this is life in austin & aspen

Oh. My. Stars. Or some equally astounded proclamation. I ate more food last night at Roaring Fork North than any human should ever eat in one sitting. Going into it, I thought, ah, I’m doing the Spartan 300 Challenge, doing a good job of watching what I eat, I’ll just nibble on some stuff …

Wrong, I was. 4 appetizers, 3 salads, 4 entrees, 2 sides, and 4 desserts later …

I started with a skinny margarita–made with lime juice, agave nectar, and tequila. Delish and low-cal! Then they brought out the cutest Margarita Boat in the entire world: Those are tall shot glasses filled with margarita!! Probably not low-cal. But (from L-R) frozen huckleberry, original, and passion fruit are worth the calorie splurge. You can taste the tequila, but it’s not overpowering, and the ‘ritas aren’t sickly sweet either. Could be one of the better margaritas in Austin … at a Roaring Fork? Oh, but that’s not the only confusing thing: they may well have the best guacamole in all of Austin. The verdict is out for me, but Josh of Maggie’s Austin declared resolutely his undying love for this fresh avocado, cilantro, garlic, tomato smash.

The other appetizers were equally divine: the green chile pork served in its own mini cast iron pot? Fantastic. My girl-date wants it for hungover brunch (they serve it 11-4 on the weekends). It comes with tortillas, but there’s no need for that. Similarly, the smoked salmon is appropriately salty but not overwhelming, and its dill Crème fraîche is delicious atop the fish even without the grilled flatbread. The fourth appetizer–yep, we’re only on apps–was a shrimp cocktail that was far too sweet for me.

Then they brought out salads. The salad course wasn’t even on our sampler menu! But when a delicious ceaser, spring mix with pecans and goat cheese, and wedge salad arrive on your table, you don’t complain. You take a deep breath and green it up. Before the entrees start rolling in, because when the shrimp & grits, bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, mahi-mahi tacos, and Dr. Pepper baby-back ribs arrive, salads are long gone from the mind.

The shrimp & grits was far and away the crowd favorite. The bacon-wrapped pork was decadent, tasty in an almost forbidden way. The mahi-mahi tacos were not a huge hit, and I’m not a rib-eater so I can’t speak to the ribs. The green chile mac & cheese was really good (Perla’s might still be better, though this has the spice…), the garlic spinach tasted like garlic spinach (I’m a fan), and the french fries tasted to me like the double-fried kind, you know, where you bite in and you get like an outer layer of crunch and then a second-crunch, and then the squishy inside? Anyway, my girl-date loved them.

And then, could you even imagine there being any room in my belly for dessert? Well, when they brought out a peanut butter chocolate lava brownie with butter pecan Amy’s ice cream, room was made in my belly–by my eyes. I crammed so much pbchoclava in my mouth I don’t think anyone else had a chance at it. Oh, you brought out a chocolate martini and some concoction called a Mexican killer or flu-killer or something-I-can’t-remember? OBVIOUSLY wasn’t paying attention, because heaven was happening in my mouth.

They had some other desserts too-a beloved creme brulee, a pineapple upside cake, and peanut butter chocolate crunch bars. Yeah, whatever, RF, I’m busy. I’m licking the plate. There were drink flights too, but for once this floozy was too focused on food to even think about drinks. Fresh grapefruit juice? That’s wonderful, dude, but I’m busy.

As you can probably gather, I’d recommend Roaring Fork to anyone. The north location is really quite the destination–the entire restaurant grabs the lake views as much as possible, and it feels on the patio like you really are on a lake–not just an accidental lake made by us digging up dirt (rumor has it the dirt trucks are still underneath the water). And since it’s just off the freeway, it’s convenient for northerners and southies alike.