Lunch Downtown
by the Discriminating Gourmand
My downtown (North Congress Avenue) lunch options are limited. Over by Lavaca and 15th – a short walk across the Capital lawn – you have Texas Chili Parlor and Hog Island. I could live with both and be happy. Philly Cheese Steaks (Hog Island) and Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas (Wednesday Special at TCP) all week. But by me, the options are as follows:
Thai Passion – it’s good and quick. But don’t order the lunch specials, flip the menu over and order off the standard menu. Get the Pad Thai or the Pud Kee Mow with Beef if you like your Kung Pao spicey (Seinfield). It ends up being $2 extra and substantially better.
Athenian Grill – you can only really go here once a week because the portions are just huge. I’ve only ever had the gyro plate at Athenian and I would guess it’s close to 3 lbs. of food. They give you a meatball on the side. What that’s you say? I don’t have to eat everything? Sorry, but that my friend is an impossibility. I, like my father and his father before him, am a proud member of the clean plate club.
Roaring Fork – the big winner. The menu is SOLID. This is one place where I always order something different. From the pork enchiladas, the trout almondine, steak sliders, or famous burger, this place is a winner. Side Note: Roaring Fork used to have incredible French fries, everybody commented on them, but they changed them very recently and they are not nearly as good. Just this week I asked the waiter what was the dealio with the fries – and he said they have moved to slicing them in house to be more unique. Big mistake. I predict they’ll be back to the old ones within the month. It’s like when The Tavern took the spinach artichoke dip off the menu – I literally walked out the door and vowed never to return until said dip did. Now guess what’s back on the menu? 
El Chilito – another big winner. El Chilito has a very unusual salsa, it’s a mole and I’m addicted to it. Seriously, the fridge at work is stocked with little El Chilito to go salsas. For breakfast, get the migas breakfast taco and add ham.
For lunch, I recommend ordering a taco and upgrading to a plate to get the rice and beans. Choose the black beans and mix them in with the rice. The cochinita pibil is VERY good here – which is saying something because that is NOT an easy dish to do well. I also like the tinga de pollo taco and the daily special tacos are always Pork Carnitas and Pork Barbocoa which are both good. I’m sure the rest of the tacos are fine, but I can’t speak for them. I usually eat in at El Chilito, the owner works the counter and is pretty friendly (and his daughter is absolutely beautiful).
Little City – big time hipster hangout. I like to order the Smoked Salmon Crustinis to go, not because I don’t like hipsters, but because I’m busy fool! It’s my fast healthy lunch option. They also have good chewy chocolate brownies.
Mikes Pub – eh. People love to talk this place up. It’s OK. It’s an OK burger. They usually have a game on and it’s empty = a place nice if you want to get a liquid lunch going.
And of course there is a smattering of sandwich and burrito places. None of which standout. I went on a minor Chipotle bender about five months ago and haven’t been back since. That leaves me with Jimmy Johns and Quiznos.
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