Last night we went to Taste of Ethiopia, a strip-mall restaurant that has delicious food and is owned by the nicest woman in the world. It's in Pflugerville, but it's worth the drive, and besides, we are spoiled here in relatively compact Austin and tend to consider a 20-minute drive across town on par with a perilous journey to the outskirts of darkest Siberia. I'm trying to get over that myself, but it's hard. Anyway, a bunch of us risked almost certain death to make the trek, and we were glad. We got family-style vegetable platters, plus a few people got meat dishes to share and had an all-around dandy time.
I may have mentioned this before, but women who run their own restaurants adore Eric. I think it's because he orders on the adventuresome side, his eyes visibly shine when he really, really likes what he's eating, and he often opts for dessert and blushes a little when he asks for it. He got an extra piece of baklava last night because the lady thought a treat might be good for his wrist. "Sweet helps," she told him, very seriously. She was genuinely, effortlessly awesome, and she makes some really good food. Go there and see for yourself.
Tonight I got off work a little early, so Eric and I had an impromptu date night and checked out House Pizzeria, a new place at 52nd and Airport. It used to be a Kentucky Fried Chicken when I lived down the street, and later it was some short-lived wings place, but I think the building has finally found its calling. They remodeled and landscaped so it's very pleasant and comfortable inside and out--we ate on the screened-in porch--and the pizzas are thin and wood fired with good sauce. The menu is totally basic, just two salads and maybe eight different 12-inch pizzas, but the food was solid and the draft beer was fresh. So you should also go there.
While we're on a new-restaurant roll, I also want to try Pad Thai Cuisine in the shopping center at Mueller this week. I hear it's comparable to Titaya, and even if it's not, I'm blown away that we have a restaurant within biking distance that isn't a Jalisco joint or the fast-food-chain hell that is Cameron Road. Northeast Austin is not especially known for its Asian food, or really any kind of food at all, so this is potentially an exciting development. I will, of course, let you know if you should go there too.