Like many locals, I get a bit angry when SXSW rolls around each year. Our city swells to the point of supersaturation, the traffic is horrendous, there are lines at restaurants we can usually get into easily, and those who work downtown (like me) are subjected to the sound of loud music and revelry while we toil away at our desks.

And while I get annoyed at some of the people who come here (see my friends Boots in the Oven’s posts on fashion at SXSW for examples), I still firmly …

Austin takes NYC’s place as “the city that never sleeps” for about ten days every year during SXSW. The three-in-one festival begins this Friday with SXSW film and interactive, followed by music on March 17 and through the weekend.
The activity is continuous but we all need to eat, right? Listed below are places you can grab a bite 24-hours-a-day — or at least into the wee hours of the morning.
24 Diner is the newest addition to the 24-hour diner scene in Austin, joining Magnolia and Kerbey Lane in the race …

This will be my second attempt at live blogging a class. The first was a Central Market cooking class geared to food bloggers in Feb. 2008.
It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday and I’m sitting in the very first of a 12-week class called Tipsy Tech: The History and Practice of Cocktail Mixology. The class is co-taught by Lara Nixon, writer of the blue ruin blog and owner of Boxcar Bar, a freelance cocktail and education service; it’s also taught by David Alan, aka the Tipsy Texan.

Tipsy Tech class at Twin …

Olivia from Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop is one of my favorite small business owners in Austin. She is as sweet as the name of her shop, fun to be around, experimental with new technology, and baker of my office’s monthly birthday treats.
With her new breakfast hours and menu rolling out tomorrow, she offered to bring over some early morning treats for me and my colleagues late last week.

The lemon bundt cake was my favorite. Still warm from the oven, light and spongy, it was perfect with my morning black coffee.

Other favorites …

Do you think it’s dumb that I didn’t know that macarons existed until a couple weeks ago? Not macaroon, macaron!
A macaron is a French almond-based meringue sandwich filled with flavored ganache. The macaroon we typically see in the U.S. are made with coconut and is heavy and dense.

La Boite, the awesome new coffee shop housed in a refurbished shipping container on South Lamar began serving macarons the week before the Tasty Up trailer tour.
That day we reveled, oohed and aahed in the salted caramel and chocolate with strawberry cream flavors.
I …