Search Results for: rainey

G’Raj Mahal Cafe (Not Garaj Mahal) – MENU, HOURS, and REVIEW: Indian Restaurant Now Open in Downtown Austin

AG | December 13, 2009 |

9/25/2012: Breaking news….G’raj Mahal announces through their Facebook page that they are expanding! 2nd Location will be at 73 Rainey Street, and it looks like they will have live music. Check out our story on the details of G’raj Mahal’s expansion here.

7/3/2012: Updated menu below! Large groups should note that G’raj Mahal now only takes a maximum of 3 credit cards per order – no matter how many people are in the group. I was told by a server that this policy has been around for years, but I’ve been with several large groups there and June 2012 was the first time this happened, so I think it’s actually relatively new. This policy seems particularly odd to me personally because the minimum credit card order there is $10 (last time I checked, unless they’ve changed that, too), so logic would tell me so long as the total bill for each card is larger than $10, there shouldn’t really be an issue from a fees perspective. I guess maybe it has to do with the servers not wanting to take the time to run multiple cards? I’ve asked Sidney Roberts, the owner – but she has yet to give me a response or reason on the issue….will keep you updated!

Incidentally, it’s also worth noting that the gratuity for parties of 5 or more is now 20% (it used to 18%, per their older menu).

7/2/2010: G’Raj Mahal is currently open from 5pm-12am on Weekdays, 5pm-3am Fri-Sat. CLOSED Mondays. Also looks like all delivery will now be going through Longhorn Delivery (contact info on menu). G’Raj Mahal is BYOB!!!

Sidney, the owner also wanted me to let everyone know that the lamb is halal, blessed, and grassfed – for those following strict diets.

REVIEW:

If somebody asked me what I thought about eating Indian food made in a truck, my *go-to* response would be – “less good choice.” At least, that was until I tried G’Raj Mahal Cafe (no website yet, but you can find them on Facebook), located at 91 Red River Street in Downtown Austin. Ummmmm…super yummy!

This gem opened a couple of weeks ago, and when I had the opportunity to try it out the other day, I was very pleasantly surprised. I had the Vegetable Goan Coconut Currie with the Classic Vegetable Samosa, which was all washed down with a Mexican Coke:

Looking at the menu, I initially thought the pricing seemed way super high. After all, this is food made from a trailer. However, the food was made to order, tasted fresh and high-quality, and the portions were generous. While I still think it’s a bit on the pricey side, I also believe that it’s worth it.

**UPDATE 12/14/2009: The owner (Sidney aka Ms. GM) just contacted me to tell me: “FYI…We reduced our prices this week slightly for the entrees as much as we could. However, we use such high grade ingredients, we are somewhat restricted to obey our food costs. We will soon have a late night menu with $5-8 items like naan wraps, lamb burgers, Indian “taco” salad, and spicy goan sausages.” Once I’ve received the updated menu, I will post it.

G’Raj Mahal Cafe does table service and take-out. The table service I experienced was friendly (even deferential) and the overall vibe was good. I would note that there is no indoor seating, but the outdoor seating is covered, and what I would describe as breezy, surrounded by peacefully flowing pieces of gauzy white fabric. Here’s a shot of the typical table:

Overall, I think it’s a good, unique addition to the downtown Austin restaurant landscape, gives the east side of Congress a quality casual dining option, and is a small business that I will support. It’s just a few steps from our residence at The Shore Condos. My only real complaint so far is that it’s only open for dinner (from 5pm-3am everyday). I think a Saturday/Sunday lunch (business permitting) would be awesome.

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Downtown Austin Open Houses

Jude Galligan | December 12, 2009 |

Open houses in downtown Austin for Sunday, December 13th

The great thing about downtown Austin open houses is that you can generally walk from building to building. If you’re into adaptive reuses of older buildings, checkout DAB’s list of downtown Austin lofts. Looking for downtown Austin FHA approved condos? We’ve got the info.

This weekend you can browse at your own pace at the Austin City Lofts, Milago (btw, have you visited Rainey Street recently?), Spring, and the Austonian sales center. While you’re here, checkout DAB’s gift suggestions found on 2nd Street.

Sunday
1) 54 Rainey St Penthouse #2, 2bd, 2.5ba, $995,000, 1-3pm [Urbanspace] map
2) 800 W 5th St, #201, 2bd, 2ba, $649,900, 1-3pm [Urbanspace] map
3) 300 Bowie St, Spring sales center, model units, 1-5pm map website
4) 200 Congress Ave, Austonian sales center located at 300 W 6th, 12-5pm map website

Don’t see the properties you’re interested in? Ask a Realtor who lives and works in downtown Austin.

