The Hyde Park Fries Syndrome

My guitar-playing pal David Wyatt entered his Jesus year on Saturday, so we went to the new Amy’s Ice Cream/Phil’s Ice House at the corner of Burnet and Northland. They’ve done a fine job of converting an old gas station/used car lot into a thriving community-oriented business complete with a “cowscape” for the kiddos. The property also houses Amy’s production and management offices.

As for the food, David said the sweet potato fries were good and my Allandale Burger was pretty good, too. It wasn’t spectacular, but the ingredients were super-fresh and the flaky sourdough buns were a nice touch. You can’t ask for much more than that in a hamburger. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to get any ice cream. What the hell kind of birthday deal is that? I owe ya one, David!

Most of Phil’s burgers are named after North Central Austin neighborhoods (Rosedale, Crestview, Brentwood, etc.). Which brings to mind a new axiom we'll call the Hyde Park Fries Syndrome: once a restaurant names a menu item after a neighborhood, you probably won’t be able to afford living there much longer.