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June 2008
Come on, get healthy!
You are what you eat
Sure, scoopsful of peanut butter and jelly are delicious. And who can refuse ice cream (besides vegans, of course)?
Unfortunately, the things that often taste great are rarely those that are the best for our bodies. No news alert there. But with a cornucopia of healthy offerings available at the wonderful groceries around town, it can sometimes be hard to figure out what exactly we should be putting in to our bodies. In theory, we all want to eat well. When we don’t, it is often because we don’t have the discipline, but sometimes it’s just a matter of knowledge. Enter, nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden. The New York Time reproduced his recent list article entitled The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating, and it shot to the top of the most popular stories on the Times’ site today. The list is apparently full of easier-to-find grocery items than some of his original lists, which included the superfruit goji berries, among other things.
The list was culled from Bowden’s article on MensHealth.com.
Here is part of the list from Bowden’s article, complete with links from the Times. (I am happy and say to say that you can usually find several of these items in our fridge at home — beets, cabbage and chard.)
Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
Cinnamon: Helps control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
Pomegranate juice: Lowers blood pressure and loaded with vitamin C and other antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.’’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,’’ it has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
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Your chance to win ACL taping tix
Who isn’t streaming online content these days? Even my fiance’s cat has a vlog. Naturally, public television is looking to make its mark on the online video movement. The wonderful folks over at Austin’s KLRU, known for their community building and innovative programming, are hoping to get some feedback from you, their loyal viewers, to help them determine the direction of their online video efforts.
KLRU is currently conducting an online survey to determine the future of their online video content. If you complete the survey, you will be automatically entered into a drawing to receive guaranteed tickets to an upcoming Austin City Limits taping. And that’s no small prize. Anyone who has been to an ACL taping can tell you that there is no better way to see one of your favorite bands than at an ACL taping. From the size of the crowd, to the comfortable seats, perfect sound and free beer, the KLRU studios can’t be beat.
So, jump on over to the 15-question survey. It’ll only take about 10 minutes, and you’ll be doing your small part to help local public television and maybe win a chance to see a band at the best venue in town.
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Birds Barbershop wants to give you gas
The dog days of summer are upon us, and skyrocketing gas prices are doing nothing to help cool people off. At close to $4 a gallon, the gas crunch makes it hard to do simple things (run errands) or make luxury expenditures (road trips), and while some of us can stay at home and be happy, others can not escape their reliance on petrol.
As evidenced by Joe Gross’ story earlier this month, touring musicians are some of the people being hit hardest by gas prices, and they’re not the only ones. We fans of live music have to find a way to fuel our trips to their shows, as well.
With that in mind, the rock ‘n’ roll lovers at Austin’s Birds Barbershop are doing their part to help ease the burden on your pocketbook, giving away $50 worth of free gas each week through the summer to one lucky person. According to Birds, “Whether it’s to go see a show or take your band on the road, Birds Barbershop is giving away $50 in gas each week to one lucky customer who signs up on our mailing list either in-store or online at birdsbarbershop.com.
The promotion starts this Friday, the Fourth of July, and runs through the end of the summer. Rock!
Birds Barbershop
6800 Burnet Rd. [map]
512.454.1200
2110 S. Lamar Blvd. [map]
512.442.8800
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Spend a weekend in Wimberley
(The following appears in the Sunday edition of the Statesman on June 29.)
For those who miss the Austin of their cherished memories, when condos didn’t sprawl, traffic was less hectic and time seemed to pass more slowly, head out to the Village of Wimberley, at the edge of the Texas Hill Country.
The village, a home to “cedar choppers” and artists alike, has wrestled with growth over the past two decades — in addition to the old Burger Barn, there is now the three star Cedar Grove Steakhouse at the edge of town and the bountiful Ray’s Butcher Shop — but managed to maintain its rustic identity.
One of the stalwarts of old Wimberley is the Rio Bonito Resort, a 34-acre-campsite that sits at the intersection of the clear running waters of the Blanco River and the gently rolling Cypress Creek. The bucolic resort, which has been family-owned for more than 75 years, offers families and groups the opportunity to “reconnect with family” in a setting that feels “like you’re going camping,” says owner Cindy Meeks, whose grandfather, Joe Peterson, purchased the property in 1932.
