Blogging

I went to the Magnolia Cafe today for breakfast. We went to the one on Congress. I've been wanting to go to one for a long time, but the last time I tried the line was too long. This time I had just minutes to wait before I got a table. I got the breakfast tacos, of course. They were really good! The best part of the breakfast was the orange juice. It had to have been made fresh. I wish I would have ordered a large!

I haven't been blogging much lately. I haven't gone anywhere in Austin lately, and I've been really busy at work and at home. I'm not even sure I want to continue with this blog to be honest. I think I may want to change the focus and blog about something new.

Romeo's

Since we moved to Austin, my husband has been wanting to go to Romeo's on Barton Springs. So, what do I do? I go there on Wednesday's snow day with my friend Natalia. Now you may be wondering what I was doing at an Italian restaurant on Chopsticks Wednesday, but there is no need to worry! As you can see from the picture, I brought my own!

I got the eggplant parmesan and Natalia got the tortellini. They were both delicious. The worst part of the meal was trying to eat with the chopsticks! :) I had to use one stick to stab the food so I could cut the eggplant. It was really quite amusing. My salad eating was kind of funny too! But, once I got into the rhythm of the chopsticks, I was pretty good!

Even though there weren't many people there, the service wasn't very good. Maybe she was scared to come and serve us since we were both sitting there eating with chopsticks instead of traditional forks!

1886 Cafe and Bakery

Cattlebaron, Jesse Driskill opened his historic hotel in 1886 after he purchased the entire block in 1885. The price of building the hotel was an outrageous $400,000. The Driskill quickly became the place to see and be seen, especially if you were a politician. Deals were made and even LBJ spent many elections watching returns come in at the hotel. Some supposedly liked it so much that they decided to stay and haunt the place!

But, the hotel isn't only for the rich and famous. There in a nice little cafe in the lobby, that while a little pricey, is still affordable. We went there for breakfast while my mother was in town. I had the Hippy Hollow breakfast skillet, which was eggs with feta cheese, spinach and tomato. It was delicious, but nothing special.

We didn't see any ghosts, but the service was sparing. We only saw our waitress when we ordered and when she brought the food and drinks. Tea was left unfilled and we even got someone else's bill at the end of the meal!

While the ambience is nice, I'm not in a big hurry to return. However, I would like to try their 5 star restaurant in the future!

Treehouse Italian Grill

I had such a wonderful time when my mother came to Austin for the weekend. We all wanted to try something new and settled on going to The The Treehouse Italian Grill on College and South Congress. What a wonderful decision that was! We had the option of sitting indoors or outdoors, but we chose indoors because of the weather. The room was dimly lit with Italian inspired decorations throughout the restaurant.

They started us out with some bread and an olive oil/garlic mixture. I could have made my whole meal on this and I rarely even eat bread! When the actual entrees came out, we couldn't believe our eyes. They had such huge portions that there was no way that we'd be able to eat everything. We all did our best, but still took home a doggy bag for later!

The restaurant was modestly priced and our bottle of wine probably cost as much as all three meals put together! It was a wonderful place to have a dinner date or have fun with a group of friends. I'm sure we'll be back.

Guero's

I've decided that Guero's is a hit or miss kind of place. The first time I went to Guero's on South Congress after hearing about it from several different people. Both my husband and I decided that we would probably never go back. While the people were fun, the food was really not that great. When my sister-in-law came into a couple of months later, we decided to try it again with reservations. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it and decided we must've just come on an off day the last time. Last night, we took my mother there after we found out that Z Tejas had a 1 1/2 hour wait. All of us were very satisfied with the dinners that we chose.

Guero's almost always has a huge wait, but it's a fun wait. You can go next door to their patio bar, hang out under the stars and listen to whatever band is playing on the stage. They even have a version of their famous salsa bar, so you can stave off your hunger with some chips and salsa.

With two good and one marginal, we will probably try it again. Hopefully, that first time was just a fluke, but I'm not ready to put Guero's on my favorites list quite yet.

Ross'

"Up against the wall, a red-necked mother..." sang the band as we walked into Ross' on Lamar. We were on our way home from Central Market, (for the second time in a week), when we decided we better get something to eat before we go home. We looked over and saw neon lights announcing Ross' restaurant. Intriguing. We decided to stop.

