Edgar Barguiarena - The Austinot

Your SXSW Music 2014 Primer: Who to See, Listen to and Follow

March 12, 2014 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Matt and Kim at Fader Fort 2013 (Photo credit: Edgar Barguiarena)

I wake up early Tuesday morning, the dawn of the SXSW Music 2014, to find out Jay-Z and Kanye West are playing a show for Samsung at Austin Music Hall on Wednesday. By 9 AM Tuesday morning, the line to secure tickets to the show had already been cut off. That’s the speed of South By. The viral nature of the festival and the speed of Twitter descend on Austin for 10 days each March.

Kanye and Jay-Z are SXSW regulars by now and their shows are notoriously difficult to get into. These big name acts are ruining the spirit of the festival, some say. It’s the evolving nature of a massive and truly unique 10-day conference, others counter.

I just want to see some music. I want to see up and coming acts make their mark on the national stage here in Austin. I want to see local favorites play in front of bigger audiences than they ever have before. I want to see random marketing campaigns like the Anchorman food truck and live talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel. And if I happen to get lucky enough, I want to see a big name act crash a party.

SXSW can be a lot of things to a lot of people. But if you are a fan of live music and you happen to be in Austin during South By, this is your Super Bowl week. Don’t get caught up in negativity or hype. Make this festival yours. [Read more…]

Best Austin Craft Beer Joints: Pinthouse Pizza

February 24, 2014 by Edgar Barguiarena 1 Comment

L-R: Electric Jellyfish and his big brother, the Nomura Double IPA (Credit: Bill Tucker)

The craft beer scene in Austin is blowing up. For every new brewery that opens, there are at least three bars that pop up, eager to serve you the best local beers that Austin has to offer. Continuing the tradition that Eric started with his Best Burger Joint in Austin series, I’m profiling and reviewing the best craft beer joints in Austin, with the occasional stop or two at bars that have room for improvement. I’ll take into consideration everything from beer selection to ambiance to overall value, and everything in between.

Please join me as I try to catalog your favorite watering holes in Austin, and let me know what you think in a comment below.

First Impressions: Pinthouse Pizza

Pinthouse Pizza has quickly become a staple in the Austin beer scene, though they’ve only graced the Burnet strip for the last year and a half. This review is timely, since the infamous Odell Microbrewery from Ft. Collins, Colorado is throwing a launch party at Pinthouse this month. What some people don’t know is that Odell’s former head brewer, Joe Mohrfeld, is the cofounder of Pinthouse. What better time to revisit one of Austin’s great brewpubs, as Mohnfeld returns to his roots. [Read more…]

Chavez: Shawn Cirkiel’s Newest Restaurant Gets It Just Right

February 6, 2014 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Uttering the name Cesar Chavez in Austin can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some, it evokes memories of the Mexican-American civil rights activist, Cesar Estrada Chavez, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association. Many others are reminded of East 1st St. in downtown Austin, renamed Cesar Chavez Boulevard in 1993. And now, with the opening of Shawn Cirkiel’s newest restaurant, the Chavez name lives on as one of downtown Austin’s hottest new eateries. If the name Shawn Cirkiel sounds familiar, you might have been to one of his other downtown venues, Parkside or Backspace.

Chavez, housed inside the Radisson Hotel off Congress and Cesar Chavez, focuses on the various flavors that make up the history and culture of Austin, Texas. The menu combines the flavors that define Texas, the Southwest U.S., and traditional Mexican dishes and wraps them up with unique Austin flair. “It is all the flavors and food that we like to eat and cook with that we grew up with,” said Cirkiel. “For us, being from Texas, it’s a mixture of chiles, beans, rice, grilled meats, grilled fish, homemade tortillas, and [Read more…]

Austin Modern Home Tour 2014 Coming February 1st

January 22, 2014 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

4902 Tortuga Pl., exterior by Paul Bardagjy (Photo credit: Austin Modern Home Tour)

As cities grow up and start to develop their own personalities and distinct characteristics, their citizens begin to get creative with the homes they choose to settle down in. Often times, homes reflect the charm that makes each city unique.

Enough of these homes get built and we start to get curious about how our neighbors are setting up their kitchen, or what’s up with that unique lawn landscape down the street? How did they get that garden on the roof? If you have asked yourself questions like these and are looking for answers, the 7th Annual Austin Modern Home Tour was made just for you. [Read more…]

Ask Favor: What Would You Like Delivered Today?

January 14, 2014 by Edgar Barguiarena 7 Comments

Founders Zac and Ben, respectively.

It’s the next great American dream: build an app, drop it on iTunes or Google Play, and watch your bank account grow exponentially. Ideas for the next great app are plentiful, but it takes a special brand of person to actually run with it and build a company.

Favor was one such app born out of an idea from two recent college grads, co-founders Ben Doherty and Zac Maurais. They wanted to create a service that made it easier to ask and fulfill favors for people in your neighborhood.

