Since it’s still Austin Restaurant Weeks, I wanted to spend this time to check out some new local restaurants all in the name of charity. 

My first stop in the Austin Restaurant Weeks conquest was The Hightower on the east side of Austin. I have passed by this place several times and heard many good things about the place but I’ve never tried it.

I have tried to get into Hightower in the past but the wait has always seemed to be around an hour. The night I came to visit, I was more prepared and booked a reservation online before visiting.

When we got there, the restaurant was about half full but very, very loud and hot. 

We sat down and were met by a friendly waitress. They had the Restaurant Weeks menu out, which my fiancé and I ordered from.

Restaurant Weeks Menu - Dinner for $35:

First Course:
Corn Bread - smoked honey butter and salt [$5]

Second Course:
Brussel Sprouts - peanut butter, golden raisins, sambal, lemon [$8.5]
or
Grilled Cabbage - Kale, smoked pepitas, beet crema, preserved lemon vinaigrette [$8.5]

Third Course:
Gnocchi - pozole verde, hominy, greens, crema [$14.5]
or
Shrimp Fried Rice - grilled pork belly, egg, tomatillo [$17]
or
Roasted Pork Jowl - rice, avocado, cucumber, pickled shallots, hot sauce, egg yolk [$16]

Fourth Course:
Pot de creme - Chocolate, guajillo, strawberries [$6]
or
Cherry Cobbler - vanilla bean ice cream, cornmeal crumble [$6]

First, I ordered a drink, the Oaxaca Shame which was mezcal, preserved strawberries, and lemon. It seemed like the restaurant had a lot of Mexican influence so I figured going for a mezcal based cocktail was the way to go. The drink was tasty, very strong in flavor, with an aftertaste that reminded me of the smell of GoJo, the soap. BUT, nevertheless, the drink went well with my meal and it wasn’t just some other pompous, sweet, cocktail.

For dinner, I ordered the Corn Bread, Brussel Sprouts, Gnocchi, and Cherry Cobbler from the Restaurant Weeks menu.

The salted, sweet, and smoked butter paired really well with the cornbread, the brussel sprouts were covered with a delicious sauce and burned just a small amount to bring out the flavors which made them perfect.

The gnocchi reminded me a lot of an enchilada dish with the pozole verde, hominy, and crema, it was so tasty.

Lastly, the cherry cobbler was nothing impressive, the ice cream came 90% melted because the cobbler was scorching hot, so by the time I could eat it, the ice cream was soup. 

My fiancé also purchased one of the prix fixe meals and he ordered the cabbage, shrimp fried rice, and pot de creme instead. 
The cabbage course was very colorful, earthy, and tasted like it was missing something.
The shrimp fried rice had only two bland shrimp in it but the rice itself was incredible, which I think was due to the tomatillos in it.
And lastly, the pot de creme did not look too appetizing but was a somewhat spicy, strawberry, chocolate pudding. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal. The kitchen produces beautiful, delicious and high quality meals. However, the prices were high and the restaurant was very loud and hot on the inside.

I would say that I have enjoyed to try new restaurants in town, but after comparing what you pay for these prix fixe meals versus what you would pay normally, some of them don’t seem to be much of a special deal pricing.

Normally, my fiance and I would probably have shared that cornbread, brussel sprouts (appetizer), and dessert, which would have been less expensive than two prix fixe meals.

But, I absolutely encourage everyone to support their local charities and food banks, so I appreciate seeing that this is in support of the Central Texas Food Bank!

However, I would say to still go experience these incredible, local restaurants but maybe compare prices but don’t get fooled by the Prixe Fixe menus, buy their drinks that they claim they’re donating a portion of but then I’d say to send off a personal donation to the CTFB to help with our local hunger issue.

You can donate HERE! Or even better, go VOLUNTEER!

Cheers!

The Hightower
1209 E 7th Street
Austin, TX 78702

Hours:

Sunday
11AM–2:30PM

Monday
Closed

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10PM

Friday
11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM

Saturday
11AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM