3110 Guadalupe Ste. 150 (map) Austin, TX 78703 512-380-0032  http://www.boomerangspies.com Foodquest: February 11, 2006 Foodies: Slowdog, Ping Cost: $  Rating:

The concept of Australian food in Central Texas is an intriguing one.  While there are Australian themed restaurants like Aussie's and Outback Steakhouse, venues that serve Austrialian fare are few and far between.  Boomerang's, located in the former location of the Half Priced Books near UT, stakes its claim on the Australian Meat Pie.  Is the concept viable given the student population of the area?  Will Austinites readily take to the idea of a gourmet meat pie?  What exactly is an Australian Meat Pie?  We're here to find out.

Boomerang's positively glistens with the newly completed remodeling of its location.  The menu lists a myriad of savory pies ranging from Mexican, Italian and Thai.  Of the selection, only the Steak and Mushroom and the Traditional Beef pies represent varieties found in Australia and England.  Given the theme of the restaurant, it is somewhat surprising that the two are not more prominent.

Australian Meat Pies descend from the familial lines of the Cornish Pasty's of England in which a pastry crust is filled with savory ingredients such as  meat and vegetable  or sweet fruit or custard fillings.  Kissing cousins of the Pot Pie and the widly available 'Hot Pockets', meat pies are not too far removed from the familiar. 

Meat Pies, popular in both England and Australia, are often served with chips as an alternative to Fish and Chips at shops in the two countries.  Chips, not potato chips (crisps in the UK), but rather, the British way of calling French Fries, provide a starchy complement to the savory meat pie to complete a full meal.

The Steak and Mushroom pie is filled with cubed beef and mushroom slices in a savory brown gravy.  The gravy is nicely seasoned and provides a nice flavoring to the combination.  The touch of thyme in the pie provides an accent to the flavor and helps to accentuate the meatiness of the beef.  The crust is flaky and is cohesive on both the top and bottom.  The neutral nature of the crust adequately conveys the flavors of the filling.  The serving container is problematic as the wax paper rapidly becomes soaked with pie gravy.

Boomerang's touts its fare as gourmet and its prices reflect that.  Prices for the pies range from a low of $4.25 to a high of $4.75 depending on the filling.  For that price, you get a smallish 4 inch long  pie, a fork, and, in the case of the Steak and Mushroom or the Traditional Beef Pie, a couple of packets of ketchup.  Given the price of the pie, the result is somewhat lacking.  Perhaps if some fries were thrown in to simply fill out the basket, the perceived value would be better.  Not only would the addition not add much to the underlying cost of the food, but it would greatly ease the feeling of 'is this all there is?'  The diners would also be able to indulge in "pie and chips."  As it is, the pie is a snack at the price of an entree.  Mutterings heard around the table comparing the pies to pot pies from KFC is especially telling.

Boomerang's is trying to offer itself as both a savory pie location and a coffee house.  However, calls to the location yield varying answers on opening hours.  Even the website fails to yield any definitive opening and closing hours.  The answer of we're open late means different things to different people, all of which are valid.  Unfortunately indeterminate hours make it difficult for patrons to plan to frequent the restaurant.  Boomerang's feels like a restaurant still trying to find its identity.  While its selection of savory pies is unique, pies alone make it difficult to justify the high price.  The problematic value proposition in combination with the surrounding University of Texas student population certainly makes one wonder who the restaurant is catering to.

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