The 14 cabins feature air conditioning and kitchenettes, but don’t expect modern conveniences (or distractions) such as televisions in the quaint and clean cabins that sit along the river. Although there is a recreation center and swimming pool, most of the resort’s visitors opt for more natural forms of diversion. In a nonstop world of hustle and bustle, Rio Bonito prides itself on offering visitors a chance to transport to a simpler time where entertainment meant catching fireflies, telling stories by campfire and floating peacefully down the river.
Rio Bonito’s location in the heart of the village offers ample opportunity to enjoy the village’s unique pleasures, such as Market Days (held the first Saturday of each month), the Corral Theatre and the historic Blue Hole. Acquired by the Village of Wimberley in 2005, thus ensuring its preservation, the Blue Hole has long been considered by visitors one of the ideal swimming holes in Central Texas, with gigantic cypress trees and rope swings providing great jumping-off points for those looking to be refreshed by the crystal waters of Cypress Creek on hot summer days.
Time might not have completely forgotten Wimberley, but it sure seems to have given the town a reprieve. Because though the village might change and grow incrementally, at its heart it is still the peaceful, natural retreat that has been calling visitors from around the state for decades.
In the words of Meeks, “We like to hold on to the past … we keep it real simple.”
Rio Bonito Resort offers cabins for up to 8 people for $160 a night and smaller cabins for four people at $90 a night. The resort closes from the end of December until March. To get to Wimberley and the Rio Bonito Resort, take U.S. 290 west to RM 12. Turn left onto RM 12 and head 11 miles south to Wimberley.
Rio Bonito Resort
13401 Ranch Road 12
512.847.2232
Wimberley-related links:
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Wife (and house) for sale
Shamelessness (or a lack of any dignity), a crumbling housing market, the desire to be loved and the Internet can be a wicked combination.
At least that’s my read on the case of single Florida mom Deven Traboscia, who has put her house and her love for sale on eBay and Craigslist. In one fell swoop, you can buy a gauche Palm Beach Gardens home and the marriage vows of a Hulk Hogan’s wife starter-kit. And, I hate to be a snob (not really), but “Deven”? Seriously? I think your parents may have misspelled your obviously-soap-opera-inspired name. Only in Florida.
To steal a phrase from W. Somerset Maugham, “Florida is a sunny place for shady people.”
Ms. Traboscia, a real estate agent, offers up the following delicious piece of enticement in her post:
“If you want to live the never ending dream and experience the real love, life and the romance you have always felt was a fairytale then this is the vibrant outstanding woman of your dreams! To sweep this European Loving Lady off her feet send in your application right now.”
Ah, the never-ending dream, indeed.
Traboscia says that her 2,000-square-foot house features updated tile and Berber carpet. Berber carpet?! Now that changes everything.
I am sure her kids won’t have much trouble living this one down at school.
Check out the video from ABC Action News in Florida below. Oh, and Deven, you may want to mix in some SPF 45 with that Rawlings glove-tanning oil you apparently use each day. (In related news, the Bennigan’s on Barton Springs Road has closed. For serious. Looks like Deven will be skipping SXSW next year.)
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Your A-List: Best Place to Dine Alone
Some people fear eating alone. Whether it bores them, they fear social stigma or what, I don’t know. But it’s obvious that when people do head out to dine alone, they prefer the crowded, easy-to-look-not-so-lonely confines of the generally busy Whole Foods, with 33 percent of the vote, winner of the Your A-List poll for Best Place to Dine Alone.
The homegrown heavyweight offers a plethora of relatively quick (and generally tasty) dining options for those eating alone. You can take a book over to the seafood or trattoria sections and eat at the bar, maybe chatting up the chefs and waitstaff (if conversation’s what you’re after). Or you can sit at a small two-top, the dimensions making your isolation seem less glaring. Or, maybe you want to do some people watching or catch the eye of a friend passing by, so you decide to grab something from the prepared foods case or salad bar and sit in the dining area up front or out on the open-air patio. The options, much like Whole Foods sausage selection, are almost limitless.
