What's Ashley Eating? - Old Thousand, Austin TX

I received a complimentary 5 course meal at Old Thousand for their Chinese New Year Dinner for purpose of review. All opinions are my own, and I would never endorse a product/service/restaurant I didn't personally recommend to my readers.

I'm trying a bunch of new things in the blog this year, and restaurant reviews are one of them! As a member of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, I often get invites to new restaurant openings, or special happy hours for bloggers in town. To say thank you to the many places that let us sample their menu, as well as places I've stumbled onto on my own, I've decided to create a new series called What's Ashley Eating. 

------

Old Thousand's art is adorable.

I have a unique problem in Austin. I cannot find crappy food. And by crappy, I don't mean inedible, I mean that inauthentic, overly sugared, super Americanized versions of things like tacos that I found in my little area of Massachusetts until moving to foodie-paradise Austin, Texas. 

Old Thousand is not the mall Chinese food I grew up with. Not by a long shot. So, it's not going to quell my craving for greasy takeout. But it's definitely where I'm going to go for delicious Chinese food from now on!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of experiencing their Chinese New Year dinner. I brought along my seafood-neutral fiance, who I fully intended on buying a side of chicken something-or-other once we saw the menu was heavy on the seafood, but as it turns out, I didn't need to.

Every course was perfect. The seafood was fresh, devoid of the "fishy" taste and full of flavor. Unfortunately, the low-lighting meant I didn't get the best pictures, but trust me. Everything was amazing.

I'm not sure if this was typical of Saturday nights, or just because it was Chinese New Year, but walk-ups were told there was a 3 hour wait. We had reservations, but ended up being seated at the bar. So, I'd definitely advise you to make reservations, and specify a non-bar seat if you want a table. We enjoyed the close proximity to the kitchen, though, it was cool to see the chefs in action!

Oh and don't ignore their cocktail menu. The bartenders know their stuff and while the cocktails are pricey (I think my Old Fashioned was $12), they're worth it.

Here's what I got to sample!

SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD & DRY FRIED LONG BEANs - First up, we had some tasty veggies. I am pretty sure the green beans were switched out with broccoli rabe and woodyear mushrooms, because the pictures I have do not look like green beans. I loved the broccoli rabe mix, the veggies were cooked to a perfect al dente and seasoned well. I kept the spicy cucumber salad as a palate cleanser throughout the meal. I'm glad I did, as the rich food needed something in between courses!

LION HEAD MEATBALL SOUP (Meatball stuffed with crab). This was probably my least favorite course, but I still really liked it! The broth-to-noodle ratio was a bit off, I would have liked more broth, but the idea of a seafood-stuffed meatball was too good to pass up either way.

SALT & PEPPER CRAB - Probably my favorite course. I've never had fried crab before! The batter was delightfully seasoned and just a little bit spicy.

CANTONESE ROASTED CHICKEN - You know it's good when it's served on a fancy log. And goodness, this was flavorful! The chicken was so moist and tender and perfectly seasoned on its own, but the accompanying sauce just hit it out of the park.

DAN TA ( egg custard, meyer lemon, and vanilla). The perfect end to the meal. I love ending on a light, sweet custard with fruit. I've never been much for heavy desserts, so this was perfect.

Old Thousand is a delicious, authentic Chinese Food restaurant with its own modern twist. The menu is reasonably priced--the meal I got was a $70 two-person special, but most entrees are under $20. Overall, it's a great new restaurant that fits right in here in Austin. Definitely check it out!

Old Thousand is located on 1000 E 11th Street in Austin, Texas. and is open from 5pm to 11pm/12am daily.