It's not just what you wear in Austin, it's everything. From socks to pjs, from ties to watches, from BBQ's to wine glasses, it's all about the Longhorn Burnt Orange. And everything is better with it. I love burnt orange, as well all know only too well. I mean let's be honest, how amazing would it be for me if I could bath myself, my home, my animals, my car, my computer and my cell? I could live out loud with my love of orange. In Austin it's not just a color, it's a way of life. What's the point of getting dressed your shirt doesn't have a longhorn stamp? Why would you buy a watch without the bull when you could buy one with it? It's like a sickness over here. The love of the horns, the pride in a school. And the bull is for everyone, you're never to young to have longhorns. Cooper, the UT Mascot is kid friendly so even the next generation UT'ers can be covered in longhorns.
It's hard not to get swept up in the whole UT pride. We went out to the dueling piano bar and I counted at least 5 people that had the longhorns on their shirts and not just a t-shirt but some guy had on a nice Tommy B style shirt and of course there were the horns. Crazyness. Today I wore my burnt orange shorts and I fit right in. I was just showing some Texas pride!
Another great reason to live in Austin. I could come out of the darkness and wrap my arms around the color orange! If anyone was made for spirit, it was me!
Peace.. or rather, longhorns..
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Honkey Tonk Bars and Two Stepin'
Are you kidding me? I was made to be a Texan. I mean really. God, Football and Whiskey, it's what matters in Texas.
That and the color burnt orange for UT is pretty much everyplace you turn. I went to a honkey tonk bar last night, where Willie Nelson and Waylon J started out! I did the two step. Not well I'll have to admit but after a few spins on the dance floor I was getting better. Lucky for me Dane was sweet and willing to teach me. He did leave me alone a few times to go actually dance. Learning to follow isn't my strong suit. As Dane said "You need to move to Texas to find a Cowboy who will put you in your place" Nice, eh? The whole night I felt like I had just stepped into a movie. Not to many cowboy hats but a lot of country and a lot of fun.
Texas is slowly sucking this girl in!
Peace
That and the color burnt orange for UT is pretty much everyplace you turn. I went to a honkey tonk bar last night, where Willie Nelson and Waylon J started out! I did the two step. Not well I'll have to admit but after a few spins on the dance floor I was getting better. Lucky for me Dane was sweet and willing to teach me. He did leave me alone a few times to go actually dance. Learning to follow isn't my strong suit. As Dane said "You need to move to Texas to find a Cowboy who will put you in your place" Nice, eh? The whole night I felt like I had just stepped into a movie. Not to many cowboy hats but a lot of country and a lot of fun.
Texas is slowly sucking this girl in!
Peace
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Live from Texas, Austin that is
The adventures of Monica and Mel in Texas started the moment I step off the plane in Austin Texas. I arrive shortly after 6:00 pm local time. After a quick tour of Monica's work, OutYouth, we went and has us some collard greens, coleslaw and brisket at a cute little hole in the wall BBQ joint called Rubys. Then we came home, talked over a cup of coffee and settled in to watch 1980's hit flick, Urban Cowboy. What a trip! If you haven't seen it, it's a must! Debroah Winger and John Travolta are fantastic if not a bit abusive and whiney. Monica has a little dog name Darla who is a punk ass if I ever saw one. She barks every time I move! I'm hoping that tonight she gets use to me being here because she'd wake up during the night and start baking at my room! Needless to saw my night was a restless one. This morning we woke up and grabbed a coffee (at Starbucks no less) and then walked Darla at the park. It was a great stroll and Monica and I got to take in the morning and catch up. Tho, really what's there to catch up on, we talk a million times a day as is! We got home and had breakfast and now are getting ready to go out and explore the world of Austin. Tonight we're meeting up with Dane and he's taking us to a real Honkey Tonk! I can't wait!!!
I'll start snapping photos cause this place is super cute and I'm in love with it already! Monica lives in a two bedroom house with a laundry room and a very large backyard for, get this, 800 a month! Hello!
Peace
I'll start snapping photos cause this place is super cute and I'm in love with it already! Monica lives in a two bedroom house with a laundry room and a very large backyard for, get this, 800 a month! Hello!
Peace
Monday, March 3, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
giving blood
if you haven't you need to. i'm doing that right now and i'm blogging with one hand. see how easy they make it!!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Silence is the voice of complicity.
