The Good Knight

This restaurant I believe has been around for a couple of years but it sits in the heart of the much-advertised East Austin revival. This place was recommended to us by our friend James who knows East Austin well, so we decided to give it a shot.

It wasn't the easiest place to find, especially in the dark, but oh my, what a pleasant surprise it was when we did. It's hard to really say what's better about the Good Knight, the food or the drinks. Luckily they don't make you choose just one.

The food is not only delicious but very reasonably priced. You will eat well here. The chicken pot pie was so light and puffy, it looked more like a savory cupcake and tasted just as rich. The flatbread was probably our favorite and is definitely worth a try. The Good Knight also features many vegetarian options, and even meat eaters will enjoy the cheese and nut loaf. We've heard the veggie side of the day is usually a home run, and this was definitely the case when we went: the creme-drizzled portobello mushroom cap was fresh and delectable.

Not to be outdone, however, were the drinks. The mixologists at the Good Knight have some of the best hand-made libations that I've had in recent memory. It's a little TOO easy to get caught up in the drink menu. The self-titled Good Knight features whiskey, lemon liqueur, and bitters, and will definitely put some hair on your chest. Also tasty were the Bee's Knees (gin, honey, lemon) and the June Rose (grapes, gin, basil). Be warned, however! We got a little too enthusiastic trying to try all the drinks, and ended up racking up quite a drink bill.

If there were any downsides to the Good Knight, the service could have been way more attentive, and it was almost impossible to see anything inside!

But whether for a date-night or a place to kick-start a group night in East Austin (or heck, even as a place to end the night; it's open til 2am 7 days a week!) you can't go wrong with the Good Knight.

The Good Knight

1300 East 6th Street

Casa Colombia

Hey folks. Been a while, but we're back with a pretty good one. In addition to good cheap sushi, another thing that Han and I have really been missing here is really good authentic Latin American food like they have in Houston.

Casa Columbiana came on recommendation from Kiara, one of Han's classmates. According to her, it's basically a throwback to the original Dona Emilia's, a local favorite. Legend has it that Dona Emilia's rose to popularity in its original East Austin location before corporate sponsors partnered with Emilia to move the restaurant to the upscale location downtown. As time went by, Emilia either tired of the upscale restaurant lifestyle or clashed with the new owners, and broke off their business relationship. The new owners kept the name and Emilia re-opened Casa Columbiana in the original location.

The food itself is as good as you would imagine it. For appetizers we ordered the aborrejado (fried plantain with mozzarella) and the fried yucca. The fried yucca is an absolute must-have. In fact, it's pretty much worth making the trip just for that. The lunch specials are moderately priced, and are smaller-sized portions of their top-selling dishes. The Pabellon (or has Han calls, "Pantalones") is a delicious Venezuelan combo of shredded pork, black beans, white rice, and plantains [pictured left]. Han ordered the equally delicious daily special, the Pollo Guisado: a chicken quarter stewed and covered in yellow sauce [pictured right].

Also worth trying are the selection of fresh squeezed tropical juices that the restaurant offers. The lulo and the guanabana were both pretty good.

All-in-all this restaurant is a pretty complete package. Award-winning food, quaint but clean atmosphere, kind service, and great prices. A definite high recommendation.

Casa Colombia
1614 E 7th St
www.casa-colombia.com