So, I’m breaking all the rules right now and sippin’ on a cup of joe past 4 pm. Why? Because it was Daylight Savings this week, which is easily one of the most aggressively exhausting days of the year. How does one hour trip ya up that much? Also, let’s talk about how it was also International Women’s Day on the shortest day of the year… what’s up with that?! (P.S. Shout oooout to every.single.woman out there!). Also… reason #2 for having coffee past 4 pm….. *DRUM ROLL*…. it’s our spriiiing break!
Somehow, someway we both have a somewhat less intense “spring break” that actually overlaps! With grad school, I’ve always used the “breaks” to get ahead or catch up on work, but this time around I actually can afford to take a couple days off?! What is that madness! I do still have an assignment or two, but overall I can catch up on sleep and spend some time with my guy <3 I also scheduled in a few restaurant food shoots!
In addition to all the above, something I’m particularly excited to do these next couple of days is catch up on some bloggin’ :’) So without further adieu, I’m transporting us back a decade (and you thought those jokes were over, tehe).
On December 31, 2019, I made this naan panini with the garlic naan from Trader Joe’s for lunch! Highly recommend trying out paninis with it! Mmmmm mmmmm!
That evening, to celebrate New Years Eve, we first went up to the rooftop bar of an apartment complex! These views!!!!
We had a dinner planned at an Italian spot on SoCo. Wellllll, I missed the part where it was only a special prixe fixe dinner for NYE (I thought they’d have the regular menu still). This restaurant is usually extremely reasonably priced, but this night it was about $100 a person.
I thought maybe I needed to go back to the eye doctor when I saw this! Upon this realization, we cancelled our reservation. I will say, they were incredibly gracious about the cancellation, especially with it being last minute.
So, we were standing on SoCo around about 9:00 pm with no dinner plans, extremely hungry (AKA Me: HANGRY, DJ: cool as a cucumber with no emotional reactions determined by his level of hunger, ever). We contemplated what to do- I had done a major grocery store trip that day, so I thought we could cook at home… but we were both so looking forward to a night out on the town together. I went to Open Table, and La Volpe located downtown was the first restaurant that popped up. It’s a newer restaurant in Austin, but had great ratings, so we took a chance on it. We hopped across the bridge and made it in at about 9:30 pm.
We stepped inside and were mesmerized by the decor. It’s kind of hard to pin exactly what this restaurant is like— it seems to be inspired by 20s old-fashioned-chic meets modern eclectic (does that make any sense?? Probably not).
We sat out on their patio and were surprised it wasn’t poppin’ more given the cozy ambiance.
^And this is how not to use Portrait Mode, friends!
We ordered a few different dishes, most of which we shared. They had an array of chef selected menu items you could pick and choose from for the evening.
I was cravin’ something green to start, so I had their house mixed salad with their balsamic vinaigrette (I think?). Gee, good thing I took a picture of the menu to actually confirm what we ordered, hah- who put me in charge? Anywhooo, the leafy greens were pretty basic, as you can probably tell, but I did rave about the dressing. If they sold it in a bottle, I’d probably stock up on some!
Next, we tried their squid ink pasta with I thiiiink grilled swordfish. It was yummy, but probably my least favorite of all the dishes, surprisingly!
The dish below was a mushroom risotto. YUM! So much flavor.
And lastly, our favorite dish, the blue crab gnocchi. Goodness gracious, I need to have this again!
They even brought out some complimentary champagne. It was a beautiful dinner and we were both pretty happy the original plan fell through. This is definitely a new favorite spot in town of ours. It’ll be a local favorite in no time too, I have no doubt.
We officially rang in the New Year at home, asleep, per usual 😆
January 1st was a day of cleaning/getting everything in order for the year ahead! January 2nd I went to get my car taken in for maintenance, and while I waited I walked over to The Meteor Cafe on South Congress.
I’ve passed by this place countless times, but this was my first time popping in.
It was a great, relaxed vibe- they even had a little shop fully equipped with biking gear.
The food on display was catching my eye! Next time I’m gonna try one of their flatbread slices.
I wasn’t initially planning on ordering any food, but when I saw the lemon curd kouign-amann I couldn’t resist!
I also ordered a cafe au lait with almond milk. The combo…. can’t dream of anything better.
The Kouignn Amann was yummy and perfectly flaky. But. Still not on B. Patisserie’s level in SF 😉
On January 3rd I worked on getting ready for the next semester. When going for a walk I realized they painted the bread blue! Do y’all remember from this post?
January 4th was a real treat! DJ and I went to Antonelli’s, a local cheese shop, for their “date night” cheesy experience.
Soo… this is not just any cheese shop. This is THE cheese shop. It has been voted as one of the top cheese shops in America.
