Reale's was nice enough to reserve a table for our large party (11 people, including Sam's first outing to a conspiracy). And our waitress did a pretty good job, as far as I could tell, juggling everyone's orders and keeping the drinks filled.
However. The first glasses of tea we had were awful: like it had been sitting for a few days before being served. The subsequent ones were better. (I don't know if someone said something to the waitress, but I know some of our party asked for fresh glasses. Still, this is the kind of thing that shouldn't happen.) The breadsticks were very good, and the people I heard commenting seemed happy with the stuffed flounder. On the other hand, my seafood alfredo was disappointing: the shrimp and scallops in it were good, but the alfredo sauce was thin and lacked character. It could have been an off night, but, based on other experiences, I'm not sure that Reale's does alfredo sauces well.
They're a good family-friendly non-chain place. I plan to go back to Reale's. But I have to wonder what the odds are of hitting two questionable nights in a 12 month period.
Since I've started doing Atkins, I'm afraid I couldn't try many of my favorite appetizers (like the cheese bread, nor the breadsticks). However, the antipasto plate and salad were quite good, and the veal picatta was very tasty indeed, so I don't feel too deprived.
The tandoori mixed grill and samosas are still as good as ever. The calamari was excellent, as Lawrence notes below. The only problem with our dinner was that the papadaums seemed slightly stale: otherwise, the Clay Pit was nearly perfect.
If you've been reading this page any length of time, you know we like The Clay Pit. So I'll skim the entree (my tandoori mixed grill was a little dry), the salad (adequate), the mussels (good), and the papadaums and naan I couldn't eat (still on Atkins), and talk about the calamari.
The calamari we had at The Clay Pit this time around was, quite literally, The Best I've Ever Had, tender, crisp and delicious, and without a hint of chewiness. It was so good that we polished it off and immediately ordered another helping of it, which was just as good and consumed with equal rapidity.
I wind up here fairly regularly, usually as part of some sort of office function. What I've generally found (this time being no exception) is that AL&CC's steaks and side dishes are fairly uninspired. There's nothing really wrong with any of the food (except that, this time, some folk's steaks seemed to be slightly undercooked), but I don't think they use beef that's as good or flavorful as they could get.
Honestly, I would probably prefer to eat at Texas Land and Cattle Company: TL&CC is a chain, but they're slightly cheaper, and I think their steaks have more taste. If I wanted to kick it up a notch or two, I'd go to Fleming's. I think AL&CC is caught in that uncomfortable middle ground between the high-end places (Fleming's, Ruth's Chris) and the mid-range places (represented by Texas Land & Cattle, as well as some other up-and-coming chains). I wish them well, but I think they need to get out of the middle.
Note that AL&CC has implimented the "17% tip for parties of 5 or more" policy, which Lawrence considers unacceptable. I do as well, but I'm starting to feel that we're loosing this fight.
Austin Land & Cattle Company does what they do reasonably well. The salad was disappointing for the price. The appetizers were a mixed bag; the escargot was very good, but the stuffed pepper dish seemed uninspired. As for my steak, it was definitely thick and juicy, but came out closer to rare than medium rare.
AL&CC is more expensive than Texas Land & Cattle Company, but (since it comes with sides for those not on the Atkin's thing) slightly less expensive than Fleming's or Ruth's Chris. Alas, much as I'd like to see the local guys top the chains, I think both Fleming's and Ruth's Chris do a better job in the High End Steakhouse Sweepstakes.
Lawrence was attending Worldcon. I was in Ohio for my mother's 60th birthday party. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the generous hospitality of Cheryl Eberhart and Allan Gerlat, and of Dennis and Vicki Eberhart.
See the logs for September of 2002.