The Monument Cafe (Georgetown, TX)
Georgetown, TX. A charming town twenty minutes north of Austin. I'm no expert on Georgetown, but not much seems to go on there beyond jury duty for residents of Williamson County (hooray for civic duty!). In fact, I have been called on twice, though I've never been selected. In addition to county court, Georgetown also has a culinary treasure: The Monument Cafe — classic Americana at its finest. It has the feel of a classed-up 40's-style diner and serves food you'd expect at such an establishment, plus a few other items.
I went with the pulled pork sandwich and onion rings. The pork was excellent — tender and flavorful. It's served on a burger bun, with a choice of a side. The onion rings were perfectly fried — the batter crispy and flavorful — the onions, slightly sweet and tender. If you're a fan of onion rings these are great.
We also tried the turkey plate. The turkey was a mix of light and dark meat and was served with a nice gravy. It came with three sides; we chose onion rings, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. This meal was the very essence of Thanksgiving — a gut-busting plate of goodness that makes you feel like you're eating at home.
In addition to fantastic entrées, they also serve some great desserts. We sampled the fried blueberry pie with a scoop of frozen custard. Personally, I am a big fan of fried pies and this one did not disappoint. The crust was fried to crunchy perfection and the blueberry filling could not have tasted fresher.
We also sampled a slice of the coconut cream pie — easily as good as the blueberry. Of course, this was not our first experience with their pies. Our friends at Crave Communications hooked us up with one of The Monument Cafe's chocolate pies a while back. It was by far the richest chocolate pie I have ever had. In fact, it was the reason we ended up visiting Monument Cafe. So, yet again, Paula and Cat, thanks for looking out for us!
In addition to the food there were a few other things that stood out. First, the customer service. My drink was never empty and the staff was attentive without hovering. Second, I really appreciated the fact that everything they serve is made fresh and sourced locally, or at least within Texas as much as possible. The herb garden out front is a nice touch too. Monument Cafe is well worth the drive. It comes highly recommended by your Food Junkies.
Restaurant: Monument Cafe
Location: 500 South Austin Avenue, Georgetown, TX
Hours: Fri-Sat, 7am-10pm; Sun-Thur, 7am-9pm.
Austin Food Junkies' Rating: Four Lone Star Points
The Austin Food Junkies are Alex Artibee, Matt Braley and Dave Braley, "Two guys who love food, and one chef, trained at the Texas Culinary Institute." Check out their reviews of other Austin area restaurants on their blog, Austin Food Junkies.