Have Bike... will Pub Crawl

About a month ago, Jim and I headed out on our bikes to explore downtown on our bikes. The weather was still pretty nice so it wasn't terrible to peddle around downtown.  We didn't have a solid plan, just some ideas on where we wanted to go.   We did try to hit places that we haven't been to before to see if we could find some cool places.  

Our first stop was a bar that bases the prices of the beer on supply and demand.  Meaning... the more people order a certain beer, it will go up in price.  It allows some of the lesser known beers the option to get ordered for cheaper.  They have around 72 beers on taps (always rotating).  They have booths inside that have their own TV, so you can pick and choose what you want to watch (good for sporting events).   We had one beer, enjoyed the patio then hopped back on the bikes to our next destination.

We tried to go to Peche but they weren't open yet, so we headed over to Cantina Laredo for a couple of margaritas.  This wasn't a new place to us, but it was on the way to our next destination so we stopped in for a couple of drinks.  I got the raspberry margarita... love those! :)

Our next stop was for some grub, and I couldn't wait to get back to this place. We went to Second Bar and Grill to get some burgers. I have heard excellent things about their burgers and knew this would be a perfect time to get one. We started off with their buffalo fried pickles.... YUM. I am a HUGE fan of fried pickles and these did not disappoint. The buffalo sauce was good but it seemed like it was brushed on to the pickles because it was uneven on the pickles. But that didn't stop us from eating all of them :)

                                  

This burger was GREAT and the fries were so crispy.   It was hard to get back on the bike to continue our journey with a belly full of delish food (and more beer). 

After eating, we headed over to Rainey Street to check out the new bars over there.  Our first stop was Blackheart Bar.  It has an awesome feel... laid back and comfortable.  They have seating in the front of the building as well as in the back with one bar in the house.  We were one of the few patrons in there, but I'm sure they got busy when night came.

After Blackheart Bar we headed over to Javelina.  Javelina was smaller than Blackheart Bar but had just as much character.  The bartender was pretty cool so we chatted with him for a bit while watching UT baseball on their TV. 

Javelina Bar

After we were done on Rainey Street we decided to ride up to the pedestrian bridge over Town Lake to watch the Sunset.

It was a beautiful way to end a very fun day!!

Holy Balls of FUN!

I absoutly love it when SXSW rolls through Austin. A few years ago Jim and I decided that it was time that we enjoy the music/film/interactive festival that Austin has every year. So far we have only enjoyed the music portion of the festival mostly because I don't want to shell out the cash for the interactive badges. The music portion of the festival is the easiest to enjoy because there are plenty of shows that are free!! This year we stuck with our normal plan and took off Friday to enjoy SXSW free shows.

This year we started off at the SonicBid showcase at Maggie Maes. I typically RSVP for about 5 places each day to ensure that we have a place to go!! But typically once we find a cool spot we'll stick around there for the day (like we did this year). The music we heard at the SonicBid party was closely to what we typically listen to daily so we stuck around to watch all of the bands.

Nick and Magen joined us at the show

Me, Jim, Magen and Nick

After Maggie Mae's we headed over to Easy Tiger

Caught Nick and Magen taking a self photo :)

Ummm... Jimmy? Where ya going? He just hopped on the back of the cart and rode it for a bit. Either the driver/passenger didn't realize he was up there or they just didn't' care

At Easy Tiger we decided to get a snack since we didn't really eat lunch. We got the worlds largest pretzel and a homemade sausage. A nice afternoon treat.

When did Teen Wolf start playing the violin on 6th street?

While walking down 6th street, we saw a truck start to hand out guitars. I tried to get in there but I was wearing flip flops and had no desire to push through to get a musical instrument that I had no idea how to play :)

We ate at The Backspace for dinner that night. We haven't been there before but we decided to poke our head in to find out how long the wait was. Since it wasn't terrible we waited around and I was so glad that we did!! We started off with the roasted Brussels sprouts, which was wonderful!! I loved every little bite!

The pizza was also very good, and I can't wait to go back to try some of their other dishes!

Day 2- SXSW and St. Paddy's day

For our 2nd day of SXSW we went to the Hard Rock Cafe party at Cedar Door. This was a rocking party full of great appetizers that were being handed out, plenty of options for free adult beverages, tattoos if you wanted (no mom, I didn't get one), and of course great music!!

This band was Breathe Carolina- which I had not idea who they were until they played one of their songs. I think the rest of the crowd was in the same boat since they all kind of came alive once they started playing the popular song.

Da Gang... Chris and Lindsay joined us, Nick and Magen for day 2 of SXSW. We always have a great time with this group!

Found a new drink (like I needed a new drink to like)... it is San Pellegrino Orange with Vodka. Like a Screwdriver but with bubbles :)

One of the bands at the party... Didn't really like her music but enjoyed her dancers. Those ladies had some spunk!

Mike, Charlie, Whitney, Chris, Chris, Lindsay-

We randomly ran into other friends at this party!! Great times!

