This particular day was a cold one in Austin... the high was 58 degrees that day, so by Austin weather standards.. it was cold! :) I decided that I wanted to make my chicken tortilla soup that day (a cold day + hot delicious soup = AWESOME!) For date night we usually eat out, but it was ok.. the boyfriend loves my soup so we ate in. For our activity I decided to do something that sounded fun to me but I wasn't too sure how the boyfriend would like it. (by the way.. he loved it!) We ended up going to a place in Westgate shopping center called Cafe Monet. It was great, minus a few small things. When we got there the girl told us to pick out our art pieces to paint. We did and went to the register for further instruction. The girl working ignored us for a few minutes and as we stood there, we were like "she sees us.. why isn't she coming?" Finally she came, instructed us on where the paint was, how to do it, etc and we got started. We decided on two puzzle piece coasters. Cafe Monet has so many different things you can paint, but it can be pricey. Their website says items starting at 7$ and I think it is misleading. The children's thimbles(or items that small are 7$) but the cheapest thing we could find were our puzzle piece coasters(at $13 each). 28$ total, with tax is kind of pricey for two coasters, but we had a good time so it was worth it.(some of the pieces, like cups were in the upwards of $25-$40 each!)
The boyfriend loves the Green Bay Packers, so he painted his green with the G logo. I did a modge-podge of different colors(purples,blues,greens, etc). We had to leave the pieces there so they could glaze and fire kiln them. I picked them up yesterday and they look great. I will try to remember to take pictures and upload them soon.
The service wasn't great, but the experience was. We had fun creating things that we can keep forever, as a reminder of one of our date nights. :)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
10-27-2010
The boyfriend and I tried out this place, called Railroad BBQ. It is off 1626 in Austin. We have passed it a few times but not until this night did we try it out. We were two of the four guests in the restaurant(maybe bc it was a wed night??) but we were pleasently surprised. I tried the pork ribs which were great and the boyfriend got a chicken fried steak!
After dinner we headed over to the Southpark Meadows Shopping Center. The boyfriend took me to this place called "Reel Popcorn". You walk in and you feel like you are in a movie theatre(posters all over the way, that great popcorn smell, etc). We walked down a hall to the cash register and noticed all the different flavors. They had everything from nacho cheese to grape to pecan praline and even dill pickle. The lady who was there(also happens to be the owner) was really nice and helpful. She said that the dill pickle is their most popular flavor. It doesn't sound like a flavor I would like but if it is their more popular I had to try it. She let us have a few tastes of different kinds. I settled on regular carmael popcorn. shhh.. dont tell anyone, but the dill pickle one tasted GROSS!!! The boyfriend got a mixture of grape and I think lime??
It was a laid back date night but we had a great time.
:)
After dinner we headed over to the Southpark Meadows Shopping Center. The boyfriend took me to this place called "Reel Popcorn". You walk in and you feel like you are in a movie theatre(posters all over the way, that great popcorn smell, etc). We walked down a hall to the cash register and noticed all the different flavors. They had everything from nacho cheese to grape to pecan praline and even dill pickle. The lady who was there(also happens to be the owner) was really nice and helpful. She said that the dill pickle is their most popular flavor. It doesn't sound like a flavor I would like but if it is their more popular I had to try it. She let us have a few tastes of different kinds. I settled on regular carmael popcorn. shhh.. dont tell anyone, but the dill pickle one tasted GROSS!!! The boyfriend got a mixture of grape and I think lime??
It was a laid back date night but we had a great time.
:)
Friday, October 29, 2010
My turn! :) 10-20-10
When it was my turn to plan the date night, I was excited! I looked online for fun things to do in Austin. You know, unusual stuff.. not dinner and a movie!
I took the boyfriend to another trailer...I'm telling you, you have to try them out! This one however was on the EAST EAST side of Austin (way east Cesar Chavez). Its a sketchy part of town, but I had my strong boyfriend to protect me, right? ;)
A co-worker of mine recommended a place called Along Came A Slider. Clever name, huh? Its a trailer that makes delicious sliders. Again, boring girl with her food, got the original beef slider "The Natural". It was soooo delicious. I dont know what they marinate the meat in but it was amazing. Another cool thing about this place is the food is organic. Not a must for me, but definitely a very Austinite type of place. You can check them out at http://alongcameaslider.com/
I just had one slider(3.50$/each-yet totally worth it). The boyfriend had two and then we shared an order of sweet potato fries and a water. The boyfriend chose the Barbacoa Style Brisket Slider and one other.. I can't remember which one it was. None the less, we both loved our food. Very good! yum! :)
Another cool thing about this place(other than the obvious thing-the food!) is that right next to it was a ice cream cookie sandwich trailer! HELLO... speaking to a girls heart.. ice cream! We shared a top cookie(chocolate chip) bottom cookie( Oatmeal) with vanilla ice cream in the middle. It was a trailer that moves around Town called Cool Haus. It was a $4 ice cream sandwich, but it was large. We shared it and it was plenty for us.
