The NoRTH Experience

Any true foodie will be quick to tell you that dining out is more than tasty food. Sure, nasty food will butcher your opinion of a restaurant but there’s more to dining than the culinary concoctions; dining out encompasses the entire dining experience.

         Ah, yes, it is all about the entire experience. Whether its a stuck up hostess that claims there is no room when the restaurant is empty, to the overly friendly waiter that hovers over you while you review the menu, your impression of a restaurant is heavily influenced by other factors than food.

         From the hipster to the upscale, Austin caters to a variety of dining “experiences.” And like a grandma with many grandchildren, there is always one favorite. 

         My favorite restaurant is NoRTH, an Italian restaurant located in the heart of Domain shopping mall.

         NoRTH is delicious. Critics may argue that NoRTH is an American restaurant wrapped in a modern Italian theme. But with dishes that flavorful, who cares what they call it.  

         Your dining euphoria begins with bread and an amazing cheese, tomato and butter spread; it is hard to not crave more bread so order your entrée promptly. To drink, try a refreshing sangria pitcher filled with fresh berries. For an appetizer, ask for the artichoke which is steamed to perfection and served with a delicious aeoli dip serving as lush complement to the moist artichoke leaves.

         Indulge in the prosciutto, fig and goat cheese pizza for your main course. Filled with variety of flavors and textures and priced at $12, it is like an inexpensive spa getaway for your taste buds.

         Good prices isn’t all NoRTH has to offer. The restaurant transcends its delectable dishes and creates a trendy, airy atmosphere that fuses clean lines with a wall of windows that mimic the experience of eating outside. Each table is thoughtfully dotted with a candle, a feature that compliments the live jazz band playing in the patio.

         As with all things human, NoRTH has one minor flaw. Sometimes on the weekends the staff can seem a bit disoriented.  They are not rude, or impersonal but they sometimes seem to have their mind in another place and lack attentiveness, kind of like stunned goldfish.

         Be a precautious restaurant goer and make a reservation beforehand; this place gets very busy at lunchtime and on weekends.

         NoRTH is the perfect restaurant to impress your guests with a delicious gourmet meal at a reasonable price.

Guadalupe Street Keeps the Weird Ones Coming.

                  Spider House Cafe Courtesy of That Other Paper.

Guadalupe Street is the road that leads to some of Austin’s most unusual places.  Sometimes it takes you to a brightly painted toy store  and other times to a pipe shop that sells bongs.  But  many other times Guadalupe takes its usual pedestrians to a little blue house that could easily belong to  a zainy, artistic, middle-aged, cat- loving woman--Spider House Patio Bar and Café.

            The dimly lit rooms inside are no good for note-taking or studying but perfect for a stimulating conversation with friends. Other patrons keep to themselves so don’t expect a chatty crowd.

            My Tuesday night rendezvous made it quite clear that Spider House is a haven for atypical characters. About three tables away from me, I witnessed some of the most creative facial hair that  would make Jack Sparrow’s beard  feel undecorated.

            Yet, Ariel Nesvadba, a Spider House bar-back barista, argues that there are a lot of different people that come to this place.

            “Before I worked here, I though Spider House was strictly for hipsters and not everyone, but now I have my own image of the place. The mix of people who come here is unlike any other place in Austin,” says Nesvadba.

            The Spider House patio has an antique functioning bathtub that sets the tone for the idiosyncratic  mishmash of events that include open mic nights, movie screenings, live rock shows and happy hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

            Oh, did I forget to mention that it is open until 2 a.m. This café, bar serves up java and cocktails throughout the night. And if the hunger monster bites you grab a menu. Spider House serves up a wonderful selection of pastries, tacos, salads, appetizers, sandwiches and pizza.

            However, one bit of advice, grab a menu and look it over from afar. Once you are ready to order, approach with confidence, because the standoffish vegetarian barista is not interested in walking you through the menu.

            The tofu loving baristas really kill the eclectic mood of the place.  They sprinkle Spider House with pretentiousness. Beware if you are a newbie their pierced eyebrows spot you a mile away.

            Spider House takes you away from the mundane and into a vegetarian/coffee/cocktail- loving world of artistic events and creative menu choices. I mean, where else will you be asked if you want regular or vegetarian chili?

More Vino Vino, Please.

Wine selections at Vino Vino (Courtesy of Do 512)

 There’s always that ethereal moment in a restaurant, where the gourmet entrée just melts in your mouth and you taste culinary fireworks.

Food-comma is the name for that unearthly moment of complete satisfaction and gastronomic deliciousness.  It is that rare, cosmic event that awakens our desire to go back for more. 

Dimly lit, roomy, and echoed by the clinking of wine glasses and animated chatter, Vino Vino is a food-comma inducing neighborhood bistro that prides itself on quality.

“Our business is all about details. Good products bring in good people,” explains proprietor Jeff Courington.

Hailed as one of the “Best New Restaurants” in 2006 by Columbus Monthly magazine, the Vino Vino experience is carefully crafted.

           The eatery tries to create a “perfect symbiosis between the kitchen and wine,” explains Esteban Sullivan, a waitress at Vino Vino for two and a half years.

And as the name suggests, it is all about the wine. 

 

           The bistro offers a lovingly selected assortment of wines. Oenophiles and wine novices alike can appreciate the menu’s vivid descriptions of the old world wines.

If you want a splurge, order a glass of the 2008 Marchesi Frescobaldi that is “infused with notes of ripe cherry, chocolate tones, strawberry and a spicy finish," according to the menu.

