Restaurant Review: Texas French Bread

By Spike Gillespie

May 04, 2010 at 11:00 AM

A key element of this blog is to let y’all know some of Austin’s Best Kept Secrets. Allow me to add another one to the list: dinner at Texas French Bread, Tuesday through Saturday evenings.

After friends in-the-know about Austin’s local food scene told me that TFB serves up a weekly menu designed around seasonal ingredients culled from local farmers, I figured the place would be packed. But when I stopped by on a recent Wednesday night, co-owner Murph Wilcott explained that a lot of folks looking for fine dining head for trendier districts than the UT campus area. If only they knew about TFB’s big parking lot out back (no need to drive around the block looking for a space) and amazing bistro feel, I’m thinking this town full of hardcore foodies would start lining up around the block for a chance to score a seat.

Our waiter Ben knew the menu inside and out and took time to educate us. I found out that on Tuesdays, TFB hosts a regular Tango night, MC’d by musical genius Glover Gill. And you’re welcome to BYOB — most folks in on the TFB secret show up toting a bottle of their favorite wine. By the end of the evening, I felt like I’d dined at an intimate dinner party cooked and served by friends.

On the Menu

Chef

Murph Wilcott

Back in 1981, Murph’s parents opened Texas French Bread — expanding the business to 11 locations at its height. Murph and his brother Ben took over a few years back, and these days, they focus their culinary efforts on just one location. Usually Ben wears the chef’s cap in the evenings, but the night we stopped in, Murph was at the stove. A wonderful cook, a compelling storyteller, and a man of many opinions, Murph and I chatted about the power of local food, local businesses, and watching his family’s company morph over the years. I continued the conversation, in a manner of speaking, by checking out the history of TFB which he wrote for the restaurant’s website.

Appetizer

Ciabatta

Ben started us off with a basket of ciabatta bread. Perfectly crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, the ciabatta was just as good as you’d expect from a restaurant with “Bread” in its name. TFB serves it with olive oil, one of the few ingredients (along with parmesan) the restaurant imports. Just about everything else comes from nearby, with sources named on the menu.

Appetizer

Salade Lyonnaise

The “French” in Texas French Bread came into play during the salad course. I can think of few better ways to eat my greens than Salad Lyonnaise, served with a poached egg on top. In this case, those greens grew at nearby Boggy Creek Farm, a place I sometimes go to buy my vegetables. I really dug eating something grown by farmers I personally know, folks who live just down the road from my house.

Appetizer/Entrée

Tortelli with Halibut, Potato & Marjoram

The dinner menu does not distinguish appetizers from entrees, which I appreciate. Honestly, the “smaller” items — two salad offerings and this Tortelli dish — could easily serve as a meal, especially if you wanted to save room for dessert. Our party of three decided to split the Tortelli as an appetizer, and, likewise, make our other menu choices with an eye toward passing our dishes around. After one bite of the Tortelli’s intriguingly delicious blend of flavors, we each wished we could keep the whole plate to ourselves. But somehow, we remained polite and managed to share.

Entrée

Pappardelle with Baby Arugula and Fresh Thyme

Hands down, this was my favorite dish on the savory side of the menu — a terrific combination of plenty of garlic, a hint of white wine, and cheese with a little bite to it. TFB makes the Pappardelle pasta (and the aforementioned Tortelli) from scratch, and as the menu gently informs, this insistence on handmade everything lends itself to a more leisurely dining experience. Dinner at the restaurant reminded me of dinners in France — you sit back, take your time, and really savor the meal.

Appetizer

Frites & Aioli

We ordered up the Frites — French fries if you will — in the interest of offering a full review. Honestly, all the other dishes were plenty enough to fill us, but, come on, who can resist fried potatoes with a side of seasoned mayo? I loved how perfectly these were cooked — super crispy.

Entrée

Pork Milanese with Market Salad

The pork mostly defied description. That’s because my boyfriend’s mouth was too full for him to stop and offer commentary. However, his happy sighs and the gusto with which he polished off the meal spoke volumes.

Dessert

Butterscotch Budino

Perusing the sweets on offer, I was leaning toward the Crème Brulee with Berries when Ben suggested, gently but strongly, that we order the Butterscotch Burdino. So pleased with his service and recommendations, I happily took his lead. This final stroke of genius — a combination of fresh whipped cream and caramel layered on a sort of butterscotch mousse/pudding with a contrasting note of sea salt — elevated our waiter to godlike status. When asked what I thought of the dish, I literally bounced up and down in my chair with childlike glee.