Austin Is Delicious

Soup Peddler 10th Anniversary Party!!

2012-02-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

This Friday, the Soup Peddler is throwing a party to celebrate ten years of consistent deliciousness. Happy anniversary, Soup Peddler!! Also on the celebrate-ometer is a spanking new website, which has a new order function that should make it super easy for any Austinite to incorporate the Soup Peddler into their life on a more regular basis. For more party details, holler at them on Facebook

Tillamook road-trips through Texas

2012-02-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

In a town quite familiar with and fond of a certain burnt orange hue, an all-natural cheese has no problem making friends. So Austin food bloggers (myself included) were happy to stop in to Hopdoddy for a meet-and-greet with some super sweet reps from Tillamook who had cubed up some tasty bites of cheese for us to sample as part of their LoveLoaf tour. Who doesn't love cheese? And this is the

Anticipating the BACON TAKEDOWN

2012-02-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Bacon Roses as seen on Instructables.com I suppose I really just wanted to use a pic of these fantastic long-stemmed bacon roses and say happy February, it's almost sxsw but let's get through everything Feb brings first. Sorry; I won't be making any super bowl dips and while I hope Madonna creams the Giants, I probably won't watch the game. So that's that for super bowl stuff. Yes, of

Meat Week off to a booming start

2012-01-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

Hey, it's Meat Week! I can't think of a more adorable sustenance-based social activity than bbq, can you? Neither can the founders and daring captains of Meat Week, which just started here in Austin. Meaning, it's not too late for you to saddle up. Salt Lick Bbq, 2008 Meat Week is like an endurance race of bbq. Dinner will simeltaneously be held at bbq restaurants all over the USA and world (

Kitchen Nightmares: The Taping at El Greco

2012-01-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

To sum up: FOX's Kitchen Nightmares came to Austin to rescue El Greco, a family-owned Greek Taverna. The taping was in September; I sent an email, was screened, and deemed acceptable to appear for the "after" taping segment. On arrival, I was asked to sign a "blogger's" non-disclosure agreement (different from the NDA I was asked to print and sign and bring with me to the restaurant). The NDA

Yes, you may have briefly seen me on Kitchen Nightmares!

2012-01-23T19:00:00.001-08:00

But only very briefly! I got as much screen time as shots of the 360 Bridge and South Congress. As Austin's El Greco had already bitten the dust before the air date, I'm glad that I can take no responsibility for their failure. Though if it's credit that matters, I'll take credit for closing down the place. In short: Fuck that guy. No amount of delicious tatziki or amazing grilled octopus means

YROTD: Glenn has no friends

2012-01-23T16:37:00.001-08:00

Yelp said it, not me. Glenn is, of course, Glenn Danzig, and while he still hasn't really lived down the Fun Fun Fun fest debacle, he has decided to rate businesses in his community by posting on Yelp. YROTD stands for "Yelp Review of the Day," and Glenn's are exactly that. They are of the day! But are they really...Glenn? Maybe. And should the Yelp profile stay up? I say yes. While it is

El Greco: Over Before the Kitchen Nightmare Started!

2012-01-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

I did not see this twist coming: El Greco, the troubled Greek taverna in Austin has folded faster than Superman on laundry day before its own episode of Kitchen Nightmares even aired! I first saw the story here at the Austin Business Journal.With spotty FB updates noted patiently by loyal customers throughout the month of December, El Greco finally hung it up on December 31, according to the

The End Of The Year Is Over

2012-01-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

Through the rush of the holidays and the start of the new year I keep reminding myself to say "Happy new year!" to people, but loss is more heavily on my mind. Emo's on Red River closed forever on December 30th, with a pretty much perfect bill of Rituals, Women in Prison, and Killdozer, who opened the room in nineteen dickety two with real steam-powered tickets and probably much better growling.

One day at a time, Sweet Genius

2011-12-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

Casting call alert! I do love blogging about casting calls. And while the El Greco episode of Kitchen Nightmares has yet to air, TV shows still need stars, or at the very least willing participants, in order to get made. This casting call is for the Food Network's Sweet Genius, on which bakers compete for $10,000. The judge is Ron Ben-Israel, who has been dubbed the Sweet Genius. He's a

Ah La Cart is Good!

2011-12-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

FINALLY. Though I have been salivating since first sight, I have now had the chance to grab a bite at Ah La Cart, Austin's glossiest new mobile food vendor in a shiny orange truck, and I can confirm it is delicious.Like Odd Duck Farm To Trailer but with less eggs, Ah La Cart focuses on great local produce, and then makes it rich with smoky bacon, pork belly, and cheese. At first glance, the menu

Au Revoir Sprouts on Brodie

2011-12-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, Sprouts, the Colorado-based chain of grocery stores, is closing three of its Austin locations. People seem most outraged at the loss of the store on Anderson Lane. As I live in Bubba-land, the Brodie Sprouts was closest to home. Sprouts bought out Sun Harvest on South Lamar, which had a really amazing butcher department and deli, plus superior fresh produce. I really hope

Counter Culture Getting Housed!!

