Anyone move to Austin....and hate it? (Houston, Shiner: prices, nicest)
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Because we don't have the type of Italian food...which seems unlikely for Austin since we don't have any ethnic Italian neighborhoods - you indict all food in Austin?
No one here says we have the cuisine of NYC or LA. But we have some excellent food. Every meal I've eaten at Zoot was unique and fantastic. Hudsons on the Bend has outstanding food not available anywhere else. Trattoria Lisina in Driftwood is a big sprawling place with excellent food. My friend from Boston says their Osso Bucco is the best she has ever had.
Perhaps I could have communicated more clearly. Yes, Austin doesn't have the type of Italian food I'm used to -- That type being "good." But that is certainly not the sole reason to indict the culinary scene here. Generally bad Chinese food with a buffet oriented Chinese restaurant culture would be another reason. Yes, we have no ethnic Chinese neighborhoods either-- Is that going to be the excuse for everything? Please don't retort with: "Well I like Tien Jen" or whatever. I am comparing the Chinese here to an area where you have a great number of options for Chinese or other Asian ethnic foods-- almost all of which are delicious.
There are a few standouts in Austin. But I can't afford to eat at Hudson's on the Bend every day. And I find the quality of your every day places-to-eat pretty bad. Magnolia and Kerby are atrocious (and filthy). I'm not crazy about Mexican food-- Never have been. BBQ is ok, but don't want to have it every day. My staples have been Chinese, Italian and continental. I don't like Chili's either.
Maybe I'm crazy. But I am used to a NYish culinary scene. So yes, that is my basis for comparison.
man if not having great Italian food is the biggest complaint somebody has about Austin
then I'd say that's really reaching ...... I personally know one that would get at least a 4 1/2 star rating
in Toronto (largest 1st and 2nd Italian generation city outside of Rome) where we're from
but I'm not going to say what it is because it's already tough to get a table on the weekends
I'm willing to bet that my comfort food - Mexican food - is awful on the East Coast. It will have a thin ChefBoyardee tomato sauce and they'll use tortillas stiff enough to use as frisbees.
Mexican food is indeed awful on the East Coast. I spent a summer in the DC area and was appalled by what was passed off as "Mexican"...most of it was really some hybrid of Guatemalan of South American food. Chipotle was literally the best Mexican food I could find. Also keep in mind that I had been living in Missouri beforehand, which is not exactly known as a mecca for Mexican food (although there are many authentic Mexican restaurants across the state, owened and operated by real Mexican families who moved there to cook their delicious food). I suppose I did have some suprisingly decent Mexican at a margarita bar/resturant in NYC, but overall, you can't find even halfway good Mexican there. I'd say it is similar to how Austin lacks halfway decent pizza.
Oh, It's not my biggest complaint by far. Let me know if you want the complete list. I'll start another thread.
Do it My turn.
I'm tired of Austin being turned into DFW. I've heard more whining and attitude from the metroplex crowd than I have from any Californians. And yes, they are natives. Sorry but the sun does not shine out of any horse's . Every state has its share of good and bad elements. It's sad to see because I do know a few good people from that area. But lately, for some reason, Austin seems to be attracting their worst.
Driving around here has become absurd. I have been struck more times in one city (Austin) than in Houston, Dallas, LA, Seattle, Portland, New York, Boston, Atlanta, and four cross-country trips combined. I've never seen such inattention and arrogance on the road. (I notice quite a few of these vehicles have metroplex-area dealer stickers?) Driving a big truck or SUV is not entitlement to sociopathic behavior. Hang on while I test the brakes - ego won't help your insurance rates or driving record.
I would like to quote this comment from another thread, since I've noticed the same behaviors this woman describes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by D:<
2) The Texas friendliness isn't fake? Ok, maybe you can explain this to me: When I started my new job here, everyone was pretty nice to me. And then the manager pulled me aside and said that no one was getting along with me. They just didn't like me. Wow, I didn't know that our interactions made them seethe with enough anger to go talk to the manager about it. So, I tried to be less business-like and more Texas Friendly (you know... when in Rome), and everyone was still nice to me, but I didn't trust it. Why would I?
