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
We’re getting back to our cajun roots and heading to N.O. Louisiana for the 2009 Jazz Heritage Festival. MeVersus coverage will start the weekend of May 1st. Any particular artist interviews you want to see? Comment below.
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”.
