The playful presentation of each dish at the 2nd Street District’s first sushi restaurant is just the beginning of what’s to come. Each dish is a uniquely flavorful experience of its own. Opened in December by the owners of North Austin’s Sushi
With its ample outdoor lounge space, creative cocktail menu, intriguing people-watching possibilities, and sweeping views of Lady Bird Lake and the downtown skyline, Paggi House is the place for a swanky happy hour. But happy hour is only
Perry's Steakhouse and Grille
Photography by
Chris Patunas
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A weighty tome of a wine list awaited us; heavy silver and deep stems sparkled. A terrific first impression—and one not often received in Austin. It felt like Houston. Dallas. And it felt good. The rise of the Perry’s enterprise is one of those great restaurant stories: the small Houston butcher brings his son on board and they grow a small, dining room–less counter into eight locations Houston-wide. The recent Austin outpost built into the Norwood Building on the corner of Seventh and Colorado downtown is a wonder to behold in size and splash alone, but it was also a culinary success at every turn this night. We started with escargot. Delicious, with loads of caramelized onion, and each topped with a tender round of puff pastry, which absorbed the flavors beautifully. A crispy lump crab cake with a tight, crunchy crust and nothing but hunks of crab on the inside was perfect. No breading, no peppers. Just crab. A lobster bisque hit all the right notes too. The main event, the steaks, could have been better only if, perhaps, they had been fed to us by rock stars on a private shuttle to the moon. They were perfect.
A 14-ounce New York strip was accompanied by crispy asparagus (I could have cared less how very out of season the vegetable was) crowned with more buttery lump crab meat. The giant tenderloin was the star: the Filet Perry is a 12-ounce fist of a cut topped first with jumbo lump crab and then with garlic butter and fresh herbs.
We enjoyed a great bottle of nicely priced Pio Cesare Dolcetto d’Alba; the wine list has many tiers from which to choose, and it was easy to navigate, really. Others this night sampled the dramatic Symphony Kabob, a swinging hook of filet mignon, lobster, and shrimp, or the tableside preparation of bananas Foster. Every conceivable steakhouse side is offered, and simple seafood plates of Hong Kong–style sea bass, salmon with sautéed spinach, even fried shrimp. Rumor has it that the pork chop is the way to go: handchosen pigs, we’re told, just for the restaurant are cured, roasted, smoked, caramelized, and then carved tableside. Our next trip will definitely include the chop, but also, always, the crab. Open at 4:00. Closed Sunday.