The Chronicle Praises South Indian Buffets, 'Craft Dives'

In a slow week for Austin reviews, Mick Vann at The Chronicle takes a look a several-year-old South Indian restaurant Daawat Indian Cuisine. The buffet is where it's at:

The buffet lineup featured 20 items for $10.99. Favorites included a deeply flavorful, dark and spicy Chettinad-style goat curry; a melt-in-your-mouth Mughlai malai chicken curry with yogurt, cream, and saffron; an Andhra masala-based natu kodi curry with chicken, poppy seeds, and Guntur chile; a "chicken wing masala" coated with red chile paste, curry leaf, and other goodies; and an intriguing warm Keralan banana payasam dessert with milk, cardamom, cashews, and coconut.

Drinks writer Gracie Salem writes up 'craft dive' Firehouse Lounge, which has been open since 2012. The piece is listed as a review on The Chronicle's site, though it reads like a profile. On how they manage the balance between craft cocktails and their hostel location:

Like any hotel bar, the lounge has a built-in clientele with 70 beds upstairs filled with international travelers. Still, the bar tosses a far wider net and prides itself on a diverse clientele, low pretension, and hospitality. Intent on staying in step with its core clientele – most of whom are traveling on a shoestring budget – the lounge offers creative drinks for under $11 and small, rustic plates mostly under $10.

THE BLOGS: Foodie is The New Forty has a first look at new farmer's market stall mum foods, and Burger Mary recommends Kerlin BBQ for line-free smokey meats.
· Second to Naan [Chronicle]
· Behind The Case [Chronicle]
· All Week in Reviews [EATX]
[Photo: Andrew C./Yelp]