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A mix of early century charm and modern cocktails await you at The Townsend
(Credit: Andrew Bennett Photography)
When we last left The Townsend bar, we raved about their speakeasy ambiance and clever cocktail list.
Almost one year later, this vintage-inspired lounge has added gourmet, yet accessible, bar bites to their repertoire. The Townsend is now one of the premier spots on Congress Avenue to eat, drink and get your Jimmy Stewart/Barbara Stanwyck on. [Read more…]
Flitch Coffee trailer in East Austin
Guest article by Natalie Parra-Novosad
I’ll go out of my way every morning just to get an espresso or cappuccino at one of my favorite cafes, even if it means being a little late for work. I’ll never enjoy a coffee from Starbuck’s or a gas station again.
Sometimes I wallow in guilt over the fact that I’m willing to fork over a good chunk of my salary to satisfy my craving for exceptional coffee, often multiple times a day. But after getting to know the baristas at four of my favorite Austin coffee shops, I feel less guilty about my habit.
Meet the faces behind the flavor.
Icenhauer’s on Rainey Street has a new summer cocktail menu (Credit: Andrew Bennett Photography)
Guest article by Ashley Alkek
Icenhauer’s has been a favorite drinking hole on Rainey Street since 2010. Except, it’s not really a hole at all. The history of its thoughtfully-renovated structure dates back to 1895, when it was built as a “wing and gable” house. Today, Icenhauer’s is home to an exceptionally friendly staff, crafting a plethora of uniquely infused cocktails.
There are plenty of opportunities to try their brand new summer drink menu, created by General Manager Stuart Thompson. Happy hour at Icenhauer’s is from 4-9 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday and 4-7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. As a bonus, you can get 25 percent off all cocktails named after ladies during happy hour. [Read more…]
Recently I found myself wrapped up in one of those fleeting moments of self-empowerment, tickled by a craving for adventure. Interested in re-entering the dating pool, but also daunted by how exhausting the process can be, I decided the only way to start dating was to cannon ball in. So I created a challenge for myself: I would go on 25 dates during my 25th year.
This was invigorating, but when you tell yourself you’re going to go on a date, you have to have some destinations in your arsenal. The problem is that I’m a chronic searcher. I don’t have one favorite place to eat, drink or be merry in Austin.
Add a date to the mix and the decision becomes more complicated. Friends can be forgiving of the loud crowd or a dinner that was too experimental, but dates are often people you don’t know well. With these concerns in mind, I decided the best thing would be to compile a list of fail safe date destinations in Austin. Because when sexual tension and awkward expectations are in the air, you want everything else to be simple.
[Read more…]
Live it up with drinks, eats and sports at Basecamp (Credit: Cultivate PR)
Sports bars can be overwhelming. Bar tops bathed in the harsh light of tightly packed TVs and beer sign neon. Average food options like bland wings, onion rings and the dreaded over-cooked nacho plate. Liquor ads serve as wallpaper, designed to distract you from the real mission: rooting on your favorite team. Sports bars don’t have to be “pinkies up,” but they don’t have to be blaring noise machines either.
With a cut above menu of comfort bar food, inspired cocktails and a modern yet welcoming ambiance, BaseCamp hopes to elevate Austin’s expectations of what a sports bar should be. [Read more…]
Credit: Mighty Swell Cocktail Company
When it’s sweltering summer in Austin, sometimes all you want is a sweet and refreshing drink. Unfortunately, most cocktails aren’t portable. And when they are, they come in a weird frozen pouch or mixed with some amalgamation of cheap beer and malt liquor.
A team representing a wealth of business and beverage experience has come together to form the Mighty Swell Cocktail Company whose mission is to “rescue people from the average and the artificial.” [Read more…]
Austin Beerworks has been working to become your go-to local craft beer since 2011 (Credit: Austin Beerworks).
When you think of a fun hang, your first thought typically isn’t about an industrial park. But that’s where I found myself on a beautiful evening. Friends and colleagues lined the outside picnic tables. Friendly bartenders served friendly beer in a friendly environment. Everyone had a brew in hand, enjoying the impromptu celebration.
And for good reason. With a balanced line of consistent crowd pleasers and beer geek favorites, Austin Beerworks has earned its place among the ATX craft beer elite. And with this month’s announcement of a massive brewhouse expansion, Austin Beerworks is celebrating its five-year anniversary in style. [Read more…]
Credit: Holp Photography
Austin has something for everyone. Even those who don’t live here can easily find an excuse to visit the 512. Be it our Instagram-able food, waterfront views or our myriad of festivals, Austin attracts visitors like bats to the Congress Avenue bridge.
But where does it all end? Can’t we have our city to ourselves every once in awhile? Thankfully, there are a few places in the corners and crannies that the tourists haven’t discovered yet. These places offer everything Austin is known for, but they’re a bit quieter about it.
No lines, wristbands or badges, just authentic Austin for locals. So let’s take back our city! But shhh…don’t let anyone else know about it. [Read more…]
Restored restaurant booths, ceiling tiles and tables fabricate an eclectic but chic look at Milonga Room
Buenos Aires Café has served as an Austin staple for the past ten years, serving traditional Argentine cuisine of savory house pastas, flaky empanadas, tender asado, refreshing cocktails and more at its two locations on East 6th and in Bee Cave at the Galleria.
The cafe’s East 6th establishment, Café Este, recently renovated its menu options, incorporating more dishes that not only accentuate Buenos Aires’ specific cuisine, but also that of neighboring Argentine cities. Fresh, whole ingredients from a variety of local vendors that are prepared in-house make for a delicious meal among friends and family.
However, patrons looking for a less family-friendly atmosphere now have the opportunity to experience the restaurant’s newest space, a speakeasy called Milonga Room that boasts transportation to a past era. [Read more…]
Outdoor patio seating at Flightpath Coffee House in Hyde Park
Guest article by Molly Morrow
As a woman from Seattle (okay, as a woman from a farming-valley-turned-shopping-mall that’s close enough to Seattle for me to lie without feeling bad), I can assure you that I know my way around a coffee shop. I have been in coffee shops resembling EuroDisney, coffee shops with dog balconies, coffee shops with and without a unifying central theme such as “bad art” or “bird music,” and coffee shops that looked like the vacation houses of stone-cold lunatics.
I have been in coffee shops so dimly lit and crowded with velveteen daybeds that I felt myself growing more Victorian, just staring at myself in the glass of the bakery case. I have been in thousands of coffee shops over the years, and I have judged them all without mercy.
That being said, let me tell you in the strictest of confidence: Flightpath Coffee House in Hyde Park is the single [Read more…]