3 Excellent Restaurants Fairly Close to The JW in Downtown Austin.

Austin is a top-rated city for foodies! Great food is all a short stroll from your room at the JW Marriott. These are some excellent casual restaurants with that decidedly Texas flair and they all have full bars...

• The Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill is a few blocks east on Red River. Specializing in the world’s best “comfort food” served in entrée portions. “The Original Moonshine Corndog Shrimp” is the premier appetizer. Steak salad and pork belly sandwiches lead the list of remarkable meals dressed up as “casual cuisine.” End with the skillet apple pie with caramel sauce.

• Parkside – on Sixth Street just off Congress is where you go for a variety of small meals, including a range of vegetarian choices. Start with fish and oysters from the “raw” bar,” then move on to a classic Caesar salad, potato gnocchi, steak tartare or smoked tomato soup. Entrees include a roasted risotto, free-range chicken with pine nuts and raisins or a NY strip steak. The vanilla brulee with fruit or the key lime pie, with white chocolate sauce promise an amazing finish.

• La Traviata – hard to know where to start with this well-established Italian spot across the street from your hotel. Starters feature tender muscles in white wine and crispy polenta in a Gorganzola sauce, followed by classics such as Portobello fettucine, duck confit or a veal picatta with the chef’s special touch. They will not taste like any you’ve had before. There are several terrific desserts, but the choice at La Traviata remains the Tiamisu.

Austin has quickly become a "Foodie" town so go online or check with your concierge for reservations. Don't miss an event this week but walk out of your room and have one of the best meals of your life in Austin!