Greening Austin Daily

Restaurant Review Friday — East Side Show Room

16th July, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments

My birthday is this weekend, and to celebrate I decided I would like to go to a restaurant that serves local, ethical meat and give myself a one-day break from the vegetarian thing. I decided on East Side Show Room because I’ve heard great things about the food and their specialty cocktails, if not the service, from yelp and several of my friends.

Once inside, I immediately loved the 20′s decor. Old silent films playing on the wall, rose petals in the women’s restroom, ornamental red wallpaper, old-timey lightbulbs, etc. Just lovely. And unlike the many horror stories I read on yelp, our waitress was very nice and helpful. She recommended a sweet and fruity gin drink for me, which was delicious and summery and served with some blackberries. My boyfriend and I ordered the venison appetizer, which came wrapped in bacon and served with fried okra and jalapeno cheese grits.

This was my first bite of meat in over seven months, and I gotta say, it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it’d be. It had a nice flavor and wasn’t too chewy, but the barely cooked bacon kinda threw me off. The okra and grits, though, were to die for. I want that grits recipe–yum! Then for the main dish I had the coq a vin:

This dish was so comforting–it reminded me of a chicken pot pie but with a much more intense flavor. The croissant was nice and flaky and the summer herb butter served with it was mouth watering. That’s another recipe I would like to have! My boyfriend ordered the prime rib and seemed moderately happy with it, although he noted that it was a bit chewy.

I would definitely recommend this place as an ideal spot for a special occasion, but before you go check it out, it’s probably good to know going into it that things are going to get a bit pricey. The drinks and food and atmosphere are excellent, but I think the trendiness plays a factor in how much you’re paying. Overall, though, I’m glad I got to try out some local meat and enjoy a beautiful atmosphere for my birthday dinner.