Magnolia Cafes, Austin, TX

Why is this man so popular?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:14:00 +0000

He was the boss who signed their paychecks, but he was more. He was ready to have fun. At the busiest time on a weekend morning, they would stop everything, turn the cafe into a 2 minute party while singing their theme song, and then jump back to their places and keep serving food. Here they are putting on their show...

Imagine 3-part harmony:

Omelettry West is the place you go in Austin, shop shop shoo wah, yum, shoo wah.
Omelettry West is the place you can get lost in... shop shop shoo wah, yum, shoo wah.
You better "ooo" come "ooo" whoever you are, shop shoo wah,
You better "ooo" come "ooo" in your Japanese car,
shop shoo wah,
shop shoo wah,
shop shoo wah, yeah yeah yeah...... yummmmmm.

Peter, 1983

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:12:00 +0000

Yes, that is Peter on the left, the Magnolia Cafe South's current GM, back in about 1983.

Let's talk about Love. Justus, on the right, would begin preparing his own lunch by spicing up some fresh butter with fresh peppers and raw garlic. It came to be called "Love Butter" because Justus was the Doctor of Love - plus he bore an uncanny resemblance to Jesus. We loved the effect. Yes - Love Butter is still on the Magnolia's menu today. Thx, Justus!

February Calendar Photo: 1983

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:49:00 +0000

Young and beautiful, hearts off for the Omelettry West waitresses. They could take it - and they could dish it out. Sending wishes for a Happy Valentine's Day to 'yall.

Happy New Year 1983

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:45:00 +0000

This was the January glamour photo for the one and only 1983 Omelettry West Calendar project. The dishwasher stripped down and took front stage for this one.

A few pictures from the good old Omelettry West: K & P

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:29:00 +0000

Just a fun picture of Kent and his first wife Patricia (above pic), hard at work behind the front lines at the Omelettry West. The cafe opened on Jan. 1979. They were open for breakfast and lunch only, closing at 3 pm daily. Patricia and Kent split up a year later (the restaurant business IS hard, it's true) and Patricia went on to create the Kerbey Lane empire. Kent finally bought 100% of the shareholder stock in 1987 and the business was renamed the Magnolia Cafe.

The RCA Victor Dog Mural

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 May 2010 02:40:00 +0000

Remember the excitement of getting your first color TV? We do. So we decided to preserve a bit of history on South Congress.

If you can drive by, check it out: the "Sam Allred and RCA dog mural" is getting spiffed up. You may recognize the artist, Corn, who is doing the restoration painting.

This is from Wikipedia:

In 1953, RCA's all electronic color-TV technology was adopted as the standard for American color TV...

To read more about RCA on Wikipedia, click here.

Spiffed up for SXSW

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:27:00 +0000

Every year, the Magnolia Cafes host some official and unofficial SXSW breakfasts. No RSVP or special invitation is ever required, honest.

But returning visitors to the Magnolia South (1920 South Congress Ave.) will hopefully notice the spiffing up we've done for the event. Though you won't be back in the kitchen to see the completely refreshed floors and fixtures, you will most certainly notice that the dining room is now a beautiful aqua blue, and that the patio has a computer and beverage station to speed up service for you.

Just as we wiped the dust off our jeans and put the cafe back together again, we were introduced to two young men from Minneapolis, John Grider and Mike Fitzsimmons. Their business is called Broken Crow (http://www.brokencrow.com/about), and they came to Austin searching for large bare walls to paint murals on. Our niche of the neighborhood now has stalking lions, roosters, a giraffe, and birds coming out of an old Victrola.

Last, let me mention that the Magnolia Cafes have been included in the SXSW Eat Well Guide (http://maps.eatwellguide.org/maps/homepage/view/113). Between us and the other fine restaurants in Austin, there's no need to go home hungry.

Have a great visit to SXSW 2010. Let us know if we can do anything to make it better.

Kid Art Show July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Kids draw the funniest, beautiful and intriguing things. Here we present a selection of children's art left at the Magnolia Cafe: inspired and heartfelt.

(Click the picture to be taken to the slideshow.)

Magnolia Cafe now offers online shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:30:00 +0000

In response to customer demand, we now offer selections of our Magnolia-branded merchandise for customers to purchase online using our new Magnolia Cafe Shopping Cart.

To celebrate this grand opening, we have stocked up on some popular designs including the red Magnolia "Sorry We're Open" baseball hat:

You'll find this and many great t-shirts, including flamingo designs on American Apparel sexy girl T's, on our new web site. We ship to any US destination via USPS.

Have you got a homesick Texan? Or a University of Texas graduate? We would be delighted to send them a little piece of home. We hope you find the shopping convenient and easy to use! Bye for now,

Yummmm… at Tony and Paige.com

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:16:00 +0000

We're sending out a 'thanks' to Tony and Paige for writing about their meal at the Magnolia Cafe South.

Tony and I had a delicious Valentine’s dinner at The Magnolia Cafe on SoCo. It was the best restaurant we have been to since we moved to Austin...

