Not sure why, but every time I drive by Red's Porch, my first thought is a vision in my head of Sam Elliott calmly stating, "I'm Red, and this here is my porch", while welcoming guests with a sweep of the arm and a crooked smile.
My second thought is always, "damnit all does that place ever look like a Citibank".
Well, to those who know, Red's is actually BEHIND the bank. Probably not hard to figure out, but just thought I'd clarify.
As far as atmosphere goes, this place is tops. A two story, indoor-outdoor structure with a fantastic second level bar and porch with an even better view of the canyon-like Greenbelt with a distant view of the hills of Westlake. Put simply, this is a small slice of vacation lake life without the lake. It beats a drive out to Lake Travis when you're just looking for that feeling, some food, and some drinks on a nice day, and want to avoid the crowds and the scantily-but-should-be-clad boaters stopping in for some more beer at Hula Hut or Abel's on the Lake (both great spots though in their own right).
My good friend Spike and I stopped in for a quick burger and beer yesterday after a muni round on a beautiful February day. High hopes for the atmosphere, and tempered hopes of a great burger, we were both pleasantly surprised by all, and had a great time.
I opted for the Manimal, upgraded for grass-fed, natural beef, topped with grilled onions, cheddar, swiss and homemade Thousand Island, and Spike opted for the Smokey Goat burger, topped with "deep" smoked bacon, fried onions, and goat cheese. And then we did what two dudes normally don't do in a public setting, we cut those suckers in half and traded so we could try each of them. In the name of reviewing. Glad we did.
Both very good. The grass-fed natty patty on the Manimal had a rich, moist, and beefy flavor, complemented nicely by sweet, carmelized onions. I'd have liked some more tang from the Thousand Island to balance the onions, as it erred toward the sweet side, though was well prepared and very good.
(picture a half pound burger on a sourdough bun with grilled onion, cheddar, swiss, and 1000 island here)
The Smokey Goat was excellent. Bacon was as advertised and cooked perfectly. Not crumbly and not chewy. Thin sliced and fried onions provided a crunch and sweetness, which balanced perfectly with the soft, tangy goat cheese. Smokey, sweet, salty, tangy, beefy. A great combination of flavor.
Fries came with both, and while not mind blowing, were pretty good. A bit on the cool side, and clearly just fried once, they came well seasoned with flaky kosher salt. Dipped in a self-made-at-the-table hot sauce laced ketchup, or the side of cilantro mayo that I ordered, they rounded out the meal, as did my Austin Beerworks Pearl Snap Pils, which was just one of a large list of local, domestic and import brews available for the taking.
This is a laid back, very Austin, perfect atmosphere, where you can spend countless hours on a nice afternoon drinking beer, a decent glass of wine, or a cocktail, keeping any worries the past week may have brought, or the current week may bring, far, far away.
Sometimes you eat the bar, and...well...sometimes the bar eats you. I'm good with either. And this is the right bar.
Summary
Atmosphere: relaxing lakeside bar just without the lake but fantastic views, laid back, outdoor seating, sit outside
Food: burgers, sandwiches, home-cooking and Tex-Mex. you feel like it, you got it.
Crowd: goooooood looooookin', young, old, beachy, swimsuits, tank tops, bare feet, canine, large groups, small groups, hotchicks, hipsters, and starving artists
When to Go: any afternoon when the weather is nice, brunch on the weekends
What to Order: whatever you feel like, you're there for the the atmosphere, the company, and the beer
Dog Friendly: absolutely, they'll have lots of friends
Let me tell you what Top Notch is packin' right here, alll right...we got a 15-8 piece dark, No. 4 Longhorn Special, curbside service, 6 and 1 fried sides, no-doubt 390 cholesterol...we're talking some f-in' food.
Alright, alright...let's start with the fried chicken this stuff was G-O-O-D good, my man...I'm talkin' super juicy on the inside, ultra crispy on the outside, salty, plump...I don't know what they do to it, man, but they got to keep on doin' it, cause that chicken makes life worth livin', man. L-I-V-I-N.
