Just wanted to introduce a new weekly addition to Shoestring Austin: Freebie Fridays! Every week we’ll be highlighting fun, free things to see and do, as well as contests and give-aways from Austin-area merchants and bloggers. Got something you’d like to add to our list? Get in touch through our contact page with all the details!
Win a copy of Henry & Glenn Forever!
First up, if you like Henry Rollins and/or Glenn Danzig, then you’ll want to snag a free copy of the hilarious spoof comic Henry & Glenn Forever being given away to one lucky reader by our affiliate, Black Heart Magazine. Henry & Glenn Forever features Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig as gay lovers, along with neighbors (and Satanists) Hall & Oates. It’s a heady trip through a reimagined metal landscape where manly men and their mysteriously mustachioed neighbors get it on all night long. If you can go for that, all you have to do to be entered into the prize draw is comment on their review, which is online here.
Win tickets to Dripping With Taste
Via the Austin Chronicle‘s contest page, enter to win free tickets to Dripping With TasteWine & Food Festival on September 11, 2010. As the second fastest growing wine destination in the U.S., you’ll experience the tastes of Hill Country with food from Dripping Springs vendors Creek Road Café, Rolling in Thyme & Dough, Thai Gourmet, and Verdes Mexican Parrilla.
Wineries in attendance include Driftwood Estate Winery, Duchman Family Winery, Becker Vineyards, Bell Mountain Vineyards, Fall Creek, Haak Vineyards & Winery, Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Piney Woods Country Winery, Texas Hills Vineyard, Sunset Winery, Landon Winery, Wines of Dotson, McReynolds Winery, and Cocktail Wine. You can buy tickets in advance for $25 each, or click here to enter the drawing for free.
If you dig movies, you’ll want to check out these Austin AV Club giveaways, which are going, going, GONE! Ending September 5 is their contest to win the 6th season of The Office on DVD, and until September 28 you can still enter to win one of 10 copies of Get Him to the Greek on DVD. Sweet!
Free movie screenings
If you like free movie tickets, you’ll want to grab these free screeners for Ben Affleck’s second directorial outing, The Town, via Gofobo.
Free music
If you love free music, be sure to check out the “Daily Downloads” section for legal MP3 downloads at Largehearted Boy. Today’s selections include tunes from The Biters, Crocodiles, Delay Trees, The Drums, Grand Lake, Hudson Bell, The Intelligence, The Interns, Lavinia and The Mommyheads.
Free food
Central Market is currently offering a “foodie freebie” of Ito En Teas’ Tea, house brand all-natural tortillas (10 ct) and Cascade sour cream (16 oz.) with purchase of 2 pounds of marinated sirloin steak for fajitas. A total of $10.67 in groceries FREE with their in-store coupon. Click here for more weekly specials.
Free drinks (21+)
Via Keeping Austin Free, those of legal drinking age can enjoy a free Burgundy wine tasting today only, from 4 to 8 pm. Hit up East End Wines (1209 Rosewood Avenue) for your sample sips.
Celebrity Intern and I were down San Antonio way just a few weeks back, on an overnight, mid-week trip with both business and pleasure involved. Call it a getaway if you like, or perhaps a staycation—not quite a vacation, but a night away from home. Armed with a gift certificate from a former employer, I had made reservations at a hotel in nearby Boerne, Texas at a place called Ye Kendall Inn. After the business part of the trip had concluded, we lit out for the hotel in search of rest, relaxation and plenty of wine!
Ye Kendall Inn, front view (photo via Ye Kendall Inn)
Ye Kendall Inn is an historic landmark for both Texas and the U.S. at large, having put a variety of famous people up for the night, including rebel shit-disturber leader Jefferson Davis, atom-bomb opponent and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and southern Civil War general Robert E. Lee. First purchased for only $200, the Inn was built by a couple named Erastus and Sarah Reed, who rented out spare rooms to stagecoach travelers of the 1850s. The Inn itself is built of solid limestone, 20 inches thick, which keeps things cool in the summertime (though they’ve now got A/C like any modern hotel deep in the heart of Texas), and there are several independent cabins and suites that give the hotel a very old-timey appeal.