As soon as I saw these signs I knew I would love this place <3
They also had some very education artwork as well!
Below on the right is the menu for our date night. If you decide to order any of the cheeses you try you just circle the form to the left.
Wow oh wow. Some of the best darn cheese of all time. It was the kind of thing where you just wanted to savor each and every bite. They also had pass around marinated olives and bread. Gotta have the fixin’s! I think my favorite of the cheeses was their blue cheese (Roquefort), but it was all tasty.
They even brought out a little array of desserts- some gingerbread (my favorite), dried apricots, caramels and sea salt dark chocolate (yum!).
Questions for you:
- What’s your favorite kind of cheese?
xo <3
I feel pretty caught up with you now.
Any post with good use of an Anchorman gif is a good one!
You had a ton of great looking food in this post, but it’s that pizza that stands out. What is it about those tiny, curly pepperoni that make them so awesome?!
haha yess, glad you appreciate an Anchorman reference.
Yess ! Next time I haveee to try that pizza out. Thanks for stopping in, Ralph!
Edam cheese is my favorite cheese! 🙂
I have actually never heard of that one! What’s it like?!
oh my gooood, i bloody love cheese – that shop looks like heaven! As always, you look you’re living your best life Mac <3 Glad you're going to be able to get a few days properly off over your spring break xx
Hi, Mia!! I hope you are staying safe <3 And yes the cheese was amazing, you'd love this place. In light of the whole Covid situation they are doing virtual tastings- takeout of the cheese plate then Zoom tastings! A fun idea! thank you for reading and stopping in. Hope you are well <3
Oh I love cheese Mackenzie … all kinds and rustic bread or toasty crackers with it … but you and I have discussed our love of crusty rustic bread in the past. Life is way too short not to enjoy wonderful bread. All these very cool eateries you and DJ have discovered … the view was just spectacular at night. In case anyone was thinking Texas was cowboys, horses and ranches, they’d better know they were wrong – Austin is a hoppin’ town!
Yesss!! I agree the cheese plus the yummy breads are what make the whole experience! Austin is definitely hoppin’- we describe it as a cross between Portland/the Bay Area/Typical Texas
You’ve adapted well, without a hitch!
We tried!! It’s an easy and fun city to adapt to 🙂 can’t wait for everything to open back up, but we are going to do some delivery BBQ takeout tonight to add a little pizazz to the week
That stinks the first restaurant only had the pre fixe menu. I get why they do that but at least let me pick from the normal menu too. I’ve learned to do research before booking around holidays for that reason. It happened to us when we went out after my college graduation since it was also Mother’s Day. Luckily my Dad picked an amazing restaurant but he had no idea there was a pre fixe since it wasn’t published when he made the reservation for our big group.
Can I just say I love that the cheese shop put the correct jam or mustard with the cheese?! I’m always clueless when it’s just on a plate since I never know what is supposed to go with what haha. Recently I’ve been loving Boursin cheese in the garlic and herb flavor (tbh not sure if there are others but that’s what the box says). SO GOOD!
Hi Maureen! I hope you are doing okay and staying safe <3 I definitely learned my lesson too about the prixe fixe menu! That's great you all still enjoyed the meal at your graduation though!
And yesssss SAME! The jam and mustard made it. Fun little note about the cheese shop- they are doing virtual tastings, so people can go pick up a plate take it home and then everyone Skype/Zoom's in and has the tasting.
Oh yum- Boursin is extremely good. We usually have that with my family on special occasions, so now I am craving some! Again- hope you guys are doing okay. When I get caught up on some school work this weekend I'm looking forward to reading how it's all going. <3
Your food always looks amazing!!! I also now want to go on a cheese tasting date🤣😍 I love it!
The Bachelor finale was a mess! I can’t get over Peter’s mom.
Cheese tasting dates are the best kind of dates!!! Maybe you can do an at home one soon 🙂 this place in my post is offering virtual tastings now, which is kinda a fun idea!
And girl, I know, that whole finale was a disaster!
With all this insanity going on doesn’t that all feel like a lifetime ago? Hope you are safe and well <3
That is a fantastic idea!!!! We have been trying to do different things at home (not just tv/movies). Gosh, it sure does! We are hunkered down and well! Same to you, girl💗
Yesss! Love it. Thank you, Carly! <3
Yumminess all around! Enjoy your Spring Break!
Thanks, Nancy! I hope you are staying safe with everything going on <3 I'm sure it messed with your Austin plans a bit :(
We are and yes it has!
I’m glad to hear you all are doing okay though. Hope you can make it back here sometime soon!
Love this post!! That Office gif is so fitting! I’m glad you both can take a breather and enjoy some much-needed time together.
