MeVersus adds guest writer Mike Schaffer to the collective. Mike, a Dallasite Chicagoan by birth, will be covering the beats and vibes in our sister city, Austin, Texas. Welcome Bugsymoogs.
Austin group The Laughing sweep into town today with a nighttime gig at The Cavern on Lower Greenville
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No one in the crowd thought twice about enduring the dusty winds at the annual Hot Sauce Festival in Austin, Texas this weekend. Though temperatures were predictably high, the city still turned out to participate in the long-lined taste tests of Lone Star culinary fame. Read More
My first impressions of Austin as an incoming freshman back in 200_ were forever scorched in my mind with the introduction of the Austin Chronicle “Hot Sauce Festival”. Free admission with upwards of 15,000 spectators and more than 350 entries every year, this iconic end-of-summer festival is a must for locals and or any newbies to Austin looking to expand demolish their prepubescent taste buds. Read More
Took a weekend to explore the sights and sounds of this year's South By Southwest music festival, and came away with one question: what recession?
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Draft magazine described Amsterdam Bar as:
Not your average yuppie-filled pub, the Amsterdam is a low-key, TV-free zone where you can concentrate on the drinking menu full of beers (try the Live Oak Hefe Weizen brewed in Austin). Kick it inside the airy, high ceilinged bar, or out on the patio during that nice Texas weather–just watch out for beer-juggling bartenders.
Amsterdam Bar, located at 831 Exposition Avenue, is your neighborhood Cheers, where even Sheldon, one of the best bartenders in town knows your name. The atmosphere is always friendly and the girls are hipster-ishly cute. With very little pretentiousness if any at all, this place has been my Austin away from Austin for a couple months now. It lies in the struggling but regrowing area of Fair Park next to Victory Sport Taekwondo, and Rob’s Chop Shop and offers an array of draft choices served with a hat-trick and smile. Prices are very competitive, which makes it very difficult to try any of the other nearby establishments.
Bonus: Monday nights include free jazz from a handful of musicians. According to the Amsterdam blog, the lineup is based on the members of The Shelley Carrol quartet, but the lineup changes weekly as individuals take a night off and friends and guests sit in for a set or even for the entire evening.
Got the case of the Mondays? Come out and chill with the cool cats at Amsterdam. And if you’re feeling a little hesitant about the heavy drinking, try the ACE Pear Cider, described by one patron as “liquid candy”.
Once again, I was out of town this weekend this time attending SXSW goodness in Austin, TX. Coming back into town last night, I wanted to check out some last minute St. Patty’s Day action. So DeepupyourEllum and I set out to catch a glimpse of the festivities before it was too late.
We started out at Green Elephant, a local dive bar we stumbled upon serendipitously. Initially, a very chill place, huge real estate, and a great backyard complete with hammock and couch.
Reason why we left instantly: dedicated dj playing electronic music all night.
Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy the occasional trance, house, even breakbeat, but I can assure you, this was no atmosphere for the club scene. A classic case of identity crises.
After that trial and error, we headed over to The Barley House for $2 pints. Anything on draft for $2. This would be the greatest beverage deal I’ve encountered in Dallas on a Tuesday save one thing, their beer shipment didn’t make it and they were out of 90% of their draft choices. Being a pub, this really hurts one’s choices. That combined with the “holiday” at hand and you have some pretty discontent, thirsty customers.
We made the best of the night, planned only to have some “research drinks” for MeVersus but ended up having a few more throughout the night just to wash the disappointment down.
Usually a decent place to unwind after a hard day’s work, The Barley House let me down last night when the pressure was on. As for Green Elephant, the jury’s still out. (Hammocks at a bar, you have me pulling for ya).