Downtown Austin Open Houses

Jude Galligan | November 22, 2009 |

(Looking for this week’s open houses? You’ll find them here.)

Open houses in downtown Austin for Sunday, November 22nd

The great thing about downtown Austin open houses is that you can generally walk from building to building. Take a stroll downtown now that summer is over and the temperature is cooler. If you’re into adaptive reuses of older buildings, checkout DAB’s list of downtown Austin lofts. Looking for FHA approved condos? We’ve got the info here.

This weekend you can browse at your own pace at the Milago (btw, have you visited Rainey Street recently?), Spring, and the Austonian sales center. While you’re here, checkout DAB’s gift suggestions found on 2nd Street.

Sunday
1) 54 Rainey St #1014, 2bd, 2ba, $469,000, 1-4pm [Housepad] map
2) 300 Bowie St, Spring sales center, model units, 1-5pm map website
3) 200 Congress Ave, Austonian sales center located at 300 W 6th, 12-5pm map website

Don’t see the properties you’re interested in? Ask a Realtor who lives and works in downtown Austin.

Historic Districting

Jude Galligan | October 17, 2009 |

One of my favorite pastimes is researching Austin’s history. The word ‘historic’ is used casually in conversation, but until recently I didn’t fully grasp the differences in the official designations that the City of Austin and the State of Texas use to qualify a property as historic. At the recent Downtown Austin Plan town hall, ROMA provided a quality presentation that made the differences salient.

Historic districts contribute to a city’s personality. Since much of Austin’s history is contained within the boundaries of downtown, we’re devoting extra attention to this part of the Downtown Austin Plan. Of course, there is an important philosophic and economic debate whenever a property is being scrutinized and potentially limited in what can be done with it – as historic determination does. Some very smart and engaged stakeholders disagree on how to approach growth in downtown Austin, as evidenced in the discussion surrounding the Warehouse District. It is possible and necessary to encourage vertical growth in downtown Austin. But, I believe we can accomplish that growth while protecting districts which are established and culturally significant.

The last survey of of buildings which could be labeled as “culturally significant” was delivered in 1984. 25 years ago! That Cultural Resource Survey only looked at buildings at least 50 years old (in 1985). You might be surprised to know that the Travis County Courthouse was not included because it was too young at the time.

The Heritage Society of Austin is the private-sector advocacy group that seeks to “ensure the preservation of our diverse community’s architectural and cultural past for present and future generations.” The need for a new survey was vocalized at the town hall and, clearly, we are over due.

Now, onto the differences in establishing historic districts. (DAB community, please fill in the gaps if I’m leaving something out, and thank you in advance)

National Register Historic Districts (NRHDs)
-Designated by Texas Historical Commission, National Parks Service
-Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
-Receive extra consideration before any federal projects, such as highway construction
-Promote public awareness of the special character of Austin
-Eligible rehab projects may achieve preservation tax credits, if income producing properties
–No prohibition against demolition or relocation of structures in district
-Building, demolition and relocation permits are reviewed by Historic Landmark Commission

When someone claims “6th Street is historic”, this is what makes it so – it’s an NRHD. Congress Avenue, Rainey Street, and the Bremond Block make up the set of downtown Austin NRHDs.

Local Historic Districts (LHDs)
-Reviewed by the City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission
-Designated and zoned by City of Austin, with 51% owners’ agreement
-Required design standards for preservation of historic buildings and for new construction and alteration of exterior and existing buildings
-Property tax incentive available for rehab of historic buildings
-Provides higher bar for demolition or relocation of contributing buildings

LHDs are more effective than NRHDs at protecting the character of the district. ROMA is looking at E. 6th Street, E 3rd Street @ Red River (Waterloo Compound), W 6th Commercial blocks, and the Warehouse District as potential LHDs.

You can download a complete copy of ROMA’s town hall presentation here. (pdf, 29MB).

-Jude

Legacy On The Lake – first tour with video

Jude Galligan | November 13, 2008 |

I received an email last week that the new Legacy On The Lake residences were open for business, ready to lease, and offering tours of the building. This would be a good opportunity to preview a building that seems to have been under construction forever. So, I grabbed my camcorder and headed over. Located at 43 Rainey street, the Legacy is the third building, along with the Shore and Milago, to join the Rainey Street neighborhood in the past three years. With 31 floors, the Legacy towers over the lake. The views are what you would expect at that height – amazing.

Videos after the jump!