A love letter about an Austin restaurant

Ever talk up a fledgling eatery because you liked it so much that you wanted to make sure it stuck around?

State of play: Elisabeth Gardner and her husband Mark often try to find new places to eat near their Travis Heights home — and as the pandemic raged on, that meant finding spots outdoors with their unvaccinated 2-year-old, Caden.

• A few months ago, they discovered The Rad-dish, a newly opened trailer on South First Street with a rotating, seasonal menu of carefully presented bites. Her kid liked the yummy fritters. Her husband always went with the burger of the week, and she opted for the tasty flatbreads.

But with only a few customers around at a time, they figured it was in their interest to let others know about their new find — so they started emailing their neighbors.

• "I'm telling everyone in the area about it because I hope they do well and stick around," Gardner wrote in late January.

We heard this story through the grapevine and recently stopped by to grab a bite with the family — and can testify that this indeed is the sort of place you want in your 'hood.

We ordered:

• A decadent grilled cheese sandwich with spinach, artichoke, mozzarella, parmesan and cream cheese — basically an artichoke dip in bed with focaccia.

• A beautifully green and filling asparagus-fennel-leek soup.
• A grilled flatbread pizza with spring peas, artichokes, feta, tomatoes, capers and fresh mint — surprisingly fresh–tasting.
• And hefty blackened redfish tacos, with fresh cabbage and avocado and topped with a not-overpowering chipotle crema.

🏆 Pro tip: Rad-dish is the same food trailer park as Manolis, maybe the best place in South Austin to get your Black Forest cake on — so save room for dessert.