Sides? Yeah, man, any and all, all right...mashed potatoes and gravy...and this gravy was smokin', man...S-M-O-K-I-N...I'm talkin' thick, creamy, salty, peppery...dropped on top of those fresh-peeled-boiled-and-mashed spuds like a cheerleader on a quarterback, all right...
Fried sides? Can't decide? Get 'em all...you got to eat what Artie Gordo wants to eat. Okra...fries...rings...you got to know they do it right here, man...hot, crunchy, salty...may even sop up a little of that chicken fat in the fryer for a little soul, all right all right...
Burger...grilled over charcoal, man, the only way to do it, alll right...this number four is the 1976 version of the Big Mac, my man, and what Ronald McDonald no-doubt wants that Big Mac to be to-DAY, man...I'm talkin' two charcoal grilled patties...ripe with flavor....melted American cheese, special sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion...this thing is hot, this thing is big, and this thing tastes great...just wish they had crisper lettuce and ripe tomatoes...I'd be a lot cooler if they did...but who cares, I'm not here for a salad.
That's what I love about these drive-ins, man. I get older, they serve the same food...
Off to the Moontower
Atmosphere: old school, mellow, cruise in, drive-in, counter service, indoor seating, sit-in-your-car-and-push-the-button seating, carry-out, throwback, place for a date when you're to young to hit Centennial, THE place to pick up redheads, all right all right
Food: classic man, burgers, fries, rings, fried chicken and fixin's
Dog Friendly: you got to do what you got to do
Crowd: me, Randall Pink Floyd, Slater-son, little Mitch Kramer, and redheads, man, I love those redheads
When to Go: lunch, dinner, anytime you want my man, anytime you want
What to Order: you got to order what you want to order, but get the fried chicken or a number four, all right all right...
Great seafood. Great raw bar. Great bar. Great cocktails. Great outdoor seating. Great place for dinner.
Now, with a thesaurus...
Great seafood. Splendiferous raw bar. Swell bar. Hunky-dory cocktails. Marvelous outdoor seating. Fabulous place for dinner.
In the second half of 2010 (2H2010 for you corporate folks) when I was commuting to Austin weekly and staying with friends down off of South Congress, I frequented this place for dinner quite a bit whenever I was feeling like seafood or a relatively healthy meal. Also, it's a fantastic place to have a solo dinner, with a spacious bar, knowledgeable bartenders, and other solo diners sitting at the bar ready to have a conversation.
The menu is huge, comprised almost entirely of seafood, split up into sections for the raw bar, which features no less than twelve different types of oysters on the half shell, appetizers, salads and soups, simple a la carte fish, seafood and non-seafood plates, sandwiches, and sides. The bartenders and waiters can tell you anything and everything about everything on the menu, and can help to get you the right meal for you.
My Lovely Wife Mrs. Gordo and I hit up Perla's for an early dinner last night for some drinks and some food to share, which is a great way to experience this place as it allows you to try several things. We arrived right around 5:30pm, which was clearly too late to get a table outside on this fantastic day, but in time to get $0.50 off oysters (each one) and some discounted drinks at their happy hour. I'd say there are twenty or more tables outside underneath the shade of awnings and a massive oak, and in addition is an outdoor "bar" to sit at, not an actual bar but a long, skinny concrete table which is perfect for bellying up, be you flying solo or on a date. So with the outside packed, we found two spots at the bar inside, which is my favorite place to sit for a meal here.
We started with some oysters on the half shell, and after talking with the bartender about the various oysters on the menu, decided on the Salutation Cove Oysters from Prince Edward Island. Shucked at the bar and served on a bed of crushed ice with a couple of lemon wedges, these were medium sized, slightly briny though not as salty as those from the northeast, and very good. They serve them with sides of cocktail sauce, horseradish, and vinegar/onion mignonette, all perfect complements and perfect acidity to cut through the oysters.
