For our ten-year anniversary, Lara and I hit up Austin (her for the first time, me for the second), followed by a quick trip to Waco to visit family.
Hilton Austin
Location: 500 East 4th Street in Downtown Austin.
We looked into a few downtown hotels before settling on the Hilton. The location, price point (not hideously expensive), and trust in the Hilton brand steered us here. Fortunately, it proved to be the right decision.
Situated right near the former Convention Center, the Hilton is proximate to restaurants, coffee shops, bars, clubs, museums, and more. The building’s height also makes it easy to find if you’re wandering around downtown.
Inside, the Hilton is spacious, well-staffed, and well-maintained. All of the staff we interacted with were courteous, and the front desk was even kind enough to send us some prosecco and cake for our anniversary, a thoughtful personal touch.
Our room proved to be clean, comfortable, and quiet. It was advertised as a “city view” room, and it delivered.
Had we
relied on the hotel’s restaurants or needed its (hideously expensive) valet
parking, we might have had more room for complaint, but for our purposes, the
Hilton was a fine pick.
Moonshine
Previous review here. It’s a much more enjoyable place when you catch them at a less busy time. The food remains tasty. I didn’t know that I was missing the magic of smoked shrimp on fried green tomatoes until now. The banana pudding, served in a Mason jar, is a winner, too.
The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center
One of two
locations (Laguna Gloria on West 35th Street is the other), TheContemporary Austin — Jones Center offers a stunning exterior mural (“Man Who
Fell to Earth” by Manik Raj Nakra) but not much inside. Though it spans two
floors, it’s a small museum with little content. The few exhibits included
lacked breadth: one consisted of variations of the same work. While the $10
admission does cover both locations, it definitely isn’t worth it for Jones
Center alone.
Taqueria de Diez
Located at 206 Trinity Street in Downtown Austin (with other locations on South Lamar and in West Lake Hills), Taqueria de Diez (aka D/10) offers Tijuana-style tacos and related fare. It is open from 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 11:30-1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday. Online ordering (through Uber Eats) and pick-up catering are available.
The best way to describe this joint is as a taco reverse speakeasy. Go down an alleyway, enter a bar, and pass through a door with a tacos sign, and you’ll find a bustling taqueria that slings some of the best tacos in town. Tortillas are homemade, and pastor is cooked on a trompo. Don’t feel like a taco? You can also snag a quesadilla or tostada-like volcanes. There are several salsa options, and drinks include Mexican Cokes and horchata, among others.
We ended
up getting two tacos (pastor and carne asada), a nopales quesadilla, and an
order of chips and guac. At $5 to $6 a taco, this wasn’t cheap despite the
no-frills surroundings, but it was well worth it. Everything looked and tasted
fresh and smelled amazing. D/10 is known for its pastor, and it’s easy to see
why. Served in strips rather than chunks, it boasts a crisp edge and a nice bit
of pineapple flavor. However, the asada, the salsa crema, and even the chips
are all stellar here.
While
seating may be hard to come by, on food alone, Taqueria de Diez is a solid ten.
Marlow
Located at 700 East 6th Street in Downtown Austin, Marlow offers beer, wine, and craft cocktails every day except Monday. There is live music on Thursdays. Happy hour discounts are available Tuesday-Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In search
of a bar that wasn’t packed on a Friday night, we were lucky to stumble across
Marlow. The atmosphere is dark and cozy. There’s enough of a vibe for this
place to feel lively even when it’s mostly empty, yet it also avoids the
earsplitting noise that may come with a more crowded venue. The bartenders are
amicable, and the menu showcases some creative – and creatively named –
cocktails. Lara went with a Moon Song (rum, blackberry, lime, and honey with lavender
cold foam) and an espresso martini and enjoyed both. I opted for a zero proof
drink: the high and mighty (agave, nonalcoholic ginger and floral liqueurs,
jasmine tea, and spiced salt). It was refreshing but didn’t quite hit the mark
for me. What should have been complex and balanced came across as overly floral.
All told, Marlow is worth a visit even if it is unlikely to wow you.
Austin Nature & Science Center
Located at 2389 Stratford Drive in Austin’s Zilker Park, the Nature & Science Center offers walking trails and plant and animal exhibits. It is open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free.
I didn’t
know what to expect from this place. Some science centers are kids-only affairs
(despite not being billed as such) while others have more to offer visitors of
all ages. Fortunately, the Austin Nature & Science Center ended up falling in
the latter category. The main building houses an assortment of bones, shells,
and rocks (as well as an axolotl tank) and another building is home to various
reptiles. Outside areas include a dino pit (where kids can dig for fossils) and
several animal enclosures. What makes the latter unique is that the animals are
rehab/rescue cases. They include everything from a bobcat to a porcupine to a
34-year-old one-eyed owl (!!) and more.
Granted,
Austin Nature & Science Center does offer more for a younger crowd, and it
isn’t particularly easy to get to by bus, but it’s hard to argue with a chance
to take in flora and fauna for free.
