Category

3825 Lake Austin Blvd. Austin, TX 78703. (512) 476 - 4852.

http://www.hulahut.com/

Lynn and I were on our trip to see the capital building and museum in Austin, Texas. After exploring these historical sites, we got really hungry and headed out to Lake Austin for some grub!

Upon sitting down and greeting us, our waiter brought out two super sized cups of water (about 40oz or so) and a basket of fresh homemade tortilla chips! Yummm… Those chips were still very warm and crunchy. Unlike most other places, these chips were extremely thin such that they were almost translucent!

Huli Huli Luau Platter $22

We thought about ordering individual items at first but nothing on the menu looked interesting or appetizing. The only two things that stood out was the Huli Huli Platter and the Polynesian Pescado Platter. Our waiter said that the Huli Huli would feed easily fill two to three people and that the Polynesian platter was not as filling, but equally good.

OMFG. This plate is huge! Its about the size of a medium or large pizza (the knife was propped above the food for length comparative purposes). Whats included in this platter are “a half rack of B.B.Q. baby back ribs, four grilled chicken nachos, two B.B.Q. chicken tacos, four crisp chicken flautas, Hula Hut chopped salad, papas asadas & chile con queso with chips.”

The B.B.Q chicken tacos and crisp chicken flautas were our favorite. They were especially tasty when dipped in that orange colored sauce (unknown!). The grilled chicken nachos were average. I think T.G.I.F. has a similar item on their appetizer menu. The salad was a bit uneven. The further you get towards the bottom, the more heavy the salad sauce gets, which was just too much. The potato were okay. They are much better than the ones at Hash House (^_^). Last but not least, the B.B.Q. baby back ribs were perfect. They were so tender that you can easily shred them with a fork. Yippee!

Taste: 8/10
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Total: 14/20

218 Produce Row, San Antonio, TX 78207. 210-225-1262

http://www.mitierracafe.com/new_reviews.html

This restaurant is very festive, with every room filled with shiny metallic decorations hanging from the ceiling. These ranged from pinatas to christmas cutouts and streamers. To make the environment even merrier, a mariachi band (min. $5 per song) floated throughout the tables, serenating guests with christmas songs in spanish. There’s even a bakery inside where you can purchase various baked goods. We did not try anything though because we were so stuffed.

Botana Platter (10.50)

This was a sampler with an assortment of miniature chicken flautas, cheese quesidillas and chalupas.

Charbroiled Chicken Breast (11.95)

Dennis thought his chicken was overflavored, but it was juicy and tender. He likes making sandwiches so he added those to the tortillas and chicken for a sandwich. He thinks the food here is a bit overpriced and really goes toward the environment and live music.

Chalupas Compuestas ($8.50)

My meal came with two bean, cheese and guacamole chalupas with a choice of chicken or beef. I chose the chicken. I thought these were really good but perhaps it’s in comparison with the plain home-made bean chalupas I made a while back. I don’t think they stuck out with comparison to other chalupas such as the ones from Santana, but it was exactly what I wanted to eat!

As for service, I thought it was standard. Everyone seemed to like eating here though because it was filled with happy people.

Taste: 7/10
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Total: 15/20