Updated: 23 March, 2008

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Dining reviews from AT Campbell

Iron Works BBQ
100 Red River
478-4855
http://www.ironworksbbq.com
The best barbecue restaurant in the Austin city limits is conveniently located downtown. It's been open since 1978, and popular ever since. Their beef ribs made them famous, but the brisket, turkey, chicken, and homemade sausage are also excellent. If you find it hard to choose, try the 3-meat sampler plate. Don't forget the beans and potato salad. They offer excellent pies and cobblers for dessert. The restaurant is in the former site of a historical ironsmith shop, so the atmosphere is unique but not fancy. You owe it to yourself to visit.

Aquarelle
606 Rio Grande
479-8117
http://www.aquarellerestaurant.com/
Aquarelle is one of Austin's premier gourmet French restaurants. It has an extensive menu of traditional items and a pricy-but-wonderful tasting menu that offers diners a chance to try a variety of dishes. Highlights include the Classic French Onion Soup, Trilogy of Duck Foie Gras, Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Poached Oyster, Grilled Young Hen, Duo of Locally Raised Duck, and Duo of Lamb Chop and Top Loin. The wine list offers a large selection of French and American wines. The fabulous desserts include Caramelized Pears and Passion Fruit Creme Brulee.

Fogo de Chao
309 E. 3rd St
472-0220
http://www.fogodechao.com/
Fogo de Chao opened in Austin in late 2007. It is a Brazilian steakhouse. The concept is new to many people, so here's how it works... First you enter a beautiful restaurant and your waiter seats you. You help yourself to an amazing salad bar filled with wonderful and fresh vegetables, fruits, and cheeses. Then an assortment of warm sides dishes and breads is delivered to your table to be served family style. Each diner is issued a small card that is red on one side and green on the other. When you put your card on the table green side up, the fun begins! Charming waiters dressed like South American cowboys will swarm to your table with huge chunks of grilled meat on skewers. There are over a dozen varieties and cuts of meat, all seasoned and cooked to perfection. The waiters will gladly slice portions of any or all of these meats onto your plate. They keep coming until you turn your card red side up. If you finish eating and want more food, just turn the card's green side up again and the swarm of meats will resume. This is a great place for a group. Prices are a little high for some people. Lunch is at least $35 per person, and dinner is at least $50. If the concept sounds at all interesting, I urge you to give it a try.

Manuel's
319 Congress Ave
472-7555
http://www.manuels.com/
Manuel's is an interior Mexican restaurant, which means that its food is different from the popular notion of Tex-Mex. The menu emphasizes seafood, pork, enchiladas with rich sauces, and wonderfully grilled meats. Highly recommended items are the Sopa de Tortilla (chicken tortilla soup), Camerones a la Veracruzana (sauteed Gulf shrimp on rice ), Enchiladas deMole (enchiladas covered with a fabulous sauce of chili, nuts, and chocolate), and Enchiladas Bandera (enchiladas covered with samples of three different sauces, striped like the Mexican flag). I've tried most of the entrees on the menu, and have yet to be disappointed.

The Shoreline Grill
98 San Jacinto Blvd
477-3300
http://www.shorelinegrill.com/
The Shoreline Grill is one of the city's premier "special event" restaurants, regularly finishing at or near the top of restaurant polls. This is a wonderful seafood restaurant with a nice view of Lady Bird Lake and the city's infamous bats. It has the best crabcakes in Austin. Menu favorites include the Crab Cakes and Grilled Shrimp, Seared Tuna with Sake Ginger Butter and Wasabi Potato, and Beef Tenderloin with Jumbo Lump Crab. This is a great place to take people you're trying to impress, like your parents or your publisher or that impressive up-and-coming writer.

Z' Tejas Grill
1110 W. 6th St
478-5355
http://www.ztejas.com/
Z' Tejas Grill offers Southwestern fusion cuisine. Its food is good and different. Many items on the menu are things you won't find anywhere else, like Catfish Beignets and Fish Tacos. They also offer fine enchiladas, burgers, and steaks. For those who need it, there is a special gluten-free menu. This is a great place to go for brunch, with exotic offerings like Bananas Foster French Toast and Barbacoa Beef Breakfast Enchiladas.

-- A. T. Campbell, III

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