3) I don't understand the people in general. No one can argue with the OP when he says that the drivers here are awful... isn't that a sign of the general rudeness of the area? There are more accidents here than anywhere else I've lived or visited, and the refusal of the drivers here to look around and notice the people around them is a supreme arrogance, imo. Case in point - once I was crossing the parking lot *in my apartment complex*, and a truck happened to be driving down the road. I thought he was far enough back that it wouldn't be a problem that I was crossing (especially since the speed limit was 10 mph), but the truck actually revved his engine and acted like he was going to run me over (and if I had stopped, he would have). OH, and I was very obviously 8 months pregnant. Yeah. WTF, people. WTF. I have never experienced anything like that before. Welcome to Texas, huh?
I have to agree that the lack of good Italian here is pretty horrifying. There was no good italian in Ventura, CA (although I could make the 1-3 hour drive to LA for some homeade ravioli.), so I had a bit of a buffer between eating in the North End (Boston) and Austin.
I actually loved a few places in Boston for "Mexican." Jose's in Cambridge comes to mind, and my FAVORITE place to eat was the Border Cafe in Harvard Sq. But, then, I didn't really grow up eating Mexican food, so what do I know.
I do know that I weigh less than I did when I lived in Boston, and that's a good thing. Italian isn't exactly great on the waistline. I miss it, but I can live without it.
Yes, the drivers have poor skills here. My car has been in at least half a dozen "accidents" this last year - none of them occuring while I was in the car. Just the other day I noticed a nice dent with white paint scuff about 4 inches long on my back bumper People can't park well, and if you go to a big-box store, you have to navigate and park around the gauntlet of abandoned shopping carts in the parking lot. It's carelessness in general. The lesson I learned is that I didn't need a nice car in the first place because in the end, it's not an investment, it just gets you to point B.
I have to agree that the lack of good Italian here is pretty horrifying. There was no good italian in Ventura, CA (although I could make the 1-3 hour drive to LA for some homeade ravioli.), so I had a bit of a buffer between eating in the North End (Boston) and Austin.
I actually loved a few places in Boston for "Mexican." Jose's in Cambridge comes to mind, and my FAVORITE place to eat was the Border Cafe in Harvard Sq. But, then, I didn't really grow up eating Mexican food, so what do I know.
I do know that I weigh less than I did when I lived in Boston, and that's a good thing. Italian isn't exactly great on the waistline. I miss it, but I can live without it.
You don't even have to go that far to see Tx cuisine and culture get butchered. I was in Tenn. 2 years ago and I stopped in a Texas themed restaurant. I asked for a Shiner, and the waitress said "a whuuut?" They didn't have salsa, and they know what "queso" was.. The mural on the wall depicted Sam Houston on horseback riding through west Texas desert with a pair of prospector pick-axes hanging on the wall next to it. Blasphemers.
When I first moved here in the late 80's from NJ Austin was the coolest, nicest, friendliest place to live and man was the real estate a bargain! I was single then so the nightlife was phenomenal. Work was easy to find in my field (high tech semiconductors) and it seemed the world way my oyster here in Austin. Since then I've left and come back several times - living in Orlando, Madrid Spain, and Dallas in between. Something keeps me coming back to Austin each time but I will say each and every time it get's less and less "Austin-y". This town has grown fast, and the culture seems to have changed - or is it me now that I'm married and with a kiddo?, Maybe!
The one thing I really miss, well ok the TWO things I really miss that Austin just does not have are real Seasons of the year and a real Ocean. Oh, and for the foodies - there's NO decent deli food in Austin at all....you simply cannot get a decent bagel or Reuben sandwich to save your life here...guess that makes THREE things I miss huh?!?!?
The one thing I really miss, well ok the TWO things I really miss that Austin just does not have are real Seasons of the year and a real Ocean. Oh, and for the foodies - there's NO decent deli food in Austin at all....you simply cannot get a decent bagel or Reuben sandwich to save your life here...guess that makes THREE things I miss huh?!?!?
Absolutely agree with you 100%.
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My turn.
. Every state has its share of good and bad elements. It's sad to see because I do know a few good people from that area. But lately, for some reason, Austin seems to be attracting their worst.
People can't park well, and if you go to a big-box store, you have to navigate and park around the gauntlet of abandoned shopping carts in the parking lot. It's carelessness in general. The lesson I learned is that I didn't need a nice car in the first place because in the end, it's not an investment, it just gets you to point B.