And, with the ability to grab food quickly and eat on the run at the centrally located store, you can always just tell that ex of yours who you run in to that you’re just grabbing a quick bite before heading to a bar, or a book reading or art exhibit, or whatever lie it is you tell to that person to make you seem busy and wanted.
Me? I’ll eat alone anywhere. But the sushi bar at Maru has been a favorite of late. I like Whole Foods, but there are just too many distractions that keep me from reading.
Others receiving votes
- Austin Java, 11 percent
- Magnolia Cafe, 9 percent
- Kerbey Lane, 8 percent
- Zen, 8 percent
- Maudie’s, 6 percent
- The Tavern, 6 percent
- Home Slice, 6 percent
- Jo’s, 4 percent
- La Traviata, 2 percent
- Enoteca, 2 percent
- Blue Dahlia, 2 percent
- Halcyon, 2 percent
Write-ins: Alvin’s Sandwiches, Sandy’s in Lakeway, Tamale House, Tino’s
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Your A-List: Best Swimming Hole
You’d be hard pressed to find a more popular and beloved attraction in Austin than Barton Springs Pool, with 42 percent of the vote, the winner of the Your A-List poll winner of the Best Swimming Hole.
I was talking to the wife of a touring musician a few weeks back, and the first thing she mentioned in her list of Austin loves? Not the live music scene, not the weather, not the friendly people or the access to the Hill Country or how “weird” the city is .. she went on and on about the greatness of Barton Springs. And who could argue?
In a town where 94 degree days linger into the fall like an unwanted couch crasher, “the springs” is a most welcome relief, its constant 68 degrees an icy salvation. Beyond being a place for sun worshipers, the springs also has a vibrant night scene, with free swimming after 8 p.m. And on nights when there is a full moon, the Austin of old makes its way down to the water’s edge, as people take part in ritual drum circles, dancing and general merrymaking. Sure, it may be a bit over the top for some, but it is part of what makes Austin great, just as the springs itself is.
And should there be any question of the love for and stewardship of this beloved natural landmark by the citizens of Austin (with a special nod here to the Save Our Springs Alliance), one needs look no further than the beautiful documentary “The Unforseen,” by local filmmaker Laura Dunn. How many other towns have swimming holes that have prompted award-winning documentaries? My guess, not many.
Others receiving votes
- Hamilton Pool, 21 percent
- Krause Springs, 9 percent
- Deep Eddy Pool, 6 percent
- Hippie Hollow, 6 percent
- Blue Hole, Wimberley, 5 percent
- Sculpture Falls, 4 percent
- Enchanted Rock, 2 percent
- Blue Hole, Georgetown, 2 percent
- Campbell’s Hole, 2 percent
- Stacy Pool, < 1 percent
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Waterloo records gets bestowed another honor
The blurb from the July issue of Paste, which features My Morning Jacket on the cover:
Best Record Store to Grow Up and Grow Old With Austin’s Waterloo Records has not only grown up with the Texas college-town/cultural crux, but has also stayed weird over the years. Teens find cool indie-rock 7-inches; college kids pick up Vampire Weekend or Criterion Collection DVDs, while their parents can buy Willie Nelson boxed sets and vintage Stevie Ray Vaughan posters.
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And you thought Austinites liked weed …
Well, a pro-marijuana group in Denver thinks it has the key to all of our air rage problems. At least that’s the rationale that the Denver-based organization Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) plans to use today when they ask the local government to allow pot smoking in the Denver airport’s smoking lounges. I didn’t even realize there were smoking lounges anymore. As far as I can remember, the last time I saw one was years ago in the international terminal at JFK.
A few years ago, Denver residents voted to keep possession of less than an ounce of marijuana from being a crime. According to Fox News in Denver, it was the first law of its kind passed in a U.S. city.
Having no legal knowledge of the situation, I can only assume SAFER’s pleas will fall on deaf ears. But, as a medical professional friend of mine near Denver said, “Well, at least the lounges would smell a lot better,” if it were passed. I can only imagine that would be one of the very few positive outcomes resulting from said measure. Although it would be entertaining to see 500 people miss their flights each day. I’m sure the gate agents would love the resulting fiasco.
