Anthony Bourdain would have kicked our asses.
Seriously, when you order mussels, and the guy behind the counter yells to the guy in the kitchen, "Hey, Frank, do we have any mussels?" and Frank yells back "I think there's some on the bottom back shelf of the refrigerator", that's a sign you shouldn't order the mussels. I'm glad I didn't spend the night attached to the toilet.
As for the pizza: I've always kind of liked Saccone's on 183, and the pizza at this location is about the same. My thing is: if I'm going to drive this far for pizza, I'm driving to Home Slice Pizza or Rounder's Pizza, where I can get a similar, but better pizza, without the indifferent slacker service.
This location of Saccone's is somewhat nicer on the inside than the main location on 183 (it sort of looks liked it used to be a Conan's, with the same dark wooden booths look, sans the Frank Frazetta prints). And the pizza is quite good. And the garlic cheese bread seems much better than I remember from the other location.
But the mussels were just bad, probably the worst I've had. And the restaurant staff seemed to be the most apathetic I've run across outside an actual fast food chain. Now, when you're working for minimum wage on a cold, rainy day, I hardly expect you to break into a song and dance routine, but it does seem that you could at least pretend to care. Or maybe even smile. But total bored indifference is not what I'm looking for.
If I lived in the area, I wouldn't rule them out for delivery or pickup. But I can't see any reason to dine here.
I suspect there's one question on your mind: is the $39 steak worth $39?
Let me say this: I like the inside of III Forks. As we all know, I really get into that soft burnished wood glow. I liked the bar at III Forks: they do seem to know how to make a proper sidecar without being told. I liked the appetizer medley (a combination of a bacon wrapped scallop, a crabcake, and a shrimp cocktail (which was really one big shrimp with cocktail sauce)).
I didn't care much for the lobster bisque, which I think is inferior to Eddie V.'s. Many people point out that the steaks at III Forks come with sides, and that somehow, this makes them better than Fleming's or Ruth's Chris. My problem with this is that I don't find III Forks sides (creamed corn, dutchess potatoes, fresh tomatos, and green onions) all that attractive or interesting. Yes, you'll pay extra for a side of Fleming's potatoes, but darn it, they are good potatoes.
And now, the answer to the ultimate question: I thought the bone-in ribeye was a good, solid steak. But I honestly did not think it was a $39 steak. Maybe the porterhouse was better: I don't know.
I do know that I was happier here than I was after Four Seasons. But would I go back, even for a special occasion or an expense account meal? I'd have to think pretty hard about that: I don't think III Forks would be my first choice.
This was our annual Birthday Steak Outing, and Kurt Baty had recommended this new downtown restaurant (part of a chain of three), so we thought we'd give it a try. Short verdict: Ruth's Chris quality steak at Ruth's Chris prices.
There were, however, a few improvements over Ruth's Chris. For one thing, they didn't nickel-and-dime you to death; your entree actually included sides. The sampler platter was pretty tasty, though I wish a bit more customization had been possible. My porterhouse was right up there in Ruth's Chris/Fleming's territory (with a price to match), tender and delicious. The yellow cake was also very nice (though not as good as the rum cake at Mikado).
Service was excellent, with a small army of waitstaff bringing drinks, extra bread, etc. There were even separate servers for ground pepper (yes!), creamed corn, and a tomato/green onion plate. And not only do they have a staffer responsible for taking your picture and providing you a free copy (a gimmick I applaud), they actually did an excellent job in the photography department.
However, you are going to pay out the wazoo for the privilege, in my case $90 for my own meal (and no drinks). Certainly opting for the porterhouse ups the cost, but expect to drop a good $60-70, even without alcoholic drinks. But if you can drop that much on a meal, III Forks is a pretty good "special occasions" restaurant.
Nothing to see here. Move along. Try Texas Reds in San Marcos. Drive carefully. Tip your waitress.
Not terribly good Chinese/Vietnamese combo, with a more limited than most Vietnamese menu. I didn't think my squid in hot sauce was terribly good (too many bell peppers) and none of the other appetizers or sides impressed me. Pass.
Competent but uninspired (at best) Chinese/Vietnamese food. My BBQ pork bun (vermicelli) was fine, but the pupu platter seemed substandard, with fatty spare-ribs rather than the usual pork ribs. Service was pretty good though, with frequent drink refills.
There's no reason for anyone to drive from north Austin to eat here.
See the logs for May of 2007.