Everything is Bigger in Texas!

Recently, my husband and I were able to go spend some time in Austin, Texas. It was the first time for both of us which made it extra special. We were very lucky in the time we were there as the rain they had experienced the week before helped them have cooler temperatures than normal. It was still a lot warmer than it was back home, but it was still very nice and we really enjoyed being warm!

While we were there, we were able to check out many wonderful restaurants. We were lucky to have a friend in the area who gave us wonderful recommendations! I also had taken to Pinterest to get some ideas as well before we came.

The first night we were there was pretty low key. We met up with our friend in Austin and ordered in pizza from a place he had recommended called Unit D. The pizza was very yummy! It was fun after a long day of travel to just be able to take it easy.

The next day, we went out to a restaurant with our friend again. It is called Parkside. We wanted to be able to try many things, so we ended up ordering a bunch of items and sharing it amongst the four of us. We ordered the steak tartare, roasted beets salad, a classic platter that had oysters, shrimp and ceviche and an order of papardelle, which seemed like a ravioli dish almost. I was unable to have the seafood since I am allergic, but I heard it was quite tasty. I was able to enjoy everything else. It was all delicious! We did end up ordering dessert as well, but were unable to choose just one. So, of course, we ordered one of all three of their options: peanut butter cookie ice cream sammie, pistachio cake, and yuzu cannoli. They were all so good for different reasons, so it was hard to choose a favorite! We would definitely recommend this place!

Left column: Steak Tartare; Parpardelle; Roasted Beets Salad. Photo on right: Pistachio cake; Peanut butter cookie ice cream sammie; Yuzu cannoli.

The third night we were there, my husband and I wanted to try some Mexican food. We went to the suggestions we were given and ended up choosing La Condesa. Neither one of us are too picky, so we chose to let our waiter help us pick. We ended up going with Huarache, Coliflor (which is a grill cauliflower), and the Pollo Rostizado. This was definitely not the Mexican food we were used to from back home, but it was all very delicious! We also really enjoyed being able to eat outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Photo of the Pollo Rostizado (top left) and the Coliflor (bottom right)

Before we went back to our hotel, we decided to walk around a little bit and end our night with some ice cream. We found this little place called Berry Austin. It had very neat decor inside and even had an “I Spy” on their table tops for customers to help entertain themselves. We enjoyed trying to find everything while waiting for our smoothies to be done.

Photo of the decor at Berry Austin

On the fourth night, we were ready for some noodles. Our friend had recommended a wonderful place that we would recommend to everyone! Their ramen was absolutely delicious! My husband ordered the Tonkotsu Original, and I ordered the Mi-So-Not. Again, they were very yummy, and we would go back there for sure! We were also both able to get better at our chopstick skills! I would say we are getting there, but we will still keep on practicing!

Photo of the Mi-So-Not

Our last full day in town, we were able to explore a little bit more. We started off our day by eating brunch at the South Congress Cafe. If you want fantastic brunch food, we would highly recommend it! We started off with mimosas and then it was time for us to eat! I had ordered the carrot cake french toast. Can you say yum?!?!?! It was so tasty, but sadly, I was unable to finish it all. My husband ordered one of their specials of the day which was a specialty eggs benedict. It had steak and avocado and was on a potato pancake I believe. We both really enjoyed that as well, but we both decided mine won hands down. I mean, how can you beat carrot cake french toast?! It has been put on our list for our next visit!

Photos are of the Eggs benedict (above) and the Carrot Cake french toast (below)

While we were in the area, we had to check out a pretty famous wall art, “I love you so much.” It was definitely busy while we were there but so neat to see.

The "I love you so much" wall

One thing I really enjoyed about Austin was all of the art everywhere. There were paintings on the wall like the “I love you so much”, but there were also art pieces even in the sidewalks. Everywhere you went, there was something artsy! It was so much fun to see what was around the corner!

Fun art found in the sidewalks

After brunch, we then decided to tour the state capital. It is said to be the largest capital in the United States. No one ever said Texas does things small. They do have a very beautiful capital building. It was very neat to see how they incorporated the star everywhere. You could look up to the very top of the capital and see a star directly in center. It was just so neat! We weren’t fully able to see where the senate and house of representatives meet since they were in session, but as long as there were empty seats in the visitor section, we were able to go in and sit and listen. We did end up going in for a little bit to listen to the house of representatives. We decided after that, that we may try to do that back home so then we could be more informed on what is going on. All in all, the capital was very beautiful. It is hard to beat the Iowa capital though! :)

Photos of Austin's capital buidling

After the capital, we went and walked around the Zilker botanical gardens. It was very pretty! They really kept it up well! We were very glad we decided to go!

Photos from the Zilker botanical gardens

Our last night, we decided to go somewhere a little nicer. We chose to go to Taverna. We started off with bruschetta which was very delicious! Both of us then decided to go for one of the specials. My husband chose the chilean sea bass (yes, like from Jurassic Park), and I ordered the lamb. As I said before, I did not get to try my husband’s since I am allergic, but he said it was excellent! I really enjoyed my lamb. It was so tender! We finished off dinner with a vegan chocolate cake that was absolutely delicious! It had fresh raspberries on it that made it just superb! We were very glad to have chosen that as our last meal in town!

Photos are the Bruschetta, Chilean Sea Bass and the Lamb

We truly enjoyed the whole experience! We look forward to going back and trying new places to eat and new experiences! Austin, you did not disappoint!

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