The Austinot

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Austin Coffee Shop Hunt: What Makes A Coffee Shop Great?

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According to those of you who read my last blog entry about Epoch Coffee, every coffee shop should be treated individually, according to its own strengths and weaknesses.

So I come to you with a question:

What makes a coffee shop great?

A popular and intelligent coffee blog called Coffee Cup News uses the following criteria to rank the quality of a coffee shop. I’d like to run the list by any coffee gurus who read this blog regularly and get your thoughts. Here is this list with my thoughts on each topic. What do you [Read more…]

The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge #4: Taqueria Arandas

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Hi, everybody! Thanks for keeping up with my Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge series. Though the Austinot is more than an Austin food blog, we do love to feature good food!  We’ve made a lot of progress on the hunt for the best Tex-Mex in Austin, and I’m grateful for all of the advice you’ve sent my way.  There have been a few specific suggestions I will focus on from here on out:

 

  1. Branch out food-wise.  Since I’m relatively new to Tex-Mex, I’ve been sticking to traditional Tex-Mex entrees. You’ve given me so many different food suggestions that I don’t know where to start! From now on, I will branch out and order plates that include more that one type of food. If nothing else, I’ll order different styles of food wherever I go.
  2. Eat less gringo-ey. I had no clue that every Texan is a self-proclaimed Tex-Mex connoisseur. Now I know. I have been directed toward multiple restaurants where “true” Tex-Mex can be found by readers who live and die by their Tex-Mex.

[Read more…]

Austin Java: More Than Just Austin Coffee

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Austin Java on Barton SpringsEditor’s Note: Austin Java is closing its Barton Springs location on July 1, 2018, due to rising property taxes. A new location will open at 5404 Manchaca Road.

Running an Austin blog, I have one of the greatest jobs in the world. Every day I get to explore Austin, meet fascinating people, and write about a city that I love to discover.

Most days, I’m out and about and normally have a long list of people who I’m meeting with. More often than not, my meetings are one right after the other. Because of this routine, I’m frequently looking for great local spots to work from for the day.

Enter Austin Java on Barton Springs.

I don’t know about you, but in order for me to plant myself for a few hours and get down to interviews and writing, I have certain things that I’m looking for when it comes to establishments. [Read more…]

The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge #3: Chuy’s Tex-Mex

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I am sure you’ve heard of Chuy’s. It’s basically a household name around Austin. Beginning in 1982, Chuy’s Tex-Mex was formed from the remains of an old barbecue restaurant on Barton Springs.  Two friends named Mike and John barely scraped together enough cash to buy the building, much less fill it with decorations. So the guys thought for a second and bought the first cheap decor they saw, which happened to be paintings of Elvis and Stevie Wonder. Thus an avalanche of color and diversity flowed into Chuy’s Tex-Mex…that hasn’t stopped yet. Today, you’ll find Chuy’s spreading Austin Tex-Mex to various states beneath the Mason-Dixon line.

Walking into Chuy’s N. Lamar location for the first time was a shocking experience. [Read more…]

Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge: Trudy’s Tex-Mex and Bar

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Today marks another leg of my journey to discover the best Austin Tex-Mex. When I first wrote about Maudie’s, I asked you to recommend restaurants that I should check out. Instantly, you blew up The Austinot’s Facebook, Twitter, and email accounts.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully you can see that I’m doing my best to make it to your favorite places in Austin. Due to popular demand, I most recently checked out Trudy’s Tex-Mex and Bar.

Trudy’s may be the most controversial Tex-Mex restaurant on my list. Small verbal skirmishes erupted whenever  somebody mentioned its name. Our readers either praised it or condemned it for various reasons.

A business doesn’t attain that level of [Read more…]

Where Is the Best Thai Food in Austin?

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Titaya's Thai Cuisine in Austin, TexasEditor’s Note, February 26, 2014: Titaya’s is back! It took forever and I seriously lost hope that it would ever open up again. But it has and – in renovated form – it is absolutely beautiful! I tried it out to make sure the quality of the food didn’t bite the dust with the demolition of the old space. I liked what I saw and tasted. The world is right-side-up again.

