Is Eclectic Worth the Premium?

Is eclectic worth the premium? 

I think that a lot of these new eclectic eastside places are cool.  Admittedly I never enjoyed the dive bars and restaurants when all you could get is a beer, a shot, or some 2-ingredient well, but now you can get a classic cocktail and chef-made local fare.  So I want to eat local and eastside and pretend that some of that hipster attitude will rub off on me.   

But I have a dilemma.  Let me illustrate by telling you about a recent visit to Eastside Showroom. 

Ben was coming home from a business trip on a Thursday and I had a hankering to meet him out for dinner.  I typically tend toward more upscale, trendy environments, but being a weeknight I thought it might be fun to go off the board a little.  Keep it casual and hopefully spend a little less.  Eastside Showroom’s recent Restaurant Week menu had caught my eye because they were serving goat shank.  I thought that sounded fun so I suggested going there.  We’d only been for cocktails previously. 

I arrived before Ben, shortly after the restaurant opened, so the restaurant was quiet and only a few people were at the bar.  I sat down and started chatting with one of the barkeeps about the cocktails.  He asked me what I liked, what I was in the mood for, etc, and he went off menu and mixed a cocktail for me that was tasty and appropriate for the warm afternoon.  When Ben arrived he received similar treatment.  A good start.  

While I was waiting for Ben I had examined the menu and specials and I had a plan.  I’ve been on a charcuterie kick recently, so that was how we would start. A plate of local and housemade meats.  We sat at the bar with our second cocktail and snacked on nice, albeit very small, selection of three items.  The housemade liver mousse was the fabulous.   The accompaniments were questionable and scarce.  For four drinks and one appetizer, we tabbed out at about $60 before tax and tip. 

I was determined to enjoy the weather so we asked the hostess to be seated outside.  It was an odd interaction because she took our name, gave no indication of timing, and went back to whatever she was doing leaving me standing there bewildered about next steps.  The outside patio was less than half full and there seemed to be appropriate wait staff available.  About 10 minutes later she hadn’t come by so we went back and asked her again.  Five minutes later she came back and seated us.  Just odd.   

We sat in the back corner of the patio on that beautiful spring day.  And boy, does cigarette smoke enhance an outdoor dining experience.  I know – it’s Austin, it’s legal to smoke on the patio, but rarely do you see it in nice restaurant patios.  I toyed with the idea of being moved, but there weren’t many options so I sucked it up. 

Our server eventually came by and took our order – soft shell crab special, antelope tartar, and the goat shank to share.  I asked that they be brought one at a time and he did oblige.  There was more than ample time between them. 

The soft shell crab was huge.  Traditionally fried with a light crust, not overly greasy.  It was on a bed of greens – not sure what they were. Large leaves that were messy to eat unless cut, drizzled with a lemony aioli.  Overall the dish was good.  The greens were a necessary contrast to the fried seafood.  Presentation was nothing notable.  The thing I would specifically change is the lack of any of the sauce for the crab itself.  It needed a little something. 

When the plate was taken away, I ordered a glass of red wine to accompany our tartar.  The wine list is extremely limited, and wine is served in a small old school water glass.  I guess it doesn’t matter if you have room to swirl if the wine is mediocre. 

The antelope tartar came next.  It was served with a raw quail egg on top with a side of greens and another side of…French fries.  Odd.  The tartar was very lean, as expected, which made it a little chewier than a traditional beef tartar.  It was more reminiscent of bison.  The seasoning was minimal – a little more punch would have been nice.  The greens were good.  I tried one fry – they were OK, but it just didn’t work with the dish. 

One more glass of wine to share and the mustard braised goat shank came out.  It was a relatively large shank served on a bed of…French fries.  A ton of them.  The meat was good, but lean and sauceless.  I didn’t eat the fries.  Someone help me understand why you would take a beautiful hunk of braised meat and serve it on fries.  It called out for creamy polenta or risotto and a pool of brown sauce.  Or even something nontraditional like a mole over rice would have been welcome and fun.  This was a major disappointment. 

Then the bill came.  Anyone care to wager?  That sorry goat was over $35.   The bill was significantly more than I ever expected.  I guess they are really proud of their fries.  Pretty sure it wasn’t their service – pretty much Magnolia Café quality.  Adequate to get you what you need and that’s it. 

Determined to get finish out the evening well, I thought a move back in to the bar would be best.  More direct attention and away from the smokers.  I wanted cheese for dessert.  There were no viable dessert wine or port choices on the list, so a end-of-the-evening cocktail seemed appropriate.  Unfortunately we got a different bartender.  Our new one had something in mind for Ben that they had talked about earlier in the evening so he immediately got to work on that.  He measured and mixed and shook and strained.  While I waited invisibly.  When Ben was delivered his drink, he had to remind the bartender that I was still sans refreshment. 

He asked, so what kind of things do you like?  Oh heck, I had already gone through all of these with the previous bartender and I didn’t have the energy to review again all of my likes and dislikes (as you can imagine, there are many of both).   My original bartender was still there, but at the other end of the bar so I was stuck with the newbie.   I told him I wanted an after-dinner drink to go with cheese, something a little richer, maybe bourbon.  The bartender decided that with the rich cheese that a heavy cocktail would be too much.  He had an idea so he made a mystery cocktail for me that he was really excited about.  I was very skeptical based on his description. 

The resulting cocktail was quite beautiful, with edible flowers decorating the rim.  It was the perfect drink to sit out in the sun by the lake on a hot afternoon.  Unfortunately I was sitting in a dark bar with a cheese plate at the end of the evening and the herbal notes of the drink clashed dramatically with the cheese.  So I had my cheese with water (since I was without a drink, maybe I should have been pleased that the cheese portions were tiny and uneventful) and we closed out for the night.  It wasn’t until our credit card was in hand (for the third time that night), that another bartender asked if I liked the drink – it was sitting virtually untouched.  I explained and he took it off the bill.  The right move.  I greatly appreciate that. 

So I said I have a dilemma.  I bet you can guess what it is.  Overall, we spent over $250 that evening.  Can you think of anywhere else in town where you might also be able to spend that, or less, for a great farm-to-table meal?  Driskill Grill?   Second?  Olivia?  Parkside?  Wink?  Trio?  Peche?  Where do you think we’d get better food and hands-down better service?  Yup, all those same places.  I believe I gave Eastside Showroom a real shot at delivering on the hype.  I’m having trouble understanding the draw of an “upscale dive” when you sacrifice service and taste for a dumpy atmosphere yet pay the same price (or a premium!).   

So my decision is made, I’m not paying Four Seasons prices unless I’m getting Four Seasons quality.  East side cool or not.