My parents are taking my daughter for a couple nights giving me and Mrs. South Austin a much-needed date night this Friday. Any recommendations on a fairly new and very nice restaurant in Austin ("new" meaning it opened within the past 1-2 years)? We are not up to date on the latest restaurants and have a habit of always falling back on our old favorites. Many thanks.
Olivia, on South Lamar near Oltorf is relatively new....2 maybe 3 years? Perfect Austin date-night spot. Small, contemporary, and an "American" menu which features locally grown produce and ingredients. Perla's is a newer seafood place on South Congress. It is a little bigger, more open and louder. Fun place to go, but maybe not for "date night". I'm not sure how long La Traviata Italian Bistro has been there (on Congress, between 3rd and 4th) but we have only recently discovered it, and love it. Tiny place. Hope those help!
Okay, so we decided to try the Vince Young Steakhouse. Actually, very good! I had a Ribeye, which was one of the best I have ever had, and I've eaten twice at Del Frisco's in the last three months. Butternut squash/duck soup, very good, salad good, red snapper--excellent. Fairly pricey, but for what we got, as good as what you get at Three Forks. The menu is not as extensive as a place like Three Forks. They were proud of the desserts, and their pastry chef, but we were so stuffed, we couldn't try that. The decor is minimal, everything dark with a few pictures of Vince Young up and a large gold steer made of pennies in the entry. The atmosphere is very quiet--not a sports bar feel. There were a couple of large TVs in the bar area playing quietly. There's been almost no marketing for this place. It opened two weeks ago. In fact, calling information, it's not even listed. I was willing to try it, partly as a gimmick, but it turned out to be very, very good.
Perry's Steakhouse Downtown. 2ish years old. The pork chop is amazing....and HUGE. They have a special on it for lunch on Friday. 11.95, carved tableside with mash pots. If you haven't gone, go.