Editor’s Note, September 20, 2013: To our immense disappointment, Titaya’s shut down for “temporary renovations” in December 2012 and has yet to reopen. Our hopes of tasting Titaya’s tempting cuisine has faded over the past months, and we’ve found ourselves hiding under the eaves of Thai Cuisine for solace.

At the Austinot, we are always searching for the next Austin gem. Just recently, we were wondering the answer to this question:

Where is the best Thai food in Austin?

I’m going to share my pick with you in this post. I know that our readers might disagree, but let me challenge you to comment if you disagree, and tell me your favorite. We’d be happy to go check out your recommendations because we love Thai food. And to say that we love exploring new restaurants in Austin would be an understatement.

Ready for my thoughts on the best Thai food in Austin? Check this…

So the other night, Brittany and I had a hankerin’ (this is Texas, you get hankerin’s ’round here) for some [Read more…]

The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge: Maudie’s Tex-Mex

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Maudie's Tex Mex Food in AustinSit down a moment and let me tell you a story — nay, an epic — of one blogger’s quest to find the best Tex Mex food in Austin. This harrowing journey began seven years ago when I, a young soon-to-be-Austinot, first moved to Texas.

Having been born and raised in Hawaii, I had never experienced the symphony of flavor contained within the humble enchilada or fajita plate. My world changed, however, when I first stepped across the border of the Lone Star State.

Imagine my excitement when I was given the chance to review the best food in Austin. This is the place where Tex Mex is born. Texas and Mexico have risen and collided like two cultural waves throughout the past couple hundred years, and luckily for us the falloff includes some of the most delicious food in this [Read more…]

Austinot Podcast, Ep. #5: Top 5 Austin Date Ideas

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Mozart's Coffee Roasters on the Lake Makes for a Perfect Date SpotAustinots Eric and Brittany are newlyweds, so who better to trust when you’re looking for the best Austin date ideas?

Planning dates can be a sticky business. You want to get it right every time, and we want to help!

In Episode #5 of the Austinot Podcast, your friends at the Austinot present their top five Austin date ideas:

 

BrouHaHa Serves Up Non-Traditional Renaissance Fair Fare

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Sherwood_Forest_Faire_BrouHaHa_OwnersI don’t know about you, but I really love traditional fair food: roasted corn, scones, turkey legs and funnel cakes.  Just thinking of these things makes my mouth water, and I immediately want to pack the car and head to the nearest fair.

But what if I told you that perhaps the most popular dish at the Sherwood Forest Faire, named one of the country’s best Renaissance fairs and located just 35 miles east of Austin on Hwy 290, was not any of these traditional favorites…but – instead – an Ogre’s Toe.

Would you dare eat an Ogre’s Toe?

What if I told you that for 3 weeks, by far, it was the most widely talked about food item that I heard of while walking around the 25 acres of the Sherwood Forest Faire? Would you give it a try then?

Never in a million years would I have thought of an Ogre’s Toe as fair food, let alone something that I’d consider putting in my mouth.  But read on my friend…if you want to try some  of the best Renaissance fair fare ever invented, [Read more…]

The Austinot Podcast Highlights Delish Austin Restaurants

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Kerbey-Lane-Cafe-Austin-KitchenSXSW has been the perfect time for the Austinot to discover new favorites in the Austin restaurants scene, as well as suggest old favorites to out-of-town visitors we’ve been meeting. Running around to concerts and films all day leads to a major appetite. Never fear! We’ve done the research for you.

Are you looking for some new food rec’s? Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear the down-low on…

 

For more local tips and maybe even some best-kept secrets, join us on Facebook! Click HERE to find the Austinot on Facebook.

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We are all about Austin: the vibe, the people and the uniqueness of the city. We love to explore. Get to know us! We’ll respond if you comment. Heck, we’ll probably invite you to come and hang out with us!

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-The Austinot Team