Everyone knows there are plenty of great restaurants in Austin. Some have been around forever and some are fairly new on the scene. Whether a restaurant is new to you or one of your favorites, wouldn't it be great to know what other people are

eating there, what their favorite dish is? What if you could have the same lamb chops that Broadway star Tommy Tune raves about? Or if you could have the Thai stir-fry that hooked actress Drew Barrymore? Or just know what's most popular thing on the menu and why? Well, you can. Read on and learn about some of Austin's best restaurant's best dishes, as told by chefs, owners, and managers across town. We couldn't cover them all; these are just some of the standouts. Get ready to have your appetite aroused.

Hyde Park Bar & Grill's Fries

This one's easy. If you don't know the signature dish at Hyde Park Bar & Grill, you've probably never eaten there. Or seen the giant French fries on the giant fork out front.

"Oh, it's the fries, easy," says manager Keith Pennington. "They were developed when Bick Brown (the owner) first opened the place back in 1982. They wanted something different, to set them apart…One of his friends taught him to make these fries. The heritage is that they came from Cajun-style cooking. They are dipped in buttermilk and rolled in peppered flour. Of course, we fry them in peanut oil, which gives them that much more flavor than your standard French fry. Peanut oil is healthier, a little lower in fat, and it's just the best oil to fry with."

The crunchy, crispy, delicious wonders are served with a tangy, spicy dipping sauce known as Hyde Park sauce. But this wasn't always the case.

"The fries were originally served with a jalapeno jelly years ago. Then they came up with this sauce that was supposed to go with the fried chicken-breast sandwich. And lo and behold, people started dipping their fries in that and asking for it every time they got fries…The jalapeno jelly kind of went by the wayside, so we decided to just stick with the Hyde Park sauce," Pennington says.

Now, they go through five hundred pounds of potatoes and about ten gallons of sauce per day to keep Austin diners happy with those fries they love so much. People have asked (begged) the restaurant to ship the dish FedEx but it's just not doable. Austin is the only place you can get them. One more thing to love about this city.

Warm Spinach Salad at Starlite

If you never thought of a salad or spinach as comfort food, get ready tochange your mind. The mood altering concoction of cheese, potatoes, spinach, and egg at Starlite is enough to make a believer out of anyone.

Michael Terrazas, co-owner and manager, describes the multilayered delight.

"We start off with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes. They are cubed finely and we roast them with just a little salt and olive oil. Then we melt some Cambozola blue cheese, which is a cross between an Italian Gorgonzola and a French Camembert, it's a blue-veined cheese, soft ripened. Then we sauté some spinach in a bacon vinaigrette with some grape tomatoes. We put that on top with some crumbled egg yolk."

Not only is it wildly popular, it's the only dish on the constantly rotating menu that hasn't changed since the restaurant opened two years ago. The salty, creamy cheese contrasts nicely with the bacon vinaigrette, which is sweet and tangy. The hearty salad works well as an appetizer or light main course. Terrazas thinks its appeal is simple and basic.

"It's pretty complex in flavor with everything going on, as well as the textures. You've got the sautéed spinach that's a very earthy flavor and when it sautées down it's not crunchy any longer but it still has the bite of a good green. Of course, the potatoes and the cheese (make it) almost like a baked potato, all creamy and hearty. The grape tomatoes are the smallest tomatoes and they are just barely heated in the sauté pan so they just burst (in your mouth). As innovative as it is, it still feels like comfort food to people," says Terrazas.

Phuket Wonder at Satay

That's pronounced "poo ket," in case you are wondering. This spicy dish is named for the famous island resort in southern Thailand where the dish is popular. In Phuket, and throughout Thailand, it's known as Pad Prik King, according to Satay owner Foo Swasdee. The original dish is stir-fried long bean with spicy chili sauce and fried pork rind. Swasdee made some changes.

"Pad Prik King, originally, with the fried pork rinds, was something I didn't eat because it's so fattening. So, I took the recipe and modified it. Here, we don't have long bean all the time so I use green beans. I make my own chili paste and instead of using pork rinds, I just use lots and lots of garlic. I named it Phuket, because it comes from the south of Thailand, and Wonder, so people would ask what it is," she says.