We were excited that they had live music as we walked up to the place. There were three older gentlemen on a stage singing country music. Not really our type of music, it can still be a fun experience to watch! This band of guitar playing seniors were reminiscent of listening to Merle Haggard with his old country flair.

The food at Ross' was kind of home-cooking style. I'm trying to diet, so I ordered the grilled chicken dinner. It came with a choice of vegetables and I chose broccoli and salad. Mike ordered the pork and fries. (Embarrassingly, he chose to sit next to me while we waited for our food, rather than across from me, but he wanted to watch the trio, too...

I got a HUGE chicken dinner. They do not spare food at Ross'. The chicken had lots of spices and almost tasted like a steak rather than normal dry chicken. I'm sure that this meal wasn't REALLY dietary! It also came with Texas Toast. I haven't had that in years!

Overall, it was a good experience. The people that work there are VERY friendly and welcoming. The biggest complaint I have about the place was the Aggie knick knacks that the place had displayed. BOO Aggies!

Pei Wei

As much as I like to spread the word about Chopsticks Wednesday, I have to admit that I'm not really a fully practicing member. Usually, I forget or just figure it's too much work. I'm really not very good at eating with chopsticks. However, with the New Year and all, I figured it was time to turn over a new leaf. While I was at the airport on Monday, I chose to eat Chinese food and I thought I'd try the chopsticks, even though it wasn't a Wednesday. I was amazed at how much better I had gotten with them.

So today, given a choice to eat at Chipotle or Pei Wei's, I jumped at the opportunity to show off my new skills! We ate at Pei Wei's over on Parmer. I ordered the orange beef, which is my favorite. As usual, it was really delicious and I proceeded to pig out! I have to admit, that as far a chain restaurants go, Pei Wei's is one of the best!

I went with three other converts and we all enjoyed eating our food with their wooden chopsticks. We are all at varying levels of expertise with the chopsticks, but none of us went home hungry! We had a great time taking pictures of ourselves, so we could post them on the group site, to prove that we are participating in our newest low pressure weekly holiday!

Hut's Hamburgers

An Austin Tradition since 1939. The building was opened as Sammie's Drive In in August 1939. It became Eli's lounge and then Picante's Mexican Restaurant. In 1969, the building was bought by Homer "Hut" Hutson and reopened as Hut's. Hut's was originally on South Congress. In 1981 the new owners bought the restaurant and have had it ever since. I found out all this information from their menu. I find places with a history fascinating.

As you walk in to Hut's you find all the awards proudly displayed on the walls. When you look around, you find that there is really very little room for anything else to be added to their walls, since all of the wall-space is being utilized. Upon close inspection, you will find animal heads, liscense plates, sports pennants, photos, and much much more.

The line for Hut's is unbelievable. We chose to eat at the bar to avoid some of the wait time. The bartender/waitress was very nice and paid just enough attention to the people that she served. There was one other bartender and we noticed that he had a shirt on for the next door restaurant. We inquired about his shirt and we were told that the owner of Hut's also owns the Italian restaurant next door. They are trying to cross advertise.

I'm not really a hamburger fan, but when you are in a hamburger place, you have to get a hamburger. I have to admit, that I really didn't like their burgers. I think it's because they were a bit large for my tastes. My husband absolutely raved about his, and said he would rank it up with the best burger he had ever had. As we were leaving, he was talking about when he could go back.

Pizza Gallery

Since the Yuppie Puppy had closed down, I decided that it was time to eat. Right next door to where the YP used to be, in Davenport Village, I found the Pizza Gallery. I noticed art for sale around the walls, which made the name of the place make a whole lot of sense.

For the first time since I have been in Austin, the service was almost too much! I had two waiters. (One of them must've been in training). Probably because of where I was seated, the guy came by to see how I was doing (probably) close to ten times. However, they took my order quickly, took my plate as soon as I was finished and I got my check promptly, and that is what I want when I go out to eat.

I was seated right behind the wine rack and there was some guy, probably the owner, that fiddled with the wine the whole time I was there. He rearranged the wine on the top of the rack and then rearranged all the wine in the rack. It was a little annoying, but that wine is organized now!

There were a couple of pieces of art that I thought I might like, but upon inspection, I found them to be a bit out of my price range! Some of the art was not really my taste, but it was still more than I had to spend!

The pizza was delicious. For some reason, I felt the need to eat my pizza with a fork. I really don't know why, maybe it was the place? I also had a delicious caesar salad. It was a great lunch!