The room we stayed in was called the Carriage House, and was a free-standing structure behind the main Inn. Surrounded by 3 other cabins and a former church (the St. John’s Suite), it was almost like being plunked into the middle of an Old West town, complete with rocking chairs on the porches, a tin roof and little “Welcome!” signs on each door.
Carriage House, interior (photo via Ye Kendall Inn)
Inside, the cabin was a mixture of old fashioned furnishings and modern comforts. The vintage dresser was topped with a high-definition flatscreen TV, and there were both uneven limestone floors and free wifi throughout. The bed was plumped with decorative pillows, and was nearly tall enough to require steps to climb into it. In the bathroom was a fabulous claw-foot bathtub, perfect for soaking in after our long drive, as well as a vanity furnished with Neutrogena bath products. Nice!
Reading the guestbook, we found that the ice machine was housed in a white gazebo off the Inn’s suites, so we stocked up on ice, uncorked a bottle of red wine, and chilled a few beers (and our complimentary bottles of water) in the sink. Cranking up the A/C, we clinked our glasses and kicked back with a few episodes on the Food Network and Discovery Channel.
Eventually, it was time to dine in the Inn’s award-winning Limestone Grille, whose menu we’d perused online. I had already selected the Prime Rib Wednesday special (which includes soup or salad, Porcini Four Cheese Potatoes, and Peach Cobbler for dessert) but Celebrity Intern was gunning for the special of the day, which turned out to be Sea Scallops in a mango sauce with couscous on the side. Torn between red and white wine, we decided to order by the glass, with a red Meeker “Roller Coaster” for me and a white Gary Farrell chardonnay for Celebrity Intern. Yum!
Limestone Grille (photo via Ye Kendall Inn)
We both started off with their Wild Mushroom Gorgonzola soup, and were ready to lick the bowls clean. Delicious doesn’t do it justice: the mushrooms were tender, the Gorgonzola tangy, and the creamy soup was fantastic. Homemade bread and butter was also well received, and used to mop up excess soup. Cus we’re classy like that.
Our main courses arrived, to much oohing and ahhing. My prime rib was tasty, crusted in sea salt and served with horseradish dip on the side, into which I dipped modestly, preferring to savor the meat itself. The four-cheese potatoes were decadent and delicious, but ultimately I couldn’t finish them all. Dare I utter the unthinkable? There was too much food! And I still had dessert?!
Celebrity Intern was happy with his jumbo-sized scallops, but was nevertheless a bit peeved that the waitress had promised 5 and he had only gotten 4. Despite the mixing of savory and sweet (the mango chutney sauce), he enjoyed the dish and studiously avoided the couscous carbs.
Dessert was meant to be a Peach Cobbler, but I sneakily asked for a substitution and got the Aztec Brownie instead. The waitress did warn me that they kept on changing the recipe, but even so, I wasn’t prepared for the enormity of the brownie presented, nor the overwhelming volcano of cherry coulis. Drizzled? This thing was drenched!
As the table behind us, full up with Old Money jackholes, began tossing out nonsensical topics of conversation such as “Obamacare is going to ruin us all,” and “Why haven’t they impeached that n***** yet?”, we decided to retire to our cabin both to avoid stabbing them in the eyes with our forks and to prevent our own deaths by chocolate. We paid the bill (after gift certificate and including a tip, totalling $20) and brought the brownie with us for later consumption.
Waco Cabin, exterior (photo by Celebrity Intern)
Despite clueless, small-town nincompoops and their racist remarks, the dinner was quite delightful, and if I ever have a couple hundred bucks collecting dust in my account, I’d definitely return. The Inn and restaurant overlook the nearby Cibolo Creek, and when we checked out the next day, we saw staff setting up for what appeared to be a wedding party. Definitely a sweet place to retreat after your big day, and the St. John’s Suite is even described in hotel literature as perfect for honeymooners.
All in all, I’d recommend both Ye Kendall Inn and their Limestone Grille to anyone in the Boerne/San Antonio area needing a little getaway. Guest rooms don’t come cheap, starting at $109 a night, but if you’re in the mood for a romantic getaway, this would be a great place for it. Heck, we didn’t even get a chance to try out their Texas-sized hot tub, but that right there is reason enough to hit up this historic inn.
