I'm not sure when Austin's opened, but it's been a Fort Collins establishment for a while now. There are two locations in the city. The original, at the corner of Mountain and College, is by far the better location just based on setting. There's plenty of foot traffic, a lot to do nearby, and the atmosphere gives the diner the feeling that they take food seriously at Austin's.
At least when there was only the downtown location, Austin's had a much more exclusive and fancy feel to it without being pretentious. I don't recall disliking a meal there or dining with anyone else who wasn't pleased. But I feel Austin's has departed from that, at least in respect to the Harmony location.
The Harmony restaurant feels huge to the original Austin's. It doesn't have the architectural advantage of the downtown location so it immediately feels a little chain-like located as it is in a nondescript business park with a couple other restaurants nearby and close to some eyesore office buildings. Right away, this location has its setbacks.
The last three times I've been to Austin's (all at the Harmony location) the service has been poor, not horrible, just poor because it hasn't lived up to the service I grew to expect, particularly from my experiences at the downtown location. The servers tend to be short with you or very robotic. They set down the menus and they scurry off without waiting just a moment to see if we would like to put in a drink order right away.
Last Friday I ordered the Buffalo Meatloaf. I had never tried it and I was pleasantly surprised. We didn't order any appetizers. Someone ordered a margarita, which isn't on the menu, but it seemed good enough. But I don't think one goes to Austin's and orders a margarita. You're better off sticking to a classic cocktail or one of the beers off there good, but quite limited for a microbrew mecca, i.e. Fort Collins restaurant, list.
And keeping in mind the last time I had dessert at Austin's, I passed and so did everybody else. I would steer clear of some of those pies, which can shortly turn into a gloppy mess in a bowl because of the way it's served with ice cream. It is as if one were making a pie shake and put all the ingredients in a bowl and never transferred it to a blender, just served it up as is.
The bottom line on Austin's is this: first, go to the Mountain and College location, second, if you want to eat well you are better off sticking with a meat dish, third, if your server isn't as good as their dress (usually a white dress shirt, white apron, and jeans or slacks), then let them know. And lastly, Austin's just isn't what it used to be. It is very hard to keep the quality and the ambience of a restaurant when you expand. Getting it right the first time is difficult enough. Austin's did that, but getting it right on the second time out? I would say the place needs a little work.
Dined January 13, 2012.
B.
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