A (pre) Christmas Miracle!

Hiya, toots!

This summer in central Texas has so far been seasonal from the before-times of the late 2010s. It is just now consistently getting into the 100s during the day, whereas last year that started in May. We were saved from like 10 weeks of the blistering heat of the recent past, and I appreciate it!

We've had enough rain in the general are that the lake is 8 feet up (though it's still just under 40 feet low) in the past 2 weeks. 

Mal and I have been taking advantage of our PogoPass, glad that we paid for those before James got laid off. 

Last Sunday, Mal's friend was out of town so instead of meeting him like we always do, we went to Typhoon Texas. It was raining when we arrived, and there weren't a lot of people there. We were able to have the place practically to ourselves!

 

I got to use my awesome new shrug to protect my scar from sun exposure!

Then later in the week, we went to the LBJ Library. That one wasn't on the PogoPass last time we had it, so this was the first time Mal's visited. He loved it as much as I expected he would. Given his Five Nights at Freddy's obsession, the LBJ animatronic was one of his favorite parts.

We've gone to Indigo Play, Inflatable Wonderland, The Thinkery, James took Mal to Pump It Up Round Rock... we still need to get down to Wonder World to take the cave tour, and to San Antonio for the Witte and Zoo. Did I mention that I only paid $50 per pass? Just going to the water park and kids museum paid for it!

One down side to the great weather is that the mild temps and rain have super-charged the grass. I mowed on a Tuesday, and needed to do it again by Saturday. Then I made it until yesterday (Friday) and mowed a third time in under 2 weeks! I was thinking, "That's it! It's all going to go dormant now!" because we're heading into 100s every day and no rain in sight. But then this afternoon, it poured rain out of nowhere for an hour. Good. And bad. But mostly good. And also, I should be grateful for an upper body workout; pushing a giant battery up the hills of our back yard is not a joke (and, yes, it could be self-propelled but that drains the battery faster).

Mal's homeschool gymnastics class starts back at the end of next week, and his classes start back in just over 4 weeks. He's ready to get back into his schedule and so am I.

Of course, he'll miss a couple of weeks of everything when we go on his 10th birthday trip. Please send us your good vacation mojo because our travel is exactly as far out right now as it was in 2020 when we realized that Covid was going to cancel everything. And, yes, I got travel insurance this time! We were lucky to get back every single penny we'd paid 4 years ago, but I don't anticipate businesses doing that again. (Also, the CrowdStrike outage freaked me out about flight stuff; fortunately, for this trip, we're on Southwest.)

 

 

2-day Stay-Away

James had Friday off of work; D was asking, "Is there any time you're all going to be gone for a while?" because of projects that require spreading out in the common area of the house; and it was supposed to be 100 degrees all weekend, and Mal and I were ready to SWIM.

Magically, last week, I got an email from Omni Hotels that all stays were 30% off through early September. I booked us a two-night stay at the downtown Austin Omni. My thought was that we could just hang out there, swim in the rooftop pool, and walk to a few places like B. D. Riley's Irish Pub for take-out meals. Then COVID-19 cases in Austin started reaching new records daily. I canceled that reservation and moved us to the Southpartk Austin Omni, which isn't really anywhere. It's located at the southeast corner of the intersection of 35 and 71/290, which I guess makes it moderately convenient to travelers needing airport and downtown access, kind of? Anyway, seemed likely that there would be fewer people to bump up against.

Friday, James went out to a late breakfast while Mal and I got stuff ready to go. On the way through town, we stopped at QT for a caffeine-free Diet Coke for Malcolm. All of the stores and the Sodastream website are out of the caffeine-free diet soda Mal likes, and all of the grocery stores are out of name and store brands, too. Yay, pandemic! (I know, these aren't true problems. Just and inconvenience. I DO have perspective.) Happily, I was able to get a free fountain drink with the Quik Trip app!

They have a lot of sauces. I put none in Mal's drink.

I had called earlier and knew our room was already prepared for us, so we checked in around 1:40. Of course, the first thing Mal wanted to do was SWIM!

