Archive for January, 2009

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January 30, 2009

Super Bowl Sunday Game Day Ideas

I love football. I love college football. I love the Super Bowl. I do not care much about the NFL for the other 364 days a year–take away the Oilers and Warren Moon and replace them with what? The Texans? My 8-year-old-self clutching her Super Bowl mug in an XL Oilers t-shirt can’t help but be a little hurt–but Super Bowl Sunday is definitely a favorite of mine.

(Um, obvi: play/coach/donate Blondes vs. Brunettes! What’s better than hot women playing football? … have to get my plug in)

Suggestions:

Regardless of what you do, you must play MUSTACHE FOOTBALL. It’s a drinking game you should try for at least a quarter. What you do: tape a mustache to the TV. Whenever it lands on someone’s face as a mustache, or their head as a toupee, or their … whatever, you drink. YAY! Gives you more to cheer for than just the game.

Actual suggestions:

In Cedar Park? Head to hot spot Hayashi for a Super Bowl party sponsored by Bacardi and offering tailgate appetizers with a Japanese twist. Note: “sponsored by” usually means “free drinks.”

Into “upscale BBQ”? Lamberts Downtown Barbecue shows the game upstairs with classics including gourmet chili-cheese fries, 7 layer dip, and Sliders.

Love you some Stubb’s? Stubb’s BBQ is hosting a Super Bowl party with free appetizers and $5 handmade margaritas and bloody marys.

Want mexican food without having to make it? Order fajitas for two dine-in or takeout (duh, to sit on your couch and watch) and get a free Santa Rita Queso Bowl at Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina on Super Bowl Sunday.

If you’re into the crazy college-kid scene, hit up Buffalo Billiards for pre-gaming at 3pm. Superbowl special is $1 10oz. Miller Lite drafts from 4:30 pm – 11 pm … 10 ounce? Are they going to give you dixie cups? Other Specials: $2.50 drafts of Bud Light, Miller Lite, High Life, and Shiner; $2.50 wells; $2.50 house wine.

Heading to a friend’s house with an LCD TV? Try to make it healthy by bringing food from somwhere like Wheatsville, where you can get veggie and vegan chili, popcorn tofu (they’re famous for the stuff), free-range chicken wings, and cheddar meatloaf muffins (what?! sounds awesome!). Also, they sent me a recipe which I plan to make for my friend’s Super Bowl party:  Guiness Fondue. Mmmmmm.

Posted in Eating, Going Out, One-time event, Sports/Fitness | 1 Comment »

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January 30, 2009

Weekend Workout – Free CrossFit

You know how much I love me some free Crossfit, and while the boys at my fave CrossFit Austin have a sweet free Valentine’s Day workout planned (more on that later), I’ve got to tell you about CrossFit Central’s Under-The-Bridge workout. It’s way too early on Saturday morning, from 8:30-9:30am, but it’s an awesome introduction to CrossFit-style workouts in a boot camp format. It’s a good place to learn some moves, because anything you can do out there under the bridge at Town Lake you can do on your own without any equipment. We’ll see if I drag myself out of bed for this one …

Posted in free, Sports/Fitness | Leave a Comment »

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January 29, 2009

Bar News + Ho Bus T-Shirts

So I’ve heard a few rumors about new or new-ish bars in town, just thought I’d share:

Tonight starting at 10 pm is Jason Carrier’s Birthday Party at Molotov. Who? And why do you care? Jason is 1/4 of the Band of Bachelor Bros. that own Dizzy Rooster, Chuggin’ Monkey, Thirsty Nickel, Marq, and now Molotov (so last year’s news). So you only care if you want to see and be seen with Austin’s hipster crowd.

Vintage Lounge opened last weekend to a lot of fanfare, but we’ll see if they can keep the buzz up. Located between 5th & 6th on Trinity, it’s a buzz-bar that might be too cool for the strip known as Dirty Sixth (east of Congress) to locals.  Hottie owners Chris Watters–serial entrepreneur–and Wesam Chtay–Killeen nightlife magnate (wtf?!)–decorated the spot in purple crushed velvet and cushy lounge furniture. If you go, be sure to post your thoughts.

