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Cooler temperatures are finally here. If, like me, you’re not a fan of 100-degree temperatures and castigating sun rays, you’re probably celebrating.
What better way to celebrate the cold and welcome the holidays than to partake in a couple of wintry craft cocktails from some of Austin’s best locally-owned establishments? Here are eight to get you started. Cheers! [Read more…]
Pacific Rim’s Escolar Yakitori (Credit: Victor Parra)
Editor’s Note: Pacific Rim has closed.
If you live or work near North Central Austin and are looking for a place to hang out and watch the game on Sunday, or just hang out and have drinks after work, Pacific Rim is the place to be. In fact, it’s one of the best places I’ve found in town for a large group outing.
Pacific Rim also have the largest variety of food I’ve seen on a menu in a while, so everyone will find something to like. The portions are substantial, so go hungry. [Read more…]
Entering Texas Keeper’s cidery in south Austin (Credit: Victor Parra)
Fall is the time for apple harvesting, and cideries are hard at work preparing batches of freshly-pressed apple juice for aging and fermenting. Nothing makes me crave a glass of cider quite like dropping temperatures, crackling fires and turning leaves. Luckily, Austin has a few locally-made ciders to oblige my craving.
There’s no doubt that a craft cider movement is brewing in Austin, and Texas Keeper is at the forefront with a new (and amazing) tasting room due to open its doors on Dec. 5, 2015. [Read more…]
Credit: Larry Lamsa via Flickr CC
An ancient Mesoamerican tradition celebrating life, death and those who have passed on, known as Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, has survived thousands of years. The tradition is still very much alive today.
As a city heavily influenced by Mexican culture, Austin will begin its annual Dia de los Muertos festival with music, art, dance, food, drink, life and memories beginning Oct. 17. [Read more…]
Austin is the fourth fastest growing city in the U.S. and second fastest growing in the south. As any Austinite will tell you, things have definitely changed since the days when you could rent an apartment for $600 a month, and that wasn’t even 10 years ago. Now the average rent is up to $1,455!
Besides the skyrocketing housing prices, it’s not all bad. Austin has always been more culturally open-minded and, as a result, we have a growing variety of restaurants, bars and entertainment options. In spite of its growth, Austin has held to its traditions and newcomers are happy to participate.
I’ve compiled an Austin neighborhood guide for life in the city today, including insight on rent and home prices, entertainment and atmosphere to help you navigate rising costs and changing neighborhoods. [Read more…]
laV wine bar
Editor’s Note: laV has permanently closed, as of January 1, 2016.
LaV was recently named among U.S. Wine Enthusiast’s 2015 list of America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants, and for good reason. Their wine selection is exceptional and they employ two advanced sommeliers. The two-story wine cellar at laV houses over 1,200 different selections, and the wine menu is a book with a much-needed table of contents.
To put laV’s accomplishments into perspective, it is one of only 19 restaurants on Wine Enthusiast’s list in the south. It’s the only one of eight in Texas, and the sole representative in Austin. [Read more…]
Tour de Vin 2015 is right around the corner
Twin Liquors at Hancock Center hosted a sneak peek wine tasting event last week for the upcoming Tour de Vin, an annual festival from the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas. Vendors and wineries gave a preview of some of the wines they’ll be presenting during Tour de Vin at the Fair Market on September 17th. The pre-tasting event featured mostly California wines, but Tour de Vin will include several wines from Texas and around the world. [Read more…]
Jackfruit at MT Supermarket
Getting bored cooking the same old dinners week after week? It’s time to spice up your life with exotic food. These five ethnic grocery stores in Austin make it easy for you to try something new, no matter your background or cooking skill level. Nothing can transport you elsewhere quite like the smell of toasting exotic spices filling up your kitchen.
You can buy all the ingredients it takes to make your own curries, sushi, dumplings and mole from scratch at these grocery stores, or you can get products that are mostly already made to enjoy an easy weeknight meal. [Read more…]
Spanish Olives at Barlata
Austin doesn’t have enough Spanish food. Sure, there are a couple of tapas restaurants, but even though Austin is known as a foodie city, authentic Spanish cuisine seems to be a needle in the haystack of Tex-Mex, BBQ and kimchi fries. If there are any restaurateurs reading this post, heed my cry! Please make Spanish tapas the new ramen. [Read more…]
Galaxy Cafe’s new Northwest Hills location
During a recent tasting at the newest Galaxy Cafe on Mesa Drive in Northwest Austin, the food and service exceeded all expectations — not that Galaxy Cafe wasn’t great to begin with. I’ve visited many times, so I know they’ve been serving delicious, health conscious and environmentally friendly food to Austinites for years.
For those of you who haven’t been in a while, I highly recommend a return visit for any meal of the day. Their bread and produce is delivered daily, most of the ingredients used are organic or all natural and they have some of the best gluten free options in the city.
Galaxy Cafe is a great place to get a fairly quick, guilt free, homestyle meal with quality ingredients and options that cater to any diet. The Northwest Hills location is the largest yet. But it’s not only unique in its size and interstellar décor, but in the craft beer, coffee and wine selection it offers. Take a look at what you can expect when you visit. [Read more…]