From the oysters we moved on to the Salt and Jalapeno Pepper Fried Calamari with Green Sauce and Marinara, which is one of the better renditions of fried calamari I've had. Not greasy at all, the rings and tentacles come out dry and crispy on the outside, plump and perfectly tender on the inside, and are mixed together with fried strips of mild peppers and okra. Both sauces are excellent, with the green sauce being a simple, smooth and creamy salsa verde with an adequate amount of heat, and the marinara being homemade with chunks of tomato and onion, served warm.
Our raw and deep fried boxes checked, we moved over to the Fresh & Simple Market Seafood section and debated between the steamed North Atlantic halibut, the pan roasted Texas coast grouper, and halibut cheeks, which were littered amongst eight to ten other simply prepared fish selections. Just for the halibut, we went for the halibut cheeks with a side of potato griddle cakes.
Let me start with the griddle cakes. These things are fantastic. Very thinly shredded potatoes, presumably with egg, cream, and mild seasoning, formed into one inch thick patties and fried before being topped with sour cream and chives. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside with just a hint of tooth from the potatoes. I strongly recommend this as a side to whatever you're having.
On to the halibut, and first an educations. These beauties are halibut cheeks:
They cut them out of this ugly sucker, pan roast these delicate morsels, resulting in a paper-thin, lightly browned and crispy crust, and a tender, mildly flavored, and incredibly delicate interior. With these simple preparations, you get a broiled lemon for squeezing, an herbed breadcrumb stuffed roma tomato, and a choice of garlic drawn butter, salsa verde, red chimichurri or homemade tartar as a sauce. I highly recommend the red chimichurri, a take on the standard South American condiment based on oil, herbs and garlic, with this one adding what tasted like oven dried tomatoes, lending a great sweetness to the dish. It's incredible, and a perfect sauce for the fish, though it can stand on its own just fine.
As I have a tendency to do, I'm going to digress. I've had fat cheeks my whole life. Growing up I was sent to the principal's office on more than one occasion for dipping in class, which I wasn't. I've been asked by cigar store employees what brand I'm chewing, which I also wasn't. But my favorite story comes after a late night of drinking, and a even later night of food poisoning. We had this tiny diner that we'd go to after the bars in school called the Pitt Grill, next to the Days Inn (that reminds me, what does La Quinta mean in English? mull it over, we'll get back to it), which was run by a massive and generally angry lady who would let us get behind the counter and do what we pleased with the griddle, the stove, the deep fryer and the toaster, leading us to some awesome late night meals and second degree burns before turning in for the night. On one such occasion they had just gotten in a batch of spoiled eggs, which we only found out a few hours later when my roommate and I both woke up in cold sweats with our bodies doing everything in their power to expel the tainted goods. After spending most of the night on the bathroom floor waiting for the health center to open up, we finally made it over to see the doctor. While my roommate vomited continuously in the waiting area, I went in to see the doctor, an old army doctor who must of at some point taken some shrapnel to the head, and explained what happened, citing specifically the undercooked and underrefrigerated eggs, my symptoms as well as my roommates, and that I've had food poisoning before. After a careful study of my body and head, this genius put his hand to his chin and this thinking cap on, thought about it for two or three minutes before informing me that nope, I didn't have food poisoning, I had a full on case of the mumps.
"Are you kidding me?" I asked. "Why the hell do you think I have the mumps? My roommate ate the same thing as me last night and is out in the hall vomiting right now."
His answer was simple. "Your cheeks have very serious swelling."
(I digress from my digression here. Answer: nexttodennys. YEAH! I'll be here all week, folks.)
Anyway I asked for a mirror, took a look at him, and informed him that's how I looked every morning when I wake up and look in the mirror, but he didn't believe me and asked if he could call my roommate in from the hallway to attest, which he did. As soon as he asked the question about my cheeks, my roommate looked at me as if to say, "is this guy for real", then vomited in the trash can he brought in with him from the hallway, then said "yeah, his cheeks look like that all the time", and then vomited again.
What could the doctor do at that point but offer a second opinion? "OK, you have food poisoning."
