I had to laugh at the third Austin episode of American Hipster. Cheer Up Charlies is indeed one of the hipsteriest places ever. Even on the East Side, it stands out for its pure, unadulterated hipster saturation. It should be noted that this place is surrounded by great food trucks and has friendly bartenders.
I watched this several times just for the choreographed dance. Awesome.
I was pretty pumped when I saw the promos for Dark Shadows a couple months ago. It’s the perfect fit for Tim Burton! He is one of my very favorite directors. Which is why I let him break my heart, over and over. And seeing Dark Shadows put me in a very dark place indeed, my friends. Lo, it did sucketh.
First let me say, Tim Burton is the master of whimsical creepiness and I love him. Even in this crapfest of a movie, there were moments of genius. The prologue, for instance, was so enjoyable. The history of Barnabus Collins and how he came to be a vampire was beautifully gut-wrenching.
The set designs, the makeup and acting were all fine. The cast was fine. The writing was NOT fine. In fact, it was horrible. But what can you expect from the guy who wrote Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter? What started off strong rapidly declined and just kept going. It kept getting worse and worse. All the way until the end. Torture to sit through.
But as I mentioned, the acting was not bad. Johnny Depp was brilliant. He’s more than adept at performing well in stinky movies. (Pirates of the Caribbean, anyone?) His witchy counterpart played by Eva Green gave me flashbacks of Death Becomes Her.
Michelle Pfeiffer looked beautiful as the somber Elizabeth Collins. Her character, while undeveloped, was not unpleasant. The same can be said for all the characters, excepting Johnny and the witch.
I am always charmed by Helena Bonham Carter. She is so wonderfully weird and steals every scene. Look at how fabulous she looks with red 70s hair:
For me, one of the lowest points was the goofy sex scene between the two monsters to Barry White. But later there was a lengthy battle royale at the end that sunk to even new lows. I shudder to relive some of the lines I heard.
Many say that Tim Burton’s best days are long behind him. But I’m keeping the hope alive that he will make something great once again. Johnny and Helena deserve better. I deserve better.
Last night I raced over to 400 Rabbits in the hopes of becoming one of the elite. One of the 400 Rabbits. Cue heavenly choir music as sun rays pour down on my grandeur, as I am an almighty RABBIT!
Like Oprah, I always knew I’d be destined for greatness. And now I’ve arrived. Bow down to meeeeeeee!
Okay, maybe this isn’t the seminal moment in my life, but 400 Rabbits was smart to generate buzz on a limited number of exclusive spots. I buy into this kind of thing. So what does it all mean? Well, 400 Rabbits is a new bar and it’s attached to the new Alamo Drafthouse. So the 400 chosen ones get invited to exclusive events and a tee-shirt to wear around town lording our status over everyone. And a keychain. Remember Bunny Macdougal’s keychain, that dangling rabbit as she unlocked the door to Charlotte’s apartment? That’ll be me soon. Barging in wherever I like.
So my first event as a Rabbit was a tequila tasting. Now this was good stuff, not the stuff you shoot as quickly as possible before shoving a lime wedge into your mouth to kill the taste. These tequilas were to be sipped and savored.
I’m not going to lie, this was not easy for me. The expensive stuff is still hard to drink straight. While the connoisseurs oohed and ahed over the differences in tequila made in the highlands or the lowlands of Mexico, I silently prayed that I would not throw up. But I did not throw up and I even learned a few things.
Beverage Director Bill Norris walked us through different blancos, resposados, and anejos. Anejos are a little darker in color. Blancos can have a slightly fruity finish. Resposados are disgusting very strong and the preferred tequila in Mexico. That smell that you associate with margaritas or, um, my bachelorette party? That’s the smell of the cooked agave.
The snacks that the bar put out for us were freaking awesome. Steak skewers wrapping in bacon, cheese, and poblano. Really delicious homemade salsas and chicharrón. And tres leches!
After discussing the history of tequila, how it’s made, and the various flavors and notes we all tasted, we started mixing cocktails. Bill brought fresh fruit and herbs from his garden. He taught us the proper way to mix a cocktail (Measure ingredients! Shake vigorously!) and we tasted the results. One will become a fixture on the bar menu. We can all go taste it together. As a Rabbit, I get 20% off my bar tab all year!
