I would like any input on the best reastaurents in Austin, Tx

My recommendations for excellent restaurants in Austin are as follows (no particular order): Jeffrey's (continental gourmet, very classy and refined), Fonda San Miguel (interior Mexican food, beautiful setting), Sullivan's (great steakhouse downtown), The Belgian Restaurant (country-French), Castle Hill, and Zoots. Hope this helps! None of these restaurants is cheap, but if you're lucky, you get what you pay for. They all have very good service and atmosphere. Trust me!

It's been thirteen years since we left Austin but we still remember the chicken fried steak at the Broken Spoke and the cheeseburgers at Dirty's Kumbak Place (near campus). Don't worry that the latter looks like it should have been closed by the Health Department 20 years ago; the food REALLY is good!

There's a barbecue place out on Dripping Springs Road (whose name I forget) that serves the best beef ribs ever. All the locals can direct you, I feel sure.

There are several restaurants that stick out in my mind from my visits to Austin. One is Threadgills, where they have good country cooking. The chicken fried steak there was great, and so were the pies. Another place is Green Mesquite Barbeque. It looks kind of dumpy but it was delicious. I wonder if Al is thinking of Driftwood Barbeque - it's out in the country. It was good too. I would recommend going to the Broken Spoke for the food, music and dancing. It's like an old fashioned dance hall. The Oasis is in a beautiful location - overlooks one of the lakes and people go there to watch the sun set - but the food isn't anything great.

I made a mistake in my earlier post. It's not Driftwood BBQ, it's Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, TX, but it's right outside Austin.

Here are some more excellent restaurants in Austin: "Z'TEJAS", which has two locations - one near sixth st., and the other by the Arboretum. They have an incredible eclectic menu, and last year when Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr. were in town filming "Hope Floats" they went there and ate, more than once. Another good one idea is to go to "SHADY GROVE" on a nice day and sit outside. They have amazing cheesefries and Margaritas! For Mexican, I suggest "EL ARROYA'S" . (Also a favorite of the locals, and the above-mentioned stars).