Jersey Mike's - Austin, Texas

Jersey Mike’s is a sub sandwich franchise that was started in 1975 by a 17-year-old entrepreneur named Peter Cranco. According to Wikipedia, he worked part-time in a neighborhood sandwich shop called, amazingly enough, Mike’s, which had started in the Fifties and was under its third owner. When it came up for sale again, Cranco got a banker to invest and along with a childhood friend, Jersey Mike’s was born. They started franchising in the Eighties and there are more than a thousand locations these days. Cranco remains the CEO.

The location we visited today in South Austin has been open for I don’t know how long. Less than a year, I think. I know the space was once part of Cindie’s Lingerie, which apparently South Austin was not ready for because it didn’t last that long. Perhaps opening next to Fed Ex in the parking lot of the most ghetto Wal-Mart in town, next to Chic-Fil-A, wasn’t the wisest business decision for a “lingerie” store that  displays a plethora of dildos and stripper shoes.

Let me say first and foremost that I like the shop itself. Kitschy Jersey Shore-type beach décor, a simple menu and terrific customer service. The staff was very friendly, engaging, polite…all those things I like if I’m in the right frame of mind. The cashier was super-accommodating when it came to addressing my issues, even apologizing for something that was in no way her fault. All that said, there’s one word to address the rest of the experience: Tragic.

That’s right, I said tragic. I built up the first few paragraphs to demonstrate that I truly think this shop has potential, and the franchise is obviously successful as there are so many locations and a couple hundred more in development. And I will go back; I want that to be clear. But what was so tragic? The Chicken Caesar Wrap. I had some coupons from the mail for sandwiches, but when I saw that Chicken Caesar Wrap on the menu, I immediately wanted it. In the Nineties I was a big fan of Wendy’s version of that, with its crisp green leaf lettuce and rich dressing. I never understood why they stopped that one. Did I not buy enough of them? Does Wendy’s hate me? No, I think not, but for a while today I thought Jersey Mike’s hated me. There’s no other reason why they would have served me what they did.

The wrapping material was supposed to be tomato basil flavored, but there was no flavor. It must have escaped when I took the wrap up to the counter to be cut again because I couldn’t tear it apart without risking destroying the whole wrap. Destroying the wrap that wasn’t wrapped all that well. I feel wraps should be wrapped tight, tighter that a burrito, so that you can eat it while doing something else. This construction was inadequate. I went up to the counter again and asked for a bowl and a fork when I realized the wrapping material would be better suited for packing material. The lettuce was shredded iceberg lettuce, not Romaine or something more suitable for a quality Caesar salad. I could barely taste the dressing because there was so much mayonnaise in it. The chicken, while it looked like it had been grilled at one point, also had a texture that suggested it had been frozen again after said grilling.

I also think a wrap should be either completely chilled, or put together hot. The wrapping material had been heated, as had the chicken somewhat, so the end result with the chilled ingredients was a thoroughly lukewarm product that didn’t cut easily, tasted like mayonnaise and was a huge disappointment.

As stated earlier, I WILL give Jersey Mike’s another go. They have some great-sounding sandwiches on their menu. But I will not be ordering the Chicken Caesar wrap again. Not without some serious upgrades. An I suggest you don’t, either.

El Mercado Restaurant & Cantina--Austin, TX

Sometimes, you just want to know what you’re getting. For us, that’s usually Sunday mornings, when we’re dragging ass after staying up late for Saturday Night Live. Santi’s made his coffee, I’ve uncorked a Diet Coke and we ponder what to do for breakfast, but it’s late enough that we’re soon pondering brunch. Tex-Mex is always a good option for a weekend breakfast, in my opinion, and I always know I won’t be disappointed by El Mercado.

