Pony Up

If you are ever headed East on Highway 290 your way out of Austin you will come across a few towns with a claim to fame. Everyone knows Elgin is the place to go for the best sausage, McDade has the Watermelon Festival, and Giddings has antiques. But first, before anything else, is Manor.  There isn't much to report about Manor, but there is a diamond in this rural rough; Manor Downs. Manor Downs, you ask? Yes, there is a Horse Track outside of Austin only open for live races for 6 weeks out of the year. Just like the town, if you don't pay attention you just may miss the racing season.

A few years ago my friend, Trever, convinced my friend Kara and I to experience Manor Downs. His rational for us was that it would be an excellent venue for day drinking with a potential to meet men. Trever's motive was focused on having company, or someone with an ATM card handy, while he made tragic gambling choices. As good as Trever was at making a strong argument it is a shame his gambling odds were never quite as strong. 

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I went to Manor with a group of friends and introduced my brother to the Track. Harlan walked up and put down a $20 bet on whatever horse I had bet on for the race. I flipped out! The most amount of money I had placed in all my experience at Manor Downs was $6! Without concern, Harlan decided to bet for my horse to show, and sure enough he won double his money. After he won, I decided to tell him my wisdom in choosing the winner... good names.  Kara and I found that in the past the offspring of Shazoom were winners; and because all the horses are named from a combo of both parents' names, "She's a Zooming" was bound to win! The horses are mostly young with little race experience so bets are generally risky regardless of the statistics. It is a good thing Harlan didn't bet on my first horse who trotted across the finish line without his jockey! I am sure there are more precise ways to place bets, but what's the fun in that? 

In addition to horse races every 30 minutes or so there is also a constant spectacle of people to watch. I mentioned earlier that Trever tried to lure Kara and I with the temptation of men at these events. While there are plenty of men present, last time I checked I wasn't into the Modern Mexican Cowboy motif. Even if you loose all your money on the horses you at least gain knowledge of the latest fashions in cowboy boots and Wranglers. I guess you can't win at everything... 

Manor Downs is open on Saturday and Sundays March 6th-April 18th for live races, it's $2 to park, $2 for admission, $3.50 for beers, and $2 for bets. It is no Kentucky Derby, but I am willing to take my chances that I will always have a good time!

http://www.manordowns.com/

SXSW love

South by Southwest is a series of interactive, music, and film festivals lasting about a week and a half in Austin every Spring. I had no idea what to expect as SXSW conveniently coincides with UT Spring Break. The last two years I went out of town thinking paying for a $700+ wristband was too much money. Silly me. We are in Austin and there are ALWAYS free things. I should have known better. I decided to rectify my mistakes of years past and attempt to attend as any free events as my work schedule would allow. My intentions far exceeded my ability and have now ended up sick from all the festivities.

The downside of SXSW is that Austin is overrun with tourists from all over the world who have come to steal my secret parking, cause horrendous traffic, and create ridiculous lines at the most average places. Boo. On the other hand, with the sudden population increase there were innumerable sponsors providing free drinks, movies, food, and music throughout Austin. Yeah! I traded in some of my good karma I have with the world and consistently avoided compromising my standards of paying for parking, waiting in line or paying for cover throughout the weekend.

Highlights began when I forced myself on a Sunday night to push through my tiredness of a long weekend to go to an independent movie premier at the Alamo Drafthouse. The Alamo Drafthouse is an entity to love all on it's own and as it is always always an ideal location to watch movies and have dinner or drinks. Walking up to the beloved theater there were lines wrapping all around. Not to worry, I went with Emily who is a Sundance Film Festival veteran and friend of the producer for the movie Putty Hill. We simply walk right past the lines to the front and choose the best seats in the house. While the movie critic we met before the movie and the movie itself left us underwhelmed we respected the uniqueness of the experience. Obvi we were invited to the after party; but being a Sunday night with work early in the morning we only stayed long enough to find out movie industry people are not quite the conversationalists we had hoped.

St. Paddy's Day had to fall in the middle of all of this and of course that is basically like my birthday splashed in Technicolor green. I did my duty as the former Rose of Tralee but also avoided that dang $15 cover at Fado. I made friends with the Guinness girls and whoever else wanted to buy drinks that night. I think I am still recovering.

