Jason's Deli on Red River

Albert N. wrote:
> >   Better than Chango's?  Well - I will have to try it for myself
> > before I believe that.  But, if it is anywhere bear as good, then I am
> > sure I will be kicking myself for not being brave and trying it
> > sooner.
>
> Just try 'em.  I'll be curious to know your opinion.  Oh, and you don't
> have to dress up to go there.  ;-)

  Darn - why aren't there any high end burrito shops in Austin?  I am
tired of these slacker restaurants.  I mean, I realize that in a slacker town like Austin, we will never be able to have nice place that requires its patrons to wear a tie.  But come on - can't we at least have a burrito place that would at least require their patrons to not show up in shorts?   :)

  Ok, on the comparison to Chango's, I went to Freebirds today for
lunch.  Was it as good as Chango's?  Not even close.  On the Austin burrito/wrap meter, I would put it far ahead of something like Austin Wraps and More in Dobie Mall and far behind Chango's.  My initial impression ranks it right around La Salsa.  My impression of Freebirds comes from 2 things - the atmosphere and food.

  Personally, I did not enjoy the atmosphere of Freebird's.  They
pretty much have gone after the yuppie "Hey - I heard about this cool new place" crowd.  Upon stepping in the door, the first thing I noticed was that the place was crowded, mostly with noisy young professional types trying to squeeze in some food in a trendy location before rushing back to work.

  It is really an in-and-out kind of place.  Despite the long line,
ordering was pretty quick.  The music was loud the tables and chairs just uncomfortable enough to make you not want to stick around any longer than is necessary.  It is not the place that I could really feel comfortable reading or getting a little bit of work done in.  The noise would make a conversation with friends difficult too.

  I think this impression is mostly due to me making the mistake of
coming at lunch time.  I suspect it might even be semi-pleasant in the evening.  But - definately avoid this place for lunch, at least until the newness wears off and the crowds die down.

  Oh - and how can I pass up a comment on a flying motorcycle with
whose rider is happily waving a burrito at the customers.  I suppose that was supposed to tie in with the theme of the place, but I thought it was rather cheesy.  I can't criticize too much - because it is obvious they were trying to come up with something interesting.  But, I didn't really go for it.

  All in all - I give it a low C for atmosphere.

  Fortunately, the food left a better impression.  The burritos there
are pretty much what I would call a wrap.  Lots and lots of different ingredients, but I found they did not fit together well.  Maybe this was my fault, since I picked the ingredients.  Also, the ingredients did not get evenly distributed throught the burrito. (perhaps because of the rush) Some bites were mostly beans, some were mostly rice, etc...

  I did find the sauce good and the tortilla was reasonably fresh.
The beans were a little disappointing, but most of the ingredients tasted fine.  It was definately tasty, but I do not think it could stand up to a chango's burrito.  In terms of taste, I would put it a little below La Salsa in terms of taste, but overall maybe a bit higher because it is bigger and because you have a few more options (and for a better price) than La Salsa.

  All in all, the food gets a B.

  Summary - it was good, but I was not terribly impressed. I do think
it deserves a second chance.  Coming at a less busy time would probably result in a more enjoyable atmosphere and less rushed food. Maybe next week.

___________________________________________________________________________ [email removed]                                           soli deo gloria

NNTP-Posting-Date: 10 May 1999 14:54:59 GMT
Xref: pale-rider.INS.CWRU.Edu austin.food:4673

Norman R. wrote:
>  Ok, on the comparison to Chango's, I went to Freebirds today for
>lunch.  Was it as good as Chango's?  Not even close.

I'll offer a differing opinion - I didn't think Chango's even came close to Freebirds.  A couple of my coworkers share my opinion, but there's at least as many who prefer Chango's.  I've only been to Chango's once, and it just didn't do it for me.

My Aggie co-workers dragged me to Freebirds, all ranting and raving about the place, and I wasn't disappointed.

>  Personally, I did not enjoy the atmosphere of Freebird's.  They
>pretty much have gone after the yuppie "Hey - I heard about this cool
>new place" crowd.  Upon stepping in the door, the first thing I
>noticed was that the place was crowded, mostly with noisy young
>professional types trying to squeeze in some food in a trendy location
>before rushing back to work.

Well, I go there at lunch to try to squeeze in some food before rushing back to work, but I couldn't care less about the atmosphere. I've never really cared what the restaraunt is like, more just if I like the food (the exception is going out for fine dining, but I won't bring that in to a discussion of Freebirds/Chango's.).

>  It is really an in-and-out kind of place.  Despite the long line,
>ordering was pretty quick.  The music was loud the tables and chairs
>just uncomfortable enough to make you not want to stick around any
>longer than is necessary.  It is not the place that I could really
>feel comfortable reading or getting a little bit of work done in.  The
>noise would make a conversation with friends difficult too.

Agreed - last time my friends and I went, the line was stretched to the door.  Total wait time from getting in line to paying?  Ten minutes.  No complaints there.  I've never tried reading or working there, but I'm sure Norm's right - that'd be tough.

>  I think this impression is mostly due to me making the mistake of
>coming at lunch time.  I suspect it might even be semi-pleasant in the
>evening.  But - definately avoid this place for lunch, at least until
>the newness wears off and the crowds die down.

I've heard it's like that all the time, but the only time I'm in the area is at lunch, so that's the only time I've even considered eating there.

>  Summary - it was good, but I was not terribly impressed. I do think
>it deserves a second chance.  Coming at a less busy time would
>probably result in a more enjoyable atmosphere and less rushed food.
>Maybe next week.

I'd agree, but maybe with a bit more enthusiasm.  I'm very happy going back weekly or biweekly, as the food is much better than my normal lunch fare, and I know I'll have leftovers for dinner.

-dave