Elmer’s, as we often refer to it, has three locations in Austin and each has its own scene going on. Uptown is really downtown, and you’ll find a hip crowd there especially when they have their free Happy Hour buffet going on. It was always a reliable venue for a good solid meal after an early Friday evening at Charlie’s. The North location is in what I would consider uptown, but whatever. I used to live really close to that one and have been frequenting it since the mid-90s. That location seems a little more family-oriented, with a lot of Boomer population living North Central, and a lot of work happy hours start or end up there, too. The host and wait staff is more likely to talk to you in Spanish and show you pictures of their kids than the other location’s workers.

Since I moved to South Austin in 2002, though, I’ve most frequently dined at the South location, especially on weekend mornings. That whole little section of South First is dotted by interesting, if plentiful, Mexican restaurants (check out La Mexicana Bakery Panaderia if you need some tacos, sweet breads or guaranteed-hangover-curing menudo para llevar.) There’s plenty of parking on weekend mornings, but during Happy Hours you might be forced to find street parking, which is dicey, but at this point still free in South Austin.

The setup is a little congested if you’re taken through the original dining room, which is a shotgun run of a bar with stools on one side and a row of booths on the other, but past that the southern dining room is very large and opens onto the patio, which is quite nice in mid-Spring weather like we’ve had lately. I’ve been out there on a hot September afternoon, and with the provided shade and a couple of Margaritas it’s not too bad even then. The third dining room, on the opposite side, is smaller but still sizable to open up for needed overflow. The coolest part of that side is the grand oak tree that you pass as you walk by. Elmer’s South is one of three restaurants I know of in Austin that chose to build around one of these giants instead of removing it when the business outgrew the original space, and it’s fun to walk by a huge tree trunk that’s just coming out of the floor and disappearing into the ceiling. The glass-and-mirror mosaic work in the restroom used to be the coolest part, but some little assholes are carrying glasscutters around town to graffiti mirrors and they’ve struck here.

Okay, this blog is about eating so I’ll move on to the food. It’s all good and reliable. It’s never too salty, which is the downfall of a lot of Tex-Mex. Maybe once or twice I’ve ordered something that was a little too spicy for my liking. The portions are just right, meaning they’re not so big as to be intimidating, and they’re not so small they look like a cat’s meal (like you sometimes get at Jorge’s.) The staff are happy to make substitutions, like today when I ordered the “CJ” Plate ($8.99) and asked for refried beans instead of charro beans (the refried beans were a little runny, but they have a great flavor and are not bland in the least.) The brisket taco was divine, especially with a little of the chile con queso drizzled on it, and the enchilada was full of beef and recognizable, not drowned in a pool of cheese and sauce (like something you’d get at Jorge’s.)

There are 42 dinner options on the menu, including six in the Vegetarian plates, but being a confirmed omnivore, Santi ordered the Fajita Tacos ($8.75) which I’ve had before and enjoyed thoroughly. The Fajita Dinner ($10.99 for One, $20.50 for Two) is your best bet if you want a large meal of fajitas, and the Mixed Grill ($14.99) gives you fajitas of beef, chicken, shrimp and sausage. Skinny people may want to split that plate with a friend.

El Mercado also has a nice selection on their breakfast menu, and even though eggs and I don’t always get along, sometimes I’ll order a breakfast plate just to get some of their potatoes (which come on every plate, but I’m sure they would serve them as a side if I asked.) All locations also have full bars and great drink specials, especially on Margaritas, Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers. And naturally they serve Mexican Martinis—a favorite in Austin and a happy hour staple for some patrons.

I don’t think I can say enough good things about El Mercado South, about all of them. Their staff is always friendly, the Tex-Mex is reliable, as I stated earlier, and you never know who you’re going to see there (on one visit, I ran into my CEO; on my next visit, it was Kinky Friedman.) There’s a lot of other Mexican restaurants, some of which are older than Elmer’s, but there’s only a handful that are consistent with their quality, delivery and likability. There’s also a handful that I haven’t tried. But the next time I’m too relaxed to make a decision and an effort and step out of my weekend-morning-comfort zone, I’m sure Elmer’s will be the obvious destination. Besides, people are saying really bad things about La Reyna lately. Remind me to tell you about the time a waiter stumbled over a piece of furniture and literally fell out of his shoes while simultaneously launching a tray full of entrees.  You'd never see that at Elmer's.

