My sweet, happy, pixie of a hairstylist called me earlier this week to tell me the happy news: she’s moving to Bo Salon! This is the woman who single-handed-ly changed me majestically into a blonde from a lifetime brunette without any tears or second-guesses. She’s a goddess of hair. And really good at cutting and styling too.

Yelpers, my go-to for info, have nothing but good things to say about the South Congress salon and the other stylists. Even though I JUST got my hair done, I can’t wait to need to go back again and check out the other full-spa services Bo also offers … because I’d go anywhere for Johanna.

Kenichi has been Austin’s downtown sushi spot for quite some time (8+ years?), but with the recent additions of Imperia (a personal fave), Yu Sushi Igazyu, and coming-soon Piranha sushi and the stiff competition from heavily-discounted-happy-hour-hitters Kyoto, Silhouette, and Maiko (also a fave), the venerable spot is ramping up its image and offerings.

There’s a new happy hour menu with 50 items under $5–including rolls, plates, snacks, and booze. Sake sangria? Yes, please.

When we went for a sampler, we didn’t get any rolls. Instead we got an array of tiny bites, some better than others. We started with a fantastic amuse bouche of melon curry soup–not very melon-y, very flavorful. Yum.

After that arrived a fan of yellowtail with serranos: I hogged the fish from everyone else at the table and ate two.

After that, another delicious raw fish …

Then a disappointing tofu bite (although in its defense, I’m not a big tofu fan) and a scallop that was fine, but not divine, which is what I was hoping for. A seared tuna bite was pretty delicious, flaky and peppery.

They did introduce me to something new: the shshshshs (can’t remember the name) pepper, a grilled pepper served as a snack in Japan. Crispy and mild, it was very tasty.

Kenichi is doing some exciting stuff: happily accommodating requests like brown rice rolls or no-rice rolls, plus this summer they’re partnering with charities and donating sushi and their cool mobile sushi bar. Like …

The Grand Opening of Bikram Yoga Downtown on Thursday, July 16, 6-9pm

The Bikram Yoga Downtown studio is on the ground floor of the new Gables Pressler residential development at 507 Pressler Street, between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Kenichi will be providing food for the opening, which will also feature healthy drinks from Daily Juice and gift bags from By George, W3LL People, and more for the first 100 guests. This is where I practice Bikram Yoga (currently out at Davenport Village), so I CAN’T WAIT for this studio to open. The people are amazing, friendly, and supportive, and the yoga is HOT!

So back to Kenichi: The bottom line at Kenichi is that the raw fish was great. If what they’re trying to compete against is an influx of sushi restaurants rather than the Chinatown next door, they’re in good shape. I need to go back and try some more rolls. But their non-sushi offerings didn’t cut it for me. Which is totally fine, since I’d be going here for sushi anyway.

Lastly, just for you, lucky readers, we have a virtual coupon. Enjoy a free app of edamame or dynamite shrimp any time (not just happy hour) when you mention This is Life in Austin. Enjoy!

Also, have a good laugh at this:

“Best Happy Hour in Austin. Voted by Kenichi Staff.”

On Wednesdays, I go play pickup sand volleyball at Krieg field. Coming up on the giant softball complex, hot pink and purple tents stuck our from the center. Right next to the volleyball courts. Curious, I drove on, hoping my weekly game wouldn’t be cancelled.

It wasn’t, but my interested was piqued by the shiny mirrored 6-foot-tall horse: a disco horse!

Turns out we have a circus in town. Not just any circus, but El Circo Vasquez – Orgullosamente Hispano. Now friends, I speak the Spanish. But when I went to the website, I was in for even more of a treat: rarely have I been to a website that so freely vacillated between two languages. While it appears the homepage is in English, want to find out more about the dates and times? Spanish. Talking in the video clips? Spanish.

I can only imagine how hilarious this Circo will be. Orgullosamente Hispano, they say–Proudly Hispanic. I can’t say this will be awesome, because we heard a lot of barking dogs and one giant, friendly fella plodded onto our courts, but no sightings of elephants, but I can say it will be an experience for sure. I mean, who scours Austin for a circus location and then chooses the middle of a softball complex, next to some volleyball courts? I guess there’s ample parking …

Anyway, check it out, and for the love, if you go, take photos and send them to me.

SHOWS
Lunes a Jueves 7:00PM (Mon-Thurs)
Viernes 5:00 & 8:00PM (Friday)
Sabado & Domingo 2:00, 5:00 & 8:00PM (Sat & Sun)

AUSTIN TX JULIO 3 – 7 (July 3-7)
Krieg Field 515 Pleasent Valley 78741

PRECIOS USA (Prices in $)
Admision General Adultos $35.00 (Adult general admission)
Prefrente Adulto $40.00 (Adult Preferred admission)
Niño (2 a 10 años) en cualquier lugar $15.00 (Kids 2-10)

“ATENCION” CLICK AQUI PARA TICKETS (Buy Tickets)

Our beloved hometown festival, South by Southwest, is apparently sponsoring this crazy new solar-technology pump that charges electric scooters at the Roskilde Festival. Confused yet?

