Posts tagged ‘austin’

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August 27, 2010

Aspen: BBQ … srsly, it’s so Texas up in here

The First Annual Big Aspen Barbecue Block Party takes place at the base of Aspen Mountain this Saturday and Sunday, August 28 – 29, 2010, from noon – 7pm. The sister event of New York City’s much-beloved barbecue extravaganza that includes food, music, seminars, and more.

There are a bunch of big names serving up the ‘cue, including, because it’s so Austin up in here, Mike Rodriguez from Salt Lick BBQ. He’s serving up brisket & sausage. Other heavy hitting pitmasters:

Admission to the event is free. Plates from across the country are available from top pitmasters for only $8 per plate.

Proceeds from the Big Aspen Barbecue Block Party support the Aspen Community Foundation, which builds philanthropy and supports nonprofit organizations throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.

Despite the fact that I’m from Texas, I don’t love barbecue. People hate to hear this, but it’s true. I don’t like sickly-sweet barbecue sauce, I don’t like the sides for barbecue (potato salad? gag me), I don’t like smoke off the grill. That said, I do love me some grilled meat sans all that other junk, which I’m hoping to get this weekend. YUM!!

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August 25, 2010

Austin: Dogwood Grand Opening

Everyone loves the Bachelor Bars (an article I wrote in 2007!): Molotov, The Marq, Chuggin’ Monkey, Dizzy Rooster, and Thirsty Nickel. In the old Mother Egan’s spot next door to Molotov, the brothers bachelor (Brad, Chad, & Wes Womack) and partner Jason Carrier have reinvented the pub with a distinctly Southern flare. They’ve been open for a few weeks now–and they’ve already hosted a Maxim party–and have gotten rave reviews on yelp, with people very excited about the laid-back but slightly upscale atmosphere.

The GRAND OPENING of The Dogwood Austin kicks off at 4pm today, Wednesday August 25th!

Free apps from 6-8pm (or maybe 10? reports vary) and the first 250 guests will receive a complimentary gift (rumored to be a free T-shirt stuffed in a mason jar they’ll fill with free Sweet Tea Vodka all night long)! $4 featured drink menu.

Perhaps the best thing about Dogwood? An only-in-Austin tap of frozen Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, surrounded by metal and ice so it’ll always be freeeeeezing cold. Graham’s Texas Tea may be better than Deep Eddy, but it doesn’t come out of frozen tap (except maybe at your house). Also, four sangrias (one made with whiskey!), 6 local beers on tap, and a “Skinny Menu” for summer lovers watching their calories.

Southern boys are just so thoughtful, aren’t they?

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August 23, 2010

Austin: TnT Brunch is Dynamite!

OK, that was the obvious pun, right? But brunch at Tacos n Tequila, in the Gables Pressler on 5th Street, is THAT GOOD.

This is my plate at TnT.That’s ceviche, salad, fruit salad, mushrooms and yellow squash, polenta, migas, guacamole, and teeny-tiny homemade flour tortillas (heaven).

These are the homemade sweet potato chips. Yep, sweet potato chips, thin and crispy, and much healthier than tortilla chips. DELISH green and red salsa too. And my dad’s thumb, because he couldn’t stop eating for the five seconds it took for me to snap an iphone photo :-)

This is my mom’s plate. My mom has been raving about brunch since she first went–and, she’ll proudly tell you, she was one of the FIRST people to go to TnT, because it’s right next to her Bikram Yoga studio. She loves the make-your-own-omlette station, where they’ll use egg whites and make you a lil omlette so there’s room for everything else.

There’s also a waffle bar, tons of meat and chicken (unhappy, for now, so I can’t report on it), and desserts, which include a huge bowl of fresh fruit, ice cream, and mini churros! I love how they make everything mini, so you can try a lot of food without wasting or stuffing yourself. Since I was with my parents, I didn’t indulge in Sunday Funday, but a mimosa comes with brunch, and there’s a delicious blueberry aqua fresca available to all that I can only imagine combined with champagne would make me want to sing. Even on a hungover Sunday morning.

