Happy Thanksgiving! (photo by Flickr user Lori Rielly)

We just wanted to say that we’re thankful for all of our dedicated Shoestring Austin readers. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, send us emails and chat us up on their blogs. We look forward to another great year of frugal fun, with plenty more of our cheeky restaurant reviews PLUS lots more new features, including:

• Interviews with Austin’s best “weirdos” and business owners!
• Inexpensive getaways for the thrifty traveller!
• Fabulous home-cooked recipes to satisfy your budget and your wallet!
• Freebies, give-aways and prizes for Austinites only!

Don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know about all our latest news, and for links to great free stuff from around the web.

Hope your Turkey Day is full of delicious recipes and a nice big slice of pie!

What’s your favorite: pumpkin or pecan?

Luckily, it’s a big-ol’ 3-day weekend for us working stiffs, and I plan on spending at least part of mine hitting up the Barton Creek Farmers Market (formerly the Sunset Valley Farmers Market) for their annual GO TEXAN “Market to Menu” event.

Just try to tell me you've seen anything THIS good-looking at your local grocer! (photo by Flickr user Bonita Sarita)

As if you needed an excuse to buy organic (you don’t, do you? if so, you may want to check out Food Inc., and particularly their “Get Involved” section), farmers markets are a great way to get to know your farmers in person and buy real food straight from the source. Starting bright and early at 9 AM (rain or shine!) on Saturday, May 29, the Barton Creek event will be featuring the food magic of Beets Café chefs, as well as a wide variety of local vendors, including:

• Way Back When Dairy—fresh springtime butter plus non-homogenized, low temp pasturized milk, cream, buttermilk and yogurt
• Rocking B Ranch—chuck steak, ground beef and beef ribs on special for Memorial Day cookouts
• Smith & Smith—lamb and fresh chickens
• Lenny and his Hot Rock’n Kettle Corn
• Full Quiver—fresh and aged cheeses, grass fed pork and beef, and cultured products high in probiotics like sauerkraut, kimchi, salsa, ginger carrot, pickled beets and beet kvass
• Gundermann Farms—peaches, herbs, a small amount of tomatoes and much more
• Acadian Family Farm—field-grown cucumbers (come early!), green beans, fresh 1015 onion bunches, yellow and zucchini squash, french carrots, beets, radishes and swiss chard
• Fruitful Hill Farm—summer squash, cherry tomatoes, white salad turnips, onions, garlic, beets, radishes, basil and eggs
• It’s About Thyme—antique roses, tomato and pepper plants, potted culinary herbs, spearmint (mojito) baskets and sweet basil
• Star Market—strawberries, new potatoes, squash, onions, cucumbers, fresh garlic, green beans, kohlrabi, turnips, beets, collards, blackberries and peaches
• Caskey Orchards—peaches, apricots and blackberries (limited supply)
• Rocky Hill Orchards—Fredricksburg peaches
• Comanche Creek—pickling cucumbers, green beans, and other veggies

NEW VENDORS include:

• High Country Bison—grass fed and finished ground bison
• Bush Farms—potatoes and tomatoes
• Attagirl—natural line of body and home products
• Gardener’s Feast—all-natural tamales
• A Wild Soap Bar—wildly aromatic, truly natural, native soaps and body balms (with special farmers market pricing!)
• Village Baking Company—”the most delicious bread in Texas,” according to the Barton Creek Farmers Market email! The newsletter goes on to note that Village Baking Company is “an artisan boulangerie producing the finest quality all-natural, Old World style bread. They search for the very best hard white winter wheat flower from farmers across the Great Plains. From mixing the ingredients to baking, their breads are handcrafted by artisans obsessed with quality.” Gotta try some!

ACTIVITIES, for those looking for a good time (outside of shopping for delicious foods, that is), include:

• Jimmy Joe and Alan Roy play at 9:09 AM
• Jiminy Crisket at 10:10 AM
• Special guest at 11:11 AM will be Barton Creek Farmers Market’s very own ceramic artist Roger Holcomb on fingerstyle solo guitar

Fore more info on all the farmers featured at this outdoor market, please check their farmers’ listings here. And don’t forget to download (and print up) the latest coupons direct from the Barton Creek Farmers Market website before you go!

This is why the farmers market is your best bet (photo by Flickr user mysticwit)

Barton Creek Farmers Market is located at the back side of the Barton Creek Square mall parking lot overlooking the city, at the intersection of S. Loop 1 (Mopac) and S. Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360).

P.S. If you’re not feeling up to an early-morning trek to the farmer’s market near you, you may want to consider shopping online with our sponsor, FromTheFarm.com, which brings premium agricultural products directly from family farms across the country straight to your door. How’s that for time-saving convenience?

A word to the wise: Go early. I mean, like, buttcrack-o’-dawn early! (They open at 7 AM, daily.) Otherwise, you will regret the error of your foolish, foolish ways. Especially if you’re looking for parking. OY!

