\\ SPUD RANCH //

I wish San Marcos was just a few minutes closer just so Spud Ranch would be closer (also so Hanna and I could see our friend Chelsea more often)!! It is a tiny little place, but well worth the drive from Austin.

Spud Ranch is a great concept, fast food restaurant. Picture this: specialty baked potatoes. They have 27 different varieties with different toppings, but you can also choose your own custom toppings. You can get a Cajun Spud, Chicken Enchilada Spud, Philly Cheesesteak Spud, Hot Wing Spud (#1 most popular), Chicken Brocolli Spud, or even Teriyaki Spud. The list keeps going. Each one sounds absolutely mouthwatering too. They also have burgers, sandwiches, fried brocolli, fried okra, fried pickles, jalapeno poppers, fried mushrooms, etc...

I had the Cajun Spud on my first visit. It has andouille sausage, bell peppers, sauteed onions, cheese, and lots of Louisiana hot sauce. Oh my gosh! That thing was of the charts. It was sooooo good. The flavors all blend together to satisfy that cajun craving combined with a desire for a baked potato.

Since it is semi-fast food, you pretty much know the service will be hands-off after paying at the register. However, the lady at the register was really nice while we were there. The atmosphere seemed pretty laid back, but all of the workers made it appear like they were doing their jobs. The decor was a combination of interesting and Texas-quaint. Simple and nothing terribly fancy.

Prices: You definitely seem to get your money's worth.

Would you recommend this place to others? Absolutely! Go, go, go!

Thomas' Ranking: 10 out of 10 -- great fast food, great price, great flavor, great idea!

Thai (Lack of) Passion :(

Don't eat at Thai Passion. Here's why:

I actually went here a few weeks ago after a couple year boycott. I couldn't remember why I was boycotting them, but was certainly reminded.

Dinner time. Typical day. Nothing special. Just hungry after shopping at the San Marcos outlets with a friend.

Notice I said nothing special? Thai Passion is certainly NOTHING special. We went to the location in the South Park Meadows shopping center off of I35. Want to know what was wrong?

• Bad service (Maybe an understatement. There was barely any service at all.)
• Slow service (I refer you to the above statement.)
• Dirty cups
• Dirty utensils
• Poor lighting

Don't get me wrong now. The food was just alright. It wasn't anything special either. I've just had MUCH better Thai food... I could probably make much better Thai food myself.

I ordered tom kha soup and chicken pad thai. The soup was the best part. It was sour & spicy and made from coconut milk, lemon grass, and chicken. The pad thai was bland and boring. There was no disguising it. Plus, the lime was not squeezable!! That irked me the most!

I also noticed that they proudly displayed an Austin Chronicle that rated them as the best Thai food at some point. This has to be a hilarious joke. Even Madam Mam's Thai food and service is a million times better (that is saying a lot considering my bad experience at MM's).

Thomas' Ranking: 4.5 out of 10.

Pretty picture, but there was something floating in the water...

(LOOK! You can't even squeeze the lime!)

Serranos Tex-Mex :)

Serranos is actually a pretty decent Austin area Tex-Mex chain. There are six locations around Austin. My friend and I ate at the Arboretum location for lunch. It definitely has the established chain restaurant feeling to it (it has a To-Go door...). You'll definitely think to yourself, "This is probably not your mom & pop Mexican food." However, the prices were cheaper than Pappasito's and the flavor & serving size were comparable.

My friend had the burrito con queso... without the queso. She swears it tastes different than just the regular burrito. The waiter seemed confused at first too. She seemed content when she got it. The portion size was gargantuan.

I had one of the lunch specials: choose 2 sides and 2 entrees for $7.99. For my selections, I chose the beef enchilada with chili con carne, tortilla soup, frijoles a la charra, and stuffed jalapenos. Everything was nicely presented (except the soup... it looked like it was tossed into the bowl) and tasted even better. Although the soup's presentation was not the best, it definitely tasted pretty good - much better than most restaurant's tortilla soup. The stuffed jalapenos were great too. Instead of gross cream cheese or processed cheese, they had melted, grated cheese inside - definitely a nice change after fast food jalapeno poppers.

