How Do You Roll

This wasn't "date night" per-se because the kids joined us, but I had to give a quick shout out to How Do You Roll. It's quickly becoming one of my family's favorite dinner locations. My son adores miso soup (99 cents for a bowl), I love the edamame (also 99 cents) and might have to start buying two bowls of it so I have enough after sharing with the kids. You can tell them how to make your sushi - which is a blast. Sort of like Subway but with fish, veggies, and rice.

They have a HH which involves great deals on beer and wine (not many choices, especially in the wine department but I have to admit that Barefood Chardonnay isn't all that bad) and deals on the Philly and some other rolls. We had two rolls (10 pieces each), a miso soup, an edamame bowl, two juices for the kids, a diet coke for David and a wine for me - all for $20. Then he took off another $5 because we'd earned a free sushi roll from our frequent sushi card.

It's more of a family place than a true date night place, but they have saki, Barefoot wines, and some good beer choices. Worth a visit on a family Friday night!

Sago - The Triangle - Austin, Tx

I meet some friends from my old job on a semi-regular basis at Sago. I think they bill themselves as "modern mexican" - and their food is definitely unique. I've never been disappointed. David and I had been there for Happy Hour in the past but we went a few nights ago and I realized I should blog about their Happy Hour because it is definitely blog-worthy.

Happy Hour is from 2:30 - 7 each day. (I can't even imagine being able to go to HH at 2:30 in the afternoon but I might have to give that a try one day this summer when both kids are away at the grandparents because it sounds like something someone from the Hamptons would do. I guess. I've never really been clear on what, exactly, the Hamptons are - I just know it involves wealth from up North.) David had their regular frozen margarita and thought it was a bit sweet. I started with a Paloma but the tequila they used tasted odd to me so I asked if I could replace it with a Mojito. Best call of the entire night....it was an awesome mojito. Their Sangrias are pretty good also.

On the appetizer front, they have some good choices - they aren't quite 1/2 off for HH but they're a pretty good deal. As a matter of fact, we made it out of there for $30 (that counts tip!) and we had 3 appetizers and 3 drinks between us. Not bad!

MVP - North Austin

A new bar recently opened up in the shopping center which is walking distance from our house (although we usually drive there). We decided to hit their happy hour tonight because they are close enough that we can get out of the house for 45 minutes and the kids are perfectly fine since we're a mere three minutes away.

So far, from the two appetizers we tried, MVP has some pretty great food. The pulled pork sliders, in particular, were about as good as it gets. YUM.

We'll be back - next time to try their thin crust pizza. Since MVP stands for "Most Valuable Pizza" -- I'm expecting it to be tasty...

Here's the lowdown....two appetizers and three drinks at happy hour - less than $16 before tip. Whoa! Even after I upped the tip to make up for the happy hour difference, we got out of there for under twenty bucks. Tasty food, good drinks, right around the corner from my house....I hope they hang around for a while.

Andiamo

Andiamo Ristorante is such an interesting place because you would NEVER expect to get truly delicious and delicate Italian cuisine at a restaurant in a strip center - especially one "in the shopping center behind the Jack In The Box" (that's a quote from their website).

And yet, you do indeed get some amazing food at Andiamo. I drank a couple of glasses of Refosco (a new varietal for me) and had some truly incredible mushroom ravioli (more artistically named: Ravioli Ripieni ai Funghi).

If you've never made it to Andiamo, it deserves your serious consideration. It's one of the few restaurants in Austin where I can drop $100 and not begrudge them a single cent. Maybe that's because I'm cheap, or maybe it's because too many restaurants think they're "all that" when - really, they aren't. Regardless, you can't go wrong at Andiamo.

There was one young woman there on Friday night who worried me just a bit. She sat at her table for quite a while, waiting for her date. Once he finally showed up, he spent a lot of time looking at his smart phone and CLEARLY did not appreciate her. So...if a sweet 20-something (maybe 30-something) with dark brown curly hair happens to be reading this blog...take it from someone older and wiser - you can do better, girl. Guys like that aren't worth your time.