perfect combination of breakfast burrito elements, the dish had a vague curry taste which made it especially interesting. Zuzu claims to have the best flan in Austin, which we were unable to try after our huge lunches. But after our great experience, we will certainly be back to test this claim.
Zuzu
5770 N. Mopac
Austin, Texas
6317 Bee Cave
Austin, Texas
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Galaxy Cafe and Zocalo Cafe
I should have really included these sister restaurants on my list of Austin favorites. I visit each quite a bit and they never disappoint. They are locally owned, conveniently located (for me, anyway), and offer a large array of vegetarian entrees and sides.
Let's start with Galaxy.
Galaxy Cafe serves a variety of casual dining fare, including sandwiches, wraps, and salads. Everything I have eaten there is remarkably tasty, especially the hot veggie wrap and the fresh mozzarella sandwich, to which I always add avocado. Each dish is served with your choice of side, and I am particularly fond of their pesto pasta salad and macaroni and cheese, which, with its creamy melted American cheese and gooey strands of cheddar, is truly the best mac and cheese I have had.
In a town of plentiful Tex Mex, Zocalo Cafe's fresh, light Mexican food stands out as a unique and appealing alternative. Zocalo offers a a number of vegetarian options at such low prices that it makes their queso mixta and tres leches cake difficult to pass up. The last time I went, I ordered the tostada salad, a bed of green leaf lettuce resting above a tostada and refried black beans, topped with avocado, queso fresco, and cilantro. The chipotle lime dressing infuses the salad with a delightful hint of lime. I also particularly enjoy the vegetarian torta, a sandwich filled with black beans, avocado, and queso fresco. Zocalo is housed in the former location of both West Lynn Cafe and Cosmic Cafe, two doomed former favorites of mine that never seemed to have any other customers. Zocalo, however, does not seem destined to the same fate.
Galaxy Cafe
1000 West Lynn
Austin, Texas
9911 Brodie Lane
Austin, Texas
Zocalo Cafe
1110 West Lynn
Austin, Texas
Let's start with Galaxy.
Galaxy Cafe serves a variety of casual dining fare, including sandwiches, wraps, and salads. Everything I have eaten there is remarkably tasty, especially the hot veggie wrap and the fresh mozzarella sandwich, to which I always add avocado. Each dish is served with your choice of side, and I am particularly fond of their pesto pasta salad and macaroni and cheese, which, with its creamy melted American cheese and gooey strands of cheddar, is truly the best mac and cheese I have had.
In a town of plentiful Tex Mex, Zocalo Cafe's fresh, light Mexican food stands out as a unique and appealing alternative. Zocalo offers a a number of vegetarian options at such low prices that it makes their queso mixta and tres leches cake difficult to pass up. The last time I went, I ordered the tostada salad, a bed of green leaf lettuce resting above a tostada and refried black beans, topped with avocado, queso fresco, and cilantro. The chipotle lime dressing infuses the salad with a delightful hint of lime. I also particularly enjoy the vegetarian torta, a sandwich filled with black beans, avocado, and queso fresco. Zocalo is housed in the former location of both West Lynn Cafe and Cosmic Cafe, two doomed former favorites of mine that never seemed to have any other customers. Zocalo, however, does not seem destined to the same fate.
Galaxy Cafe
1000 West Lynn
Austin, Texas
9911 Brodie Lane
Austin, Texas
Zocalo Cafe
1110 West Lynn
Austin, Texas
Houston VegLove Special
My partner's family lives in Houston, so I typically spend a good deal of time there during breaks from school. One of the things I look forward to the most about visiting Houston is revisiting some of its awesome restaurants and discovering new favorites. During this visit, I did a little of both.
Here's the rundown:
1. Dry Creek
I insisted my partner take me here on my first night in Houston for one reason: The Shroom, Dry Creek's portabello sandwich. A grilled portabello cap topped with goat cheese, roasted red pepper and arugula housed in delicious foccacia spread with basil mayonnaise. Although the portabello is ostensibly the Shroom's main feature, the goat cheese elevates it to an out of this world taste. I typically substitute onion rings for the fries, you know, for health reasons. I can't think of many meals more delicious. If you are a stickler for excellent service, Dry Creek may disappoint. The waitstaff is friendly but not exactly timely. However, if you are willing to wait for it, Dry Creek will whip you up a damn good meal.
2. Madras Pavillion
Madras Pavillion is actually a chain with locations in both Austin and San Antonio, neither of which I have been able to find. So whenever I'm in Houston, I hit up this South Indian restaurant. For lunch, they serve a buffet that differs somewhat from the typical Indian buffet fare (which generally features North Indian food), but also includes familiar dishes such as saag paneer. They also bring out dosas with the buffet - large crepes filled with vegetables, their specialty. You can also get a wide variety of dosas for dinner, along with some North and South Indian favorites. Madras Pavillion is also all-vegetarian, making it all the more appealing.
