Photo Credit Chris Brock

A seasonal spin on a classic, it’s the cinnamon that gets you right in the mood for fall. Next up was the Magical Ending, which I am happy to say that I had a say in the name.

Photo Credit Chris Brock

This one is also by Marcus and uses rum, Bailey’s and Chai tea and it, well, IS the perfect ending (i.e. dessert drink). The one that truly stood out for me that evening (and is available if you ask for it by name, as it is not part of the fall lineup) was the Texas ‘Tini, they nailed it with this one!

Photo Credit Chris Brock

This is how a true Mexican, or should I say Texan, martini should taste — not at all sweet. Jalapeno-infused Republic tequila, lime and olive juice are blended together with fresh cilantro to create the perfect cocktail to enjoy with a meal. The fall 2010 drinks at Urban get you in the mood for the season and they are fabulous!

You know it by the plethora of plastic pink flamingos decorating the lawn of The Flamingo Place nursery at the intersection of Bee Caves Road and Loop 360.  If that alone isn’t enticing you enough to come in, the nursery is now playing host to an evening open house the second Thursday of each month, the next one is on October 14 from 5 pm to 8pm with the boutiques or “villagers” located on the grounds creating a miniature European Market.  Village vendors include Titos Vodka, Maine Root Beer, and  Hope and Glory Pastry with music by the Sound System.  Palmer Brown’s Gilt Studios is one of the newest villagers to set up shop on the grounds. Her beautiful gilting, which is an ancient art form that applies leafs of precious metals such as gold to a surface, can be found on the walls of the newly opened Four Seasons Residences.  Pink flamingos, food and drink at a fun new event, fabulous!

Dean Lofton’s Writing Your Life as a Woman is a four-week course that meets once a week.  The next set of classes runs October 6 -27.  This class is for women writers and non-writers alike looking for a place to release their inner creative and express themselves on paper.  Dean Lofton has been teaching writing workshops for 13 years.  She has a world of literary knowledge under her belt as she has written for dozens of publications and had her own column in skirt!, a regional woman’s magazine.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I arrived to class. There was an eclectic group of about a dozen or so women with an age range from early 20s to late 60s or possibly early 70s, from all walks of life.  Good old fashioned pen and paper where the mediums used and Lofton guided the class to tell their stories through a series of questions.  Lofton provides an environment that is encouraging, creative and welcoming. Pens hit the paper and each student interpreted the questions differently.  Students were encouraged to share their work with the class, but are not required to do so.  I left class that day feeling liberated and expressed.  I am woman, hear me roar, it’s fabulous!

For more information on this four-week course, click here.

Photo Credit Jody Horton

Those close to me can stop laughing now.  For those of you who know me well, you know I don’t cook (often).  I can cook, I just choose not to.  I had a unique opportunity to receive a bushel of farm-fresh food from Farmhouse Delivery. I had to cook and then write about it.

I received an email earlier in the day that my bushel of food had arrived.  I honestly had idea what to expect.  Delivered to my door was a very heavy bin carefully packed with the farm’s freshest ingredients and well thought out accompaniments of high quality olive oil and a blackberry white balsamic vinegar from Texas Olive Ranch, Farmstead Cheeses basil garlic cheese spread and a freshly baked ciabatta loaf.  As I unpacked the bushel, the aroma from the basil was like nothing I have ever smelled before.  It’s peppery emissions filled the kitchen area.  The butter lettuce was a shade of green I have yet to see (people I live next to Whole Foods Market…something special was going on here) packed with roots in tack.

Alright, time to cook.  I initially was going to use the bounty of recipes from the site as my guide, but being a creative and wanting to incorporate all of the ingredients provided, I crafted the menu.

Our first course was rosemary fries made with the Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil and Naegelin Farm’s new potatoes.

Photo Credit Kinaya Ulbrich

The main course was Wiley Farms spaghetti squash with Urban Roots basil pesto and a side of Texas Natural zucchini and Montesino/Tecolote Farms Japanese eggplant accompanied with a bruschetta with roasted tomato on grilled ciabatta with the cheese spread.