Thanks y'all! We hope to serve you many more great meals, and thanks for telling your friends about us. To read the full post, here's the link:
Yummmm… at Tony and Paige.com

Valentine's Day! 2009

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:31:00 +0000

You're looking very beautiful tonight. No, really. I love your hair like that. And you're also looking for a perfect place for a romantic dinner. Well, let's look no further than one of the Magnolia Cafes.

Magnolia Cafe, Lake Austin Blvd., is offering Heart Shaped Ravioli, Thai Chili Shrimp on coconut cilantro rice, Tilapia Florentine topped with spinach and crab meat, and Flat Iron Steak with mushroom gravy and caramelized carrots. For dessert: Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Compote or Gateau Marissa with strawberry icing. Entrees range from $10.95-$11.95.

Magnolia Cafe, South Congress, is offering Peppercorn Encrusted Filet of Beef with goat cheese tamales and asparagus, Asian-Style Halibut with baby bok choy and wasabi rice, Apricot and Lamb Tagine with ginger couscous, and Heart Shaped Ravioli. For dessert: Gateau Marissa with strawberry icing, or Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Entrees range from $12.25-$15.25.

Making memories.

At two locations.
Magnolia Cafe, 2304 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin
Magnolia Cafe South, 1920 South Congress Ave., Austin

A great pic of Magnolia food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Originally uploaded by murphelz

A customer has posted this beautiful picture on Flickr. We just want to say - thanks! I think that it's a Flamingo Sandwich with bacon added. It has been a popular vegetarian item (minus the bacon) for a long time. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm.

From the Way Back Machine: Happy New Year 1983

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Should we tell you who this Omelettry West cook was? Since he may have gone on to a career in law or medicine, I think not. Suffice it to say that this cook volunteered to wear the diaper to celebrate the New Year for the wacky calendar that was being invented for 1983.

The calendar was rich with jokes. There were dozens of special commemorative days like the (hypothetical) day that they paved Town Lake, the day that they air conditioned the entire downtown of Austin, and - yes - Doris Day.

Here is a link to our previous blog post about the Omelettry West calendar project.

We send you our joyful wishes for a Happy New Year 2009. Thanks for being part of our community.

We are not Martha: Gingerbread Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:42:00 +0000

Many people ask us for the Magnolia Cafe's recipe for Gingerbread Pancakes. We have a scaled-down version of the recipe that was once tested by Dweezil Zappa and Lisa Loeb on the Food Network. Two young women from Boston recently decided to mix up a batch for dinner, and here's the link to their story featuring Magnolia's original recipe. They've done a great job adding their own detailed photos and instructions:
We are not Martha: Gingerbread Pancakes

To Two 20-Something Bostonians: Cooking at home can be dangerous. You've acted bravely. Thanks for blogging about our delicious food, and we hope that you'll come dine with us whenever you can get to Austin.

Magnolia Cafe to be featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:10:00 +0000

The Food Network features Guy Fieri as host for their Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We are pleased to announce that the Magnolia Cafe South has been filmed and featured for an upcoming edition.

Chef celebrity Guy Fieri was in our kitchen. He made gingerbread pancakes, blackened shrimp and more with our chef.

Then Guy Fieri was in our dining room. He schmoozed the employees and patrons. He was larger than life. It was a blast.

Now you can watch us on TV!

Central Standard Times:
Monday, Nov 24 @ 9 pm
Tuesday, Nov 25 @ 12 midnight
Sunday Dec 7 @ 2 pm

In Austin, this is Time Warner cable channel 32.

It's that time again: The Kid's Art Show October 2008.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:26:00 +0000

We hope you see your favorite pictures here. Thanks to all of the kids who made contributions!

Twitter, and the recent celebrity sightings at the Magnolia Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Recent days have blessed the Magnolia Cafe with visits from a few celebrities: Kate Walsh, Ellen Page, Bill Murray. Although we respect their privacy and hang back from autographs, the internal silent scream of fan-dom strikes. This is the result of very early training: Elvis, the Beatles. Even if they were just on TV - we screamed.

While some of us, paralyzed with adoration, simply grip our fork and spoon tighter, others send a Tweet to friends and the world wide web. If you don't already know this web-based celebrity, let us introduce Twitter. www.Twitter.com is micro-blogging. It's a wonderful way for people to have conversations - with quick little sentences exchanged and parried - on the web.

So we invite you: When you see a celebrity at the Magnolia, just send a Tweet on Twitter with the words "magnolia cafe" in them. We'll be pulling our Twitter news into the sidebar of this blog to share with the world. It really is better than screaming.

>>> 11/1/08 NOTE: we've revised our process for getting our customers' news onto our blog. You tag on Twitter with "magnolia cafe" or review us on Yelp. We get to read your responses and then we will post the best ones on our site. (Otherwise erroneous data can get out there.) Customer feedback is always appreciated. AND - If you see a celebrity - please let us know. We'll try to get your news up as quickly as possible daily.