3. Brasil
Brasil is both a coffee shop and a cafe, lending it a chill atmosphere. In spite of its name, their menu is not Brazilian, although some dishes are perhaps Brazilian-inspired. I usually order the heart of palm sandwich on ciabatta. - hearts of palm and swiss cheese smothered in a tangy sauce. I have always been a fan of heart of palm, but rarely find it in restaurants. On my last visit, I tried the seasoned goat cheese in olive oil as an appetizer. The olive oil was still sizzling when we were served, which was an exciting addition to a delicious dish.
4. Fadi's
Fadi's is a family favorite of my partner, and we enjoyed a great meal with his parents during my visit. It is a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cafeteria style restaurant that offers both a vegetarian sampler, in which they pile your plate high with a variety of veggies, and vegetarian side dish plates that allow you to choose your sides. I had the latter and chose baba ganouj, eggplant, mixed sauteed vegetables, and falafel. Each dish was amazingly flavorful in its own right, and they combined very well. Be prepared to get a lot of food when you visit Fadi's - I had to relinquish part of mine to my partner and his brother because it was too much for me.
5. Mission Burrito
Although I like Freebird's, I have long believed that Chipotle was the single best burrito chain. I recently discovered a rival to Chipotle's claim - Mission Burrito. Mission Burrito only has two locations, both in Houston, so it's not exactly a chain, but it's set up in the same style as Freebird's and Chipotle - offering customized burritos. Not only are their burritos as delicious as Chipotle's, Mission Burrito offers a wider variety of toppings than does Chipotle. For example, I filled my burrito with mushrooms, spinach, fresh corn, and cilantro ranch sauce in addition to the usual rice, black beans, cheese, and pico de gallo. My biggest complaint about Mission Burrito is that they do not have locations in Austin or San Antonio, so I will have to wait awhile before I can go again.
6. Rita's Cafe
Rita's Cafe is a hole-in-the-wall Lebanese restaurant that we visited based on its distinction of being voted as the Best Middle Eastern Restaurant in Houston by the Houston Press. They definitely lived up to their reputation. Particular standout dishes included their olive hummus and tahini tabouli.
Here's the rundown:
1. Dry Creek
I insisted my partner take me here on my first night in Houston for one reason: The Shroom, Dry Creek's portabello sandwich. A grilled portabello cap topped with goat cheese, roasted red pepper and arugula housed in delicious foccacia spread with basil mayonnaise. Although the portabello is ostensibly the Shroom's main feature, the goat cheese elevates it to an out of this world taste. I typically substitute onion rings for the fries, you know, for health reasons. I can't think of many meals more delicious. If you are a stickler for excellent service, Dry Creek may disappoint. The waitstaff is friendly but not exactly timely. However, if you are willing to wait for it, Dry Creek will whip you up a damn good meal.
2. Madras Pavillion
Madras Pavillion is actually a chain with locations in both Austin and San Antonio, neither of which I have been able to find. So whenever I'm in Houston, I hit up this South Indian restaurant. For lunch, they serve a buffet that differs somewhat from the typical Indian buffet fare (which generally features North Indian food), but also includes familiar dishes such as saag paneer. They also bring out dosas with the buffet - large crepes filled with vegetables, their specialty. You can also get a wide variety of dosas for dinner, along with some North and South Indian favorites. Madras Pavillion is also all-vegetarian, making it all the more appealing.
3. Brasil
Brasil is both a coffee shop and a cafe, lending it a chill atmosphere. In spite of its name, their menu is not Brazilian, although some dishes are perhaps Brazilian-inspired. I usually order the heart of palm sandwich on ciabatta. - hearts of palm and swiss cheese smothered in a tangy sauce. I have always been a fan of heart of palm, but rarely find it in restaurants. On my last visit, I tried the seasoned goat cheese in olive oil as an appetizer. The olive oil was still sizzling when we were served, which was an exciting addition to a delicious dish.
4. Fadi's
Fadi's is a family favorite of my partner, and we enjoyed a great meal with his parents during my visit. It is a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cafeteria style restaurant that offers both a vegetarian sampler, in which they pile your plate high with a variety of veggies, and vegetarian side dish plates that allow you to choose your sides. I had the latter and chose baba ganouj, eggplant, mixed sauteed vegetables, and falafel. Each dish was amazingly flavorful in its own right, and they combined very well. Be prepared to get a lot of food when you visit Fadi's - I had to relinquish part of mine to my partner and his brother because it was too much for me.