Everyone’s talking about Yumé Burger. It just doesn’t get cooler than Japanese street food. Need proof? Go check out Japadog in Vancouver. That place is bonkers.
Yumé Burger is one of those elusive trucks that actually, you know, moves. That’s happening more and more as new trucks enter the scene, although plenty of old standbys stay put. So you need to check out the website to see where they are going to be on any given day.
Some friends and I tracked down Yumé in the parking lot of Draught House for happy hour on a Tuesday night. This was a win-win: burgers and great happy hour specials. After a couple pints we headed into the parking lot for some grub.
The people working there were so nice and cracked jokes with us while we waited for our food. Within a few minutes we were enjoying our burgers. Our whole group ordered burgers and fries, although there are fish, chicken and hot dog options on the menu as well.
My favorite was the Japajam. The burger was topped with Japanese tomato jam, jalapeno jack cheese, BBQ sauce, crispy onion strings, and a fried egg. Sweet Moses, this was a good burger.
We also all fell in love with the Po-Ku. Pork belly on a burger? If you are a girl eating this in a bar, men will surround your table and propose marriage. Truth.
And the fries were also delicious. Hand cut and fresh, we had them seasoned with sesame salt. We tried both regular and sweet.
This was an incredibly fun way to eat on a Tuesday night. Yumé Burger, we will be seeing a lot of each other. Your cool reputation is well-earned.
I was pleased that last night’s episode featured scrappy copywriter Michael Ginsberg quite a bit. His talent is obvious to everyone. He’s writing pretty much every ad SCDP does, taking Peggy’s place in many ways, including Roger’s secret projects. Don is feeling the heat of competition and underhandedly makes sure a client buys his idea by leaving Michael’s work in a taxi. Don, I think you left your integrity in the cab, too.
Michael tells off Don in the elevator, but Don doesn’t seem affected. I think this will come back to haunt him.
Roger has a rendezvous with Jane. After convincing her to attend a dinner and use her Jewish charm to help land the Manischewitz Wine account, he goes back to her new apartment and ruins her life. Two things the show keeps trying to pound into our heads. 1) Roger really hates Pete. 2) Roger is really, really proud of that time he took LSD. He looks for any excuse to bring it up.
Pete doesn’t seem to be overly aware of Roger’s hatred. He’s too busy hating himself, his life, and his train buddy. Oh Pete, try to lighten up. You’ll probably be dead soon.
Betty is wreaking havoc this week. When she’s not at her Weight Watchers meetings she’s letting her jealousy get the best of her. After picking up the kids from Don and Megan’s, she seems to go into bitch overdrive, casually telling Sally about Don’s secret first wife, Anna Draper, who died of cancer. Sally goes all bitchcakes on Megan, who soothes the beast. Then soothes Don. Then Don soothes Sally. Then Sally looks for every passive aggressive way possible to attack Betty…who deserves it.
But most importantly, why is Betty dressing so horribly?
Once again, Megan steals my heart when she teaches Sally how to cry on cue. Megan’s attempts at being an actress might be the best thing to happen to Mad Men in a while. When running lines with a friend for a soap opera, she opening mocks the show and calls it a piece of crap. Is it a coincidence that revival of said soap opera, Dark Shadows, came out this weekend? Oh, I think not.
Another month, another Birchbox. I cracked up when I opened this one and saw that it had a Gossip Girl wrapper.
I am decidedly not a Gossip Girl fan, although I did watch it for a few seasons.
In typical Blair Waldorf fashion, I find myself losing interest in Birchbox altogether. I think it’s time for a break. So this will be my last Birchbox post for while…maybe ever. This is what I had in my box:
If I could move one food truck into my back yard, it would be Kebabalicious. I would sit in my back yard on their snowboard bench and enjoy tasty falafel and hummus whenever I want.
The reality is that I trek over to 7th and Trinity and stand in line like everyone else. I usually get the mixed shawarma kebab and it is pure magic. The best gyro I’ve ever had.
Wrapped in fluffy warm pita, the deliciously seasoned meat is complimented by fresh lettuce, tomato and red onion.
The real stars are the creamy tzatziki and spicy red sauce. Oh, how that red sauce burns. It is seriously hot and only the truly brave can handle it.