All of the foods looks and sounds amazing! I love these really unique, cute cafes and restaurants you keep finding. Austin’s food scene looks awesome! Good call on ditching that $200+ NYE dinner. The place you found looked perfect!
My go-to favorite cheese is a classic aged sharp cheddar, but I love all cheeses!
Thanks, Kori! My goodness a lot has changed since this post. We enjoyed most of our spring break before things really got serious- this has been the longest week of ALL time.
Austin really does have a great food scene!! It’s much more manageable than the Bay Area’s which is nice because it doesn’t feel quite as overwhelming when deciding where to eat (especially with my indecisiveness) lol.
Ohhhh yes, cannot go wrong with sharp cheddar! Thanks for reading, Kori- praying for your safety <3
That it has!! :'( What an unbelievably unexpected, crazy time.
I wouldn’t be able to handle the wait times and type of scene in the Bay Area! Seems so crazy. Kind of like the grocery stores these days.
Praying for yours as well!! Thank you so much. xo
I agree. Thank you tons for your prayers too <3 Oh, and I meant to message you, but I'll just write it here before I forget- so DJ said out of the blue yesterday that he's decided he wants us to go to Knoxville! Of course I immediately was hyper-excited. He was doing some research, and said it looks really pretty, and I could totally attest to that AND it's food scene. Although, I did have to correct him and say- it's Knox-vegas, get with it, lol. But hoping when all this chaos settles down we can make a trip. I was gonna drag him with me one day anyway, but now he seems to be taking the lead with his new-found Knoxville interest.
Oh my gosh, this is so awesome!! Knox-vegas – yes!! I cannot wait until this has all subsided, & I would be honored to show you around a bit. OliBea just recently moved to a bigger location, & they serve amazing brunch from local foods. They have classics to vegan & are always creative. Mahalo of course for coffee, & Cruze Farm ice cream really is a must. Matt & I have only ever been up in the Sunsphere once, but it could be something you two may want to experience. 🙂 I cannot wait! ❤️
yessss I will never take for granted being able to travel again! Can not wait to visit one day ☺️ I think Mahalo is the first stop ! That coffee looks unreal and sounds ohhh so yummy!! And all the other stops tooo- you know I cannot turn down brunch and ice cream 😍 they are basically food groups of their own in my book- hehe. I’m going to start an actual list!! Ahhh it makes me so happy to even dream of being able to get out and about again! 💜
Me either!! Just the idea of being able to go somewhere at our own free will is honestly crazy as this has been so very weird. Mahalo is amazing!! Every visit is a treat. Brunch and ice cream are their own food groups! <3
Exactly!! <3
<3 <3
I totally bought that “let it brie” shirt and then when I realized I actually hate brie (unless it’s warm), I got rid of it – haha! It was SO soft!
Hahaha! Too funny!
Ooo girl I am with you! I woulda been hella hangry too. During those hangry moments I don’t always appreciate our initial plans falling through but usually it leads to something better and a new discovery. Always great catching up with your posts!
Yessss exactly!! It was a lovely night! Thank you so much for stopping in, Jess 🙂
Daylight Savings time is a nightmare! I agree, how in the world is it possible that time changing by one hour can throw us off that much? My kids were up until well past 10pm for what felt like forever… and then waking up at 6am. And then crabby alllll day long. Ha, ha. We’re finally all recovered, I think; but it’s definitely something that I dread every year! Now that our days are longer though and we’re used to the change, I’m happy. LOL!
Oh…my….goodness, Girl!!! Why did I not ever think about using naan bread for sandwiches?!? I always just use them as a pizza base… But grilled up into a fresh sandwich? Yes, PLEASE! Apparently I have been living under a rock, but I most definitely plan on utilizing this idea soon! 🙂 YUM!!!
La Volpe looks as though it had such an incredible vibe! Your restaurant posts always make me realize that I need to try out more unique foodie spots, especially when I head into Boston and Worcestor!
I ADORE cheese so the cheese date night sounds like such an amazing time! Living here in New England, we have some amazing cheeses; although a lot of it is super simple. Cabot cheddar cheese (made in nearby Vermont) is a local favorite. There’s also a cow farm just 15 minutes from my house, and they make homemade cheeses that are soooooo delish! They make a cranberry orange cheese that is to DIE for around the holidays!! 🙂 Also, a local favorite, is goat cheese which makes some people shudder. Ha, ha. But it’s actually a lot like cream cheese, just not as rich.
Hmmm, now I want CHEESE!!! Ha, ha.
Hi, Nicole! How are you?! This craziness is just wild. I hope you all are safe and well <3
I'm glad I'm not alone in being affected that much by time change. We are loving that the days are longer too! I think it helps me be more productive!