“Initially, we envisioned a user going to a grocery store and logging in to the service to see if anyone else in your area needed something,” said Zac, CMO of Favor. Now the service has morphed into a full-blown in-app experience that allows you to get virtually anything in Central Austin delivered to you, with just a few taps on your smartphone.

When the neighborhood version of Favor didn’t exactly pan out the way they intended, Ben and Zac recreated the service as a beer and burrito delivery service and focused more on a mobile interface. The service was launched in early 2013 in San Luis Obispo, California and quickly became a hit with students in the area. The success plateaued after a few months, however. Growth was limited to people who only wanted beer and burritos, and the guys were ready for something bigger and better. [Read more…]

This Year’s Best Winter Seasonal Beers: Christmas in My Cup

December 23, 2013 by Edgar Barguiarena 2 Comments

A classic Christmas Ale from Anchor Brewing (Photo credit: Yumi Kimura via Flickr CC)

As hoodies and coats start making an appearance, so do our favorite winter seasonal beers. We may not get hit quite as hard as our neighbors to the north, but something about “frigid” 50-degree weather makes me start craving a nice bourbon-barrel aged stout. Once scarves come out, I start hankering for a nice Winter Warmer, a traditional spicy winter seasonal style of beer.

Spending cold days hanging out at Banger’s always gets me in the mood to try one of the many coffee-infused beers that they always seem to have on tap. (Side note: don’t be deterred to try out Banger’s in cold weather. They have huge tents up with warmers, making it seem like even more of a proper beer hall.)

2013 was a banner year for the craft beer industry in Austin. We saw the opening of what quickly became one of the premier craft beer joints in Austin, Craft Pride. Not to mention the impressive 6 medal haul at the Great American Beer Fest. But most importantly, distributors finally starting taking notice of Austin and we are now starting to get more deliveries of the best beers brewed around the country. Add that to the already excellent beers the Austin-area is brewing, and the selections can get overwhelming.

So here is a quick and dirty guide to a few of the local holiday beers, Austin-area winter seasonals, and some honorable mentions from around the country that we can expect to see this time of year. [Read more…]

Insider Pass to ACL Taping with Dale Watson and Kacey Musgraves

December 9, 2013 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Kacey Musgraves wraps up the 39th season of Austin City Limits (Photo credit: Scott Newton)

Austin, Texas in the 1970’s was not a lot unlike what we’re experiencing here today. Musicians and songwriters were fleeing the corporate music interests of Nashville to come to a city known for fostering a creative culture, yet struggling with rapid growth.

So it’s fitting that Austin City Limits wrapped up its 39th season by welcoming an up and coming country artist, Kacey Musgraves, and local favorite Dale Watson, who has made a career by staying true to his old school country roots. The night was a perfect blend of honky tonk country music you can dance to, along with the more contemporary, moody songs from Texas native Kacey Musgraves. [Read more…]

Departure Lounge Takes Dine and Dash to a Whole New Level

November 25, 2013 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Departure Lounge in downtown Austin is cozy and comfortable

Editor’s Note: Departure Lounge closed its downtown location in July 2017. Owner Keith Waldon plans to open a new location in the airport.

Austin loves to mix things up. We want great food and drinks while watching the latest releases at the Drafthouse, or a quick round of embarrassing karaoke after rolling a few frames at The Goodnight. Austin entrepreneurs are taking mixed-use concepts to a whole new level. The latest to hit the downtown scene is a travel agency with a wine bar built in. Or maybe it’s the other way around? [Read more…]

Best Austin Craft Beer Joints: Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery

November 7, 2013 by Edgar Barguiarena 3 Comments

Black Star Co-op off N. Lamar at Airport

First Impressions: Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery

An Austinot walks into Black Star and orders a craft beer…stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Dustin did a great job reviewing the Black Star concept almost two years ago right here on the Austinot. But in light of recent news out of the Great American Beer Festival, I thought it would be a good time to revisit these guys, add them to the series, and finally check out a craft beer joint a bit further north. [Read more…]

Lenoir: Five Star Dining Experience Exhibits Austin Hospitality

October 25, 2013 by Edgar Barguiarena 1 Comment

The incredible chandelier at Lenoir (and yes, the restaurant really is that cozy)

It’s a crisp early Autumn evening as you stroll through the neighborhood in no particular hurry, but eager to enjoy a good meal. You walk in and are instantly enveloped by a delicious aroma you recognize, yet can’t quite place. But it feels familiar. The place almost feels like home, but as you make your way through the entrance, you see strangers sitting in the dining room: laughing, eating, enjoying a glass of wine. “Welcome to Lenoir, thanks for joining us for dinner,” the hostess remarks with a smile as she leads you to your table.

Lenoir is a prix fixe restaurant nestled in the heart of the Bouldin Creek neighborhood on South 1st. Husband and wife owners Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher have managed to convert a small cottage just south of downtown into an establishment that fosters one of Austin’s most unique and delectable dining experiences. To put it simply, I had one of the best [Read more…]

First Impressions: Pinthouse Pizza

First Impressions: Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery

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