BOA Steakhouse

BOA Steakhouse - Review - Downtown Austin - Austin - The Infatuation

"BOA is a fancy Downtown steakhouse that meets the criteria for an after-work Happy Hour or a business meal you can write off later. The dining room is large, sleek, and just dark enough that nobody will notice if you spill a little chimichurri on your freshly pressed pants. It feels a bit like eating dinner at a WeWork, complete with long boardroom-style tables, generic artwork, a majesty palm or fiddle-leaf fig in every corner, an overabundance of polos and khakis, and a backdrop of ambient electronic music. It’s also expensive—often a little too expensive—but as long as you don’t go in expecting a life-changing meal (or even the highlight of your week), you’ll likely leave appropriately whelmed. Start with Parker House rolls and BOA’s signature goat-cheese baklava, order a few ounces of A5 wagyu if your boss is paying, and save room for the desserts, which are the peak of the meal. Just be ready for your server to alert you of any and all video-worthy moments, like sauces poured tableside, “in case you’d like to record.” Food Rundown Parker House Rolls These rolls are warm, soft, salty, and fluffy, and the two butters they’re served with are great. But BOA should probably make these complimentary like most steakhouses would. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary King Crab Ceviche The crab is sweet and tasty, and the portion is pretty generous, but the passion fruit purée it’s served with is too salty and acidic to enjoy without blistering your tongue. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Tableside Caesar Salad The salad is prepared right there in front of you with a whole show that sounds more exciting than it looks. The end result is a perfectly fine Caesar that will feed two comfortably or four very sparingly. Don’t expect any wild cards here. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary 40 Day Dry-Aged Strip We’ve tried the dry-aged steaks here on a couple different occasions. Both times they somehow arrived perfectly cooked but incredibly tough, with lots of gristle. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Chilean Sea Bass The sea bass is the best thing we’ve had here. The fish is flaky and seasoned minimally. It’s served with a grilled blood orange that adds a bit of brightness when squeezed on top. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary "Boujee" Baked Potato Sure, it's a tasty baked potato. It’s also $42. Unless you’re a massive tuber enthusiast with money to burn, skip this. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary" - Nicolai McCrary