Every American (over 18) has been given this amazing freedom to express their opinion and VOTE. Every one of us has this beautiful gift, the chance to be heard and make a difference in our world. We might not always see the change right away but unlike so many places, there is a chance to make a change. We have the right and privilege and most of all, duty to vote. Voting doesn't just make a change in our country but it shows other counties how change happens and the results of freedom of expression. When we don't vote we're saying so many things about who we are as people and as a nation. We're taking for granted our freedom that so many people in this world don't have. We're throwing away this golden chance to be counted. When you say your vote doesn't count you couldn't be more wrong. It's all that counts.
So if you haven't voted yet, make sure you do. And if you don't know the issues or who to vote for, do some research. Or pick the one thing that's most important to YOU and vote with whomever agrees. But always remember that silence is the voice of complicity, if we we don't speak up then we should remember to shut up when things don't go they want we wanted.
So if you haven't voted yet, make sure you do. And if you don't know the issues or who to vote for, do some research. Or pick the one thing that's most important to YOU and vote with whomever agrees. But always remember that silence is the voice of complicity, if we we don't speak up then we should remember to shut up when things don't go they want we wanted.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Square One - A Review
The setting is simple, elegant and straight forward, similar to their name and motto of "seasonal basics". The place was well lit, offering a prefect balance between romantic glow and functionality.
Our waiter was educated on the menu, friendly and on top of things. Square One isn't a place to go if you're in a rush, it's the type of place where you sip your wine, rest in between courses and casually enjoy your dessert while lingering over your individual french pressed coffee. This is take your time and enjoy your meal dinning.
Before we started, the Chef (Jason Tuley) sent out three tiny samples of the Hamachi Crudo appetizer. Good things come in small packages. The hamachi (yellowtail) was sliced razor thing and touched with wasabi, greens and scallion oil. Also accompanying this yummy preview of things to come, was an expresso cup full of fennel soup, one word, yum!
After our introduction to what was sure to be a well presented wonderfully tasting meal, we ordered the Local Halibut Wrapped Kumamoto Oysters with a vegetable brunoise and tangerine agridulce. Wow. I have to admit that my only critic with Square One is that the menu is a tad pretentious. The three of us at the table are in the food industry, are accustom to eating well, and yet we still struggled with works like blue cheese espuma and salsify puree. With that said, the food is amazing, so let them be pretentious.
Back to the oysters, nestled on a bed of crushed ice were three beautiful oysters that tasted like prefect goodness, even someone who doesn't love oysters would have loved these.
After that we squealed in delight over the crispy sweetbreads with duck egg raviolo, scallions, black truffle and vermouth. Amazing. Again, another fantastic presentation. I know most people don't eat sweetbreads and the three of us at the table were for sure taking a chance and stepping outside the box, and boy are we glad we did. I'd order that again in a heartbeat! The duck yoke was nestled inside their version of a raviolo, which tasted like it was made from a crepe. It's apparent that everything is made with such care and attention to detail, the presentation of the food is just as good as the food itself.
For dinner we ordered the Duo of Chinese Duck which was a seared duck breast, BBQ steamed bun with some of the best sesame-basil long beans i've ever had. I'm a big duck fan and this was pretty close to being the best duck in the world. While I thought the duck breast was a bit chewy it was still amazing in flavor. The steamed bun with it's orange relish and BBQ'd duck was steaming hot and overflowing with wonderful flavors. The other item that was ordered was the Porcini Grilled Lamb Loin with Leek-Bloomsdale Spinach Fondue and Smoked Mushroom Gastruque, see, there they go getting all wordy again. The lamb was fantastically cooked to a med rare and the spinach fondue was both a fantastic match for color and flavor. It didn't seem to over power the flavor of the lamb.
The third and final dish ordered was the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Pancetta, Brussels Sprouts, Crispy Paprika Onions and Red Wine Jus. THis was the largest portion of the three main entrees. It was also the richest and is prefect for a cold blustery winter night. This dish, while very tasty, was the least liked and least artistically presented. And when I say least liked, I mean we all still thought it was delicious and would order again.
As if we hadn't eaten enough we had a side order of homemade (right there in their kitchen) vanilla ice cream and cinnamon ice cream along with a order of the apple fritter and creme fresh. The apple fritter was prefect as it wasn't too sweet, in fact it almost had a touch of savory to it.
