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Eating in Austin - Downtown

I saw a tweet today mentioning that my list of restaurants was not very downtown friendly. It seemed like a good idea to give a quick overview of a few downtown locales that are worth checking out. These are in no particular order.

Serranos on Red River is a Mexican restaurant with a really great patio. It is close enough to downtown that you can walk, yet it still feels somewhat insulated from traffic and urban noise. I usually split some fajitas with a friend and enjoy their Margaritas.

Stubbs is a BBQ joint that is very well known during SXSW for its food and as a venue. As far as BBQ goes, the connoisseur in me gives it a par. But, when I want a hot and quick sit down meal before a show it is tough to beat. The sides can be a meal in themselves if you want something light. Their coffee is also pretty darn tasty if you need a boost to get an evening started.

Jaime's on Red River is another Mexican restaurant that used to be famous for its breast feeding friendly signage out front. I've never actually eaten there, but friends I know have, which leads me to believe it's safe.

There are a ton of small pizza places downtown for those needing some grease to premptively attack the morning dregs. Rappolos is all over the place with both an actual building on 6th and trailers everywhere else. Nothing too amazing. The Jackelope also has a pizza place built in. I've never been, but it seems pretty run of the mill. I think Houcks (heavy metal pizza) is still around somewhere, but honestly I've lost track as its moved so often recently. Hoboken Pies on Red River is actually a pretty decent place and would really be the only one I might "recommend".

Another staple of the downtown diet is the multitude of carts. Many of them serve the same purpose as the pizza places, while offering more interesting options. Personally, I've stuck to basics and tended toward sausage related endeavors. The best is The Best Wurst. They give you real deal Elgin sausage with saurkrout and mustard on a small hoagie roll. It's Texas and it's amazing. The Jackalope (in addition to its own food) also has a hot stand called Beelzebubs that is pretty decent if you want a real hot dog. They have a "cuban" that throws a twist with pull pork, pickles and some sauce. It is pretty good stuff. There is also the Hot Dog King on Red River. I've never been there, but friends say it is pretty good, but kind of pricey considering it is just a hot dog. There is a Mexican place that sets up in front of Emos that is not bad for a quick taco. Usually on the weekends there is a BBQ trailer hanging around that I've failed to convince my significant other I needed to check out. They have turkey legs though, so if you are feeling the need to act and look like a barbarian, I'd say give it a try.

There are a whole slew of sit down restaurants on 6th, but I haven't been most of them. Most, from what I can tell, are OK, but I don't think many reflect real local fresh cuisine. For example, I've been Roux (below the Parish) for a quick meal. The gumbo was pretty good, but some fried something or others we had were obviously frozen. If others have suggestions that are worthwhile please comment.

One downtown restaurant that is relatively new is Parkside. They serve some raw fish dishes that are pretty amazing. A friend of mine who worked there said the chef came from Uchi, which is a good sign. Just to give an example, I had a raw salmon dish served on a pear slice, drizzled with a peach sauce and small circlets of jalapeno. Amazing and tasty. It is kind of pricey, but it is worth checking out.

Another pricier downtown locale is Chez Nous. It is a pretty standard Frech restaurant. The food is good, although the atmosphere is pretty ho-hum. I wouldn't say it is a place to make time for, but if you're hungary and want to spend a little time enjoying a meal it certainly works.

One of my favorites east side places that recently opened is The Good Knight. It is just down the street from Rio Rita and owned by the same folks. It is a dark upscale dive with a gourmet bar menu. Everything I've eaten is good. The service can be kind of sketchy, but traditionally everyone is pretty nice. Rio Rita also serves some really good sandwiches in addition to their legendary bloody marys. They have a black forest ham with asparagus croissant that really works. You can also grab a slice of pizza from East Side Pies if that is more to your liking. Generally, Rio Rita is a great coffee shop/bar at all hours.

Lastly, Cafe de Sol (I think that is the name) just moved in next to Emos. This is a Mexican place that was on south congress. I haven't had a chance to go yet, so hopefully during SXSW I'll have my chance.

I'm sure I missed quite a bit, so please feel free to fill in the gaps in the comments.