On the second Friday of SXSW I went downtown  in the afternoon with my new friend and neighbor, Tiffany. We found perfect sunny seats atop the roof deck at Molotov where great bands were playing and free drinks and food were a coming till about 7. This guy (pictured above) had quite the style and I had to ask... he stores harmonicas in that vest! Throughout the rest of the night we ventured to several other random parties, shows and bars with a variety of friends throughout downtown. We probably walked a few miles, but with our week we probably needed the exercise!

The last official day of SXSW was filled with musical guests and highly anticipated parties. The weather took a turn for the freezing and discouraged me from attending any outdoor shows on Auditorium Shores. Fortunately, I had the (indoor) Perez Hilton "One night in Austin" party to look forward to. While Perez might be of questionable fame, his party was not. Walking up to the location with the freezing cold at our backs Jessica, Casi and I worked our way to the front of the mob to figure out how we were to utilize our VIP status to get in. Although they couldn't locate our names somehow we were given wristbands and walked directly in the door while several thousand people awaited entry outside. How that happened is still under review, but I'm not complaining.

It seemed that every random or local liquor company had come to advertise and offer free drinks. The lines for the bathroom were absurd and the entire thing was horribly planned (see: how I got in), but we rocked out to the music all night with acts like Macy Gray and Snoop Dogg! Later Harlan, our hook up for the tickets, was able to get off work to make it in time for his teenage idol, Snoop Dog. I made it my personal mission to annoy/flirt with the security guards until I could make this happen. Ultimately, it came down to the Fire Marshall letting people in but at least I was able to keep Harlan's thirst to a minimum by providing him line drinks. That's all the security guards were at liberty to turn a blind eye to. We had a blast but ended up bailing on the after party for lack of energy and sleep. I guess age isn't just a number.

Clearly the week/weekend was a success from all angles.There are certainly downsides to SXSW but I figure the worst part is for everyone else who has to go back to their city and leave Austin after the fun is over! I get to stay here and bask in the afterglow for as long as I want. Thanks to everyone for making it a great weekend!!!

http://sxsw.com/
http://perezhilton.com/tv/A_Recap_One_Night_In_Austin_2010/?ptvid=a9b5941e0e953

Gettin' Sauced

In case it hasn't already been established I really love free things, bevies, and food. Lucky for me these things go together often in Austin.

Everyone knows that Texas has great BBQ ... and I am not talking hot dogs and hamburgers. A true Texas BBQ will have sausage and brisket, but what makes it special is the way it's cooked and of course... the sauce.

Man Up Texas BBQ, a blog about a group of men and their adventures with BBQ, decided to have a  BBQ sauce tasting in a parking lot on the side of the freeway. The idea seems a little sketchy but with the promise of live music, door prizes, free beer, free sauce, and free dessert it was basically impossible for me to pass up the offer. I gathered a few friends and my Dad (a sucker for something different) to test out the first annual Gettin' Sauced event at held outside the Franklin BBQ trailer.

It wasn't a big event but I did get a free beer from St. Arnold's to help cleanse the palate while I dutifully ranked the 45 sauces presented. Yeah I said 45 sauces. Not shocking but they all kinda ran together. I lost my scorecard but  I still remember that #17 burned my mouth; and that was not OK.  I think #12, #18, #20, #23 or maybe it was #28 and one in the #40s were my faves.  My brother and my Dad seemed to go through the list pretty quickly making their decisions with certainty. On the other hand, my friends Sara,Casi, and I evaluated each sauce and went back and fourth between our top favorites writing down what we liked and descriptions as to why we liked them and then we tried them again. It was kinda like shopping. The men figured out what they liked and were finished in minutes while the women debated, evaluated, and considered the very best sauce for the specific setting and if they would really use the sauce on their meat. At least the guys had live music and beer to entertain them while we deliberated. It was pretty hilarious.

