With a name like "Uncle Billy's Brew and Que" you figure you've got to
evaluate two things; the brew and the que. In order:
The habenero wings were good, and I did think the semi-enclosed indoor seating was pretty nifty (at least, until we got panhandled by a raving street lunatic). But neither the food nor the beers grab me. Sorry.
It depends on the curve your grading on. By the standards of Austin BBQ, Billy's Brew and Cue isn't too bad; by the standards of central Texas BBQ, it sucks.
One thing they get right is that the appetizers and sides are better than average. The fries were very tasty, nicely crisp thin fries, the macaroni and cheese was above par, the habanero wings really were hot (and quite good), and I liked the pulled pork quesadillas.
However, with the exception of the moist brisket, which was very good indeed, the BBQ just didn't cut it. The pork ribs, usually the high-point of BBQ offerings, were dry and less flavorful than just about any other decent BBQ joint. The Jalapeno cheese sausage was average at best, and the cooking process didn't seem to melt the cheese, which is a bad sign.
Service was pretty haphazard; it was hard to get refills of Diet Coke, until they finally figured out they needed to bring me a pitcher of the stuff.
Frankly, Rudy's does a much better job with BBQ than this place, and I don't go to a BBQ joint just for the sides. But if you do go there, stick to the sides and the brisket.
Shockingly good cheap Chinese storefront food. Biggest flaw to me is the soups; I wasn't wild about either the hot and sour or wonton. But the dumplings are good (better than the current dumplings at Tien Hong; I suspect Tien Hong's dumpling maker has moved on to other things), as are the main dishes.
Service, such as it is, is a little spotty; you order at the counter and they bring your food out to you, which can lead to long gaps between getting your soup and your hot tea. Easy solution: order water, iced tea, or a cold drink.
I've been trying to find a decent reasonably priced Chinese place on the way home from the office for months now. This looks like it could be the one.
All in all this was a pleasant surprise. The name made me think it would be something along the lines of Firebowl Cafe, and it has the ambiance of a lower-rung pho place. However, they have a much wider array of dishes than usual (be sure to ask for the Taiwanese menu in addition to the standard one).
The biggest find was the pan-seared pork dumplings, which were the best I've ever had, with nicely thin shells and just the right degree of crispness. They were so delicious that we immediately ordered another plate of them. Moreover, they're only $6.95 for 15, which is a tremendous bargain. You could make a meal of these and be quite satisfied.
The rest, alas, is a bit more hit or miss. I like the Taiwanese chicken bun dish (the bun in this case is an actual pig-in-a-blanket type of dough bun, not vermicelli), but it's a little expensive for what you get. The scallion pancakes were pretty credible, but THERE SHOULD BE A LINK TO THE THE TIME WE ATE AT PAO'S IN DECEMBER WHICH ISN'T UP ON THE WEBSITE YET, SO IF IT'S NOT HERE IT'S BECAUSE DWIGHT IS LAZY AND EVIL AND ALL THAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD does a better job. The pork vermicelli I ordered was adequate but nothing special.
I suggest going, getting the pork dumplings, and then trying something else on the menu and letting us know what's good. There's lots of potential that's well worth supporting here.
Why Ciola's again? Well, we wanted to do something fitting for EATAPETA Day, we couldn't find any decent barbecue places we hadn't already tried, and Mexican food didn't seem to involve enough tasty animals for our taste.
As far as I could tell, no one's meal was still frozen in the middle (we had two veals, two steaks, and a fish). I thought my osso bucco was very good; nice and tender, though the sauce could perhaps have been reduced a bit more. The marrow bone and fork were a nice touch, too.
This remains one of the best Italian restaurants in Austin, if also one of the most expensive. The crab cake was excellent, and the calamari remains among the best served in Italian restaurants. My veal saltimbocca was the best I've had in Austin, thought I think it could have used a touch less salt. The limoncello cheesecake was also quite good, with just the right touch of tartness without it being overpowering.
Really, my only objections to Ciola's are the drive and the prices. The veal saltimbocca is actually one of the cheapest entrees on the menu, which run up well into the $30-40 range. Those two things are why I never go to Ciola's over Reale's outside of an SDC. But if you live in Lakeway, or want to try a new Italian place, but all means give them a try.
Mexican and Salvadoran food in an East Austin hole-in-the-wall. The food was merely adequate and the English proficiency minimal (they were out of the "pineapple semite" dessert promised on the menu; does this make them anti-semites?). Not bad, but not great either.
Can't really come up with a compelling reason for you to try it.
The food was fine, but we had a large party (Martha Wells was in town, so A.T. invited her and some non-SDC SF people to attend), which lead to some problems:
I do like the fact that Tien Hong can seat large parties at fairly short notice, but the follow-through leaves a lot to be desired.
See the logs for April of 2008.