NxNW and Lotus Hunan

This past week I have gone out twice to eat; my dad was in town and took my sisters and I out to dinner. The next night I went out to dinner with the Nom Crew.
Both places we went I had researched and made sure they were up to par.

North by NorthWest
My dad took us to the restaurant and brewery, North By NorthWest (NxNW). I was very impressed with all that it had to offer. They had amazing appetizers and a wide range of entrées. Unfortunately we were all too full indulge in any dessert. We ordered the appetizer sampler, which came with four items: fried calamari, buffalo wings, fried artichoke hearts, and sausage-stuffed mushrooms. It came with three different dipping sauces that went well with everything. I ordered the Asian Chicken Salad (you'll soon figure out that that is my go-to dish, and I am always trying to find a great Asian chicken salad). It was good, but not the best asian chicken salad I've had, and next time i go back I will definitely be trying something different. One of my sisters ordered the Orange Chicken, which she let me try and so very good; it was moist and the orange sauce wasn't too overpowering. We went on a monday and the Tortilla-crusted Tilapia was the special of the day. My other sister ordered it and was very pleased. My father ordered the Lemon Shrimp Linguini, which he enjoyed as well.
The really cool thing about North by NorthWest is that they are a brewery and brew their own beer on site. They offer 5 different types of beer, and had a sixth option that was seasonal. My sister and I tried three of the six beers, and I really enjoyed each one I tried. I ordered their seasonal hefeweizen, which was quite bitter, but full in flavor, and their "Duckabush Amber" which was smooth and 'hoppy'.
The atmosphere was very modern and chic, and had a really homey feel at the same time.
I would give North by NorthWest 4½ out of 5 stars: ★★★★✫       http://nxnwbrew.com/

Lotus Hunan Chinese Restaurant
The other restaurant I ventured to this week with some of my buddies was Lotus Hunan Chinese Restaurant in Westlake, Austin. On the way, all of my friends were talking about how they had not been able to find a solid Chinese restaurant, besides P.F. Chang's or a Pei Wei, in Austin... or they weren't as easy to find as compared to our hometowns of Dallas and Houston. I can confidently say that we all left satisfied and happy that we had found the place that we were all looking for. The service was UNBELIEVABLE, almost "too good" if you know what I mean. Our waitress was coming to our table every other minute checking in, and our waters were constantly being filled before they even got to the halfway mark. The food was very solid. Three friends ordered the WonTon Soup, and really enjoyed it, while a friend and I ordered the Crab Ragoons as an appetizer. There was no dipping sauce that came with our ragoons, but our waitress quickly made us a sweet & spicy concoction in the kitchen and brought it out for us.. it was awesome! Tangy and sweet - it really complemented the ragoons. Two friends ordered your standard Sesame Chicken, which they both raved about. Another ordered Kung Pow Chicken, and I never got feedback on it, but he didn't say anything negative (so I am going to take that as a good thing). I ordered the Pan Fried Noodles with Beef, Pork, and Shrimp. I wanted to get something new, and the waitress said it was one of her favorites. It was prepared with a brown sauce and served over fried noodles, which were crunchier than I thought. I was really impressed with the dish and glad I decided to venture out of my Chinese comfort zone.
Overall, the food was solid and the service was great. I'd give it 4 stars: ★★★★☆    http://www.lotushunan.com/index.html