Dishola: Reviews by the Dish

208 W 4th St, Austin, TX
(512) 236-8020

chon_jee on 12/20/07

Fried goat cheese cakes with red onion marmalade sauce. (pic: Bottom plate). Hmmm, the words 'fried' and 'cheese'... combined together, can't go wrong with that. Don't get me wrong, this ain't your usual deep fried cheese sticks. Bite into it and you'll enjoy the crispy breaded shell that soon crumbles into the melty, salty (a tad bit tarty), goat cheesey with that characteristic aroma that hits the back of your palette. What's better than wine and cheese? Spanish wine and fried cheese...

2728 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX
(512) 443-4253

chon_jee on 12/20/07

Slow cooked, overnight marinated pork served with rice and fried plantain. Great summer dish (doesn't have to be summer though), the pride of the Habana restaurant in the very Austinish South Congress. The pork itself is very very tender, no forks needed, flavours well absorbed deep in the meat. It's so tender it'll almost melt in your mouth (minimal chewing required). The salty ish flavour of the pork contrasts well with the sweeter taste of the plantains. My take on this savory dish, very reccomended. It's simple yet delicious, and very original in the tex-mex capital of the world; a very good alternative choice to your regular enchiladas and refried beans. Oh, have I mentioned it goes great with a mojito? Cuban style of course. Delicioso.

6115 Lohmans Ford Rd, Lago Vista, TX
(512) 267-9001

chon_jee on 12/16/07

Every once in a while I like to just start driving to the outskirts of Austin and just keep driving without any particular directions. Hoping to find some kind of roadside eatery with a flare or character that you just can't missed. Sure enough, as I was driving down Lohmans Ford road around Lago Vista (don't ask me how I got here), a big sign that says Stuffed Burgers caught my eye. Brake, turn into the next parking lot and turn around back to Bam's Roadhouse Grill. Character? It's got it alright, very simple picnic table settings, with a stage, and a walk up order window. i was there when nobody's around so I was lucky enough to talk to the friendly staff. Among which was Tommy, inventor of the Popeye's stuffed burger (has spinach in it, of course. I had to ask -_-"). Now to the food; what's a stuffed burger? It's two patties put together with a cornucopia of ingredients in between. The number 1 (as they called it) had ... get ready for this.... melted cheddar, Mexican peppers, bacon, red onion, and chilli stuffed in between. Woah! In terms of roadhouse or bar food, I've gotta put this on the top for originality. Now imagine you're stuffing this down with a cold glass of Shiner Bock whilst listening to live blues music. Hey it's so good that apparently a group of Canadians comes down here every summer to eat this. (Which explains the Canadian flag amidst the Big 12, I had to ask too -_-")

1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA
(626) 574-7068

chon_jee on 12/16/07

Agreed! I tried Din Tai Fung in Shanghai, and their Xiaolongbao dumplings are just roll-your-eyes-back goooooddd... Very tender dumpling skin without the starchy aftertaste, very delicate yet bold broth with perfectly seasoned meat stuffing. I don't usually like international chains, but this one is just exquisite.

2514 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX
(512) 472-8306

chon_jee on 12/17/07

Try Madam Mam's on the drag (Guadalupe Ave) across from UT campus. May not be the best ever, but definitely good enough to satisfy that craving :).