For those 21+, there were was an extensive list of colorful looking mixed drinks. They all looked quite refreshing.

The service was great. However, it was just after lunchtime. So, this could vary from location to location and time to time.

Would I recommend this place? Sure. Pappacito's would still be recommended first though for Tex-Mex.

Thomas' Ranking: 7.9 out of 10 --- not the best, but still good.

~~ The Steeping Room ~~

Today's foodie adventure took place at The Steeping Room @ the Domain. This place is incredibly cute and seemed somewhat out of place. It reminded me of a upscale, yet cozy little tea shop that should have been on South Congress. However, it's current location is ideal due to the steady flow of wealthier customers. They have an extensive tea list and a relatively decent menu. 

I went with my friend Kimee. This is good because that means there were two people, two different orders, and more info for me to share here. 

Kimee ordered a hot black Indian tea with a hint of chocolate in it. Putting my aversion to chocolate aside, this tea was surprisingly delicious. The tea flavor balanced out quite well with a semisweet chocolate aftertaste. She also order a roast beef sandwich with a cup of soup. My beverage of choice was the Berry Freeze. It was this nice fruit smoothie blended with tea. It really is a nice and refreshing concept especially on a hot and sunny summer day. I ended up ordering the classic BLT with a side of soup too. This wasn't just any BLT though. The bacon was so crisp and extra bacon-y. It was probably the best BLT I've ever eaten. The soup I keep referencing was a freshly made cream of mushroom soup. The best part is that they use fresh mushrooms and cream to make the soup. 

The food: Quite tasty. The sandwich portions are smaller than I hoped for. The cup of soup was average size but better than average flavor. However, the tea and smoothie definitely made up for it. Everything was delicious and delightful. 

The service: Neutral. Nothing special about their service. Sometimes the waitresses seemed remotely interested and other times they seemed completely disinterested. In the end, we were taken care of in a prompt and timely manner. Supposedly, that is what matters most. 

The price: Ouch! The prices are steep for a college student. This explains The Steeping Room's location. In the grand scheme of food and drink, the prices were definitely worth the quality of the meal. Everything we ate and drank was noticeably of a higher than usual quality. 

Thomas' ranking: 9.5 out of 10

If you're in the area and willing to splurge, go here for a pleasantly surprising experience. This would be a nice place to relax with a book and freshly brewed cup of tea. 

- Thomas :)

~~ Korean Grill ~~

While Hanna is off galavanting around the globe (going to Taiwan to be specific), I am holding down the fort in the big ATX. Today's foodie selection was...**drumroll please**... Korea Grill located in Chinatown off Lamar (near the MT Supermarket). This is actually my 4th visit to this establishment. This time was great though because I was joined by a few friends from Korean class-- Kimee, Gia, and Gia's friend Tim. It was kind of funny since the females both owed the two of us guys a meal. We ordered soondubu jjigae (silky tofu stew or 순두부 찌개), kimchi pancake (김치전), galbi (marinated beef short ribs or 갈비), and spicy pork bulgogi (불고기). We also received lots of banchan (반찬 or side dishes) -- that included kimchi (김치 - spicy fermented cabbage), gamja (감자 조림 or a cooked sweet soy potato), kongnamul (콩나물 or seasoned bean sprouts), dubu chorim (두부조림 or fried tofu), rice and many others that I can't remember the names to. 

Service: excellent! The owner was our waiter. He was incredibly nice and even helped my friend Gia with some Korean placement test questions. How awesome is that? He was giving us pointers on Korean dishes and what combinations of food were highly recommended while visiting the country. 

Taste-o-meter: It was pretty good and tasty. However, some of the "spicy" dishes could have been spicier. The pork bulgogi was kind of shredded unlike other kinds that I've previously eaten. The kimchi pancake was very tasty too. 

Overall ranking: 8.9 out of 10

The service was great. The atmosphere was light and comfortable. The place was clean and inviting. However, the food just wasn't as traditional tasting as I'd like it to be. Is that even possible in the middle of Texas though? I'll certainly be returning to this place.

**Hanna, I'm expecting foodie blogs from Taiwan!!**

- Thomas :)