After a great dinner in a sketchy area of town we headed over 5 blocks of so, further in the sketch to a place called New Movement. Its an Improv comedy club. It was awesome! On Wednesday nights they have FREE shows!!! That's one of the awesome things about Austin. There is so much to do and a lot of things are cheap or even free. You just had to do some research and you can find awesome things to see, places to go, etc. Starting at 7 on Wednesday nights New Movement has a free improv class for those who want to learn. Then at 8, they have a hr long show for those who were in the 7pm class to show of their skills. Then at 9:30, they have their house show with their regular performers. It is their "Megaphone Show". We just went to the 9:30 show. I am not one to learn improv and get up in front of a bunch of strangers and try to be funny. I'm definitely not funny, so that's a NO-GO for me. ;)
When we first pulled up to the place, there was no parking lot. We had to park my car like two blocks away in some random parking lot. It was kind of scary to leave my car in a sketchy part of town, not particularly close to where we were going to be. The boyfriend had me park under a street light(hopefully deterring thief's from breaking in to my car). Ha... I love the way he thinks sometimes.
The boyfriend seemed unsure of what we were doing or why we were there at first, but after the show was over he told me he really enjoyed it. We laughed throughout the whole thing. I definitely recommend it to those looking for a good laugh. Besides, you can't beat FREE. Look them up at: http://newmovementtheater.com/
You won't regret going to a show, I promise. And if you do, you obviously have NO sense of humor and should probably seek therapy. ha.. j/k *(see what I mean? I'm not funny)
PS: oh yea, if you are going to go to the New Movement free show at 9:30 make sure to get their early(we did at 9pm). The building is super small and it feels up fast. It was a packed house.. people sitting on the floor, standing, etc).
Date #2 = success! :)
I took the boyfriend to another trailer...I'm telling you, you have to try them out! This one however was on the EAST EAST side of Austin (way east Cesar Chavez). Its a sketchy part of town, but I had my strong boyfriend to protect me, right? ;)
A co-worker of mine recommended a place called Along Came A Slider. Clever name, huh? Its a trailer that makes delicious sliders. Again, boring girl with her food, got the original beef slider "The Natural". It was soooo delicious. I dont know what they marinate the meat in but it was amazing. Another cool thing about this place is the food is organic. Not a must for me, but definitely a very Austinite type of place. You can check them out at http://alongcameaslider.com/
I just had one slider(3.50$/each-yet totally worth it). The boyfriend had two and then we shared an order of sweet potato fries and a water. The boyfriend chose the Barbacoa Style Brisket Slider and one other.. I can't remember which one it was. None the less, we both loved our food. Very good! yum! :)
Another cool thing about this place(other than the obvious thing-the food!) is that right next to it was a ice cream cookie sandwich trailer! HELLO... speaking to a girls heart.. ice cream! We shared a top cookie(chocolate chip) bottom cookie( Oatmeal) with vanilla ice cream in the middle. It was a trailer that moves around Town called Cool Haus. It was a $4 ice cream sandwich, but it was large. We shared it and it was plenty for us.
After a great dinner in a sketchy area of town we headed over 5 blocks of so, further in the sketch to a place called New Movement. Its an Improv comedy club. It was awesome! On Wednesday nights they have FREE shows!!! That's one of the awesome things about Austin. There is so much to do and a lot of things are cheap or even free. You just had to do some research and you can find awesome things to see, places to go, etc. Starting at 7 on Wednesday nights New Movement has a free improv class for those who want to learn. Then at 8, they have a hr long show for those who were in the 7pm class to show of their skills. Then at 9:30, they have their house show with their regular performers. It is their "Megaphone Show". We just went to the 9:30 show. I am not one to learn improv and get up in front of a bunch of strangers and try to be funny. I'm definitely not funny, so that's a NO-GO for me. ;)
When we first pulled up to the place, there was no parking lot. We had to park my car like two blocks away in some random parking lot. It was kind of scary to leave my car in a sketchy part of town, not particularly close to where we were going to be. The boyfriend had me park under a street light(hopefully deterring thief's from breaking in to my car). Ha... I love the way he thinks sometimes.
The boyfriend seemed unsure of what we were doing or why we were there at first, but after the show was over he told me he really enjoyed it. We laughed throughout the whole thing. I definitely recommend it to those looking for a good laugh. Besides, you can't beat FREE. Look them up at: http://newmovementtheater.com/
You won't regret going to a show, I promise. And if you do, you obviously have NO sense of humor and should probably seek therapy. ha.. j/k *(see what I mean? I'm not funny)
PS: oh yea, if you are going to go to the New Movement free show at 9:30 make sure to get their early(we did at 9pm). The building is super small and it feels up fast. It was a packed house.. people sitting on the floor, standing, etc).
