the grove wine bar & kitchen

I have to confess—I thought The Grove was a national chain, but color me rosé and pleasantly decanted to discover it’s homegrown right here in Austin.

quick bites: the death (and resurrection) of dos batos, roya rising, and velvet tacos

the death (and resurrection) of dos batos, roya rising, and velvet tacos

jet’s pizza

In addition to crust thicker than thieves, Jet’s serves thin, hand-tossed, and NY-style pizza and offers cauliflower and gluten-free options.

Allandale Quick Bites: Neon Bellyaching, Jetts jetting, and brekkies brekking!

Closings, openings, and a re-tread: Eat all about it!

citizens all day

a quick perusal of the menu did not reveal Aussie specialties featuring witchetty grubs, roasted wombat, meat pies, shark biscuits, or crocodile Dunn Deelightfully well.

pollo regio

got half a grilled chicken (photo above), a side of rice, a side of charro beans, five corn tortillas, two salsas, and a fountain drink for $14.99. The sides and salsas were munificent in size (dare I say, downright regio?). No wonder the place was full of construction workers (always a good sign) when I stopped in for lunch.

el mercado

While the food won’t earn a scratchy kiss from the Beard Foundation, tread marks from a Michelin, or a place on a Texas Monthly list, it’s reliably good TexMex at a good price served by good people.

Allandale Quick Bites: Joe’s reopens, Kesos quesoing, and Flyrite and Shortie’s close

Joe’s reopens, Kesos quesoing, and Flyrite and Shortie’s close

kesos tacos

The Rise N Shine (scrambled eggs, chorizo, bacon, slow roasted pork carnitas, jalapeños, refried beans, and queso on a corn tortilla; $5) was heartier than the Tin Man at the end of The Wizard of Oz, a truly impressive taco.

black gold

Black Gold is all about the pits. The dark steel of his two approachable Cen-Tex smokers named after Stevie Ray and Jimmie provides the meats and the moody gestalt of the architecture, decor, and tablescapes.