This past weekend I was in the mood for brunch…on Saturday.  I had heard that Lambert’s BBQ did a fine Saturday brunch, so the bf and I weaved our way through the Austin Farmer’s Market to Lambert’s Downtown Fancy BBQ.  Seems they decided to change things up a bit and offer brunch on Sunday only.  It’s a good thing.

After reading about Lambert’s phenom 26 year old chef, Larry McGuire, we decided to try his latest venture across the street, LaCondesa.  First of all, the decor took me to some fancy mediterranean far off island of Greece.  It was beautiful and soothing and amazing.  The table at the front of the restaurant boasted an assortment of homemade breads and sweet rolls, accompanied by bowls of butter, mexican crema, and an orange and vanilla infused marmalade.  All delicious.  Apparently they like to infuse things.

For brunch I had a BLT, as did my bf.  They came stacked on grilled sourdough and accompanied by a spring salad mix.  Good, but the main highlight of this trip was the drinks.  After all, you can’t do brunch and not imbibe.  Normally, except for that one bottomless mimosa adventure, I would limit myself to a drink.  This time, I had two.  And if you keep reading, you will understand why…

I had:

ALMA BLANCA habanero-infused chinaco blanco
ginger essence, aloe vera-lemongrass syrup, pineapple juice,
fresh corn, hoja de hierba santa, hibiscus-rose-infused salt rim

EL CUBICO whole leaf tobacco-infused sauza hornitos
reposado, navan vanilla liqueur, lemon, grilled pineapple juice,
mezcal essence, volcanic-saffron-infused salt rim

For real, in the latter concoction, they grilled my pineapple juice before putting it in my drink.  Fucking genius!  The Alma Blanca was exactly what I look for in a bloody mary, but it was a little sweet…with a major kick from the habanero infused chinaco blanco (tequila).  And while the other, a tobacco infused tequila, may sound a little odd, it was delicious, exotic, and quit powerful as well.  A divine creation.  And no, it did not taste like  a parliament light.

I suggest a visit to Lambert’s, LaCondesa, and two of McGuire’s upcoming ventures…Perla (opens in April) and the bar above LaCondesa, Malverde.

Good job, lads.

Eat, drink, and be merrier.

GBJ

For real, guys. Today it was drizzling, dark and cloudy on my way home from work. I turned on the radio for the weather forecast, and low and behold, there were like 20 accidents in town…Ok, so, Texans (along w/ women, asians, and drunks) are known for our inability to drive…so how come, whenever the weather gets shitty out, we still feel the urge to one up each other?  Come on kids…catch a fuckin drift!

Thank you, and good night.

GBJ

I worked very hard yesterday. I needed something to write about so I decided to get my lazy ass off the couch and hit the pavement.
If you happen to be headed to the ATX for some SXSW fun, these two precious locations should be high on your TDL. (to do list, duh)
The afternoon started off at Nomad. The Nomad won the Austin Chronicles “Best of”…poll, for the best neighborhood/dive bar. While it is indeed a neighborhood bar, it’s a far cry from a dive. (i cant find the link icon, but you can find them at, www.nomadbar.com). Anywhoo, they have a catered brunch every Sunday from 11a-2p. There is no kitchen at the bar, so the brunch is catered by a company called The Traveling Bistro. The brunch menu changes weekly and is a phenomenal accompaniment to the $10 bottomless mimosas! They also host a full bar, but the mimosas are where it’s at. The buffet costs $13 for an all you can eat. On the menu this week was banana nut belgium waffles, hash browns w/ cheese, quiche, sausage links, biscuits w/ sausage gravy, fresh fruit with mascarpone cheese, a cesar salad, and an assortment of pastries. Whew. We stayed for about an hour and a half. After several trips to the bar for a mimosa refill, and a full belly, we decided it was time to continue our day.

Next, we headed to The Blanton. The latest art museum on The University of Texas campus. The current showing is”The Birth of the Cool”.  A show dedicated to music, art, design and culture of the Californian mid-century modern era. There were listening stations where Miles Davis and Ray Charles piped through personal headphones, original pieces of modern art, and a collection of Eames furniture and photographs. It was delightful.