The fresh green beans are sautéed with the pre-mixed roasted chili paste, fresh chilies, the aforementioned garlic, and kaffir lime leaf. A small amount of red bell pepper, just for color, according to Swasdee, and the diner's choice of meat, shrimp or tofu is added. The result is a fresh, richly flavored dish that vegetarians and carnivores both enjoy. It sounds hot but it's fairly mild by Thai standards, though you can certainly ask them to crank up the heat.

In addition to one local restaurant critic, who loves the dish but hates the name, actress Drew Barrymore is a fan of the entrée. Apparently, Barrymore came into the restaurant in 2001 and tried Phuket Wonder. The staff knew she was famous but didn't know who she was. Then a few days later she had someone pick up two orders to go. She didn't know the name, just that it was spicy green beans with a funny name. She told them it was for Drew. Swasdee and her staff put it together when Barrymore mentioned Satay in a magazine interview later. If you want it like Drew, order it with shrimp. The other choices are tofu, beef, chicken, or pork. No matter what meat you choose, one bite and you'll know why so many people love it.

Lamb Chops at Chez Zee

Sarah Bown, manager and daughter of owner Sharon Watkins, says the fried dill pickles get people talking but the lamb chops are really the standout dish at Chez Zee. The lamb chops are marinated in rosemary balsamic vinaigrette, then grilled and served with apricot chutney accompanied by horseradish mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.

"Everyone loves it, even people who don't normally eat lamb. The word has gotten around that even if you don't eat lamb, you have to try these," says Bown. "We have people who rave about them. We only serve them on Friday and Saturday nights but we're thinking about adding them (to the regular menu) because people are so crazy for them."

Recently, a group gathered at Chez Zee to celebrate the birthday of Ruth Denney, well-known drama teacher (High School for the Performing Arts in Houston, University of Texas) who taught both Broadway star Tommy Tune and Chez Zee owner Sharon Watkins, as well as actresses Jaclyn Smith and Sandy Duncan. At the birthday lunch, Tune was convinced to try the lamb even though he thought he wanted something else.

According to Bown, "Tommy Tune said the lamb was better than any he ever had in New York City. He said it was really great and he was going to tell all his friends in New York to come here and taste the lamb."

Mom Watkins added this tidbit about the fried pickles.

"Elizabeth Montgomery (of Bewitched fame) loved the fried dill pickles. She called me one day and said 'I'm trying to cook these things. It can't be hard. How do you do this?'"

Watkins eventually determined that a home kitchen just wasn't able to maintain the high heat needed to cook the pickles before they turned to mush. So, if you want fried dill pickles, go to Chez Zee, don't try it at home.

Sea Bass at Bistro 88

Bistro 88 is the Euro-Asian wonder tucked into a shopping center in West Lake Hills. The food is authentic, as chef and owner Jeff Liu can attest. Many West Lake and Bee Cave families make Bistro 88 a regular stop. One reason is the sea bass. Liu prepares it two ways and was hard pressed to choose just one as the signature dish. The chef says most customers order the sea bass and love it. One way they love it is miso ginger. Miso is a Japanese ingredient that according to Webster's is "made by grinding a mixture of steamed rice, cooked soybeans, and salt and fermenting it in brine." It lends a mild salty fermented taste to food. Sake is Japanese rice wine. Chef Liu explains how it comes together.

"I marinate with miso, ginger, and sake for over twenty-four hours. When it's finished marinating, I just put it on the grill. It's served fork tender. You touch it and it falls apart. That's the dish that's selling since day one, I cannot take it off (the menu)," he says.

He also has a tale about who loves it most.

"That dish is the favorite of Lady Bird Johnson's family. All the family visits; they come in and they have to have this. They come every other Tuesday and they call first and ask if we have the miso sea bass."

The other preparation isn't quite as decadent, and doesn't have a famous name associated with it, but it's no less popular.

Chef Liu says, "It's Hong Kong style steamed sea bass. I put Napa cabbage in the bass and put it in the steamer for fifteen minutes. Then, I shock it with hot oil then put shredded green onion, ginger, and Chinese fermented black beans on it. Then, it's topped with soy sake sauce. It's so healthy, and one of the top sellers."

Both styles are served with sautéed green beans, topped with a tomato rose with a dollop of pesto, and asparagus mushroom risotto. It's a dish that's a rare find in Austin.

