Strip Mall Delights: Austin's Cafe Malta

• And they're typically nicer dining experiences than at food trucks, where you're dealing with cheap plastic utensils, crappy napkins and annoying flies.

Strip mall street cred: Situated by the corner of Brodie Lane and William Cannon Drive, Cafe Malta shares a shopping-center parking lot with a chiropractor, a South Asian supermarket, a dentist's office, an animal hospital, a dry cleaner, a manicurist and a Taco Bell.

• The neighborhood bistro has been around for 14 years, a testament to the quality of the food and dining experience.

The vibe: European, elegant, but without affect.

• A copy of the New York Times was ready for reading on the handsome wooden bar and "Philadelphia Story" played silently on a television overhead while Louis Armstrong trumpeted from the speakers. It all worked.

The food: Fabulous.

• We enjoyed crème fraiche smoked fish ($11); arguably the best mussels ($14) in town — stewed in chardonnay, tomato, garlic, parsley and harissa, served with fresh housemade baguette; a hefty croque monsieur ($14); and, for dessert, a nicely balanced basil panna cotta with a strawberry puree ($7).

Six-word review: Strip mall mussels for the win.

If you go: Cafe Malta is at 3421 W. William Cannon Drive.

• European in nature, the restaurant keeps separate lunch and dinner hours.