Best Burger in Town...shhhh don't tell anyone!

I hesitate to do this post because I don't want to blow up their spot and have held off until now but...The Hills Cafe on S.Congress has the BEST burger I have ever had.


Hill's is so unassuming from the outside but it’s all a façade. These people know what they're doing! The inside is very laid back, their booths are named after famous country singers. Also, there is a great back patio with lots of seating and even a tree house!

Their buns are made daily and have almost a sweet taste to them. I'm not a big fan of the sweet over savory but they make it work. The french fries are my favorite, big wedge fries with lots of seasoning on them. YUM!

If you are ever down south and in the mood for a burger, do yourself a favor and go to The Hill's Cafe!

~ A very fat and happy Laura

Chronicle's Best of Party

Last night I was excited to be the chosen member of the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) staff to attend the Best of Austin Chronicle Party to accept our award for best Nonprofit, on behalf of the whole staff. I was a very nice event at the new AT&T Conference center on UT's campus. Free food and booze always generates a great turnout.

If you live in Austin and support the issues TFN promotes be sure to grab your ticket to this years Austin Gala! (I wouldn't be a good fundraiser if I didn't plug my own event! )

~Laura

Hipster of the Week!

Location: Beerland, Red River

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, it was taken with a camera phone at night

This lovely hipster is wearing the ever necessary plaid shirt and a spandex mini skirt. Now personally I don't think anyone, no matter how skinny you are should be sporting one of these but clearly people disagree with me. The best part of this outfit were the royal blue pumps with the sparkle ankle socks, my phone sucks and couldn't capture the awesomeness. I don't really get this style either but I've seen it more than once.

HOT DOGS!

If you know me at all you know I've never met a hot dog I didn't like. When I heard that Starlite was closing I was sad but excited to hear a new restaurant was going in its location called Frank's and the majority of their menu was going to be hot dogs! Yesterday, I finally made it to Frank's and it met and exceeded all my expectations. The menu is basically hot dogs with all different toppings. Anything from cole slaw to chili. They also have a full bar and an extensive beer list. But most notably they have bacon infused Maker's Mark. Who doesn't need a little whiskey at lunch? The atmosphere is super laid back. Clientele ranged anywhere from families with young children to businessmen. They are open additional hours, Thursday through Satruday until 2am, which could be very dangerous for me.



I had the Slaw Dog and LOVED IT! The cole slaw was super horseradishie but good. I also had the waffle fries with buffalo bleu sauce which was amazing also. Don't let the color of the sauce turn you off. Franks has made it into the normal lunch rotation, for sure. If your in the mood for a hot dog you should check out Frank's, they will not disappoint! Brunch hours are being added soon!

~ Laura

CHEESE the way to my heart!

Photo: Michael Kraus

Texas is known for many things and cheese is not one of them. BUT there are a couple that are worth trying. Today, I read a good article about Texas Cheese! ....all of which I have enjoyed during my time in Austin. Read article

I highly suggest you do yourself a favor and have yourself a taste. If you are interested in food at all you should join the Tasting Table daily email list.

~Laura

Mighty Cone

This weekly trailer post is Mighty Cone 1603 S. Congress Ave. in the thick of all the South Congress goodness.

Atmosphere

5-kind of in a weird spot with a bus stop very close.
7-right of S. Congress, easy to find and lots of umbrellas for shade in the August heat.

Price

8-a good price for a full meal.
8-good deal for quality of food sold out of a trailer

Quality of food
6-good products used, just something about it a little off.
8-thought it was very good, just kinda hard to eat? Awkward w/ the cone, etc...


Accessibility
7-a little hard to get to just because of the limited parking on S. Congress....oops I missed that big free parking lot.
10-there was a parking lot behind the food trailer(s) that was FREE!


Cleanliness
8-very clean and lots of recycling options.
8-super clean, what Laura said.


Local
8-in the middle of the craziness that is S.Congress.
8-good local location and Hudson on the Bend is an Austin staple


Service
9-good service
9-good service, just dont go when there is a bus full of 16 yr. old girls.


Item menu & rating

- Hot & Spicy Chicken and Avocado & Fries - there was some flavor on the chicken that did not agree with me. The avacado was a little too large and didn't taste right fries - 6 The fries were good and well seasoned - 8

- Hot & Spicy Chicken, thought it was really good, liked the crust that was on the chicken - 8

Would you eat there again?

- probably not, it wasn't bad but it also isn't something I am going to crave.

-definitely

Laura & Rachel

A little P&P is good for the soul.

Pitch & Putt on 201 Lee Barton Drive is one of my most fave things to do after work or on a weekend. For y'all that don't know, it is a par 3, 9-hole course in the middle of Austin. It gets a little crowded after 5 on weekdays and afternoons on weekends, but it is worth it!

Heath "pitching" it up...

My friend was here a few weeks ago, and that is the 2nd place (1st place, Chuy's for Mesican) we went! We had a blast, despite the 100 degree temperatures and farmer tans that came of it!

Our "hobo" cooler, thank you 7-11 attendant.

I was playing amazing, till around cerveza numero tres...

Trailers aren't Trashy Anymore!

At least in Austin... This weekly post is our attempt at rating the food trailers around town. So many have popped up in the past year we feel the need to try them ALL! So every week one unsuspecting food trailer will be subjected to our very scientific litmus test. To kick off our food trailer segment we picked Torchy's Taco's at 1311 S.First Street, Trailer Park Eatery!

Torchy's Chicken Fajita Tacos

Atmosphere-

8-laid back

8-always very laid back and a great place to bring dogs

Price -

7-I have an expectation that trailer food s/b über cheap, my own obstacle to get over!

8-affordable for the amount of food you get

Quality of food-

7-wasn't a fan of torchy's the first time I tried it (I know, I know...)

second time around much better

9-always very consistent, my personal favorite breakfast taco's in town

Accessibility-

6-lunch time rush=limited parking

7-big parking lot, but can get crowded

Cleanliness -

6-it's in a trailer park, you can't have high expectations

7- It's kind o fhard to tell what's going on in there

Locale-

8-in a good spot for south austinites, easily visible and easy to find for the rest of us

8 - good location not too far south or too far north

Service-

7- took over 20 minutes for my food to arrive :(

10- I usually went on a Sunday and they must have their A team working.

Rachel

Laura

1 - very poor to 10- Awesome

~Laura & Rachel

Santigold, previously SantOgold...

Place: Levi/Fader Fort, SXSW 2008
Who: Santogold
What: Amazingness

I just happen to stumble upon her last year when she performed at the fort. She was the type of artist that you automatically start bopping your head to and smiling! A lot of people compare her style to MIA, but I think she def has her own vibe.
So all y'all better check her out before June 15 when she will be playing at Stubb's!

www.stubbsaustin.com


Below is her Myspace to hold you over till then... I know, I know... but it's only 2 weeks away! See you then.

www.myspace.com/santigold

Buy Local!

This weekend I was introduced to the South Austin farmers marketing. It was an awesome experience. The farmers market opens at 9am which is nice because I am not an early bird by any means. We got there by 10am and there was still a large variety of good meats and produce available. There are about 30-35 tents set up everything from produce, meats to handmade glass vases. It was great to see so many people out supporting local. The highlight of my trip was Aunt Nita's Hummus, if you are a hummus fan this stuff is the BEST! She makes all different kinds but I ended up settling on the black olive hummus. I figured I would share this little piece of heaven with all of you.

Check it out on Saturday!

~ 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

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