BRUNCH!

It's been established I like trying new things. I also really like food. Naturally, I like eat out at various restaurants around Austin. When I was a poor graduate student my only chance to eat out was when I was taken on a date; but now, a working woman, I can afford a nice meal for myself! 

While I still enjoy that free meal that accompanies dates I quickly feign interest and I am on my own again for dinner. Girlfriends are a great option for dining out, but they often get invited to their own free meals and then where does that leave me?  Well, since I have read Never Eat Alone, by Keith Ferazzi, eating alone is just not an option...or something like that. 

Lucky for me, my brother Harlan came to the rescue by moving to Austin just in time.  Theoretically, the best part of Harlan living in Austin is that I get to spend more time with him. However, our work schedules conflict so we have a standing date for Church and brunch every Sunday morning. 

Prior to our first Sunday brunch date I had been to brunch maybe 3 times in Austin. Considering we had no reference for where to go so we first went to Taverna, because everyone knows they have $1 bellini's and $1 mimosas. After this meal we decided both kept our eyes open for other places that served Sunday brunch. 

We quickly found that brunch in Austin is a BIG DEAL. Every type of restaurant from hotels to dive bars open their doors on Sunday morning for specials on drinks, a lavish buffet, or their rendition of eggs Benedict. Dining experiences vary from the classic to contemporary, the cheap to overpriced, places you can walk right up to to those that are worth the wait.  It is evident that some patrons go to brunch to be seen while others are attempting to survive their hangover.  

With so many places to choose from we generally look for good drink specials first. As Harlan likes to say, "the only thing that gets me through Church this early in the morning is knowing I can drink afterwards." Any wonder we are Catholic? Narrowing down our options to good drink specials one has to weigh the cost, is it better to have "bottomless", a carafe, or cheap individual mimosas? Next we must allow those places with a great reputation and no drink specials to sway us because lets be honest, a mimosa is virtually the same anywhere you go, but an egg is certainly not the same at every restaurant. Then of course, lets not forget, buffet or individual plates? Lastly we allow every other factor from price to time they open determine where we settle on for the day. According to Chowhound there are almost 2,000 restaurants in Austin, and Urbanspoon will tell you about 169 places that serve brunch but I know for a fact many are not listed. Oh the decisions. 

Considering this is a weekly activity and I have only been to about 10 or 12 restaurants out of at least 200. I have a long way to go. From my calculations that will take about 4 years to complete. I will be an expert by that point but for now these are my 3 top choices:

Food: Olivia  olivia-austin.com

Buffet: Moonshine  www.moonshinegrill.com

Drinks: Taverna www.tavernabylombardi.com

I also know that within the next few months I would like to try - Paggi House, Lamberts, Bess, Union Park, and Franks but really I want to try ALL the places with brunch in Austin!


I will keep you posted on what I discover and, if you ever want to join Harlan and I for brunch we are open to guests at our table! 

Floatin' the River

It isn't summer in Central Texas until you have had at least one float on the River. Using the term floating can confuse outsiders who often think of white water rafting or kayaking down a river because that's what most rivers offer. While you could kayak down parts of the river you certainly won't find white water rapids... and that all seems like a lot of work. Floating down the river involves only 3 essential items: an inner tube, beer, and sunscreen. 

Just South of Austin on your way to San Antonio you can stop in San Marcos or New Braunfels and have your choice of tubing companies and Rivers to float. Transportation and a tube cost about $15 anywhere you go for a float ranging from an hour and a half to 5 hours. Of course, there is the added cost of renting an extra tube to hold your beer cooler, but that never seems to bother anyone. 

This time around we decided to stop in the small town of Martindale, just outside of San Marcos and off the San Marcos River in Don's Backyard. Off the beaten track and down a long dirt road TOOBING scrawled across a giant wooden sign signified we were in the right place. There were certainty no questions when Don was there to greet us at the gate. This picture doesn't do him justice, but if you ever go back I don't think much will change about the shirtless and leathery old man with yellow ruler suspenders named Don. 

As you can imagine this is a pretty high class location with all kinds of amenities with two total employees to collect money, have forms signed, drive school buses full of college students and beer. Not shockingly it took a while to get onto the river and not everyone in our group was asked to sign a waiver. 

After we finally got into the river, we took our group of 10 and two completely full beer coolers safely tied into their tubes and to us (of course) to journey down the river for the next 3 hours. The temperature was cool but perfect for a day in the sun. In fact, the temperature is always perfect on the San Marcos River, as it is fed by natural springs  from the Edwards Aquifer. The springs also ensure a constant movement down the river at a steady leisurely Sunday pace. Only occasionally does one risk injury from the "rapids" wrapping around rocks, but if you can't manage those you are probably just drunk. In some places the river is deep enough for you to jump in off a rope swing, while in other spots it is better to get up and walk through the rocky bottom to get you moving. No matter how I get there, which river I float down, or where I stop along the way there are always friends to make and a suntan to be had on a river trip. 

To truly understand Texan hospitality, our laid back lifestyle and to see the natural beauty of Texas I suggest taking a float down the river. If you find it difficult to relax and soak up the sun for 3 hours, I can guarantee someone will offer you beer and you will wonder what took you so long to get here. 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/dons-fish-camp-eskimo-tubes-martindale

http://www.sanmarcosriver.org/