You would think they're doing something right, if you were to judge just from the parking lot. However, they're not: the nachos were okay, but the enchiladas on my combo plate were lousy, while the taco and chalupa were not anything to write home about, either. Not worth a second visit: I have trouble justifying even a first visit.
Though less than a mile from my house, I'd been avoiding going to Jardin Corona because it looked like a real dump tucked away in a crummy strip center. But having tried all the other Mexican choices in the immediate vicinity, we thought we'd finally bite the bullet and give it a try. How is it?
Surprisingly good.
First, it looks a lot better on the inside than the outside, and was actually pretty busy for 6 PM on a Saturday night. Second service was quick and efficient, bringing frequent drink and chip refills. I really liked the chorizo nachos, and my fajita plate was both good, and a good value for the money.
One of your best choices for TexMex in NW Austin.
I have no idea what the other guys were doing, but I was chowing down on wild game at the annual Dripping Springs Wild Game Dinner. Unfortunately, I didn't win the rifle raffle again this year, and all the auction items I was interested in got bid up way beyond my limit (and, in some cases, beyond any reason in my opinion.) Oh, well, there's always next year, and at least my money went to a good cause.
Mike and I had gone to NXNW shortly after they opened, and I don't think either of us was that impressed. (It did, however, inspire our idea for a Hitchcock-themed restaurant, where someone was "murdered" at each seating. Sort of like dinner theater: but if your waiter turned out to be the actual murderer, you got your meal for free.)
Anyway, that was Zen, this is Tao. I liked NXNW better this time around. My beef tenderloin was fantastic, and I liked my mixed field greens salad very much. I was also very impressed with the service, and especially the flexibility of the waitstaff (for example, allowing us to create our own appetizer sampler platter). I can't blame them for the seating problems: it was a bad night for them, with several large parties (and, apparently, a restaurant that looks larger than it actually is).
As for the beer: I'm not really a beer expert, but I did order the sampler, and enjoyed four out of five of the brews. They had discontinued one, and the seasonal beer that evening really didn't impress me. I think they do better with the lighter beers, such as the Northern Light and Py Jingo Pale Ale, than the darker beers.
There are some things I question: why does any restaurant need to offer three different types of mashed potatoes, plus scalloped potatoes and garlic fries, as sides? I think their side menu is a bit heavy on the starches. In general, though, I rather like NXNW, and will probably visit more often now.
Good, if a bit pricey, American cafe food. My steak was fine, service was pretty good, and I liked all the appetizers (though I do think there should have been a bit more of them on the sampler plate).
And you seriously need reservations, something we learned much to our chagrin.
A very nice, apparently family-owned and operated, Thai place. Well worth trying if you live out near Cedar Park.
For this keeping track on the home game, this is the third Thai place to occupy this space. First there was PooThai, which was excellent, then there was Classic Thai which, er, wasn't. Thamnak Thai is a firm step back in the right direction.
This seems to be a family-run operation, and as such the service was friendly but slightly scatterbrained. (One of our "second wave" of appetizers didn't come until they brought out our entrees.) The Thom Kha soup was good, but not as good as that at Thai Kitchen; it needs to be spicier, as even the non-chiliheads at the table agreed. Appetizers were all in the good-but-not-great category.
My Salmon dish was actually quite good, and, wonder of wonders, they actually made a real effort to make it as hot as I like it. (In truth, it could have been a bit hotter, but it was a very credible effort.)
Drawbacks are a somewhat limited entrée menu; I would like to see more pork and beef dishes, as well as more "nuclear" specials.
If you live in Cedar Park and you like Thai food, you owe it to yourself to visit Thamnak Thai. Other Austin patrons might want to visit for a change from Thai Kitchen.
See the logs for March of 2006.