2nd Street District

@JacobDirr | June 6, 2011 | 4 Comments

Urban Outfitters Shacking Up At The W Austin Hotel

The 2nd Street shopping district is likely to get a jolt from patrons still paying off college loans with a new Urban Outfitters clothing store.

As evident by the colorful graffiti, the faux-thrift store (call it ironic?) retailer has plans to move into the ground floor of The W Austin Hotel, which opened in December 2010.

I shop exclusively at Kohl’s, but allegedly Urban Outfitters’ new spot is a big deal because their only other Austin location is not so far away on Guadalupe Street, up near the University of Texas main campus. Perhaps they are targeting the PBS Austin City Limits crowd from shows taped there?

Jokes aside, this is a vindication that downtown Austin is becoming a destination and not in the way of “urban pioneers” loading up on Gatorade and PB&J to venture out of suburbia, like they do in Ohio.

For a number of reasons, Urban Outfitters joins the ranks of business interests investing in downtown Austin.

Cole Broadhead, a principal at Retail Solutions, said the folks at Urban Outfitters “do their homework.”

“Those deals take a long time,” he said. “They do a ton of research.”

amber gugino | April 25, 2011 | 3 Comments

Cinco De Mayo Party Worth Checking Out

If you haven’t made your Cinco De Mayo plans yet – I would check out this event at La Condesa / Malverde in Downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District. It’s a hip spot with a killer vibe, and I always enjoy myself when I’m there. And there’s no cover, so there’s that….

Malverde has long been one of my fave places to go when I’m feeling a bit hip and want to enjoy a swanky view. There’s always good music, good people, and good drinks. The same goes for the restaurant below, La Condesa. The interior finish out of the place is a reason to go to the restaurant in and of itself, IMO.

The event begins at 5pm (appropriately) at La Condesa. There promises to be lots of yummy food and drink to enjoy. Don’t siesta on this fiesta!

Flyer after the jump: [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2nd Street District, austin restaurant reviews, downtown austin, Downtown Austin Districts, life in austin, miscellaneous, small business

amber gugino | December 19, 2010 | 2 Comments

Downtown Austin’s W Hotel Trace MENU & La Condesa New Lunch Menu Items

The W's Restaurant "Trace"

Just a week or so ago, The W Austin Hotel in downtown Austin held it’s grand opening. Boy, that place is nice. Jude and I visited the lounge areas and had dinner at Trace (link to Yelp reviews) on our visit. The decor is swank, and the menu is trendy. The dinner menu is separated into five categories: foraged, farmed, crafted, hunted, or shared, and the hotel restaurant has even hired an official forager, Valerie Broussard, to select local produce for the plates.

A little pricey for some plates and a little small on the portion sizes (which, honestly – is to be expected, this is a *fancy* hotel restaurant, after all), but delicious overall. I had the Winter’s Garden salad, the Pumpkin Agnolotti, a basket of fries (from the bar menu – which I don’t have), and a glass of Merlot, all wonderful – the cost was about $35 + tip. Here are the menus – breakfast, lunch, and dinner (they apparently change fairly frequently, maybe seasonally?, – but this should give an idea on food type and price range) To enlarge each image, click once on the image to get to the image page, then click the image again. More after the jump.

Jude Galligan | August 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment

The Barriers Are Down @ W Hotel Residences

I walk or bike past this construction area several times a week, yet only a few days ago I noticed the obvious… the pedestrian walkways are gone, as is the temporary sales center. Of course, this is now old news, but this is still a positive signal that the building is approaching completion of the exterior – which will be great news for 2nd Street District!

As we reported back in April, the contractor is expected to hand the keys over to the hotel portion in September/October. The doors won’t be open, but that should be the time when the hotel can begin to furnish everything. The Austin City Limits venue and residential condos will be ready in Q1 of 2011.

Filed Under: 2nd Street District, downtown austin

Jude Galligan | August 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

2nd Street: New Violet Crown Renderings

Remember the announcement in April about another downtown Austin movie theater – Violet Crown? Since then, How Do You Roll has moved in, Z Pizza has moved out, and we now have a rendering of what the half-block could look like in upcoming months.

Thanks to Mike McGill for the heads up!

-Jude

Filed Under: 2nd Street District

amber gugino | June 1, 2010 | 1 Comment

You are the Sushi Chef (Sort Of) at How Do You Roll Maki Sushi Bar in Downtown Austin – **MENU

**No Substitutions**

This is a pretty commonplace statement on most sushi menus. It’s a phrase that is representative of a little bit of rigidity, and, in my opinion, perhaps a statement even laced with a little vanity from the Itamae.

Well, How Do You Roll Make Sushi Bar on 2nd and San Jacinto in Downtown Austin made **me** feel like the the sushi chef. My sense, from their concept and their overall vibe was that they are focused on taking the pretension out of the sushi without sacrificing the taste. Sushi – the Austin way.