The best part of the museum?  The mimosas I had at Nomad! 

Come to Austin.  Don’t move here…just visit!

GBJ

SXSW
Thursday March 19th
11 noon - 12:30 pm Carpark Records
Adventure
Ear Pwr
Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez
1 to 5pm SC Distribution
1pm - We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Records/ Glasgow)
2pm - DM Stith (Asthmatic Kitty)
3pm - Desolation Wilderness (K Records)
4pm - Odawas (Jagjaguwar)
5pm - Maserati (Temporary Residence Ltd.)

Friday March 20th
1pm - Eat Skull (Siltbreeze)
2pm - Crystal Stilts (Slumberland)
3pm - Gary War (shdwply records)
4pm - Cursive (Saddle Creek)
5pm - Homosexuals (UK)

Saturday March 21th
11am - It’s Casual (Southern Lord)
12noon - Eagle Twin (Southern Lord)
1pm - Donkeys (Dead Oceans)
2pm - Renderers (New Zealand)
3pm - Tiny Vipers (Sub Pop)
4-6 TBA

Sunday March 22nd
2:30pm - Powell St John (Tompkins Square)
3:00pm - Frank Fairfield (Tompkins Square)
4:00pm - Wooden Birds (Barsuk)

No questions asked, kids.  just go!

Well its about fuckin time! The coffee shop is located in a prime location. Conveniently situated between hipsters, yuppies, and transients…E. 38th 1/2 in French Place. I had forever refused to go in there because as Quacks, the food sucked (tacos, pastries, and whatnots), the coffee was ick…not only did it taste burnt and old, every time I went in to get my own personal slice of heaven (a cafe mocha), it tasted like shit!

Much to my shagrin, I went in to get a coffee when I saw the new sign had been erected (i like erections).  I inquired with the total fucking asshole behind the counter about the future of this little gem. (Yes, he was rude…) There are new owners, they have already started carrying a different brand of coffee, and they are set to improve (thank allah) the food menu. They are open later (until 10pm), and they have good beer and beer specials. There is a lovely patio in the fenced back yard that would be perfect for bands, but unfortunately, on my visits I see nothing but kids. echk, kids…

So, I will go back once I can trust that these changes have been made and I will happily order myself a cafe mocha from some dickhead that stayed up too late the night before.

Sigh…some things will never change.

3/6 update:  I drove by the coffeehouse tonight and they have erected a new sign that says…”REAL FOOD”.  I guess someone caught my drift!

I know, I know! What a great picture this is! Walking up to Guero’s Taco Bar, you get the sensation that the atmosphere is totally kickin, the food smells delicious, and the music (can’t go anywhere in this town without music) sounds like home! My bf and I had his mom and his sister in town a couple of weeks ago from Ohio. They had never been to Texas before so we decided that we would give them a little taste of Austin immediately upon their arrival. We decided that we would take them to Guero’s. The atmosphere is usually killer…it’s so Austin. We both agreed that the food lacked any sort of “umph”, but we were in favor of showing off our city. NEVER AGAIN WILL I SACRIFICE GOOD FOOD FOR ATMOSPHERE…which sucked that night anyways.

To begin with, the waiter was some fucking washed up hipster who stayed up too late the night before pretending like his band was good. He was a fucking dick, plain and simple. We ordered some margaritas and they showed up in a glass not much bigger than a thimble. For $8 bux a pop, I was certain they were gonna rock my world…”maybe you only need one”…not so much. They were weak and had absolutely nothing special to them. Granted, I did not get the chocolate latte, top shelp, white tequila, with a cherry on top margarita…I am a Texas girl. I just like to have a sippy sip and get a buzz…that is what Tex-Mex means to me!

For starters we got the queso flameado. A white cheese combination with an added treat of chorizo thrown in. There was so much oil in the flameado that you could have drank it with a straw. It was disgusting.

