Eddie V's Prime Seafood — Restaurant in Austin

For more years then I care to remember, Eddie V's has been a constant measure of excellence. It has the unique ability to bring old skool elegance to modern chic. Living SW Austin, has kept us out of the downtown scene, however we do venture out from time to time for staycation celebrations. This was the case for our recent visit.

It was my Suzie's 70th and an excellent reason to celebrate. I made reservations a month or so in advance for a table of 4. I got a phone call from Eddie V's to confirm the reso, the occasion and to review Suzie's Allergies the day of. Nice touch, makes one feel classy. They have valet parking, but we had a ride, so parking was a no brainer.

Upon arrival, our table was ready, in one of their back room areas in a wooden panelled room. We felt removed from the rest of the restaurant, but included in the ambiance. Alexander our waiter, quickly came by and introduced himself. They utilize a team service here, but Alex was definitely going to guide through this evenings dinner. Superb waiter. Polite, funny, informed and there when we needed him and not there when we didn't. It was like, he had a third sense to know when we wanted something else or a question. Cannot ask for more than that.

Dinner was delicious. It started with a complementary Amuse, to get the palate in check. Although Suzie cannot enjoy the 16 Oyster spread we ordered, she did enjoy the Calamari. I like how they prepare the Calamari at Eddie V's. They combine some veggies with the Calamari and lightly battered. The Oyster's were all East Coast, from Blue Point, Summer Love, Shooting Point and MoonLight Bay. Sweet, fresh with subtle brininess. My bro in law ordered the Lamb Chops and Chilean Sea Bass which they enjoyed. Wifey and I, optimistically ordered steaks. Mine Oscar style with a Crab topping. Optimistically... only because it seems the past few times at other establishments when we have ordered steaks, more times then not, they cannot seem to prepare steaks medium. Undercooking seems to be the new Medium. Why we had this silly bias is ridiculous here at Eddie V's. They were perfectly cooked to our request. I shared with Alex our trepidations and he mentioned he never is concerned with the grill guys, they have been here for many years and know their stuff. They certainly do. We opted to also ordere the Au Gratin, epic and some grilled asparagus, with nice char. I will mentioned that not only did they provide us with a complimentary Amuse, but a Champagne Toast for Suzie's 70th and a celebratory desert with fire and all the stuff.

Even though we don't get by as much as we used to, Eddie V's Always... Always nails it. Do you get what you pay for? Absolutely. Never in a rush to get us out of there, even on a bustling PM in Downtown Austin on a Friday....

I travel all over for business and love treating myself to high end fare on the company dime. My experience here was a major disappointment. The valet drivers were unprofessional in both appearance and demeanor. They appeared to be socializing with each other rather than giving the appearance of readiness for customer service. They’re on the clock at a supposed high end establishment, perhaps they should reflect as much. The visual/seating environment was nothing special and certainly did not sell the impression of sophistication. Uncomfortable seating. My waitress attended the table quickly and sweetly yet, I informed her that I had never been here before and requested recommendations, she tried to accommodate, although I could hardly hear her response over the loud and rather second rate performance of the band. The food was lackluster to severely disappointing. Overpriced. It seems they are trying to do it all and failing on all metrics. I would suggest they should focus on improving their food, but it appears they consider themselves more of an experience rather than a restaurant. Patrons were drunk and loud with a penchant for the pretentious, but I presume it is the pretentious air that is the establishments primary draw. For me, I go for the flavor of the fare not the pomp and “ambiance”. The service was decent, the bread was flavorless, rock solid, and the butter was no more flavorful that some vegetable spread you would get from the mass market. I’ve had far better at low end steakhouses. The Sashimi was very bland and unimpressive, the sea bass was rather flavorless, although very tender. The truffle Mac and cheese was disgusting and its almost offensive that they would charge that much for such an atrocity, but I will confess, that is largely my fault as everyone should be aware that truffles are disgusting no matter how much lipstick you put on that pig. The sweet tea was pretty good but I’ve had much better. This is the perfect example of appearance over substance. While I love fish, if you’re so foolish as to fight through traffic and the legion of idiots walking in front of your car to go here, I would recommend the steak as that is pretty hard to screw up. I wouldn’t return if the food was free. I’d rather gas station sushi to...

An old dog can still learn new tricks (or perform existing tricks perfectly)! As a native Austinite, Eddie V’s has always been known to me as an Austin institution. This restaurant has been here a long time but did not feel outdated when we brought family here from out of state to celebrate a special occasion.

Ambience - Although this restaurant has been here a long time, the inside did not feel too dated. No weird “old building” smells or noticeable furniture/flatware/glass wear and tear. White table cloths are classic, the mood lighting and music was nice and not too overwhelming. This meal was an upscale, fine dining experience - the restaurant is relatively quiet and they give you a lovely lemon scented towel to clean your hands. This is an old school luxe dining experience that is not offered very often in Downtown Austin anymore. It’s a nice change of pace from other high end restaurants downtown that are super casual. Also, this restaurant has larger circular tables which seat 6 adults perfectly. Surprisingly this table size is kinda hard to come by at upscale restaurants nowadays, which seem to be set up for date nights (2) or larger groups (8-10).

Service - we were delighted when we arrived at our table and there was a card and confetti celebrating our special occasion! Such a cute little touch that makes me want to return for more special days. Our waitress was amazing, smiley and chatty and knowledgeable. We will request her next time we dine here for sure. Pacing of the plates was perfect, they never left dirty dishes on our table and accommodated every request. She even brought out a free dessert to celebrate our special occasion.

Food - we ordered the seafood tower but probably would skip next time, plenty for 6 adults but not mind blowing or interesting at all, just classic lobster, oyster & shrimp. I enjoyed my fish entree, it was tasty but not cravable. However, the steaks were fantastic and definitely worth returning for. Finally the dessert completely blew my mind, I’m not a huge dessert person but I went crazy for all the desserts we ordered. I can’t wait to return for more of the bananas foster, so...