How to Eat at Austin 's Five Star Restaurants

Sometimes the occasion is such that a burger or tamales just won't do. If you live in Austin, however, there's no shortage of top-flight restaurants where you can dine like royalty. Here are some of the city's finest establishments.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Judge's Hill Restaurant and 1900 Bar<br>The Mansion at Judge's Hill<br>1900 Rio Grande<br>Austin, TX 78705 <br>[phone]<br>[phone]<br>Located in a 1900 mansion turned boutique hotel, the Judge's Hill Restaurant's menu includes such highlights as petite medallions of beef, parsnip and pear soup, pan-seared sea bass, lobster beignets and rosemary and garlic marinated rack of lamb.

2. Green Pastures<br>811 W Live Oak St<br>Austin, TX 78704<br>[phone]<br>This rambling old Southern house, set in a beautiful garden with live oaks and peacocks, was the childhood home of humorist John Henry Faulk. Today it's one of Austin's most popular venues for weddings, receptions and other special occasions. Its Sunday brunches are legendary. The dinner menu includes a Texas game sampler which includes venison, quail and wild boar, veal stuffed with shrimp and pumpkin seed seared salmon.

3. The Driskill Grill<br>604 Brazos St<br>Austin, TX 78701<br>[phone]<br>Austin's oldest and most historic hotel is also home to one of its finest restaurants. Its dinner menu includes Kona kampachi, duck confit ravioli, brown butter gnocchi and olive oil poached beef tenderloin with chanterelle mushroom-mascarpone risotto.

4. Hudson's On The Bend<br>3509 Ranch Road 620 N<br>Austin, TX 78734<br>[phone]<br>Jeff Blank is Austin's most colorful chef as well as one of its most inventive. His restaurant is way out by Lake Travis, but is well worth the drive. The dinner menu includes espresso-chocolate-chili rubbed smoked elk back strap, American bison stuffed with venison sausage, wild boar three ways (chop, sausage and chorizo taquito) and the ever-popular diamondback rattlesnake cakes.

5. Jeffrey's of Austin<br>1204 W Lynn St<br>Austin, TX 78703<br>[phone]<br>Located in the Clarksville neighborhood, patronized by such figures as Henry Kissinger and under the direction of executive chef Alma Alcocer, Jeffrey's is one of Austin's oldest and most respected restaurants. Its dinner menu includes oysters on yucca root chips, prosciutto-wrapped ahi tuna with mussels and seared sea scallops with butternut squash ravioli.