RTP-area local music and culture

[Lisa Bachelder <lisa AT fuzzsonic.com>]

this is going to be a bit long, but i'm pasting in some food & bar
recommendations from a friend of mine who goes to sxsw every year (i'd 
also be happy to send you his music schedule spreadsheet off-list -- 
it's color-coded and everything).  he did warn that some of the info is 
a bit dated, so you may want to check before you go.

*AUSTIN FOOD*

BBQ

Green Mesquite (1400 Barton Springs Rd): closed Sunday

Iron Works: closed Sunday

Salt Lick:  open 7 days until 10

Artz Rib House:  open 7 days

Sam's:  7 days until very late

Kreuz Market:  closes at 6, closed Sundays

Black's:  "8 days a week"

Smitty's: daily until 6pm

*****

Bars:

Cedar Door   201 Brazos St  Supposedly cool bar.

Carousel Lounge:  1110 E 52nd St (just East of I-35) (512) 452-6790

Red Fez:  209 W. 5th (may be too trendy, but could be cool during day)

Speakeasy:  412D Congress (through alley).  Potentially cool rooftop.

Momo's:  618 W. 6th:  cool rooftop deck

Dry Creek Saloon   4812 Mt Bonnell Rd

In the back corner, past the cantankerous female owner (and that's 
putting it nicely), beyond the pool table and beneath an antique of a 
Schlitz beer-lamp, you will find the ancient, dusty, loud and scratchy 
Rowe/AMi 200 Selection Stereo jukebox.

1.  W on W 6th

7.  Continue on THERESA AVE  0.1

8.  Take the TX-1-LOOP NORTH ramp  0.5

9.  Merge on TX-1-LOOP NORTH  1.7

10.  Take the 35TH ST exit  0.2

11.  Turn Left on W 35TH ST  0.8

12.  Turn Right on BALCONES DR  0.8

13.  Turn Left on MT BONNELL DR  0.2

14.  Turn Right on MT BONNELL RD  0.7

Nau's Renfield Legend Drugs 1115 W. Lynn St.

Dinosaur putt-putt place

1207 Barton Springs

*****

Burgers:

Huts on W. 6th

Dirty Martin's Kum-Bak Hamburgers 2808 Guadalupe Since 1926, OT special!

Frans, 1822 S Congress Ave   as old as the hills and an austin tradition

Texas Chili Parlor , 1409 Lavaca St  The chili cheeseburger with xxx 
chili rules

Casino El Camino, 517 E 6th st- cheap beer and some damn fine burgers too

Mike's Pub:  108 E. 7th.  Old diner, great burgers/dogs, cheap beer, 
maybe on top of parking deck?

*****

MEXICAN on E. 7th and downtown

El Azteca

The Guerra family has been spicing it up for nearly 40 years at this 
popular East Side spot. There is no shortage of jalapeños here; you can 
find them in a variety of dishes from the salsa to the chile con queso 
to the chicken nachos. 2600 E. Seventh St., 477-4701.

Joe's Bakery & Coffee Shop

Baking and serving for more than 60 years, Joe's is a 
breakfast-and-lunch place that draws diners with a simple Tex-Mex menu 
with an emphasis on beef - in the soup, on the nachos, in the 
enchiladas. The bonus is the assortment of traditional Mexican cookies 
and pastries produced here. 2305 E. Seventh St., 472-0017.

Los Comales Taqueria  2136 E. Seventh, 480-9358     Sun-Thu, 10am-10pm; 
Fri, 10-1am; Sat, 10-2am

These folks are expert purveyors of real Norteño-style meats -- grilled, 
stewed, and braised. If you're hungry, you can't beat the Pancho Grande 
platter (a juicy sirloin steak, a giant crispy chile relleno brimming 
with gooey white cheese, flavorful red rice, real refried beans, and all 
the tortillas you can eat). Both the corn and flour tortillas are thick, 
fresh, and housemade. Another winner is the fork-tender cabrito stewed 
in a thick spicy adobo. Beer and margaritas are available, and the 
stellar jukebox plays continuous classics from south of the border.

