Went to Rough Hollow to have a few lake front drinks last weekend and to my surprise it was THE day they have their annual Crawfish Boil! Oh what joy! I actually had the event bookmarked on Yelp! Yay! Everything about the Boil was fantastic! Of course, the locale. For those of you that have never been to RH, put it on your list of things to do. Even if you don't have a full meal, go for a drink or two and take in all the beautiful scenery! Great landscaping, architecture, and stunning views of the lake - particularly from the Pavilion balcony that is only opened on special occasions such as the Boil (weddings, grad parties, etc.). The staff are all well-trained and know how to treat the customers. Super helpful and courteous! The festive sounds of live zydeco filled the air. The weather was perfect. About 85, nice and sunny, with just the right breeze. (Which is a good thing, because RH does not allow crawfish consumption inside the main restaurant.) The people...not too packed; diverse crowd . Everyone was very friendly. There were a fair amount of kiddos about; however, they were all so well behaved I didn't even notice them. (Not a hater - just like to relax with my beer and snack without hearing screaming in my ear). MOST IMPORTANT: The Mud Bugs. Normally $25 p/p for all-you-can-it - which is a GREAT deal - but made even better if you happen to know the manager (Thanks for the hospitality Johnny!). Great bugs! Huge! Suck da heads good! Each batch was served with corn on the cob, small red potatoes, and slices of andouille. Awesome! A+++! A wonderful, fun-filled afternoon! Have already put the event on my calendar for next year! Do the same! Maybe I'll see you there... :-D read more

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This event exceeded my expectations. I'm not a big lake junky I must note--the thought of murky water, party barges, frat-types sporting neon colors, awkward bathing suits on elderly women and sloppy people (that's right, sloppy people. hot weather makes people have bad judgement on what to wear/do/and otherwise near water) don't exactly thrill me. So when my friend told me about this all-you-can-eat crawfish event at the lake, my first two reservations were 1) lake people? and 2) how much crawfish can I really eat? But alas, after chain watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix for 4 hours last (Friday) night and mourning my sedentary lifestyle and general anti-socialness...I impulse-bought the $15 advance ticket online. What else was I gonna do on Saturday? Besides continue to vicariously engage in Ted's tireless search for his future wife on Netflix? The set-up was beautiful. A prototypical "lake scene" you would see on say, TV, rather than the let-down gross lake scenes that tend to disappoint me. Gorgeous mansions atop hills/cliffs(?) all around which didn't really directly contribute to the experience because it's not like we were in them but hey made very good visual props. And of course there was the surrounding lake...and we were lucky that the weather was sunny and breezy. There were a good amount of people--enough to where the event seemed happenin' but not to where I was elbowing people in a race to the all-you-can-eat grub. In fact, that was probably one of the key delighters...lack of long ass lines. Loved it. Heaps of food and virtually no wait! The 1.5 - 2 lb. crawfish servings were put into these black paper cartons where people would just pick up and go. They also had mac and cheese, hot dogs, and eventually beef sliders included in your pass fee which was a pleasantly unexpected surprise. I never say no to mac and cheese. The crawfish was tasty--spicy and well-seasoned although a bit too salty for my taste. Included in the sides were boiled potatoes, corn, mushrooms, and sliced sausage which are more side items than are usually included with crawfish. So they definitely didn't scrimp just because it was all-you-can eat. (Another thing I must add is I'm not a fan of buffets. Once again, people have bad judgment when put in front of unlimited food supply plus quality is usually compromised for quantity.) One harp I had with the service was the bartender inside the restaurant...very unattentive, unhelpful, and clueless. I'm not sure if this counts toward the specific event because I later realized that the Grille at Rough Hollow Restaurant was only co-hosting the boil with a few other groups but hey--I'm going to recount everything that contributed to my holistic experience, good or bad. My friend and I literally stood against the counter for 10 minutes while this bartender ignored us (no it was not crowded) before we finally asked to see a happy hour drink menu. He was unfriendly and after handing us the menu adds that he's not sure if there is happy hour today. Umm, if the bartender doesn't know the happy hour schedule...who the hell is supposed to know? He doesn't even offer up a way for us to find out and the proceeds to ignore us again. I encountered a similar experience with another one of the restaurant's employees, not sure if this is a consistent issue with the Grille. That said, the staff that were clearly working the specific event were very friendly and helpful. A woman with a green shirt would frequently materialize out of nowhere and offer up wet naps at point of need and there were always bus boys clearing out the crawfish cartons after you were done. Overall, I would definitely recommend this event and will probably attend the following year--my begrudging view of lake-type hooplas is slowly shifting! read more

Rough Hollow Crawfish Boil - View from the event - Specialty Food Near Me - Austin, Texas

This was seriously an awesome, awesome event. I wish I could give it 6 stars. Oh yeah, it was that good. Unlike most boils which usually consist of crawfish, corn, and potatoes, Rough Hollow's also had mushrooms, lemons, sausage, garlic, and onions...in a wonderful spicy, salty, buttery- ohmygoodnessbuttery- sauce. The best part? A mere $15/person got us all-you-can-eat crawfish & fixins, slider burgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, and non-alcoholic drinks (of course, there was alcohol for sale) for the whole afternoon. All that alone was worth 5 stars. Throw in the 70 degree, sunny weather that we got, the absolutely to die for scenery of Rough Hollow, the 2 minute *max* wait for food, the impeccable service, and the fact that I got to bring Lilly (profile pic in blue dress taken here!), and I have to bump it up to the special 6th star. Mega brownie points go to the wet nap lady who was clearly walking around with an all-important mission. Every time we were nearing the end of a serving of crawfish, BAM she was right there with- not one- but *two* wet naps. Pure perfection. read more

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