#SXSW2012 Day One
My #SXSW2012 Visitor
Ariel is in Austin!! And shortly after picking her up from the airport, my friend Jenny called to see what we were up to. We were up to food, naturally, so we made plans to meet up at Snack Bar on South Congress for a patio dinner and drinks.
All of us had the same want for fresh fare before another weekend of SXSW adventures, so we ordered a few dishes for the table to share. Avocado quinoa, tomato lemongrass curry, brussels sprouts, and an assortment of beverages… All perfectly fresh choices.
Jenny and I became fast friends as soon as I arrived in Austin, which has made my transition to a new city so darn easy. And even though I’m sure that Ariel and I will bump into her plenty over the course of the next week, I’m super glad that my oldest friend and my newest friend got a chance to hang before the madness begins!
P.S. How do you like the pictures taken with my new lens??
Some #SXSW2012 Eats
SXSW has been filled with so much adventure already! Thursday night I went to a kick-off happy hour at Molotov sponsored by Dachis Group, which led to a party at the W. I had an incredibly great time getting dolled up and spending time with familiar faces. And then Saturday was an entirely different story.
My friend Matt and I put on our warmest rain gear and headed downtown in search of something to do. No leads, no invites, no cuteness. We ended up at The Belmont, where we were informed that we could hang out briefly before the HP Cloud party started. We were pleasantly surprised by freeness in the form of food and margaritas. And each time the hostess was about to let us know that our brief stay was about to end, we were graciously given a time extension by a party-goer that was supposed to be there.
After a few hours of party crashing, we met up with a bunch of Matt’s friends and headed to Victory Grill to get our local music fix. We danced, danced, danced until it was time for more food. I wanted pizza, but the group decided on Bomb Tacos at Lustre Pearl. Matt and the Bomb Tacos guys are apparently buddies, so I hopped on the truck and chatted it up while my spinach and mushroom quesadilla sizzled to perfection.
Almost immediately after gorging myself on cheesy goodness, Matt decided he wanted a breakfast feast at IHOP. I had a little “why not?” moment and decided to join. Crepes for dessert? Why not?
I woke up this morning feeling more stuffed than one could ever imagine, but put myself in a hungry mindset for brunch with Matt and Lauren. We met at The Steeping Room where we guzzled Moroccan mint iced tea like it was going out of style. I ordered a salmon, cucumber, and cream cheese sandwich with a side of tempeh bacon. Faith is totally right, tempeh bacon is super yum!
Although my first experiences with SXSW have already been so, so fun-filled, I know the upcoming week is going to be eeeeeeeeven better! Ariel will be arriving from LA on Tuesday and I’m so excited to explore the SXSW music scene with my best pal!
Busy Bee Weekend
Saturday was jam packed with the good stuff. I woke up bright and early with a task from my favorite 5-year old cousin: Star Wars Legos. We poured millions of teeny tiny pieces on his bedroom floor and went to town. I didn’t think we would actually be able to put the thing together, but Nick always ended up knowing exactly where the hard-to-find pieces were hiding.
After finishing up QT with the cousins, I headed to brunch with Phil and Ginnean & Co. The three of us were big time brunchers when I lived in Dallas, so our time together at Penne Pomodoro felt much like it did back in 2008. Well, with one happily welcomed addition!
From brunch I headed straight to the mall to meet Nathan. Meeting Nathan to go shopping always goes somewhere along the lines of meeting at Barney’s for a quick hello and then going our separate ways so we can power shop in our respective departments. We each found a few gems (mine will be posted in tomorrow’s Cure For The Common Monday) and headed home to get ready for dinner.
We swooped up Morton and Jonathan for our reservations at Oak, a new hip spot that the boys have been dying to try on a non prix fixe occasion. We slurped on some amazing cocktails while we waited for our table and then ordered, what seemed like, everything on the menu.
Nathan and I started out with the Potato Dumplings and then split the Rhode Island Monkfish and Rack of Lamb. Oh. My. Goodness.
Everyone at the table passed around bites of their deliciousness and, I have to say, that EVERYTHING exceeded expectations. The one clear winner at the table was the Moroccan Octopus & Pork Jowls, but I would be beyond happy ordering anything we sampled again. And then there was dessert… We ordered everything but the bread pudding and were amazed with each and every sweet treat. Oak may be my favorite dining experience in Dallas to date!