So ….. what’s the plan today?
Unfortunately, other than a nice ride in the car and a walk and ball chase at Founder’s Park – it wasn’t much of a puppy dog kind of day!
I saw a photo of this place and it immediately went on the list of things to do. We knew that it was a little pricey so decided to go early afternoon for “bar fare” which we thought would be tasty small plates and perfect for a late light lunch.
Here it is with its high (probably) teak wooden columns supporting a steepled ceiling of the century-old former town hall in north VietNam. It was disassembled, marked, shipped and rebuilt on this site by owner and former antiques dealer Whit Hanks.
As you can see, the place was empty at that time of day and the emptiness lent itself to the calm and peaceful environment. The hostess leads you through these imposing double doors – evidently from Pakistan. The bathrooms are through the intricately carved entranceway.
We ordered!
Corn butter biscuits with honey butter – they melted in your mouth!
Spicy fried brussel sprouts prepared with chili jam, orange supreme (?), puffed rice & herbs.
Harissa spiced eggplant dip with sweet potato chips.
Smoked beef short-rib sandwich AND fries with lemon zest and dill!
These plates were not as small as we thought, but then we are in Texas!!
The flavors were amazing and I would count this restaurant in my top 10 ever.
And the name – why Tillie’s? this from their website
Attilia Aldridge Anderson Hancock was a world traveler that brought her international discoveries to Austin and its surrounding communities. More than 150 years later, her great grandson, Whit Hanks, carries on that tradition. To celebrate this philosophy, Kim and Whit Hanks could think of no one more deserving to name to be the namesake of their new restaurant.
Tillie married a prominent lawyer and banker, Lewis Hancock, who had established Austin’s first bank. In the late 1890s, Lewis and Tillie visited Scotland where they learned of the game of golf. The Hancock’s brought their discovery back to Texas and founded the Austin Country Club, which popularized golf in Austin and the state of Texas. Tillie continued to vacation in Scotland and Europe throughout the early 1900s in an attempt to escape the summer heat. Eventually, Lewis and Tillie built the Hancock Opera house in Austin, the first performance hall of its kind west of the Mississippi River. Lewis would also serve as Austin’s mayor from 1896 to 1897.
Tillie is also credited with being the first female developer in Austin when she oversaw the development of the Aldridge Place subdivision, a historic district located just north of the University of Texas campus, built from part of the original Hancock estate.
We planned to visit the Dripping Springs distillery that makes vodka and gin and a local winery, but instead stopped by the Texas Olive Oil Co.