Jim, Mike, Charlie and Chris

This was the closing act at the Hard Rock Hotel party... once again I have totally forgotten all names of the bands we saw at SXSW. That is what happens when you wait a month to post.

After the Hard Rock shows, we headed over to the Auditorium Shores free shows to see The Cult and Bright Light Social Hour. I scored 4 passes to sit in the VIP section which was awesome because it was on the same stage as the show.

Bright Light Social Hour-- check out all of the fans out there!

During The Cult's set, they brought up Matthew McConaughey to the stage to play the bongos. If you know The Cult's music, you know that the bongos don't really fit with their music but it was still pretty cool to see McConaughey play. He is pretty darn cute in real life :)

Here he is walking up to the stage.... Had no idea what was going on until it was announced and then I turned around in time to snap this pic :) Wish I could have scored a picture with him.

The end of a very fun night!!! Didn't really do anything for St. Paddy's day (except wear green) but it was an excellent SXSW experience!

Austin Kite Festival

The kite festival was last month and I trekked down there to check it out. First off... the parking was INSANE! I parked at least 1.5 miles away and just walked over. Next time I'll remember to bring my bike with me so it will be a quick 1.5 ride :) I didn't go last year (can't remember why) but I have gone a few times in the past when it was on the other side of Barton Springs (the other park). I've never actually flown a kite during one of these events, I'm more interesting in taking pictures :)

I love going to the kite festival to see all of the kites flying in the air. So many different sizes and shapes, which makes it fun to watch.



Downed kite!

Saturday Fun Roaming Night

We didn't have any plans on Saturday night so we originally thought we would split our time between 2 places. We were going to have appetizers and drinks at each place. Our plans changed slightly when we decided we didn't want to drive once we found a parking place.

We started our night at Trio which is inside of the Four Seasons. They have an excellent happy that runs 5pm-7pm Monday through Saturday. Yes people.... they have a happy hour on Saturday :) I have been to their happy hour in the past, but this was Jim's first time. All of their appetizers and glasses of wine are half off. Can I get a hell yeah!?!!?

I looked up and noticed their incredibly modern and cool light fixture. I like the fixture way better looking up than seeing it from across the restaurant.

While I wanted to order one of everything I had to remind myself that we were making other food stops that night. We decided on the pulled pork sliders and the truffle mac and cheese. All was EXCELLENT! The only slight bitch I have about the meal is I wish the buns were different on the pulled pork sliders. They looked like something we would find in HEB. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's Trio and I wanted better than what appeared to be HEB buns! The mac and cheese was just heavenly. So cheesy and so delish that it put a big smile on both of our faces.

After Trio we stopped in at Shoreline Grill and reminisced about our wedding there.. almost 7 years ago! :) Such happy and fun times!! We were going to try to get a self portrait under the gazebo, but just as we were going to try, a wedding party walked out, so we didn't want to get in the way! (no guests, but they were about to rehearse!)

We walked down to Town Lake (still can't call it Lady Bird Lake) to see if the bats were getting ready to take off but we were to early and didn't feel like waiting in the blistering sun. However, the light was great, so we took a photo with the help of another person waiting to see the bats.

Our next stop was at Hanks Garage. I have heard some buzz about this Belgium Pub so we thought we would give it a try.

Duck Fat Fries!! Duck Fat Fries!! I think duck fat fries are the new thing because I keep hearing about them all over the place. So when I saw them on the menu we ordered a small with 2 dipping sauces... garlic aioli and a grain mustard/mayo mix. While these fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, they tasted just like fries. I don't know what I was supposed to expect but they tasted like good french fries. I was a little let down by the sauces.... the garlic aioli was mostly just mayo. I hardly tasted the garlic.. so much so that I dipped my finger in the sauce to see if the sauce was weak or if the fry was just overpowering in taste. The garlic taste was almost non-existent. BUT the fries were delish so I'll overlook the dipping sauces!

After our fries and beer, we headed over to Second Bar and Kitchen. I have been wanting to eat there ever since they opened. This may not have been the best time to go eat there since I was already getting full. I had a talk with my stomach and told it to get ready because i was about to eat just a little more. Jim said he was done eating, but I knew that he would still have a few bites of what ever I ordered. They have so many great sounding items like the Blue Crab and Corn fritters, Buffalo Fried Pickles, Baked Ricotta and Goat Cheese.... but ultimately I kept looking at the Bacon and Eggs. Per the menu at Second.... Bacon and Eggs- Crisp Pork Belly, poached egg, frisee, orange, maple gastrique and croutons. As soon as this was put down in front of me, I broke out in a huge smile.

The pork belly was delightful, the frisee gave a nice cool crunch, the egg was perfect with the pork belly... and who could deny the maple gastrique? I loved every single bite and cannot wait to try it again. My minor complaint was the egg did not have a runny yolk.

We had such a fun time!! I think we are going to have to do this again soon. Pick a few places, have one drink and one appetizer/small plate at each place to be able to try multiple places.