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! 

Why Wine about Valentine's

It's a love hate relationship most of us have with Valentine's Day. I stand by this regardless of your "couple status." Obviously being single one is reminded of the lack of having a partner in their life; and if you are happily coupled you are then forced to make some large gesture to represent your love (along with everyone else in the free world). Or more often, it turns into an awkward ....a "I kinda like you but I don't really know where this is going" situation.   I say, yes, do something nice for Valentine's Day. But let's be serious, is it really that important to receive roses when society forces your lover to do so at an overpriced rate? On the day of, save yourself the trouble of an overrated meal and bad bad service, and do something on the cheap.

Taking my own advice, and without a lover, I did something I knew I would make me happy and warm inside. Wine Wine Wine. Can it be a favorite past time to go to wineries if I have only gone to a handful of wineries in my life? Since Central Texas is the number 2 wine destination in the U.S. (just behind Napa, obvi) I find myself falling in love with Austin all over again.  

My partner in crime for the past few posts, Emily, and I planned a Sunday Funday to wineries in Marble Falls. She has a convertible and after weeks of cold weather it was a perfect day to put the top down! We picked Marble Falls as our destination as we figured it would be the road less traveled on Valentine's Day (Fredericksburg was hosting Lovers Wine Tasting Tour :-P). Marble Falls is a small country town about an hour Northwest of Austin promising beautiful views of the Colorado River. 

The first location we hit up was Lost Creek, a cute little spot with a swan in the creek. The two wines made on the vineyard were decent but I think I will remember the local, and attractive, sommelier who poured the wines a little bit longer. 

The next spot, Perissos Vineyard, was recommended by the aforementioned sommelier. This brand new vineyard was supposedly only 15 minutes away.  Getting lost along the way (while guided by GPS and iPhone navigation) we found a Castle. Yes,  a big white Cinderella-esque castle on the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere central Texas. Interesting to say the least. Anyway, back to the trip... we eventually found the winery we were looking for. The the owners of the place greeted us when we stepped out of the car and introduced us to their wide selection of wine. We chatted with the happy couple while we watched them make wine and talk about their plans to expand.

Intimate, personal, and amazing. At this point Emily lost the battle to the wine tastings and I led the way to dinner. On a recommendation we avoided the touristy Blue Bonnet Cafe and chose River City Grill  that overlooks the Colorado River. It was a delicious and scenic. Afterwards we were too full off of food and wine to attempt another winery in our adventure so we tried the shops. As it turns out Sunday Funday does not include shopping in Marble Falls. I believe it is the combination of the recession and God's country that kept the stores closed. It was no bother, as the weather had turned from beautiful to cold in a matter of minutes so we were fine with packing it up taking our scenic drive home. 

Only an hour a way from Austin and numerous other wineries to visit along the way, this trip will surely be repeated. Marble Falls, a younger sister to Fredericksburg and a cousin to Austin this town surely stole my heart on Valentine's Day!

http://lostcreekvineyard.com/about.htm
http://www.perissosvineyards.com/