Saturday, October 21, 2017

Fixe

Every October, my college roomies and I get together for a weekend.  Often, we end up in Austin so we can go to a UT game.  Going to Austin always means great food and this time was no different.  Rainey Street and Trudy’s are both at the top of the list for a weekend visit to Austin.  Before we went our separate ways on Sunday, we ended our time together with brunch from Fixe

Upon being seated, we were told about the must-have, Fixe Biscuits.  The recipe is from the chef’s grandmother and the biscuits are made to order.  They are huge, light and flaky.  In other words, perfect!  They’re served with a whipped butter and your choice of apple butter (yum!) and boudin gravy (yummier!).  Really, you must order these as soon as you sit down.  The deviled eggs are also worth ordering.  Very full of flavor, although some may say a bit on the mustardy side.  They’re served with fermented cabbage, smoked trout roe, grated ham.  Trust me, just do it.  Next time I hope to try the sweet tea pickles . . .

         

Most of us ordered the Anson Mills Antebellum Grits Pescavore.  Served with four perfectly cooked Texas shrimp (no tails), it’s complimented with freeze-dried corn, shrimp butter, and bottarga.  I didn’t know what bottarga was either so I had to look it up.  According to Wikipedia, it’s a delicacy of salted, cured fish roe, typically of the grey mullet or the bluefin tuna.  I’m not sure if it was the bottarga or the shrimp butter, or the combination of both, but this was probably the richest shrimp & grits I’ve ever had.  I don’t want to know how much butter was in this dish.  It had to have been a crazy amount, but man, it was delish!!!  Fixe also offers a Herbivore grits served with kale and a Carnivore grits served with quail.  According to someone in the group, the herbivore grits was just as rich and tasty.

   

One of the other dishes ordered was the Soft Boiled Egg Benedict.  It’s a really different take on eggs benedict; an interesting combination of crispy sopes, refried red beans, mushrooms, and candied garlic. The refried beans were great, but the rubbery consistency of the mushrooms left a lot to be desired.  While everything worked together, it wasn’t amazing like the shrimp & grits.


The portions are small and the prices are a bit high, but not too out of control.  You are paying for location and atmosphere.  The service was excellent.  I don’t know if I would make it a regular on my brunch stop, but it is definitely delicious and a place to check out next time you need Sunday brunch in Austin.  It’s also a good option when you have a special occasion that calls for a southern brunch.