March 31, 2009: New Place To Play Games In Austin

The guys over at Tribe (Austin's newest FLGS, and the only one on the south side of town) pointed me at Fiddler's Hearth, an Irish restaurant near downtown Austin. They run a "game night" each Tuesday, with a room set aside for board and card games.

As a fan of other food and fun combo ventures (such as Alamo Drafthouse), I was in general approval. Once I tasted their fish and chips, however, I was 100% sold. The steak and Guinness stew was great as well.

(Note: I realize that this entry would have been more timely earlier this month, what with St. Patrick's Day and all. But that week was South By Southwest, which means every restaurant and street was a madhouse with bands, moviemakers, and other festivities.)

And to top the evening off, who should I run into as I was leaving, but Adam, who was part of the warehouse crew circa 2003. He's actually a manager at Fiddler's Hearth now, so I'm sure I'll be seeing him again.

It's a small, but tasty, world after all.

-- Paul Chapman

Second testimonial: I went to Fiddler's Hearth last Tuesday, and met a great group of people who are game for anything. I played a domino game I'd never played before, and then nearly won a spirited game of The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin. The restaurant goes out of their way to make the game-players welcome. There's plenty of room for tables, and they want folks to come in and bring their own favorite games to play. I'll definitely be going back. (I can recommend the rashers and cabbage, and look forward to trying some of the other great-sounding menu items.)

-- Andrew Hackard