Although the menu and plates are modest in size, Vino Vino offers an affordable mix of hand crafted seasonal dishes.

The delicately baked goat cheese appetizer covered in marinara sauce exemplifies Chef Esteban Escobar’s genuine knack for care in his food. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try some of the more exotic items like the hand-made pâté and sausages.

             Vino Vino is a cozy restaurant that personifies the care and attention to details of the wine it carries. Grab a glass after work, or head on over with your girlfriends for a casual but flavorful dining experience.

A Space in Time

                                                      (Courtesy of Epoch Coffee)

A late-night hang out place is as rare as a sober frat boy on Sixth Street.  Too often do we satisfy our nocturnal cravings at any dingy pizzeria with fluorescent lighting or pack down french fries at Whataburger.

            Although eateries like Katz Delicatessen are open 24-hours, many hungry coffee-drinking  insomniacs are unaware of a more unconventional venue--Epoch Coffee.

            Voted the Best 24-Hour Coffeehouse in 2006 by the Austin Chronicle, Epoch is the ultimate  all-night java house that caters to the sleepless, hipster, caffeine junkies in all of us.  Epoch’s assortment of baked treats, java drinks, pizza and free Wi-Fi lures customers at all hours.

            The brain child of three ex-baristas from Mojo’s Daily Grind, an edgy coffee shop that used to be on the drag, Epoch became the go-to spot for their “punk clad, graffiti loving, [and] alternative regulars,” say owner Kevin Gary. The other two tattoo-clad owners, Chris Clarkson and Joe Rodriguez, nod approvingly as Gary explains the difference between Epoch and Mojo's.

            Unlike Mojo’s’ hardcore core vibe, Epoch welcomes any Austinite in search of a different but interesting scene.

            “It’s a pretty eclectic, unique, thoughtful, calm place for people to learn through social interaction of whatever they are working on,” explains Jessica Douglas, an Epoch barista for three years.

            The typical Epoch patrons are the “philosopher types who read Nietzsche, hang out, smoke on the patio, talk or get work done,” says Douglas.

            Epoch’s multifarious décor only ferments the locale’s artistic ambience.

            Complete with a Starbucks sign strategically mutated to spell out a four-letter curse word, Epoch is furbished by a collection of vintage and mismatched chairs, tables and dangling lamps.

            “It [Epoch] feels like your quirky grandma’s living room with much better background music,” says Marielle Bouffier, an Epoch regular.

            Yet unlike your grandmother’s living room, Epoch has a few quirks of its own.

            Don’t expect pristine restrooms or life-changing coffee. Although the restrooms are sub-par and the coffee is decent, the restroom walls boast amusing socialist commentary, and the coffee serves it purpose--getting you through all-nighters.

            Expect to see longhaired men playing four-way chess, tattooed anarchists chatting up a storm, and quiet intellectuals typing furiously, all while indie music plays in the background. Also, expect the music to get stranger as the night progresses.

            “The definition of Epoch is a space in time,” says Douglas. “[It makes you] nostalgic for a time we never even lived in.”

Cheer Up Charlies: Quirkiness at Its Finest.

             (Courtesy of Third Coast Coffee Roasting Company)

Cheer Up Charlie's patrons indulge on coconuts outside of the eaterie. 

Whether you’re a lesbian hipster, Japanese horror film enthusiast or just someone in search of a new hang out spot, Cheer Up Charlie’s is a new bar on East 6^th Street  serving up an unconventional assortment of drinks, snacks and events that caters to just about everyone.

            Just last year, Cheer Up Charlie’s was nothing more than Tamara Hoover’s small smoothie and sandwich stand.

              Hoover, the owner and proprietor of Cheer Up Charlie’s, credits the success of her small business venture to the free margaritas she gave out at 2:00 a.m., during the 2009 South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival.

            ”It has all been a step by step process. But after the margaritas, that’s when we got the huge crowds,” Hoover said.

            From then on, Cheer Up Charlie’s has become a regular hang out spot for the hipsters, artists, musicians, and gay members of the Austin community.

             And after one vegan chocolate and a sip of Kombucha tea, it doesn’t take much to want to become a regular yourself.

            Cheer Up Charlie’s’ variety of refreshments makes it one of a kind.

            After drinking the most popular drink, coconut milk served inside its the own shell, customers can attach their coconut shell on the patio wall. 

            More than anything Cheer Up Charlie’s’ drink menu centers around carrying carefully crafted products.

            “We had a lesbian party last week. They were so  pissed off  because we did not carry Bud Light,” Hoover said. “Cheer Up Charlie’s is all about supporting quality versus commercialism.”

            Cheer Up Charlie’s  also offers a selection of  vegan snacks that are surprisingly tasty.

            Their almond butter vegan chocolate is a wonderful blend of  dark chocolate with a creamy center that tastes anything but chalky.

            Named after a song in the Willy Wonka movie, Cheer Up Charlie’s reflects  the whimsical, and unexpected nature of the film.

            “We call ourselves the ‘Queer Ice House’ meaning that we are not exclusive. We are not gay, lesbian, straight but rather just queer,”  said Eli Welbourne,  one of Cheer Up Charlie’s’ bartenders. “We are a queer, alternative events space.”

            The bar’s eclectic and casual décor captures the essence of  their self described queerness with items such as a log sculpture  that spells out the word “love” and a couple of rainbow colored tennis shoes  that hang from a cord in the patio.  

            “Cheer Up Charlies feels like the people who create the space. Those who create things in our community are the ones that become our regulars. All of those people contribute back into this space and leave their mark whether through art, music, or even event ideas,” Hoover said.