Eric Highland - The Austinot

When it Comes to Cigars in Austin, Bobalu Cigar Co. Is the Top Choice

January 28, 2013 by Eric Highland 4 Comments

Bobalu Cigar Co in Austin handrolls their own line

Hand-rolled in Austin by master cigar rollers

“And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.” -Rudyard Kipling, The Betrothed

Historically, Christopher Columbus is credited with introducing tobacco smoking to Europe. It is recorded in the annals of history that two of his crewmen, Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, encountered tobacco for the first time on the island of Hispaniola.

As for the word cigar itself, it comes from the Yucatec Mayan word for smoking, sikar, which became the word cigarro in Spanish. It wasn’t long before many conquistadors, noblemen and royalty made cigars a part of their daily life. [Read more…]

Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin: Opal Divine’s Austin Grill

January 24, 2013 by Eric Highland 5 Comments

Opal Divine’s Freehouse location in Austin

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opal Divine’s is closing its final location on April 21, 2019. Opal Divine’s Austin Grill will remain open at the Best Western Plus Hotel on the corner of I-35 and Oltorf.

If you’ve been looking for the best burgers in Austin, you’ve come to the right place. This post is part of a series on the Austinot.

Remember, I’m looking at not only the burgers, but the experience as a whole.

You’ll always get an honest take on the burger joints that I’ve visited. I’m not on any burger joint’s payroll.

After you’ve read my review, agree or disagree with a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

First Impression of Opal Divine’s Austin Grill

Located on the corner of West 6th Street and Rio Grande (700 West 6th Street), you’ll find one of the four Opal Divine’s Austin Grill locations. This spot, known as the Freehouse location, was recommended by one of our Austinot readers as a possible candidate for the best burger joint in Austin. [Read more…]

Alamo Springs Cafe: Burger Heaven Near Fredericksburg

January 17, 2013 by Eric Highland 5 Comments

Alamo Springs Cafe Known for Best Texas Burgers

The Alamo Springs Cafe

For the longest time, Alamo Springs Cafe didn’t have a website. AlamoSpringsCafe.com redirected to a Facebook page. They are out in the middle of nowhere. And none of this bothers them in the least.

When your burgers are this good, you don’t need to worry about silly little details like location and a functional website. I mean, who needs all that to be successful, right?

From the Alamo Spring’s Cafe Facebook About page:

“Inconveniently located in the middle of nowhere” between Fredericksburg and Comfort. Laid-back atmosphere, serious food, and ice cold beer. We were on the Cover of Texas Monthly “Best Burgers in Texas ” issue (August 2009) [Read more…]

Austin City-Wide Garage Sale Draws Thousands to Palmer Events Center

January 14, 2013 by Eric Highland Leave a Comment

Let’s face it. Most of us love a good garage sale. Unfortunately, most of them are mediocre at best, and high quality stuff is often tough to find.

On top of that, you have to drive around all over town looking for the next place, only to find that some early bird beat you to the item that was listed on the ad.

No thanks.

What if you could go to a city-wide garage sale in Austin where there were a ton of vendors all in one indoor space? A sale where every vendor is sure to bring their best because they have to pay to rent the space out to sell their wares?

Enter the Austin City-wide Garage Sale at the Palmer Events Center. [Read more…]

BASHH Is the Best Casual Networking Happy Hour in Austin

January 7, 2013 by Eric Highland 4 Comments

Eric and Brittany Highland at BASHH Austin

Enjoying BASHH with Brittany

With countless happy hours and networking events taking place all over Austin on any given day of the week, you may wonder which ones are worth checking out.

Well, let me tell you that running the Austinot has us at networking events every single week, sometimes multiple times a week. Each month we’re invited to far more events than we can possibly go to. But there is one monthly event here in Austin that we make it a point to attend every month without fail. That event is called BASHH. [Read more…]

Want to Party Mad Men Style at Scottish Rite Theater?

January 2, 2013 by Eric Highland 7 Comments

Mad Men lead character, Donald Draper

Do the words Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (SCDP) mean anything to you? If so, you’re probably as obsessed as we are with AMC’s TV series Mad Men. The culture, characters, and fashion of Madison Avenue in the 1960’s shine in this award-winning drama.

And we aren’t the only ones who think so. There’s a reason this show is the only basic cable show in history to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

The boys at SCDP would never settle with only one win of a prestigious award like this, so they repeated the achievement four years in a row. The Emmy for Outstanding Drama series was earned by Mad Men from 2008-2011. The show concluded its 5th Season in June of 2012 and has been renewed for a sixth. [Read more…]

Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin: Old School Bar and Grill

December 26, 2012 by Eric Highland 10 Comments

Old School Bar and Grill at 6th Street and Trinity in Austin

Editor’s Note: Old School owners Danny Parrott and Jonathan Insley announced they sold the lease to Old School in November 2017, so the location will be closing soon.

If you’ve been looking for the best burgers in Austin, you’ve come to the right place. This post is part of a series on the Austinot.

Remember, I’m looking at not only the burgers, but the experience as a whole.

You’ll always get an honest take on the burger joints that I’ve visited. I’m not on any burger joint’s payroll.

After you’ve read my review, agree or disagree I’d love to hear your thoughts.

First Impression of Old School Bar and Grill

Located on the southeast corner of 6th Street and Trinity (specifically at 401 E. 6th Street), you’ll find the Old School Bar and Grill. This spot was recommended by one of our Austinot readers as a possible candidate for the best burger joint in Austin. [Read more…]

Celebrate Hill Country Holidays at San Antonio’s The Westin La Cantera

December 12, 2012 by Eric Highland 1 Comment

Lobby Christmas tree at the Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort

Imagine a world-class destination resort less than two hours from Austin that is hosting a perfectly Texan holiday experience. At the Austinot, we strive to find the very best to experience in and around Austin, and this definitely makes the list.

Beginning now through January 6, 2013, we recommend that you gather up your family or that special someone and head south to Hill Country Holidays at The Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort. Read on and you’ll understand why this holiday event can’t be missed. [Read more…]

Lights of Love 5K Breaks Records for Children and Their Families

December 11, 2012 by Eric Highland 1 Comment

Caleb's Army Keri Bellacosa Lights of Love 5K

Keri Bellacosa interviews Caleb from Caleb’s Army, the top fundraising team this year

As night fell on December 7th, 3,500 people gathered in and around the Mueller Hangar off Airport Blvd. They had one thing in common: they were all there to support one extremely worthwhile cause here in Austin. Age didn’t matter; heart did.

Costumes, lights and good spirits abounded as the stage was set for the 5th annual Lights of Love 5K. This is one of the major fundraising initiatives that keeps the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin open and active throughout the year. [Read more…]

Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin: Dirty Martin’s

December 10, 2012 by Eric Highland 16 Comments

If you’ve been looking for the best burgers in Austin, you’ve come to the right place. This post is part of a series on the Austinot.

All the posts in this series start with “Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin” in the title. Remember, I’m looking at not only the burgers, but the experience as a whole.

You’ll always get an honest take on the burger joints that I’ve visited. I’m not on any burger joint’s payroll. Agree or disagree, I’d love to hear your thoughts. [Read more…]

First Impression of Opal Divine’s Austin Grill

First Impression of Old School Bar and Grill

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