Photo Credit Kinaya Ulbrich

For dessert, I wanted to do something different and make use of the Bella Verdi Farms butter lettuce and blackberry white balsamic vinegar.  So in true European-style, we finished with a salad that I made into a dessert course by grilling the Texas Hill Country Orchard peaches to bring out their sweetness and intensify their flavor.  I laid them atop the butter lettuce and drizzled it with a blackberry vinaigrette.

Photo Credit Kinaya Ulbrich

So there you have it, Fabulous Drinks Austin cooked!  It took me all day, but with the help of Farmhouse Delivery, it was fabulous!

Occupying the former Mother Eagen’s space on West 6th Street is The Dogwood from the Womack brothers, Brad, Chad and Wes and their childhood friend, Jason Carrier.  It is named after the brothers’ Southern grandmother’s favorite tree.  Raised in Georgia, these boys truly are southern gentleman and natural hosts.  They have had a presence in the Austin bar scene for nine years starting on the east end of Congress Ave (i.e. the home to the infamous college bars). Now they are expanding their empire onto the west side of 6th Street (i.e. the grown up side attracting the 30-something crowd).  No frat boys here or velvet ropes for that matter. The Dogwood is “Keeping Austin Weird,” shorts and flip flops welcomed. They built The Dogwood from the ground up as a place to come and chill.  It’s indoor/outdoor with an emphasis on the outdoor.  A center island bar anchors the 4,000 square foot space occupied by natural woods and limestone native to Texas.  No fancy drink concoctions here, but exclusively they have Deep Eddy Vodka on tap served ice cold.  The boys are sticking to what they know, drinks, and have no plans to utilize the kitchen left behind by Mother Eagen’s.  Hungry, have no fear, Wahoo’s Fish Taco and Whole Foods Market are just a stone’s throw away. A cool, chill bar run by Southern gentlemen hosts, fabulous!

www.thedogwoodaustin.com

I always loved the outdoor area out front at Paggi House.  This gem of a patio is situated just across from Lady Bird Lake south of the River with famed City views.  In addition to their already-fabulous happy hour, they are making great use of the outdoor space (and cooler weather) with their Grillin’ & Chillin’ series starting on September 15 and continuing on October 20 and November 17.  Here Chef Shane Starks is grill-side engaging guests in casual conversation while sommelier Chris McFall pours from a selection of food friendly wines and beers for that evening’s menu.  Spanish guitar sounds from Flamenco band, de Lamar add to the already idealistic atmosphere.  September’s series features seafood and local brews.  October brings cocktails and crustaceans and November rounds out the series with Champagne and Oysters.  One of Austin’s best patios, an awesome chef grilling it up and a selection of food-friendly refreshments, fabulous!

http://www.paggihouse.com

South Congress Avenue has a newly added perch for people watching. Wahoo’s Fish Taco has expanded south of the River with a sister location to the original on Rio Grande off of West 6th Street.  Sure it may be a chain out of Southern California, but Wahoo’s has been winning Austinites over since they first arrived to town six years ago, with lines out the door to prove it.  Expect a chill, cool surfer-vibe, efficient and friendly service and clean, fresh Baja-inspired menu selections so conducive to dining in warm-weather Texas.

Now there’s even more reasons to love Wahoo’s as they have paired up with Dripping Springs Vodka as their house vodka and are creating infusions.  Flavors will change weekly and creations include spicy pepper blends perfect for a Bloody Mary as well as Skittles infusions, fun!  The South Congress location will include a bar and indoor and outdoor seating, perfect for people watching on Austin’s best Avenue for doing so.  They are open now for a soft opening with an official grand opening later this month.  Be sure to check their Facebook Page for details.  Go with the kids, go with the dogs, just go.  More Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, fabulous!

Address: 1722 South Congress Ave. 78704

Walk through the large, off white French country doors and you are greeted with a stack of newspapers, a large zinc-topped bar and an open kitchen looking out onto an open dining room that begs you to relax and stay a while.  There’s a lot of love inside those doors, quite literally.  Love Nance and her business partner, Sherry Jameson, run Annies Café and Bar.

Nance and Jameson have been here for over 27 years with their highly successful catering company, Apple Annie’s and have made an effort to bring some life onto Congress Avenue north of the River when they transformed their catering company into an inviting and charming bistro offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food and wine selections have always won me over and now Annies is at it again with a new addition to their team mixing up some tasty treats behind the bar.