Our service was incredible–the waiter topped off our water and coffee every time it got to half-full, they brought the made-to-order omlettes and eggs to the table, and the people manning the buffet were smiley and sweet.

Sunday brunch 10a-3p … tntgrill.com

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August 20, 2010

Austin: Cupcake Smackdown 2.0

Last year’s crazy cupcake party had us all smashed into One 2 One Bar on a hot summer day stuffing ourselves with sugar. This year’s event expands to Le Cordon Bleu, 3110 Esperanza Crossing Suite 100 and The Westin, 11301 Domain Drive. Vendors and activities located at the Le Cordon Bleu will be held indoors while the Cupcake Cannon and Pinata will be held outdoors at the Westin.

Here’s Saturday’s schedule:

11: 30am & 1:30pm – Attempt to break Guinness World Record for Most Jaffa Cakes Eaten in One Minute (2 rounds) at LCB

11:30 am until 12 noon – Check-in and set-up for Most People Simultaneously Frosting a Cupcake at LCB. Please arrive at this time to participate.

12 noon – Setting World Record for Most People Simultaneously Frosting a Cupcake at LCB.

12:30pm to 3 pm – Cupcake Cannon and Cupcake Piñata at The Westin’s North Parking Lot

Admission to the event is free.  Donations for the activities suggested (cash please). Proceeds from Cupcake Smackdown 2.0 will benefit Lights, Camera, Help, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and Keep Austin Dog Friendly. You will be able to buy cupcakes from vendors, so bring $$$ for that as well.

www.cupcakesmackdown.com

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August 17, 2010

Pepperita & Sweet, Sweet Texas Tea

When a bottle of this arrives on your doorstep, you thank the blogging gods:

Treaty Oak Rum

When you bring a bottle of this back to Aspen to enjoy a little taste of Texas, you get nostalgic for 100-degree days. Only for a moment.

Graham’s Texas Tea. My favorite sweet tea vodka yet–it actually tastes like good southern tea!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

When you combine the rum (yep, I went back to the rum) with some jalapenos, agave, lime, and club soda, you get this:

image from do512.com.

Pepperita!

I call it a rum rita, the people at Treaty Oak fancy it a Texas take on a traditional daiquiri… I don’t really care what you call it, it’s damn good!

Here’s the recipe:

Pepperita
2 oz Treaty Oak Platinum Rum
1 oz agave nectar*
1 oz fresh lime juice
3 fresh jalapeno slices**
3 oz club soda
Shake first three ingredients with two of the jalapeno slices.  Strain over ice, top with club soda and garnish with remaining jalapeno slice.

*I don’t like agave, so I just omitted it. It’s clearly less sweet but I think it still works and is still refreshing.

**Don’t be tempted to get all big Tex on the recipe and think you can handle more heat. I LOVE spice and this was PERFECT. Others complained it was too spicy (wimps). In any case, start slow and build the heat if you need to.

Treaty Oak Rum is available all over Austin and most of Central Texas. The Texas Tea is just now available at Spec’s, Twin Liquors AND Western Beverages – it launched this summer so follow the facebook and twitter accounts for drink specials around town, events, promotions, recipes, and more!

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August 13, 2010

Eat Pray Love on Friday the 13th!

Eeeeep! BUT being superstitious can help you–if it’s a positive superstition. So tote your lucky charms around today, kids!

Also coming out today: Eat Pray Love. I did not love the book. But I love Julia Roberts. Should I see it? The Frisky’s handy-dandy flow chart helps me decide:

And when I go, I should wear pink makeup, because pink is India’s navy blue.

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August 11, 2010

Austin: MORE free cocktails

Austin Monthly & Grey Goose are serving up the booze AGAIN (see #1 on my top ten things newbies should know list) for FREE this week, from 7-11p if you play your cards right Thursday and from 9-11 on Friday. Those are prime drinking times, kids!

