In This Economy?

Like my good friend drocolate, I am a SXSW virgin! But unlike drocolate, I don’t have the time, inclination, Red Bull or raw talent necessary to write a zillion posts about a zillion different panels at SXSW. And even if I did, I’d probably agree wholeheartedly with what he recommends anyway. And what would be the point of that?

This got me thinking… what the hell do I have to offer here? Why are they paying me? (They’re not.) While I am psyched-as-hell about SXSW, I’ve got no original panel/convo reviews. I like parties! But, I’ve got no way to organize the huge number of parties that I know nothing about yet into something useful. I do however, have the experience of having lived in Austin for four years during my college timez. I also like food, shopping and other things. Therefore, I will post about Austin, for those of you heading down there who plan on coming up for air every once-in-a-while to prevent yourselves from falling deep, deep into SXSW geekdom. Or to buy more condoms. Whatever.

I know a lot of people before me have created lists like these. We might even have a good amount of crossover when it comes to recommendations. We’ll probably disagree too. But I’m willing to bet none of those guys have my particular brand of, let’s say, commentary. So with that, here’s my lot. For your convenience, I’ve divided my lot into easy-to-find categories — EATS!, SHOPPING!, and SIGHTS! — in three separate posts for those of you who didn’t take your Adderall today. Enjoy, and if you’ve got more or better opinions to add, please do so in the Comments section below! Hook ‘em!

First up…

EATS!

I have a true, passionate zeal and obsession with food. Restaurants in particular, are very close to my heart. I love to try new places, but I especially like to return to my favorite spots again and again to enjoy a meal I know I can count on to be amazing. That said, here are my do not miss recommendations for Austin. Some are cheap eatz, and some are not. Budget your time and monies accordingly.

EATS! #5
Eat BBQ at The Salt Lick

THE best BBQ in Texas hands down.

“It’s like I could spend my whole life debating it over and over again, weighing the pros and cons and in the end I still wouldn’t have any proof so I just… I just don’t debate it anymore. It’s absurd.” — Donnie Darko

That pretty much sums up my feeling about The Great Texas BBQ Debate. There’s the folks who are in The County Line camp, those who firmly plant their boots in the dirt at Stubb’s, and then there’s Rudy’s, IronWorks…I could go on and on. The point is this: Just like age-old debates on whether there’s a heaven or not, nobody can tell you how to feel about your BBQ. Everyone is entitled to their belief. I personally believe that all other BBQ joints should bow down to the one and only god of smoke: The Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX. It’s different than any other BBQ I’ve ever eaten. And it’s all in the sauce. Trust me, you’ve just got to taste it. In fact, if you’ve got the time and you ain’t no vegetarian, I suggest you try a bunch of those places and then decide for yourself what you like best.

EATS! #4
Eat homegrown at Eastside Cafe

This home is where my heart is.

When people ask me about my absolute favorite restaurant in Austin, this is the place I send them to. Now I ain’t no hippie, but you’ve gotta start believin’ in all that organic crap when you taste the food these folks grow themselves and serve in their restaurant. Which is totally cute and quaint, by the way. It’s so Austiny to have a little garden, a little store and a little restaurant in a little, old house. Things to try when — notice I did not say IF — you go there:

• The Blueberry Blintzes. Best blintzes my Bubby didn’t make.
• The Mushroom Crepes. O. M. Fungal. G.
• Their Homemade Salad Dressings, specifically the creamy feta. Pick me up a bottle in the store when you’re there.
• The Cheese Grits. Your 6th street hangover never had it so good.

EATS! #3
Eat brunch…or dinner…or dessert at Chez Zee

Lit up like Christmas, all year round.

Not sure what Chez Zee means, if it’s like “House of Z” or “Zee House” or whatever. There’s nothing very “French” about this place, but it’s a guaranteed winner of a place to take someone special. Or someone not so special. Or just yourself. Just go. Chez Zee has won best dessert in Austin multiple times, and on a recent visit I discovered the sheer power of its brunch offerings. If you’re around for dinner, I recommend ending the meal with their Flourless Chocolate Torte. You won’t be sorry.