He had a straight face in the first picture, so I said, "Can you try to look just a little happy to be here?" This was that.

The pool is large and winding. It also has a smaller indoor portion, which you can access via a swim-through hole. We stayed mostly outside because the inside is well air conditioned, and the water itself is cool enough that it felt a bit too chilly in there.

As you can see, there weren't a lot of people. Everyone was being mindful of the distancing requirements.

After our first swim, we explored the hotel a bit, played hide-and-seek, and then got some late lunch/early dinner. James and I had Taste of Ethiopia II and Mal had McDonald's, natch. Our dinner was so tasty, and the portions were ridiculously ample. Needless to say, we had left-overs.

Bread, baklava, shiro wot, lentil sambusa, zimamabojat, and tomato salad. 

Full up, we were ready for another swim! James went with us this time.

Mal and James heading under the bridge.

We had some nice down time after that, and a quiet night's sleep.

Saturday, we got breakfast from Hideaway Kitchen and Bar. We got takeout as with the rest of our meals, but they had such a neat patio and it was empty, so I kind of wish we'd eaten there. Anyway, the food was absolutely delicious and Mal still has a pancake and scrambled egg he hasn't deigned to finish.

James got the queso and chips, and then their bacon jalapeño cheddar Benedict.

It was either chicken and waffles or their peach pie pancakes. I made the right decision. Perfectly-fried juicy chicken, fluffy waffles, and a pecan bourbon syrup.

Hey, want to guess what we did after breakfast?

Yup! More swimming!

After an hour or so, we dried off and took a short break from the hotel.

It was hot, and Mal was NOT interested in going, but he ended up having so much fun! We were a little early for our appointment, so we got him Chick-fil-A on the way, then we took him to see the Cathedral of Junk for the first time.

When we first arrived, Vincent came out to greet us and Mal said, "I'm sure you recognize my parents." He said, "Oh, yeah. Those guys." Then Mal kept saying, "I read about your place in a book we have at home!" It took me almost until we left to realize that he meant the photo album of our wedding.

After a few, he realized that there are themed "rooms" and kept offering us tours to see the red room, and the yellow room, and the green room.

We haven't been since our wedding 7 years ago, I believe, and a lot has changed! The ladder we used to get up to the top has been closed off, but there are two new(ish) staircases to access the third floor. He also built a tile slide.

We were super sweaty but so very happy when we left. I'm glad Austin has this gem and highly recommend visiting if you're in the area. You just have to call to make an appointment. That's always been the case, but it also sounds like he's just allowing one group at a time in order to maintain social distancing.

Here's a picture of James and me yesterday in the same spot we took a picture when we first visited almost 8 years ago (when it was a lot colder and much less sunny). Haven't changed a bit, right?

July 2020 vs. November 2012

We had planned to hit up Soursop for more take-out, as it's very near the Cathedral, but we still had so much food left over, and were still super full from a big breakfast, that we couldn't justify it. We ended up eating the stuff we had in the room for dinner.

Then guess what we did after that?

One final swim before calling it a night.

We're on the 11th floor, facing south, and we were able to see a good dozen separate fireworks displays from our room. I was surprised that there were so many, given that right now there's a statewide order banning gatherings of more than 10 people, even outside.

Hard to tell because of the lights, but James is looking at at least 4 different explosions right here.

After that, Mal and James both fell asleep pretty quickly. I had run out of Gatorade and drank some soda late in the day, so I was kind of wired for a while longer. And I woke up at 7 AM, so I'll likely go to bed early when we get home tonight.

We've had a fun little break, and I'm sure D has, too.

Next up: watering the fruit trees at home. It's been a sunny and hot couple of days!

The Part of the Year That Sucks

It sprinkled a bit on Saturday, and you'd have thought we won the lottery. The child and the chickens were so happy. But here we are again, with 100-degree highs and zero rain in the forecast for the next two weeks. Blehh. I hate this part of summer. I guess I mostly hate summer. It was pretty mild until about the second week in July. I'm ready for a break in this crap already. Ugh.