Thursday, August 12: MOLOTOV | 7-9PM | UNION PARK | 9-11PM

Friday, August 13 (eeep!): THE RANCH | 9-11PM

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August 9, 2010

Austin: Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt

I swore off FroYo awhile back. Too out of hand, I ruled, too unhealthy when you add in all the mix-ins and candy topping and cookie dough bites.

But then they put a new one, Menchie’s, in the Central Market shopping center by my house (4001 North Lamar Blvd. Suite 550) and we just HAD to go try it last night (it’s open Sun – Thurs: 11am-11pm, til midnight Friday & Saturday).

The thing that differentiates Menchie’s from the other chains is the toppings. There are an INSANE amount. And they crush them all to tiny, or have mini versions–like mini yogurt-covered pretzels, are you kidding me?–so that you can get just the right amount in your cup.

They also have hot fudge, fat-free hot fudge, peanut butter, and caramel sauces. Out of the pump thingies, not out of the gross squeeze bottles.

And they have about a billion options. Any kind of nut, all kinds of chocolate chips, chocolate-covered almonds, the mini pretzels, mini gummy bears, sour worms, mini animal cookies, two kinds of brownies, the requisite cookie dough and cheesecake bites, berries, kiwi, and cinnamon apples … it was crazay up in there.

The yogurt flavors were nothing extraordinary, though the low-carb Angel Food might serve a particular crowd and the dairy-free kiwi strawberry sorbet was delightful, they definitely were not the stars of the Menchie’s show.

Menchie’s is a national chain, so it clearly has a formula that works. You can even pay $1 extra for a waffle cone bowl, something I haven’t seen anywhere else. But it also has national chain prices, at 41 cents an ounce as opposed to the Austin average of 39 cents. Not my fave, but worth trying. Just my, er, 2 cents.

I’m still off the frozen yogurt. But if you’re on the wagon, Menchie’s is worth a visit. I’m just sayin’.

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August 6, 2010

Austin: Weekend!

How excited are you for Step Up 3D?

I’m seeing it tonight. After happy hour where I plan on trying some new Thirsty Planet beer.

Yep, Austin has a new brewery–Thirsty Planet–that has three beers: a super-hoppy Buckethead IPA (I won’t be trying that), a 50/50 barley/red wheat Yellow Armadillo, and a malty Thirsty Goat Amber. Part of the proceeds from each beer go to different charities.

Then, tomorrow we’ll head to Salutation Nation free yoga at 9am for a nice streeeeetch before celebrating the Grand Opening of SicFit Austin, CrossFit Central’s underground training facility (“the next level”). BBQ, beer, and good cheer starts at 2pm.

Sunday I’m hoping for brunch.

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August 6, 2010

Salutation Nation

Everyone knows lulu is de rigeur for CrossFitters. But the company actually started for yogis, so it’s MORE apropos that they host Salutation Nation, this Saturday from 9-10am. Like the Nike Human Race with less competing and matching tees, thousands of people across North America will take their asana practice outside for a complimentary class to move, breathe, and connect with other like-minded people in their communities.

They say: Salutation Nation is not a revolution. We are not out to change the world in one hour. If one person laughs; if two people meet for the first time; if a group of friends starts a Saturday morning bonding on their mats before breakfast, Salutation Nation will be a success. Whether you have a daily practice or have never practiced at all, everybody and every body can do yoga! What better way to celebrate this fact than to take your asana outside on August 7th and do some yoga with a few thousand people across the continent?

Want to get your downdog on? Check out the Salutation Nation Facebook event page. For a list of all locations doing Salutation Nation, click here.

Austin’s Salutation Nation will be at 9am at Festival Beach. Christina Sell will be leading an all-levels flow class. Don’t forget BYOM (Bring Your Own Mat) and lululemon will bring the food and prizes!

No word on any Salutations in Colorado. Maybe they do enough yoga already?

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