And I’m going to keep tweaking this little blog of mine. I definitely like this format better (just like my old one), that reads straight down the page. But I’m liking the clean white background. And I still want all my widgets on the right, but I would like to make them cleaner. So, more tweaking to come. 🙂
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beautiful videos
I just found this guy through one of my favorite blogs, the blue hour. He makes the most beautiful videos. I highly recommend The Pig & The Butcher for a look at a butcher who really cares about his craft. Not for my vegetarian friends, of course, but still, a beautiful video. The Sherman Cafe video is equally mesmerizing.
After watching the film below, Justin and I had a serious discussion about buying a letterpress and working on it in the garage. 🙂
Letterpress Coasters from Quarter Productions on Vimeo.
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January Tunes
So I’ve been playing around with widgets and gizmos for my little blog, and I found a little music player that I added to the sidebar with my current favorite tunes. It also plays video… I haven’t been able to find a simple music player widget that’s small enough to fit in my sidebar.
Here are the songs I’m listening to this January:
Happy listening! 🙂
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East Side King
This is one of those secret places that makes you feel happy to be an Austinite. East Side King is an awesome food trailer parked on the patio behind The Liberty bar on East 6th Street (1618 E. 6th Street). You actually have to go through the bar to get to the trailer, so for those of you who aren’t 21 or older, I’m so, so sorry that you have to miss out on this food! They’re currently open Thursday – Saturday from 7pm – 2am.
We’ve been there twice, and we have loved everything we’ve tasted. Last night, Justin and I stopped by to visit Paul, who’s one of the masterminds behind this little gem (can you believe this is just his side project? He’s also a full-time chef at Uchi). We ordered a few things for a late dinner.
One of our favorite things on the menu: Curry Buns ($4 for 2). These are deep-fried buns filled with peanut butter curry, basil, cilantro, mint, onion and jalapeno. We love that there is no shortage of spiciness in the food.
We also had Poor Qui’s Buns ($6 for 2), which are steamed buns filled with roasted kurobuta pork belly, hoisin sauce, cucumber kimchee and green onions. Holy moly, these are good.
Paul had a special of Tongue Buns ($5 for 2). I had no idea that I would EVER eat or like beef tongue, but after Paul made us a dish with it at Uchi, I was anxious to try it again. The steamed buns were filled with the tongue, cabbage, and hot mustard. Spicy and delicious.
We also tried a Miso Ramen special ($7)… I am a HUGE ramen fan, so I’m always happy to taste a new version. This ramen is thick with noodles, chunks of pork, veggies and sticks of cha lua, a vietnamese sausage that’s kind of ham-like in flavor. My only wish is that I had an extra cup of broth to sip on… it was so deep and flavorful.
On our previous visit, we also tried the Thai Chicken Karaage ($7), which is deep-fried chicken thigh with sweet & spicy sauce, basil, cilantro, mint, onion and jalapeno. The chicken is super tender and juicy. The Beet Home Fries ($5) are probably one of my favorite things on the menu. The beets are roasted, then deep-fried and served with kewpie mayo, schichimi tougarashi and green onion.
We’ve also tried the Fried Brussels Sprouts Salad ($5). The sprouts are tossed with sweet and spicy sauce, shredded cabbage, alfalfa sprouts, basil, cilantro, mint, onion and jalapeno. The salad was heavy on the cabbage, light on the sprouts… I would love just a plateful of the Brussels sprouts alone. 🙂
There are also dishes with ginger garlic jasmine rice, as well as home made cookies for dessert (the Root Beer Snickerdoodles are awesome). I think they’ll continue to have different specials based on what’s fresh at the market, and I’ll be happy to return and try them all.
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24 Diner
Last night we met some friends at Kung Fu Saloon. It’s a new arcade bar off West 6th Street. I had hoped it would be a comfy hang-out spot, but it still seemed to cater to the crazy-singles crowd. We didn’t stay long, though we did play Street Fighter II for a bit.
Afterward, I was hungry, so we decided to try out 24 Diner, a new 24-hour restaurant not far from our home. I completely loved the decor of the place…
It was comfy but modern. I especially loved these chairs:
We loved the cups and the silverware, all with a square-ish modern feel.
The food was pretty good, but seemed a bit expensive (burgers ranged from $8.95 to $11.95, entrees from $9.95 to $19.95). The guys decided to start with “Sparkies” ($6.85), which were pickled jalapenos stuffed with cheddar, encased in sausage, and deep fried. They were served with a buttermilk dressing. They were actually a bit spicy, and as good as any fried cheesy jalapeno thing could be.
My friend Jason tried the waffle breakfast ($7.75) with potatoes instead of eggs, sausage and maple syrup. I snagged a little taste of the waffle, but all I could taste was the maple syrup, because he DRENCHED them in it. 🙂 Still, it was good.
Justin went for the hash ($8.85), a mixture of skillet fries, onion, bacon, sausage, cheese, and jalapenos, served with two fried eggs and toast. This was yummy, especially with the runny eggs underneath. It also came with a bowl of fresh fruit, but we had a mix-up, and Jason ate it instead. 🙂
I opted for the patty melt ($9.45), served on sourdough toast with Gruyere and caramelized onions. Next time I’d ask to leave off the onions, because I just wanted the meat and cheese. I also chose whipped potatoes as the side dish, and they were incredibly good… buttery and rich.
Overall, 24 Diner is a comfy spot for late-night eats. We’ll probably go back when we need a late-night option, since I liked it MUCH better than Magnolia Cafe or Kerbey Lane. It’s nice to have an all-night diner so close to home!