Sides include perfect fried okra, potato salad, and corn on the cob, among other traditional favorites. In the past, my friends and I have chosen the okra as our individual side, then for good measure, ordered an extra for the table to split—it’s that good. Finish up with a slice of cobbler and a scoop of ice cream, then waddle out the door.
Magnolia Cafe
Magnolia is usually my first stop after I get off the plane, and the last place I go before heading back to the airport. The cafe is always open (24/8 is their motto), and always delicious. Once I slide into a comfy, well-worn booth, I tend to deliberate over a cup of coffee between breakfast (migas—scrambled eggs with tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, and black beans) or lunch (fish tacos or the Flamingo—a tasty sandwich with avocado, tomato, sprouts, and Swiss cheese). Usually I’m the last of my group to order, so hard is it to commit to just one tempting dish.
I also tend to get distracted by the wait staff. You usually see a great variety of hairstyles, colors, and accoutrements here. On a recent visit, my host sported beautiful elbow-sweeping dreadlocks, and a waitress rocked a Cookie Monster-blue streak, highlighting a perfectly side-swept part. The patrons usually have plenty of eye-catching styles, too.
Magnolia has two locations, one on South Congress, the other on Lake Austin Boulevard. I tend to favor the South Congress location, if for no other reason than it’s close to many of my favorite shops.
Uchi
Great sushi in Texas? Believe it! A fixture on the Austin dining scene since 2003, Uchi offers some of the freshest, most innovative sushi dishes around. It’s one of my favorite family-style dining experiences in recent memory: Go with a group to taste the full palette of Executive Chef Tyson Cole’s creations, and have everyone try a different dish or roll. After stuffing myself silly, I had a hard time choosing which I liked best.
Some rolls did stand out among the rest: Bond (avocado, sundried tomato, white soybean paper), Endo (sea bass, snow crab, roe in rice paper served with frozen grapes and cucumber—after eating this, I’ll now be freezing grapes at home), and Hakujin (salmon, grilled asparagus, rolled with warm tempura flakes). Cole and his staff’s attention to textures, temperatures, and taste all work in concert for a feast of complementary contrasts.
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