ANNIES

So, my beloved DVH owed me some major quality time and promised me a nice dinner so, I picked the new Annies on Congress.

If you love France...or the upper West side in New York City just stroll down to 319 Congress Ave and find a mix of both.
Annies, a product of a 20+ year catering business and an underground deli (former Apple Annies), is fantastic.
The ambiance really is just like Pastis in NYC, or a zinc bar in Paris, but with the unmistakable Austin edge.

This brasserie's windows, the lighting, the tables, the deli cases, the awesome bar, and the huge paintings on the walls just captivated me.
Really, all that was missing was Eartha Kitt's C'est Si Bon playing in the background...

Let me first say that the service was great.
You know how you can totally tell when a restaurant has just opened by how many mistakes they make, or missing details there are? Well, none to be found here. Our server was on top of it. We had a great experience.

I had to have the rabbit.

The perfect portion comes on duck egg spätzle, carrots and peas and whole grain mustard jus. The rabbit is covered in the mustard, not too strong, just right. Yes, it sounds so normal, but it's scrumptious.

DVH had the halibut on sweet corn risotto and green tomato relish on top. The green tomatoes were a little too intense (then again I'm not a huge fan of pickles or anything in that family), but mixed with the simple halibut and the sweet and creamy risotto it was so good.

...the halibut didn't stand a chance.

We shared the mac and cheese. It was the perfect amount of creamy, cheesy goodness with just a hint of (what seemed to be anyway) white wine.

We ended our fabulous meal with the frozen pistachio parfait desert, a Mark Schmidt original, with burnt honey and caramel.

Here's what I love about this place, everything is organic and local following their "farm-to-table" philosophy, and that their bar is so friendly. It makes for a great place to meet up with friends before or after downtown.

Yep, late night menu my friends. It seems pretty extensive, and much better than your typical slice of sucky pizza. I'm so intrigued by their Tortilla Española with octopus...hmm...and, of course, all the soulful side dishes like the mac and cheese.

For those of you downtown residents, they will soon deliver their delicious food to your home! Their website is still under construction...so your best bet is to call.
(512) 472-1884