Calamari, Cocunut Grove, Florida

Coconut Grove is a lush locale. One of the oldest neighborhoods in Miami, it has dense tropical flora as a result of South Florida’s temperate climate and it’s a nice place to take a walk. A bit of its Bohemian flavor from the Sixties and Seventies remains, and it’s not uncommon to see a tent set up next to a house with the ringmaster selling large orchid plants for ten bucks.

“The Grove,” as it’s referred to by locals, has some great shopping options, but is also known for its myriad restaurants and varied cuisine. Just south of the Barnacle Historic State Park on Main Highway is where you’ll find Calamari, a relatively new addition to the Grove, and one of my new favorites.

I’ll admit that I was a little distracted and travel-weary when we went there. I’d gone to work in Texas at my normal 6:30am, then to the airport to catch an 11:40am flight to Ft. Lauderdale, and then taken a bus and two trains to get to Coconut Grove at 5:30pm local time. Deanna and her teenaged son picked me up at the station and we went straight to Calamari. I hadn’t seen them in two years and even then it was only for a couple of hours, and I hadn’t been to visit them in Florida in ten years, so I was more focused on catching up than on eating, but I’d looked at the menu online and I was intrigued by the offerings.

After a little confusion with the valet, we were greeted very graciously and shown to a table in the large courtyard dining area. Calamari is one of those establishments that gracefully balances between casual and formal dining. You could come here after work for a few cocktails that ease into your evening meal, or you could bring your partner here for an intimate dinner. I was completely at home in jeans, and I would have been equally comfortable in a suit and tie. Either way I was getting glassware, cloth napkins and mostly attentive service. Note to beer drinkers: Calamari is known for its extensive wine list, not its beer selection. Sam Adams is about as exotic as it gets, which works for me and is what I ordered. I’m not used to drinking beer out of a glass and kept grabbing the bottle.

We started with some Bruschetta, which strangely is not on the menu, but they were happy to make it at Julian’s request. Again, I was very distracted, but nothing about it caught my attention so it was fine. Deanna and Julian already knew what they wanted but I was very involved with the menu at this point. It’s a full menu, with 18 selections just in the pasta section.

I took Julian’s suggestion and ordered the Salmone Maria Rosa ($22.95.) I’m not sure how it was cooked, but it was so delicate and tender I might guess it was steamed. It featured a creamy brandy-lobster sauce that was light and savory and not very acidic as I sometimes find with chefs who just can’t bear to separate the citrus from the shellfish. I didn’t notice the chopped shrimp that the menu boasted but if it was there I’m glad it didn’t compete with the salmon and sauce. It came with some steamed vegetables.  The portions were sufficient. I don’t like to take fish home anyway. I don’t remember what Deanna had but it was a pasta dish that was generous enough that she did take the rest home.

The service was good, although there was some disconnect between our server and someone else who stopped by to check on us and took a drink order. That’s probably the only thing that keeps me from thinking our dinner was perfect. But don’t get me wrong; this is a good restaurant with good food and I see the potential for hanging out here more often. It has a great atmosphere, and we had perfect weather for the al fresco dining courtyard. Calamari’s bar is called La Dolce Vita, and it is inside the building along with the indoor dining area. They have everyday deals that would make the location perfect for a Happy Hour gathering near the giant metal lobster sculpture that adorns one wall. They have a bar called Taurus on the same property. They have a wine club in the basement. They have pizza and calamari.

And I’ll tell you what really intrigues me: the buffet for their Sunday Brunch. That’s something I’ll have to try if I can drag my ass out of bed on a balmy Sunday morning in the Grove.

