As I've mentioned before, I generally avoid hotel restaurants unless I have no other choice, or they get good word of mouth. Ma Ferguson's got enough good word of mouth that I was willing to give it a try.
The first sign of trouble was when we walked in and found no customers at all. On a Saturday night. At a hotel restaurant. What, was the Hilton empty that weekend? The second sign of trouble was the obviously dirty water glass in one of the place settings: poor attention to detail, guys.
Then we had the food: the "Bullington's basket" (A generic "Let's take a bunch of stuff, deep fry it, and put cheese on or in it." sort of appetizer platter.), and the same "hot" wings every other uninventive joint in town serves. The salads were okay (though I do think the supposed standard balsamic vinegrette dressing (which they were out of that night) would be a better choice than the herbal vinegrette they did have), and the bowl of blue cheese was a nice touch.
I had the same rib platter Lawrence had: my ribs were mostly bone (these damn sure were not "baby back" ribs, no matter what the menu said) and rather dry and tasteless. Also, the rib platter was $16 for basically four ribs: for $14 (last time I checked) I can get all-you-can-eat ribs at the County Line. My chocolate pecan fudge cake (which was described on the menu as both "cake" and "pie") was actually pretty good, and perhaps the only thing I had all night worth the price.
As a final side note to all service professionals out there: Yes, I do work with computers. Yes, I am willing to help my friends and other folks out with computer problems. NO, that does not mean that it's okay to hit on me for advice on your home computer on a weekend, when I'm obviously off duty and dining with my friends.
This restaurant is something of a mystery. It gets good press, but on a Saturday night it was quite literally empty when we walked in (and had only a couple of parties when we left). Even though it was empty, and the waiter attentive (I got several free Dr Pepper refills without having to ask for them), it took a long time to get our appetizers and entrees. And, of course, there's the whole idea of a restaurant named after Texas' first (and best) female Governor (with lots of traditional Texan and "down home" dishes and even a menu modeled after Ma Ferguson's own newspaper) being attached to a national hotel chain (the Austin Hilton).
And the food? Pretty good, actually. The "Bullington's Basket," which includes huge chicken tenders, plus fried mozzarella sticks, fried stuffed jalapenos, and potato skins, was very tasty and a heck of a deal. The quesadillas were fairly good, though the hot wings were of the "fry the suckers then toss a bunch of Tabasco on them" variety. After an adequate salad, they finally brought out my entree, a slab of baby back ribs with a side of fries. The portions were reasonably generous and the ribs themselves were very flavorful--they could have been slightly moister, but were otherwise perfect. Dessert was a vanilla ice cream sundae which was quite delicious but, at $4.95, a tad overpriced.
But the food was good enough to make me wonder why they were deserted. The food was as good or better than you get at Lone Star Cafe, and, except for the slow kitchen, the service was quite acceptable. The construction at 290 and I-35? Judging from the parking lot, it didn't seem to be hurting the Outback just up the road. It may just be the stigma of being attached to a hotel, but you shouldn't let that dissuade you from giving Ma a try.
A quite good alternative to Castle Hill. And rather uncrowded on a Saturday night, too: Mirabelle isn't exactly in a downscale part of town, so this baffles me.
A minor quibble: while my roast duck was good, I found myself wishing the kitchen had applied some sort of spice rub, or something to kick it up just a notch. And I don't understand why they didn't offer us pepper. But the salads are good, the appetizers are faithful copies of Castle Hill's, and I'd gladly go back anytime.
We were going to go back to Castle Hill this week, but they were booked solid. So, this trip to Mirabelle (which, as I noted in my previous review, might as well be called "Castle Hill North") instead. This trip offered two pleasant surprises, namely: A.) Though they were busy, it was still possible to walk in at 6 PM and get a table (though we had reservations), and B.) The entrees seemed to have more generous portions than on our previous visit. My veal dish was very good, but the roast pork loin looked to be the best value at the table.
However, it also offered one very unpleasant surprise: Mirabella is yet another place which has instituted a 18% mandatory tipping policy for parties of 6 or more. You know the drill: THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE POLICY AND RESULTS IN A MANDATORY RATING OF ***NO STARS*** until such a time as the policy is changed. Which is a darn shame, since they would otherwise rank as one of the best restaurants in Austin, and if it weren't for the heinous tipping policy, Mirabella would be everything Zoot isn't.
Mediocre Italian food, distinguished only by being cheap. If you just want to get tanked up on a budget, Zio's is okay. If you want to eat, go someplace else.
Decent food at reasonable prices in an overcrowded Italian chain restaurant. Cheaper than Carrabbas across the street (but not as good) and with a more varied menu than Romano's Macaroni Grill. The waiter struggled to keep up with our drink refills, but otherwise the service was acceptable. An adequate dining experience, but not particularly memorable.
Christmas.
Nothing new to add here. If you like deep-fried fish, this is the place for it.
I really don't have anything more to say about Castaways than I did the last time. Good food in reasonably generous portions at affordable prices.
See the logs for January of 2001.