My bf wanted some crispy tacos and when he ordered them (they don’t have them) the dick waiter copped a major attitude with him. Only a real Tex Mex place can provide one with sufficient cripsy tacos. And trust me, that is his thing…he knows where to find the best in town…(we’ll get into later…for him I will dedicate a post to crispy tacos)…

Anyways, I cannot remember what anyone else had, or what I had for that matter, all I know is that after I got the $80 bill for four simple meals and a couple of drinks, I was about to throw up all over the place. It was the worst meal of their stay, and unfortunately, it was their first food experience in Austin!

Some amazing places that we did visit was Mi Madres for breakfast…delicious and fresh and inexpensive with a great atmosphere…it is on the east side. Gentrified w/ pride. (I am actually for co-habitation, but this is the real world people, wake up)

We had some amazing brisket and all around real Texas BBQ at Ruby’s BBQ! We chose to load up on meat and then share an array of tasty sides including mac-n-cheese, cole slaw (one cream based and one vinegar based - both delicious), fresh bread, pickles, onions, and a slice of sweet potato pie for dessert. They said it was yum…I did not go there! I saved my calories for a delicious cold Lone Star and I suggest you do the same…

Our next BBQ experience was at The County Line on the lake. While it is definitely one of the pricier smoked meat joints, it is well worth it…Here we decided to go all out family style w/ ribs, brisket, sausage, and sides of beans, potato salad, and cole slaw…ALL YOU CAN EAT! Don’t forget to order a loaf of their fresh bread with honey butter…you will thank me after you wake up from your meat induced coma!

Also, be sure to visit the huge catfish and turtles in the water with your leftover bread!

Unfortunately, after they left, we treated ourselves to dinner at The Rio Grande, the former Real World Austin house…it was amazing. Anyone who puts on limit on their margaritas is alright by me. We started with a plain queso. It was creamy and perfect and served with thin warm tortilla chips and homemade corn and flour tortillas. I am not saying that they make them in house, but I am saying that they did not come from the grocery store. I am part latina, tortillas hold a special place in my heart. We split a divine salad with a balsamic vinagrette dressing, everything was fresh and delicious. For dinner we share the filet mignon fajitas! Oh.My.God - go there…got it?

There are so many delicious places to eat in this town, and while I am simply disgusted that I had to be the one to experience Guero’s - yet again - I decided to let you guys know how my experience went!

Bon Apetite, Bitches…

GBJ

Ok kids. I was talking w/ bf the other day and he suggested that I recap the restaurant reviews that I have posted so far. While I love to give props to those institutions that I love, I like to keep the devil close when I revisit the establishments that pissed me off…so here goes…

I will start with the BAD list…

Primizie Osteria, Austin, Texas…the atmosphere blew, the food sucked, and the service was as cold as my grammy six feet under. Wait she was cremated, anyways, you catch my drift…

Ave. B Grocery Store and Sandwich Shop…the guys that owns this is a fucking cock face. Unfortunately, his food is the shit, but I will never return. EVER!

Bossa Nova - UGH! I don’t even know where to begin. However, I saw the asshole that I refer to in this entry at the local corner store…it was night and that douche bag still had on his sunglasses…and he informed us that he now works at the coffee shop right next to my house (Quack’s, which BF and I refer to as Wack’s, cuz it sucks dick as well). So, in the defense of the very sweet owner of Bossa Nova, I will go back and give it a shot knowing that the fucker that makes me want to hurl with every breath he takes is gone! One step forward for Bossa Nova.

The GOOD list!

Lambert’s Fancy Downtown BBQ - There is not enough positive things I can say about this place. Beyond the amazing music that plays, the historic building, and the calm of being off 6th Street, the food is to die for. On a recent trip in, I had the skirt steak served with a hot Cholula butter…hold on kids, that one will blow you right over!

I also suggest that you try The Little Deli on Woodrow, possibly the best sandwich in town! Another one of my faves is The Blue Dahlia for a bistro style setting…amazing, organic, and local!

Bon Apetite, fuckers!

Many Birthdays, Baby Robots, The Diagonals, and BASIC!

Do yourself a favor and buy all of the CDs! All of them, assholes…every single one of them…at least The Diagonals!

Go to Lambert’s this Saturday night for four of my most fave local bands ever…Many Birthdays, Baby Robots (the new crew), The Diagonals, and BASIC…it’s gonna be a big one!