small business

Town Market: A New Bodega On Rainey Street

Jude Galligan | January 28, 2010 |

Town Market has opened below the Legacy apartments on Rainey Street. It’s a unique space. Leasing a live/work unit on the ground floor of this downtown Austin apartment tower, Town Market is a two story affair with wine, coffee, sandwiches on the ground floor and dry goods on the second floor. The Town Market concept comes from the same people who brought you Cissi’s on South Congress.

The store is 50 paces from the Hike and Bike trail, so I expect they will do well during breakfast and the early evening hours. The Rainey Street District has one of the highest residential concentrations in Austin, and Town Market is a welcome addition to the downtown Austin neighborhood.

Hours: Monday – Saturday 8am-8pm, Sunday 8am-6pm
Google Map: 43 Rainey Street, Austin, TX 78701

G’Raj Mahal Cafe (Not Garaj Mahal) – MENU, HOURS, and REVIEW: Indian Restaurant Now Open in Downtown Austin

AG | December 13, 2009 |

9/25/2012: Breaking news….G’raj Mahal announces through their Facebook page that they are expanding! 2nd Location will be at 73 Rainey Street, and it looks like they will have live music. Check out our story on the details of G’raj Mahal’s expansion here.

7/3/2012: Updated menu below! Large groups should note that G’raj Mahal now only takes a maximum of 3 credit cards per order – no matter how many people are in the group. I was told by a server that this policy has been around for years, but I’ve been with several large groups there and June 2012 was the first time this happened, so I think it’s actually relatively new. This policy seems particularly odd to me personally because the minimum credit card order there is $10 (last time I checked, unless they’ve changed that, too), so logic would tell me so long as the total bill for each card is larger than $10, there shouldn’t really be an issue from a fees perspective. I guess maybe it has to do with the servers not wanting to take the time to run multiple cards? I’ve asked Sidney Roberts, the owner – but she has yet to give me a response or reason on the issue….will keep you updated!

Incidentally, it’s also worth noting that the gratuity for parties of 5 or more is now 20% (it used to 18%, per their older menu).

7/2/2010: G’Raj Mahal is currently open from 5pm-12am on Weekdays, 5pm-3am Fri-Sat. CLOSED Mondays. Also looks like all delivery will now be going through Longhorn Delivery (contact info on menu). G’Raj Mahal is BYOB!!!

Sidney, the owner also wanted me to let everyone know that the lamb is halal, blessed, and grassfed – for those following strict diets.

REVIEW:

If somebody asked me what I thought about eating Indian food made in a truck, my *go-to* response would be – “less good choice.” At least, that was until I tried G’Raj Mahal Cafe (no website yet, but you can find them on Facebook), located at 91 Red River Street in Downtown Austin. Ummmmm…super yummy!

This gem opened a couple of weeks ago, and when I had the opportunity to try it out the other day, I was very pleasantly surprised. I had the Vegetable Goan Coconut Currie with the Classic Vegetable Samosa, which was all washed down with a Mexican Coke:

Looking at the menu, I initially thought the pricing seemed way super high. After all, this is food made from a trailer. However, the food was made to order, tasted fresh and high-quality, and the portions were generous. While I still think it’s a bit on the pricey side, I also believe that it’s worth it.

**UPDATE 12/14/2009: The owner (Sidney aka Ms. GM) just contacted me to tell me: “FYI…We reduced our prices this week slightly for the entrees as much as we could. However, we use such high grade ingredients, we are somewhat restricted to obey our food costs. We will soon have a late night menu with $5-8 items like naan wraps, lamb burgers, Indian “taco” salad, and spicy goan sausages.” Once I’ve received the updated menu, I will post it.

G’Raj Mahal Cafe does table service and take-out. The table service I experienced was friendly (even deferential) and the overall vibe was good. I would note that there is no indoor seating, but the outdoor seating is covered, and what I would describe as breezy, surrounded by peacefully flowing pieces of gauzy white fabric. Here’s a shot of the typical table:

Overall, I think it’s a good, unique addition to the downtown Austin restaurant landscape, gives the east side of Congress a quality casual dining option, and is a small business that I will support. It’s just a few steps from our residence at The Shore Condos. My only real complaint so far is that it’s only open for dinner (from 5pm-3am everyday). I think a Saturday/Sunday lunch (business permitting) would be awesome.

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New (to me) Farmer's Market for Downtown Austin Residents – HOPE Farmer's Market

AG | December 8, 2009 |

I live on the east edges of Downtown Austin, and one of my very favorite things about my location is that I can walk to East Austin on a whim. It’s like I get the best of both worlds. There’s soooo much happening on the east side of I-35, and many of my favorite retail/restaurant stops are located in East Austin.

One of the best (in my opinion) coffee shops over that way is Cafe Mundi, an earthy, hidden coffee shop with one of the tastiest, but simplest, breakfast sandwiches in Austin. I was dreaming of said breakfast sandwich this past Saturday, so I took a nice and bundled-up walk over. As I was removing the million layers of clothing I had donned for my walk, I noticed a postcard advertisement on the table for a farmer’s market called HOPE (which stands for Helping Other People Everywhere) Farmer’s Market – which is held near 5th and Waller. Cafe Mundi (along with Daily Juice, Moonshine, Big Red Sun, and the Austin Art + Music Partnership, and others) is a sponsor of the HOPE Farmer’s Market, described on their website as “a weekly community gathering space where local farmers, artisans, community groups, families, and urban consumers can find fresh foods, community programs, artistic creations, agricultural education and wellness workshops.”

