Al Franken Comes to Tejas!

photo courtesy of Needlenose.com

Tonight I will be attending a fundraiser to benefit the Al Franken Recount Fund. Franken is on the verge of heading to D.C. to be the crucial 60th vote in the Senate. His vote is needed to help pass important legislation on health care, the economy, the nomination of Judge Sotomayor, and much more. Don't miss it! Should be a good time! Click here for more information!

~Laura

Perla's, a new gem in town!

www.perlasaustin.com

I know a pearl is not really a gem, but its 2:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon and that's about all the creative energy I could muster up. I digress...

I tried this new "gem" (okay, I'll stop) out last night and all I have to say is it was delish! It was great service, great food, and great atmosphere. It definitely has an "east coast" vibe to it, with the servers dressed in their pastel shirts, ribbon belts, and khakis. I ended up ordering the Grilled Striped Bass with Figs, Carmelized Endive, Arugula. It was a very unexpected, pleasant surprise. The figs gave the bass a sweetness that I definitely was not expecting.

I would recommend any seafood lover or geologist (just one more) in the Austin area to try it!

Have a great weekend!
~Rachel

Margot and the Nuclear So & So's at Mohawk

Hey everyone,
Margot and the Nuclear So & So's are playing at Mohawk Saturday night. Needless to say I am super stoked and can't wait to see them live! Telekinesis is opening for them. Doors open at 10 pm, be there or...
www.mohawkaustin.com

Hipster of the Week!

This week's hipster comes to us from L.A. another city
that has exploded with hipsters.
Gotta have the black tight jeans, the goofy shoes and if you notice he has his crazy sunglasses in his hand. The most important piece of his outfit is his Obey t-shirt. You can't show up to a gallery showcasing Frank Shepard Fairey's work not wearing a piece of his art.
Fairey is best known for his Andre the Giant tags that later evolved into Obey the Giant campaign he is also know for the famous 2008 Obama "HOPE" poster.
As we all know hipsters are all edgy art loving gallery goers.

~ Laura & Rachel


If you enjoy these posts you may want to check out another funny site http://www.latfh.com/

*If you happen to have a hipster siting that you feel is worthy of a post please feel free to email us at littlebitofwonderfulaustin@gmail.com

Take a Listen

Do you ever get to that point where everything on your ipod is crap? I felt that way about a week ago so I decided to download some new music. Shows I saw at SXSW and look forward to seeing at ACL were the inspiration. Living in Austin I do try and see as much live music as I can. I am by no means a music expert or claim to have impeccable taste so with that said proceed with that in mind.

1) Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Made up of four guys from Seattle. If you know me at all you know I love a good indie pop boy band. Band of Horses has thoughtful, well constructed lyrics that are easy to relate to. I like the catchy their lyrics but their upbeat sounds.

2) School of Seven Bells (SVIB) - Alpinisms

Made up of two twin sisters and guy they have a very creative, abstract and in my opinion the kind of music that would be playing in my dreams. ( That explans why one critic called it dreamy pop) They are different from anything I've heard in awhile and interesting. It was refreshing to find out that not all their tracks sound alike which comes happens often with super creative and different bands. I think they are worth checking out. They are playing the Friday of ACL. Interesting Fact- The band is named after a mythical South American pickpocketing training academy.

3) Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a Sound

Made up of two guys from Portland. Seeing them live this year at the NPR Showcase at SXSW was all I needed to be totally hooked. Going into those showcases you have no idea what to expect but every year I am pleasantly surprised by who I end up seeing. They had the whole crowd in total awe with their simplistic/touching lyrics yet there was something that set them apart from just another folk poppy bands. They are both incredibly talented and humble on stage. I wish I could articulate my feelings about their sound better but I guess you'll just have to listen for yourself.


Other artist totally worth checking out: Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Jamie Lidell and Solidgold

~Laura

Max's Wine Dive

Max's Wine Dive

My friend, Garcia, and I went to Max's Wine Dive last week, so I decided to write a little review about this new Austin establishment.

First, we both started off with a glass of wine and the pan borracho (drunken bread.) It was delicious and just keep getting better with every bite, seriously, more amazing the more we ate!

