Meal: Breakfast or Lunch

Type of Food: Down-Home Sandwich Heaven

Who to Bring: Friends, Family, Kids…there’s something for everyone

Other Info: 2 locations   http://noblesandwiches.com/

Food:    Ambiance:    Service:   Price: 

… 

Read More »

Meal: Lunch or Dinner

Type of Food: Cajun-inspired seafood

Who to Bring: Anyone who loves seafood

Food:        Ambiance:      Service:         Price:     

We Austinites agree on a lot. We agree that our city is the best in Texas (just, don’t move here ), that our traffic is the worst in Texas (ugh), and that our food scene is seriously lacking in terms of fresh, affordable seafood. Of course there are lovely, seafood-centered, New England-inspired gems such as Perla’s on South Congress and her more reasonably priced “little brother,” Clarke’s Oyster Bar on West 6th, and then there’s always Eddie V’s. All are exceptional fine dining experiences and well worth a visit. However, if you happen to have a hankering, let’s say, for some wildly fresh fish on your Tuesday lunch break, you’re stomach and your wallet are plain out of luck. Well–used to be plain out of luck…. 

Read More »

Meal: Dinner

Type of food: Slow, market-inspired cuisine

Who to bring: Date Night, Special Occasion, Small Groups

Food: Ambiance:Service:  Price:

One balmy Friday night in August, as growling stomachs and restaurant wait time proliferated, it was time to make a final decision on where to indulge for an impromptu, celebration-filled date night. Sway? Qui? While these new additions to the Austin restaurant scene have piqued my interest for some time, a no-reservations type of establishment was out of the question on this particular evening. You see, my fiancé and I both suffer from a unique variety of split-personality disorder in which we descend into cataclysmic downward spirals saturated with cantankerous asides and unfortunate mood swings. Strangely enough, this disorder only manifests when hunger strikes (so… 13 times a day if you are a normal human). Sometimes we can deal with that in one another, but we generally try to avoid the situation altogether. But on to more important matters…Other restaurant criteria we had: guaranteed mind-blowing food, impeccable service, and romantic ambiance. Maybe that sounds like unrealistic criteria, but not for my favorite, established Austin restaurant, Wink…. 

Read More »

This post has been a long time coming, y’all. I feel like it gives me a menacing glare every time I open the page, mocking me…challenging me to write a piece that can even closely resemble an accurate description of a life-altering food experience I had just weeks ago. The strange thing is that typically, when I’m really excited about food, whether it’s a dish I make or a new restaurant I try, I want to tell everyone about it as fast as I possibly can. But this time was different. Something bizarre happened. (And it wasn’t procrastination due to wedding planning and classroom organizing…Ok, at least not all of it.)… 

Read More »

Bufalina 

Meal: Dinner

Type of food: Pizza (Neapolitan Style)

Who to bring: Date Night, Group of Friends

Food: Ambiance:Service:  Price:

 

You know those people who enjoy eating cold pizza for breakfast? Maybe you’re one of them. Call me crazy, but I’ve never really understood its allure. Until this very moment. As I write, I am unabashedly finishing off the only piece of cold, chewy, margherita pizza that remains from last night’s feast at Bufalina, the newly opened Neapolitan pizza restaurant off of E Cesar Chavez. And I wish I had more.  Over two years in the making, Bufalina finally opened its doors to the Italian-hungry masses, and it seems the city as a whole couldn’t be more pleased. And, as a girl who is seldom satisfied with her pizza options outside of Italy and New York, I am in absolute agreement with this notion.  So, many of you might be wondering what sets Bufalina apart from other similar pizza places in Austin. Allow me to explain…… 

Read More »

After much contemplation over whether or not to include restaurant reviews as a part of Gouramanda, I have decided to go for it! I will now feature restaurant and food truck reviews under a new section called “Taste the Town” starting with (but not limiting myself to) Austin! I couldn’t be more excited about this. Now I’ve even more reason (like I didn’t have enough already?) to venture out and taste my way through the culinary magic that world-renowned (and up-and-coming) chefs perform here on the reg.

While I will continue posting my own healthy recipes, (seeing as I cook much more often than I dine out) there will now be a little corner of my site dedicated to my opinions and impressions of restaurants I try for the first time or for the 100th time.

Disclaimer: For the sake of the maintaining the blog’s cohesiveness and to avoid those painfully pathetic iPhone food photos with the flash, minimal photography will be used for dining out reviews. (Sorry, I just can’t reason lugging my DSLR out with me on date night!) But back to the reviewing…… 

Read More »