I’ve mentioned realtively-new bar The Madison before but still never been to check it out. Now I have even more reason to go: Hayashi’s Iron Bartender slings drinks there after he’s done at the Cedar Park sushi joint. Seriously, the dude mixes a great drink.

Saving the best for last: Achachay! plays tonight at the Red-Eyed Fly from 9-9:45. The funk-rock band will be debuting a new keyboardist, which is sure to add some flair to an already zippy band. Look for the Ho Bus t-shirt on sale for $6 … it’ll be customizable later with an “I rode the Ho Bus” stamp on the back.

Posted in Going Out, Music | Leave a Comment »

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January 28, 2009

Daily Juice Cafe

Hello! I’m Lisa, and I’m often mentioned as one of Lyssa’s “companions” when she blogs. I’m now getting my own voice!

I started counting down the days to the Daily Juice Café opening last spring, after a Daily Juicer on a party boat told me about the plans for a full restaurant. Daily Juice smoothies are original, brilliant, and delicious, so I couldn’t wait to see what they would come up with outside the blender. Plus, all the food is vegan and raw- a tough find at a restaurant, even in Austin.

My first visit did not disappoint. My friend and I stood at the counter reading and rereading the menu aloud, unable to decide what to order. Fortunately for us, the staff was all too happy to help. One guy recommended the cheese enchiladas and a BBQ coconut sandwich. After a debate over cheese vs. mole enchiladas, we settled on one order of each. Plus a side of chips and salsa, two cups of butternut squash soup, and two shots of locally made peach-habanero kombucha. (Note: This was definitely way too much food, but that’s what happens when you’re indecisive!)
Kombucha shots in hand, we happily made our way to a table to wait for the rest of our meal. The chips and salsa came first, and I immediately declared them to be my favorite chips ever. They were unlike any chip I’ve had before: made of some magical combination of yams and other root vegetables, they were thin and crisp, but not quite crunchy, with just a touch of sweetness. The salsa had more of a pico de gallo consistency, but was delicious as well.

Chips & Salsa at Daily Juice Cafe

Next came the soup and enchiladas. I am sorry to say that I was not a fan of this soup. It was thick (ok for butternut squash soup), but with an almost gritty texture (not ok). It seemed like there was too much of a certain spice, but we couldn’t quite put our fingers on what it was.

Cheese Enchiladas

However, the enchiladas more than made up for the soup. Each plate came with two enchiladas topped with sauce and a generous heap of fresh guacamole. Under the sauce, they were virtually the same: coconut-cilantro tortillas stuffed with kale, onion, and zucchini. This cheese- which was really not cheese at all (remember, all vegan!)- tasted better than actual cheese. Smooth, creamy, and light- it complimented the flavors of the enchilada without taking over. The mole was a bit heavier and spicier, but still delicious.

As I mentioned, this was definitely more than enough food. But that didn’t stop us from clearing our plates (except for my soup) and finishing off the last little bits of heavenly chips. The menu is a bit on the expensive side ($9-$13 for entrees), but I think it’s well worth it for a delicious, healthy meal. In fact, I can’t wait to go back to try the Texicali Tacos (made with walnut chorizo!), or possibly the BBQ coconut sandwich that we passed up last time.

Posted in Eating, Good people/services | 1 Comment »

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January 28, 2009

Dai Due & Hotel Saint Cecilia

Dai Due is this Supper Club type deal that has this crazy cult following. Their Dinners book up way in advance, and it’s basically just two people cooking a dinner where you don’t necessarily know what you’re getting at a location you don’t necessarily know before you book. They range from $45 and up.

The one coming up this Sunday is at uber-hip Hotel Saint Cecilia. The Saint Cecilia has been covered as a beacon of style by lots of local media, who tout its historic 1880 Victorian estate and seamless combination of antiques, pop modern furniture, and original artwork as its selling points. With 14 rooms scattered between the Victorian and modern bungalows, the hotel is private but right off South Congress.

Point being, the dinner is SOLD OUT. But book a room that night at Hotel Saint Cecilia at a 25% discount and receive a seat at the table.

The dinner focuses on wild resources available in Central Texas.  Wild boar, rabbit, venison, antelope and fish, all harvested by Broken Arrow Ranch, will be paired with peak season winter vegetables, local grains, and fruit from Boggy Creek Farm.  Local cheeses will follow in front of the fireplace in the beautiful hotel bar.  BYOB, 7pm, indoors, live music, $75 per person.