The gyros come in two sizes, Regular and King. Personally, I think the Regular is enough and the King is appropriate for splitting. But whom I am I judge all you pigs that love the King? Just kidding. You know I love you pigs.
The "Regular"
The fries are great, too. Smothered in hot sauce and feta. Why aren’t we doing this to all fries…?
Anyway, Kebabalicious is tried and true. An Austin classic, as far as food trucks go. And unlike a few, these eats hold up in the sober light of day, too. Go for lunch!
Back in New Jersey, Mr. Betty and I had a little Italian place where we’d get the best chicken francese. Flavorful, thin slices of chicken in a delicious sauce are the perfect compliment to a simple pasta. We would go there for special occasions and despite the huge menu, we’d both order the same dish, every time.
After being gone for several years, I finally had the courage to make it myself. My only regret is that I waited so long because it was really easy. Rather than following a specific recipe, I watched a few videos and several variations of making chicken francese. I chose the elements I liked best and then winged it. This is a pretty classic take on the dish. So here you go:
Take a couple chicken breasts and slice each one into five or six thin pieces. You’ll need a sharp knife. Don’t worry about making them exactly the same size. Then pound them out so they are thin, thin, thin.
Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. You want it to be fairly hot, so that you see ripples in the oil when you shake the pan. I tested this dish with both nonstick and a regular pan, and I strongly suggest using nonstick if you have it.
While your oil is heating you can prepare your chicken. Season some flour with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, beat two or three eggs.
Dredge the chicken in the flour and then the eggs. You want them to be pretty eggy, so just leave them in the egg bowl until your pan is ready. Then you can drop them in so they are flat. While they cook, sprinkle a little parmesan cheese and parsley in the middle of each piece of chicken.
Keep checking the underside of the chicken. You are looking for a nice golden brown before you flip them. Because they are small pieces and they are nice and thin, they will cook quickly. So be careful not to let the egg burn. Once you flip all your pieces, add a tablespoon of butter, a couple cloves of chopped garlic, the juice of a lemon and some white wine, about a third of a cup.
Let the chicken simmer for a couple minutes. The sauce will reduce and thicken. Serve chicken parsley side up on the plate. There will be enough sauce to flavor some pasta, too, so I served mine right on top.
For variety, try adding tomatoes while the sauce simmers. Or kick up the dish with some strong flavors like capers or anchovy fillets. As long as you make sure the egg doesn’t burn or stick to the pan, and that the chicken is cooked all the way through, you really can’t go wrong.
The second Austin installment of American Hipster is about Thunder Heart Bison. Check it out:
More and more, restaurants in Austin are making an effort to use locally sourced ingredients. Thunder Heart is not only local, but it is humane and certified by the Animal Welfare Institute as Welfare Animal Approved.
When Hugh Fitzsimmons describes killing the bison, you hear his voice catch. The gravity of taking a life is not lost on him. For those of use who eat animals, ALL of our meat should come from organic and ethical farms, one where the lives of animals are respected.
I will make it a priority to stop by the Thunder Heart food truck next time I’m hungry. (So, like, 20 minutes from now.) You can find it on West 5th, right by Black Swan Yoga.
Photo from Austinfoodcarts.com
Saturday night Mr. Betty and I dressed up and went to see Conspirare sing with the Austin Symphony. In the Long Center’s Dell Hall there’s not a bad seat in the house. It also affords one of the best views of downtown.
The music was, of course, phenomenal. They opened with Dracula’s favorite number, Toccacta and Fugue in D Minor. It vas vonderful, muah ah ah!
Then the 150 person choir, Conspirare joined them onstage at did Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and later Bernstein’s Chichester of Psalms. The music ranged from tense and warlike to ethereal and serene. When a young boy soloist , Lucas Revering, took the stage, you could hear a pin drop in the full auditorium. His clear voice accompanied by a harp commanded attention of even the guy next to me squirmiest of attendees. It was so beautiful. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to tear up.
The voice-accompanied pieces didn’t require a full orchestra, so at times different sections would get up and leave the stage. It was nice to have an unobstructed view of instruments you don’t normally get to see well, like the contrabassoon, which is so extraordinary.
Everyone who lives in Austin should make time to see the symphony at least once. We have so many incredibly talented musicians here, and these may be the very best.