Hey, here's something fun: I can see decay on ANOTHER tooth in Mal's mouth. Hopefully, I caught it early enough that doubling up on brushing and finally forcing him to use fluoride will help. I guess he just has super porous teeth. We can't go in for another cleaning/fluoride treatment until January. I'm going with another dentist's office, because... I just am. We have friends who are really happy with their dentist's office. Then again, her kid doesn't have cavities (and brushes maybe once a week), so he sounds like D. D LOVED the dentist, because it was always kudos for no cavities.

Something funny I was thinking about the other day: I don't remember brushing D's teeth. Like ever. I know I did, up to a certain point. But I have no memory of it. Or of when we went from baths to showers. All lost to the ages.

I deleted my Instagram account yesterday. I'm still on Twitter, but who knows for how much longer. Social media is the way that many activists I enjoy communicate most, but also, I know I'm in an echo chamber. AND people hate re-tweet (or screen cap and then share) so much, then the same talking points are heaved on both sides, and it's just tiring. I'm still using groups on Facebook under a fake name, so I can follow "Be the Bridge" and a hyper-local inclusion group, and a smaller (than Austin) area homeschool group, as well as Buy Nothing.

The only thing I miss about social media is sharing cool pictures with everyone. As much as I have always enjoyed writing, I think I increasingly process stuff visually. Before Google Photos sucked up Picasa, you could just make your entire photo page public, and I'm sad that I have to share each individual album with people I want to see my pictures. Most likely, nobody cares about this nearly as much as I do.

The chickens are around 16 weeks old. Their combs are getting increasingly red/pink. This is/can be an indicator of sexual maturity, and on average, Easter Eggers can lay as early as 20 weeks. I'm hoping it will cool down a bit before they have to start working on that, though.

I joined an online chicken forum, and asked people more knowledgable than I: apparently, the seller was right and all six birds are pullets! I'm so glad, as we really like them all and wouldn't want to have to break up "the set" if any of them were cockerels. But also, there's a likelihood that we may end up with a couple dozen eggs every week! Some weeks, we go through that many (especially when Mal was loving scrambled eggs -- which he now hates -- and D is on a ramen kick). Otherwise, if we have excess, I think I'm going to offer half a dozen eggs at a time for free to whoever wants them. It'll be a nice way to meet more neighbors. Maybe I'll use them as a welcome wagon gift, with all of the new construction and people moving in.

Mal and I are going to go see the live-action Dora movie tomorrow, and I'm actually super excited. It looks very cute. Yes, I'm a dork. After that, he wants to go to the Lego store (which is so very far away) and see if they have any Minecraft mini-figs. So that'll keep us mostly indoors and air conditioned tomorrow.

One good thing: This heatwave makes me really glad we got solar panels! We're using a bit under 20 kWh of PEC electricity on the hottest days, which is less than a third of what we were using before. So that's pretty exciting.

Tomorrow is my parents' 50th anniversary! They're on a cruise and will be arriving in Quebec City in the morning, then will finish up this trip in Montreal for a couple of days. I want to go back to Montreal soon. And Glacier National Park. And I'd love to go to Yellowstone for the first time. Basically, I'd love to just travel for a year or so. D could take care of the chickens and the cats, so it'd totally work out. I should definitely start a GoFundMe, right? Right??

No Polar Vortex Here

Our windows are open. While there are record cold and windchill temperatures in the north and northeast, it's 70 degrees here.

I keep looking across the street.

The house doesn't look any different, but it "feels" different.

Last Thursday, our 26-year-old neighbor, the one who brought us a bunch of goodies for the dog right after we adopted Shelby, and who had such an incredible story about her childhood adoption and reconnection with her birth mom as an adult, took her own life.

I saw her every day. She and her husband have several dogs, not all of whom can be walked together, so she usually made a couple of trips every morning and a couple in the afternoon.

I know she struggled with mental health. She wanted to have a positive outlook, but had also been through so much. I didn't know her very well, and we only spoke a few times in person and several times when I was still on Facebook, but I know two things about her: She loved her husband, and she loved animals.