This is one of those things I say I’ll do when I’m “rich.”

Details: HSC website, or to book a room with the discount, contact Michael at (512) 852-2424. 

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January 28, 2009

Sagra … do you have _____? Oh, you do?

This was me at Sagra for lunch today. There’s been some buzz around the place recently for its Recession lunches, a menu of Under-$10 specials, so I decided to check it out (with my dad–hey, why spend even $10 when you don’t have to?!). In a cute little house on the corner of 17th & San Antonio, I almost felt bad being there for lunch instead of dinner. With huge black leather banquets–I don’t think you can call them booths when they extend to three or so tables–stark white napkins, and waiters in all black, I felt like I should be on a romantic dinner date. Regardless, we had a great lunch experience.

I ask our lovely, patient, friendly server about three billion questions, the main ones being:
Me: “Do you have whole wheat pasta or pizza crust?”
Hugh: “We do, let me go check to see what we have.” Time passes. “This week we just have whole wheat linguini. It does take about 20 minutes to cook, just so you know.”
Me: “Ok … do you have free-range meat or chicken?”
Hugh: “We buy locally whenever we can, so it often is. Let me check to see what we have this week.” Time again passes. “We couldn’t get any local chicken this week, so it’s not free-range. But the beef is. And the WILD boar. Although it’s from a farm, so I don’t know how it’s wild, but they even underlined it on the menu, so it’s WILD.”

Ahhh, Hugh. So great. Eventually we order, and I order a Primavera dish with the whole wheat noodles and make some joke about needing a salad (the Tagliata–delicious!!) and he says, “Oh we already started them for you, just in case.” What service!

And then there was the food. Outstanding. The Tagliata salad (could be remembering that wrong) was awesome–pistachios, white beans, olives and mozzarella ever so lightly dressed with a balsamic dressing and sprinkled with fresh pepper. My veggies were fresh and my pasta sauce heavy on the basil but delish. I think the noodles were a smidge too salty, enough to discourage me from bringing the leftovers home but not enough to discourage me from eating half of the enormous serving. Dad ordered the chicken cannelloni and said it was awesome–and it looked awesome. Alas, it was sad chicken, so I did not partake.

They’re doing a Valentine’s Dinner for $35 or $50 with wine pairings, the menu looks like this:

Sagra Valentine's menu

Posted in Eating | 3 Comments »

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January 27, 2009

When I have time, I will …

Well lovely readers, I am at a loss. There doesn’t seem to be much going on this week to report–other than those networking things tomorrow, that I said were happening last week, but really are this week (oops). This is really a great thing, if you think about it. Time to relax, watch TiVO, cook dinner? Riiight. None of those things will actually happen!

A list, in order of importance, of what I would do if I had extra time:

  • Study analogies for the GRE–not for me, but for a fella who needs some help on them. Anyone have analogy tips?!
  • Cook some recipes from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!) … mainly the Bitchtastic Brownies or the Potato Chip Crumble Cookies. Maybe less skinny, but certainly delicious.
  • Catch up on Friday Night Lights and Grey’s Anatomy on TiVO. I’m already caught up on my must-sees: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The City, 90210, and Privileged (such a lame show, but I don’t feel guilty about reading US Weekly while watching it, so it always gets watched).
  • Post photos to facebook/get them printed at Snapfish. That stuff takes so long!
  • While we’re thinking about photos, figure out why my Olympus has lost another piece–AGAIN. This is camera #3, loss-of-limb #3.

… sigh, I’ll keep scouting for events/spouting my opinion of new things!

Posted in Thoughts | 3 Comments »

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January 25, 2009

Hayashi … can you call something in Cedar Park a hotspot?

Plop this baby in the middle of 4th, 5th, or 6th and you’d have THE happening place in Austin (similar to upcoming LaCondesa/Malverde set?), but unfortunately, this Cedar Park strip-mall restaurant is in, well, Cedar Park.