Sibilla Cucina Italiana, Miami Beach, Florida

It’s been years, like 15 or more, since I’d been to Lincoln Road, South Beach’s pedestrian mall that is chock full of outdoor dining, high-end shops and galleries, and as my friend Deanna puts it, “the best international people-watching in South Florida.” It was open to cars back in the Nineties, and I admit that’s about all I remember. We might have gone to some clubs in the area, but I definitely don’t remember Score, which is a dance club that seems a little out of place now that Lincoln Road has been morphed into, well, Lincoln Road.

Lots of eating establishments have their dining rooms under umbrellas in the center of the thoroughfare. The smells from their kitchens tempted me pretty much from the moment we stepped onto the street from a steep-graded art-deco parking garage that seemed to hold your car in the sky.

Deanna’s daughter  wanted Italian, and I’m not one to argue with that, especially when I’m the tourist and they know the lay of the land. Everyone knows I love pizza and pasta and garlic and basil and olive oil and all that good stuff that make-a me happy. The eateries on Lincoln Road actively recruit patrons, and if you even slow down to check out the posted fare they will grab some menus and say “Table for three?” Sibilla Cucina Italiana, one of the first establishments we came to that had an Italian menu, was a little more conservative in their approach, but verbally offered two-for-one drinks or 25% off of food, whichever we chose, and diner-specific. Meaning, Deanna and I could have cocktails, and Aleia would get a discount on her meal before we turned the keys over to her and made her drive us home (and that’s one of your rewards for raising teenagers; they can be your designated driver if need be.)

Sibilla was simply excellent. The waitstaff is mostly young, thin Italian boys with thick accents (“I’m sorry, we don’t have that rum, but we do have Ba-CARRR-di and CapEEE-ton Morgan-uh.” In fact some of them could have been brothers. They were very attentive, rattling off the evening’s specials, getting us water and fresh drinks, and making sure we really knew what we were ordering. For example, Luigi (I don’t know if that’s his real name, he just seemed like a Luigi to me) questioned my pizza selection, pointing out that it did not have a tomato sauce—a white pizza, one of my favorites.

I apologize for not having more complete menu information; I usually rely on the restaurants’ websites for details when I write, and I should really try to grab a menu if I get a chance. Sibilla’s website needs a little tweaking.  We started off with Bruschetta which was reliably typical in flavor but generous in portion. The tomatoes were fresh—and that’s a big thing with me: if you’re going to serve me tomatoes, please make sure they are freshly cut and not chopped up 12 hours ago, which gives them a kind of a gamy glaze. These were fresh. If you’re a  bruschetta person, you will not be disappointed here.

There were lots of tempting offers for entrees. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember what my hosts had, except it all smelled so good. I’m pretty sure Aleia ordered tortellini but it looked like ravioli when it arrived. She assured me it was good. I ordered one of their wood-fired pizzas, and it was really delicious. With perfectly-cooked crust, savory sausage and just the right amount of cheese and olive oil to make a white pizza moist, not greasy, it was tops with me. I could have finished it if I hadn’t started shrinking my stomach with Captain Morgan’s on the rocks and snagged a piece of the bruschetta. I ate half, gave Deanna half a piece, and sent the rest home with Aliea. Ralph needs to eat, too.

As usual, I was too full for dessert, but if forced, I’d have probably ordered the Cream Brulee. They have several tempting options for your sweet tooth. Instead, we ordered more drinks and spent another hour at our prime seating spot, indulging in conversation and of course people-watching. It’s an endless parade of lovely people of all ages, and often their four-legged partners; a perfect way to spend a low-key Saturday evening in beautiful South Florida. We stayed so long that I almost got hungry again as more delectable smells wafted through the air when more tables were served, and I tried to figure out what the aromas were. I swear I smelled lobster more than once.

Bottom line: fabulous! Good food, good service, good location and fairly-priced. And if you’re so inclined, you can go shopping afterward. I don't get to Miami enough, and next time I go I'll probably try something new, but I highly recommend this place for a reliably good experience and if I wanted that same reliability for a special dinner, I know that's exactly what I'd get here.