That pounding and clicking sound you hear is UT students trying to book winter break travel to Colorado’s ski resorts. Heady!
Associated Press photo (not taken at Denver airport)
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Your A-List: Best Pop Group/Singer
Their lead singer may have moved to the Great Northwest, but Austin still proudly claims Spoon as hometown heroes. With 51 percent of the vote, the homegrown products who have reached national fame received more votes than all of the other bands put together. That’s what we call a landslide, folks.
After selling close to 200,000 copies of the 2005 hit ‘Gimme Fiction,’ the pressure was on for Spoon to deliver with its latest album in 2007, and the boys delivered, with ‘GaGaGaGaGa,’ an album that’s odd title was confusing as it was intriguing, a Dadaist-sounding term, in lead singer Britt Daniel’s words. As with most of Spoon’s catalog, the tunes are crisp, stripped-down and rollicking, but unlike previous efforts, there are new sounds to be appreciated here, such as horns playing a predominant role, a touch that may at first have seemed out of place but soon after listening came to seem as if they fit in the band all along. In the words of Daniel, the album features three kinds of songs: “the emotional ones, the vaguely political ones and the colorful ones.”
‘GaGaGaGaGa’ saw Spoon, a band that seems to win awards every year in Austin for almost a decade, make a slight deviation from the norm without losing any of the band’s hallmark sound, and as evidenced by album sales, a jam-packed secret show at The Mohawk last year and appearances on national television shows, the band not only satiated old fans but found a way to expand its base with rock tunes that are catchy but not derivative.
For more lowdown on the making of ‘GaGaGaGaGa,’ check out Joe Gross’s profile of the album last year, with Daniel breaking down each of the songs. (Feature includes audio samples)
Photos of Spoon in action in Austin
Others receiving votes
- Trish Murphy, 10 percent
- Alpha Rev, 9 percent
- Okkervil River, 8 percent
- Kacy Crowley, 6 percent
- Nelo, 5 percent
- Dan Dyer, 3 percent
- Moonlight Towers, 3 percent
- Shearwater,3 percent
- Black & White Years, 2 percent
- Darin Murphy,1 percent
- Rite High Flyers,1 percent
Write-ins: Mike Jackson of Hotcakes, Noah Kelly, Scott Leger of Wideawake, Bob Schneider, Scorpio Rising, The Bad Rackets, Voxtrot
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Your A-List: Best Fried Chicken
Although Texas isn’t officially “the South,” we do like our home cookin’. And nothing says down home comfort food like a nice plate of fried chicken.
The winner of the Your A-List poll for Best Friend Chicken goes to Top Notch, with 25 percent of the vote. The Burnett Road eatery with the recognizable vintage sign prides itself on its charcoal grilling, but as Statesman food critic Dale Rice can attest, the chicken is “crisp and non-oily as the onion rings, with juicy, tender, flavorful meat beneath that golden crust.”
What else could a Southerner (or Texan) ask for?
Top Notch
7525 Burnet Road [map]
452-2181
Others receiving votes
- Hoover’s, 17 percent
- Dot’s, 12 percent
- Threadgill’s, 11 percent
- Gene’s Poboys, 6 percent
- Tony’s Southern Comfort, 5 percent
- Hill’s, 4 percent
- Arkie’s, 4 percent
- Terry’s Seafood and Chicken, 3 percent
- Nubian Queen Lola’s, 3 percent
- Shoal Creek Saloon,3 percent
- Broken Spoke, 3 percent
- Evangeline Cafe, 2 percent
- Ms. B’s, 2 percent
- Iron Gate Lounge, <1 percent
Write-ins: Bush’s Chicken, Randalls, St. David’s Hospital cafeteria
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So many Web sites, so little time
Ever get overwhelmed by the amount of online chattering there is? Of course you do. And if you’re anything like me, you probably find it hard to figure out where to go for your news, opinions, columns, et al.
Sure, I have five or six sites I go to daily (NYTimes.com, WashingtonPost.com, Salon.com, Slate.com, RealClearPolitics.com, ESPN.com), and that is just about enough. But when I want more, I struggle with where to find it. After all, there is so much freaking noise out there on the net.
