Lake Travis (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Lake Travis winds 65 miles through the central Texas hill country. The reservoir on the Colorado River was formed in 1942 by the construction of the Mansfield Dam (formerly Marshall Ford Dam) three miles northwest of Austin.
Vespaio restaurant in Austin combines great Italian food, friendly staff, and a casual atmosphere (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Last weekend we visited Vespaio, an Italian restaurant on South Congress at Milton. Three of us shared a bottle of wine, appetizers, a mid-course, entrees, and dessert including house made mozzarella, risotto with pulled lamb, oak fire grilled prosciutto-wrapped jumbo Gulf shrimp, cioppino, and traditional (not soggy) tiramisu. We enjoyed a cozy corner of the restaurant with a quiet street view. The authentic Italian food and attentive service exceeded expectations. We highly recommend you give Vespaio a try.
Oak fire grilled prosciutto-wrapped jumbo Gulf shrimp with haricots vertsi, suppli and red chile pesto (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Ripassa della Valpolicella, 2007 Zenato, one of the 70+ wines available at Vespaio (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Fire hydrant on the southwest corner of South Congress Avenue and Milton Street in Austin, Texas (photo by Kenn Stearns)
A friendly fire hydrant encountered yesterday in Austin.
The Clay Pit restaurant on Guadalupe in Austin (photo by Kenn Stearns)
When we met friends and family at The Clay Pit, many of them remarked they’d seen the sign when driving by and had always wanted to stop. I’m no expert on Indian food, but I like bread, attentive service, diverse menu choices, and the ability to throttle spiciness. The Clay Pit delivered in all cases. Our group included a vegetarian, queasy stomach, low tolerance for spicy food, and enthusiastic support for extremely spicy food. Our waiter accommodated everyone’s requests. The Naan was hot, crisp, and tasty – we tried garlic and basil, onion and cilantro, and regular. We particularly enjoyed the Somosas (we tried chicken and vegetable), Tandoori Vegetables, and any Biryanis.
We read the criticisms from online reviewers claiming the food was not authentic, too spicy, not spicy enough, spotty service, etc. We didn’t have those problems and were delighted with the overall experience.
The Clay Pit's expansive main dining room in the old Bertam building (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Earlier this evening we journeyed to/from Austin to hear our friend Liz Love at her Masters Recital. We expected her to play both the soprano and alto saxophone but were delightfully surprised when she topped off the performance with the jazz standard Sophisticated Lady (by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills) on piano with vocal.
The Program Notes Liz provided included an overview of the pieces she selected to play. My favorite comment was at the end of the section on Johann Sebastian Bach, “There is even a Bach action figure” (see photo of recital flier above). As the only non-musician in the family, I can only imagine the intense preparation and hard work that goes into a recital of this quality. The very first bars Liz played on Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in B minor by Bach took my breath away (and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why they didn’t take her breath away too). The piano accompaniment by Dr. Carla McElhaney on the final Piece Liz chose, Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra by Ingolf Dahl, was passionate and dramatic – the interplay between saxophone and piano was masterful. Liz noted…
Even before I started my degree here at UT, I knew I wanted to play this piece. From the thrilling conversation between the saxophone and the piano in the Recitative, to the soul-wrenching melodies in the Passacaglia, to the bouncy rhythmic dance in the Rondo, this pinnacle of the saxophone repertoire showcases the versatility and virtuosity of the saxophone.
Indeed, this evening Liz demonstrated with aplomb the full range of the saxophone. The notes she crafted replayed for me on the late-night drive back to Houston. Thank you Liz and congratulations!
Herb crusted goat cheese with cilantro pepita pesto, mojo picado, ancho chile and grilled bruschetta (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Last year a Houston friend in the restaurant industry recommend that we dine at Cafe Josie during an Austin visit. We were exhausted after spending another day searching for a place for our college-aged daughter to live for her junior year at The University of Texas. We resisted the temptation to go with a known standby eatery and showed up early for dinner. The waiter was friendly, made great wine recommendations, and the cuisine exceeded our expectations. The unique tastes and flavor combinations melted away the day’s pavement pounding.
During another recent visit to Austin we visited Cafe Josie again – this time for a birthday lunch with our daughter. Outside the weather was stormy, cold, and wet. Inside the ambiance and wait staff were colorful and cheerful. We shared starters, enjoyed daily specials for entrées, and used the celebratory moment as an excuse to try the desserts.
Cafe Josie is named for the daughter of chef Charles Mayes, who started in 1979 as the chef at Mother’s Cafe and Garden. In 1986 he moved to the Treaty Oak Cafe and in 1991 joined up with restaurateur Stan Adams at Gilligan’s.
Crispy calamari with chipotle aioli dipping sauce (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Dining area of Cafe Josie in Austin (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Black pepper sorbet with strawberries at Uchi (photo by Kenn Stearns)
“Uchi is an Austin restaurant serving modern Japanese fare in a variety of ways.”
“Variety of ways” are three key words in the first sentence of content on the menu page of Uchi’s website. Diversity of menu items, unusual service on both sides of the sushi bar, and elegant presentation combined for a truly elegant dining experience. “Uchi” means house, and this Austin restaurant in a former home is where sushi master chef Tyson Cole works his magic.
On this particular evening the mastery culminated with dessert: black pepper sorbet with strawberries. If not for the urging of a friendly Uchi regular seated nearby, I would have skipped what seemed an unusual flavor mating. This is among the best desserts, ever.
Godzillatron at the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (photo by Kenn Stearns)
When the University of Texas at Austin decided to invest $160+ million in a new stadium it seemed only fitting the $8 million allocated for “audiovisual improvements” should include the largest high-definition video screen in the world. After all, this is Texas. Advertising on the screen at times fills more than 50% of the viewable area leading some to refer to it as “Adzillatron.” Non-stop audio from the device frequently drowns out the school’s popular band which was coincidentally repositioned to temporary bleachers directly below the display.
The “scoreboard” is 55-feet high by 134-feet wide totaling 7,370 square feet. With a pixel resolution of 2064 x 848, the screen delivers 4.4 trillion color capability. It weighs 52 tons and was assembled from 36 large pieces that were transported on flatbed trucks to Austin from the manufacturer Daktronics in South Dakota. The screen is no longer the largest in the world but remains among the loudest and can be “enjoyed” by virtually everyone in the stadium, except the band.