The results of our quickie Planet Fitness contest are in, and we’d like to congratulate our reader Brittany McAllister for her winning comment!
Brittany wins all six of the Planet Fitness day passes, for being the sole reader with enough courage to respond to our post. As a recent UT grad, she noted that she’s been looking for a new gym, now that the school’s facilities are no longer available. Planet Fitness is definitely a great cheap option for Austin residents looking to get fit, and we’re glad to be of service. Enjoy your passes, Brittany, and let us know what you think!
The first-ever Blogathon ATX is happening this Saturday, August 28, and I’m really excited about attending this (FREE!) event. They’re going to be serving up free food and beverages (thanks to Torchy’s Tacos,Jason’s Deli, Austin’s Pizza and Casa Brasil), and offering free wifi and computers to get your blog on, down at the super-cool co-working space, Conjectured. All in all, it looks like it’s going to be a good time!
Big-deal sponsors like Mashable have been rounded up by the lovely IleenieWeenie, the event’s organizer, and plenty of cupcakes will be on hand, thanks to local bakeries Lux Bakery & Cafe and The Cupcake Bar. T-shirts will be available for $12 a pop from Pinqued, and photos of the event will be snapped by Lori Luza of As You Wish Photography.
Tickets (and waiting-list tickets!) are all sold out, but they’ve recently added tickets for their Happy Hour, where free drinks from Treaty Oak Rum, Graham’s Texas Tea and TabbedOut will be served up (did I mention they’re TOTALLY FREE?!). Mix and mingle with the hardcore bloggers who stick it out to the day’s party-hearty end, and enjoy the musical stylings of Gina Chavez.
Sound like fun? Hit up the Eventbrite page to score your FREE ticket, and I’ll see you there!
As I previously mentioned in my post on Austin-area gyms, I’m a member of Planet Fitness. This is mainly due to its insanely low-priced membership fees (how can you beat $10?!). But today I received a letter in the mail informing me that because they’re opening new clubs in the area, they’ve sent all their Black Card members some free one-day passes.
Thus I bring to you the first-ever Shoestring Austin CONTEST!
THE PRIZE: One of my 6 one-day passes to Planet Fitness, to check them out for yourself
HOW TO WIN: Just write a comment on this post telling me what your fitness goals for this year are, and why you’d like to win one of the passes. If we get 6 comments or less, the first 6 people to post win! If we receive more than 6 comments, we’ll hold a drawing and randomly select winners at this time next week (i.e. Tuesday, August 24). Results will be posted here on the Shoestring Austin blog on Wednesday, August 25.
So get your comments on, post up to midnight on August 24, and tell your friends!
Shoestring Austin is looking for contributors! We’re looking to expand our content and keep on adding more quality posts to the site. If you’ve read us before, you probably already know that we cover cheap eats, arts and entertainment in the Austin area. Right now, we’re interested in adding a few good contributors to our masthead to help us cover the following:
Fashion
Food
Art
Music
Entertainment & Austin-area celebrities
All of these subjects will be explored from a “fun on a budget” perspective, with an emphasis on high-quality, low-priced fun from a local’s perspective. What’s new? What’s hot? If you’ve got a nose for this kind of news, get in touch! Email us a brief biography, plus 3 ideas of what you’d like to cover, at shoestringaustin [at] gmail [dot] com.
Like to laugh? Wanna see a kick-ass comedian (or comedienne, if you’re still being sexist like that) live, on-stage, right here in your own hometown? Go friend Tig Notaro on Facebook, quick like a bunny, and score free tickets to her Austin show!
When: Friday, August 6 and Saturday, August 7 at 8 and 10:30 PM
How: Friend Tig Notaro on Facebook and email her manager for free tickets, just like the lady says
Why: See “Have Tig At Your Party” in her bio, and the “No moleste” clip above. And because my friend Jimmy Callaway recommended her, which means she’s totally awesome.
ANDY WARHOL’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Listen up, art hags! There’s cheap fun afoot this weekend in honor of Andy Warhol’s birthday, down at the Mohawk, so grab your craziest Warhol wig, a couple of booze-lovin’ pals, and work your screenprint in 4 different colors simultaneously.