I dated a guy once who had a lot of grief and anger about his own childhood. He was also disillusioned about how his adult life had turned out. Once, he told me, "I wish you were enough to combat all of that. But you're not enough. No one is enough."

And, of course, he didn't mean me. He meant his feelings for me, and the kind of hope caring about me gave him for the future.

Regardless, I feel for my neighbor, and hope he's not suffering from self-doubt, wondering too much why he couldn't be "enough." I wish I knew him well enough to extend that thought. Maybe someday.

Here's another thing: Panther Cat.

Panther Cat is what Mal calls the black cat who has been around since before we moved in.

Apparently, Panther Cat's mom was a stray around here. She had babies, and all of them died/disappeared except for this one. My neighbor said she wanted to keep the cat, but couldn't.

Still, Panther Cat was part of the family. As much time as he spent in our yard and fighting over our porch with Carol, when the dogs would go out for a walk, Panther Cat always followed them. You'd have thought he was on a lead.

Once, I saw him slow down in front of the biggest dog, who tripped over him, and neither snapped at the other. It was incredible.

I haven't seen Panther Cat since our neighbor passed. Maybe he was scared off by all of the activity. James said there were 4 sheriff's cars, a ladder truck, 2 EMTs, and some other vehicle with lights and sirens.

I can't think about any other possibility. But I hope he comes back soon.

Time Travel

Today at church, someone asked me what brought me to Austin.

Dang it, that's a tough question.

On the "blithe, breezy answer" side, there's that my sister's family was moving here, and the timing was right.

But, really, I wanted to be honest... without being *too* honest, if that's a thing.

So I said something like this: "Well, after I graduated college in Arkansas, I lived in Las Vegas for ten years then moved to North Texas. We lived in a small town, and were really invested in our community and church... then we got divorced, and I don't think anyone knew what to do with us. So I tried for a year and a half, but realized that we had to get out of there."

And when I said it, it seemed like it felt like a fresh wound, which it doesn't. I am not hurt or resentful about it, but still, when you put it out there like that, it comes out as new because they've never heard it before.

With hindsight, I can see so clearly exactly what God had in mind for the forced march, and it has all been in His perfect timing, including healing and blessing and the incredible life that is mine today.

Back then, I actually did understand what the people around me were trying to do, for the most part. I know I was loved. I know I was cared for. I know people were trying to save me from myself.

But, dammit, it hurt. It hurt a lot, and for a long time, and then I couldn't take it anymore.

I know a couple of people, at least, who feel responsible for my leaving town, but, really, it was just a giant burden of hurt and unease that was not remediable if we stayed in the same place with the same people who had the same world view and couldn't or wouldn't consider that a truth other than what they believed might exist.

However...

What I wish I had said Sunday, and wish everyone could know is this: The tailspin that was my life from 2010 until 2012 sent me in a direction I never would have gone on my own, but where I needed to be.

It hurt to lose friendships I thought were solid. It hurt to break fellowship with my church, where I'd served for six years. It hurt to lose the opportunities I had to write and create and do the things I thought God wanted me to do.

However, that total break from everything I knew and with which I was comfortable gave me room to look at things differently. I realized that I'd been mistaking church-related productivity and "good works" as a relationship with God. Then, even more importantly, I started realizing that I'd fallen into an easy agnosticism... with God.

What I mean is this: When D was approaching the teen years, I was thrown some really tough questions. At the time, I felt like the most honest answer about some of those difficult things was: "Any time we can't make sense of what God says or does, it's just because we are human and can't fathom his ways..."

D's refusal to hear that when faced with the death of Egyptian firstborn, instead angrily blinking away tears and declaiming that there was no excuse to kill children ever, stuck with me... well, until this day. It will forever.

It got me to asking myself more questions. It made me look for better answers. My immediate thought was, "Is the UN somehow more moral and ethical than the God that I serve?" The answer to that had to be "no," so what else was there?

I know that some people talk about how faith is a tension, but some things go beyond tension to being completely unable to coexist in one single paradigm, and breaking down what I knew of God, what the Bible said, what the function of the Holy Spirit was, how Jesus interacted with sinners, and what does that all mean for me, for my family, and for how I view the world and coming to the conclusions (some of which are still malleable) I reached would not have been possible within the faith framework constructed around me where I was at the time.

