I’m sitting in our hotel bar drinking wine with my mom and our friend Jane. We are surrounded by the din of happy patrons, guests, and lots of dogs!
It’s so funny to me because when my mom made reservations for the night at Cypress Inn for tonight, she didn’t know that it was:
a) Co-owned by Doris Day (yes, she is still alive)
b) One of the most pet friendly hotels in the state (if not the world)

We realized there was something different about this place at check-in this afternoon when we …

Over the span of three days a couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to dine at both the downtown Austin locations of Truluck’s and Eddie V’s as a guest of each restaurant.
The similarities were many. Both specialize in fine dining seafood and steak, both are part of a family of restaurants — there are ten Truluck’s  and five Eddie V’s — Roaring Fork and Wildfish Seafood Grille are also part of the Eddie V’s group. There are two locations of both in Austin — one downtown, one in the …

Welcome to the second in a series of three Austin Food Deals posts. Yesterday, the topic was “Freebies and Groceries.” Today the focus is on complimentary appetizers, happy hours, and price fixe menus.
Thanks again to Moriah Butler, communications major at the University of Texas, for her generous fact checking help.
Complimentary Appetizers
When I go out for a nice meal, I love a little gesture that makes me feel welcomed and special from the get-go. An easy way to do that — warm up some rolls and serve some whipped butter with …

I’ve been thinking about all of the great Austin food secrets for a while now — things I have learned over the years from friends, articles, and personal experiences. To be honest, I was worried about some of these secrets getting out. What if too many people take advantage and they aren’t sustainable or less special?
But then I realized that in sharing our knowledge and secrets with each other, we become inspired to give back even more and the entire community benefits. Many of the businesses below have earned a …

Today we talked about some of the best Austin happy hours on KGSR today. I learned that Bryan loves a good happy hour and can be found at Ranch 616 on a Friday night. Some of my favorite spots include the Four Seasons for their 1/2 price happy hour deals and South Congress Cafe (pictured below) for their mid-day happy hours and excellent glassware. Other favorites include House Wine, Rio Rita, and Whole Foods (grocery shopping prices for an awesome selection of drinks).