Sit out on the pier, sip on a mango margarita, and watch the cigarette boats churn through the water while you feast on a delightful Thai dish. In case you think you are in Hawaii, you are half right, the point of this place, set beside Oyster Landing, is to give you a Polynesian feeling deep in the Texas Hill Country. The food is generally inexpensive but you will feel like you paid for an airline ticket to the island itself. If Polynesian Tex-Mex sounds like a contradiction in terms, try this place out. The contradiction is well worth exploring.

This is comfort food to please adults and children alike, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will wait for a table, especially on weekends, but the wait only serves to sharpen the appetite for breakfast tacos and gingerbread pancakes, fajitas and burgers, grilled chicken and vegetarian entrees. The kid's menu is vast, offering burgers, black bean and chicken tacos and breakfast items. The atmosphere is relaxed and homey. A second location is on South Congress Avenue.

A Hill Country limestone cottage converted to an elegant restaurant? Yes, it can be done, and done well. This is a favorite spot for romantics of all stripes, who come for the harp music and relaxing, three-hour dinners. A prix-fixe menu is available, as well as an a la carte menu. The prix-fixe dinner includes bread, salad, appetizer, entree and dessert, and is uniformly well-executed. The Chateaubriand melts in your mouth, and the truffle-topped Tenderloin Medallions are extraordinary.

Tucked away in the trees near Lake Austin is a country home, where some of the best game in the city comes to the table. A taste for the exotic is definitely welcome here, as are hearty appetites. Instead of those tired old Crab cakes, try Omar's Rattlesnake Cakes. Sample rabbit, javelina, boar or venison one at a time, or get a mixed Grill Platter for a varied feast. You can even do a modern take on surf-and-turf, a Black Angus Beef Tenderloin topped with lobster.

Banzai Sushi & Grill serves fresh sushi and Japanese dishes in their bright, clean restaurant in Central Austin. With a menu of classic maki rolls like spicy tuna and Spider rolls, along with a slew of vegetarian rolls filled with avocado, mushrooms and even apple, Banzai offers a wide selection of sushi. Noodle dishes, including ramen, soba and udon, are also served in broth with meats and vegetables. For the indecisive diners, bento boxes offer a little bit of everything, including sushi, tempura, salad and miso soup. To drink, Banzai serves a variety of Japanese soft drinks, along with hot and iced tea and bubble tea, blended with fruit and milk and studded with chewy tapioca balls. - Christine Whalen

This is the only place in Austin offering certified Black Angus beef. An ideal place for hard-core carnivores, BBQ World Headquarters also sells chicken, Pork Roast, etc. by the pound and in large family sized portions. Dig into some perfectly trimmed Brisket, tender sausages and mouth watering Smoked Angus Beef while you're here. This is one of those places where you get to enjoy your choice of meat cooked over a good old fashioned oak fire, topped with bread, sauce, onions and tangy pickles.

Satay is not just a restaurant. It's also the name of this restaurant's specialty - thinly-sliced marinated meat on skewers grilled and served with spicy sauces and cucumber salad. It's a dish of choice in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Try Satay with pork, beef, chicken, shrimp or vegetables. The master chef here (who has appeared with Dom De Luis in TV cooking programs) uses absolutely no MSG, and only vegetable and canola oils. Die-hard vegetarians revel in the vegetarian buffets on the first and third Sundays of each month. The restaurant also packages amazing sauces and salsas. Pick up 16-ounces of any sauce or salsa from a wide selection (including spicy peanut and ginger sweet and sour).

Located in the Rosedale neighborhood, this bakery serves as a meeting spot for locals to enjoy their morning cup of coffee and a variety of pastry offerings. Stacks of newspapers, already read, are collected for others to enjoy, along with a variety of free local papers and magazines. Freshly baked bread is offered in a variety of styles and flavors. Lunch is often a busy time with customers enjoying salads, soups, sandwiches and pizzas. The crowd is relaxed and the staff is friendly. Mismatched tables and chairs are located throughout the café for dining in.

Step inside this hacienda-style restaurant and find yourself whisked far south by the Mexican interior, where fine food is served in a charming colonial atmosphere. Chef Roberto Sabatinez has added his own creative dishes to the menu of old favorites, including a wonderfully imaginative chile relleno that employs an ancho chile rather than the usual poblano. Traditional dishes are well-prepared and the desserts go beyond many Mexican restaurants where only flan is offered. Brunch is not to be missed; especially for those who love the Mexican custom of making the late morning meal a long, leisurely affair.

Jack Allen's Kitchen serves up Texas-inspired cuisine for the crowds in Austin. Using locally grown ingredients, Jack Allen's Kitchen offers daily meal specials and happy hour discounts. Be sure to check out their new patio bar! Visit their website for a complete menu.