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Austin’s Mirabelle Restaurant
Picadillo Empañadas, served with a Guajillo sour-cream cilantro dipping sauce, are always a crowd favorite. The Blackened Gulf Shrimp with Gorgonzola Cream is a delicious dish that combines Cajun-spiced shrimp with roasted pecans, green onions, a bock beer glaze, and the Gorgonzola cream sauce that is a perfect compliment. Cheese lovers simply must try the Fried Brie with Seasonal Chutney. A generous breaded wedge of the most amazing cheese on Earth is usually served with an apple-ginger chutney and slices of French bread. The combination of the brie and the chutney is delicate, yet satisfying. This appetizer will have you oohing and aahing until the last bite. Until recently, this was by far my favorite appetizer at Mirabelle, but the Asian Duck Springrolls dish is quickly becoming the new star of the appetizer menu. Cooked in a traditional springroll style, this dish is served with a tasty Papaya-lemongrass dipping sauce that you’ll want to douse over everything. And though some diners may be hesitant to try this appetizer, thinking duck may not be their favorite meat, I have to tell you that one bite will change your mind. With 12 appetizers from which to chose, including the ever-popular Spicy Duck and Sausage Gumbo and the fresh soup of the day, you’ll have your work cut out for you. I’ve found that it’s best for every member of your dining party to chose an appetizer to share. This way you can try several items, and the dishes are all plentiful enough to go around the table a couple of times. All of the entrees on the dinner menu at Mirabelle are served with a dinner salad. (I highly recommend the Caesar Salad, as you will find none better in all of Austin.) And every entree is an amazing experience in itself. Every time I think I’ve found a favorite, a new or different dish takes my breath away. So now I rotate favorites, allowing myself to try a different entree each time that I visit Mirabelle. The Grilled Pork Loin Chop, served with creamy mashed potatoes and a fresh succotash, is a favorite of many friends of mine and is often ordered at my table. The Roasted Duck Breast with Fennel-Merlot Jus is always a good choice. The rotisserie-roasted duck breast is rubbed with a dry Mediterranean-spice rub and served with delicious scalloped custard potatoes and sautéed asparagus. (A quick note about Mirabelle’s vegetables: they are quite simply the best prepared vegetables you will ever eat. All types of potatoes are served at the perfect temperature and are melt-in-your-mouth good. The greens and vegetable succotashes are excellent. And I didn’t even like asparagus before I tried it at Mirabelle. Now I’m a firm believer in getting all of my greens.) Another favorite of mine is the Linguini with Garlic Grilled Shrimp and Crab-Brie Cream. The jumbo shrimp are flawlessly matched with this one-of-a-kind crab-brie cream sauce that includes a pistachio-chile pesto and roasted red bell pepper puree. Sautéed asparagus tips are added to the pasta dish to give it the final perfect touch. Also available are a Braised Veal Breast with Creamed Morels, the Chilean Sea Bass with Shiitake and Pinot Noir Sauce, Polenta-Crusted Salmon with Vine-Tomato Butter, Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Gouda Cheese, Herb-Crusted Lamb Rack with Black Olive Lamb Jus, and another favorite, the Lemon-Rosemary Rotisserie Chicken. Vegetarians will be glad to note that they can enjoy an entirely meatless meal at Mirabelle. The menu includes everything from salads and soups to the vegetable side dishes to the healthy and gratifying Special Vegetarian Entree, which is a curried vegetables dish served with Basmati rice and creamed Indian spinach in a crisp Indian-pastry cup. All of this will be served to you by a member of Mirabelle’s knowledgeable and extremely friendly wait staff, each of whom are well versed with the menu and wine list. They’ll be happy to recommend any dish or wine and are very pleasant in their presentation. After you’ve enjoyed your appetizers, salad and entree, you’ll no doubt feel full, but that’s no excuse for skipping the most important of Mirabelle’s dishes: the desserts. Mirabelle offers as many dessert items as it does appetizers, so it is a very difficult decision. |
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