They also have a nice bathroom.

The Fishermans Restaurant & Bar, Seattle, Washington

Sometimes you look forward to things. Sometimes, you might even dream about those things. Sometimes, when they are so close you can almost taste them, you can feel yourself starting to salivate. And then there are those times when the things you’ve looked forward to, dreamed about and salivated over put themselves right on your plate, smack you upside the head with a big wet fish and dump your sorry ass into Puget Sound. That’s kind of what happened to us at The Fishermans Restaurant & Bar on Pier 57.

I’d so been looking forward to enjoying some good, fresh seafood while we were in Seattle. Not that you can’t find it here in Austin; it’s just not that reliable. It might be good and fresh on one visit, but not so much the next time, and of course you don’t want to eat seafood on Sunday or Monday since weekend delivery is sketchy at best. And we did in fact enjoy some very nice peppery calamari at Von’s on the first afternoon on the West Coast. But being right on the water evidently wasn’t enough for a Saturday lunch at The Fisherman’s to keep it fresh, at least for me and Santi.

We had great service. We had at least 10 people at the table. I like the fact that most everyone these days is agreeable to splitting checks. It wasn’t always like that. Our waiter Charlie was cheerful and got everyone everything they needed and he kept us with plenty of bread, which I should’ve stuck to.

So they have all these specialty drinks ($9.00) and we got the Cucumber Mary, which sounds like a derogatory term but in reality is virtually a salad in itself with all the garnishing they put into it. Someone else had one, too, so we know it wasn’t that. And it was pretty good, although on the weak side.

We considered getting the lobster (I don’t find it on their online lunch menu) but it seemed a little extravagant for lunchtime and as it appeared not to be local we decided that could wait until we got home. While we were waiting for our entrees, those of us who had soup and salad were served those. The Clam Chowder is good; not as good as my mom’s, obviously, but still decent for being on the other side of the continent from New England. Someone else had it, too, so we know it wasn’t that.

I ordered the Salmon Skewer ($15.95, or $15.00 if you look at the online menu, which also lists a different GM than their business cards) and while the salmon was plentiful, the taste was just kind of…well, not there. Mildest real salmon I’ve ever been served. The rice and steamed vegetables were also plentiful but being indifferent to the salmon at this point, they didn’t make much of an impression either. Santi had the Seafood Pomodoro ($16.95 online, $17.95 in person) and it looked pretty substantial. He seemed to like it.

By now you’re probably wondering when and where things went terribly wrong, and it was about the time we were finishing up the meal. I needed a loo. Not so unusual, but then five minutes later I was back in there. And this was not the cleanest restroom, mind you, although it was cleaner than the one we found later. That’s right, WE. I ended up running back to the restaurant from a block away to use the restroom for the FOURTH time, and it wasn’t 20 minutes after that when Santi and I started climbing steps to try to find yet another restroom in the Pike Place Market. So we both got sick, me for the second time on the trip.

It should also note that 34 minutes after I checked us in on Facebook, my niece commented “Don’t get the calamari!” Evidently she’s been up there recently. She too was not impressed with the place but liked the adjoining carousel. Which is kind of the point of the place, to me at least: you’re not going there for good food, you’re going there for an experience. You need to be suckered in like any other tourist, drink fancy weak drinks, enjoy the interior design (looks like someone ate the Disney Pirates prop house and threw it up) and take your chances in the smelly restroom. “Don’t get the calamari!”?? Don’t worry, sweetheart. We didn’t have a chance. The other sea-monsters got us first.

Serious Pie, Seattle, Washington

Seattle is a great city for a summer visit, and a great place to eat. Seems like everyone serves salmon (cause it’s fresh and local) and a lot of restaurants serve seasonal, regional beers (hundreds of them.) But for all that seafood, the whole time I was craving pizza, and on our last night in the Emerald City, I got my craving satisfied.

