Dustin Vegas - The Austinot

Austin Coffee Shop Hunt #2: Genuine Joe Coffee

May 21, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 5 Comments

Austin coffee shops come in many different shapes and sizes. You can find them in strip malls and shady groves. Today I’m delighted to review Genuine Joe Coffee, a house-turned-coffee-shop with a unique concept of its own.

I haven’t seen a city that enjoys renovating houses into businesses as much as Austin, Texas. It’s pretty rad, I admit. There is a type of informal and rejuvenating je ne sais quoi that comes with ripping out the carpet of an old two bedroom to set up shop. Because Genuine Joe is among Austin’s [Read more…]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. 7: The PJ’s

May 17, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 2 Comments

Click Play on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Music Podcast.

Happy Thursday, everybody! Though this is an Austin blog, I am coming at you straight from Northern California this week! This is some serious hill country up here. I feel right at home. Despite the topography, Austin will always have one thing over California: live music. Forget the hills.

Today’s Austin music podcast is devoted to the PJ’s. This band is something out of left field, podcastically speaking. The Austinot Music Podcast has been knee-deep in Americana lately, and the PJ’s are right at home in this trend. The PJ’s, however, are Americana with a twist. They infuse blues and rock with wit and [Read more…]

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

May 16, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 10 Comments

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…]

Austin Coffee Shop Hunt #1: Epoch Coffee

May 14, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 32 Comments

When it comes to living in Austin, coffee shops are a way of life. Austin is filled with different kinds of people, yet here you can find coffee shops that accommodate even our weirdest denizens.

Got a friend who loves martial arts? Send ’em to Kick Butt Coffee. Looking to impress a fine young lady on your first date? Maybe Mozart’s is the place for you. And if you’re looking to change the world, well, Dominican Joe is the place to go. They are ridiculously passionate about their support of non-profits in the Dominican Republic. What I’m getting at is simple: coffee is more than a drink in Austin. It is an expression of our individual identities and values.

So now I am on a mission to find Austin’s most unique [Read more…]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. #6: Heather Bishop

May 10, 2012 by Dustin Vegas Leave a Comment

Click Play on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Music Podcast.

Hi everybody! There is nothing like recording an Austin music podcast in the rain. I can kick back, sip come coffee and listen to some great tunes while the rain beats on my window. I hope you’re enjoying the precipitation as well.

I’ve decided to play a little more folk music today, in honor of the laid-back weather. Well, it’s not totally folk, but it’s folksy. Today, I want to introduce you to Heather Bishop, a musician living in Austin. Her music is melodic and emotional, calling up ideas of the West, romance and passionate adventure. Heather Bishop is an extremely multi-talented artist. She’s had a prolific career; her live music alone has spanned many festivals. [Read more…]

Concert at the Capitol – Your Mother’s Day Event In Austin

May 10, 2012 by Dustin Vegas Leave a Comment

Moms are great. Stop for a second and think about how much yours has sacrificed to raise you. Now remember: this Sunday is Mother’s Day.

Are you looking for worthwhile Mother’s Day events in Austin? More specifically, are you doing it on the cheap? Good news — The Austin Symphonic Band is playing a free live show on the Capitol steps this Sunday. This is a chance for you to give your mother the time she deserves while saving a few bucks!

The Austin Symphonic Band is the official band of the City of Austin. It came around in the early 1980s as a way for local Austinites to come together and play music for themselves and the public. The band has been extremely popular over the past thirty years, and now it draws large crowds for every show.

You can catch the Austin Symphonic Band playing in many different places, depending on the time of year, because they love to play free open air shows for the public whenever possible. They are regulars at [Read more…]

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

May 9, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 18 Comments

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:

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.
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…]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. #5: MT Hellton

May 3, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 14 Comments

Hi everybody! Thanks for checking out our Austin blog and my Austin Music Podcast. This little podcast has another featured artist waiting for your ears. The last few episodes have been pretty high-energy, so I think it’s time to tone it down a notch this week. Today’s musican is named MT Hellton, and he is going to help us unwind.

MT Hellton is an acoustic and folk artist living in Austin. Born in Lockhart, Texas, his parents were nomads who travelled around Texas looking for work in cotton fields or picking pecans for gas money. They and MT often lived in abandoned houses, broken down barns, and sometimes in their Plymouth station wagon. In the summer of 1966, MT’s father found a job working for a turkey ranch, so the family finally settled down in Austin.

With his nomadic past behind him, MT Hellton started playing a second-hand guitar his brother gave him in 1972. Thus began MT’s love affair with acoustic music. It is a passion he has been pursuing ever since.

MT’s music is very guitar-driven. I’d expect to hear him through the window of a passing [Read more…]

Art on the Green at Laguna Gloria: Exceptional Date Spot

May 1, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 4 Comments

Gentlemen, it’s time to suit up.

The Austinot is all about helping you out, so it’s our job to tell you about events like the one at Laguna Gloria. There is a lot to experience in this great city of Austin, and we love to sift through everything it offers and show you what’s worth paying attention to. Well, hold on a second and let me tell you about the perfect date location – guys, I’m talking to you.

The AMOA-Arthouse is one of my favorite places in Austin. If you haven’t checked out their location on Congress, definitely head that way to enjoy some amazing contemporary art. Right now, though, I want to tell you about their Laguna Gloria location. It is located at 35th Street and Lake Austin. Austinites throughout history have fallen in love with its beautiful landscapes and [Read more…]

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

May 1, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 22 Comments

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…]

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