The individual french press coffee was a nice touch to a very well executed meal.
I'm excited to see what changes spring and summer bring to the menu as I was told is changes with the weather and what fresh items are in season and available.
Dinner for three with two appetizers ($8-18), four glasses of wine ($9-11) three entrees ($16-35) and two desserts ($8) without tip was $200.00. I can't say this about every place I eat at in Santa Barbara, but Square One was worth every penny and I look forward to my next amazing. flawlessly presented meal. So many places don't keep in mind that people eat first with their eyes and second with their mouth, it was truly bliss both visually and culinary.
DG
Our waiter was educated on the menu, friendly and on top of things. Square One isn't a place to go if you're in a rush, it's the type of place where you sip your wine, rest in between courses and casually enjoy your dessert while lingering over your individual french pressed coffee. This is take your time and enjoy your meal dinning.
Before we started, the Chef (Jason Tuley) sent out three tiny samples of the Hamachi Crudo appetizer. Good things come in small packages. The hamachi (yellowtail) was sliced razor thing and touched with wasabi, greens and scallion oil. Also accompanying this yummy preview of things to come, was an expresso cup full of fennel soup, one word, yum!
After our introduction to what was sure to be a well presented wonderfully tasting meal, we ordered the Local Halibut Wrapped Kumamoto Oysters with a vegetable brunoise and tangerine agridulce. Wow. I have to admit that my only critic with Square One is that the menu is a tad pretentious. The three of us at the table are in the food industry, are accustom to eating well, and yet we still struggled with works like blue cheese espuma and salsify puree. With that said, the food is amazing, so let them be pretentious.
Back to the oysters, nestled on a bed of crushed ice were three beautiful oysters that tasted like prefect goodness, even someone who doesn't love oysters would have loved these.
After that we squealed in delight over the crispy sweetbreads with duck egg raviolo, scallions, black truffle and vermouth. Amazing. Again, another fantastic presentation. I know most people don't eat sweetbreads and the three of us at the table were for sure taking a chance and stepping outside the box, and boy are we glad we did. I'd order that again in a heartbeat! The duck yoke was nestled inside their version of a raviolo, which tasted like it was made from a crepe. It's apparent that everything is made with such care and attention to detail, the presentation of the food is just as good as the food itself.
For dinner we ordered the Duo of Chinese Duck which was a seared duck breast, BBQ steamed bun with some of the best sesame-basil long beans i've ever had. I'm a big duck fan and this was pretty close to being the best duck in the world. While I thought the duck breast was a bit chewy it was still amazing in flavor. The steamed bun with it's orange relish and BBQ'd duck was steaming hot and overflowing with wonderful flavors. The other item that was ordered was the Porcini Grilled Lamb Loin with Leek-Bloomsdale Spinach Fondue and Smoked Mushroom Gastruque, see, there they go getting all wordy again. The lamb was fantastically cooked to a med rare and the spinach fondue was both a fantastic match for color and flavor. It didn't seem to over power the flavor of the lamb.
The third and final dish ordered was the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Pancetta, Brussels Sprouts, Crispy Paprika Onions and Red Wine Jus. THis was the largest portion of the three main entrees. It was also the richest and is prefect for a cold blustery winter night. This dish, while very tasty, was the least liked and least artistically presented. And when I say least liked, I mean we all still thought it was delicious and would order again.
As if we hadn't eaten enough we had a side order of homemade (right there in their kitchen) vanilla ice cream and cinnamon ice cream along with a order of the apple fritter and creme fresh. The apple fritter was prefect as it wasn't too sweet, in fact it almost had a touch of savory to it.
The individual french press coffee was a nice touch to a very well executed meal.
I'm excited to see what changes spring and summer bring to the menu as I was told is changes with the weather and what fresh items are in season and available.
Dinner for three with two appetizers ($8-18), four glasses of wine ($9-11) three entrees ($16-35) and two desserts ($8) without tip was $200.00. I can't say this about every place I eat at in Santa Barbara, but Square One was worth every penny and I look forward to my next amazing. flawlessly presented meal. So many places don't keep in mind that people eat first with their eyes and second with their mouth, it was truly bliss both visually and culinary.
DG
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