Here are the players:

SXSW – Duh. Our giant interactive/film/music festival.

Roskilde Festival – Held just outside of Copenhagen, Denmark (July 2 – 5, 2009), the annual Roskilde Festival is one of the largest music festivals in Europe. Created in 1971 by two high school students, it was adopted by the Roskilde Foundation in 1972 as a non-profit organization for the development and support of music, culture and humanism. Over four days and nights of music, the 2009 event will feature over 180 bands on six stages. Headlining artists include: Coldplay, Oasis, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, The Mars Volta, Social Distortion, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Glasvegas, M. Ward, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Royksopp, Lily Allen and Trentemøller among many, many more.

Sol Design Lab – Based in Austin, Texas, projects include solar charging stations, sustainable design for educational and cultural centers in Northeastern Brazil, solar powered bike trailers for arts festivals, Green Map and carbon footprint work, and large-scale outdoor murals. Sol Design Lab’s mission is to create interactive and inspiring solutions for urban sustainability, public art, and design.

SolarPump™ - created in February 2009 by Beth Ferguson, an MFA candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, the intention is to help people re-imagine the future of transportation by showing solar powered mobility in action. Using the reclaimed body of a 1950s gas station pump retrofitted with solar panels, she installed an innovative system to harness solar energy to charge electric scooters, laptops, cell phones, cameras, etc. (any item that uses a standard electric plug). In consultation with SXSW staff, Ferguson redesigned and modified the Pump to be truly portable, temporary, and suitable for outdoor events.

OK, so the story: SXSW partners with Roskilde to try out the Sol Design Lab SolarPump. Not so hard now, right?

At Roskilde, electric scooters that members of the media can use to travel back and forth from the Media Village (in the center of the festival grounds) to the Press Center about a mile away (where the media can use the facilities to file stories) will be powered by the SolarPump, which has mechanims to measure time remaining, battery charged, and so on.

Basically, they’re testing it out, and generating buzz because festivalgoers are going to be curious as to what the heck an iconic ’50s gas pump is doing in the middle of their festival. Eve McArthur, Operations Director at SXSW, said, “We were attracted to the SolarPump™ because it had humor and was a visual pun, and even in the planning stages, the project proved itself to be a conversation starter, sparking discussion about clean energy and possibilities for artistic expression within the medium.”

I can only imagine downtown Austin next March buzzing around with zillions of electric scooters stopping to fuel up at SolarPumps … laced with iPhone charging stations, of course.

RE-Designing is the latest buzzword in the interior design world. It’s all about making design when everyone else is making do. So Collectic Home is staging a RE-Design Seminar from 10am-noon tomorrow, Wednesday. Learn from designer/stager Deb Primera about the fundamentals, summed-up with her Four Ps of RE-Design:

Planning
- Learn how to use tools that were once only available to the pros
Paint
- Learn the quick and easy ways to use color
Placements
- Learn the where, what, and why of effectively placing furniture
Pearls
- Learn about using accessories to make your space sparkle

ENJOY:

* Refreshments
* Goodie bags for participants
* Drawing for FREE design consultation ($250 value)

Collectic Home, 2785 Bee Cave Rd, Rollingwood, 512.347.1616

These are some seriously awesome deals, people.

For Father’s Day, my bro and I used to take our dad to Outback Steakhouse every year. Unfortunately for Pops, the bro and I got into our free-range-meat-only habit, and Outback was out the window. Luckily for Dad, Austin Land & Cattle would never dream of serving up anything less than happy cow, so our little trio of Dad-Revelers hit up the Austin institution for a Sunday night dinner.

The bro and I were prepared for a hefty price tag on our celebratory dinner, but then ALC’s Second Helping Sunday Night Prix Fixe Dinner came into our lives. For just $35, we received our choice of salads ($8-10), an 8-ounce filet mignon ($34 alone on the menu) with baked potato and steamed veggies, a homemade sauce ($3), a decadent brownie pie or other clearly inferior dessert (just kidding, Dad liked his cheesecake a lot) AND a raffle ticket ($5). That. Is. A. Deal. There are other entrees offered too–salmon and maybe one other cut of meat? Anyway, this Prix Fixe meal was outta this world AND far more affordable than we ever imagined.

Then, I hear about this: ANY night of the week, TRIO is offering a 3-course meal for $39. That’s insane cheap. You pick from:

1st: Tomato Ravioli: Pine Nuts, Heirloom Tomato, Farm Cheese / Trio of Iceberg Wedge – Blue Cheese, Buttermilk, Smoked Onion / Grilled Texas Quail – Green Mole, Peach Salad

2nd: Rice-Flaked Redfish – Ginger-Fennel Jus / Spiced Niman Ranch (happy) Pork Chop – Muscat Grape Chutney / Niman Ranch (happy) Flat Iron Steak (10 oz.) – Red Wine Shallot Purée

Side: Potato Purée / Sautéed Spinach

Dessert: S’mores – Housemade Graham Crackers, Vanilla Bean Marshmallow, Milk Chocolate Ganache, Graham Cracker Ice Cream / Trio of Sorbet – Mango, Lemon, Raspberry
(Menu subject to change)

Yeah, that’s ridiculous, huh? I can personally vouch for most everything on that menu. And the damn amazing popovers that are the precursors to your meal. For reservations: 512.685.8300

Clear your stomaches, ladies and gents, and get ready for some solid dining far cheaper than it should be at two of Austin’s BEST restaurants.