Date #2 = success! :)
High School Date 10-13-10
The first thing the boyfriend said was just think of it as a high school date! ha! It's been a long time since high school. I didn't know what to think, but was excited because 1) it was our first official "date night" and 2) it was a surprise to me. On our alternating weeks, we have decided that we are going to keep it a secret on what the other is planning. ;) We started driving down South 1st(which is a busy street in Austin). There are sooo many places to eat, go, etc.. so I was completely out of the loop. We drive and he turns into a parking lot near El Mercado restaurant. We have eaten here before, and yes its very good, but that was NOT where we were going. Across the street from El Mercado on South 1st in Austin is a place called Trailer Park Eatery. I know what you're thinking "trailer park eatery?? whaaatt?" Don't knock it till you try it. It was really good. There are about 5 or 6 different trailer options to choose from. We decided to try out Izzoz Tacos. Check them out at: http://www.izzoztacos.com/
The food was actually pretty good. I am typically boring with my food, so I got 2 "Old School Crispys". They were quite Tasty. The boyfriend decided to go with pulled pork Torta. He tried to get me to try it but again, I'm boring with my food so I did not. He really liked it though. We did get a side of queso and chips and shared a IBC root beer. We liked the food a lot but I was quite disappointed in their queso and chips. First, the thing of queso is $4. It seemed like a lot for a trailer. I mean, don't get me wrong.. the portion was really large, but eh...
The food was actually pretty good. I am typically boring with my food, so I got 2 "Old School Crispys". They were quite Tasty. The boyfriend decided to go with pulled pork Torta. He tried to get me to try it but again, I'm boring with my food so I did not. He really liked it though. We did get a side of queso and chips and shared a IBC root beer. We liked the food a lot but I was quite disappointed in their queso and chips. First, the thing of queso is $4. It seemed like a lot for a trailer. I mean, don't get me wrong.. the portion was really large, but eh...
The queso kind of had a sweet after taste to it. It was not bad but it wasn't my favorite either.
Overall, I would give Izzoz Tacos a A-. After we finished eating, We got in the car and headed over to Peter Pan Putt Putt on Lamar and Barton Springs. I hadn't been there in YEARS and as I expected I sucked at putt putt(nothings changed) but we had a great time. We were really surprised at how many people were there. The place was packed.
High School Date night #1 was great.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
New Tradition
As this is my first post on "Date night in Austin, TX" I wanted to give you a little back story on me. I wasn't born in Austin, TX but my mom moved me here at 13 months of age. I love it here. I was raised her, went to college just down the 35-corridor(in San Marcos! Eat em' up Cats!) :)
My boyfriend and I have been together for nearly 7 years now. Having been together for so long, sometimes you feel like you are in a routine. We like to go to movies, hang out with friends, etc.. but after awhile that all just becomes your "normal" and to be honest.. it can be boring. About 3 weeks ago the boyfriend and I were having a long discussion on our relationship and how we need to make time (quality time) to spend together doing fun activites that we dont usually do. Our normally routine is go to work, come home from work, watch tv, eat dinner, go to bed. Day in and day out, it just becomes habit almost.. you know, like clockwork. We decided a way to combat the same old same old would to designate a date night. The boyfriend has kind of a hectic schedule, that always changes so picking a day was tricky. We decided that Wednesday nights at 8pm were going to be our new date night. To make it more exciting, different and new every week we have decided we are going to alternate weeks to pick what we are going to do. We have only had two so far, but its exciting and I look forward to many more. I decided to start blogging about the date nights for a few reasons. 1) I want to have the memories and be able to look back and remember what we did, when, etc. We plan to take a picture together every date night and post it as a memory too. 2) Although there is a lot to do in Austin, sometimes after you have lived here for such a long time you say "There is nothing to do." I admit, I have said that numerous times... but I stand corrected... there are SOOOO many things to do in Austin. It just takes a little researching. 3) I want people to hear our opinions and reviews on the things/places we do/see and hopefully you will try them out as well.
Unfortunately the first two date nights, we did not take pictures.. but I will try to do so from now on.
Hope you enjoy the blog!
Jess :)
My boyfriend and I have been together for nearly 7 years now. Having been together for so long, sometimes you feel like you are in a routine. We like to go to movies, hang out with friends, etc.. but after awhile that all just becomes your "normal" and to be honest.. it can be boring. About 3 weeks ago the boyfriend and I were having a long discussion on our relationship and how we need to make time (quality time) to spend together doing fun activites that we dont usually do. Our normally routine is go to work, come home from work, watch tv, eat dinner, go to bed. Day in and day out, it just becomes habit almost.. you know, like clockwork. We decided a way to combat the same old same old would to designate a date night. The boyfriend has kind of a hectic schedule, that always changes so picking a day was tricky. We decided that Wednesday nights at 8pm were going to be our new date night. To make it more exciting, different and new every week we have decided we are going to alternate weeks to pick what we are going to do. We have only had two so far, but its exciting and I look forward to many more. I decided to start blogging about the date nights for a few reasons. 1) I want to have the memories and be able to look back and remember what we did, when, etc. We plan to take a picture together every date night and post it as a memory too. 2) Although there is a lot to do in Austin, sometimes after you have lived here for such a long time you say "There is nothing to do." I admit, I have said that numerous times... but I stand corrected... there are SOOOO many things to do in Austin. It just takes a little researching. 3) I want people to hear our opinions and reviews on the things/places we do/see and hopefully you will try them out as well.
Unfortunately the first two date nights, we did not take pictures.. but I will try to do so from now on.
Hope you enjoy the blog!
Jess :)
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