How: Check Do512 to RSVP for only $7, or ply your wares at the door for $10
Why: Because the Factory is played out, but you’re not; bring it for Basquiat and Valerie Solanas, ya S.C.U.M.bag! Oh, and cus there’s free food, cheap booze, and giftcards to Frank for the first 250 peeps in the door.
FREE JEWELRY EXPO
Maybe $7 for art douchery isn’t your style, but free’s more your speed? Never fear, my bejeweled princess! Austin area artists from Gallery Black Lagoon present their wares in a free jewelry exhibition. The whole dang thing is free to attend, with a sweet cash bar scheduled to serve up cool Mimosas, Sangria and Cosmos all afternoon long. How’s that for a tall drink o’ water?
CHEAP DEETS
What: Jewelry by Artists Exhibition
Where: Gallery Black Lagoon (4301 Guadalupe, at 43rd)
When: Saturday, August 7 from 2 to 7 PM
How: Free entry, but bring cash for your purchases from the artists and at the bar; further info at Do512!
Why: Because supporting local art is awesome, and drinking ice-cold bevvies in the hot sun is a great way to kill a Saturday afternoon, bud.
Having recently gotten access to a vehicle, at long last (halleluia! cus despite my previous glowing review at Gifted Travel, Capital Metro SUCKS!), Celebrity Intern and I once again have access to the joys of Central Market. In case you live in Austin and are somehow not aware of this gem, Central Market is essentially a bigger, better (?) version of Whole Foods, full of organic and specialty foodie goods, often at cheaper prices than its Austin cousin.
Whoa. Hold it right there. I haven’t even covered Whole Foods yet, have I? Okay, let’s step back a bit. First, Whole Foods is known pretty much nationwide as an upscale grocery store, with all kinds of vegetarian and vegan-friendly fare, plus everything for anyone with special dietary needs, whether it’s gluten-free, low-carb, sugar-free, or just straight-up organic you’re looking for. It’s both the yuppie and the hippie’s wet-dream, which seems contradictory, but no! So, while you’re bound to find a lot of righteous, left-leaning types shopping there, many of whom embrace the Birkenstock sandal (with or without socks), you’re also bound to find a lot of farm-fresh produce, a vast collection of locally-made goods, and lots of preservative-free options. Whole Foods is very groovy, but also very pricey, leading some to jokingly call it Whole Paycheck.
Whole Foods was an Austin original, back in the day, specializing in organic and natural products. It’s now pretty much taken over the entire U.S. and part of the U.K., so if you’ve never heard of this place, you’re clearly living off the grid and grow your own fruit and veggies, slaughter your own meat, and have no need of their paltry contributions to living well. (And I envy you mightily!)
In response to Whole Foods’ runaway success, Central Market was born, providing a direct competitor to the Whole Foods crown. These guys are based in Texas as well, and focus on locally-made items, as well as bringing food for the foodie, plus in-store cooking classes for the culinarily inclined (check out their upcoming Summer in Málaga course on Spanish cooking with Alex Duran, Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Málaga Tapas & Bar on Aug. 11).
They also have some pretty kick-ass chefs whipping up delicious homemade meals for those on the go. So today I wanted to single out their Dinner For 2 options, which are posted on the website and can be downloaded as a PDF on a monthly basis. Dinners For 2 usually costs around $15 or less (the ones we saw in store on Saturday were $12.50, I believe), which is pretty phenomenal for the quality of food you’re getting. It’s like eating in a restaurant, but in the comfort of your own home.
Here’s a sample menu from the week of August 2 through 8:
Sunday: Honey Garlic Flank Steak, Vegetable Fried Rice, Carrot and Snap Pea Saute, Dinner Rolls
Perfectly balanced meals of meat, vegetables, starches and bread for soppin’ or dippin’; what more could you ask for?
If you said dessert, you’re clearly a gourmand. But don’t worry: Central Market has their own patisserie on hand for all your cookie, brownie, cake, pie, tart, parfait and chocolate needs (see a delicious example at right). Yum!
