Fixe restaurant in downtown Austin: Upscale and down-home — a hopping, somewhat noisy ambiance — like grandma’s back porch has been dressed up and adopted by the coolest city in Texas.
Chef James Robert and co-owner Keith House opened Fixe in 2015, with the concept of transporting guests to home-cooked southern Sunday dinner. Chef Robert, a native of Opelousas, Louisiana, used family recipes as a starting point for his menu, but don’t expect simple Cajun soul food — either in terms of food OR price. The dishes are innovative and often surprising takes on traditional preparations.
My first visit to Fixe was in the fall of 2016 — while I was in town for the Austin City Limits Festival. After a great afternoon of music, my sister and her friend cleaned up and headed to Fixe for co*cktails and dinner — one so memorable I asked to go back.
So here we are back on a warm December night — sisters and friends celebrating the end of 2017.
It’s as good as I remembered.
Happy Hour at Fixe is a good deal — a selection of their hand-crafted co*cktails at $7 instead of the usual $14. Of course, my favorite, the Barrel Aged Manhattan — isn’t offered on the Happy Hour menu 🙁 .
From the Happy Hour selection: Calvin ordered the Beet A-Rita. He rates it as good, but not outstanding — and would go with something else the next time around. Carolyn and Karolina both opted for wine — Fixe regularly features very good ones by the glass.
We ordered the smoked trout from the Happy Hour appetizer menu. After a very light lunch much earlier in the day, we were ready for something to go along with the co*cktails. Smoked trout with buttermilk, trout roe, and fermented leekscrispy, topped with a togarashi-seasoned trout skin — outstanding. The crisp black chips made of Carolina rice and seeds paired well with the mild smoky flavor and creamy texture of the trout, with a few drops of the hot chili sauce to give it a kick.
Once we finished our co*cktails, we moved on to our table.
The central part of the dining room at Fixe is a framed space made to feel like a big wooden porch, with outdoor light strings running back and forth across the ceiling (see above). Seating in this area is a collection of different kinds of comfortable leather chairs and banquettes, and wooden tables are set simply, with no table cloths, in keeping with the casual theme.
There are private rooms along one side of the porch area, and these feel like you’re in the house looking out onto the porch. As you can see from the picture, you might be at Aunt Mildred’s dining room table — but it’s just family, and she hasn’t pulled out the formal linens. Creative design touches include a distressed wall, a collection of trays used as wall art, and a nouveau-industrial chandelier suspended from a formal plaster ceiling medallion.
Our table was near the kitchen, which is open — and watching the activity can be a great part of your dining experience at Fixe depending on the location of your table. From my seat, I had a good view.
I loved the design of the kitchen. The low pass tables feel more like a big island in a home kitchen than an industrial space — building on the feeling of being invited to someone’s house for Sunday dinner.
One must-order at Fixe. The BISCUITS — which are perfect, and are always on the list of the best in Austin. Golden brown on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside — could not be better. They are made fresh to order, so put your order in the minute you sit down. The biscuits are served with seasonal preserves and a savory nduja (a spreadable spicy salami), but I think they’re much better with just butter.
Our server was highly competent and knowledgeable of both the menu and the wine list. He was funny but not obtrusive, and it’s obvious that Chef Robert does regular food and wine tastings with his staff so that all of them know what is coming out of the kitchen — almost as well as the line cooks and the chef.
We ordered the beef tartare as a starter for the table. This was wonderful, and unlike the tartare I’ve eaten anywhere else. The quality of beef is outstanding, and we cut the oysters into smaller pieces so that we could all make bites that combined all of the ingredients. The beef, accompanied by the acidity of the gooseberries, and a little texture variation from the crisp oyster — all wrapped in a tender cornmeal pancake — so good!
Grits play a major role on the menu, served three different ways: Herbivore (kale, farm egg, garlic, romesco, and salsa verde); Carnivore (Texas quail, pickled pears, pecan granola, and BBQconsommé); and finally, Pescavore (Texas shrimp, freeze-dried corn, shrimp butter, bottarga).
However, as a girl who grew up eating too many grits in Mississippi (I nearly turned into a grit) they aren’t my favorite thing — so I rarely order them. If you are a grit connoisseur, you should try them here: they are supposed to be very good at Fixe.
On this evening, our main dish selections were the duck breast, the braised Duroc pork shoulder, the blackened red snapper, and as a side, we chose the charred broccoli. All of the main dishes were outstanding.
What was the best dish of the evening? Impossible for me to say.
My braised pork was wonderful, and I would order it again. Incredibly tender and flavorful, with a slight counterpoint of bitterness from the mustard greens. The potlikker beans? Cooked in the pot liquor of the pork — well, let’s just say they are well-named, in both senses of the word.
After tasting Karolina’s blackened red snapper, the poaching liquid was so good, we all wanted to drink it out of the bowl 🙂 . Carolyn loved her duck breast, so the entrees were a big hit all the way around.
The one thing I wouldn’t order again: the charred broccoli with blue cheese. This was a table consensus. Two members of our party actively disliked it . . . and while I love blue cheese, I wasn’t a big fan either. I felt like the strong flavors detracted from my braised pork, and we left most of this either on our plates or in the serving bowl.
The dessert? We were all SO full we almost passed it up, but ended up ordering one for the table to share. We chose the brioche donut with a creamy vanilla bean custard-ice cream.So glad we did — it was outstanding — one of those desserts that tastes as good as it looks.
Practical Information
How much? Menu prices at Fixe in January 2018:
- Most of the appetizers range from $8 to $12, but there are two more expensive choices: the ahi tuna and the beef tartare at $18 to $19.
- Most of the entrees range from $21 to $30; the higher priced menu items are the dry-aged ribeye at $48, and the expensive dish, a massive 32 ounce tomahawk ribeye at $85.
- Sides run from $8 to $18.
- Desserts are from $8 to $10.
Could a vegetarian or vegan eat here? This is a very meat-and-fish-centric restaurant; however, a vegetarian would be able to create a good meal from the sides and a few of the starter options. I would not bring my vegan friends here.
Find current menu options, prices, and Happy Hour menus for Fixe here.
Location and parking: See map below, and valet parking at the front door solves the parking question.
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3445.8872044823333!2d-97.75073778503632!3d30.268794881801384!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8644b50eb631c4cd%3A0xdd01a7ff9e5f3595!2sFixe!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1515849948449&w=600&h=450]
| Like it? Pin it! 🙂 | |
|---|---|
 | |