Fortunately, Vanity Fair has done a little bit of the leg work for me (and you), with their new Blogopticon, a graphic (with links and descriptions) of the major players in the online world. VF sets all of the sites on a grid, with sites sitting on a sliding scale between News and Opinion (vertically) and Scurrilous and Earnest (horizontally). On their scale, it appears the gossip site GoFugYourself.com is one of the most scurrilous opinion sites among the major Web players.
Take a look, keep it handy. If you tire of clicking through your favorites, this graphic may just hold your soon-to-be-new-favorite.
(I was happy and proud to see my good friends in the Gothamist network, of which Austinist is a part, get a shout out on here, even though VF sees them trending more scurrilous than honest. Psh posh.)
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Random thoughts, weekend edition
The Republic of Texas biker rally is my least favorite weekend every year. This is not an indictment on the “bikers” themselves, folks I have found over the years to be rather gregarious. It is the wicked combination of hell-like heat, horrible traffic and the horrific din of rumbling bikes that drive me to distraction and beyond. I made a decision last year to head out of town each year on this weekend and went on vacation. Then I realized I was too poor to go on vacation each year just to get away from noise.
I have never quite understood the idea that a cold beer on a 100 degree day is a nice source of relief from the heat. The first few sips may be good, but all the damn things do is dehydrate you and leave you a withered mess on your couch by 8 pm. Wouldn’t water be the smarter choice in this instance? I guess I am just getting old.
Can we please stop with the comparisons of Kobe Bryant (or any other player) to Michael Jordan? Dude is not a good team leader and MJ would never, ever, ever, ever let his team squander a 20+ point second half lead at home during the NBA Finals, while scoring 17 points. Ever.
I hate when there are historic comebacks in sporting events because it is inevitable that soon thereafter I will have to hear about the Bills-Oilers playoff game in 1993. The day my relationship with the NFL began to die.
Dentists and auto mechanics frighten me. They both have expertise in two things fairly vital to my life that I know absolutely nothing about. The car needs a new water hose that will cost X hundred dollars? Those cavities have to be filled or my teeth will fall out while I endure devastating pain? OK. What the hell do I know? Those people have me over a barrel, and I hate it. And, no, I am not going to trade school or dentist college to mitigate the pain they inflict on my psyche or checkbook.
90% of sports radio folks, both local and national, suck at their jobs. Quasi-knowledge of sports, the inability to engage listeners and zero entertainment value. Many are borderline incompetent, yet they continue to cash checks. In what other field is this OK? Can you imagine air traffic controllers underperforming so egregiously and continuing to work?
Speaking of sucking and getting paid for it. Peter Sellers is rolling over in his grave.
Fathers Day is right around the corner, and I almost always forget to send my dad a card. Generally, if I see him within a month of the holiday, I will take him to lunch or buy him a sleeve of golf balls or something, but I have never felt compelled to go out of my way to celebrate his dadness, a move I generally ascribe to thinking that every day is a day in which you should celebrate the generosity and love of your parents and Fathers Day is simply a Hallmark-inspired rouse. But that is starting to sound more and more like the rationalizations of some weed-smoking contrarian college kid. I wonder if I will feel the same way if I’m ever a dad. Yes, I am getting old. Happy Fathers Day, dad.
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Your A-List: Best Local Film Series
To be a good film town, you need more than a strong university presence, some popular and successful local filmmakers and a great film festival (or six). You need a continual commitment to screening a wide variety of films outside of the major cineplexes. Austin’s got that in spades. The winner of the Your A-List poll for Best Local Film Series is the Paramount Summer Film Classics series, which, with 27 percent of the vote, just outpaced Movies in the Park.
Classic films such as ‘Casablanca,’ ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ All About Eve,’ deserved to be screened in a classic theater. The Paramount fits that bill, and on warm summer weeknight or weekend afternoon, as you head down the avenue and approach the venerable theater, you may get that sense of feeling transported back in time, to when movies cost 10 cents to get in and soda pops were a nickel. Sure, the seats may be uncomfortable and the legroom negligible, but there is no better venue to see the classics than at our city’s most classic theater.
