parkside

“”Survive and advance’ are the words Chef/Owner Shawn Cirkiel uses to describe the situation at his downtown Austin restaurant during the 10-day stretch of South By Southwest. Situated smack in the middle of the madness on 6th Street, Parkside serves fresh oysters and fancy cocktails year-round, making it easy to spot in a sea of the neighboring rowdy college bars on any given night.”

“Chef-owner Shawn Cirkiel finishes his made-to-order elbow macaroni and cheese with a sprinkle of Parmesan and bread crumbs to create a superthin, crispy crust. ‘The hardest part is not taking a bite right when it comes out because it will burn the top of your mouth, like good pizza,’ Cirkiel says.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. The frosty peach sphere that dominates this dessert is actually sorbet, with a relatively healthy peach and fresh raspberry filling. It’s the pistachio shortbread crumble, pistachio sponge cake and root beer ice cream on the side that push the envelope toward extravagant.”

“Settle in to Shawn Cirkiel’s classic-yet-modern brick-walled seafood saloon on landlocked Sixth Street and you can almost hear the ships coming into harbor…Head to the deep-end pleasures offered by the raw menu.”

“It’s tough skipping the gems of the bar menu…indulge in just a few of the more-serious creations from Shawn Cirkiel and Justin Rupp, like fresh egg pasta, golden al dente ribbons in a light broth…The signature doughnut holes from pastry chef Steven Cak were, as usual, steaming pillows of pure delight. The casual, spare Sixth Street setting contrasts with the lushness of the menu.”

“With a patio that overlooks all the action, it is at once a place to savor some oysters, take in the surroundings and sample some of the best garlic and parsley French fries on earth.”

“After cooking in some of America’s toniest restaurants, Chef Shawn Cirkiel moved back to Austin … where he became the city’s youngest ever five-star chef”

“Chef Shawn Cirkiel… The Innovator… one of the youngest chefs to bring a five-star restaurant to Austin… has a vision that includes a full-scale renaissance for this historic area.”

“Winner of the 2011 Burger Week Reader Poll: parkside… there was just no beating this upscale Sixth Street burger.”

“Parkside’s meat tastes like steak, that it’s perfectly seared, that the bun is butter-flaked brioche and the hand-cut fries are as crisp as white tablecloths… it’s (parkside burger) the baddest on the block.”

“Serious eaters…are rewarded with smart food…oysters and the creative
raw bar or …a fried-egg-topped burger…cumin-dusted ceviche…the bar
steak totally satis-fies, as do what may be the crispest fries in town.”

“Sixth Street is Austin’s nightlife nexus, and chef Shawn Cirkiel’s parkside combines a second-floor lounge, a first-floor casual restaurant, and a steel-topped oyster bar where you can knock back a dozen or two bivalves, crab fritters, a fried-egg sandwich, marrow bones, and any of twenty beers”