CLOSED Threadgill's on Riverside in Austin, TX--Home Cookin' in the Capitol of Texas

King Ranch Chicken Casserole, spinach casserole, and San Antonio squash

Chicken fried steak (gravy on the side), mashed sweet potatoes, and green beans

On a recent trip to Austin I had occasion to go to eat with a friend at the south side location of Threadgill's. They are a long time Austin institution for home-style cooking and live music. I had long heard of it but had never eaten there.

After arriving around 12:45pm, we were seated after a short wait. The server did a decent job for us but looked less than enthusiastic to be at work. He was on top of my drink refills so no complaints that he was not in an extra jolly mood. Overall, the efficient and quick service for those folks that need to get back to work is appreciated.

I ordered the Friday lunch special of King Ranch Chicken, though I was very tempted to just get a veggie plate due to the plethora of options. Particularly items that I haven't had the frequent chance to eat since Sunday dinners as a kid at my grandparent's house. My companion went with the tried and true CFS, which Threadgill's is well-known for serving. A basket of jalapeno cornbread muffins and bread was on the table very quickly. We both chose the cornbread and it was yummy, not dry at all.

My lunch was filling and perfectly fine but not "blow me out of the water" delicious. I tasted my friend's chicken fry and the flavor of the meat came through the rather heavy breading. I admit that I prefer pan frying over deep frying when it comes to CFS due to the fact that the breading/meat ratio tends to be higher on the meat side when pan fried. It was a nice-sized portion without question. She doesn't like cream gravy so I don't know if that would have added to the experience. My friend commented on how much she liked that the sweet potatoes didn't have marshmallow or cinnamon added to them, letting the natural sweetness of the potato shine through. My favorite part of lunch was the San Antonio squash side dish on my plate. The squash still had some firmness to it and wasn't cooked into mush. I enjoyed the green chili flavor and the creamy sauce. The spinach was just fine but in retrospect I should have gone for something else, such as the butter beans or the okra.

Buttermilk pie

For dessert, I could not resist the buttermilk pie which is my absolute favorite pie of all time. The little dabs of whipped cream that were served on top added to the presentation. The pie had a thicker floury texture than other's I've tasted that tend toward a more custard-like filling. It was good pie but not as good as I've ever had in the past. My standards are sky high in this regard due to the superior baking skills of my grandma.

I think the fact that there are probably a fewer number of "comfort" or "Southern" food restaurants in Austin (in comparison to my neck of the woods) or people's nostalgia for the past are what  keep people coming back to Threadgill's. The meal was perfectly fine but the restaurant is not somewhere I would make a special trip to patronize. I do wish I had gotten those butter beans and some extra cornbread though. 

301 West Riverside Dr.
Austin, TX  78704
(512) 472-9304
http://www.threadgills.com/

Mon-Thurs 11a-10p
Fri 11a-10:30p
Sat: 11a-10:30p
Sun: 10a-9:30p
Sunday Breakfast Buffet: 10a-1p

CLOSED Sweets du Jour--Bakery and Breakfast/Lunch Spot

My friend and I decided to try out a newish local bakery because I had heard some buzz about their cinnamon rolls and the sandwiches served on house-made focaccia bread. They have been around for about 3 years but for some odd reason I've never tried them out probably because they close at 3pm. The situation changed yesterday when I had the afternoon off and a burning craving for some fresh focaccia. Yum!

The lunch menu gives you five sandwich choices, one of which is a build-your-own.  The meatball sandwich is only available on Friday. The chicken-berry salad is the one sandwich that comes on a different type of bread--a croissant to be exact. There are 3-4 daily rotating soup choices as well. There is also quiche if any is left over from breakfast, a generous slice is $5.00. The small sandwich is $5.50 and that is indeed what you get...just the sandwich. You can add a cup of soup for an extra $3.50 or a bag of chips for .75 cents. A large sandwich, which is basically two small sandwiches, is $8.50. They also have breakfast sandwiches on croissant in the morning for $3.75, along with various pastries. 

There are about 10 tables in the place. It is decorated in a black & white theme with a touch of red. Very quaint. The picture below is of one of the cases with some sweets. I was greeted promptly but they warn on their website that it may take up to 15 minutes to get your sandwich so this isn't a place to eat if you are in a rush.  They told the truth as it took about 12 minutes to get our food and there were only 4 other people in the place, two of which ordered after we did. They do have an online ordering system if you want to take advantage of it for a meal or for ordering a bakery item.

I requested the salami, provolone and olive-relish sandwich with a cup of the chicken gnocchi soup (they 3 soup choices from leftovers earlier in the week).  My friend had the mozzarella, basil and roasted tomato sandwich and chips. Drink options were coffee, iced tea or water. No sodas. Bummer.

The bread was delicious and the toppings were very good quality if not overly generous. My soup was well worth the price. Very flavorful. My friend enjoyed her sandwich as well. All in all, not a place to go if you have a big appetite but enjoyable for a light lunch. Just remember it isn't $5 foot long subs here but a gourmet bakery.

I bought some peanut butter toffee cookies (.76 cents each) for dessert and they were delicious, just a tad too salty.  I plan to return and try some quiche, a spinach artichoke dip sandwich or order a cake/pie.

Sweets du Jour
726 S Leggett Dr. (SW corner of Leggett and S.7th)
Abilene, TX  79605
(325)793-0382

Hours
10:30 a – 3:00 p Tuesday-Friday
9:00 a – 2:00 p Saturday
Closed Sunday & Monday

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sweetsdujour