The Austinot

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Did East Side Pies Invent Austin Style Pizza?

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East Side Pies in Austin

The original East Side Pies (Credit: Sandra Ramos Photography)

There’s Chicago deep dish. There’s the massive, thin, foldable New York style pizza. We can even find Detroit style pizza in an Austin food trailer.

But what is Austin style pizza? Answer: East Side Pies. ESP is Austin style pizza. Since their creation in 2006, East Side Pies has always delivered a high quality, fresh, local, homemade pizza. And in true Austin style, they also support local farms and give back to the community.

Since East Side Pies made it to my own list of the best 5 pizza joints in Austin, here’s a look at where they came from and what’s on the horizon in 2015. [Read more…]

Conans Serves Up Old School Pizza for Old School Austinites

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Do you want to eat pizza like an old school Austinite? Then get to the nearest Conans Pizza and try to eat a large Savage.

Two Dudes and a Dream

It’s hard to imagine Austin without its artisanal pizza restaurants, food trailers, or the run of the mill, by the slice variety that populate the downtown area. There was a time, however, when today’s popular pizza spots didn’t exist. Back then, 183 wasn’t a freeway, 2222 was a dirt road, and South Park Meadows was a giant field.

Conans Pizza deep dish pizza trays

Conans Pizza specializes in massive Chicago style deep dish pizza

That time was 1976. [Read more…]

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: Often Imitated, Never Duplicated

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Movie Theater mastermind Tim League

Tim League is the mind behind Alamo Drafthouse (Photo credit: Wikipedia.org)

People love movies. Just ask them. They love seeing Rocky beat the odds against Apollo Creed. They love seeing an underdog truck driver win an arm wrestling contest and the heart of his son. They love seeing Rambo avenge the woman he loves by taking down a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp and freeing long lost soldiers. They might even love my love of Sylvester Stallone movies. Yet few people love movies as much as Tim and Karrie League.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

In the late 1990’s, Tim and Karrie wanted to share their love of movies, food and beer with Austin. With a bolt of inspiration, they opened a small, one-screen theater downtown. Their enthusiasm was infectious and drew the attention of directors like Richard Linklater and Quentin Tarantino. From there, their venture blew up. The Leagues expanded Alamo Drafthouse Cinema with multiple locations around Austin.

[Read more…]

The Goodnight in Austin Refines Playground for Adults

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The Goodnight Austin

Editor’s Note: As of May 2018, The Goodnight on West Anderson Lane has closed. A new location is planned for West Sixth Street.

The Goodnight in Austin sits an arrow’s flight away from Alamo Drafthouse Village on West Anderson. It’s an adults-only playground (18+ until 9 PM, 21+ after 9 PM) with an upscale menu, massive bar, bowling, ping pong, karaoke, shuffleboard and more.

Just shy of a year ago, our contributing blogger, Laura Darby, made a visit to The Goodnight in Austin. She was searching for a temporary replacement for The Highball, which was undergoing a long-term renovation project. Laura’s article, combined with the mixed comments left by readers, peaked my interest enough to want to check out The Goodnight for myself. [Read more…]

Capstone Comics: Treasure Trove of Comic Books in Austin

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Austinot Eric Highland 9 years old

Yep, that’s me at 9 years old

It was 1979 and we were visiting my mother’s friend. As a nine year old, I found their conversation lacking and decided to go exploring through the house. Okay, so not only was I bored, but I was also a bit of a snoop.

I crept upstairs and found a fold-away ladder that led to the attic. We all know how scary attics can be, but undaunted I reached for the first rung. I almost turned around when I got to the top of the ladder, but I found a flashlight there.

A quick scan with the dim and yellowed light beckoned me to adventure into the cobweb filled triangular space at the top of the home.

A dusty cardboard box literally filled to the brim with comic books sat in a corner of the room. I sat there until the light gave out, reading story after story of superheroes and villains, completely entranced by the art and the fantastic stories.

That was my first experience with comics. I hadn’t thought about that childhood memory in a long time. Fast forward 34 years, I’m a blogger living in Austin and I get invited to check out [Read more…]

Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin: Cover 3

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Cover 3 Austin Restaurant

Cover 3 in Austin

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 I visit. 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 Cover 3

When I published my most recent burger joint review on Opal Divine’s Freehouse location on 6th, a few personal friends told me, “If you liked Opal’s, you are gonna love Cover 3.” Over time, quite a few folks have commented that this spot is a “must” for my burger joint review series. Finally convinced that I needed to pay Cover 3 a visit, I was pretty excited to check this place out.

[Read more…]

The Highball Faces Year Long Closure, Does The Goodnight Measure Up?

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The Highball Austin Closed for Renovations

Searching for a substitute to The Highball

Editor’s Note: As of May 2018, The Goodnight on West Anderson Lane has closed. A new location is planned for West Sixth Street.

This past week marked the last we’ll see of The Highball for at least a year, while they complete renovations that are part of the Alamo South Lamar complex takeover.

What will Austinites do in the interim?

As a faithful patron of the Highball, I’m taking it upon myself to find out. [Read more…]

Austin Coffee Shop Hunt #2: Genuine Joe Coffee

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Austin coffee shops come in many different shapes and sizes. You can find them in strip malls and shady groves. Today I’m delighted to review Genuine Joe Coffee, a house-turned-coffee-shop with a unique concept of its own.

I haven’t seen a city that enjoys renovating houses into businesses as much as Austin, Texas. It’s pretty rad, I admit. There is a type of informal and rejuvenating je ne sais quoi that comes with ripping out the carpet of an old two bedroom to set up shop. Because Genuine Joe is among Austin’s [Read more…]

North Austin Trailer Yard Opens at W. Anderson & Lamar

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Grand opening of North Austin Trailer YardEDITOR’S NOTE: NATY officially closed, with the last truck leaving July 8, 2013. We were sad to see it go and feel that North Austin really needs a permanent home for the food truck community.

Last Saturday, the North Austin Trailer Yard (NATY) opened up at W. Anderson and Lamar Blvd. – in the Planet Fitness parking lot.

Austinites swarmed to the city’s newest food truck conglomeration to exercise their taste buds and see the haps.

The food trailers currently located at NATY are:

  • Snarky's Moo Baa Oink at NATYJohnny T’s BBQ (Mouthwatering Texas BBQ)
  • Snarky’s Moo Baa Oink (sandwiches)
  • KraK2 (gourmet doughnuts)
  • Genuine Joe (coffee and fresh smoothies)
  • Big Fat Greek Gyros (traditional Greek food)
  • The Dog House (hot dogs and shaved ice)
  • Michi Ramen (authentic Japanese noodles) [Read more…]

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