So the girls and I trekked up to Cedar Park for a Year of the Ox Chinese New Year sake pairing dinner (yes, that’s a mouthful) at Hayashi, which manages to keep winning awards despite its soccer-mom-locale. Bartender Justin, a friendly, eager-to-please man made rose tequila, chocolate liqueur, and cayenne pepper into the most delicious eat-dessert-first cocktail I’ve ever had–and the Iron Bartedner judges agree, as that drink won last week’s Iron Bartender competition. Well, that and four others–Justin swept the competition.

The food at Hayashi is outstanding. I got my first nibble at an event, but the five-course taster we had gave me a nice sample of many of the dishes. The T-140 roll was easily one of the best rolls I’ve EVER had. It was a perfect marriage of allowing the fresh fish to shine but infusing some unique flavoring. Many of the flavors Chef uses are citrus-based, which is a nice compliment for the seafood. The Sea Bass and scallops were both delicious, but didn’t stand out as bests like the roll did. A cucumber-wrapped roll lacked enough jalapeno for this Texan, but the tempura mushrooms were amazingly airy and delicious.

I say Hayashi would be a complete success downtown because it has two totally different vibes: you walk into the bar and main dining area, all sleek and white with dim lighting–perfect pick-up spot, right? But go back to the dinner lounge and you’re relaxing in a more traditional environment, low-slung bamboo benches, curtains, and cozy corners for two. It’s a hard balance to strike, but a place that meshes the two atmospheres this seamlessly is bound to be a success–and if one already exists downtown somewhere, let me know, because I can’t think of one!

Bottom line: bring Hayashi downtown! If you’re up in Cedar Park, this is the place to be. And if you’re not, it’s worth a trip–on 1431 just off the toll-road, it’s not even as far as you think.

Posted in Eating, Going Out | 2 Comments »

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January 23, 2009

Best movie ever: Growing Out

My movie opens today in LA! So I’m a little biased: I did all the costume design for Growing Out, so obviously it’s the best movie ever. But it is a seriously good movie, fun and scary, weird and smart … it’s pretty cool, and worth checking out. (Click here to buy it from amazon and kick me back some cash!) It opens in a small theater in LA this weekend and–cross your fingers–if sales are good, it’ll open in select theaters across the country! (Austin being one, since I guaranteed a fan base … um …)

Growing Out Poster

Growing Out Poster

Synopsis: A troubled songwriter discovers a human growing out of his basement floor. And falls in love with the girlfriend of the dude who lives in his backyard in a trailer. What more could you ask for?

I’m buying some tix just to support the movie, if you’re into that sort of thing OR you have friends in LA, here are the deets:

Opening on Friday January 23rd at the Laemmle Grande 4-Plex

345 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90071.
(lower level of the Marriott hotel)

Tickets are $8.50 (cheap!) The first showings on Saturday and Sunday are only $6.50.

Show times :
Fri. 7:00 pm, Sat. 1:00 pm, 3:10 pm, 7:00 pm, Sun. 1:00 pm, 3:10 pm, 7:00 pm, Mon. 7:00 pm, Tues. 7:00 pm, Wed. 7:00 pm and Thurs. 7:00 pm

Posted in Good people/services, Playing, travel | Leave a Comment »

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January 23, 2009

Le Garage

La la la every girl in Austin gets so hyped over Le Garage, but the one time I went, I wasn’t overly impressed. It’s this weekend at Palmer and it’s what it sounds like–over 60 Austin boutiques set up booths garage-sale-style and offer their wares at 50% or more discounts.

More details: Le Garage

Saturday: 11am – 6pm
Sunday: 11am – 5pm

Admission: $10/person

Two biggies: CASH ONLY & no changing rooms available–time to break out the bodysuit!

Reasons I might give it another shot include:

  • J’Tote will be there, offering their super-protective and stylish laptop bags (retail $200+) at a STEAL–just $45!!
  • A new friend is super-excited about going, and her enthusiasm is a little bit contagious. Her exact words: “ I might be in the mood to steal dresses out of people’s hands, if you’re interested.”
  • Um, well, it doesn’t take much to encourage me to shop …

J'Tote

One of many styles of J’Tote leather laptop bag … you can even personalize with UT, A&M, and Texas Tech logos! (What? No Rice Owls?)

Posted in One-time event, Shopping | Leave a Comment »

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