Now, this has been going on since October 25th, but I’ll be honest, I am generally either working on a project or nursing a hangover on Sunday mornings from 11 am – 3 pm, and have not had the opportunity to attend. I’m planning on changing that this weekend and going out and taking some pics and doing a little recon for all the DAB readers. Stay tuned for updates!

2nd Street Holiday Celebration TONIGHT – 6-9 pm

AG | December 3, 2009 |

From the website (under Events):

Come downtown for holiday shopping in the true spirit of the season.

Trunk shows
Special Holiday discounts
Music
Bites and bevs

Plan your night, and shop all six blocks:

Begin your evening as early as 4pm. That’s when Soco Designs begins serving up the fun, including 20 percent off all non-sale rugs purchased off the floor.
Then moved on to gallery d and Finch for 15 percent off storewide, trunk shows by Studio 3 and Stephanie Nance Studio PLUS live music from Austin’s own OHN.
Enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres at Minx during the Jodi Arnold trunk show and get 25 percent off all purchases.
Sip & save at Wee with 20 percent off all in-store merchandise, plus wine and snacks.
Don’t miss the Branch jewelry trunk show & cocktail party at Eliza Page.
Celebrate some of our favorite Austin designers at Beyond Tradition. Meet the designers in-store and let them help you select the perfect gift for anyone on you list while you enjoy hors d’oeuvres from III Forks and cocktails by Paula’s Texas Spirits.
From 9 to 11 pm celebrate the opening of “Directions in Light,” a series of contemporary shadow boxes with sculptural interiors lit from within, created by artist Brooke Gassiot at milk + honey Spa.

And if you’re near Blu Cafe, Bar and Lounge catch the Peyton’s Place fashion show at 7 pm. See fabulous new holiday arrivals and give-away gift bags and certificates.

New Hot Dog Joint Frank Is Delightful

AG | August 1, 2009 |

“Duuuuuuuuude, it’s a real sausage fest in here,” I joked to my buddy Zeke as we sat down at Frank, a new restaurant on the corner of 4th and Colorado (where Starlite Diner used to be). Frank is one of the newest restaurants in downtown Austin. I’d describe it as a hot dog eatery and bar, except that it’s really more than that. There’s something in the vibe of Frank that’s very inviting and it’s a place you aren’t soon ready to leave once entering.

ANYWAY – after congratulating myself silently for the snappy pun, I surveyed the layout of the place. The restaurant is expansive and airy, with ample ceiling height and a roomy dining area with several small tables that are perfect for 2-4, or that can be easily pulled together for larger parties. There’s a large, open bar area right at the entrance, a good place to grab a beer while looking out the big windows facing Colorado Street. Behind the dining area and upstairs, there’s even more space. I was told by one of the owners, Jennifer Northcutt, that the owners of Frank will also be putting in an upstairs lounge and a specialty, high-end grocery concept in these other spaces within the next couple of months. There’s a lot of natural, polished and exposed wood on the walls and the floors are a simple and dark concrete, which combined with the openness of the space, do much to add to the comfortable, but slightly masculine atmosphere. There’s also a neat little (working) phone booth towards the front of the restaurant and a painted mural/beer advertisement on the dining area wall (above photo).

Here’s a pic from my table looking to the front of the restaurant/bar area:

: Frank Restaurant – Austin – Interior

But enough about the layout, “How is the food, I wonder,” I said to Zeke. We glanced at the menu, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some vegetarian options to eat. I hadn’t really expected much in the way of vegetarian food, and was going to only order a beer, so to see that there were veggie dogs, vegetarian chili, and some other sides that were vegetarian was a real bonus. The menu is pretty simple, but I wouldn’t say it’s completely basic. Jennifer, the owner, had explained to me that there was an actual chef in their kitchen, not just a line cook, and the variety of the menu illustrated that to an extent. There were “artisan sausages” listed, and things like the Jackelope, which is an antelpope and rabbit sausage with huckleberry compote, sriracha aioli, and applewood smoked cheddar. Granted, the menu pretty much only consists of hot dogs, fries, and beer, but I have to say the specificity doesn’t turn me off one bit. Pick what you do and do it well. I ordered a veggie dog with slaw and my friend Zeke had the Jackelope and we shared a side of corn and fries and were just as happy as can be. The place also offers a full bar and fairly extensive beer selection, and I can see myself just poppin’ in for a drink without wanting a meal from time to time.

All in all, I’d have to recommend trying it out. The food is good, but not fancy, and the atmosphere is chill and casual. High-end quality food without being high-falutin’. This business is also owned by locals who are invested in the downtown community and who try to use local vendors whenever possible.

This isn’t the place to go and get healthy, but it is the place to go for a quick and satisfying lunch or to chill with a few friends after work. Do it.

-AG

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