Not only does the Paramount screen great movies during the summer, the programing also has a nice consistency to it, with most screenings pairing movies from the same genre (noir, westerns, slapstick comedies, etc.), making a double feature a tantalizing way to beat the summer heat. Tickets are $7 ($8 for the 70mm screenings), and big movie buffs can opt for a package of 10 tickets for $45, giving you a good summertime entertainment value. As an added bonus, $5 of that $45 goes to the Paramount’s Preservation Fund, so you can feel good knowing you’re helping preserve an Austin landmark. (Buy tickets here.)
Check out this summer’s roster of fabulous films here.
Others receiving votes:
- Movies in the Park, 21 percent
- Weird Wednesdays at Alamo, 13 percent
- Belmont’s Movies and Margaritas, 10 percent
- Music Mondays at Alamo, 7 percent
- Terror Thursdays at Alamo, 6 percent
- Austin Film Society’s Essential Cinema, 4 percent
- Rounders Pizza Movie Night, 4 percent
- AFS at the Dobie, 3 percent
- Texas Doc Tour, 2 percent
- Beat Film Series at Harry Ransom Center, 2 percent
- Summer Movie Clubhouse, 1 percent
- Austin Cinematheque, < 1 percent
Write-in: Austin Jewish Film Festival
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Hold on to your head, it’s Daily Juice After Dark
My good buddy and co-owner of the Daily Juice, Matt Shook, has been mixing his delicious fresh juices with liquor for friends for years. Whether at a party or a poker game, Shook has wowed folks with his passionate mixology, making tasty cocktails sans sugary mixers that not only hit you right in your pleasure center but mitigate any nasty hangover in the morning.
Now, Shook and his business partner Keith Wahrer are bringing their creative cocktails to the masses, with Daily Juice After Dark. The juice purveyors are teaming up with The Belmont for the Thursday night events that run from 8 p.m. - midnight, beginning tonight.
A few weeks ago I went to a small gathering where Shook was trying out recipes for his latest venutre. He made up a host of cocktails with ingredients ranging from black cherry coconut water to goji berries, raw cacao nibs and living B vitamins. Dude does not mess around.
The wild-eyed drink master prides himself on his palate, and is as good a chef as he is a mixologist. His appreciation and understanding of flavor components has led him to make such drinks as the Jalapiña Margarita, a combination of fresh pineapple, jalapeño, lime, orange, organic raw agave nectar, Himalayan crystal salt and Sauza Hornitos tequila. Amazing.
Head over to The Belmont tonight and try one of the amazing cocktails and enjoy liquor (and juice) like you never have before.
And, for all of those who may be concerned, The Belmont does have TVs, so you can probably expect to be able to watch the NBA Finals while you sip on your fancy cocktails. And pardon me while I go all Out & About on you, but there is also a sweet show over at Antone’s featuring Tacks, The Boy Disaster, Golden Bear and my friends The Mercers. So why not make a night of it? You can always cab it home.
The Daily Juice After Dark menu:
- Jalapiña Margarita: Pineapple, jalapeño, lime, orange, Himalayan crystal salt, organic raw agave nectar, Sauza Hornitos tequila - $11
- Cool Hand Cuke: Local organic cucumber, lime, local mint, aloe vera, organic raw agave nectar, Tito’s vodka - $11
- Teen Wolfberry: Organic goji berry, grapefruit, Himalayan crystal salt, organic raw agave nectar, lime, Hornitos tequila - $11
- Pineapple Popeye: Pineapple, organic spinach, organic parsley, Himalayan crystal salt, lime, lemon, Tito’s vodka - $11
- Ginger Mojito: local organic mint, Lime, organic raw agave nectar, organic ginger, Himalayan crystal salt, Cruzan rum - $11
- Coco Love on the Beach: Fresh coconut water and flesh, banana, Himalayan crystal salt, Cruzan rum - $12
- Son of a Beach: Fresh coconut water and flesh, organic yerba mate’, living B vitamins, Himalayan crystal salt, Cruzan rum - $13
- Raw Chocolate Martini: raw organic cacao, black cherry coconut water, ice cube, organic raw agave nectar, Himalayan crystal salt, Tito’s vodka - $13
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Your A-List: Best Local Author
(Statesman writer and noted beer enthusiast Patrick Beach, who happens to be moderating an event with author Chuck Palahniuk Thursday at UT, contributed to this post.)