5. Mission Burrito
Although I like Freebird's, I have long believed that Chipotle was the single best burrito chain. I recently discovered a rival to Chipotle's claim - Mission Burrito. Mission Burrito only has two locations, both in Houston, so it's not exactly a chain, but it's set up in the same style as Freebird's and Chipotle - offering customized burritos. Not only are their burritos as delicious as Chipotle's, Mission Burrito offers a wider variety of toppings than does Chipotle. For example, I filled my burrito with mushrooms, spinach, fresh corn, and cilantro ranch sauce in addition to the usual rice, black beans, cheese, and pico de gallo. My biggest complaint about Mission Burrito is that they do not have locations in Austin or San Antonio, so I will have to wait awhile before I can go again.
6. Rita's Cafe
Rita's Cafe is a hole-in-the-wall Lebanese restaurant that we visited based on its distinction of being voted as the Best Middle Eastern Restaurant in Houston by the Houston Press. They definitely lived up to their reputation. Particular standout dishes included their olive hummus and tahini tabouli.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Indian Palace
As discussed in a previous post, Indian Palace is in good company as a nondescript strip center Indian buffet. Indian Palace rises far above its generic name and location and quickly became my favorite Indian buffet a few years ago.
The buffet offerings are always hot and fresh, hardly resembling typical buffet fare. They hit home runs with all of the standards, including their light, flaky samosas, heavenly saag paneer, and crispy vegetable pakoras. They also offer a rotating set of delicious vegetarian dishes, such as malai kofta and cauliflower in cream sauce. I am particularly fond of their bite-sized fried potato and cheese balls, which are always present in the buffet.
Just writing this review makes me wish I was enjoying Indian Palace's amazing food for a second time this weekend.
Considering how delicious Indian Palace's buffet is, their dining room is always nearly deserted, which is very unfortunate. I strongly encourage any Indian food lover (and even the uninitiated!) to seek out Indian Palace.
Indian Palace
3616 Far West Blvd.
Austin, TX
The buffet offerings are always hot and fresh, hardly resembling typical buffet fare. They hit home runs with all of the standards, including their light, flaky samosas, heavenly saag paneer, and crispy vegetable pakoras. They also offer a rotating set of delicious vegetarian dishes, such as malai kofta and cauliflower in cream sauce. I am particularly fond of their bite-sized fried potato and cheese balls, which are always present in the buffet.
Just writing this review makes me wish I was enjoying Indian Palace's amazing food for a second time this weekend.
Considering how delicious Indian Palace's buffet is, their dining room is always nearly deserted, which is very unfortunate. I strongly encourage any Indian food lover (and even the uninitiated!) to seek out Indian Palace.
Indian Palace
3616 Far West Blvd.
Austin, TX
Cipollina
Not only was Cipollina recommended to me by a good friend, I also discovered while investigating this Italian Bistro that it is owned by the owner of Jeffrey's, an institution of Austin gourmet dining. It also happens to neighbor two of my favorite Austin cafes, Galaxy Cafe and Zocalo. All of these pieces of information provided a pretty compelling case for trying Cipollina, and, fortunately for my friend, I was not disappointed.
Cipollina has a casual atmosphere and simple yet sophisticated food. I was disappointed that their menu did not offer any vegetarian pasta dishes, but I chose the delicious Seasonal Vegetable Sandwich with a side of their Hand-Cut Fries. The veggies on the sandwich included thick, juicy zucchini, grilled red peppers, and caramelized onions. They were accented by pesto and mozzarella cheese. Overall, the sandwich was delicious, albeit messy. The remarkably good hand-cut fries had a light topping of thickly-shredded Parmesan and were served with homemade catsup.
My partner ordered the Spinach and Artichoke pizza, which was also topped with goat cheese and mozzarella. Their pizzas are on astonishingly thin and crispy crust, which is not my preference, and I thought that the pizza could have used some kind of sauce to add moisture. There is just something about a layer of congealed melted Parmesan that is very off-putting on its own. However, the goat cheese was ample, which almost made up for it, and my partner enjoyed it.
Despite the somewhat disappointing pizza, I still recommend Cipollina for its inexpensive fare and delicious sandwiches and fries.
Cipollina
1213 West Lynn
Austin, TX
Cipollina has a casual atmosphere and simple yet sophisticated food. I was disappointed that their menu did not offer any vegetarian pasta dishes, but I chose the delicious Seasonal Vegetable Sandwich with a side of their Hand-Cut Fries. The veggies on the sandwich included thick, juicy zucchini, grilled red peppers, and caramelized onions. They were accented by pesto and mozzarella cheese. Overall, the sandwich was delicious, albeit messy. The remarkably good hand-cut fries had a light topping of thickly-shredded Parmesan and were served with homemade catsup.
