Austin Eats and Drinks

I recently traveled to Austin, TX with a bunch of friends to meet back up with one of our friends who had moved to Texas last year.  We traveled from Connecticut, Washington, and Virginia, so it was kind of a big deal to get us all together at the same place and time. It was great to get together and eat, drink, shop and talk.  I've been to Austin before and love the laid-back, artsy vibe of the place.  I had not, however, been to the South Congress (SoCo) neighborhood, which is where we stayed this time.  We were only there for 2 and a half days, but I could have spent the whole time just exploring this neighborhood, I loved it so much!

First, a shout out to the folks at  Verde Camp, where we stayed.  Great accommodations (despite the large bird population that kept me up at night -- owls -- and early mornings -- I think they were mourning doves) and friendly proprietors, who live across the street from our bungalows.  Because we were seven people, we kind of took over the place, with three of us staying in the Cloud House (which slept 3), and the other four splitting up between the other two bungalows, which slept 2 each. I highly recommend staying there if you are traveling to Austin.

Part of the camp (the Cloud House, where I stayed, is on the right). Loving the sign and cactus!

Cloud House

Fire Pit (we didn't light any fires, though), and the third house our group stayed in the background/right.

This is the inside of the Cloud House. Isn't it cute? You can see a bit of the loft and on the left you can see the (closed) door to the bathroom and the (open) doorway that leads into the bedroom.

As I admitted in my last post, I didn't take a whole lot of food pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it, but the food was great! The first night we went to Guero's Taco Bar, which was within walking distance of Verde Camp.  Of course, I got a taco palate, especially when the server told me that I could order one of each of the tacos I was considering: the Al Pastor and the Chicken Al Carbon.  Both were delicious!  Wish I could have explored the menu even more, but I will definitely make it back there next time I'm in town.


 (photo from Jo's website)

We were also within walking distance of a great coffee shop (really a take out counter, because there is no interior space to sit inside, although there is covered seating outside) with fabulous baked goods. Jo's Coffee Good Food had great coffee, but also offered other drinks, such as the refreshing concoction called a Laura Palmer (it's not listed on their regular menu).  It's an iced tea drink that is pink, and refreshing and delicious!  I also tried one of their breakfast tacos and enjoyed every bite, despite the grackle that tried to make off with it.  Scared the crap out of my friend, though.  :-)

We didn't do a whole lot of barbeque, either, but did make it to a place in downtown Austin called Lamberts Downtown Barbeque. I got the Brown Sugar and Coffee Rubbed Natural Brisket with sides of collard greens and their jicama and carrot slaw (I also tasted their ranch style baked beans, which they brought by mistake but let me keep), which I really enjoyed -- great flavor, nice smoke ring, even the fat had great flavor!

This is our group of ladies after a delicious lunch!

 
(photo from Doc's website))

While  Doc's Bar & Grill had your "typical" bar food, they also had great salads.  My friends enjoyed the Blackened Fish Salad, while I really liked the Sunset Valley Salad (grilled chicken, sliced oranges, Granny Smith apples, avocado, onions, and cilantro on house green with a sesame dressing). Their drinks were really good, too.  We all fell in love with the "Austin Sipper" (I don't remember what was in it) and I had a lovely pecan-infused smoked whiskey on the rocks that really hit the spot at the end of the day.
 

 (photo from Hey Cupcake!'s website)

I am a big fan of food truck cuisine: so fun, so mobile.  :-)  So, when we saw the  Hey Cupcake! cupcake trailer right on the corner near where we were staying, I had to indulge!  We got the half-dozen mini cupcakes to share, plus the John Lemon -- because I'm a sucker for lemon.  They were very good (and I'm kind of a snob when it comes to baked goods, especially cupcakes, which can be done so poorly or get over-hyped for just being average).  Anyway, the John Lemon was really good, as were the chocolate cupcakes, the strawberry, the red velvet and the carrot cake.  The only one I was only lukewarm about was the Vanilla Dream -- way too sweet for my taste.

Of course, we made time for shopping and two great shops were within walking distance.

  Parts and Labour


(photo from Parts & Labour's blog)

I loved this store! Lots of funky clothes, t-shirts, jewelry and gift items all made by Texas-based artists and crafters.  I bought some fun coasters and a cute kitchen towel with a print of (of course) a food truck.  Wish I had more time to browse through the jewelry, but my friends had moved on to other stores, so I had to catch up.

 


(image from Allen Boots' website)

Of course, it wouldn't be a trip to Texas if we didn't go boot shopping, and  Allens Boots had an amazing selection of high-quality boots.  I worked up a sweat trying on so many pairs!  Alas, it was not meant to be for me, but one of our group did find a beautiful pair. The staff there is great (and with boots literally stacked to the ceiling, you will need their help at some point). This place is not to be missed!

We did manage to do a couple of things that didn't involve eating, shopping or drinking.  Austin boasts a number of parks and outdoor areas to enjoy that big blue sky.  Barton Springs Pool, located within Zilker Park, is a pool fed by natural springs right in the city, just a 10 minute drive from Verde Camp.  Very reasonable (I think I paid a $4 entry fee for the day) and it is a great way to relax.  The day we went, they were doing some improvements to the grounds, so where you could normally lay out on the grass, it was roped off, so it got kind of crowded, because everyone was relegated to the concrete walkway and the rock outcroppings, but it was still really nice!

So lovely and cool on a warm day!

Austin is also known for the bats that roost under the Congress Avenue Bridge, so we had to try and see it.  Here is a picture of what it CAN look like: 

(Image from blogger Army Galpal, who clearly had a better sighting than we did.  Check out her blog post on it and for more on Austin)

Unfortunately, the night we went, it turned out to be kind of a bust, because they didn't fly out till it was pretty dark (making them hard to see), and even then, it was only, like, five or six at a time.  Apparently, there were a number of pregnant females that stayed under the bridge, or so we were told by someone who we assumed knew about such things.  Anyway, sat in a park that is located underneath the bridge right next to the river, and had fun just sitting and talking while we waited for the bats, so it wasn't really a waste of time. The point of the trip was to hang out with friends, which is exactly what we did.

So if you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in Austin, you should definitely check out the South Congress neighborhood.  I loved it!