Nance summoned Washington DC’s “Cocktail Queen,” a.k.a. Tiffany Short, to take her back to her tiki times spent sipping Polynesian drinks reminiscent of the 1930’s and 1940’s.  Tuesday are now aptly named “Tiki Tuesday” and Short has cooked up a drink near and dear to Nance’s heart, named The Scorpion.  Short combines freshly squeezed orange and lime juice with rum, brandy and almond syrup, and pours it into a volcano drinking bowl whose center holds a shot of rum set ablaze.  Meant to be shared and enjoyed with Tuesday night’s special of ½ priced burgers, this fabulous drink is lovely and fabulous!

Scorpion at Annies

• 6 ounces fresh orange juice
• 4 ounces lime juice
• 6 ounces light rum
• 1 ounce brandy
• 2 ounces Orgeat (almond syrup)

Blend with crushed ice.  Garnish with orchid.  Serve in Tiki glass or Scorpion Bowl.

Fabulous Drinks and Eats on Austin’s Best New Patio

Austin has a fabulous new outdoor patio, make that three!  A tree (hence the name El Arbol, which literally translates to “the tree”) runs through all three levels of its outdoor patio space.  A perfect perch to enjoy Austin’s 300+ days of sunshine, and the tree really keeps things cool during these dog days of summer.  An even better way to cool off is with El Arbol’s exciting and enticing cocktail menu with South American classics such as the Caipirinha and their take on the Pisco Sour.  Exclusive creations include the Tango Fresco or Primavera, both are made with fresh muddled fruit.

The cuisine is Argentinian and the kitchen is run by talented chef Chad Dolezal, whose specialty is steak.  All the beef here is USDA prime and grilled on oak wood, and the aroma welcomely waifs throughout the space.  Other not-to-be-missed items include the spinach and cheese empanadas and the day-boat scallops. Be sure to enjoy your menu selections with a bottle of wine.  The list was designed to pair perfectly with the eclectic menu items and is priced not to break the bank, in fact you’ll have sticker shock because the prices are so low.  

The design is midcentury modern fabulous with Joel Mozersky’s touch.  The first level is outfitted with sleek white leather and welcoming woods, a wine wall and an open kitchen.
Go upstairs to find an inviting bar and lounge area adjacent to clubby booths in the second dining room. The crowd here is Austin’s finest with that come-as-you-are Austin chill vibe. The service is flawless and complimentary valet parking is offered. With five seating options and an ecletic food and drink menu, go for happy hour, stay for dinner and come back for Sunday brunch — you’ll never get bored. Whenever you decide to go and wherever you choose to sit, just go, it’s fabulous.

I don’t trust restaurants that don’t have bars inside of them. Let me rephrase that, I appreciate restaurants that have a well-thought out cocktail bar inside of them. Restaurant bars are my favorite! They provide a refreshingly comfortable perch while waiting on a friend or first date for that matter. Visiting a restaurant bar is also a great way to experience a new or upscale restaurant without having to “fully commit” a large portion of your paycheck.  There is almost always a seat at the bar, even in some of the hottest restaurants in town, where getting a reservation is nearly impossible at a moment’s notice.

Truluck’s is no exception to this rule. They have a fabulous cocktail lounge with drink specials nightly. Considered high-end casual, Truluck’s cocktail hour will not break the bank. Cocktail selections mirror the menu in their classic style, you won’t find the latest in mixology trends, but what you will find are classics done well.

I ordered Ryan’s Cosmopolitan named after the bartender who so graciously tended to me on a recent Thursday evening. While the price at cocktail hour is $5.50, know that quality is not compromised. In fact, the drink is made with Grey Goose vodka and fresh juice mixers.

As you sip your cocktail, don’t forget to look behind the bar! Each bottle of wine is carefully selected and 25% off during cocktail hour. Pair your drink alongside delectable appetizers such as Mini Bacon Cheeseburgers or Baja Ceviche offered at half off and ranging from $2 to $7.

A new summertime menu is launching and includes a Sangria made with Truluck’s secret ingredients, which I happen to know include freshly muddled raspberries, blueberries and oranges. As I finished my last sip of that fabulous and classic Cosmopolitan, I bid farewell to Ryan with a promise to return with a few friends in tow.

www.trulucks.com

Photos courtesy of: birzerphoto.com