Get Sum Dim Sum

I can't say I really like the cheesy name of this place, but I do love the concept. Dim Sum all day long, served quickly, and is it good? Yes. You walk in, grab a menu, and mark all of the items you want with the quantity you want. The prices are reasonable (around $2 to $5 for most plates) and there are many options to pick from.
Now, instead of waiting for Sunday brunch time to get Dim Sum, you can have it for dinner on a Wednesday night. How could that ever be wrong?

Website

Location

Green Pastures- Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week happens twice a year in Austin, and there are some amazing deals to be had. Do some menu checking though- sometimes the prices on the fixed price restaurant week menu aren't much different from what the regular prices are. We decided to try Green Pastures this Restaurant Week since the 3-course price of $25 is similar to what just an entree alone usually costs here.

Green Pastures is in a beautiful old house in South Austin. It's a popular spot for weddings, and we can see why. Peacocks roam the grounds, and the house itself is gorgeous.

For appetizers, one of the three choices was the tempura lobster tail, delicious and wonderfully prepared.

Rio Grande

Yes... more Mexican food. My mom was in town, and she literally wants Mexican & Tex-Mex for every meal of the day while she's in Texas. Rio Grande is a great downtown spot, and it's actually inside the former location of the Real World Austin house. They've recently revamped the place, and it looks much nicer and less Real-Worldy now. The interior is cozy and the outdoor area is spacious.

Queso.. how can you go wrong with queso? It looked huge when they brought it out, but somehow it was gone in minutes. ($6.95)
For entrees we tried the enchiladas de espinaca (spinach enchiladas) for $11.50, the grilled veggie fajitas ($13.50), and the enchiladas verde (with chicken), $11.50. Everything is served with rice and beans of course. On the pricier side for this kind of food, but the quality and atmosphere make it worth it.

Website

Location

Chowing in New York

I would have to say that the chowing highlight of my long weekend in New York was Max Brenner's. This place is basically a decadent mess of deliciously dreamy foods where you must forget the words "health" or "diet" ever existed.

The stars are the crepes-- fresh crepes filled with your choice of dark chocolate, hazelnut, peanut butter/chocolate... the list goes on. Many come with a small scoop of ice cream and a "shot" of caramel,chocolate or vanilla cream on the side. The prices are steep... expect to pay $13+ just for your crepe. They also have a large variety of desserts and drinks, and the description of each makes you drool.

We tried a few of their crepes, a frozen lemonade, a hot chocolate in a "hug mug," a chocolate chai latte, and then spent a while gazing at the various chocolates for sale in the shop area.

Website

McCormick & Schmick's

Yes, McCormick's is a major national chain, but they do have some good seafood dishes. Plus, they're located right in my building downtown, so their awesomely cheap happy hour and delicious dinners are just right there.

We started off with the house salad ($6.95) and the apple salad ($6.95):

Honestly, I wasn't expecting the apple salad to have iceberg lettuce. The fresh apple slices and gorgonzola made up for it.

Maudie's

You can't live in Austin and not eat a lot of Tex-mex. It's good, it's cheap, it's all over the place. Maudie's is one of the more popular spots with several locations around town. They've got delicious queso & margaritas, and a bunch of great dishes to choose from.

Maudie's diablo sol food (pictured first below) is queso mixed with beef, garlic, onions & peppers ($4.50). Chips and Salsa are free. We ordered the chicken tacos and the tilapia tacos, so much food we had to take some home. The tilapia is drenched in chipotle sauce so don't order if you dont like it! Taco entrees range in price from $5.95 to $7.50.

Website

Locations

Swirll

Frozen yogurt shops are suddenly everywhere in Austin. Luckily they are all the self-serve concept, which allows you to get whatever random flavors and toppings you feel like getting. Swirll is on the drag, and costs a little bit more per ounce because of the prime location... I think 42 cents. They sometimes have discounts for anyone with a student ID, check their website.

Website

Location

Potbelly

Potbelly Sandwich Works is a pretty common national chain, and they churn out good sandwiches. Their interior isn't all florescent lights and plastic chairs like other fast food places- the locations I've been to have had homey interiors, nice lighting and even cozy wood booths.

Below is the chicken salad sandwich with provolone cheese. About $5.50 for a big sandwich.

Trio

We've been wanting to try Trio's happy hour for a while. Trio is a very expensive restaurant that has recently created a happy hour menu for us cheap charlies. The happy hour takes place Monday through Saturday from 5-8. There are a number of glasses of wine for 1/2 price, so we ended up paying $4 or $5 per glass for some great wines.