2011-12-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

Great news!Counter Culture, the vegan and raw, Tiffany-blue, North Loop food truck staple will open a fixed location off Cesar Chavez in March! This means the truck will roll off North Loop, but the new spot sounds amazing.From Counter Culture's Facebook: Great News! I just signed a lease for a restaurant space on Cesar Chavez 5 blocks East of Chicon! The trailer will be up and running for

Holiday Season, it is? Give gifts you will

2011-12-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

As December careens by, it can be a challenge to stop and savor that this unseasonably cold (for Austin), strangely damp weather is a season. A holiday season, even! Which can mean a chill winter break for some, a major celebration for others, but mostly it means giving. Gifts can be homemade, store-bought, in the form of a gift card or membership, but mostly it's the thought behind the item and

Catch Up: Ah La Cart

2011-11-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

The "Oh boy, can't wait" department has a new entry: the sleek, glossy, bright orange Ah La Cart, spotted this morning on 4418 Packsaddle Pass, just off Ben White in the 78745. The truck softly opened on November 20th, and the crisp fall weather Austin has been enjoying must be a great foil to Ah La Cart's oven-roasted brussel sprouts and crisp bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with

Saveur Seeking @ Dogellos

2011-11-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

DATELINE: AUSTINThis past Saturday in Austin was lovely, breezy, and greatly enhanced by chowing down a very fine - no - the best chili dog in town. Though it may be one day, the chili dog itself wasn't the reason why I left the house. I ventured out to eavesdrop and ogle a fine crew shooting video about Dogello's, which claims to make the best guess what in Austin. Yup. Chili dog. The video

And lo it was written: Thou Shall Craigslist

2011-11-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

I am a woman of few rules, though I try to be aware of the law. As for commandments, well, the big ten make a kind of sense to me. But some things in life make hardly any sense.Take for example this new blog which crossed my radar via a polite email: Thou Shall Craigslist. Such a forceful name for such a sweet spot for finding some of Austin's vintage treasures, mainly of the home goods variety.

The Rock Garage

2011-10-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

As the second gilded age shoots us in the face with tear gas canisters, it can be hard to give a shit about anything fun, like, say, going to see bands, or listening to music. Please do not forget about bands, or music. Even with elections looming and protests growing, music can replenish us. Give me some music; music, moody food of us that trade in love (wrote Shakespeare). Michael Crawford has

On NDAs, relaunches, and stunning baklava

2011-09-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Just got back home after attending the relaunch portion of El Greco, a charming Greek cafe on Guadalupe just across the street from Wheatsville. The restaurant will be featured on an upcoming ep of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay. I signed a special NDA for critics (no, I'm not a cricket, just a blogger with a day job) and there are guidelines I must follow: one is I'm not allowed to

I can't abide intolerance

2011-08-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Rest in peace, Joey Vento, you jingoistic, cheeseskeak-slinging xenophobe. I should back up a bit. I lived in Philadelphia, specifically South Philly, more specifically a few doors in from the corner of Passyunk and Ellsworth Avenues, within rock-throwing distance of Geno's Steaks, the enterprise of Joey Vento, part-time employer of Joey Merino, and avid supporter of slain police officer David

Goodbye, Austin A.V. Club

2011-08-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

In more "oh shit, that ain't there no more?" news, Austin will lose yet another facet of its character when the Austin A.V. Club goes dark Thursday. In case you care, the physical paper will shrink and undergo a slight redesign, but I bet the ads will still be local. Just all of the local editorial content will be gone. You know, the Austiny shit like previews of local shows and photos of

Can anyone tell me...what was Kerbey Lane South orginally?

2011-08-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Kerbey Lane Cafe on South Lamar has been a destination 24-7-365 since 1986, and while it has a counter and a flow and feng shui and all that, most people can tell you without even looking that the place wasn't built to be a diner. It may be a diner now, but only because determined people made it that way. And it won't be a diner for long now, as KLC South is moving up the street a few blocks

Pitch a fit, get on FOX, ATX!

2011-08-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

If you ever dreamed of staring at Gordon Ramsay's craggy face close-up, or had his shriek pierce your ears in person, you donkey, now's your chance. Kitchen Nightmares is coming to Austin, most specifically to El Greco, which calls itself a Greek "Taverna." Austinites are most likely too polite and worn out from the brutal drought of summer 2k11 to be the ideal test-run audience for FOX's

Nooo: North Loop Parlor to close

2011-05-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

It's too sad when a family business that helped to define Austin's character closes. When record store Sound on Sound on closed the loss was palpable. Now The Parlor - part family pizza restaurant, part perfect punk venue - will close at the end of this month.According to the Statesman, The Parlor on North Loop will host two full weeks of shows from June 8th through the 21st, with many of the

It's deathpunk vacation! Chaos in Tejas 2011!

2011-05-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

It's almost here: Chaos in Tejas 2011, Austin's best punk fest, plus grind and metal and hardcore and Nola bounce and whatever else stalwart booker Timmy Hefner can add to inspire the hordes of vinyl-collecting messy-haired skinny-panted music fans that attend. From June 2 through the 5th, expect a lot more studs on the cut-off vests you see on Red River, and the record stores will be packed.