If you want specifics, feel free to reach out. I want to be respectful of everyone, and I don't have permission to tell other people's stories... just mine.

But suffice it to say that I have developed a deeper sense of empathy, am a better parent, am in a more ideal position to love my husband, and feel like I see my actual purpose now more than I ever have. I'm even okay with being patient until my little one is more independent and I have the freedom to step out in the ways I know I am supposed to. So I guess that's another benefit: patience.

So, yeah, the overt reason I moved to Austin was because the pressure of living my new life in an old space was too much... but the real reason was that God had a plan beyond and through my pain, and he's still leading me through it. It's beautiful. I wouldn't change a thing.

Review: Voodoo Doughnut V Austin

It's truly a shame that Voodoo Doughnut has been in Austin for nearly a year and I didn't make it over until yesterday. When we lived downtown, it would have been an easy (and dangerous!) jaunt that we probably would have made every month or so. Anyway, it was well overdue, and so we headed that way as soon as we were up and around.

6th Street Austin is very different at 8:30 AM on Saturday than it is during the weekdays or on weekend nights. Basically, it's dead. We could have parked right in front of the door but didn't because I didn't know this at the time and didn't feel like fighting for parking when the situation is what it is any other time, so I parked a couple of blocks away. Now I know, and now you know. Metered parking charges don't start until 11 AM, so as long as you're and and out by then, even if the storefront is full (as it was when we left a bit after 9), you can still park a few shops away and not pay.

The moon was out, even though the people weren't.

Actually, there *are* a few people out on the streets in downtown Austin at 8:30 on Saturday morning. They are: Fitness enthusiasts, homeless people (we've missed them since moving away), and other people going to Voodoo Donut.

Voodoo Donut started in Portland, Oregon, where there are now two outlets of the shop. There is another in Eugene, OR, and a fourth in Denver, Colorado. Austin is the fifth shop, and just so you know: all of them take cash only. There is a convenient (if spendy) ATM in the store, in case you forgot.

My first impression upon entering: This place is too cool and quirky for me to be allowed in. It's the kind of doughnut shop I'd like to be if I were a doughnut shop, but I'd probably only be like a Ken's Donuts or maybe a Donut Hole. Anyway, I was quickly put at ease by the number of families who were there getting their iced yeast bread fix. Again, I'm sure the clientele was totally different five hours before we got there, just after the bars closed. I'll bet those are some good times.

There are display carousels and menus around, in case you didn't memorize what you wanted before you got there. Each carousel has a shelf that is labeled vegan, so you know what to order if that's how you roll.

 

The vegan 'nuts

We ordered several we'd decided in advance we *had* to have. James: Voodoo (voodoo doll with a pretzel stake and chocolate icing, filled with raspberry jelly/blood), pothole (cream-filled bar, chocolate icing, crushed Oreos, and white icing "stripes" down the road), and bacon maple bar (just what it sounds like). Moi: mango tango (mango-filled, vanilla frosting, with Tang powder dusting the top) and Memphis Mafia (fried dough with bananas and cinnamon, topped with glaze, chocolate frosting, peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate chips... because I like to keep it subtle). Then we got a Voodoo for D and a plain chocolate doughnut for Mal.

I was not prepared for how big the Memphis Mafia was going to be. I took this as a comparison, but it was really about four times the size of the chocolate doughnut, if you add in the height and total spread. And the chocolate-iced doughnut isn't a mini, either.

After we sat down, I really looked around to appreciate the fun decor of the place. I especially liked their simulated trees with signature doughnuts adorning the limbs.

Another fun thing is the chalkboard paint in the stalls of the restroom. Kept my little 'un busy whilst I conducted some business. (This isn't what he drew, but I'm sure he was feelin' it.)