Seriously, if you haven’t experienced the thrills of freshly-ground organic coffee, raw-milk cheese, or a selection of saké that’ll make your head spin, then you’ll want to check out Central Market. With two locations in Austin one at North Lamar (4001 N. Lamar Blvd.) and one at Westgate (4477 S. Lamar Blvd.), plus several Café On The Run locations in H-E-Bs across Austin, you’re sure to find something delicious for less. Bon appétit, frugal foodies!
Okay, y’all, I must admit that while I am a pretty frugal person by nature, sometimes there are things even I don’t realize that are free and totally worth checking out. For instance, the exciting world of Internet radio. Thanks to Celebrity Intern, I’ve recently discovered the brilliant tab on my iTunes labelled “RADIO,” and the vast wealth of tunes contained therein!
Don't touch that dial! Wait, what dial?
The first radio station I found that truly kicks ass is under the Classical heading. Before you roll your eyes and surf to the next blog on your To Do list, hear me out! The station you want is called Venice Classic Radio, and it plays excellent non-stop classical music of all genres (i.e. early, baroque, chamber, symphony and even opera), and only interrupts the tunes for a short station tag with a woman saying “Venice Classic Radio – beautiful classical music!” in a funky Italian accent. I have been imitating her all week long, asking if my cat wants to listen to BOOO-tee-full claaaaahsical mooooosique” and he, in turn, has been giving me the wide-eyed “you crazy” stare.
Ned says: "Human, you CRAZY!"
Something like that, but usually with less tongue and more terror.
Anyway, after that I started clicking around on the other stations in other genres to see what tricks they had up their sleeves. And it’s a goldmine!
If you like the blues—and I mean real blues music that’s got heart and soul and is played by the people who wrote it, not the bastard versions covered by popular bands like Led Zeppelin and (god forbid) Eric effin’ Clapton—you must check out the appropriately named Blues Classics channel, featuring American blues from the 1930s to the 70s. Right now, for example, they’re playing Louise Johnson singing “Long Way From Home.” Pretty much everything on there is golden, Ponyboy.
Another great one for the golden oldies is JAZZRADIO.com’s Swing and Big Band station, though if you are a jazz connoisseur, you will probably want to check out all of their stations to find the genre that best suits your tastes, as they’ve got everything from cool to hot, bebop to funk, Latin jazz, piano trios, and even divide things up by instrument and contemporary or classic vocalists. Get hep!
Now, in the realm of stand-up comedy, you’re also in luck, cus Comedy Pipe Radio Network is spinning everything from old George Carlin rekkids to David Sedaris reading his humorous books to Margaret Cho screaming “Her fucking pussy exploded!!!!” Seriously, these people play everything, and whole albums too, not just a few bits here and there. Full-on comedy, totally uncensored, as it should be. Awesome.
I must say, I find it hilarious that the CBC (that’s Canada’s national radio station, FYI) gets listed under “Adult Contemporary,” a genre I recommend avoiding at all costs. Unless you are 100 years old and living in a nursing home, or are trapped under something very, very heavy. Okay, to be fair: the not-entirely-weak CBC Radio 3—an online-only station that features 100% CanCon, a very dubious designation indeed—made it to the “Alternative Rock” category. I will blame this on the fact that while CanCon can be extremely weak (i.e. the usual suspects: Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Rush, etc.), sometimes Canadians can be very cool. For instance:
One of the reasons Canadians actually do rock: David Suzuki's "Playlist for the Planet"
If you don’t know who David Suzuki is, you should definitely look him up. He’s about the coolest Canadian I can think of, and not just because of his naughty fig-leaf photo and dashing good looks!
Also weirdly miscategorized is Austin’s own BOB-FM, the station famous for its slogan “We play anything.” Currently they’re rocking Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which hardly falls under the “Adult Contemporary” genre, but maybe someone at iTunes is confusing the concepts of “Adult” (aka pr0n) with “Adult Contemporary”?
Looking for something different? Scan through the 705 offerings in the International/World music offerings; you’re sure to find something to catch your fancy. Maybe even AM 940 Hawaii, featuring all traditional Hawaiian music 24/7?
