Just as there is a Final Four going on in the NCAA, so there is a Final Four going on in my current world of rehearsal dinner venues. The great hunt for my well-desired dinner ticket on Friday, October 29, 2010 has been paired down to just 4 restaurants. Let's meet the competition (in no particular order):
Carmelo's504 E. 5th Street
It's a wedding, right? Love is in the air, the bells are ringing, the birds are singing. What better aperitif to a sentimental weekend than some hearty Old World Italian cooking? In addition to competitive pricing and delicious food, Carmelo's also boasts several private dining rooms ideal for an intimate rehearsal dinner. Mama mia!
Corazon at Castle Hill1101 W. 5th Street
I used to love, LOVE the old Castle Hill Cafe at this same location (duck enchiladas, yes!) before it sadly closed down a few years back. Thank you, Austin condo market. Sigh. I still think the old house is as charming as ever though, and so their upstairs room might nonetheless be a good cozy spot for a Clay + Meredith baby slide show (rehearsal dinner must-have, fyi).
Fabi + Rosi 509 Hearn Street
Remember the old Zoot location, over there off Lake Austin Blvd just west of MoPac? That's where Chef Wolfgang (seriously, that's his name) and wife Cassie have set up shop with their adorable little kitchen featuring authentic German-influenced cuisine fused with southern hospitality. Who could say no to jagerschnitzel & spatlze? (Fun fact: That was Clay's first dinner as an engaged man.) Prosit!
Chez Zee5406 Balcones Drive
Pronounced affectionately as "Cheesy" by both my sister and I in our good-humored, wise-cracking youth, Chez Zee (accurately, sheh zee) to me was always that fancy restaurant where my parents sometimes took us for celebratory dessert or hot cocoa (and the place still boasts some of the best desserts in town). Maybe I'll actually graduate to a full dinner come October.
So there you have it. This year's Final Four. Four excellent contenders, I must say! Let's give a hand to our other players previously in the running, including Moonshine, Sagra, Eastside Cafe, Iron Cactus, & Malverde. Good try, guys, but you were eliminated from those first rounds for a reason. Some of you were over-hyped (Malverde), and some of your egos were too big (Iron Cactus). Some of you worked hard but just weren't quite big enough (Eastside Cafe, Moonshine), and the rest of you blew it in the final moments (Sagra - seriously, do you not call back? Really?).
To that last contender, it's bittersweet and a bit heartbreaking. I was really pulling for you! But in the end, everyone knows that you broke the cardinal rule. You've got to make your free throws. Game over.
Final results for this year's competition to be announced April 5th. Stay tuned!
** April 5th has come and gone. We have a winner for the NCAA Final Four competition: Duke University! (Although I was really pulling for the underdog Butler team.)
ReplyDeleteAs for the Wedding Final Four competition, that match-up has gone into overtime with a yet undetermined end date. It's a close one, folks, I'm on the edge of my seat! Winner to be announced in the upcoming weeks.