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

AG | December 19, 2010 |

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.

[Read more…] about Downtown Austin’s W Hotel Trace MENU & La Condesa New Lunch Menu Items

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

Cap Metro Closes Downtown Bus Stops (Congress Avenue)

AG | November 24, 2010 |

Showing the Changes to Bus Stops on Congress Ave.

A little late writing about this, but thought it important to the Downtown Austin community that I post anyway.  On November 6, 2010, Cap Metro closed down several of the bus stops on Congress Avenue, citing traffic and safety issues under the old system, which had a bus stop at every block of one of Downtown Austin’s main downtown thoroughfares.

I talked with John-Michael Cortez, the Interim Manager of Community Involvement at Cap Metro.  He explained that these changes have been discussed for years, but the recent construction on Brazos Street and the subsequent detours routing extra busses to Congress stops have exacerbated congestion and traffic accident issues and has pushed the Agency to close some stops on Congress now.

He says these stop closures are the short-term solution, and that next steps will include gathering feedback, giving a preliminary report to Cap Metro Planning and Operations committee in early December, then giving a detailed, quantitative report on the outcomes to the Cap Metro Board in January.  If the bus stop closures are deemed to be successful in decreasing congestion / traffic problems while maintaining customer and stakeholder satisfaction, Cap Metro will most likely decide to close additional stops on Congress to have only 3 NB and 3 SB stops total.  THEN, if all goes according to service plan 2020 (which Mr. Cortez was quick to say was not set in stone), all Congress bus stops will be relocated to Lavaca / Guadalupe “transit corridors.”

Mr. Cortez said that, to his knowledge, the changes have only received a positive response.  However, some stakeholders may have the concern that by closing down bus stops will only increase the crowds at the remaining stops, thereby inhibiting pedestrian traffic to and from their space.  Also, at least at 6th and Congress, there seems to be an awful lot of people hanging out at that bus stop that have no intention of riding the bus – to where will that element relocate?  (I bet you that Keepers is pumped about the closure there.)  And lastly, those that use the Congress Avenue bus stops as transfer points may be seriously affected, to the tune of perhaps missing a tight transfer because they have to walk 1 or 2 blocks further.  Which means serious delays.

Mr. Cortez says that Cap Metro will actively be reaching out to the community to get feedback regarding these concerns, among others.  While he says they will be proactive in their attempt to talk with stakeholders about the impact of these closures, it never hurts to reach out to them if you have an opinion.  You can contact Community Involvement Coordinator Alissa Schram at Alissa.Schram@capmetro.org or John-Michael Cortez directly at John-Michael.Cortez@capmetro.org with your thoughts on this decision.

Filed Under: downtown austin

Happy Thanksgiving!

AG | November 24, 2010 |

Not a turkey – but possibly being eaten on Thanksgiving anyway.

Downtown Austin Blog wishes our readers a Happy Thanksgiving!

And by the way, this turkey guinea fowl really has been running around Rainey Street for quite awhile.  I hope whoever is keeping it doesn’t plan to eat it. 🙁

Filed Under: downtown austin

Icenhauers is Nicenhauers (Go To There!)

AG | October 14, 2010 |

Only Kitties Over the Age of 21 are Permitted to Consume Alcholic Beverages

First of all, I’d like to apologize for the headline of this post, but I just couldn’t get this phrase out of my head.  And it’s true!  The new kid on the (Rainey Street) block, Icenhauer’s, IS nice. Nicely built and and nicely designed (kudos to the Icenhauer team for selecting the high-design architectural firm, Michael Hsu), nicely priced, and “nicely” people (shout out to staffers Nora and Matt, who made my first visit there extremely….well, nice).

A little history: Icenhauer’s is family-owned, a father-son team consisting of Michael Icenhauer, young TSU graduate turned entrepreneur, and his father Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez , a local criminal attorney.  Michael Icenhauer was living at The Milago and witnessed first-hand the opening of Lustre Pearl.  Inspired by Bridget Dunlap’s endeavor, the Icenhauer duo set out to replicate the success.  But they didn’t replicate the vibe.  Where Lustre Pearl is shabby chic, Icenhauer’s is sleek and modern.  Where Lustre Pearl is a bit rough around the edges (which I like!), Icenhauer’s is smooth to the touch (which I also like!).

Alas, but a picture is worth a thousand words.  So, please allow me to bury you in metaphorical words:

Curb Appeal

Soft Opening Signage
Icenhauer's Patio
Generous Back Patio, Reminiscent of Lustre Pearl
There are few things I enjoy more than drinking outside.

Closing thoughts, in brief:  I like the concept, and I think it’s a nice addition to what’s becoming an increasingly eclectic, but higher-end bar and restaurant scene on the edges of downtown Austin.

Also, apparently the Icenhauer clan pronounces their last name like “Eisenhower.”  Presumably, this would also be the correct pronunciation of the bar, but I think most people are going to accentuate the “Ice”.

Oh!  And if you are hungry, never fear, the bar is right next door to El Naranjo, or just a stone’s throw away from the other trailer eateries in the area – G’Raj Mahal, Cazamance, and East Side King.

Icenhauer’s Quick Facts:

Location
83 Rainey Street
Austin, Texas 78701

Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday: 4 pm – 2 am
Saturday: 11 am – 2 am
Sunday: 12 pm – 2 am

Happy Hour
Monday – Friday: 4 pm – 7 pm
Saturday: 11 am – 7 pm
Sunday: 12 pm – 7 pm

Happy Hour Prices
$2 Domestics
$3 Draft/Imports/Wells
$4 Glasses of Wine

Filed Under: downtown austin, Rainey Street District

Bar 96 + Adjacent Trailer “East Side King” (from the chefs of Uchi) OPEN

AG | September 26, 2010 |

Bar 96 on Rainey street opened this weekend.  It’s a sports bar concept – but the food is not your traditional sports fan fare.  A trailer called East Side King has opened in conjunction with the bar.  Here’s a look at their menu (click once for image page, click again to enlarge):

East Side King Menu

Jude and I enjoyed a small, but yummy sampling when we were there over the weekend.  It’s my understanding that the trailer will be fully open and serving from the menu next week.

I’m really starting to enjoy the trend of international-themed food trailers / restaurants in the district.  With G’Raj Mahal, Cazamance, El Naranjo, and of course, the International House of Pancakes (wakka wakka), all within walking-distance from the several area condos and single-family homes, a resident of these parts is not likely to get bored with their food choices any time soon.

Filed Under: downtown austin

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