If you are in central Texas, there’s a huge number of really good places to eat. Even for vegetarians (which was a big chunk of Mother’s clientele). It’s one of the reasons I moved to Austin–its a fairly culinarily adventurous town. It’s just not as cheap to eat out as it used to be. Still it’s a foodie dream here, with embarrassingly well-stocked groceries and I am excluded Whole-azon (or Ama-Whole) in this reference.
If you haven’t been to MT Supermarket on very North Lamar, it’s worth a stop if you want a massive pan-Asian grocery selection.
The Austin Chronicle has a pretty good roundup of listings for the newest restaurants and new openings.
Back on topic:
Short answer: no, probably not. Parmigiano Reggiano is extremely expensive [at least here in the States], and most U.S.ians are not willing to pay that much. Pecorino Romano and a good Asiago, likewise.
However, being served cold food that is supposed to be served warm… yeah: that is a problem.
ETA: errant word
