Justin M.
Yelp
Going to an upscale restaurant in many ways is like driving an exquisite car. One could eat fast food and be fine, albeit there are health implications to consider, just as one can get around in a Chevy spark, or in my days growing up a Yugo and get from point A to B. Personally, and more often than not, I like a fancy encounter as there are extra's included with the increase in price. Style, extras, craftmanship and quality of ingredients or parts can set a part an experience from mundane to breath taking.
I've read several reviews about Café Blue in Austin and by word of mouth I decided to give this restaurant a test drive. Parking this deep in downtown sucks so I had to walk a block and pay $15 for parking on a Saturday which is somewhat discouraging. But walking up to the establishment was a feast for the eyes as my anticipation started to throttle up. Outside the corner restaurant has several quaint tables, an inviting sign outside beckons the racer to get in pit row before hitting the starting line. Inside the blood starts to race seeing an elegant centerfield bar with several TVs, tons of oil can sized taps of beer, an oval mahogany ceiling fixture with recessed lighting hovering above a grey, light blue and white marbled bar top with matching barstools. There's a little art on the walls hung over planks of contrasting grey marble and an open kitchen bathed in stainless steel.
I did find it odd that at 5pm me and my copilot, aka pit crew or date, were the only ones in the restaurant. I don't mind a race being the only participant but it does help build the ambiance. Sitting on pit row, I decided to oil up the machine with a makers mark and diet coke. I will say this cocktail was strong and lacked real balance as I had a long evening planned. My eyes scanned the menu as my date and I were craving seafood however we were wanting to share smaller bites ala tapas. We opted for all seafood to fuel the funny cars and I ordered a Mercer Family Vineyards Merlot to accompany me when the light hit green. I will note that we had window seats so while it diminished the intimacy it offered a unique perspective to people watch. We'll call them fans, who were diverse and entertaining to watch while they walked their dogs, flaunted their decadence, and were oblivious to the cars at the starting line inside but duly noting the non-metaphorical motorist outside.
When our apps came out, the feet hit the gas. First lap was fast as we drove through the coconut shrimp. Five perfectly fried shrimp with the right amount of coating glazed our tongues with a nice dollop of jap-apricot marmalade which almost could be mistaken for a chutney which I think would have paired equally as well. I cleaned my palate with the Merlot and I was presently shocked how well the engine responded to the racing fuel. It was tart with red fruit, earthy tones, and somewhat bold with mellow tannins and long legs. It's always refreshing to get what you think is a cheap wine which turns out really good.
The next lap we enjoyed the Lobster rolls. I'm somewhat of a stickler on lobster rolls, preferring mayo ala Maine style to butter as I enjoy the salad aspect otherwise, I would just get a lobster with butter. Anyways three rolls motored their way into our mouths but I already was let down. The reason is simple, I wanted to see chunks of claws and tails, which I would say comprised 40% of the roll. The rest looked like Kani or the "Krab salad" you get with sushi rolls. The flavor was pretty good but a smidge underflavored. That said my copilot loved them, although she's no Dale Earnhardt of lobster rolls as this was her first race. The final app or lap was upon us and I intentionally left the best for last to finish the race strong. The tuna was encrusted with multicolor sesame seeds and seared perfectly. The only issue I had was the seaweed salad with was good but also had normal greens (red leaf, spinach, radicchio to name a few). Just nitpicking as I was wanting to go "full Asian" (bonus if you catch the reference). The sauce was good, offering a nice compliment to the sesame oil, soy vinaigrette on the salad.
Overall, I loved participating in the great app extravaganza and the food was above decent while the staff was extremely courteous and knew the menu. However, this was no Daytona 500, the grand daddy of races from what I'm told, and honestly I have more races to drive before I deciding to try the place again. I'm not saying it's bad but I'm still looking for the perfect track to peel out and lay rubber on.