The Saturday Dining Conspiracy: November, 2008

November 1, 2008: BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse.

5207 Brodie Lane #300.
892-3800
30.23183° N, 97.81681° W

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men's room rating: 3.
WiFi: ?.

Dwight's comments:

Nothing really wrong with it, I guess. We went because some of the younger set likes it; I guess it was okay, but the food and the beer really didn't do very much for me. I could go back, but not enthusiastically.

Lawrence's comments:

Assume that all the double entendres based on the name have already been made. Alright, let's move on.

This is a pretty decent, and reasonably priced, chain restaurant and brewpub. There's nothing particularly wrong with it; the thin fries were good, the pot stickers were fine, the potato skins no worse than usual, and my roast beef sandwich was reasonably satisfying. And the service was quite prompt. But unless you're going there for the beer or to watch one of the many TV's tuned to sporting events, there's no reason to drive down to south Austin, or even past your local Chili's, to sample it.

November 8, 2008: Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant.

251 N Bell Blvd (Cedar Park, 78613).
(512) 258-4016
30.51115° N, 97.82477° W

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men's room rating: 2.
WiFi: No.

Lawrence's comments:

This is a perfectly nice and reasonably cheap Cedar Park Mexican restaurant. My fajitas were just fine. Entrees arrived very quickly; arguably too quickly, since they got here before the nacho appetizers.

Worth trying if you live in Cedar Park, but not worth a separate trip.

November 15, 2008: Mooyah Burger.

9070 Research Blvd., Suite 303 (SW corner of Burnet & 183, near Chili's).
380-0990
30.37206° N, 97.72721° W

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men's room rating: 2.5.
WiFi: No.

Dwight's comments:

Decent niche chain burger place, in the same vein as 5 Guys et al.

Lawrence's comments:

This is pretty decent burger joint with strip mall ambiance and a limited menu. (They've got burgers, fries, shakes, and hot dogs, and that seems about it.) The burgers are pretty good, the shakes and fries merely adequate. All in all I think that Mighty Fine Burger does a better job, and has a slightly nicer interior.

November 22, 2008: Mangieri's Pizza Cafe.

5900 W. Slaughter Lane, Suite 490.
301-0063

Pepper grinder rating: 0.
Men's room rating: 2.
WiFi: Yes.

Dwight's comments:

Pretty decent pizza. Maybe the second best (after Home Slice) to be found south of the river.

Lawrence's comments:

This is a pizza place that's way the hell down south. Service was quite good, and I thought the wings and garlic cheese bread were both nicely done. However, I had a few problems with the pizza itself, namely: A.) It was the flat crispy style, which is probably my least favorite, B.) Even taking that into account, I thought it was merely OK, and C.) I think it's somewhat expensive for what you get.

I wouldn't discourage you from trying it if you live in the area, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way for it.

November 29, 2008: None.

Dwight's comments:

Thanksgiving, you know.

See the logs for December of 2008.

See the logs for October of 2008.

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Send email to Dwight Brown (stainles@bga.com).