A wave of relaxation washed over me as I walked onto the patio of Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar at five o'clock on a Friday afternoon. The rolling green hills of Barton Creek were spread out before me, a beautiful backdrop for an exceptional dinner.
The Blind Salamander, one of several restaurants at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, first came to my attention at the Austin Food + Wine Festival.
They served a smoked salmon dip in a seaweed cone with capers and tobiko (fish roe). It was one of my favorite bites of 2022, and I'd been curious about the restaurant ever since.
A few years later, when an invitation to experience Blind Salamander's seasonal, seafood-focused menu landed in my inbox, I eagerly accepted.
The Hill Country restaurant is about 10 miles west of downtown Austin and about double that distance from where I live in North Austin. It's far enough away to feel like destination dining, yet conveniently within city limits.
Executive chef Francisco Baca grew up in El Paso, on the West Texas border with Mexico, and was influenced by his mother and grandmother's cooking, Tex-Mex, and Mexican cuisine.
He moved to New York City for culinary training, then worked in San Francisco before returning to Texas to lead the kitchen at Blind Salamander. In 2023, he won the Heritage Fire Tour competition in Austin.
The restaurant is named after the Texas blind salamander (Eurycea rathbun), a rare and endangered amphibian found in the "water-filled caves of the Edwards Aquifer near San Marcos," according to Texas Parks & Wildlife. Now that you have a little background, let's check out the food and dining atmosphere.
My Experience
Cocktails
Once the hostess seated my friend Sara and me on the patio, our friendly, knowledgeable server, Caroline, greeted us. We quickly learned it was her last night on the job after five years at the Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar. We would be in good hands for the rest of the evening.
Following introductions, I turned my attention to the drink menu. The Omni Flavor Origins concept organizes cocktails by taste profile, making it easier for guests to choose a drink they'll enjoy.
The three categories are fruit, botanical, and Earth, moving from light and refreshing (Pink Berry Collins) to alcohol-forward and adventurous (Omni's Opulent Martini).
Choosing from the botanical section, I ordered the Strawberry Peppercorn Gin and Tonic with Hendrick's Gin, cucumber, lime, strawberry-infused syrup, and Q Indian Tonic Water. My friend ordered a glass of rosé. As we waited for our drinks, we looked over the dinner menu.
Appetizers and Salads
The first section features seafood, including oysters on the half shell, a jumbo shrimp cocktail, and a yellowtail crudo with cucumber aguachile. Caroline said the ahi tartare was a customer favorite, and when it arrived at the table, I understood why.
Four portions of fresh tuna with soy-yuzu vinaigrette were dolloped on a crispy, paper-thin Feuille de brick and garnished with avocado, edamame, and microgreens. I liked how the ingredients were organized and how the dish used negative space.
We gently cracked the fried dough with a fork and transferred pieces to our plates. The thin dough held the weight of the tuna, so that we could eat it with our hands.
Beyond the presentation and fresh ingredients, I enjoyed the textures: the crunchy dough, meaty raw tuna, and silky smooth avocado and edamame. We were off to a promising start.
The second section of the menu is labeled "Starters." It features French onion soup with Gruyère, burrata with seasonal fruits, tomato onion dip with toasted bread, and a foie gras mousse with pistachio butter, pickled and wild berries, and sourdough. My eyes lit up at that last option, and it was one of my favorite dishes that night.
It became increasingly clear that the kitchen paid close attention to how the food was presented. When it arrived at the table, the foie gras mousse looked like a work of modern art. I liked the complementary colors and the way it looked chaotic.
I didn't hesitate to smear the mousse onto the grilled sourdough bread. Once again, the contrast of textures between the velvety mousse and crunchy bread was thoroughly enjoyable. I would return for this dish alone.
The kitchen also sent the tomato bagna cauda and toasted bread for dipping. Bagna cauda is a warm Northern Italian sauce I hadn't previously encountered. It's made with olive oil, butter, garlic, and anchovies.
I found it a little too salty for my taste, though I already had my hands full devouring the foie gras (lest none of it go to waste).
I chose the squash salad with curry yogurt, pomegranates, toasted grains, and ancho vadouvan vinaigrette. This was the most adventurous dish of the night, as the curry yogurt and vadouvan evoked traditional Indian spices and flavors. Vadouvan is a French interpretation of India's masala curry.
