swift's attic and the yelp elite party at abel's
SWIFT'S ATTIC:
we closed austin restaurant week with a meal at swift's attic. the table we were most looking forward to was swift's attic. we made the extra effort to go, went on a tuesday.
unfortunately...
my side of the table was dark. real dark. the menu is in this cute (small) font that I could not read without using my iphone as flashlight. I was ok with that, but the salad... I shouldn't have to hold my iphone to my salad to eat it. (pic above is taken at ISO 6400). kat had better lighting on her side of the table, from the skylight behind her.
neighboring tables were so close, we had a difficult time speaking over their conversations. this proximity was achieved by using tiny tables that complicated the "small plates" format of swift's attic.
most of the food was good. but the location of our table detracted from the enjoyment of the evening. (duck wings above are illuminated via iphone).
my favorite plate was the fried oysters (seen above using iphone flashlight as light source), those were something special. ARW has restaruants make a prix fixe, it usually takes the stress of how much a meal will cost and usually (as most often a bundled package does) some price advantage. our meal at botticelli's would have cost us $47 if each item was purchased individually, but was $37 prix-fixe for ARW. there was no effort put into the ARW menu at swift's. they simply allowed you to pick three items and when added up, the menu prices came in at around $37. if you didn't do the math, you could end up paying MORE by ordering from the ARW menu than the regular menu, for the exact same thing.
I came home and posted a review of my experience on yelp. somebody didn't like my opinion, started to send me argumentative notes via yelp. I was told I had "no business complaining" and that if I didn't like crowds I should not visit popular restaurants or dine during ARW, and I should only eat out monday- wednesday. this argument did not sway my opinion, it only cemented the fact that I won't return to swift's attic. in the end, I'd given swift's a 4 star review and a 2 star (three star average). you can go if you like, order the oysters and you will be rewarded. but avoid sitting along that back wall unless you bring a flashlight and don't mind missing out on dinner conversation.
ABEL'S ON THE LAKE, YELP ELITE PARTY:
we live just up the road from Abel's on the lake, but this was our first visit. they have a great view of lake austin and perfect location to take in the setting sun.
and the oyster buffet was greatly appreciated.
kat loaded her oyster up with horseradish and loved it! and her yelp swag sunglasses were also appreciated.
the adelbert's brewery naked nun mixes well with..... uh, us!
I like how the girl behind me (right side) is curling her lip in disgust or shock.... I often inspire both.
we were promised some sort of "show" on the lake, and we got one!
dude riding a water powered rocket device... available for rental if you want to try it yourself.