Since the free beer ran out quickly and it was thinking of raining we didn't stay long after we cast our ballots. The results can be found at http://manuptexasbbq.blogspot.com/. I am not sure if my favorites won and I don't know which ones are which at this point so what I learned from the event was... well... I guess that I love trying new things... especially if they are free!

http://www.franklinbarbecue.com/

Chef Smackdown @ Stubbs

Whenever I have a chance, I try to peruse the weekly Chronicle for fun upcoming events. Recently, I was skimming through and I spotted the Stubb's Bad to the Bone Celebrity Chef Smackdown featuring: Chef Shawn Cirkiel of Parkside, David Bull of Bolla, and Paul Petersen of Rick's Chophouse.  Sweet, just a couple of months ago my brother, Harlan, became the General Manager of Parkside. Meaning... FREE TICKETS! How did he not tell me about this before? Immediately, I scope out my chances for a set of tickets. Highly unlikely; I was told. Since it never hurts to ask, I persisted that Harlan just check in with Shawn anyway. Lucky me, Shawn's wife decided not to go and 2 extra tickets were to be had! :-)

Naturally, I ask Emily to join me in order to continue our hot streak of adventure together. Free food, live music, and a competition - what's not to love? The event was held outside on the Stubb's outdoor stage. The competition consisted of each Chef pre-selecting a secret ingredient and then incorporating all three ingredients into one fabulous dish. Seeing as the event promised food for each guest, the chefs were able to plan their dish in advance but they were required to make the judges' dishes on stage within 30 minutes. The chosen ingredients consisted of goats milk or cheese, achiote, and tangerine. I never heard of achiote but apparently it is a sauce made of ground annoatto seeds often used in Latin American cuisine. 

Here were their dishes: 

David Bull - Achiote Glazed Salmon with Smoked Bacon Grits, Goat Cheese Crema and Tangerine Spinach Salad

Paul Peterson - Annato Crusted Pork Loin with Goat's Milk Corn Pudding and Achiote Seared Tangerines.

Shawn Cirkiel - Goat Milk Sorbet, Achiote and Tangerine Fritter, Tangerine Salad, Local Orange Blossom Honey. 

Not surprisingly, the dishes were all great; and for both Emily and I our top choices were between the Pork Loin and the Fritter (aka: a donut). Comparing savory and sweet is the epitome of apples and oranges but for us, and the rest of the crowd, Shawn's fritters won by a landslide! 

Afterwards we headed down to Parkside to completely fill our bellies with even more mouthwatering food. An entry for Parkside will have to wait for now, but clearly this was another unforgettable night in Austin!  

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Stubbs-Bad-to-the-Bone-Chef-Smackdown/227030227315

http://www.stubbsaustin.com/

http://www.parkside-austin.com/

Hippos for Lunch

One of my many jobs consists of me driving out to people's homes and teaching them parenting skills. No, I don't have any kids of my own; but someone thinks I am qualified. Stranger combinations have occurred just like finding Hippos all over a Central Texas town.

One thing you must know, I really like Hippos... or well... at least the Hippopotamus Song. So naturally I was drawn to check out Hutto, TX. Hutto, just outside of Austin where the mascot for the High School and the entire town is the Hippo. Odd as it may seem there is a story. Legend has it that in 1915 a circus train broke down and a Hippo got loose and found refuge in a muddy creek. Since then the Hippo has made it's way into every crevice of life in Hutto. No lie, there is a mural dedicated to the Hippo on the wall of the chamber of commerce in town. Endearing or absurd? I haven't decided. 

Two minutes away from my appointment I get a call... another dramatic story about baby daddies and whatnot... the appointment is canceled. Great. To turn a total wash of a drive and a day to something positive I decided to treat myself to lunch at the legendary Texan Cafe. Since Texas Monthly rated it as one of the top 40 diners in the state I have been meaning to give it a shot.

The food was good; what one would expect at a good old country diner in Texas. I went for the chicken fried steak - if you don't know what that is get yourself to Texas ASAP and I will introduce you.  After the huge and tasty lunch platter I had to have a famous piece of Texan Cafe pie. Yes, I ate an entire chicken fried steak, 2 sides and a piece of pie. Don't judge. There were about 20 pies to choose from and the turtle pie with caramel, cream, and chocolate was so delicious! I had to be adventurous but I am sure the traditional pies are exceptional as well. I figure I will have to go back to try the other 19 pies! At least we know with the Texan Cafe close by I won't be a hungry hungry hippo! :-)

http://www.hutto-heritage-foundation.org/Heritage_Hippos_Branding_of_Hutto_Texas.htm

http://www.texancafe.net/index.htm