Parkside has been open only a few years, but it has quickly risen to the upper echelon of restaurants in downtown Austin (though keep in mind, most of the good food in Austin won’t be found downtown). I went for their New Year’s eve prix fixe a few weeks ago and all four courses delivered. While it prominently features oysters and a raw bar—the best thing on New’s Years was the hamachi duo (yellowtail raw and lightly seared)—the whole menu looks promising. Though the service left something to be desired and the crowd skews toward the trying-too-hard-to-impress, the food is reason enough to return soon.
RECS: The New Year’s Eve menu didn’t have much in common with the day-to-day, so I’ll have to get back to you. But it’s safe to say you should definitely get something from the raw bar.
