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Showing posts with label austin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label austin. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Austin, Part 2

The rest of my time in Austin was filled with even more delicious food and loads of sunshine which left my shoulders nice and sunburned. There are so many things to do around town but we managed to hit most of the highlights--it was such a perfect day.

After we enjoyed Barton Springs, we decided to venture to one of Austin's many trailer parks for lunch. The parks are this picnic-loving girl's dream come true--lots of food trucks parked around several picnic tables with shady umbrellas, so you're free to go to as many different trucks as you'd like and enjoy your meal while the breeze blows past you. 


After noshing on a few different kinds of tacos (pulled pork and fried avocado from Mellizzo's Tacos), I got to go to Gourdoughs, which I had been dying to try. I love donuts--especially ones with crazy flavors--and these were some serious donuts.


Because we are who we are, we sampled three different flavors: Granny's Pie, The Flying Pig, and Sara's Joy. These donuts are not playing around--we only got a couple of bites through each one! Gourdough's definitely deserves a stop, so save it as a meal in and of itself, rather than dessert!


The Flying Pig--Holy.Bacon.

We walked off our feast on South Congress by visiting lots of different shops and an open-air jewelry market. There were so many people out and about, it was lovely.








After weaving our way in and out of shops (Uncommon Objects & Big Top Candy Shop were highlights), we drove out a little way to the 360 Bridge and climbed our way to the top of the rocks to look over the city. The view was glorious--it would be so perfect to grab lunch somewhere on the way and set up a little picnic up and there. 




love you, friend. Thanks for being the best Austin tour guide I could have asked for.

After we rested our aching bodies, we headed to the Salty Sow for dinner. I had beets & brussel sprouts for dinner (my two favorite veggies) and it was heavenly! I wish I had been hungrier so I could have had a real entree, but I highly recommend a stop here. It had the best outdoor patio and everything on the menu looked outrageously delicious. 


Before heading to the airport, I got to have one more plate of migas at Juan In A Million--even though our waitress kept trying to rush my breakfast (I like to linger over coffee & migas. sue me) it was, like everything else I had in Austin, delicious. Had I gone to college in Austin, this would most certainly have been my ideal Sunday morning spot--its the perfect place for sharing big plates of hang-over curing food with friends while laughing over last night's antics.



There you have it--a whirlwind tour of Austin with loads of food and plenty of fun. It was the perfect weekend escape and I loved every minute of it. There are still so many things we didn't have time for though, which means I will simply have to make a trip back soon. I can't wait!



Sunday, May 26, 2013

Austin, Part 1




After spending the last few months cooped up in the library (day after day after day...) preparing for finals, I was so excited when my friend asked me if I wanted to take a road trip to Texas with her. I'd been dying to go to Austin for ages, and it was the perfect escape after all those weeks of hitting the books. We packed up her car and headed out for what we expected to be an insanely long road trip, but we somehow managed to talk the entire way, which made the time fly by. I had the greatest weekend, and as per usual, I ate my way through the entire city.

We had to do some school work while we were there, but we rewarded ourselves with burgers from Hopdoddy afterwards--after being a vegetarian for nearly a decade, I feel like I'm making up for lost time with the amount of burgers I consume these days. I custom-made mine off of their amazing menu and it was delicious


Lucy's lamb burger was amazing too 


Our burger feast was followed by an afternoon of stand-up paddle boarding, which was so fun. Our arms were so sore the next day, but the views of the city from river were gorgeous.

We had dinner at Paul Qui's East Side King establishment, Hole in the Wall. I love Top Chef, so I was crazy excited about this one. The restaurant itself was amazingly grungy, and the Pork Belly Buns and Beet Fries were probably my favorite meal of the trip. All the pictures I snapped are really dark, but I highly recommend a stop here--go with an empty stomach so you can try everything!

After sleeping off a crazy night out on 6th street (which I capped off with Kimchi Fries from Chi'Lantro--remember when I said I ate my way through Austin? I meant that in the most literal sense. But these fries were spicy, and delicious, and I regret NOTHING) I dragged Lucy to the Austin farmers market. I'm a sucker for a good farmers market and this one was amazing--so much delicious and fresh food, lots of people milling around, and sunshine warming our shoulders. It was heavenly.






migas for breakfast

After our farmers market adventure, we headed off for a day of sight seeing.




While we were cooling off at Barton Springs, I decided that I'm pretty much obsessed with Austin. It meets all my criteria for city love: amazing food everywhere you turn, a good farmer's market, live music & a great art/creative scene, and its a social city--people get out and enjoy the day at parks and cafes. AND its got a river running right through it. What more could a girl ask for?

part II to come!