Acapulco Video  2009 E. Seventh, 482-0215    Mon-Thu, 8am-10pm; Fri-Sun, 
8am-11pm

I'll never again view a shrimp cocktail in quite the same way. The 
informal restaurant attached to the Acapulco Video store serves a 
campechana to die for -- a huge heavy beer glass filled to overflowing 
with the freshest squid, shrimp, oysters, and octopus in a piquant sauce 
of tomato juice, fresh onion, avocado, cilantro, jalapeños, cucumber, 
Tabasco, and fish stock. You can also get gorditas and tacos with a 
variety of fillings, menudo, a fried fish plate, and a thick fish stew. 
They don't serve liquor, but you can choose from eight flavors of fruity 
aguas frescas from the traditional five-gallon glass jars. While eating, 
catch up on Mexican futbol on the two big screens.

La Michoacana Paletas   1917 E. 7th

Voted Best Tacos by Austin Chronicle critics

Mi Rey  1505 E. Seventh, 476-4211    Tue, 7am-2:30pm; Wed-Mon, 7am-10pm

Orange on the outside, tangerine on the inside, Mi Rey is hard to miss. 
Serving up solidly fundamental Tex-Mex dishes, the joint was jumping on 
a recent Saturday afternoon, with family parties rubbing shoulders with 
groups of homeboys, cops, and serious solo diners. The gordita plate is 
a winner --  two huge, crisply fried corn pockets stuffed with your 
choice of fajitas, carne guisada, or picadillo.

Cisco's

The late Rudy Cisneros held court at this restaurant, home to breakfast 
and lunch sessions that involved some of the state's most powerful 
political players and the minions who tried to influence them. You can 
get your fill of beef with the unique picadillo, a large bolillo-style 
roll stuffed with seasoned ground beef, and Cisco's special plate, with 
a crisp beef taco, cheese enchilada, rice, refried beans, potato wedge 
and quarter-pound of fajita meat. 1511 E. Sixth St., 478-2420.

Jaime's Spanish Village

One of the oldest restaurants in Austin - operating since 1931- Spanish 
Village exhibits the subtle differences in Tex-Mex food from one 
restaurant to another. The fajita nachos, for example, were topped with 
finely diced fajita meat rather than the traditional strips of skirt 
steak, while the dip compuesto was a mixture of warm chile con queso, 
guacamole and hot sauce. 802 Red River St., 476-5149.

Mexican South Austin (not counting S. First St or close S. Congress)

La Feria   2010 S. Lamar, 326-8301   Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm; Sat, 9am-1pm; 
Sun, 9am-5pm

La Feria delivers a variety of hearty Tex-Mex food every day of the 
week, including $3.99 lunch specials, but on Thursday nights, the draw 
is the talented seven-piece Mariachi Estrella. Absolutely. Even on those 
90-degree-plus Austin summer evenings, the patio spills over with 
boisterous music fans enjoying the show, although there's still plenty 
of room inside, where the AC is. Margarita and beer specials are almost 
always available.

Matt's El Rancho

Matt Martinez Sr., wife Janie and their offspring have made El Rancho 
one of the most revered restaurants in the city. On the weekends, there 
is practically a country-club atmosphere here, as West Austin residents 
and University of Texas sports fans gather to devour the food. 2613 S. 
Lamar Blvd., 462-9333.

Azul Tequila

Choose from the "platos del interior" side of the menu, with entrees 
such as the cochinita pibil, thick chunks of mildly spiced pork cooked 
in a banana leaf with fried plantains; homemade pickled habanero peppers 
and black beans, charro style in a tasty broth; or the chile relleno en 
crema, a poblano pepper stuffed with pork, almonds, onions and raisins, 
topped with almond-tomato cream sauce and served with a side of rice. 
4211 S. Lamar Blvd., 416-9667.

