Samantha Champion, Author at The Austinot

Battle of the Brunches Round 6: Bouldin Creek Cafe

October 27, 2014 by Samantha Champion 1 Comment

Bouldin Creek Cafe in Austin

Bouldin Creek Cafe Jodi Hart via Flickr CC

What’s brunch without crispy bacon, spicy sausage, or maybe some brisket hash?

If you’re at Bouldin Creek, you’ll find that brunch is exactly the way it should be.

Bouldin Creek Cafe has been providing Austin with uniquely delicious vegetarian options for 14 years now, most of which can also be made into vegan dishes. During its lifetime, the artistically inclined cafe has developed quite a brunch following made up of vegetarians and carnivores alike. [Read more…]

Celebrate Autumn at Sweet Berry Farm with Fun Activities

September 24, 2014 by Samantha Champion Leave a Comment

Sweet Berry Farm Pumpkins Near Austin

Take one of these guys home to spruce up your porch (Credit: Sweet Berry Farm)

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” –Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1842

I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Hawthorne, and I’m convinced he was specifically talking about autumn in the Hill Country. Fall here is its own unique kind of wonderful.

Maybe it’s the way the hills light up as the sun sets and gives way to cooler nights, or maybe it’s the fact that we feel like we’ve waited an eternity for some sort of relief from the sweltering heat, anything that would allow us to wear boots and scarves and flannel shirts. (You know dressing up is your favorite thing about fall, too.) [Read more…]

Ranch to Table with River View at Jacoby’s

September 1, 2014 by Samantha Champion Leave a Comment

Jacoby's Restaurant and Mercantile Austin

Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile on East Cesar Chavez in East Austin

Austin just gained something special, an exciting new addition to our city’s already impressive repertoire of dining and drinking options.

Jacoby’s Opens on Colorado River

Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile opened its doors on August 20, 2014. Austinites are welcomed into a modern dining room with rustic overtones that leads out to an equally charming, breezy back porch. This ranch to table spot is located on East Cesar Chavez at the far east side of town, along the banks of the Colorado River. [Read more…]

Cypress Grill Brings the Bayou to South Austin

August 18, 2014 by Samantha Champion Leave a Comment

Cypress Grill Fresh Gulf Shrimp

Fresh Gulf shrimp in our landlocked city at Cypress Grill

New Orleans will always hold a special place in my heart. The Mighty Mississippi, soulful music, and vibrant energy make up some of my favorite travel memories.

These memories immediately rush back the moment I step into Cypress Grill, a straight-from-New-Orleans cafe tucked back into a strip mall off of William Cannon Drive.

Despite its unassuming location, Cypress Grill creates an atmosphere that is true to both Austin and New Orleans, with a funky bar, walls covered in local art and a garage door that [Read more…]

Battle of the Brunches Round 5: Josephine House

August 7, 2014 by Samantha Champion 2 Comments

Josephine House

Old-fashioned perfection

There’s a little blue house on the corner of West Lynn and Waterston where I want to live. It’s a perfect balance of old and new, with distressed hardwood floors, a white marble bar, and a cozy patio with upholstered benches and punchy green pillows.

This is Josephine House, a delightful Clarksville gem with one of the best brunches in all of Austin (or anywhere, for that matter).

As the little sister of Jeffrey’s, Josephine House has quite a reputation to uphold. My first thought as I walked through the door was that if the food lived up to the aesthetic, then I was in love. [Read more…]

Battle of the Brunches Round 4: Magnolia Cafe

July 17, 2014 by Samantha Champion 1 Comment

Magnolia Cafe Sign

Magnolia Cafe has two locations: one off South Congress and the original on Lake Austin Blvd.

I knew when I started the Battle of the Brunches series that there was one place I had to include just for me, no matter how many shiny new brunch spots sprouted up in Austin or how many recommendations I received.

Long-Term Love

Magnolia Cafe has been a longtime favorite of yours truly (along with most Austinites) for as long as I can remember. There’s just something about the tacky tables, flying dinosaur, Mag Mud and hibiscus mint tea that I just cannot get enough of.

As a teenager, queso at 3 AM seemed rebellious, and in college I constantly dragged my boyfriend and our friends to the vegetarian-friendly joint for the meatless Reuben.

Even now, as a sleeping, meat-eating adult, Magnolia is still on the top of the list of my favorite places to go. [Read more…]

Funk Filled Evening with Soul Track Mind

July 3, 2014 by Samantha Champion Leave a Comment

Soul Track Mind band Austin music

Soul Track Mind bringing the funk

In a city known as the Live Music Capital of the World, it can be challenging to stand out from the droves of truly talented musicians.

Unless you’re Soul Track Mind.

In celebration of their sixth anniversary, the funky guys of Soul Track Mind threw an even funkier party on—where else?—Sixth Street last Saturday night. The Parish dubbed the evening a “modern soulful night,” a perfect characterization of the dancey throwback affair packed with topnotch opening acts and surprise guests. [Read more…]

Battle of the Brunches Round 3: Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill

June 19, 2014 by Samantha Champion 2 Comments

Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill in Austin

Moonshine is located on Waller Creek at the corner of 3rd and Red River

If there’s one thing all real Texans love, it’s comfort food. Give us fried chicken, grits, and basically anything with melted cheese, and we’re a happy bunch.

Combine our appreciation for comfort food with our pride in Texas history, southern hospitality, and a good Bloody Mary, and we are in love.

For these very reasons, Battle of the Brunches Round 3 goes to Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill.

Rich History

Most Austinites have either visited or passed by the old Hofheinz-Reissig Store, a National Register property located at 3rd and Red River across from the Convention Center.

This 160 year old dry goods store, originally built as part of the Waterloo Compound, now operates as Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill, one of the most unforgettable brunch spots in the city. [Read more…]

Best Snow Cones in Austin

June 5, 2014 by Samantha Champion 10 Comments

snow cone from Sweet Caroline's

Coconut, strawberry, and cream: a Sweet Caroline snowball

I take snow cones—one of the world’s most whimsical foods—very, very seriously.

Like any good neurosis, I think it stems from childhood. I grew up in Frisco, a then-small town north of Dallas where The Snow Cone Lady was a local celebrity. Her stand was the only place to go to get your sweet, icy fix on a hot summer night. It wasn’t summer until The Snow Cone Lady opened her stand in the gas station parking lot, and it would be summer until she closed down, even if it was well into the school year.

Basically, the seasons were determined not by the weather or the time of year, but by the presence or absence of snow cones.

Given my history, it should come as no surprise that I’ve taken it upon myself to scour the city for the best of the best in the world of sugar highs and brain freezes. Come to find out, Austin has an impressive inventory of snow cone stands, shops, carts, and trucks. This will be my tenth summer in Austin, and I have yet to try every snow cone in town.

My decade-long taste test continues this summer. But for now, here’s a list of some of my favorites so far. [Read more…]

Battle of the Brunches Round 2: Jack Allen’s Kitchen

May 22, 2014 by Samantha Champion 2 Comments

Jack Allen's Kitchen Oak Hill

Jack Allen’s Kitchen original Oak Hill location

In Round 2 of Battle of the Brunches, Jack Allen’s Kitchen proves to be a major heavyweight when it comes to serving up some of the best, most locally-sourced options for brunching Austinites.

When asked who deserved to make the cut for the BOTB series, Austinot readers pointed to Jack Allen’s as their favorite brunch spot more often than any other restaurant.