In honor of today being Monday, the day after Sunday, which is unofficial official Brunch Day, let’s talk about brunches.

I’ve raved about the Four Seasons’ brunch more times than I can count, and Moonshine’s too. I was on quite the brunch kick for a little while, but athletics and sleeping have gotten in the way since those erstwhile lazy Sundays. But news hit today about Max’s introducing a brunch, so I’m back on the wagon. Here we go:

If I could un-rave about a place, it’d be Lambert’s. It’s supposed to be one of the best places in town for Brunch, and it has a unique format: all-you-can-eat buffet for some more side-dish type things like breads, fruit, potatoes, mac ‘n cheese, bacon, etc., and then ribs and brisket. Then you can eat all you want of the ordering items, but you have to order them–eggs benedict, waffles, and the like. Cool, right? All for $26.95. (Not cheap.)

I’m bummed to report that the food just wasn’t that good. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, there just wasn’t anything right about it either. My friends enjoyed the ribs, and the eggs were good, but none of it was great. In short, none of it was worth a $30-brunch. If you’re gonna do that, might as well hop up to the Four Seasons, pay a little more, and get the finest experience you could ever imagine.

I’ve only been once, so we’ll leave it at a baby-sized un-rave. But I won’t be going back, not when there are two new kids on the block to try:

The Belmont’s All-You-Can-Eat Sunday Brunch might not be new, but it’s new to me. For just $14.95, they serve you family-style fare, as much as you want. Dinners and appetizers I’ve had at Belmont have always been quite delicious, so I can’t imagine brunch being any worse. Plus $1 mimosas, $5 carafes of mimosa, and a DIY Bloody Mary Bar for $5, it seems like this is a win-win. Has anyone been? Can you report back?

Beginning this coming holiday weekend, Max’s Wine Dive will introduce an all-day Sunday brunch featuring All-You-Can-Eat Fried Chicken, Waffles and Mimosas for $25. If Southern fave chicken-n-waffles ain’t your thang, check out Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs ($15), a dish featuring a 1/4-pound chicken-fried New York Strip steak with truffled gravy, home fries and two farm fresh fried eggs; Nutella Banana French Toast ($10); or the Sunday Morning Breakfast Tacos ($9), which include two scrambled farm-fresh eggs, piquillo peppers, cotija and white cheddar cheeses packed inside warm corn tortillas and served with habanero salsa and home fries.

Looks like I’ve got some eatin’ to do …

Saturday itinerary:

8:30am: CrossFit UTB workout (Meet under Mopac Bridge. Work out. Be awesome)

10am: Spectate Men’s BB Doubles at Aussie’s (damn it’s gonna be hot)

1-3pm: Snag free Alexandra’s Cookie Dreams Cookies and a delicious No Sugar Added Mocha Blended at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

2pm: Hit up BookPeople on N. Lamar for a book-signing by the one and only Lauren Conrad, author of LA Candy. From what we’ve heard, it’s a thinly, thinly veiled account of what life was really like on The Hills. You know, the “reality” behind the “reality” show. (I really, honestly wish I could go. I’ve heard LC is much pretty in real life, and she’s pretty on TV, but alas:)

2pm-victory: Austin Sports & Social Club 3×3 Basketball Tournament

Post-victory: Crash, exhausted, onto couch. Or hit up Uncorked Anniversary Party from 5-close.

Sunday:

Start over again with a Maker’s Mark Traveling Brunch. Who knew this magically delicious thing existed? And Nomad Bar? What’s that? Just when you think you know every

thing about this town … wait, who am I kidding?! No one could ever know everything about this town!

11am:

4-8pm: Trunk Show I blogged about here.

Make sure to squeeze in:

C3 Outfitters is that group bringing “brand-name” clothes to Austin for $10 each and 2 for $15 this weekend…
I still haven’t been to Crockett Center at 10601 N. Lamar Blvd to check it out, but I’d like to. Curious. Hours are 4-7pm Friday, opens 10am on Saturday & noon on Sunday.

Flyer says it all. Free wine and food. Delicious food. Delicious wine. From the cute little house atop the hill just on the other side of 35 on 7th Street. Do it.

When else do you get offered free booze on a Saturday night from 5pm-close??

Loyal readers, we’re invited to a Rebel Rebel Mojito Happy Hour happening this afternoon on that little street next to GSD&M that people forget about (also sweet West Sixth parking when you’re going out at night). More precisely, 609 Wood Street, tucked away under the trees on Wood Street, on the right.

Free mojitos, appetizers, and live music from Erik Larson and Peacemaker.

To view an animated invite: http://rebelrebel.tv/invites/SummerKickoff2009.html