Thanks. True story. Don't get me started on health care overhaul.
Anyway, all that said, here's my best halibut impression.
Did that ruin your day?
Summary
Atmosphere: casual/trendy fish house and raw bar, great bar to sit at, great cocktails, great people watching, great if you're flying solo, fantastic outdoor seating and lots of it, outdoor "bar" to sit at, great place for a date, great place for a group
Food: seafood, some of the very best in town
Dog Friendly: indeed
When to Go: happy hour, dinner
Crowd: businessmen, 20somethings, 30somethings, tourists, hotchicks, groups of girls, groups of guys, groups of girls and guys, scantily clads, solo diners, seafood lovers
What to Order for the First Timer: oysters on the half shell, whatever pan roasted white fish they have with red chimichurri, griddle cakes
I hadn't even planned on going there on Sunday night, and with Mrs. Gordo out of town I was headed to the store to get capers, fennel, green olives, and all sorts of other things she's not fond of, to make a dish for my dinner.
Got hungry on the way, and started craving fajitas, so despite the fact that it's not the best place to go if you're by yourself, I diverted to Polvo's, a funky little South Austin spot on South 1st.
So I mentioned it isn't a great spot to go to if you're grabbing a bite on your own, but all that really speaks to is that there is no bar to sit at. That said, the atmosphere here is fantastic, loud and festive, and there is always a crowd, normally taking their chances with Polvo's famously strong margaritas. Great outdoor seating, covered and uncovered, as well as a couple of small dining rooms, the largest of which is anchored by a giant round salsa bar featuring three different salsas and homemade escabeche. Help yourself, but be warned, even though they automatically bring chips to your table, the salsa isn't free, but it also isn't too expensive at all, particularly if you're with others.
So, with just a few tables open at around 6:30pm, I was ushered inside to a giant round table for four, which could easily accommodate six, given a menu, and was convinced to get a margarita. Let me go ahead and start with that margarita, and then get back to the salsas. First off, I like tequila, and I like limes, but I'm not a margarita guy, and certainly not a frozen margarita guy. There's generally two things that contribute to that...the sickly overly sweet pre-made margarita mix that places dealing in bulk usually use, and cheap tequila. Polvo's does them right though, and I'll happily drink them when I'm there. No mix used here, just fresh squeezed limes evidenced by the pulp floating amongst the ice. I opt for a premium tequila, and the combination of the two ingredients creates a smooth, fresh, tart tasting margarita with no residual goo left on your tongue and teeth after a bite.
Back to the salsas. I love the idea of a serve yourself salsa bar, so I really hate to say that I'm afraid that this one misses the mark, at least for me, with the exception of one item. Three salsas to choose from, we'll call them yellow, red, and black.
Let's take them in order. The yellow is the spiciest of the three, but is anything but spicy. Looks tomatillo based, has a sweet, fruity flavor, and though it's well prepared for what it is, I'm just not a big fan. The red is a classic red salsa with zero heat whatsoever, but it does taste very fresh, and I like the chunks of white onion and cilantro that it contains, but I'm not sure there is a single pepper in it, and the lack of spice is disappointing. The black is a flavorful, earthy, smoky, and complex salsa, also with absolutely no heat. This is probably my favorite of the three, but that's not saying a lot. I know these guys can do spicy, because they do a really hot specialty sauce for enchiladas, which is a verde sauce with what's got to be habanero in it. I wish they'd take some of that heat and offer it in at least one of the salsas.
All of that said, you really can't start a Mexican meal without chips and salsa, so get it and try it for yourself, and also get it for the escabeche. I could eat this stuff all day long. Pickled jalapenos, carrots, and onions, with a fair amount of heat. The vegetables are all cut in large pieces, and retain their crunch despite saturation with a vinegar based brine. I eat it like it is, but it would also be good on tacos, fajitas or quesadillas. This makes the $1.75 you pay for the salsa bar all worth it.
