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Late Night Bite at Parkside

26 October 2008 124 views View Comments

photobloggingAustin’s late night dining scene has a classy new addition with parkside, a bar/restaurant with upstairs patio location on 6th and San Jacinto.

I’ve been there twice in the past two weeks — once when Monica and I had 20 minutes to grab dinner in between two Austin Film Festival screenings, and last night. Brandon and I went to an amazing Ray LaMontagne concert at the Paramount Theatre and were starving when it ended at 10:30 p.m. We felt like French food so we headed over to Chez Nous but it was already closed. Thankfully parkside was just around the corner.

This newish spot, co-owned by Shawn Cirkiel, former chef of Jean Luc’s, is open until around 2 a.m. Thursday – Saturday and until midnight Sunday – Wednesday. It is not open for lunch. Located on the corner of 6th and San Jacinto, it is a welcome respite from the raucous atmosphere on 6th Street on a weekend night. It’s very popular with foodies and restaurant industry-types.

calamariLast night we enjoyed fried calamari with fresh paprika, bar steak with fries and sauteed scallops with oranges and mushrooms. Everything was tasty. Last week Monica and I split an egg sandwich and beet salad with pistachios. Warm fuzzy to any reader that has tried the marrow bones with herbed salad and can report back in the comments section.meal_004

It would also be fun to just sit at the bar and get drinks and apps. parkside features an extensive oyster menu as well as a raw bar. On Monday’s they offer $4 martinis and on Wednesday you can dig into 1/2 price oysters and sparkling wine.

Their fries are amazing.
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  • Newman
    Chef/owner Shawn Cirkiel has a rare gift for combining flavors and textures. His extensive training and practice elevate his artistry to a level that is unsurpassed by the offerings of any restaurant in this region.
  • monica
    im just reading this now, saree.
    I (monica) MUST say something about the veery nice waitress who was totally okay with feeding us in 20 minutes so we could catch the next flick. :)
    it just wouldn't happen up north.
  • double tonic
    I've only been to parkside once, but I'd been hearing about it for weeks and was so excited to check it out.

    Before our food arrived, I'd already fallen in love with everything from the minimalist decor to the Courier-font menu design that tugs at the hearstrings of this former newspaper gal.

    And then ... our food arrived. I was so disappointed with my gnocchi (six or seven sad little oily balls that I thought tasted like hydrated potato flakes), but the oysters were admittedly good. (I still prefer the price and quality of the oysters on the half shell at Quality Seafood, though I realize the ambiance doesn't compare).

    But it wasn't just my gnocchi. I was with a group of 10 girls, and most of us weren't impressed with what we ordered - the oysters and fries being the common exception. My friend Em nearly burst into tears when she saw four little fried oysters on the $14 fried oyster plate she'd ordered. She thought they'd mistakenly served her a half order. Another friend ordered a salad that was more sparse than the decor (though very pretty).

    I think it's fair these days to expect larger portions with food that tastes good or smaller, more chic portions that taste outstanding. I guess I found the parkside fare to be tiny *and* only passable - a bad combination in these tough economic times ;-)

    I'd probably go back, but I'd stick with the fries and the oyster bar items.
  • Rachel
    I've heard so many great things about Parkside, but have always been turned off from going because of it's location. I hate having to fuss with parking, crazy people, etc. in that neck of the woods. But, it sure looks and sounds delicious....I think I might just have to suck it up and head over there:)
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