Austin Monthly Loves Sorbet Now Thanks to Tasty Spoon

South First gelateria The Tasty Spoon first impresses Austin Monthly critic Kimya Kavehkar with its “sheer size.” The ice cream shop has over 14,000 square feet of outdoor space. She found the frozen concoctions equally impressive. Though she usually prefers creamy treats, she called out the “addictive” passionfruit sorbet:

On first taste of the mouth-puckeringly tart treat, I want to take home a whole pint of it (which you can for $16). I rarely stray from dairy-heavy frozen desserts, but Tasty Spoon’s fresh sorbet flavors, like peach, grapefruit, watermelon, and cantaloupe, are enough to make me a convert.

For the gelato, Kavehkar did mention a wish for more creative flavors (mentioned offerings were honey lavender, coffee, pistachio, and vanilla bean). However, she appreciated the execution of “simple, wholesome flavors” in a “beautiful, relaxed space.”

On the boozy side of things, Austin Monthly’s Moira Muldoon visited the Austin outpost of Los Angeles-based whiskey bar Seven Grand. She enjoyed the performance aspect of the bar’s library of around 440 whiskeys, with bartenders rolling between shelves to fetch bottles.

In terms of the whiskey, Muldoon and her companion both preferred the “smooth” Dalmore 15-year-old whiskey over the “spicier” Balcones True Blue 100. In terms of cocktails, they sampled the Gentleman’s Buck made of bourbon, orange juice, house-made ginger beer, and bitters (a dollar from each of these is donated to charity). Muldoon noted that “the housemade ginger beer tasted fresh and clean without being too spicy, though it’s worth noting that I like some spice.”

As far as the atmosphere, Muldoon left enchanted:

As the clock closed in on midnight on a Friday, I looked around. Some people played pool at one of the three tables. Couples sipped fancy cocktails or neat whiskeys beneath the deer and other animal heads attached to the walls. People sat on the small patio. There was no line for the bathroom. The wallpaper was fancy and expensive. There was energy in the bar and also room to walk and to hear Anina tell me about her recent visits to Scotland and to Texas whiskey distilleries [...]

THE BLOGS — The Austinot appreciates the new “dope Chinese” menu from Old Thousand. ATX Treats and Eats loved the cochinita pibil and fresh offerings at the new Veracruz.

• Restaurant Review: Tasty Spoon [Austin Monthly]
• A Girl Walks Into a Bar: Seven Grand [Austin Monthly]
• All coverage of The Tasty Spoon [EATX]
• All coverage of Seven Grand [EATX]