Now, aside from having the most awesomely punny name in town (and me having missed this weekend’s O. Henry Pun-Off, scandal!), Juan in a Million has reportedly The Best Breakfast Tacos in Austin. This has now officially been confirmed by my co-workers, who reguarly bring in a couple of the Don Juan tacos to share. At 3 bucks (and 60 cents) a pop, and with multiple tortillas supplied to divvy the booty from “El Taco Grande” up, they can squeeze 4 breakfast tacos out of one Don Juan, so that’s some mighty fine bang for your buck!

The Don Juan and its not-so-secret ingredients, revealed! (photo by Flickr user Mike Barish)

The Don Juan comes with “a secret combination of potato, egg, bacon and cheese,” but you can also try the fajitas (beef or chicken), beef or chicken tacos, carne guisada, or guacamole tacos for significantly less fat cash (i.e. $1.95 and up). Mix and match ‘em for maximum satisfaction.

I’ll admit that I was a silly billy and went for a lunchtime menu item, the chicken enchiladas, when we first stopped by Juan’s fab taco house, but having tasted the (not-so-)secret sauce, I’ve seen the error of my ways. Sure, enchiladas are always a good bet, but their breakfast tacos are truly divine. Grab ‘em to go and win the undying loyalty of your staff by sharing them around the office!

In a similar vein, and for all those out there who are spending New Year’s Eve quietly at home, Shoestring Austin presents some inexpensive holiday drink recommendations, plus great deals on wine and beer you can find at area groceries (get ‘em while they’re still open!).

MIXED DRINKS

Taaka Vodka (photo by Flickr user Swift Benjamin)

First on any drinks list at Shoestring HQ are the vodka standbys, the Screwdriver and the Vodka Cranberry. Utilizing even the cheapest of vodkas (we like Taaka, which costs only $9.99 for a 1.75 liter bottle at our neighborhood liquor store), mixed with your favorite OJ or cranberry juice, respectively, these two drinks are fast and easy to mix up for one, two, or even an army of drunkards.

If you’re looking to fancy it up a bit for the holidays, you could go for the gold and use a local favorite, Tito’s Vodka, instead of the cheap stuff. Or try a Sex on the Beach (vodka, cranberry juice, OJ and peach Schnapps) or classic Cosmopolitan (just add Triple Sec or Cointreau) to vary the recipes and get your booze on.

Basically, you can’t go wrong with vodka, OJ, cranberry juice and any assorted fruit slices you may want to wedge on your glass.

WINE

Almaden Chardonnay in a box - ghetto looks, fab price!

For those who prefer to stay away from the hassle of mixing drinks, wine is always a good bet. Here at Shoestring Austin, we enjoy a variety of bargain-priced wines that can be found at all area grocery stores, including a number that have been recommended by Consumer Reports for their tastiness.

{HOT TIP: Austinites can check out issues of Consumer Reports, including their “Holiday wine bargains” article free via the Austin Public Library—all you need is a library card and your PIN to read up online, even from the comfort of home.}

Check out the 1.5-liter-sized Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon if you’re having people over; it’s only $8-10, depending on where you pick it up, and it’s one of Consumer Reports’ “Top Value” wines for the holidays.

{HOT TIP: Walmart’s got it for only $8.47!}

If you’re looking for a nice white to keep party-goers refreshed, you can’t beat Almaden Chardonnay in a box. It may look a little ghetto, but at only $15 for a whopping 5 liters, it’s tough to beat the price. More chardonnay (box-style) recommendations from Consumer Reports include Fish Eye ($16 for 3 liters), Banrock Station ($19 for 3 liters) and Black Box Monterey County ($25 for 3 liters).

Non-boxed varieties recommended include Santa Rita 120 ($8), Beringer Founders’ Estate 2007 ($11), and their “Best Overall” went to Mud House Marlborough 2008 ($14), which is one we have yet to try, but with its description in CR as “excellent; a near-perfect blend of fruit flavors and acidity,” we’re looking forward to picking up a bottle soon!

BEER

Most hated beverage of 2009? The Budweiser Chelada (photo by Flickr user konomike)

Though we’re not huge beer drinkers here at Shoestring Austin, there are a few that have caught our fancy recently. Beer snobs like those at the Beer Advocate and The Onion’s A.V. Club will undoubtedly bash our love of the Budweiser Chelada, a relatively new offering that combines good ol’ reliable Bud with the relatively elusive Caesar (which is basically a Bloody Mary made with Clamato, a drink that seems to enjoy much more popularity in Canada), but we stand by our man. The drink is a kind of pre-mixed Michelada, a popular Mexican beverage (which you can make more authentically with a little Camaronazo from our affiliate, MexGrocer.com.) This unusual combo of beer, tomato, clam juice and spices is oddly appealing, and its tall-boy format makes it a great party drink for those who enjoy a good chug.

