October 8, 2017

Paul Martin’s Austin Grill – Austin, TX

Review of Paul Martin’s Austin Grill – I anxiously but carefully awaited the opening of Paul Martin’s Austin Domain location because the other restaurant that had “American Grill” in the name was an utter disappointment.

It was actually a great thing that the Austin location was renamed from the “American Grill” to “Austin Grill,” just prior to opening – maybe they got the memo… Honestly, if it were named Paul Martin’s American Grill, I probably would not have tried it out for a long, long time.

Still a bit skeptical, we stopped in for a light snack consisting of cocktails and the Butcher Board. The drinks were well made, and we thoroughly enjoyed the butcher board. Upon recommendation from our server, we ordered the Apple Crisp with Pecan topping (an ode to Texas per the server’s description) – WOW – very tasty! I might have to get that every time I come here! After this introductory visit, we decided that we would return for a full dinner later in the week.

Our second visit, we had the Braised Short Ribs and Prime Strip. The short ribs were a bit over seasoned for our taste, but it was melt-in-your-mouth and delicious. The steak was cooked to perfect temp (Medium-Rare). We, of course, completed our meal with another Apple Crisp.

Our Third visit was part of an event, and we had drinks with a slew of Happy Hour menu items served out of catering trays. This is where we discovered the amazing Happy Hour menu! Dare I say that I think the HH menu is better than the dinner menu? We had a variety of items, but the Wings, Brisket Tacos, and Prosciutto Crostini were standouts for me. The brisket tacos were better than what you can find at most all but a couple of BBQ joints in Austin. The crostini with chevre and prosciutto was just O.M.G.

Paul Martin’s blows it away in the food category with many items being locally sourced, and a farm to table feel with great care being paid to every dish that comes out of the kitchen.