Elizabeth Street Café is all looks and no show - Review - Austin - The Infatuation
"Elizabeth Street Café looks like the type of place you’d want to spend a slow Sunday morning sipping coffee and flipping through a book you’re pretending to read. It’s pastel-colored, very cute, and exactly what you’d imagine when you hear the words “French-Vietnamese cafe” in a city that prides itself on brunch. But that’s about as far as the illusion goes. photo credit: Maggie Svoboda photo credit: Maggie Svoboda photo credit: Maggie Svoboda Nothing here is terrible—it’s just not good Vietnamese food. The pho is bland but priced as if it were made from the bones of bovine nobility (spoiler: it’s not), and the bún seems like it was designed by someone whose only reference point was a Pinterest board. There are a few saving graces beyond the photo-ready presentation, though. The bánh mì are surprisingly tasty, and the green mango and cucumber salad is a refreshing start to the meal, even if its flavors have little in common with the Vietnamese dish it’s based on. Elizabeth Street has maximal vibes and minimal substance. If you're here to sip coffee and cocktails on the patio while swapping gossip, you’ll probably leave content. But if you're expecting a truly satisfying Vietnamese meal, you’re better off grabbing a pack of spring rolls from H-E-B on your way home. Food Rundown photo credit: Nicolai McCrary BBQ Pork Spring Rolls The rolls are heave on the noodles and the pork is a little salty, but the biggest offense is the lack of nước chấm—the sweet, spicy, and salty fish-sauce dip traditionally served on the side. Instead, these come with a trio of sauces, including one that’s just a cup of vinegar with a single sliver of thai chili floating in it. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Green Mango & Cucumber Salad The green mango is tart and crisp, and the cucumbers add a nice crunch. The dressing doesn’t pack quite as much spice as the Vietnamese dish it’s modeled after, but this is a light and refreshing way to start the meal. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Grilled Marinated Pork Bánh Mì Despite the relatively high price point, this is a pretty good sandwich. The baguette is fluffy and flaky, and the fillings are generous enough to make it a light but satisfying lunch. It doesn't compete with the many cheaper alternatives in town, but it won’t leave you disappointed. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Phở Beef This is not a good bowl of phở. It’s underseasoned and bland, and something about the broth tastes off-putting. At nearly $25, this shouldn’t lag so far behind other Vietnamese spots in town. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Bún This looks like a perfectly fine bowl of vermicelli, but the rice noodles have an odd texture, like they might have been cooked and left in a fridge to dry out until they were ready to crumble apart. The fried spring roll add-on also has a gummy, undercooked texture. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Bánh Cuốn This Vietnamese street food typically consists of super-thin steamed rice paper wrapped around some combination of minced meat and mushrooms. Here, the rice paper is about three times as thick as it should be, resulting in yet another dish that’s a gummy disservice to its namesake. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Macarons The flavors sound interesting, but the execution is wildly inconsistent. Across our last three visits, we’ve received one perfect macaron (with a delicate, crisp exterior and slightly chewy center), one that was stale and soggy, and another that was too dense in the middle to properly bite through." - Nicolai McCrary