Entrees and Sides
The menu offered eight entrees: four meats, three seafood dishes, and a cavatelli pasta dish with mushrooms for vegetarians. Carnivores can choose from filet mignon, lamb chops, beef cheek roast, and a pastrami-spiced duck.
Seafood lovers will be drawn to the scallops, blackened redfish, and ora king salmon with corn chowder. I ordered the scallops with potatoes, shrimp beurre blanc sauce, roe, and turnips, and a side of crab mac 'n cheese, a signature dish.
Four large, seared scallops arrived on a large, black circular plate. The two potatoes were topped with the roe, and the shrimp sauce helped tie it together. Sara and I helped ourselves to one of the giant scallops each, perfectly cooked.
There may have been some "ohs" and "ahs," murmured as we enjoyed the entree. I plunged the serving spoon into the baked crab mac 'n cheese and pulled out a steaming hot serving of cheesy pasta. The pasta was al dente, and they used copious amounts of cheese.
The other seafood entree we tried was halibut with couscous, a special on the summer 2024 menu. This white fish may look like nothing out of the ordinary, but it tasted downright delicious. A light golden crust gives way to the most tender fish meat. I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed it.
While our server wasn't sure how well it'd work as leftovers, I took it home and can confirm the taste and texture were still wonderful the following day.
We've covered seafood so far. However, Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar has a lot to offer meat-eaters as well. I speak from experience, having feasted on the mouthwatering beef cheek roast with root vegetables, cipollini onions, and bordelaise sauce.
The sizeable hunk of meat sat beneath a generous amount of thick, rich sauce (you have to love the French). The vegetables were artfully arranged around the plate, adding color.
The tender meat barely needed a knife to help pull it apart. The sauce's richness reminded me of another beef cheek dish I'd enjoyed at Brasserie Mon Chou Chou at the Pearl in San Antonio.
As if all this wasn't enough, the kitchen served another unexpected dish: twice-cooked potatoes with oyster aioli, bonito flakes, and eel sauce. The fried potato cubes, which offered a few bites each, were so much fun to admire and eat.
We skipped the vegetable-oriented sides of charred broccolini with herb yogurt and roasted cauliflower with corn puree.
Throughout our meal, diners filled the patio tables around us. Country music played over the speakers, a genre I've only begun to explore in the last year.
Despite my status as a country music newbie, I did hear one song I know and like: Clay Walker's "If I Could Make a Living." At 7 p.m., the overcast sky still afforded us quite a bit of light as the desserts began to arrive.
Desserts
To round out our dinner at Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar, we chose two of the three desserts. First, the pastry chef's intriguing approach to tiramisu, the classic Italian dessert. It came in a chocolate-coated cube with cacao nib crumb, Kahlua chocolate sauce, and a quenelle of vanilla chantilly cream.
Once again, I was pleased with the presentation and cracked into the thinly coated cube with my fork. It gave way quickly, revealing a mousse-like filling with a coffee-soaked cake center.
The second dessert I ordered was the tropical baked Alaska bombe, with layers of passion fruit ice cream, guava curd, and torched meringue on a coffee crumb crust. Pineapple gel spread on the plate added fruity notes.
This dish was a joy to eat, especially after trying the original Baked Alaska that inspired it at Delmonico's in NYC a month earlier.
Reflecting on my first dinner at Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar, I realized that the experience surpassed every expectation. The patio views of the Fazio Foothills Golf Course and the Texas Hill Country were more peaceful than I imagined, and the dishes more sophisticated.
Whether it was the artfully plated foie gras mousse, the perfectly seared scallops, or the innovative desserts, each course showcased the skill of Chef Baca and his team. Caroline's excellent, friendly service on her last workday was greatly appreciated.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, 8212 Barton Club Dr, Austin, TX
Dress Code: Resort casual
Reservations: Available via OpenTable.
Website: omnihotels.com
Hours: Wed, Thu, and Sun 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Fri/Sat 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Parking: Restaurant guests receive complimentary valet service at the main entrance. Self-parking is also available.
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Thank you to the Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar and Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa for hosting me. All opinions are my own.