Cooper’s BBQ
Located at 217 Congress Avenue in Downtown Austin (with other locations in Fort Worth, College Station, New Braunfels, and Llano), Cooper’s BBQ offers pit-smoked Texas barbecue. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Catering orders and private rooms are available, and the restaurant occasionally hosts live music.
A long-running Texas barbecue joint known (for better or for worse) as being George W. Bush’s favorite, Cooper’s largely lived up to its reputation. The restaurant has a classic look (wood, brick, and ducts), and the menu – meats priced by the pound on a chalkboard – adds to the retro appeal. Those meats are cut to order by a pitmaster. After making your selection, you proceed down a cafeteria-style line and pick your sides. Sauce, pickles, and Wonder Bread are free.
We opted
for some brisket, a jalapeno sausage link, potato salad, and creamed corn. The
brisket was tender and flavorful if a bit fatty while the sausage boasted a firm
bite and a winning combination of spicy and cheesy. Unexpectedly, the creamed
corn ended up being a highlight. If that’s a side you usually avoid, Cooper’s
version may end up converting you.
That said, the potato salad was nothing special and the sauce was very tomato-and-vinegar-forward. As to be expected given Cooper’s location and reputation, prices are also quite high (as in almost $40 a pound for brisket). That’s not outrageous for a “name” BBQ place in Austin though if I had to pay that after waiting in a long line, I might walk away disappointed.
Cooper’s
is not the best Texas BBQ you’re likely to find, but it’s a pretty damn solid
representation thereof.
Maiko Sushi
Located at 207 San Jacinto Boulevard in Downtown Austin, Maiko Sushi offers Japanese cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week. There are Happy Hour food and drink specials from 4 p.m. to close. Online ordering is available.
We were in
search of a low-key dinner after a busy day, and Maiko proved to be a perfect
fit. The atmosphere is well-lit and comfortable, and our server was top-notch.
While the regular menu offers a lot, the happy hour menu had plenty to choose
from in its own right. We went with a tuna gyoza appetizer followed by a trio
of rolls: the Warehouse District (tuna, salmon, white fish, avocado, masago),
the Hawaii 5-0 (escolar, kani, mango, fried coconut, and sweet Thai chili
sauce), and the Tiger Eye (smoked salmon, cream cheese, jalapeno, soy paper).
All of the food proved satisfying. The spicy tuna gyoza (with guacamole and Thai chili sauce) might have been better as a cold dish, but we had no regrets trying it warm. Finding a favorite among the sushi rolls was a challenge as all three brought something different: fresh flavors from the Warehouse, a satisfying crunch and a bit of sweetness from the Hawaii, and some smoky and spicy notes from the Tiger Eye. The rolls are normally in the upper teens though thankfully, happy hour pricing shaved a few dollars off that cost.
With so
many other dining options nearby, Maiko is easy to overlook. I’m glad that we
didn’t, however, as it made for an excellent meal.
Grá Mór
Located at 200 East 6th Street in Downtown Austin, Gra Mor offers Irish cuisine, coffee, and cocktails from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
With a name that translates to big/lots of love, Grá Mór, an offshoot of The Dead Rabbit, seems to be tempting fate. Admittedly, an Irish café in a historical building oozes charm. While the atmosphere alone is a powerful lure, the menu is no slouch, either. Grá Mór offers small plates, large plates, salads, pastries, coffee drinks, and cocktails.
We came in
search of breakfast and split an order of Scotch eggs and a Full Irish, to
which we added a Banana Cream Cold Brew and a Blueberry Crumble Latte. The food
came promptly, and it largely hit the spot. The eggs featured crumbly sausage
and a crispy coating while the Full Irish boasted a copious amount of food:
eggs, bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, grilled tomato, baked beans,
potato bread, and butter. The housemade syrups in the coffees were a nice touch
though neither coffee was particularly strong. While $29 for the Full Irish
seemed fair for the quantity, $15 for a mere two eggs per order is enough to
prompt an “Are ye mad?”
Overall,
if the price doesn’t bother you, Grá Mór does have quite a bit to like (if not
love).
Baris
Located at 904 North Valley Mills Drive in Waco, Baris offers pizza and Italian cuisine. It is open for lunch and dinner every day except Monday. While it doesn’t sell alcohol, it has a BYOB policy. Lunch specials are available from 11-3.
A classic casual red sauce joint, there is something comforting in the familiarity Baris offers. The old-school interior and the panoply of familiar favorites (pizza, calzone, spaghetti and meatballs, tortellini, manicotti, and more) will take you back to childhood if you grew up with places like this one. Entrees run in the teens here, which is starting to seem more and more like a value these days.
The food,
however, is pretty solidly average. I went with spaghetti and white clam sauce,
and while I’ve had (and made) better versions of this dish, I appreciated the
addition of black pepper. Lara opted for a veggie calzone, which tasted fine
yet was decidedly lacking in ricotta. Surprisingly, the rolls (hot, fresh, and
generously sized) were above par.
Is Baris
good Italian? Not if you’ve had much Italian. Is Baris satisfying in its own
way? You betcha.
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