It was a pleasure to hear from this customer...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:10:00 +0000

This is just a quick blog post to say thanks to 'Born Again Bird Watcher' for so eloquently describing his pleasure at discovering the Magnolia Cafe.

He writes:

One of the down-sides of travelling as much as I do is the inability to always eat in a way that is at the same time both healthful and emotionally satisfying. Most all cities and towns across America have at least one restaurant that can provide these twin requisites, (read the full post)

Thanks John! Please come back and say 'hi' when you travel through Austin again.

Veg Out! Austin - Ben's Top 5 Plates of Nachos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:06:00 +0000

I suggest that Austin vegetarians bookmark this neat web site:
"Veg Out! Austin... where herbivores eat out in Central Texas"

Besides mentioning Magnolia Mud, a recent article by Ben recommends 5 tops picks for vegetarian nachos. You can read all about his top 5 list here.

Just briefly, here are the recommended choices, in no particular order:

Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz, Nacho Libre with grilled tofu

Freebird's World Burrito, Nachos with black beans and queso

Magnolia Cafe, Super Nachos

ZuZu's, Black Bean Nachos

Chuy's, Special Nachos

Good to know!

The sights, tastes and smells of Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:56:00 +0000

The editors at Conde Nast Traveler answer questions and share travel secrets, tips, and dispatches from the road, and apparently Julia Bainbridge (one of their writers) has a soft spot for Austin.

I think that Julia has nicely captured some of our current mystique, and she reminds me of some things that I ought to go enjoy before the summer is through.

She mentioned our Magnolia Cafe in the category of "good coffee." I have to agree with her, after drinking a few cups of what they call American-style coffee in Europe this summer, it's nice to be home.

Here is her lovely article about Austin if you'd like to read it for yourself.

Spreading the Love: The Food Trailer Culture in Austin

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:24:00 +0000

Rich from Plano recently visited Austin, and he has a couple of good tips for visitors. Who knew that you could stay at the Barton Creek Resort at an incredible price through Expedia? As for dining,

We hit Magnolia Cafe, Chuy's Tex-Mex, County Line BBQ, and tried a new place Gumbo's. Along the way, there might have been a Shiner or two. You can read his blog post here.

But this was his "pièce de résistance" - Hey Cupcake.

We'd like to tell you more about Austin's trailer culture. The city is enjoying an unusual phenomenon these days: micro-restaurants serving absolutely delicious food out of mobile trailers. Hey Cupcake is located on S. Congress Ave, about 2 blocks north of Magnolia Cafe South. They've become a big attraction for both residents and tourists in our SoCo neighborhood.

So, if you've visiting Austin, you should definitely come visit us at the Magnolia Cafe. But you should also try to fit in a meal or dessert with one of our friends in the trailers. They're an Austin experience.

Hey Cupcake on South Congress Ave.

LuLu B's Thai Sandwiches on South Lamar

Flip Happy Crepes, near Zilker Park

From the Way Back Machine: the waitresses with Kent Cole, 1982

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:52:00 +0000

Back story: the Omelettry West was the first incarnation of today's Magnolia Cafe. Kent and his wife Patricia were asked to help open a new location for the Omelettry. K & P were quickly made part-owners of the new venture and went to work. Kent only learned to cook the day before the official opening.

A year later, Kent found himself single again. Perhaps that explains the gorgeous look of the waitresses in this picture.

The photo was taken by Jack Rheem for a special project: a 13-month calendar to be sold to customers (the extra month was called "Thermidor" which explains the extra long Texas summer between July and August). Each month featured a beautiful B/W photo of the early staff and cafe environment. It is the ultimate collector's item for Magnolia Cafe followers.

I'll eventually post all of the pictures to this blog. Thanks for your interest.

dP

The Kid Art Show, recent contributions by talented customers.

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:21:00 +0000

YouTube introduction to the Annual ROT Biker Rally, Austin, TX

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:18:00 +0000

It's here! It's time for the motorcycles to engulf downtown Austin and the Travis County Expo Center. We've got a video from YouTube to help you get excited:

The official rally takes place over three days, June 14-16, at the Expo Center.

FREE PARADE & CONCERT on June 13th:
Congress Ave (from 2nd to 11th and 1 block on each side) will be closed for the parade from 4pm Friday to 2am Sat. The parade will happen at about 7:30pm and the concert should end around Midnight.

Magnolia Cafes, at two locations near downtown, will be welcoming visitors and locals with excellent home-cooked food 24 hours.

www.rotrally.com For road closure, concert and parade info, visit the City of Austin's web site.

Neon Sign of the Magnolia Cafe - Austin, Texas - "Sorry, We're Open"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:10:00 +0000

Neon Sign of the Magnolia Cafe - Austin, Texas - "Sorry, We're Open"
Originally uploaded by JIMWICh

This beautiful picture of our sign was posted by a fan on Flickr. The owner of the picture has suggested this music as well. What an interesting combination! Please feel free to play this podcast to enjoy the sounds of Texas (?)