Austin Restaurant Week: Parkside

Okay, first of all, we’ve just moved in to our lovely little home! So everything (including my brain) is quite scattered. Justin and I actually moved all of our belongings by ourselves. We’re so exhausted! This morning I woke up and looked at the clock and couldn’t figure out how to tell time. I actually counted the marks on the clock to figure out what time it was. Tired brain = no common sense.

Anyway, we were able to splurge a little tonight on a lovely dinner at Parkside. I know I’ve mentioned before how much I love Parkside, but it bears repeating. We went with some friends for Restaurant Week, and had a great time. It was “Martini Monday,” where everything in a martini glass is just $4. We tried talking them into pouring wine into a martini glass for the discount, but that didn’t work. 😉

Justin and I shared everything – this way we were able to taste more menu items! We started with the raw bar tasting and the calamari. The raw bar tasting consisted of three gorgeous oysters with the appropriate dipping sauces (cocktail sauce, horseradish, lemon) and a small glass of raw salmon tossed with pineapple and jalapeno. The oysters were so fresh and delicious… they tasted like the ocean itself. The salmon was incredibly good… sweet and spicy. The calamari was perfectly battered and fried, tiny rings and tentacles seasoned with salt and paprika, and served with aioli. 

Next up were the entrees…I had the ricotta ravioli, which was excellent. The ravioli were tender and mild, tossed with fresh herbs and gorgeous mushrooms. Justin had the flounder, which was topped with capers and was also quite delicious.

Of course dessert was wonderful, too… Justin opted for the doughnut holes… it’s just not a complete visit to Parkside without the doughnut holes. They come served in a tiny brown paper sack, dusted with cinnamon sugar with three dipping sauces: bourbon cream, apple butter and butterscotch. I had the peanut butter-chocolate terrine, layered with phyllo dough and served with banana ice cream and peanut brittle. This. Was. Amazing. I probably would have licked the plate if I wasn’t in public.

We only made it to two restaurants for Restaurant Week – with moving from one side of Austin to the other, we’ve been quite busy and extremely tired. Even so, it was fun to get out and try something new, for a fairly low price. It was a great experience!

4 responses to “Austin Restaurant Week: Parkside”

  1. Those doughnut holes sound out of this world. I have a feeling I will be stopping at Parkside for some of those during SXSW. Glad the move went well! Welcome to the neighborhood (I live in Clarksville too).

  2. I also went with friends to Parkside for Restaurant Week and am fascinated by the different renditions of their dishes that were available on different nights. I had the raw bar as well but only had one oyster, which did taste just like the sea. The sampling also included two ceviches, one with salmon and the other with amber jack in a citrus dressing. Both were wonderful. I also had the ravioli but instead of mushrooms the sauce was a roasted cherry tomato sauce that was sweet and tart at the same time. I find that I really enjoy when restaurants have different approaches to the same menu items because it gives me more reason to continue to go back. Thanks for sharing your experience – I will 100% agree that Parkside is a keeper.

  3. Sounds like you had a much better time than I did. Took a date there a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday night. First thing that happened was we were told that there was an hour and a half wait even though more than 1/2 of the tables were clearly unoccupied. I can see that, though, since there could have been reservations. But, then after deciding to sit at the bar, we were told that they were too busy to serve appetizers or let us indulge in the raw bar. Too busy? Over 1/2 of the place was empty.

    If I hear some more good comments like your experience, I might consider Parkside again.

  4. Natanya, I love that they’re varying the menu, too! It definitely gives you a reason to return.

    Lee, I’m so sorry you had such a bad experience there! I must admit I’ve heard others who did not enjoy their dinners there, either for the small portion sizes, or just bad food/service. I wonder if it’s a hit-or-miss place, and we’ve just always had “hit” nights? 🙂

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