Austin is in Texas.
I faced a lot of heckling from my family in the weeks/months that led up to my long-awaited next move. I told them I was moving to Austin but no one heard, Austin, the city that vows to keep itself weird, no. They heard, Texas, which means they heard Rick Perry, guns, guns and more guns, Texas toast.
I guess there's nothing wrong with Texas toast, but I've never opted for it.
I'm afraid to start opening up my eating options outside of my own kitchen. If I pull that one Jenga piece, the rest will follow suit eventually. It's going down.
I've been to a free yoga class, followed by a delicious snack and a free swim in Barton Springs. The next evening I was invited to a free screening of a documentary outside. Tonight, I'll be walking down to Zilker Park to listen to some blues on the Green and then tomorrow night I can either kick my rear in a insane workout and/or watch A League of Their Own, at an outdoor theatre, again all free.
There may not be such a thing as a free lunch, but certainly there is such a thing as free entertainment. Check back!
Backlog: New Orleans.
How does one sum up the city in a sitting? As it is with many things in life, it's just impossible and accepting that is a triumph in itself. Experience is the only way to share in the sentiments of a place with such magnitude and inconsistency.
There is so much heartache in this town. The killings are thoughtless acts and people are pawns in the endless game of vengeance yet in the same breath, the community is real, the families are loyal, their home-cooked meals are shared and the music is a vital piece of society.
The city is a display of raw human emotions acted out and set on display for the world. Maybe this is why people who have been to this city get a sense of its otherworldly aura and maybe why it's a city of such extremes.
Having been away for two months, my olfaction was more sensitive to the smell of spice suspended in the thick air. Summer had not yet come but the humidity was as palpable as the sazerac in hand.
Speaking of which!
Cure is one of my favorite places to get a carefully crafted drink. Their happy hour is completely legitimate, which runs daily from 5pm-7pm. There's a rather decent list of cocktails for just $5. As an avid tequila imbiber, a la Paloma is my first choice during happy hour, followed by a sazerac.
As far as food goes, it was an overwhelming thing to be back in a city where even the most seemingly diciest of bars boasts of some of the most heaven-sent plates.
Bacchanal's. If you had 12 hours in New Orleans, I would not hesitate to say this was one place you need not think twice about trying out. Located in the Bywater, they offer a few wines by the glass and an extensive selection of wines by the bottle. This place is affordable and can be a setting for any combination of folks; you're with your significant other, you're with your family, you're with a friend or you want to meet a tall dark stranger in the night.
Their braised pork shoulder or flat iron steak are exemplars of beef gone good. So good. I do believe in this place, stomachs become an endless abyss to accept every bite of these dishes. The atmosphere is just as wonderful. On Thursday nights, Bacchanal hosts the gypsy jazz band, The Courtyard Kings, one of my favorites.
If your coming at a time when there are no Mardi Gras parades or Sunday Second Lines, visit Ronald Lewis'House of Dance and Feathers on Tupelo Street. Mr. Lewis is a man of pure New Orleans culture. His participation in every aspect of the city's most unique traditions is so extensive and is housed in a museum in his backyard. He's a genuine man with a lot of information, so give him a call (information located on the website above) before you head down to give him a head's up!
I'm forcing myself to stop here lest you forget that you must wander the streets of the quarter, ask the natives questions about their favorite spots and places for music; the things that truly give way to an authentic New Orleans experience.
Laissez bon temps rouler!
San Francisco.
I'll have to back track a bit later since I've already passed through New Orleans and Austin but for now, I'm in San Francisco and the East Bay inhaling piney air and eating great food.
I'm distracted because I have a fourth of a burrito in my purse that was marinating overnight. It's not that I couldn't finish it but I knew I would be jealous of yesterday's self if she hadn't saved just a few bites for the next day.
Taqueria Cancún Holy. Moly. The burrito that I have gone through great lengths to recreate after a 3-week stay in the Bay Area last summer is simply not re-creatable. For $6.50 you basically purchase not only a full meal+ but it also physically adds about 2 lbs. to your entire being! What a deal! I know, I'm not making this sound like a good trade but if you enjoy food, their super burrito with chorizo, chorizo, chorizo (do you get my subtle recommendation for which meat to add?)is quite delicious. I add limes to each bite and never look back.
My friend, Ashton, a writer who recently relocated to San Francisco recommended that we get a horchata and I'll be quite honest, I had never had this sweet nectar in previous hours of life. It subsided any spicy chorizo that I inhaled and also had the taste of straight up Cinnabon icing.
This place is in the Mission District, on Mission Street between 18th and 19th. You no miss this.
The Latin American Club I figured we might as well continue the Central American/Latin/Spanish/Everythingdelicious night at full steam. I told my friend that we needed to find this 1-hit wonder margarita that I had once at a place that faced towards the west in the Mission. I figured they were known for their margaritas because a.) I was told so and b.)The one time I indulged I had just one from 4:30pm until the early hour of the next day. My friends who I had gone with that summer were in tequila cielo this charming gem of a dive bar.
As far as San Francisco goes, these were the two edible items I wanted to revisit. There's one place I'd like to indulge in located in Half Moon Bay. I met a couple at the airport in New Orleans who had a brother who happens to be a chef at a place in HMB and they are known for their lobster rolls. Butter, bread and savory, delectable lobstahs and again, butter? Can't wait!
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