Duck Confit at Chez Nous

Too bad you can't hear owner Sybil Reinhart's wonderful French accent when she describes this dish. You'll just have to go to Chez Nous and listen for yourself. If you go, consider the fixed price, or prix fixe, meal, which is three courses for twenty-one dollars and fifty cents. You get to choose from two or three items in each course and the menu changes daily. It's really the most popular since it amounts to a great deal of great food for a moderate price. But the actual dish that Chez Nous diners love, ask for, and pitch fits about if it's not on the menu, is the duck confit. Confit is meat preserved in it's own fat.

"It's a leg of duck that is first roasted to take off the grease. Then it's marinated in the grease, then removed from the grease and sautéed. It makes a very, very tender, delicious leg of duck and gives it a particular flavor too. We serve it with a grilled breast of duck. It's all served with roasted peaches and (a sauce of) rosemary infused peach wine with a duck-stock reduction," says Reinhart.

Sounds like French for yummy. Chez Nous has its share of customers who've been regulars for the twenty-one years it's been open. Many of them order the duck when they dine. One gentleman has been a regular for four years, every week. Each time, he orders the duck confit.

"One time he came in and it was not on the menu," says Reinhart. "He was upset and there was quite a bit of drama."

Like just about everything, this sounds better with a French accent.

Lasagna at Ciola's

Ciola's has only been open a year in Austin but the food has been generations in the making. This isn't authentic Italian food like you'd find in Italy. It's authentic Italian-American food like you'd find in the best mom-and-pop Italian restaurants in New York, Boston, or Philadelphia. Or Virginia Beach, Virginia. That's where owner Dan Ciola's uncle Dominick opened the first Ciola's. Both restaurants serve the family favorites in fun, casual surroundings, complete with Sinatra in the background. We don't know what's the top item in Virginia but here it's lasagna, according to chef Ron Brannon. Here's how he describes it.

"It's got about ten layers. It starts off with our spicy sausage that we make in-house. It has a little bit of pepperoni, our homemade meatballs, a little salami on top of that. Then we do four different kinds of cheeses in it: pecorino, Romano, mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone. It has hardboiled eggs in between layers. Basically, it's tall, about a mile high. It takes two people to eat one portion."

Hardboiled eggs in lasagna? Yes. According to Brannon, it's an old Italian tradition. It certainly isn't because the dish lacks protein. The recipe has been passed down from generation to generation in Ciola's family. But Brannon says when they got the recipe here they modified it and made it even better.

Network news anchor Dan Rather agrees and has the lasagna whenever he's in town visiting his daughter.

Bria's Pumpkin French Toast at Jean Luc's Bistro

If a dessert is a signature dish, you know it has to be something special. And this one is. Not only for it's taste (which is divine) but for it's story (which is heartwarming).

Not long after chef Shawn Cirkiel opened Jean Luc's, his wife, Bria, baked fresh homemade pumpkin bread for the cooks and staff who had worked so hard getting everything up and running. While driving to work smelling the bread, Cirkiel had a revelation. What about pumpkin French toast? Uncertain whether he envisioned a sweet or savory dish, he shared his thoughts with pastry chef Philip Seer. Seer immediately seized on the idea and asked to put it on the dessert menu. He whipped up some white chocolate ice cream and that night Jean Luc's offered pumpkin French toast with white chocolate ice cream and caramel sauce. As if that weren't enough, when Cirkiel's visiting in-laws dined at the restaurant that night, he had the waiter offer the new creation as Bria's Pumpkin French Toast.

Cirkiel says, "They had it and loved it, as did everyone else that night. My wife, who was not at dinner, heard about what I had done and was upset, as (the bread) was a gift. She decided though that she wanted to try it. She came down right before we closed and we had just sold the last order. She was a little mad, but understanding."

It was such a hit that it was added to the fall menu. If you want to try it, call the restaurant in the fall, once pumpkins are in season, and ask if they have it. You'll be glad you did, as it's been featured in Bon Appétit, Southwest Airlines Magazine, Austin American-Statesman, and the Los Angeles Times.

"What is so neat to me," says Cirkiel, "is this dish shows how we think about food here at Jean Luc's Bistro. My wife forgave me, of course. But it's funny how her kindness was turned into a 'winner' on the car ride from home to work."

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go eat!

Lynett Oliver found herself wanting to sign up for all these signature dishes all over town. You may e-mail Lynett at loliver@goodlifemag.com.