EATS! #2
Eat late at Kerbey Lane Cafe

Two words: Ginger. Bread.

I have a bit of a love-hate thing with Kerbey Lane. I cannot say that their food is always great, that it’s always worth the wait, or that I’ve always felt they properly cleaned the 24-hour joint. But, that’s what you get when you reach for that greasy spoon, right? With that in mind, let’s take a walk down [Memory] Kerbey Lane… There were the times I worked on class projects until the wee hours in the morning, only to finish and drive to the location on The Drag, realizing I was starving for their Gingerbread Pancakes. Theirs are the best. There were the times my parents came into town and I wanted to show them the “real” Austin, so I often took them to the original on Kerbey Lane itself. And there were the times I was the designated driver when some really “illegally medicated” friends just really wanted Kerbey Queso. If you know what I mean. It’s a good Lane. Take a walk down it sometime.

EATS! #1
Eat ice cream at Amy’s

Shown sans sauce, sadly

I’m a big big fan of ice cream in general. Just thinking about ice cream makes me happy. Now, that being said, not all ice cream shops are created equal. In Dallas, there’s a Cold Stone versus Marble Slab debate that I’d rather not weigh in on at this moment. And don’t even get me started on the current Fro-Yo Wars going on in Uptown. But give me the option to go to ANY ice cream place on the PLANET EARTH and I will choose Amy’s. There’s something so awesome about walking into Amy’s and looking up to find that day’s creative flavors written in chalk (and decorated with little asterisks when they’re boozey). Then, with the thoughtful addition of “crushins”, you are able to create something truly unique. There are a number of locations including the Arboretum, South Congress (which we’ll get to later) and 5th Street. Any Amy’s will do, as long as your creation is covered in a generous amount of their hot fudge. That fudge is the best fudge topping in the world. And I’d put money on THAT. I mean, I honestly would eat what I consider to be most vile thing in existence — the evil weed known to many as cilantro — if it were covered in this fudge. BAM.

Honorable Mention #1
Drink a Mexican Martini at Trudy’s

Gimme Gimme Gimme!

So it’s not food, but Trudy’s happens to shake up my favorite alcoholic beverage ever. The Mexican Martini, for those of you unaware of its existence, is a margarita on the rocks that tastes amazing and is served by the shaker-full with a salt-rimmed martini glass by its side so that it equals like 5 drinks. That’s the reason behind the limit of two Mexican Martinis that the ever-responsible Trudy’s puts on their patrons. Well, just one of these tasties does it for little me. I cannot really vouch for the food served there, as I’ve had everywhere between good and so-so experiences, but I can highly recommend  their stuffed avocado. Delish.

Honorable Mention #2
Have a sub at Thundercloud

Pictured: larger than actual size.

If you’ve ever lived in Austin, then odds are you can recall the jingle from the radio spots made for these guys. It’s an Austin chain of sub shops that are, in short, what Subway would be if Subway wasn’t crap. The bread is good, the toppings are fresh and tasty and maybe it’s just the nostalgia talking (or the tequila from Honorable Mention #1), but I have to have one of these sammies for the road every time I go. Even if I’ve just crammed in lunch, after brunch, which is how I usually roll (almost literally) out of Austin. Get yours with Thunder Sauce and mayo for the ultimate Thundercloud experience.

Okay so there you have it. What I’d eat if I was in Austin, Texas with just one day to live and probably about eight stomachs. Stay tuned for my next editions: SHOPPING! and SIGHTS!

Follow me on Twitter. Feel free to argue with me about BBQ if you want.

Tags: ATX, austin, bbq, eats, economy, food, hippies, shopping, sightseeing, SXSW, texas, tours, UT austin

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 6:02 PM and is filed under Good News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.