Curra's - open 7 days

Along with another version of cochinita pibil (here, the pork leg is 
shredded), Curra's offers plates such as punta de filete, chunks of beef 
tenderloin sauteed with mushrooms in a chipotle sauce. Finish up with 
the arroz con leche, a sweet, creamy rice pudding with raisins that is 
sprinkled with cinnamon. 614 E. Oltorf St., 444-0012; 6801 Burnet Road, 
451-2560.

Evita's Botanitas

A little treasure in far South Austin, Evita's Botanitas has a back page 
of menu items that include grilled shrimp stuffed with jalapeño, wrapped 
in bacon and served in chipotle sauce, and the chicken Juarez, a breast 
stuffed with chorizo, mushrooms, white cheese and peppers, breaded in 
crushed crackers, fried quickly, finished in the oven and presented in a 
pool of tomatillo sauce. 6400 S. First St., 441-2424.

El Gallo

At this Abraham Kennedy family restaurant, which has been operating 
since the late '50s, there's an old-fashioned touch: fiesta dip made of 
layered refried beans, guacamole, shredded Monterey jack and cheddar 
cheeses and pico de gallo. Entrees include carne guisada, tender beef 
tips in thick brown gravy with onions and peppers. 2910 S. Congress 
Ave., 444-2205.

El Jacalito 2030 E. Oltorf, 445-4109    Mon-Sat, 7am-9pm; Sun, 7am-3pm

If you ever wondered where the truckers of Southeast Austin eat lunch, 
El Jacalito is one of the spots. Wedge your vehicle in the strip-center 
parking lot and chow down on the usual and not-so-usual Tex-Mex 
offerings. Try the calabazitas plate -- chunks of tender pork and green 
squash, stewed in a flavorful tomato broth spiced with onions and black 
pepper, accompanied by a side of pasta in the same broth. Service at El 
Jacalito is like a well-trained military operation; the numerous, 
crisply uniformed waitstaff work the room with efficiency and precision.

*****

Other

El Rey  4109 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 443-1911   Mon-Thu, 11am-10:30pm; 
Sat, 9am-10:30am; Sun, 9am-9:30am

El Rey, in the Brodie Oaks shopping center, specializes in Sonoran-style 
Mexican food, a bit of a departure from the standard Tex-Mex. The 
succulent house specialty, Chile Verde, is a mild green chile stew, 
loaded with very lean and extremely tender chunks of pork, served either 
in a crisp taco bowl or wrapped in a burrito. Different lunch and dinner 
specials are available every day.

Janitzio 1422 Town Creek Drive, 442-6275   Mon-Thu, 7am-1am; Fri-Sun, 
7am-4am

Housed in the former La Parilla location near East Riverside, a trip to 
Janitzio could make you believe that you'd crossed the border for a 
bite, from the serve-yourself paletas icebox to the cocas en botellas to 
the variety of fruit liquados. Choose from among the northern 
Mexican-style steak dinners, seafood platters, and numerous types of 
gorditas, tacos, and tortas. Try winning a free margarita from the 
tabletop chance machines.

El Patio

Opened in 1954 by Paul Joseph and operated today by his family, El Patio 
emphasizes the basics: appetizers such as nachos, queso and guacamole 
and main items such as enchiladas, chalupas and tacos. The señor 
special, for example, is one of 10 featured dinners and includes two 
beef tacos and two cheese enchiladas. 2938 Guadalupe St., 476-5955.

Fonda San Miguel

One of the top restaurants in the United States for interior Mexican 
cuisine, Fonda San Miguel has been an Austin institution since 1975. 
From chicken to pork to seafood, the restaurant brings sophisticated 
flavors and presentations to the forefront, demonstrating the great 
depth and variety of the food from our neighbor to the south. A good 
example is the zarape de pato, shredded roast duck in chipotles and 
tomatoes layered in tortillas with a creamy poblano cilantro sauce. 2330 
W. North Loop, 459-4121.


> > any must-sees / must-dos you're aware of (besides the event itself
> > of course)...i'm going for the 2nd time next week.
> >
> > thx,
> >
> > dookie

****************************************************************