While Austin is known as a music town, a burgeoning (where are those tax credits?) film town, and an outdoor lovers town, it is also obviously a city that loves books. It is almost de rigeur for a university town to be one that harbors a love of books, and Austin is no exception. With humor writers, famous historians and novelists dotting out intellectual landscape, there is no shortage of homegrown literary talent.
The winner of the Your A-List poll for best local author is novelist Ben Rehder, who, with 30 percent of the vote, beat out novelist and comedian Owen Egerton (29 percent) by a bookmark.
From Mr. Beach: “Edgar Award finalist Ben Rehder writes comic mysteries set in Blanco County and featuring a game warden, law enforcement types and wildly colorful miscreants. If Carl Hiaasen grew up in the Texas Hill Country, this is what he’d write like. His latest is “Holy Moly,” (St. Martin’s Press, $24.95), which begins with a televangelist’s attempts to build a megachurch along the Pedernales River and, predictably, devolves into mayhem and merriment.”
Others receiving votes
- Owen Egerton, 29 percent
- Jeff Abbott, 9 percent
- Kinky Friedman, 9 percent
- David Lindsey, 4 percent
- David Oshinsky, 3 percent
- Sarah Bird, 2 percent
- Joe Nick Patoski, 2 percent
- Tim O’Brien, 2 percent
- Spike Gillespie, 2 percent
- Turk Pipkin, 2 percent
- Edwin “Bud” Shrake, 2 percent
- Stephen Harrigan, 1 percent
- Lawrence Wright, < 1 percent
- Diane Fanning, < 1 percent
- H.W. Brands, < 1 percent
- Craig McCullough, < 1 percent
- Steven Saylor, < 1 percent
- Douglas Brinkley, < 1 percent
- James D. Hornfischer, < 1 percent
Write-ins: Jim W. Apfelbaum, Owen Egerton, Allen Erwin, Gabrielle Faust, Elizabeth Moon, Tim O’Brien, Joe O’Connell, Benjamin Reed, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Papa Joe Summy
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Your A-List: Best Place to Go Tubing
As soon as the temperature in these parts creeps above 75 degrees, the sound of tubers flocking to the river can be heard throughout the town. What better way to beat the heat than my loading up a cooler full of beer and floating down a river surrounded by drunken strangers? Ah, summertime.
The winner of the Your A-List poll for Best Place to go Tubing is the Guadalupe River. With almost half of the vote (49 percent), the king of Texas tubing rivers lapped the field. Sorry, rivers Comal, San Marcos, Frio, etc., guess you will just have to deal with the fact that you will never have as much urine or beer cans in you as the good ol’ Guadalupe.
Others receiving votes
- Comal River, 23 percent
- San Marcos River, 13 percent
- Frio River, 13 percent
- Brazos River, 1 percent
- Neches River, < 1 percent
- Texas Paddling Trails, < 1 percent
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Time to get clever. And salesy
My reality show has a first name, it’s Oscar. (Or something.)
Things are starting to get a little meta. I received a press release today promoting a show that is going to be about promoting business. To be more specific, the reality show pioneers over at Mark Burnett Productions are doing an open casting call for their upcoming show, titled simply, “Jingles.” Wanna take a guess as to what it’s about?
According to the release:
CBS and Mark Burnett Productions have teamed up to find the greatest marketing genius for their new show “Jingles!” Use your quick mind, creativity, and musical skills to wow Fortune 500 companies and win $100,000! We are looking for teams of 1, 2, or 3 people to write and perform product jingles. A team could be anything from a marketing exec, to a brother/sister team, to a singer/songwriter duo. We are looking for fun, memorable, high-energy performances mixed with a competitive spirit.
Kinda sounds like a group project for undergrad communications students. Then again, those school projects don’t offer the allure of $100,000.
Sorry for the short notice, but the open casting call is tomorrow. Then again, I’m sure there are plenty of creatives who can find time in their day to make a run at 100K.
Download the application here.
“Jingles” open casting call
Cap City Comedy Club [Site]
Wednesday, June 4
9 am - 4 pm
