Friday was a day of experiments. With the launch of the new 803 MetroRapid bus line, I figured I should give it a shot before writing about it. Unfortunately, though not unexpected, it was more than underwhelming. Please don't tell me the bus will be there in six minutes when it will literally be twice that during off-peak hours. It makes me feel lied to. The only saving grace was the return trip, traveling towards happy hour during rush hour downtown in the bus-only lane, passing car after car of frustrated businessmen.
Hopping off the bus I meandered to experiment number two: meeting la mère and padre at the presumptuously named Crave. Or CRAVE as it is so delicately put on all the publicity. I shouldn't have been surprised at the unfolding events as I first noted the restaurant's specials through facebook ads. First tip: TURN OFF CAPS LOCK, CRAVE!
pink mojito?
I read somewhere once a list of tips on how to know when to order a good mojito. You have to talk to the bartender, know they care. The place can't be busy because a mojito takes some love. But I just asked "what is on happy hour other than beer." Apparently by pink mojito they meant colored rum and soda water with some leaves in it. Second tip: a mojito cannot be a well. Just, just no. Take me back to Menton and the real mojito fraise please.
sweet-potato tots and fries, caprese, sauvignon blanc, blackened chicken flatbread, margherita flatbread
Though everything was less than $6, it was thoroughly average. Third tip: quality ingredients. Austin has a lot of amazing food. Amazing cheap food at that. You cannot compete if you skimp on the basics. Personally, I just don't like thin fries (sorry P. Terry's) and sweet potato tots are never as good as you think they'll be. They just don't cook the same way as regular potatoes. If you get your watery tomatoes from Costco and serve them downtown, you're gonna have a bad time. If you put a disintegrated tomato with some dry mozzarella and shredded basil on a cracker and call it a flatbread, you're gonna have a bad time. That's not to say these dishes were inedible. But I'd walked about 2 miles with my backpack at that point in the Texas heat and I was starving. Aside from this first round of food, the Sauvignon Blanc was rather pleasant, dry but still refreshing, and helped to ease the disappointment.
tempura bites, california roll
Looking around after the plates were cleared, seeing plate after plate of sushi being served, we concluded we'd chosen poorly. If sushi is their thing, then it's sushi we shall have. You can't go to a burger joint and expect a great salad (unless it's Hopdoddy's, then they do everything spectacularly), thus you can't go to a sushi joint and expect great American food -- we'll just ignore the establishment's slogan "FRESH. VIBRANT. AMERICAN." But this is what happens when you put padre in charge of ordering sushi. You get non-sushi: tempura bites and a california roll. Served with too sweet sauces, the california roll was the essence of average. The rice was fairly dry and the veggies lacked a crispness intended to accent the soft crab meat, ending on a note of muddled meh. Of the whole event however, I believe the tempura bites were a favorite. This was one dish I've never seen done before in this exact construction. Each rice and seaweed roll had a unique filling, from fish, to veggie, to avocado and was fried in a light tempura batter. For a more accurate description, however, I'd like to rename them 'sushi nuggets.'
After chastising him for not ordering real sushi, padre redeemed himself and ordered raw fish. At this point I was disenchanted and fairly full so I broke my own rule and did not try these myself, though the albacore sashimi looks a bit under the weather.
wouldya look at that spread?
Tip number four: keep your specials special. As a student I can't complain about cheap prices, but this business model in a city that is serious about its food cannot last. Maybe instead of a second happy hour, try some farmers market tomatoes or artisanal mozzarella. Puts some exotic spices on the southwest flatbread that might give it a zing rather than a wah-wah-waaah.
J'admets this review isn't too flattering, but the wait staff was prompt, polite, and interesting. The room had a strange light to it despite the massive windows, but the general ambiance of the patrons was humble, yet varied. Though most were dressed for their downtown jobs, I didn't feel unwelcome as I walked in sweaty in shorts and a tank top. When the weather cools off, if it's still open, we will likely return for some beer on the patio. But I'll drive next time.
CRAVE: Happy Hour -- Monday-Friday 4-6:30; Saturday 11-4; Sunday all day. Late Night -- Monday-Wednesday 8:30pm-10pm; Thursday-Saturday 9pm-11pm
340 E 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701
$2 beer, $3 wells, $4-6 select food
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