Now, the fajitas. These things are damn good. First rule of ordering fajitas at Polvo's, don't allow yourself to get upsold to their guajillo or cerveza marinated fajitas, which they will try to do. Stick with the original fajitas, they're the best. I got sold on the cerveza ones once and they are a little to stir-fry tasting to satisfy my desire for Mexican food.
The beef fajitas are not the minimally seasoned and char-grilled variety, which are good in their own right, but are instead a heavily seasoned, dried chile based, flat-top grilled variety which scream with flavor. The beauty of these is that I'm nearly certain they put raw sliced onions on your sizzling plate, then throw the beef on top, resulting in onions cooked just to the point of keeping their crispness while being cooked long enough to completely saturate them with the jus and spice from the beef. Added bonus, some melted cheese and tomato to go with the standard accompaniments. Oh, and there's a ton of it. I filled three tortillas to the point of bursting with this stuff and still had about an equal amount of beef leftover. Easily splittable between two people, or great to make a meal out and a meal at home out of.
So the standard accompaniments include guacamole, sour cream, shredded carrots, rice and beans, and don't forget about that escabeche. The rice is just well cooked, standard fare Mexican rice, and the beans are of the charro or boracho variety, with incredible flavor coming from the addition of the pig.
You know, I laughed when I got seated by myself at a table for four, but I think they knew what they were doing...
One man.
Summary
Atmosphere: funky, old South Austin, casual Mexican restaurant, outdoor seating, no bar but full bar, fun, great for groups, great for a start or end to an evening of imbibing, great for a day after
Food: Mexican and Tex-Mex
Dog Friendly: yes
When to Go: lunch, dinner
Crowd: young, old, partygoers, 20somethings, 30somethings, Mexicans, South Austinites, beatniks, drunks, groups of girls, groups of guys, groups of girls and guys
What to Order for the First Timer: queso, beef fajitas
My Lovely Wife Mrs. Gordo is headed out of town tomorrow, so we decided to take the opportunity to get a really nice dinner at a really good price by taking advantage of Jeffrey's "reverse" happy hour on Saturday night. From 9-11pm on Saturdays (and 5-7pm on all other days), the bar menu at Jeffrey's is half price, and you can sample some of their fantastic food for relatively cheap.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Jeffrey's, it is one of the nicest restaurants in Austin, and is the quintessential high-end neighborhood restaurant. Literally, it's next door to houses. The atmosphere is very, very nice, and homey. When you walk in the door, you feel like you're in a house, with the main room containing the bar having carpeted floors and a classy, but completely unpretentious, feel to it.
The bar is nice sized, with probably around ten stools, and is a good place to belly up and visit with your date, your spouse, the bartenders and the other patrons. As for the bartenders, they really know their stuff, both on wine and on spirits.
I was already a bit out of place with my flip flops (though I did at least wear pants and a nice shirt), so I opted not to embarrass MLWMG any further by taking pictures. But, I certainly wanted to show you all the great food we got, so I took a shot at drawing it on the computer, and think I really nailed it.
We decided just to split a few things from the bar menu, which had some really great options on it ranging from a cheese plate, to squid, to quail to their burger, all of which sounded innovative and fantastic.
We started with an appetizer of Burrata with Crostini, which is the famous very soft, almost runny, Italian cheese. As creamy as it gets. They put this on a bed of crushed and roasted beets, which were actually quite tasty and almost tasted a bit like red cabbage while retaining the signature earthiness of the beets. On top of this was mint and watercress, drizzled with a light sherry vinegar, which added needed acidity to the mellow flavors of the overall dish. The crostini were served fresh from the oven, and all in all, the dish was a great way to start the meal, and despite it's lightness, went very well with the northern Rhone wine we were having.