Google Places will tell you there are dozens of pizza restaurants within blocks of the Roosevelt Hotel, but trying to get 30 people to agree on pizza and managing some of those hills is not so easy. It was only on Tuesday night, when everyone else had departed, that we decided it was truly pizza time. Actually, we had walked a quarter mile on Sunday afternoon only to find that MOD Pizza by Union Square is closed that day.

We were having a martini in Von’s when I overheard a couple at the next table talking pizza. We had planned on Sbarro which was just down Pine and they warned us that it was no bueno. They were serious. They recommended Serious Pie.

I don’t know if TomDouglas is a person or a company or both, but if any of the other 11 restaurants listed on the website are as good as this one is, they’ve got it going on. It’s a small place and it gets packed quickly on a weeknight. We had a five minute wait at 6:00pm and the place stayed full. It was very hot in the front (due to the large wood-fired brick oven in the open kitchen) but they seated us in the back and it was quite comfortable there.

Our waiter Scot was very precise and informative, describing the pizzas and suggesting beverages. I had a pint of Schooner Exact Regrade Pale Ale ($6) which is a local brew, and tasty, too. Santi had a glass of Viottolo Sangiovese Toscano 2007 ($7) and it was really good, but very acidic, too. I only smelled it. The Spaniard in me craves red wine but once it’s down the hatch it’s nothing but bad news. Le Sigh.

Pizza is good news, though at Serious Pie. Scot explained that the pizzas were all about 9” by 14” oval. They cut them lengthwise then cross, so you get eight roughly-square pieces per pie. Two were enough to really fill us up (and we do not eat like birds, trust me.) Now would be a good time to mention that although the name and my descriptions may conjure up images of a deep-dish, Chicago-style creation, these are the flat, wood-fired varieties and are not cooked in a pan.

The menu is simple. Five starters, seven pizzas, five desserts, and then the drinks. No option for additional toppings (and I don’t blame them) but I’m sure they would accommodate reasonable requests.

 The sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers, provolone pizza ($18) was what I’d call a traditional flavor. Santi thought the fennel sausage was a little too sweet but I didn’t mind it a bit. This one was really hot and some of my toppings slid off the first piece but at least I didn’t burn the roof of my mouth (my dentist even recognized pizza burn in little piggy’s mouth once.) Also, the crust was a bit floppy at first so this was a good candidate for the East Coast folding technique. It firmed up after a few minutes. The toppings really blended well into a nice, familiar taste without so much going on that you didn’t get around to tasting everything before swallow time.

The chanterelle and crimini mushroom, truffle cheese pizza ($17) was an altogether different-tasting offer, but no less pleasing. If you are a true mushroom lover, this is the pie for you. All that you see are small mushrooms and cheese, but there was something else there that gave it a mysterious sweetness. Was it more fennel? A hint of cinnamon? I never figured it out before we polished it off. The mushrooms, especially the long ones that defied the heat, stood proudly and had a firm texture that was very delicious to chew on. Ever thought of taking a vocation vacation, where you go to work for some place for a week to learn something new, like how to cut meat or repair cracked glass? This pizza made me want to do that. It was that good.

I highly recommend this little pizza palace the next time you go to Seattle. If you love pizza like I do, you’ll thank me for it. And in advance, you’re welcome.

Downtown Seattle Reviews Coming Soon!

We just got back from a week visiting old friends and making new ones. As many of you know, I belong to an online forum where several of us (anywhere from 20 to 50) decide on a location each year and then we all actually vacation together. We also fundraise and have a Grants Committee so that a member who may be on disability or otherwise couldn't afford to go on their own can still join us. It's a lot like hearding cats but it's a shitload of fun, too!

This year we were in Seattle for six days and it was a blast. Most of what we ate was great and there were a few surprises, both good and bad. Over the next few weeks, I'll be writing about some of our favorite (and not so favorite) dining experiences in the Emerald City.