12/28/08

WILD BOAR RIBS ... MORE, MORE, MORE!

by waylandsq

Just can't get enough of those thing, juicy, sticky, succulent. Just the best bar food. Can't just have them as appetizer as you will keep ordering more. Wish they had a dinner size of it. The specials are good too, but the Ribeye could be better. Also you WILL smell like mesquite when you walk out of there!!

• Pros: Wild Boar ribs!
• Cons: Beef ribs & Ribeye leave a lot to be desired

09/09/08

HORRIBLE experience

by gusslesprouts

First of all, yes, we did not have reservations, but it was Tuesday night and there were 2 people total. The wait was over an hour and that was awesome considering there is absolutely NO WAITING AREA. We had to literally stand in front of the crowded host stand for an hour while we watched dirty tables sit for way too long. By the way, the hostess was extremely unpleasant and ignored my boyfriend when he first asked her a question. The open kitchen would have been cool if the line cooks weren't so repulsive. I saw a lady preparing food literally stuff her face with meat--I'm talking fingers inside the mouth and no gloves. She didn't wash her hands after. I saw another cook rub his hands through his hair and play with his beard MULTIPLE times. Yep, no gloves or hint of hand washing to come. We finally got sat and had some ridiculous looking hipster as our waitress. In her defense though, she was really nice.

All of that wouldn't have ticked me off if the food had been delicious. We ordered the deviled eggs and I'm not exaggerating-- I have french's mustard and garlic powder in my kitchen and I could have made WAY better. They were horrible! Then we ordered the $15 brisket to split between us and wow, that was a mistake considering it came with FOUR TINY PIECES of mediocre meat. It was fatty and seriously was just not good. We also ordered the macaroni which from afar looked promising, however it is SO THICK that you literally cannot swallow it. It was horrible. The whole experience was really disappointing. The "fanciness" doesn't equate to the horrible service and food. I would rather eat at the run down hole in the wall next to my house than ever go to this place again.

• Pros: none
• Cons: everything

08/30/08

Fantastic

by branv

I would love to comment on the bbq, if I could ever bring myself to order anything but Lambert's drool-inducing Fried Green Tomato Salad. I ordered it on my first trip during lunch with a friend, and actually took my husband back two days later for dinner to order the same thing. Lightly-fried green tomatoes topped with crab, over salad greens and a delicate green goddess dressing, this may very well be the reason God created tomatoes. I tasted my husbands brisket, though we actually found it to be good but not awe-inspiring (harder to take given both the higher price and the availability of top-notch brisket in the area). Their roasted vegetables are, however, in the realm of, "can these really be vegetables" decadent and rich through lovely roasting and caramelization. Another outstanding feature is their fried pies. The pie is cooked so well that you would never believe that it is actually fried (as any chef will tell you an item fried correctly, at the right temp, absorbs very little grease). We enjoyed the apple that night, with I believe a ginger ice cream and caramel drizzle. Refreshing but decadent at the same time. We were lucky enough to try brunch on Saturday (I think they've discontinued this one). I ordered their take on Eggs Benedict, and my long search in Austin for remotely decent EB is over! The problem with Eggs Benedict is balance -- you have to make sure nothing, the sauce, the meat, etc, overwhelms any other part of the dish. This was perfect, every ingredient able to stand both alone and with the others. Finally, I have to give major kudos to Lamberts for their drinks. They are quite steep, but top notch. They do not skimp in both measure and quantity of good liquor, and the mixing ingredients are fresh-made and natural, not bottled and unnaturally-hued mixes. Overall, Lamberts reminds me of the best parts of Austin: original, little kitchzy and unexpected, down-to-earth meets top-notch all the way.

07/14/08

Great food, great service but too pricey for BBQ

by rwschroeder

Went to Lamberts for the first time Saturday. We called for reservations and they said they only had real early or real late, so at 6:30 we were one table of about 4. Anyway, our waitress was very friendly. She checked back often and made sure we were taken care of. The appetizer (wild Boar Ribs) were AWESOME! So were our entrees. Some of the best brisket I have ever had. Very well prepared. Since it wasn't that busy, we also got our food very quickly as well.

I expect a meal to be a little pricey when it is ala carte, but I think the sides were a little over priced. The drinks were overpriced as well. $6 for a pint of Amstel Lite?!? This is not New York people. The drinks and sides were the most overpriced things of our meal and neither had the prices listed on the menu! I wouldn't mind paying $6 for a draft beer if I at least knew the price upfront. Also, if you want to charge that kind of money then at least have a dress code. My girlfriend and I were dressed up for our night out but we were surrounded by people in shorts and flip flops. I know it's "Austin" but if I want to go to a nice place for a night out and pay those prices I don't want to feel like I'm in an icehouse. I know they are trying for an "upscale BBQ" thing, but make up your mind. If you want it casual, then lower the prices. If you want upscale then make it that way.

Overall, I can't complain about the food or service. As I said, I thought they were both excellent. I do think they need to put all prices on the menu. I had a little "sticker shock" when I received my tab. Also, if they really want to be upscale then at least don't allow shorts and flip flops.

• Pros: Great food and the wait staff was on top of things.
• Cons: Too pricey for a place that casual. Need to list the prices of everything on the menu.