My partner ordered the Spinach and Artichoke pizza, which was also topped with goat cheese and mozzarella. Their pizzas are on astonishingly thin and crispy crust, which is not my preference, and I thought that the pizza could have used some kind of sauce to add moisture. There is just something about a layer of congealed melted Parmesan that is very off-putting on its own. However, the goat cheese was ample, which almost made up for it, and my partner enjoyed it.
Despite the somewhat disappointing pizza, I still recommend Cipollina for its inexpensive fare and delicious sandwiches and fries.
Cipollina
1213 West Lynn
Austin, TX
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Cool Cafe
Perhaps the only disadvantage of a restaurant having a wide selection of vegetarian options is the dramatic increase in the difficulty of choosing a meal. Not only does Cool Cafe have a large selections of vegetarian dishes, they have dishes representing a wide variety of genres, compounding this problem further. Their menu offers pasta dishes, rice dishes, both savory and sweet crepes, Mediterranean dishes, and all-day breakfast. Overwhelming, yes, but totally worth the mental effort involved in ordering.
I had the portabello pasta - penne pasta and portabello mushrooms with a sun dried-tomato cream sauce. The mushrooms were moist and flavorful, and the cream sauce was delicious but not overly rich. I also tried my boyfriend's crepe, which was stuffed with portabellos and artichokes and smothered in sauce. It made me question my choice in entree, but only until I dove back into my delicious pasta. It did affirm, however, that you can order just about anything off of the menu and be thoroughly satisfied.
It will take me a very long time to get through tasting everything on their menu, which will keep me coming back for more. Next time, I hope to try their Greek omelet or one of their crepes.
Cool Cafe
12651 Vance Jackson Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78230
I had the portabello pasta - penne pasta and portabello mushrooms with a sun dried-tomato cream sauce. The mushrooms were moist and flavorful, and the cream sauce was delicious but not overly rich. I also tried my boyfriend's crepe, which was stuffed with portabellos and artichokes and smothered in sauce. It made me question my choice in entree, but only until I dove back into my delicious pasta. It did affirm, however, that you can order just about anything off of the menu and be thoroughly satisfied.
It will take me a very long time to get through tasting everything on their menu, which will keep me coming back for more. Next time, I hope to try their Greek omelet or one of their crepes.
Cool Cafe
12651 Vance Jackson Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78230
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Simi's India Cuisine
If you are put off by the idea of an Indian restaurant in a shopping center, then you probably haven't been to very many Indian restaurants. Very few Indian restaurants that I know of are housed in stand-alone buildings (in fact, I can only think of one off of the top of my head), and indeed, some of the best are nestled in nondescript strip malls.
Simi's India Cuisine is housed in such a location, and like many of its fellows, Simi's is a great find.
We opted for the daily lunch buffet, because when I am craving Indian food, which I almost always am, I am usually craving A LOT of Indian food. Simi's buffet had a bunch of great vegetarian dishes, which is par for the course for Indian buffets, one of the many reasons why I love them. Their samosas were decent, but not great, the pastry was a little too doughy. The naan, on the other hand, was exceptionally good. Instead of the usual plain naan, Simi's offered hot garlic and herb naan, which was quite a treat. They offered the requisite saag paneer, which was good but the paneer was not very noticeable. The standout dish in the buffet was a pureed eggplant, potato, and onion dish, which I have not seen at other Indian restaurants. The eggplant dish was very flavorful, savory, and delicious. Simi's also offered a melt-in-your-mouth zucchini dish with perfectly-cooked slices of zucchini.
I will definitely be returning to Simi's for the lunch buffet and to explore their dinner offerings.
Simi's India Cuisine
4535 Fredericksburg Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78201
Simi's India Cuisine is housed in such a location, and like many of its fellows, Simi's is a great find.
We opted for the daily lunch buffet, because when I am craving Indian food, which I almost always am, I am usually craving A LOT of Indian food. Simi's buffet had a bunch of great vegetarian dishes, which is par for the course for Indian buffets, one of the many reasons why I love them. Their samosas were decent, but not great, the pastry was a little too doughy. The naan, on the other hand, was exceptionally good. Instead of the usual plain naan, Simi's offered hot garlic and herb naan, which was quite a treat. They offered the requisite saag paneer, which was good but the paneer was not very noticeable. The standout dish in the buffet was a pureed eggplant, potato, and onion dish, which I have not seen at other Indian restaurants. The eggplant dish was very flavorful, savory, and delicious. Simi's also offered a melt-in-your-mouth zucchini dish with perfectly-cooked slices of zucchini.
I will definitely be returning to Simi's for the lunch buffet and to explore their dinner offerings.
Simi's India Cuisine
4535 Fredericksburg Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78201
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