The First Recruit
2006
I knew that this would happen, convincing friends to move to Austin – I just didn’t know who or when. Then Hansell called last month letting me know he was scheduling an April apartment hunting trip for an early May move. I. Was. Stoked. You see, Hansell and I lived together from 2006 to 2007 in Tampa (see the picture above from our college-style digs). We loved our friends, we loved laughing, and among a gazillion other things we had in common, we loved food – a perfect recipe for a fast friendship.
2007
And for every single thing we had in common, there were at least three things we didn’t have in common. We’ve always joked about how living together forced us into a solid friendship, one that went right from non-existant to a best-ship. And one that neither of us could have seen coming had we just met under normal circumstances.
2008
We met through my college friend and his childhood friend, our roommate Lex (pictured above). And I met him the day he moved in – no “interview”. I think I was crying about a boy when he arrived. I wouldn’t have blamed him if, at that moment, he felt instant regret about moving in with two 23 year old girls. Today, it makes for a good story.
2009
And then we had our share of hellos and goodbyes. I moved to Dallas from 2008 to 2009. And almost the moment after I returned to Tampa, I was throwing his farewell party because he accepted a temporary work position in London (picture above from said party). We lived together briefly between my return and his departure. I affectionately refer to that time as the “loveless marriage”, when we were both so busy that all we had time to talk about was whether or not he’d be home for dinner.
2010
By the time he settled back in Tampa, a lot of our core group of friends had either moved or gotten married (or moved and gotten married). There were occasions that brought everyone out from the woodwork (like the Shea’s FL/GA extravaganza pictured above). But a lot of the time we steered clear of our old scene and ended up parking ourselves upstairs at Fly. We spent countless weekend nights at that bar, getting nerdy about cocktails and dreaming up plans for the future. At some point along the way, and probably while perched at that very bar, we planned our escapes from Tampa, again.
2011
In the middle of 2011, Hansell resigned from his job and headed to Miami to develop something of his own. And not so far behind him, I moved to Texas for the second time. We kept in touch as often as two easily distracted friends could. And every time we talked, I threw out a little plug for Austin. He knew I wasn’t exaggerating, though. I was happier here, lighter here, and anyone that knew me could tell.
I convinced him to visit last July, just as he was dreaming up plans to start a food-related app. He loved it, and we not-so-jokingly joked about him moving here. And after seven months of development, the app is no longer a dream – he’s here, in Austin, and on the verge of signing a lease.
So yes, I’m beyond excited to have a friend as close as family moving to my hood (so excited that I wrote a novel about it). But! What excites me even more is that his app goes live TOMORROW!! So if you’re a restaurant lover and interested in finding and sharing fantastic dishes in your area, head on over to YumCrumb and see what it’s all about!
Lake Austin: Dam To Dam
Perhaps it has something to do with my upcoming birthday (30!), a couple months of ehh sleeping, or it being ages since Tut and I went on an adventure, but today… was exactly what I needed. I headed up to the lake for some super strong coffee and then we hopped on the lake house’s newest addition: “Tom the neighbor’s” boat. Like most of our adventures, I had no idea where Tut was taking me. We ended up on a successful three hour tour, going from the Tom Miller Dam to the Mansfield Dam. We cruised beneath the 360 bridge (twice), smiled at all of our boating neighbors, explored some hidden canals, and spotted a celebrity house (or four).
And for curious eyes, a video of our dam to dam trip to the tune of “Secret Meeting” by The National.
Sway
I have been anxiously awaiting Sway’s opening since I first saw construction activity while eating at Elizabeth Street Cafe a few months ago. “Wood paired with a painted masonry exterior? I must eat here.”. Two sentences that, outside of my world, probably don’t frequent a pairing.
A group of seven of us gathered around 4PM on a Saturday for a late lunch/early dinner before heading to the TX Roller Derby (ultimate girls’ night?). I highly suggest arriving during an off-hour because there was zero wait. And I have a hunch that from five to ten this place is more along the lines of zero available tables.
We started with the Shu Mai, which was a variety of seafood wrapped with noodles in lieu of a traditional dumpling. I could have eaten about 24 of these dumplings and still wanted more. What can I say? Dumplings are delish.
For my main course, I went with the Pad Kwetio, which I assumed would be similar to a pork belly version of Pad See Ew. I found this dish to be incredibly salty with not enough noodles (dumpling girl likes noodles). I’m not certain if I’m extra sensitive to salt or if someone tipped the salt container into this particular batch of Pad Kwetio, but this was not the dish for me. I did, however, try my friend’s chicken fried rice and found it to be light, herby, and more my style.
And then we ordered the Jasmine Tea Panna Cotta for dessert, which was one of the most pleasant desserts I’ve ever had. The panna cotta was topped with coconut-lychee sorbet, crunchy amaranth, fruit, and thai basil. The combination of temperatures, tastes, and textures was super appealing to my palate. And this barely sweet and refreshing dessert left me feeling satisfied and without that “oh I ate too much” feeling that traditional desserts typically leave behind.
Overall, the goodness of the Shu Mai and Panna Cotta outweighed the disappointment of the Pad Kwetio enough to where I’d definitely go back. So much, that I’m already thinking about their tom kha gai, pad thai, and blue crab fried rice!