1412 S. Congress
447-7688
Men's room rating: 3. (Nice sinks, and a novel approach to soap dispensers. Could use some paint, especially for the floor.)
Womens's room rating: 2. (Our benchmarking assistant, Terri, informed us it needed cleaning badly.)
Dwight's comments:
Ah, what a way to start the New Year, with the most co-conspirators we've had in a while. (Including Andrew "Destroy All Pavement" Wimsatt, both Johns, Michael "Mike the Musicologist" Sumbera (in his first appearence since we've started keeping these logs), +Rich and Terri, Marty, and a late arrival by Richard "RoadRich" Simental, back from being beat up by Jet Li in ancient China. (Actually, somewhere near Uvalde.)
Too bad the food wasn't quite up to the company: I wasn't impressed by my mole enchiladas (I prefer the ones at Curra's Grill.) or my pork taco al carbon (which I thought was excessively bland). I didn't try them, but I was amazed at the microscopic size of the tacos al pastor appetizer: The quesadillas (with chorizo) were pretty good, as was the chocolate flan.
The service was questionable. (Actually, that's probably an understatement: it provoked Marty to loud public criticism, which is unusal for him.) They did get Lawrence's drink order right, but our waitress disappeared as soon as we got our food, not even bothering to check our tea and water glasses again until after we finished our meals.
Guero's isn't really bad, but I didn't think it had anything special to offer. Curra's does much better mole, and offers a wider, cheaper, and better selection of tacos.
Lawrence's comments:
I liked Guerro's a bit better than Dwight (and the tacos al pastor was indeed tasty, though I would have prefered a platful at $4.95), but Curra's does do a better job. And the hot sauce choices were pretty wimpy. But I wouldn't object to going back and trying the fajitas sometime.
Mike's comments:
Paint the floor?
As far as Guerro's: I've had better. The Taco Bar is a cute idea, but they offer no explanation of how it works. If we weren't the adventurous diners we are, how long would it have been before we got refills on salsa?
When dealing with a group our size and our level of trouble, I expect the service to be a little under par, but this was even less so, or at least from others comments. Personally I had no problems with the service, but then I've been having to put up with New York waitrons for the last year...
The quesadillas were the best part of the meal. It seemed to me that the chorizo was much less greasy than I've come to expect. I do agree with you that the Taco al Carbon was instantly forgettable (I had the chicken variation). The burrito was servicable but nothing memorable about it either.
Overall not our best dining experience. At the same time however,I wouldn't object to going back--especially if we have another group of comparable size.
11606 N. IH-35
834-0474
Men's room rating: 2.5.
Dwight's comments:
There are times when you want schnitzel served by guys in lederhosen. This was one of them.
Gunther's offers truly hearty German meals: Lawrence and I split a schnitzel sampler for two, while John and Marty got a large farmer's plate, featuring a massive pork chop and a huge wurst.
I also enjoyed our grilled wurst teller: a sampler platter of various grilled sausages, with mustard and horseradish. On the other hand, the potato pancakes were a little overcooked, and the desserts were nothing special.
Our waiter seemed to be having a slightly off night (maybe he was cold in his lederhosen), but nothing we couldn't live with.
I also think Gunther's is moderately expensive for what you get: however, Marty pointed out that the current Passbook has a "buy one, get one free" coupon, making his and John's farmer's plate a real bargin.
9012 Research Blvd.
451-7427
Pepper grinder rating: Come on, what did you expect? It's a barbecue joint.
Dwight's comments:
I wasn't feeling well that night (either allergies or a cold: either way, my nose was stuffed up like a turkey at Thanksgiving), so I'm avoiding comment to be fair. I will note that you can actually get a baked potato as a side at Texas Rib Kings, and that it was nice to dine once again with Earl Cooley and the infamous Andrew "Full Employment For Lawyers" Wimsatt.
Lawrence's comments:
Good (but not great) BBQ at a good price (about $12 for all you can eat and a drink). The BBQ sauce itself was the usual mediocre fare, but the brisket was reasonably tender and the potato salad was outstanding. Texas Rib King can't hold a candle to the Salt Lick, but it beats our last BBQ experience (Braggers) all to hell. Possibly your best choice for BBQ in North Austin.
The Filling Station
801 Barton Springs
477-1022
Dwight's comments:
Frequently Asked Questions About Clyde's Birthday Party
Lawrence's comments:
Though I go to Clyde's Birthday Party for the company, I do feel that, following the demise of the much-morned G/M Steakhouse, The Filling Station has the best hamburger in Austin. Far better and heftier than some places I could name (Dwight and I were both rather disgruntled to find that Hangtown Grill (at least the North location) had downsized their patty considerably, leaving it a tiny, meaty morsal becalmed midst a bloated bun). If you know of a better (or bigger) hamburger in town, let me know (lawrence@bga.com).
Also, Branaugh's Hamlet gets our thumbs-up seal of approval.
Send e-mail to Dwight Brown (stainles@bga.com).
Return to the main Saturday Dining Conspiracy page.
See the logs for February of 1997.
See the logs for December of 1996.