Hi All! How are ya? I am safely back in Austin. I still cannot believe how quickly a full month went by. I’m definitely still processing through some emotions while diving into this next semester. It is nice to be home though. Oh! some great news- I found out my clinical placement. It’s an hour away, but I’m just so stinkin’ thankful I won’t have to live in a different city this summer.
In this post I’m finishing up our fun little staycation spring break from early March (pre-lockdown, etc.).
After getting some poke, we dropped our car off at our apartment then walked to the Texas State Capitol for a little self-guided tour.
Jus’ look at the beauty!
Driving down South Congress and seeing the State Capitol bookend the road is probably my favorite site in the city. If you are curious to read more about the history of the capitol, there is a lot of great info here.
I think the the most interesting part was seeing the House of Reps and the Senate Chambers.
It was pretty neat seeing this national historic landmark.
That afternoon, this package of Magic Spoon cereal came in the mail. I ordered it after hearing about it on a podcast. It’s created based off childhood favorite cereals, but with more protein and cleaner ingredients.
Our consensus: It was worth the try with the discounted promo code, but we probably won’t pay full price to order again. It’s a nice idea in concept, but didn’t quite translate. It tasted very “protein-ey” and actually kinda sat like a brick in my stomach. I liked the blueberry flavor the most of all of them and the chocolate wasn’t bad either!
Once we unpacked our cereal, we rested our feet for a bit (our dogs were barkiiin’). After a while, spurred on by the heat of the day, we decided to try out the cute little local spot Sandy’s we’ve been eyeing since we moved here.
They are particularly known for their hamburgers and frozen custard. We went to try out the custard this time.
I hate to give a negative review, but it was just not our cup of tea. We love a more creamy custard than the frozen. Andy’s is where it’s at 😉 Next time DJ said he’ll have to try one of their burgers!
In the evening, we went to dinner at Joann’s Fine Foods on a whim. This restaurant is on South Congress. You can’t miss the distinctive red lips and bright neon sign.
They always have the wittiest little sayings up on their letter board too.
The interior was retro and fun! It makes me wanna go back one summer day in the afternoon and grab a milkshake with DJ while sitting on those stools.
This time, we opted to sit outside to enjoy the beautifully balmy evening. It was one of those dinners we won’t forget- everything about the night was wonderful. The fact that both DJ and I had nothing too heavy hanging over our heads at the moment, the endless laughter through the evening, the perfect weather, the vibe of the restaurant and the delicious food- an Austin night that will be cherished!
Joann’s has all these adorable little touches too- I love the little lips on the napkin.
We started with margaritas and their queso and chips- yuummmy! In our queso rankings it is up there- we debated where it would fall- I think better than Gabriela’s, but maybe just below El Alma’s (I think that’s still my favorite!).
They also brought out some complimentary biscuits- they were good, but the butter they served it with was necessary. The butter was salted with pink Himalayan sea salt if I had to guess.
DJ had their barbacoa tacos that he loved.
And I had one of the all time greatest salads I have ever ordered from a restaurant- the Rainbow Salad with lettuce, fresh veggies, avocado, toasted almonds, cilantro & mint, grated carrot & ginger dressing. The flavors, textures and freshness of it all was satisfying as could be! I’m thankful this is still something on their to-go menu right now.
We decided to keep walking around town since it was such a gorgeous night. We went all the way to Rainey St., thinking we would be the only ones out and about that late, but we were not!
The next day, we wanted to go on a big hike. We drove all the way to Hamilton Pool Preserve, which was about 45 minutes away. When we arrived we realized you had to have a reservation to go into the park- whoops! Now we know. We’ll be back with a reservation ready. I quickly looked up other nature spots we could visit, and Mt. Bonnell is supposed to be one of the best hikes in Austin. We drove straight there and jumped out of the car. I know there are great spots outside and around the city to get a true hike in, but this was more of an outlook just as an FYI!
The views were still awesome though and we were glad we went!
Immediately after, we decided to go see a matinee at the Alamo Drafthouse. As we were pulling into the theater, I received the first word about the Boston Marathon being postponed. I cried a bit in the car, then pulled myself together enough to head in. I felt silly shedding tears over something like a race when much bigger devastation was/is happening. But again, I’m so thankful it’s postponed and not entirely cancelled.
We were the only ones in the theater when we arrived, so we ordered up a storm of food.
We got some yummy sours, chips and queso, a massive chicken sandwich for DJ and a vegan pizza for me.
I lucked out getting these pics before anyone walked in, hah. It was all so delish! I love the variety of food options at the Alamo & the fact that they have an entire vegan menu.
We saw the movie 1917. If you haven’t seen it, you must. It’s phenomenal. The thing that amazed me about it was the exquisitely simple plot that had a stunningly poignant impact on the viewer. The cinematography is breathtaking as well. I’ll leave the trailer here (idea from Maureen who shares trailers that always pique my interest!).
Question for you:
- It seems many new shows have been released lately! What are you watching?
*I finished up LTYH, and I was not super interested the last couple episodes. This last episode was especially over-produced. But I am a huge Rudi fan- hoping she will continue to bless us with her voice now that the show is over.
Have a great rest of the week! Hope y’all are doing well.
xo <3
DJ had their chicken bowl, and I had their zoodles with alllll the veggies and tofu. It warmed us right up! If you go, I recommend getting their “loco” sauce- mmm mm!
After cleaning up and getting ready for the day, we ran some errands. Then in the evening we watched the finale of the Bachelor (duh-v course).
…my favorite was the dragon bowl with rice, spring mix, tuna, spicy tuna, classic sesame shayu, jalapeno, sweet onion, pineapple. cucumber, seaweed salad, edamame, crispy shallot and furikake. This is one of those meals I’ll be back for in the heat of summer!
Now for my favorite dish of all- the tiger eye with smoked salmon, avocado, serrano, goat cheese, english cucumber, sesame, and pank togarashi. I will sing the praises of this roll to anyone that will listen! This is easily one of my favorite sushi rolls I’ve ever had- the goat cheese is what made it. As soon as Lucky opens back up, this is the first dish I’m ordering!
After being seated at one of their gorgeous deep blue booths with a marble table, we scanned the mouth-watering menu. First, we ordered their dip trio with fire roasted salsa, edamame, and cashew queso. It was good, but we probably wouldn’t order again. The “queso” wasn’t so much of a queso, but rather more of a savory vegan dip (in queso you were wondering).
I ordered their vegan cuban panini with braised tofu, peppered beet, whole grain mustard, charred pickled vegetable, cashew aioli and grilled sourdough. This was great, don’t get me wrong- but compared to that breakfast sammy there was no competition! Still a great option for those that are strictly vegan.
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!
I have been shocked by the diverse wildlife in Austin. I didn’t realize so many animals (and reptiles) could reside right in the middle of a big city, but due to the lake and climate it’s suitable to lotsa living creatures. I’ve seen parakeets, swans, cranes, snakes (one I almost stepped on-eeeep!)… the list goes on.
