• Stella San Jac is Stellar. Featuring the Best Biscuit Ever!

    Hotel restaurants in Austin have really upped the ante in recent years. Many of this city’s finest restaurants reside in hotels. The new downtown Westin Hotel does not disappoint with the dining experience offered at Stella San Jac. What a treat both aesthetically and culinarily. I’ve dined at the establishment twice, once for an office luncheon and a second time for an intimate breakfast. Both meals were splendid.

    My lunch was the Avocado Salad. It was served in a chilled bowl, the greens were super cold, but not frozen or wilted from chilling, and the fried avocado; perfect. What’s lunch without some spirits? They bar had ample beers to choose from and they, too, were served ice-cold.

    My breakfast experience was just as pleasing with quick seating, service and food delivery. I thought the prices were agreeable and the food delicious. I had the banana pancakes which were served with candied tangerines. They blew me away! At first I was a bit miffed at a $5.00 tea, but the offer of a to-go glass made that all the more palatable.

    It won’t be my last time to dine with them. I absolutely loved it.

    Treat yourself to the 3 for $5 #16 biscuits. Bacon drippings, flaky crust, topped with sea salt. Pure ecstasy, to say the least.

    #16 biscuit @ Stella San Jac
    #16 biscuit @ Stella San Jac
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  • Dining for Life image

    Dining For Life, a Fundraiser for AIDS Services Of Austin

    On Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 14 and 15, AIDS Services of Austin (ASA) is holding its 23rd annual “Dining for Life” event.  The concept is very simple: you eat at one of the participating restaurants, the owner donates a portion of the evening’s total sales to ASA.  There is no need to sign up for anything, no need to inform the establishment.  All you have to do is show up and eat!

    Here is a list of the restaurants:  http://www.diningforlife.org/

    Note that some are participating on Monday the 14th, others on Tuesday the 15th, and a few both nights.

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  • roses

    Art is on… Amazon

    Interesting realm to embark upon Amazon.

    Some curious and approachable pieces in this collection:
    http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=6685269011

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  • photo of sign

    Sawyer, Where a Menu Means Nothing

    Normally, when I write a review on a restaurant, I approach the experience with an open mind and diplomacy. Surprisingly, I’ve actually had some unfavorable experiences at a number of Austin eateries. I had heard a lot of buzz about Sawyer on East Cesar Chavez and thought, “Let’s make the trek and give it a try!” So I grabbed two friends and headed east.

    Parking = easy.
    Seating = easy.
    Then comes the twilight zone…

    1. Drink orders. Scanning the menu, I spotted the daiquiri and asked the server if it was frozen. No quicker than I looked up at her did she say, “Does this look like Bourbon Street to you?” { In comes resting bitch-face, with a slight hint of a smile. } So I opted for a beer, which came in a can. I thought, perhaps, I had strolled into a BBQ joint.

    2. Appetizers. Mind you, there were only 10-12 people in the entire restaurant, so it wasn’t like patrons were devouring everything in the kitchen. We opted for baked oysters and deviled eggs. “Oh, the kitchen just served the last deviled egg.” { Three gaping mouths drop open. }  Well, never mind that then…. Oysters delivered, hot and fragrant. “Crackers anyone?”  More like, “Crackers any where.” So I we just jab the little bastards and eat them on a fork. { hmpf }

    3. Entrees. Here is where they scored some points back. Every plate was delicious: chicken, flounder, and shrimp; variety all around. They were are delicious dishes. Nom. Nom. Nom. No complaints whatsoever. Really, really great food.

    4. Oooh, dessert.  Excitement abounds over the chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Family tales of grandma’s cooking and all sorts of deliciousness in anticipation of the diet-busting pie. “Oh, we’re out of the pecan pie.”  WTF, really!

    So it wan’t the best experience I’ve had eating out, but we laughed about it all. Not that I am attacking the place, I was simply confounded by some things. Lastly, our server. She was pleasant, but there was an underlying tone of discontent. It was like a Girl Scout who had been sent to Randalls to sell cookies against her will. She wasn’t having it.  We tipped appropriately, and left.

    We loved the setting; retro, clean, and funky. The outdoor seating area was quite cool, but we were never offered the option to sit there.

    Alas, we were off into the night to entertain ourselves elsewhere. Fortunately, we found just the place while heading west on Cesar Chavez, Weather Up. A corner bar with lots happening. The misters help cool the atmosphere and the place was great for people watching. One fail, no Diet Coke. How can you serve a “Skinny Black Bitch” without Diet coke? Ugh. Rant over….

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