The title says it all. You know where to find me on Thursdays.
Lavaca St Bar Gives Away Free Tubs Of Bacon On Thursdays
austin restaurant reviews
Cazamance MENU – New African Restaurant in Rainey Street District
A couple of weeks ago, Jude blogged about a new African eatery opening up in the Rainey Street district.
Well, we’ve had a chance to try it – and a detailed review is on the way (basic review: bunny chow is yummy!), but in the interim, I wanted to post the menu. If any of our readers happen to try it – would love to hear your thoughts! See below (click for image page, then click again to enlarge)!
Downtown Austin has Downtown Burgers – Yum!
Quietly tucked in a small lot across the street to the Austin Convention Center and adjacent to the Railyards, a little burger stand quietly awaits your patronage. The little burger stand (or, more correctly, the little trailer, as is all the rage these days in Austin) is simply called Downtown Burgers, and has been in the neighborhood since the second week of February this year.
Simple is the theme here. From a simple building, to a simple menu:
Downtown Burgers likes to stick to what it does best. And that’s burgers. Just burgers. (Though, thankfully they have a vegetarian option).
I ventured out today, immediately assaulted by the Austin heat, but undeterred in my goal to have a burger, coke, and fries. I arrived, ordered my burger, and chatted a minute with the owner, Steve McDermott. Steve, an Austin transplant, was born in New York and raised in Chicago. He says business has been good. “The good news is, I’m 10 feet away from the convention center. The bad news is, I’m 10 feet away from the convention center.” He explains that most of his business comes from the events and the workers at the convention center, but that business has been pretty steady since he opened. I’m personally a little surprised at the turn-out today given the heat and the fact that there is NO indoor seating. I’m hoping this means that the food is good and a good deal.
I ordered the veggie burger combo for what I thought was a fair price: $6.95. Here’s a picture of my meal:
The burger and the fries were really, really good. Like, really good. I would definitely eat there again. And I was happy to find out that they were open weekdays from 11am-10pm and weekends from 11am-Midnight. A great place for a downtown condo dweller to pick up a simple meal after work if you don’t feel like cooking.
In the spirit of Downtown Burgers, I’m going to embrace simplicity in this post, and just say I recommend it.
Downtown Burgers, 350 Trinity Street, 78701. http://www.downtownburgers.com/
Food Fight on Sixth: Bratwurst VS. Oysters
Over the past few weeks, an interesting “struggle” has been growing between Austinites on the issue of whether the Best Wurst sausage cart should have its sidewalk permit renewed to vend in front of Parkside Restauarant. The scene is the southeast corner of East 6th Street at San Jacinto, the heart of the East 6th Historic & Entertainment District.
Best Wurst has been selling yummy treats from its cart there for 17 years and has grown quite a popular customer following. The owner, Jon Notarthomas, is a hard-working Austin musician and entrepreneur. He pays $450 per year for the vending permit and transacts tens of thousands of dollars in business from his cart.
Parkside is a lovely fine-cuisine restaurant that opened in the circa-1920 building where Dan McKlusky’s steakhouse previously existed. Shawn Cirkiel, the chef, and his Austin family purchased their building, valued by TCAD at $1.6 million, and completely renovated the property when opening the restaurant a couple of years ago.
Sidewalk vending permits must be renewed every 3 years and it is now that time for Best Wurst. Parkside is opposing the renewal. There are many reasons involved but the basic one is simply “incompatibility”. This restuarant is not happy with having another food vendor directly outside of its front door. City officials are caught in the middle.
There are many opposing perspectives arising through discussions of this matter:
“Old/Iconic Austin” versus “New/Emerging Austin”.
Upscale dining versus inexpensive street food.
Property owner rights versus temporary permitted uses.
Large investments and big taxes on property+liquor+sales versus modest investments, small fees and sales tax only.
The sensibilities of Austin’s sidewalk vending permit process versus national best-practices for kiosk-style vending in public common areas.
The growing desire for East 6th to revitalize itself to make better 24/7 use of its century-old historic district presence versus maintaining its more recent four-decade reputation as “Dirty 6th” where young folks go to get shitfaced.
Phew. That’s a lot to take in right there.
What do you think about all of this?
Loads of media coverage and other resources available if you’d like to absorb further before weighing in: News story on the Austin American-Statesman’s Austin 360. TV coverage on News 8, Fox News and KXAN. Best Wurst’s website and its new Save The Wurst Facebook site with some 3,000 fans. Parkside’s website.
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.
So, my first visit was a little “Grand Opening” shindig they threw on Monday (Memorial Day). I walked in, and was promptly greeted by:
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:
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:
And THEN, in a matter of mere minutes, you are ready to eat fresh, delicious sushi. Yum!
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:
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