If you’re not one for mixing beer and spicy tomato/clam beverages, we’re also partial to Budweiser’s low-carb offering, Budweiser Select. It’ll keep the beer gut in check, even as you chug your way through a case of the damn things, and it tastes pretty much like plain ol’ Bud. Score!

For those who enjoy something a bit more stout, you can’t go wrong with a Guinness to ring in the New Year. Sure, it may be made of equal parts bog water and chocolate syrup, but it’s an Irish tradition!

CHAMPAGNE

Champagne? We may dream of one day being able to afford the $100+ bubbly that the likes of Lady GaGa guzzle by the case, but here at Shoestring Austin we’ve found an inexpensive alternative: Domaine Ste-Michelle Brut sparkling wine ($12).

As reported by Austin360′s Forklore blog, “Put together by Robin Goldstein and Alexis Herschkowitsch of the Fearless Critic restaurant guide series, ‘The Wine Trials’ reports, for example, that a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut sparkling wine was preferred over a $150 bottle of Dom Pérignon champagne by 41 out of 62 tasters when the bottles were hidden.”

If it’s good enough for The Fearless Critic, it’s good enough for us. Now we just have to find a bottle, as it seems this information has caused a run in the area!

For more bargain champagne recommendations to look for, check this article from Forklore to stock up.

Got any recommendations of your own for a happy New Year’s Eve celebration? We’d love to hear about ‘em, so feel free to leave us a comment! Happy New Year, and best wishes for a stellar 2010!

"Home Slice of My Heart" (photo by Flickr user FilmNut)

I’ve tried my share of the U.S. chains over the years, and while I seemed to recall Papa John’s being pretty good back in the days when I lived at my parents’ place and we actually had to pull a Seinfeld-esque scam to get them to deliver to us (the cut-off for delivery to our area was literally the house next door; we would give their address and sit in the driveway with the cash), it seems their wares haven’t withstood the test of time. Either that or I’m getting picky in my old age, but I’d like to think a cardboard-like crust has never qualified as a pizza.

Still, Papa’s got locations everywhere and you can order online, which is something a phone-phobic weirdo like me can appreciate. As some say, bad pizza’s like sex: even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.

I don’t typically share that opinion, however—not outside of NYC, anyway—so I’ve been on the hunt for a more satisfying pie. I gave Gatti’s a try, but was similarly disappointed in their thin crust. Their toppings, however, delighted me more than Papa John’s, and you can also order online. (Seems to be a trend here in town, which I applaud. Now if they’d just take Paypal…) Smoked provolone cheese on a pizza? Nice touch, boys. You’ve got goombatz.

After I got a hot tip from my banker, I hit up Austin’s Pizza. Of the thin-crust pizzerias in town, so far I’ve enjoyed Austin’s the most. Now, you can order online here, but it seems my credit card has expired (this after my fuggin’ bank just sent me a replacement card a month ago; nice job, maroons!), so I had to do it the old-fashioned way and call. The gal I spoke to was friendly and polite and gave me the same price they quoted me online, which includes a $2 delivery fee. I’ve noticed most of the joints around here have this fee, which ranges from about two to four bucks a pie, and it makes me wonder: does this mean I should leave out the tip for the delivery guy? Or is this just another way to jack up the price?

Anyway, Austin’s was smooth. You can get a small or a large (10 or 14″), build your own or pick from some of their tried-and-true selections. The Californian with grilled chicken, spinach, Roma tomatoes, red onions, garlic and cheddar cheese was calling my name, but I ultimately opted for a DIY mushroom + “breakfast bacon” (as opposed to “Canadian bacon”—which Canadians actually refer to as “back bacon”) + Jack cheddar cheese/mozzarella concoction that hit the spot. Nice thin crust, not at all cardboard-y (score!), plenty of cheese, salty bacon, and decent mushroom spread. Could’ve used a bit more from the topping distribution (I find Austin pizzerias to be a bit chintzy on the toppings in general), but it was definitely the tastiest thin-crust pie I’ve had thus far.

Oh: I was also terribly tempted to throw in one of their Butter’s Brownies, described as “A locally-made chocolate chip square of heaven, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Donna Hicken Foundation for women living with breast cancer, and the Mayo Clinic.” I mean, chocolate heaven AND donating to breast cancer? That’s hot! Alas, I did not give into this temptation, but perhaps next time. I do love me some brownies.

Giordano's: the One True Chicago Deep-Dish pizza!

I should add that I’ve also tried Conan’s Pizza, but I’m waiting on another suggestion from the Foodie Banker to compare and contrast their “Chicago style” with another in town. As a born-’n'-raised Chicagoan (okay, okay: I’m really from the western suburbs, but eff off, willya?), I’ve got hometown pride about the proper way to build an authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza. And obviously, Giordano’s is the One True Chicago Deep-Dish, but since they have yet to set up shop here in Austin, I’m giving the locals a chance to prove themselves.

So, any suggestions for a worthy pie—deep-dish or thin-crust? Knock my socks off!