Restaurant features taste of Europe, Northeast

It all started with a cookie. Ronnie Baker, owner of Ronnie's Real Food Bistro, worked as an accountant and auditor for 19 years before his neighbor, who owned a restaurant, asked him to help her bake some cookies. Ronnie has been baking cookies for nearly 20 years, supplying the first two Whole Foods Market locations and a few area coffee shops, but his interest in food and travels in Europe propelled him into the restaurant business. "I don't really have any formal training," Baker said. "I guess you could say I went to the school of hard knocks." Ronnie's offers a family-style eating experience with gourmet comfort food, Baker said. The menu is changed weekly and is heavily influenced by Baker's time in Europe and the Northeast. The restaurant is by reservation only for up to 38 people and can also be used for private dinner parties, birthdays or rehearsal dinners with seatings beginning at 7 p.m. Baker only allows a limited number of customers because of the restricted menu and what can be a lengthy cooking process. "I make things you can't generally do in 20 minutes," Baker said. "We are a small operation, and that helps keep our labor and food costs down." Baker also thinks the reservation style is preferred by a lot of people. It allows for no waiting, a guaranteed seat, and with the location of the restaurant, there are not a lot of drive-by customers. The smaller crowds and set menu allow Baker to do all of the cooking himself, something he enjoys along with choosing the menu, shopping and seeing the entire meal come together, he said. Selecting a menu and shopping for the ingredients is something that Ronnie's Bistro does unlike most other restaurants. For the Dec. 2 menu, for example, Baker celebrated the 208th anniversary of the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte with a French-inspired menu. Baker shops accordingly based on his menu, going to H-E-B, Sam's Club, Costco and Whole Foods to gather his ingredients. "It depends on the menu and the quantities that I need for that week," Baker said. "Among those four places I can get everything." Baker, who was a vegan from 1984–91, makes sure to give people options when dining at his establishment. Generally the menu provides both a vegetarian and meat course for customers to choose from. The meal consists of four courses with the salad coming after the entree in the European style, he said. The off-the-beaten-path location of the restaurant also lends to experience, Baker said. Located just about a dozen miles from downtown Austin, the restaurant serves as an ideal meeting place for people coming from the city, or from Lakeway or Bee Cave, he said. "I think the drive, with the open spaces and the starry night sky, gets people in a different mindset," Baker said. "It really heightens the experience. People feel like they traveled somewhere far away but haven't actually gone very far."

Food items

The four-course meal starts with soup before the entree is served. The salad comes after the main course. Dessert is served with the choice of hot coffee or tea, and the meals are a set price ranging from $23–$28 per person depending on the day. Sample menu:

• A gingered carrot soup with lime crme frache
• A dry-rub roasted pork tenderloin with mustard cream sauce served with garlic mashed yams, roasted walnuts and red pressed cabbage
• A slice of pumpkin pecan cake with white chocolate ginger mousse

Cookies

Owner Ronnie Baker has been making cookies for nearly two decades, focusing on gluten-free vegan treats. Packed with organic ingredients, the cookies offer much more protein and fiber than a typical cookie, Baker said. On average, Baker makes more than 5,000 cookies a month to be sold in coffee shops and Whole Foods Market, he said. Ronnie's Real Food Bistro, 205 S. Commons Ford Road, Ste. 2, Austin, 512-402-9900, www.ronniesrealfood.com