Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner in Austin

3 classic meals in our picks for the best restaurants in Austin

For Austin, geography is destiny. The texas town's famous South by Southwest music festival takes its name from its location: To the east lies the rich farmland and green cotton fields that make the state part of the Old South. To the west, the rocky Hill Country and ranching culture of the Southwest begins. This is where catfish and corn bread meet steak and tacos—all given a creative, modern spin in a city whose unofficial motto is "Keep Austin Weird."

BREAKFAST: Hoover's Cooking
On weekend mornings, the place to go for a nostalgic Southern breakfast is Hoover's Cooking. If you ask politely, Hoover will make you "Eggs Blindfolded," a Southern short-order cook's version of poached eggs. The eggs are dropped on a hot griddle and then covered with a couple of pieces of ice and a lid. The sizzling ice makes for a delightful half-fried, half-poached egg. Try one on a scoop of hearty garlic cheddar grits.

Go there: Hoover's Cooking, 512-479-5006

LUNCH: Garrido's

"People in Austin love tacos, but they want them to be healthy," says David Garrido of Garrido's. His top seller is a taco with grilled fish on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes with a topping of aioli or salsa and bacon.

Go there: Garrido's, 512-320-8226

DINNER: Olivia
The locavore trend meets the "nose to tail" movement (the idea of using as much of the animal as possible) at Olivia. Chef James Holmes is receiving acclaim for a menu that includes Southern and Southwestern offal dishes like lamb hearts with green chile salsa and foie gras grits. In late winter, look for a hearty dish of risotto made with organic beets topped with a Texas grass-fed flatiron steak sprinkled with crumbled local "Pure Luck" blue cheese.

Go there: Olivia, 512-804-2700

Taken from CookingLight.com