Escargot, “Crawfish Queso,” hummus, tortilla soup. We’re not past the appetizers page of the menu and already we need Dramamine. Turn the page and you find pork tenderloin in ginger and pineapple sauce, shrimp “K-Bobs,” and grilled lemon-pepper salmon. Check the carpets—did we stumble into a Las Vegas buffet? It’s no wonder Austinites tend to confuse Veranda and Ventana (TCA’s student-run restaurant)—this menu reads like a cooking-school final exam.

In fact, the dizzying menu at Veranda is just about the only thing at the decaying Northcross Mall that hasn‘t changed since our previous edition. With Houston’s just across the street and the boisterous Cover 3 drawing some crowds, Veranda tries to hold its own in the neighborhood by offering late hours, a classy atmosphere, and an array of cuisines under one roof. Appropriately, the restaurant comprises several small rooms painted in subdued colors and hung with attractive (but mundane) floral paintings, a well-kept outdoor area (which unfortunately overlooks the empty mall parking lot), and a bar walled in with vermillion- and canary-colored glass panes. Service is friendly and helpful, but lacks polish.

But as you can probably guess, a kitchen trying to do this much lacks power and finesse in any one area. Veranda’s baba ghanoush is the worst we’ve ever had. It’s tinny but otherwise tasteless, and it’s disconcertingly lumpy. Another problem child is their burger: the meat has a strange texture, the burger is malformed and too thin to be cooked to temperature, and when topped with congealed shredded cheese, the whole thing takes on the unappealing appearance of a doggy chew toy.

A slightly better bet on this menu is the grilled Hawaiian salad, an overly sweet concoction of grilled chicken, pineapple, pears, and orange over fresh lettuce. It’s a bit cloying, but at least everything in it is identifiable. We do somewhat enjoy Veranda’s spinach queso; lighter in color and texture than its many Velveeta cousins around town, it’s blended with spinach leaves and is quite tasty. Or maybe just by comparison. For dessert, try the key lime pie. Yes, it has the ghostly appearance of paste, but the flavor is bright and tangy. But in this great food town, you have little excuse for ending up here for a meal.