I actually just used the naan because we were out of normal bread- one of those happy accidents 🙂 I hope you can try it out soon- so tasty!
I hope when all this settles down you can enjoy the unique and charming restaurants in Boston and Worcestor! I'm sad we won't be there in April anymore, but hopefully September <3
Oh my gosh, your description of all these cheeses is making my mouth water! Sounds sooo good! I love a rich goat cheese too- so sign me up!
Praying for health and safety for your whole amazing family <3 Thank you so much for reading, Nicole!
Yes, hopefully you will make it to Boston in September!! You’ll love the city!
And praying for health and safety for you and yours as well, my friend!
<3 You too, Nicole! <3
The food looks Devine!
Hi!!! Right? I could really for a cheese plate right about now!! Hope you are well and thank you for stopping in 🙂
Hi Mackenzie!!! I am so excited to catch up on your blog. I missed reading your witty one liners & innocent little jokes so much. ♡ I’m already laughing through the intro lol.
DJ is just awesome, man. Can’t believe he doesn’t get hangry. Boyfriend would have tore my head off if we switched up dinner plans at such a late time & I wouldn’t be the happiest camper either lol. Glad you guys found Volope eventually I think you described the interior perfectly! Also, I was wondering what the heck happened to the picture of the menu until you wrote about using portrait mode. 😂 I thought they wanted to keep their food private or something LOL.
The crab gnocchi & mushroom risotto look absolutely delicious. 😍 & I would love to visit both the cafe & cheese shop! All those fancy cheeses would be worth the couple days of stomach cramps (I think they’re starting already looking at the photo LOL.) Also, every time I see a meat platter, I get jealous of DJ like, I know he doesn’t even have to share lol. Lucky guy!!!!
Thank you for sharing, Mackenzie!! ♡ my fave cheese has always been brie… mmmmmmm!!!
Hunida!!! Girlfriend it is soo good to see your cute lil’ icon pop up in my comments! Glad you appreciate my dorky humor 😉 I feel like you pick up on the subtleties which means a lot too!
Hahah- you know how they say opposites attract? Well on the hangry scale I get hangry from 0 to 100 REAL quick, and DJ is chill as a cucumber in basically any situation- I’m convinced he could go days without eating & it’d have zero impact on his mood (I don’t get it!).
Oh my gosh, yesss the cheese would be worth it- even now I’m literally salivating just thinking about it again! And LOL- too funny about the meat! I make up for it by mooching off his plate in just about every other circumstance, haha.
Thank you tons for stopping in- and yesss, brie is up there for me too. It’s SO good! Hope you are doing so well! xox
Hi Mackenzie!! <3 I do love your dorky humor sooo much, it makes reading your blog that much more fun. 😀
Lol wow, we all need to learn a lesson from DJ. I go crazy when I haven't been fed, too!! & I had too much cheese during lockdown, I think.
What's your #1 favorite cheese?? 😀
Always my pleasure, love! Hope you are well, too!! <3
Aww that makes me so happy that you love it! And I was just thinking today how I need to chill on the cheese- too funny! My #1 is soooo tough- like choosing a favorite child! Lol. I think maybe goat cheese or blue! I love a cheese with lots of robust flavor, but I also will eat any of them, if it is cheese sign me up!!!
I’m like months behind on your blog nooo 😭😭😭😭
That panini looks amazing! I must have something like that soon because my mouth is watering!
Reading this post which is technically from December, it is so weird how drastically life has changed where dining out is no longer what it used to be 😪
That cafe looks amazing inside and ugh I’m dying to try some pastries like that!
Wow that cheese shop looks amazing!! I want to try lol. I’m not really sure what my fave cheese is, I guess it depends lol. I love Colby jack, Monterey, and pepper jack while at home. Parmesan on pasta
.. a good mix of them for grilled cheese…provolone for sandwiches. Etc lol.
I miss you loads girl! I’ll be reading your blog slowly but surely. One post a day and I’ll catch up in a week lol
Rossy!! hey girl! Please do nottt worry about catching up. And if it makes you feel better, besides my most recent post I hadn’t posted since May. It’s been crickets around here so you have not missed much at all! it really is crazy how dining out has changed isn’t it? We had no idea what a luxury it was to just be able to go out to eat without all the precautions and concerns. Really hoping it all gets back to that place one day soon<3
Ohhhh you are speaking my language with those cheeses- all amazing choices!
I miss you tons too <3 Again, do not worry about catching up! I so appreciate you poppin' in & I always lovee your comments. Have a great weekend, Rossy!
I’d love to read what you’ve been up to before things got really really crazy because it feels like I haven’t spoken to you in months!! :O
Yeah I really miss eating out too. I have not been brave enough to dine in anywhere because a lot of people don’t mind their distance lol