As a city, Austin is governed by a council of seven members who are elected directly by the entire population of the state rather than the district-wise election which is the norm followed in other states. The Austin Police Department enforces the law in the city, the Austin Fire Department provides fire protection and the United States Postal Services operates several post offices in the city.
Some of the well-known restaurants in Austin are listed as follows:
The Driskill Grill is one of the best restaurants in Austin which offers an extraordinary cuisine, especially known for exquisite appetizers. In this restaurant, the chefs make use of exotic ingredients like micro cilantro and orange-coriander curd to garnish and complement the main preparations and a lot of emphases is given to the presentation and service of food.
The Aquarelle is a French specialty restaurant that serves delicately flavored seafood, one of the most popular preparations being the Mussels Bouillabaisse. The restaurant is known for its use of multiple steps to prepare food and hors d’ouevres, sorbets and tidbits are served free to complement the food.
Hudson’s on the Bend is a restaurant that takes pleasure in serving a blend of regional and southwest flavors to its guests. Some of the specialties are smoked duck and apple-wood bacon although the famous shooter, which happens to be a one-gulp drink, is still the most sought after drink here.
The Jeffery’s has been among the best restaurants in Austin for the last 25 years and serves Mexican cuisine. Some of the noteworthy specialties are quail with Stilton mousse and black-currant port sauce and Chile Relleno which are being served for the last 25 years and have given the restaurant its well-deserved reputation for excellent food.
The Zoot is an American Bistro that is particularly well known for its chicken liver pate in which there are various layers with each layer offering a different flavor. The service at this restaurant is beyond compare and it mostly serves the evening clientele.
The Little Texas Bistro offers a casual but tasteful decor in which it promises a lavish dining experience. This restaurant serves the local Texan flavors in a unique combination so that every dish is a blend of contradictory tastes like sweet and sour or sweet and spicy. A popular combination is a dish named sausage risotto in which the spicy sausage is combined with peaches, raisins and Parmesan cheese.
The Cafe at the Four Seasons has been one of the best restaurants in Austin for the past twenty years because of the excellent food served and especially the appetizers. The restaurant makes use of a variety of fruit flavors to complement the food in the form of crushed dates, pomegranate sauce, and red grapefruit.
The Uchi is a Japanese specialty restaurant that also has a sushi bar which is looked after by a number of sushi chefs. Some of the exotic ingredients used here are the organic grapefruit, bluefin tuna, goat cheese, and golden caviar.
The Cafe 909 boasts of a state-of-the-art kitchen within transparent glass walls so as to enable the guests to watch the food being cooked as well as to observe the method of cooking. This restaurant traces its cuisine to the bygone days of the gold rush and therefore offers a rustic menu to its clientele.
The Wink is an upscale restaurant that serves a variety of chicken preparations accompanied by sauces and side dishes which are altered every now and then.