Uptown — Restaurant in Austin

Willing to watch this place grow, change, and evolve. There is potential for it to be great. Right now, I gave atmosphere a 3 because no one greeted us nor told us whether you need to be seated by a host or if it is first come, first served. There is no obvious host stand. There is an area next to the patio door where we saw employees coming and going, but we were never clear on what was happening there. We came in the door from the street side and stood awkwardly around two long stand-up tables. No one spoke to us. We grabbed two seats at the bar and ate indoors and it is SO. LOUD. in there, which is the other reason for 3 stars on atmosphere. If there was music, we could not hear it, just voices bouncing off of everything. The bartenders were extremely helpful, friendly, and worked as a team. Their service was outstanding.

I ordered a shrimp cocktail and those shrimp, although huge and cooked to a perfect texture were beyond bland. In Louisiana and coastal Texas, we put stuff in our boil water. They are called spices, and shrimp tend to soak ‘‘em up and become flavorful.

When I asked for Worcestershire sauce, there was like a whole meeting. Finally someone handed me a bullet of Worcestershire. Like an ounce and a half of Worcestershire, which ain’t nobody gone use that much & it ain’t cheap. Just get some bottles. I needed maybe four drops. When I asked for Tabasco, I got Crystal. I love Crystal, but it’s not what I want in my cocktail sauce. Just get some bottles of Tabasco, please. Speaking of Louisiana food: There should also be some vinegar pepper sauce, you know, the clear kind with the peppers in the bottle. There is a reason that Cajun restaurants have old empty 6 - pack boxes on the tables with bottles of condiments in them, and it ain’t for decoration.

Props for importing the bread for the po’ boys (which are called ‘sandwiches’ on this menu.) Maybe an R & D road trip is in order for the BOH? Call me, I’ll drive. My companion had gumbo. Where. Da. Okra. At.?? Maybe we should call it “smoked meat roux soup”. (The meats were quite delicious). Companion also had a po’ boy. This was the best thing we had.

This place is a new born infant to some people who are very, very good at what they do. We have hopes that it will mature into something that makes us want to go back. Like a friendly face at the door and at least some Zatarain’s in the boil, baby. Y’all c’mon now. See ya in...

FOOD POISONING Dined there about an hour ago and within 5 minutes of leaving I was vomiting... been on and off for the past hour. I live within a 10 minute walk and it took my boyfriend and I over 30 minutes to get home with stops to ............... you get it.

Upon arrival we were told to seat ourselves, so we did. The booth that we chose was not wiped down from the last guests, so we requested it to be cleaned. After waiting 15 minutes with the table still dirty, no menus, or drinks, we saw it best to move to the bar to eat. Upon sitting at the bar we were greeted with waters, menus, and quick service.

I ordered the trout dip as an appetizer and the 'house' salad. This was undoubtedly the worst salad I've ever had in my life. The trout dip was abhorrently pungent with a strong taste of dill and onion, (I grew up eating fresh seafood on the Florida Panhandle and have been going to New Orleans my entire life) so I feel like I know good seafood, and regretfully this dip was NOT it.

The salad arrived and tasted as unappealing as it looked visually... very watery, pungent, yet bland and just plain gross. I kindly asked the server for a different dressing in hopes of making it taste better, and she happily got the kitchen to remake the salad with ranch. When the salad came out another 10 minutes later, it was just as watery as before, yet this time it was drenched in ranch AND the kitchen coated it in dill to give it more flavor I'm guessing? All in all I'm starving at this point so I attempt to eat about half of it (It's very small) before being too put off by the dish to continue.

The server quickly took our plates and presented the bill to my boyfriend so we exited. About 2 minutes down the road the pungent-dill-stinky-taste just won't go away and I realize that I'm about to puke - then the rest is history...

Obviously, we will not be dining here again. To top it off, my boyfriend immediately had the opposite problem as me (as above so below) upon getting home.

1 nice thing : The atmosphere was cozy and felt vintage in the cool 'Austin' way as you would expect on the East Side. I have heard that they put a lot of work into the atmosphere and the 'vibes' are there, yet unfortunately, the kitchen severely missed the mark...

Ah, my dear compatriots, gather 'round as I regale you with a tale of gastronomic delight and libational merriment! You see, this very eve, I found myself perched upon the hallowed seats of the Uptown Sports Club, a veritable oasis of seafood and a pantheon dedicated to the worship of the bivalve. As I sipped my—oh, what was it now—third? Fourth? But who's counting, really? As I sipped my delightful Bloody Mary, infused with a complexity of flavors that danced upon my tongue with the grace of a prima ballerina, I couldn't help but revel in the sheer exuberance of the atmosphere. The ambiance, my friends, was nothing short of exquisite! A cacophony of laughter and cheers for the games unfolding on screens as far as the eye could see. Yet, it retained an air of sophistication that belied the raucous energy. And the food, oh heavens, the food! The stars of the show, the oysters, were a symphony of briny, succulent splendor. Each bite was like a deep-sea dive into the very essence of the ocean. The other seafood offerings, too, were heavenly, imbued with flavors that left me with a profound appreciation for the creatures of the deep. The service was no less enchanting. The staff, attentive and knowledgeable, guided me through the menu with the finesse of a seasoned captain navigating treacherous waters. They were swift, gracious, and possessed a keen understanding of the delicate balance between revelry and refinement. However, my dear friends, I must confess, there is a single blemish upon this otherwise perfect tableau. The oyster prices, I'm afraid, soared to heights that left me feeling the faintest twinge of regret. But then again, what price can one place upon a night of pure, unadulterated joy? So you see, my beloved companions, I cannot help but sing the praises of the Uptown Sports Club, despite the weight of the oyster bill upon my wallet. In the immortal words of the bard, "parting is such sweet sorrow," and I long for the day when I may once more return to this temple of epicurean ecstasy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe there's another Bloody Mary beckoning me from the bar....