Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2008 > September > 25
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Good Knight
The doorway was dark. The interior not much brighter. Yet a friendly, bearded man greeted me from behind the bar.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Very,” I said.
I looked around. The Good Knight on East Sixth Street resembles a 1950s bar. A few curtained booths. Plain decor. Some historical photographs.
Didn’t feel like a restaurant. I was the only customer at 8:30 p.m. on the second day of food service.
What to expect from the menu? A short list of rustic continental cuisine — soups, cheeses, crispy breads, etc. accented with worldly influences.
I ordered the chicken pot pie. Before it arrived, the bartender, Billy Stockton, shared a crisp Gascogne white and some of fried tomatoes. Delicious.
The pot pie — a biscuit floating in a thick, mushroom-enriched concoction — was equally satisfying, as was the coconut pie strewn with blueberries that followed.
“Imagine it’s snowing outside, very cold, and you come inside for warmth and the food makes you feel just as good and warm,” said Randall Stockton, co-owner of the Good Knight, who arrived after me, perched at the end of the bar with wife, Donya.
“You did it,” I said. “Except for the snow.”
Randall and his wife also own the theatrical punk club, Beerland, on Red River Street, and the coffeehouse/lounge Rio Rita, just a few doors down from their new venture. An little, unpretentious nightlife empire?
A good start for the Good Knight.
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‘Really White Vigilante’ Issue Launch at Rio Rita
We’ve always admired Michael Schliefke, even when he was beating up on us in Cantanker Magazine. (OK, that was long ago.) We knew all along his heart and mind were in the right places.
Michael Schliefke with a fan at Rio Rita
Michael is among the Austin artists who regularly cross social, geographic and genre barriers to express singular visions. Perhaps his most plugged-in project is a series of graphic novels titled “Tales of the Really White Vigilante.”
Michael’s subject is East Austin gentrification. Yet Issue No. 2, unveiled at Rio Rita on Wednesday, also takes swipes at the mindless South by Southwest followers and other familiar Austin phenomena. He generally takes a balanced, tongue-in-cheek approach to the issues.
We chatted for a bit with Michael — who drew most of the series in the bar/cafe/lounge/coffee shop right there — before checking out the RWV piñata. Then it was off to check out Rio Rita’s new sibling, the Good Knight.
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Darrell Royal at Barton Creek event for Longevity Foundation
Regal coach Darrell Royal could attract a decent crowd for a game of gin rummy. Give him a worthy cause and he’ll fill the pale-colored banquet rooms at the Barton Creek Resort to capacity.
Darrell Royal, Linda Cole, Bob Cole
The cause in question Wednesday was the Longevity Foundation. Inspired by Patrick Howard, a five-year-old boy who died of a degenerative genetic disorder called ataxia-telangiectasia, the foundation supports various kinds of biomedical research in such disorders, as well as diseases such as cancer.
Marc Labate, Teresa Labate
The event, however, was cheerful. The throng had gathered to hear the pickin’ of songwriters Paul Overstreet, Scotty Emerick and Dean Dillon. (I didn’t stay long enough to report whether coach used his famous “red-light” technique to hush the audience. Coach speaks, people obey.)
Lee Walker, Michelle Westling
We spent some time catching up with KVET’s Bob Cole, who shared (unprintable) stories about Austin celebrities. He also noted the evolution of Austin’s social scene during the past three decades, from a “party of five” mentality to a much more diverse and egalitarian brew.
Carl Orend, Claire Orend
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Austinites at the Clinton Global Initiative
“It’s been great to catch up with Wangari Maathai, with whom we worked with on Nobelity Project, and to talk with her about the school we sponsor in Kenya,” Turk Pipkin said. “We’ve committed to building an adjacent high school so that 800 kids in the area won’t have to quit school after eighth grade. We’re also launching a tree-planting initiative in early 2009 and are talking to Wangari and the greenbelt movement about being one of our key partners to plant large numbers of trees and remove millions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Charity, Faith & Education, Fame