The burger, which I have been wanting to have for quite a while, was every bit as good as I thought it might be, and then some. On a normal night, this is a $20 burger that is served with their pommes frites (french fries, freedom fries, whatever, they were Wendy's-sized, very tasty and served with a malt vinegar aioli and a spicy curry ketchup), but on this night it was just $10. It is not a gutbuster by any means, and is an incredibly flavorful house ground mixture of dry-aged beef and lamb, served on house-made brioche with red romaine lettuce, and grilled Maui onions. You have the option of adding cheddar cheese, bacon and foie gras to it, which we took them up on, save for the foie gras. The burger was incredibly flavorful, and I highly recommend getting the bacon on it, which adds a very likable smokiness to the richness of the meat. The burger was juicy, the bun was soft, and the flavors worked together unbelivably. This is one of the best gourmet burgers I've had, and is a must at Jeffrey's happy hour.
It's also served with a homemade coarse grain mustard, which was fantastic, but I didn't think the burger needed it, so I just ate the mustard by itself.
We had the sommelier recommend a red to us that would go with the burger, and he brought us a bottle of a Crozes-Hermitage, which was dry, earthy, and hit the spot. As for the wines, they have a nice range, both by the bottle and the glass, and I was happy to see that had we opted for a glass of wine, we could have chosen a couple with a price tag under that of our meal. There is just something fundamentally wrong with the other way.
Summary
Atmosphere: upscale restaurant, great bar, homey feel, dressy
Food: upscale American
Dog Friendly: no
When to Go: happy hour, dinner
Crowd: sophisticos, older, regulars, neighbors
What to Order for the First Timer: happy hour burger with cheddar and bacon
For you to really appreciate this review and my feelings on this place, let me give you a brief history of my life.
I grew up in the slums of Mumbai with my brother, got locked in an outhouse, dove in poop, met a movie star, got his autograph, met a girl, ran away from cops, lost girl, got a hundred bucks, drank a Coke, found girl, begged for money, almost got my eye burned out, lost girl, rode on top of trains, found girl again, worked for her boss, lost girl again, worked for Time Life books, found girl again, got on a game show, got tortured, won twenty million rupees, met girl again at train station, danced with strangers, moved to Austin. So you can imagine how excited I was to find G'Raj Mahal here in Austin, where I could finally get some good Indian food in a city with working plumbing.
Well, anyway, enough about me.
I finally made it over to G'Raj Mahal the other night, after hearing really great things about it. Over in the Rainey Street district, this place is a food truck, but is much more a restaurant. Entirely outside, with covered and uncovered tables, this is not one of those trucks you just walk up to and order at. Rather, you see the hostess, she seats you, they bring you a menu and water, your order, they bring your food to the table, you eat, then they bring you a bill.
As far as atmosphere, this is the cream of the crop of Austin food truck scene. Like I said, it's really more of a restaurant. The trailer in back is visible, with a few long tables out front of it with the register, hostess, water, waiters, and all of the other things you'd find at a restaurant. The "dining room" if you want to call it that, which I will, has a plethora of tables, each with a lit candle on it, in a nice setting under a silk curtain lined roof complete with ceiling fans. It's an awesome spot that is fine to eat at, rain or shine.
As for the food, the menu contains a full range of authentic Indian appetizers and entrees, with your selection of meat for the various curries and kabobs, which are all very well described on the menu. I opted to go with some garlic naan bread, lamb rogan josh, and a side of their raita, a seasoned homemade yogurt with carrots, scallions, cucumbers, and things of the like in it, which is similar to a Greek tziziki.
I've heard complaints about price and portion size here, but I have to disagree, I think it's a fine ratio, albeit pricier than I had growing up with mom and Jamal. All of my food came out at once, which was great because it was all eaten together, and it was slightly more than I could comfortably eat by myself.
The garlic naan was fantastic. Thin, light and crisp, this flap of dough was perfectly pan grilled, and covered, just covered, with chopped fresh garlic. It worked perfect as a carrier for the rest of the meal, and I recommend at least a couple orders of it for the table.
The rogan josh was served separate from the rice in a styrofoam bowl, with the rice coming in a separate bowl of the like in equal proportion. I ordered mine really spicy, and they, unlike so many Thai places around that don't, were more than happy to oblige, and they did an incredible job of nuking this stuff with Indian peppers and spices. Chiles are eaten across the world in hot weather climates to cause you to sweat, thereby cooling your body down, and this dish did just that.
