Recap: Austin's Trailer Food Tuesday

Food Trucks aren't just a fun commodity, they're also a great way to try gourmet food on the cheap, and Trailer Food Tuesdays on The Long Center Terrace is the best way to sample some of Austin's best food trailers while enjoying this gorgeous spring weather. The event takes place from 5pm - 9pm on the last Tuesday of each month and includes several local vendors, as well as one guest truck from a neighboring city. Most trucks do take credit/debit, but it's suggested to bring cash. The Long Center also provides a cash bar with beer and wine selections and perfectly concoted signature cocktails. The Trailer Food Tuesdays event is perfect for a weekday happy hour, date night or family fun day!

Overall, our experience was awesome. We went directly after work and the lines were short, the food selection was amazing and it was break from cooking dinner without breaking the bank! Rusty and I sampled three food trucks:

• Chickpea Fries from Whole Foods
• Chicken, Pork and Veggie Tacos from @ColibriCuisine
• Bacon, Goat Cheese & Strawberry Jam Sliders from @EasySliderTruck

We planned on grabbing a CoolHaus icecream sandwich for dessert, but the $4 large chickpea fries were as filling as they were delicious (I suggest getting a $2 small if you intend on sampling from several trucks).

As pro-Austin as I am, I have to say that our favorite of the day was the Easy Slider Truck, hailing from Dallas. Their creative, gourmet mini-burgers included unexpected ingrediants like bleu cheese slaw, strawberry jam or peanut butter, and they were an incredible mix of beefy, savory and sweet!


For more info, check out Trailer Food Tuesdays online or follow them @TrailerFoodTues.

Happy Eating!

Ballet Austin's Get Fit 2013: Free Day of Fitness

Ballet Austin held its 2nd Annual Get Fit: Free Day of Fitness on Sunday, January 13th. 500 Attendees kicked off their New Year Resolutions by enjoying free fitness classes, BMI and Blood Pressure screenings from Seton, refreshments by Mel's Meals, KIND Bars, BlackFinn American Grille and Aquasana and many, many giveaways!

If you're in the Austin area, stay tuned for Come Dance: Free Day of Dance on August 25, 2013.

Participants taking a Zumba(R) Class!

Blackfinn American Grille handed out juice & offered attendees a chance to win some cool prizes

Below the Belt (Lower Abs, Glutes & Legs) Class...yikes!



Zumba(R)

Bollywood Fitness



Better Balance & Movement with Vicki Parsons, Director of the Butler Community School

Pilates Resistance Band Workout

Get Fit! Kids Zone: Zumbatomic(R)

Seton Medical Center, Providing a Blood Pressure Screening

Bollywood Fitness



Zumba(R)

Get Fit! Kids Zone: Kids Dance Around the World

Austin's Free Music Week | Stubb's Austin

Went to see The Rare Birds at Stubb's Austin during Free Music Week. If you haven't participated in Free Music Week, this is the best (and cheapest) way to check out local music and up & comers! The band sounded great, the BBQ smelled amazing and the beer was served cold with a side of attitude. Great night for music!

Girl's Day/Night Out - Blo Salon!

Looking for a fun night out with the girls or a way to get ready for a night out? Head to Blo Bar for awesome hairstyles, champagne and ambiance. With crystal chandeliers, Audrey and Marilyn photos and pink everything, this place is a nightmare for Butch McGee but a fun, pampering way to spend an afternoon with your best girls. In fact, this is where I got my sex-kitten 60's hair for my engagement photos and was one of the stops on my friend's Bachelorette Party Scavenger Hunt!

Clark's Oyster Bar Austin Review

Last year, Rusty and I along with two of our friends decided to forgo gifts and do an awesome holiday dinner instead. For our Second Annual Holiday dinner we headed to Clark's Oyster Bar on W. 6th. Here's the recap. 

The four of us shared a seafood tower, which included oysters, mussels, lobster, crab, shrimp and ceviche. There is not one complaint I can make about the food here; the oysters and shellfish are fresh and juicey and the ceviche, which was more like a slaw, was the creamy showstopper.

The seafood tower ($90) should be enough to feed four, but with our appetites, it took a few extras. We ordered a wedge salad and the shells and cheese (Mac & Cheese with Crab) and we were not disappointed. I could eat that Mac & Cheese every day for a year. The boys followed up with a Bloody Mary Oyster Bomb, which Rusty suggests over the Beer Oyster Bomb.

If there's one thing other than food that the McGuire/Moorman team (Perla's, Jeffrey's, Elizabeth Street Cafe and more) are known for, it's their ambiance. They are meticulous and detail-oriented from their color schemes to their waitstaff attire. Going to Clark's is like being swept away to a late-summer vacation in the Hamptons. Best of all, the polo-clad waiters know their oysters. A customer can simply describe their fabric oyster (gritty/not gritty, sweet/salty, etc.) and the waiters will make the perfect recommendations.

 Notes: Clark's will not take reservations for more than four people, and due to the tiny size, reservations are recommended. If you choose to wing-it, they do leave bar seating open for walk-ins.

Bon Appétit!

Ice Skating on the Roof of Whole Foods Austin

I was skeptical of ice skating on a grocery store roof, and for most part I was correct, but for $10/person (includes skate rental) this is a great outing for families with kids. We do not have kids, so it was more of a "glad we did it, but probably won't do it again" experience. (Note: This may be just my Northeastern Ohio snow-snobbery talking...)

Here's the photo recap:

The View

Aerial Silks with the Girls!

If you don't already know, Aerial Silks was one of my favorite hobbies in Cleveland. Since moving to Austin, I haven't found a place that taught Aerial Silks without costing a fortune. Needless to say, I've lost some of my skills and strength. So when my friend found a private Aerial Silks class for four, I jumped right in, but I learned Aerial is NOTHING like riding a bike!

If you're looking for a fun, challenging exercise that doesn't feel like exercising, this one's for you! You will feel it all over the next day, even in those areas that you can't reach through crunches or weight training. Tip: Do it with friends (at least for the first time) because it's more fun and they'll keep your ego from being bruised when something looks totally easy and it's really not ... at all.

Here's our highlight reel...

Ps. As you can see, we also dressed alike and glitterized our faces ... true Cirque-style.

Our incredible teacher! She made it look too easy!