Juan in a Million

Since I moved to Austin, people have been telling me to try Juan in a Million on Cesar Chavez St. I finally made it there for breakfast over the weekend. It is very modest, no-nonsense looking place. In fact, if you didn't know better, you would probably keep driving by.

We found out as we went inside that there are actually two buildings and patio seating areas. Since the weather is so nice, we chose to eat on the patio. I ordered something a bit different, since they didn't have sausage, egg and cheese tacos. Instead I went all out and had bacon, egg and cheese tacos. I was expecting regular bacon, but instead it was a thicker bacon, almost ham-like. Mike ordered the special tacos. They asked if he wanted additional tortillas. He thought that was strange until they brought out his plate. There was SO much food that he didn't even finish. My friend had the migas. They looked good too.

The place was crowded and I would venture to guess that is the norm for this restaurant. The wait was really short and worth the time!

Fiesta in the making

On the advice of Wooderson from Dazed and Confused, I finally got around to trying a Top Notch Burger! Top Notch has been serving Charbroiled burgers since 1971. From what I understand, it's family owned and operated.

It's easy to see why this burger joint was chosen to be a backdrop for the 70's inspired movie. It doesn't look like much has changed since that time. You can choose to eat inside the restaurant or get your food delivered to your car by a carhop. We made the choice to eat inside since my husband doesn't really like to eat in the car!

We got to Top Notch Burgers at 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon and the place was PACKED! I got a burger and fries on this time around. Unlike in the movie, the fries were not soggy. They were actually quite crispy, just the way I like them! My husband couldn't resist the fried chicken plate. He said that it was the best fried chicken he's had in a long time! (They even have a veggie burger for those of you that are vegeterians).

Overall, we had a great experience there and if we ever are on Burnet in North Austin again, we will probably return! If you go, make sure to bring cash. They don't take credit cards, but they do have an ATM on site if you're short on funds!

Baby A's

I have now been to Baby A's on Parmer Lane three and a half times. The first time I went I had a great time. The food was good, the Mexican Martinis were great and we had a wonderful server. Since it was so fun the first time, I went back for my birthday. We sat out on the patio and watched a band. We had a grand old time. No food, but the drinks were good.

Then we decided to go back for another friend's birthday. We went during happy hour and there was a big group of us. This time we sat for at least 20 minutes and noone ever even brought us chips. One of the girls went to actually get the chips for us herself, but they wouldn't let her and said they'd bring it right over. They finally brought us chips but only brought hot sauce for one of the buckets. Then they didn't come back for at least another 20 minutes to get food orders and drink orders. Then we got a huge bill! Way overpriced for what we got. Plus since it was a big group, they added in the gratuity. It was very annoying.

We went back for another girl's birthday a couple of weeks ago and we sat in the lobby for 1 1/2 hours waiting for a table. Finally, I decided to go home. I haven't had that great of an experience here to wait that long for bad service! The food is good though if you ever get any!

South Congress Cafe

South Congress Cafe is my favorite restaurant in Austin so far. This is a great place to go on a date or for a special occasion. The food is outstanding! The service is really good, too especially when you compare it to the rest of Austin service.

Last night we went there with my in-laws. (I also went there with my parents for my birthday). I ordered the Cajun Shrimp Scampi. They serve this medley of seafood over pasta. I loved it. There was so much food, I couldn't finish my meal. Of course I gave it my best shot though! Everyone ordered something different and everyone went home satisfied!

If you have not eaten here, I highly recommend it! http://southcongresscafe.com/

Hula Hut

If you are ever in Austin or you live in Austin, you have to go to the Hula Hut. Located on Lake Austin, this place is always a fun destination. In the summer, people dock their boats and come in and hang out at the bar. Every time I've been there it has been packed with people!

My in-laws are in town, so obviously we had to take them here. It's one of those Keep Austin Weird kind of places that makes Austin such a great place. Even though it had to be 20 degrees outside, patio seating was still available. For the winter, they enclose the patio and have heaters over the seats. It was very comfortable and I'm ALWAYS cold.

I split the shrimp and spinach tubular taco with my mother in-law. If you've never had it, you should! It is absolutely huge and it's enough for two people. The waiter was very thoughtful and since he knew we were splitting, he brought it out already split for us on our own plates with our own rice and beans! We also tried the Mexican Martinis. My father in-law is hooked! I think everyone at our party enjoyed the experience!