Sifting Through Austin

This last Friday night we went to check out the Hyde Park Bar and Grill on Westgate. They recently added a new outdoor seating area and we were in the mood to sit outside as the weather was pleasantly nice for a January evening. The wait was not long at all and we sat down amongst the twinkling strands of Christmas lights. It was relaxing and not too loud. Started off with a Mexican Martini, our waiter warned us that it was not “Trudy’s” sized and indeed it was only a single serving. This had to be one of the better martinis we have had in a while. This was not your typical sweet and sour mix. It was not too sweet and tasted like maybe they had stirred in some olive juice to act as a counter to the tang and sweetness of the lime mix. We asked for the house tequila and we were happy with that too. We couldn’t really put our finger on what was so tasty about them, but both agreed that whatever it was, it worked. We ordered another round after we downed the first pair.

On to dinner. Decisions, decisions… I was not sure what I wanted before I got there but the burger kept winking at me. I had never had one here before and there were three options. I asked our waiter if the Kobe beef burger was worth it. It was about a $1.50 more than the “high-end” sirloin burger (the “low-end” was ground chuck). He steered me away from the Kobe and suggested the sirloin and that it might be worthy to add some cheddar, crispy bacon and jalapenos. Sold. This was one of those burgers where the last bite was just as good as the first. The patty was the star and had a wonderful char-grilled flavor. The fat ratio was about perfect. Bacon was crisp, cheese was melty but not gooey or stringy and it was served on a plain wheat bun that allowed you to experience all the other flavors. All the condiments (mustard, mayo and ketchup) are served on the side so that you can lather it up to your liking. I ordered this with their fries. My first time for these too. They are famous for their fries and would agree they are something special. It’s almost as if they have been twice fried. Once to get them soft and another time after a light dusting of flour to give them a very nice crunch. Definitely not too greasy as you might expect. I could be way off base on that, but that is the only thing I could figure.

Hillary had the Dijon Artichoke chicken and didn’t have anything bad to say about it but was not glowing about it either. I tried her green chile cheese mashed potatoes and these were very good. So why the major focus on the burger? You never hear Hyde Park mentioned when it comes to the best-burger-in-town discussion. Names like Hut’s, Dirty Martin’s, Casino El Camino are always at the forefront but I got to say… I think it is a contender!

~Lee