05/03/08

Disappointing BBQ/Steaks

by james01

This place could really do better---great atmoshere, location, and service.....but sorry to report, well below average food. We were a party of 4. 3 of us tried the ribeye....fyi--the bone in @ $40 was barely warm and very greasy, and not seasoned very well---not fresh and juicy. The $30 non-bone in was seasoned much better and was tastier. My wife tried the brisket for $12---not bad, but you will still be hungry after this serving. Mac n cheese was very good.....the main courses just weren't good enough to warrant the prices. We don't mind $30-40 steaks, but Lambert's steaks are not good enough to command $40....I can think of about 12 other steak houses in the area that serve better steaks....and same for BBQ. To summarize: great place to have a beer and a snack.....then my suggestion would be to walk to dinner at the other establishments in the area. The main entrees here were forgettable. Sorry

• Pros: atmoshere, location
• Cons: food quality, taste, price, portions

03/07/08

terrible customer service

by azooey

I went to Lamberts to hear a band play upstairs. My friend and i were sitting at a table and for the entire 2 hours that I was there, no wait staff came over to take my order! In fact, they served the tables on either side of us, but totally ignored us! I was parched by the time I left, but then again, I had money to buy the band's CD. I was not impressed.

02/10/08

Best BBQ of our Trip

by LovetoTravel1106

This restaurant rocks. They perfectly take traditional bbq and add a New York style twist. From a delicious jicama coleslaw to a creamy three cheese mac n cheese with a crisp layer of cheddar on top the sides were amazing. Creamy black beans topped with cojita cheese were also delicious. Our appetizer of crispy wild boar ribs in a tangy hot sauce with maytag bleu cheese dressing was a perfect alternative to chicken wings. Lunch plates are the way to go here. Being our first visit it allowed us to try almost all the meats they offer. The brisket was the most tender and flavorful of all the meat we sampled on our trip. St louis style rib with a coriander and brown sugar glaze was simply heavenly. Pulled pork was most and flavorful. And chicken was very moist and delicious. This restaurant brings the classic texas bbq restaurant to the next level with great imaginative spins on meat and sides, very good service and nice decor.

12/01/07

Hoity Toity BBQ Translates Well

by texanka1883

The menu was full of slabs of red meat with words like "oak smoked" and "grilled". Not once did the word "chipotle" show up so I was open minded. We started with the Fried Green Tomatoes served with snazzy leaf they called Mizuna with lump crab meat and Green Goddess dressing?not your maw maw's fried green tomatoes, but damn the were good! We proceeded to the Wild Boar Ribs, a pile of short ribs arranged in the shape of the pyramid at Teotihuacan in a pool of bleu cheese with celery sticks lolling about. Again, awesome! We both decided on the Pesto Rubbed San Angelo Lamb Chops with the habenero mint jelly and steak tomato accompanied by a huge sharing size pile of three cheese macaroni. Again, I have had lamb chops all over town from $25-$50; these at $30 were the best, EVER! Convinced desert was not possible I then proceeded to the Blackberry Cobbler a la mode. Maw maw would have been jealous.

You want to show your Yankee out of town guests that Texans can have class? Run them over to Lambert's. Kick a** BBQ. Pricey, we had four courses a couple of drinks at $130, but well worth it. Call for reservations.

• Pros: Wait Staff: Vanessa was knowledgeable and made great recommendations
• Cons: Host Staff: Clueless; there was one redeeming gentleman

Lou Lambert's continual gifts to the Austin food scene includes homegrown fancy barbecue in the bustling Second Street District. Live music on the weekends.

by Joshua Hinsdale

In Short
House-made is de rigeur for the down-home delicacies with an upscale twist that come out of the open air kitchen at this creative eatery in the historic Schneider building. A business crowd lunches on natural smoked meats and free-range chicken plates or sandwiches with comfy, yet creative sides like jicama and carrot slaw and classic potato salad. Dinner offerings are as swanky as their audience: pesto-rubbed San Angelo lamb chops and wild king salmon.

11/10/07

Dissapointing

by jmo74

The first people you meet in a restaurant can often make or break your experience there. I was underwhelmed and frankly annoyed by the prissy, rude pair of hostesses that were more concerned with flipping their hair around than making me feel welcome. Luckily, our waitress and several of the other waitstaff were consciencious and fun. But this should be about the food, and overall, I found that sorely lacking as well. The charcutierie plate had some interesting elements (i.e. the potted foie gras was delicious and the head cheese had good texture) but it lacked cohesiveness. For the main course, I had the special game hen with pea risotto. The dark meat was under cooked, but the white meat delicious. The risotto had the flavor and texture of pablum with a crunchy undercooked pea surprise in every bite. Everything was underseasoned to an unforgivable degree for a retaurant allegedly of high caliber. My husband had the beeef rib - yes, I mean rib. There was one chewy, underseasoned rib on the plate. The green beans looked and tasted like they had had an unfortunate encounter with a blowtorch and were dripping with oil (not in a good way). We decided to cut our losses at this point and skip the additional dissapointment of a potentially disastrous desert.

This may be the hip new late night place to go if you are fairly drunk and cannot taste your food, but even then, it might be questionable.