How Do You Roll Storefront

So, my first visit was a little “Grand Opening” shindig they threw on Monday (Memorial Day). I walked in, and was promptly greeted by:

You had me at sake bomb, How Do You Roll....

sake bombs! Yay! My experience was off to a great start. While I was, ahem, **sipping** on my sake bomb(s), I got a little insight into the way things work at How Do You Roll.

The ordering system is set up semi-cafeteria style, where patrons stand in line in front of a “deli-style” selection of sushi goodies:

Sushi Deli

You then customize your maki roll, letting the preparer know what veggies (they also had some fruits – super cool!) and meats (for those who don’t do raw fish – they also have a selection of cooked chicken/beef meats that you can put in your roll) and sauces/spices YOU want in your roll. Completely customizable.

Then, right before your eyes, your special roll is prepared and cut and presented to you:

Made Right Before Your Eyes! Magical!

And THEN, in a matter of mere minutes, you are ready to eat fresh, delicious sushi. Yum!

I had a roll with fresh salmon, sprouts, cucumber, avocado, and spicy mayo. And it was good.

I liked it, folks. I especially liked the price-point. My 10 peice maki would have only been $6.45 plus tax. Not too shabby.

And the vibe of the joint is fun. They aren’t QUITE done with the decor, but it’s shaping up nicely. Some pics:

Maki Inspired Lighting

Lots of Windows and Natural Light

Bright Colors Enhance the Overall Light/Fun Vibe

Yuen Yung (the CEO of the franchise location) and Myself

I would definitely recommend this place for lunch. Good price point, quick & easy, and delicious sushi. Also good for casual dates! Go support a local business that is trying to do something a little fun and a little different!

The Menu (double click once to get to the image screen, double click image again in that screen to make larger):

Downtown Austin Location: 454 W Second Street (San Antonio is cross street)
Website: www.howdoyouroll.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HDYRsushi

Just a word of advice, though. Don’t mistake the wasabi for guacamole:

Check it Out w/ Steve Brule: Brule on Sushi – watch more funny videos

Filed Under: 2nd Street District, austin lifestyle, austin restaurant reviews, austin small business, downtown austin, life

Jude Galligan | April 12, 2010 | 5 Comments

Art House Movie Theater Coming To 2nd Street District.

The Violet Crown art house theater is under construction, opening in December

At the west end of the 2nd Street District, directly above the soon-to-open How Do You Roll sushi restaurant, will soon be downtown Austin’s latest cinema – The Violet Crown. We reported back in January that 2nd Street District was getting a new movie theater. The Statesman’s Chris Garcia gets the latest info on The Violet Crown. Scheduled to have four screens, with bar/lounge, and opening in December.

The construction will actually expand the mezzanine level by a couple of feet over the sidewalk.

The Violet Crown should make a great addition to the district. At first glance it would appear they are taking on the Alamo Drafthouse head on. However, the Violet Crown might take on a more refined lounge-like experience, trading high ball glasses for buckets of beer.

The removal of the W Hotel’s street barricades this summer will unclog the pedestrian experience in the 2nd Street District, but will be especially welcome to the 400 block that includes BoConcept and La Condessa.

Filed Under: 2nd Street District

Jude Galligan | April 12, 2010 | 2 Comments

W Hotel Residences Sneak Peek

DANA members on the 37th floor of W Hotel Residences

from the vantage point of the pool deck

Members of the DANA were provided with a backstage pass to downtown Austin’s W Hotel Residences. We’ve always admired the sleek monolithic design of the building, and even through the construction dust you can envision the interior will make a similar impact.

DANA members on the 37th floor of W Hotel Residences

The contractor is expected to hand the keys over to the hotel portion in September/October. The doors won’t be open, but that should be the time when the hotel can begin to furnish everything. The Austin City Limits venue and residential condos will be ready in Q1 of 2011.

The most significant milestone will be the removal of the street barriers mid-summer! This is great news for any resident or retailer in the 2nd Street District.

Flickr Slideshow

mezzanine level seating for the Austin City Limits venue

Filed Under: 2nd Street District, Austin photos, images, austin towers and high rises Tagged With: w hotel, w hotel austin

Jude Galligan | March 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment

2nd Street District Art Installations

This week and next, downtown Austin patrons will begin seeing sneak peaks of what’s to come for Art Week Austin. Local artist Carlos Rosales-Silvas is creating three storefront installations in the 2nd Street District. The first two have been completely installed and the third will go up early next week.

Rosales-Silvas’ installations are the first chapter in “One swallow doesn’t make a summer,” an exhibition curated by the team Cook&Ruud, that presents new and site-specific work in available storefronts and public spaces throughout the 2ND Street District and in Republic Square Park. The second phase, a group exhibition that explores the dynamics of the neighborhood, including its past, present, and future, opens April 21st as part of Art Week Austin and continues through May 28th.

Thanks to Jordan at Giant Media for the heads up!