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Best Bargain Restaurants: Austin Grill and South Austin Grill

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Austin Grill
Washington , West Springfield
South Austin Grill
Alexandria

Rob wilder once again has succeeded in cloning the neighborhood feel and homely cooking of his original Austin Grill. The latest offspring of his Glover Park yuppie cantina is, like the Alexandria branch, more spacious than its prototype, but mercifully free of the corporate rigidity that taints the cooking and the service of other restaurant chains. It didn't take long for diners who resided near the first two Grills to turn them into relaxed, neighborhood places, and the West Springfield branch reflects this familial tendency.

Thanks to the cooking talents of peripatetic corporate chef Juan "Papa" Benitez, the Springfield store serves the sort of food that originally made the first Austin Grill the best little Tex-Mex restaurant in the District. Thanks to Papa's eye for talent and his ability to teach, the other two Grills continue their tradition of excellent food. In late summer, Benitez will take his magic to a future Grill in Bethesda, which no doubt will become another neighborhood place shortly after opening its doors. The quesadillas will be the best you'll taste as far down Wisconsin Avenue as the original Austin Grill, the chili will make expatriate Texans teary-eyed, the pork carnitas will separate the real men and women from the dudes and dudettes, the burrito stuffed with stewed chicken and black beans will affirm Papa Benitez's position as the best Tex-Mex chef in town, and the Ibarra chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream will make you glad you left room for dessert.

Austin Grill , 2404 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington; 202/337-8080. Open Monday 11:30 am to 10:30 pm, Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Friday 11:30 am to midnight, Saturday 11 am to midnight, Sunday 11 am to 10:30 pm. AE, D, DC, MC, V. MapIt!

Austin Grill , 8430 Old Keene Mill Road (in the Old Keene Mill Center), West Springfield; 703/644-3111. Open Monday 11:30 am to 10 pm, Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Friday 11:30 am to midnight, Saturday 11 am to midnight, Sunday 11 am to 10 pm. AE, D, DC, MC, V. MapIt!

South Austin Grill , 801 King Street, Alexandria; 703/684-8969. Open Monday 11:30 am to 10 pm, Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 am to 11:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 12:30 am, Sunday 11 am to 10 pm. AE, D, DC, MC, V. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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