The flavor and heat of this dish was just excellent. I don't know just how many ingredients go into rogan josh, but you can tell it is quite a few, which comes together in perfect harmony with incredible layers and depth of flavor. My only knock on it was the lamb itself. While having that unique lamb taste, the meat was like little bricks. Lean and dense, but not chewy at all, it was not like the tender slow roasted melt in your mouth kind that I like and would have expected. Still though, the flavor of the dish itself overcame the execution on the meat fivefold, and you won't hear any complaints out of me, nor will this keep me from getting it again. I would recommend to anyone getting this to also get the raika, as it has a cooling effect, both in temperature and spiciness, while also adding some crunch if you drizzle it on each bite of naan-scooped rice and josh. Perfect combination.
They do offer desert, and as sweat poured from the top of my head, I decided to go with some of their homemade cardamom ice cream, which came out in a pre-packaged little plastic container with some nuts and dried fruit crumbled on top. The flavor was great, very mild, but the pre-packaging and refreezing did it no justice, as it combatted fiercely with my biodegradable spoon. The temperature and packaging did it no justice and doesn't allow you to really appreciate the subtle flavors, as it never really gets soft, getting soupy on the outside and staying rock hard in the middle. If it's ice cream you're looking for and craving, you'd be better off venturing over to Amy's, but this is a nice thing they offer to help you regulate your temperature after a spicy Indian meal.
I'll be returning here often enough to try out other items on the menu, revisiting the rogan josh fairly regularly though. Last night was an early dinner, and I was flying solo, so I didn't have anything to drink, but like most food trucks in town, this one is BYOB but with a much better atmosphere to enjoy it in, and I can't wait to revisit with a bottle of good wine.
Summary
Atmosphere: food truck/restaurant, outdoor seating both covered and uncovered, good for a date, good place to start or end an evening of drinking at the neighboring bars, good for groups
Food: Indian
Dog Friendly: yes
When to Go: dinner, late
Crowd: hipsters, 20somethings, 30somethings, old people, REAL Indians
What to Order for the First Timer: naan bread, rogan josh with meat of your choice, raita
Stopped into Haddington's last night to have a cocktail, with the primary purpose of checking out the new menu.
I was relieved to see the menu hadn't changed all that much, it's the same high end pub food consisting primarily of meats and fish with just minor modifications.
Gone are some of the more UK items like lamb pie, lamb sandwich, rabbit fricassee, British meatballs and much to my dismay, the foie link, replaced with some more traditional additions of fish, including a fish of day, and more American meat like beef, pork and chicken. While all of those others were absolutely fantastic, I'm guessing they didn't appeal to all customers, and were therefore slow movers, so no doubt they are making room for dishes of the same quality but which may be more popular here.
The toast pots, Scotch eggs, fish and chips, and strip steaks are all still there, as well as the stew of the day and the soup of the day, so my opinion of this place hasn't changed a bit. It's still fantastic.
Also, as they do periodically, the drink menu has some new items on it, and I was happy to see Tiffany's Stranger on the Highway has officially hit the menu. A rye based concoction with marischino, bitters and a couple of other tasty ingredients, this drink is as smooth as Mr. Bean in a psych ward.
Cheers.
Summary:
Atmosphere - good place for the solo traveler, good place to belly up, good place to go with a group, good place to take a date, good place to meet after work, good place to meet new people, no tvs
Food - Excellent, Upscale English
Time to Go - happy hour, for dinner, or after dinner for drinks
Crowd - primarily 20somethings and 30somethings, groups of dressed up girls, groups of dressed up guys, mixed groups, attractive affluents, hotchicks, Irish hooligans
What to Order if You're a First Timer - Foie Gras Link, Duck Meatloaf, Fish & Chips, Duck Liver Mousse Toast Pot
Dog Friendly - most likely not despite outdoor area which you have to go inside first to get to