One of the stations I really want to like, but which has been streaming some truly annoying artists today, is the all-female music station, KGRL. (Don’t be fooled; when they say “flower-powered” they’re not talking about hippies, if you catch my drift.) As a lady, I do like hunting down chicks who rock in the often male-dominated music world. But Chantal Kreviazuk? You’ve got to be kidding me (yet another instance of CanCon suckitude!). Also, if the station’s supposed to be “sugar-free,” then she violates your first tenet right there. However, they did just introduce me to Dragonette, a Canadian band that rocks 80′s style. So if you like chick-rock, check it out. For me, the jury’s still out, cus I’d like to see some more Joan Jett, Ani DiFranco, Hole types of ladies dominating this station.
And if you’ve got rather, um… let’s just call it special taste in music, do check out both Zappa Radio (the home of Frank Zappa and the Zappa Family Trust) and GothVille Radio (“dark music for people dressed in black”).
You can also find pretty much any major city’s radio stations, like the “world-famous KROQ” (out of L.A.) and K-Rock (out of NYC), both of which are, oddly enough, “alternative stations” playing most the music the kids are diggin’ these days. Bi-coastal, baby!
Got any recommendations for iTunes radio stations you’ve been grooving on lately?
Ryan Loyd of The Austin Citysphere recently interviewed me about Shoestring Austin for his podcast, so stay tuned for a link to that coming soon! In the meantime, he gave us permission to re-post his piece about Rio’s Brazilian Café for y’all. Don’t forget to check out The Austin Citysphere for a $1 any appetizer coupon!
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A unique Brazilian experience on the East side
by Ryan Loyd
Food fans with a flair for a taste of festive food won’t have to travel far, come this weekend. That’s because a South American celebration of sorts will get underway with the grand opening of Rio’s Brazilian Café (408 North Pleasant Valley Road) from 5 to 10 PM Sunday.
“We’re a small café that serves traditional and contemporary Brazilian food,” said owner Ben Googins.
Googins and partner Elias Martins specialize in Brazilian street food. Googins said he spent several years teaching English in the Samba country.
Rio's founders Elias Martins and Ben Googins (photo via Rio's Brazilian)
Let your mouth lead the way and eat until your heart’s content; just don’t count on the beef to bog down the menu, or your arteries for that matter, like that of Fogo de Chao (309 E. 3rd Street) or Estancia Churrascaria (4894 Highway 290 West in Sunset Valley)! Googins points out Rio’s is the only authentic Brazilian restaurant option in town that does not offer all-steak-all-the-time. And for the frugal: “Our most expensive dinner is $11,” he said.
Googins’ restaurant got its start nearly four years ago in a highly unlikely location, the Austin Farmers’ Market at 4th and Guadalupe. Although the business produced homemade bread, sauces and salads, it always shared a space with other bars and markets. For a time, Googins called Whole Foods and Spec’s home. Rio’s was even at a 6th Street bar for a time but the relationship didn’t last because the bar closed. “We kind of did the flip side and had our products out there,” he said, “but never had our own spot. Now it’s all us.”
Customers will find a casual, laid-back atmosphere, along with a calm and cool staff with “tattoos from head to toe.” That’s not surprising for an Austin-based business. Googins is tickled that Rio is building quite the following. From the farmers’ market crowd, which is mostly an older patronage, to the young folks on the east side, Rio’s may be around to stay—in one location.
“It’s always been something we’ve wanted to do. We’ve been in Austin just over four years. Austin’s a great place to get started. The weather’s great year round,” said Googins.
When you go, Googins recommends the Samba Combo. Buy one of the salgadinho (savory pastries), then add a soup, salad or side of Yuca fries or cheese bread, or even another salgadinho, up to three items. Mix and match to build your own meal. Full lunches and dinners are available.
Try the salgadinho! (photo via Rio's Brazilian)
Googins’ journey with Rio’s Brazilian Café, from catering meals inside borrowed kitchens to offering Brazilian sauces and breads at local markets, has led Rio’s to becoming a permanent fixture in Austin’s vast food scene. A journey to Brazil may just be a short car ride away. “We’re very passionate about it. We believe in our brand,” said Googins.
Other Austin Chronicle contests on now include chances to win a $25 gift certificate to eco gift store Wanderland, a $10 gift certificate to the Old Pecan Street Fest, and tickets to 4 shows during the 2010-2011 season of Texas Performing Arts.
