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.