Pan Borracho

For the main course we both couldn't resist the fried chicken. It was just taunting us from the minute we saw it on the menu... When the fried chicken arrived they attempted to take the pan borracho away, which was greeted with "touch it and die" stares from both of us. The fried chicken was amazing. It had a bit of a bite with the jalapeño & buttermilk marinade, but dipping it in the chipotle honey changed the taste of the chicken completely. My plan was to only eat half and take the rest home. Well that didn't exactly happen since there was nothing left for leftovers.

Max's Fried Chicken

All and all it was a great experience. The staff was very attentive and the food was great. The only "complaint" (for lack of a better word) was the atmosphere, I felt like Dallas/Houston was transported to Austin... Also, the acoustics of the place was terrible. We had to scream at each other the whole time to hear anything. Those being minor inconveniences in what was a great time!

~Rachel

Introducing --- Hipster of the Week

To preface this section we mean no disrespect to hipsters or their culture. Living in Austin it is a fact of life that this style is popular. We felt it necessary to give credit where credit is due. Therefore we are embracing all hipsters and their style. Every Friday we will choose one very lucky and unaware Austin 'Hipster' we believe deserves recognition.

A few notes: Every hipster comes equipped with some or all of these items to make them a true 'hipster' 1) a rad pair of sunglasses, preferably very colorful , most popular choice Ray Ban wing fares. 2) Plaid or V-neck shirts are a must, 3) Skinny Jeans 4) and you can't forget the scarf in 90 degree weather. Enjoy!


This week goes to a very friendly genelman we met siting at Key Bar on w.6th. It was his birthday (that is why he was collecting dollars on his shirt...I guess it's a New Orleans thing?) We chose him because he is in our eyes the quintessential hipster. Plaid shirt check; skinny pants check; scarf in 90 degree weather check and our favorite acessory his wild and crazy sunglasses!

Have a great weekend!

~Laura & Rachel

Stay Tuned...

photo courtesy of www.maxswinedive.com

I'll be doing a review for Max's Wine Dive very

soon (this week.)

This review will be based on us being "regular"

patrons, rather than the Austin bloggers

opening/party they had last week...

Stay tuned.

~Rachel

Getting to know Laura Anne & Rachel Leigh

Hello everyone! Just wanted to share a little bit about ourselves with you before we get this going! We decided to just answer ten questions about ourselves, instead of writing a long, drawn out bios, that you would never read anyway! Enjoy!

Rachel = pink
Laura = blue

1) What cities have you lived in?
Batesville, AR, Monmouth, IL, Jacksonville, IL, San José, Costa Rica (summer) and nearly every zip code in Austin!
Pittsburgh, PA, Chevy Chase, MD, Cincinnati, OH, Barcelona Spain (a summer) and Austin, TX!

2)What is your favorite smell?
Freshly baked bread & cut grass
New tennis shoes & Gasoline.

3) Where would someone most likely run into you in Austin?
Townlake/Clarksville walking Cali, El Patio eating Mesican food, or Woodrow's enjoying the sun.
Torchey's Taco's on S.1st(getting my weekly fix) or The dog park.

4) What is your favorite food/drink?
Gin & Tonic/a big juicy, tender steak
Jack and Coke/Cesar Salad

5) What is your favorite website (besides facebook)?
Design Sponge or Grain Edit (toss up)
Gawker (the perfect amount of gossip and "news")

6) If you had to describe your music taste in one word what would it be?
I was going to say Eclectic but Laura stole it, ;) so I would say "Indie."
Eclectic

7) What is your favorite place to be on a typical 102 degree Austin Summer day?
Anywhere outside in Austin with water & beer in arm's reach.
Barton Springs, Little Woodrows.

8) What is one of your guilty pleasures?
I still watch MTV like a 15 yr old girl.
Singing cheesy music alone in my car.

9) Fill in the blank.....The other night I________.
Drank wine, cooked dinner, & smoked a cigar with my bff since I was 13.
Had a bunch of people over for dinner and there are wine glasses everywhere!

10) What are two things I always have in my purse?
Carmex & a mirror
Some kind of chewy sour candy & contact solution.

11) Insert recent favorite picture
http://www.100abandonedhouses.com/
http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/27/the_last_sunray_barcelona_3.jpg

Coming soon......