The doughnuts were excellent. I mean, doughnut dough should be doughnut dough, but it's tastier some places than others (like Round Rock Donuts has it down with their egg yolk base, whereas Krispy Kreme, though fine, is just like puffy air coated with different toppings or pumped with fillings, and it doesn't really taste like you've eaten anything other than sugary air). And some places must not fry their doughnuts in hot enough oil because they're greasy (not mentioning any names) or the opposite of Krispy Kreme, where they're so dense (not in a good cake donut way, but like a day-old smooshed donut that used to be maybe good), they're easy to dismiss as "not real food."

The doughnuts here are a good bread product by themselves. I'd eat one that wasn't iced or glazed. It is a yeasty, light (but not too airy) yellowish fried bread. They don't feel greasy (though our take-home box attests to some oil now that it's Day Two), and they don't taste heavy. And the icings and toppings don't seem to have been mass-produced three years ago, nor do they dry to a crunch on the top of the doughnuts.

I'd have taken one of each from this shelf, if I only had a week to live, anyway.

We have to go back! There are several more that I really want to try. One they have advertised in the store, but not their website: the viscous hibiscus, which has hibiscus frosting and is half-dipped in chocolate sprinkles. But I also want to sample the glazed buttermilk bar and the grape ape (vanilla frosting, grape "dust," and lavender sprinkles.)

That's one more thing: Thinking to use instant beverage powder (Tang, tea, lemonade, and grape, from what I can tell) is a stroke of genius that is so simple, I can't believe it wasn't utilized earlier. 

So, go ahead, even if you can't drive to downtown Austin at the moment (or Portland, Eugene, or Denver), look over here at their menu and see if you can't whip up the inspiration to do it soon! You'll be glad that you did.

The Austin Voodoo Donut is open 24 hours, and you can even get married there, if you really want do. Details on the website.

Weird Weather and Words

The other day, Mal and I went to the park, both wearing shorts and t-shirts. The day before had been delightfully chilly, and I was so disappointed that this day was muggy and in the mid- to high-70s already at like 8:00 AM. Apparently, this is an austin thing, which I forget each year, but noticed in my "Facebook Memories" today I was complaining about two years ago. It gets chilly, happiness mounts as I get to enjoy leggings and sweaters, and then... well, someone asked if it were "Indian summer" (is that offensive? I don't know the origin) but I think a more accurate assessment would be that the cooler days are a fake-fall, which we don't actually have here.

Also, another little boy and his mom came to the park while we were there, and he was wearing long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a Captain America hoodie which was zipped all the way up. I'd have been crying in protest if it were me. People dress weirdly here. The day before? Nice and chill; it would have been appropriate. This day? Way to give your kid heat stroke.

Another thing is that the temperature doesn't follow a "cooler when it's dark, hotter during the daytime" pattern this time of year. The high might be at 9:30 AM, then it dives and is 20 degrees cooler at 3:00 PM.

Alternately, I might get up and put on sweats and a long-sleeved shirt, only to have to change into shorts and a tank top in the afternoon, then back into long pants at night.

This morning when Mal and I went on a short jaunt around the complex, it was 58 degrees, and about half of the air conditioners were on. I don't understand why people don't open their windows. I've looked literally every time we've ever been outside and have only ever seen one set of windows (like a double window in one apartment) cracked open at all. It was VERY cool inside our apartment when we woke up this morning; 67, I believe. It got cooler when I opened the windows more. I don't think it ever got above 70 in here. If I had to work, I'd still leave the windows partially opened. I guess I'm just cheap that way.

To change the subject completely: All of those words I reported Mal using a month and a half ago? He's stopped. He rarely (but will a bit) says "Dada." The only other thing he says, and he says it ALL OF THE TIME FOR EVERYTHING, is "ba-hum." It means "help," "I want that," "no, seriously, help," and, of course, "nursies." The thing is, he understands A LOT. Like everything, almost.

We have this joke now when he climbs into my lap and wants to nurse. He'll say, "Ba-hum" and I'll say, "Nursies." He'll usually smack my chest and say, "Ba-hum!" So I'll correct him: "Nursies." Then he laughs or screams like it's the biggest joke, and it makes me laugh.

There have been a couple of times I've asked him to pick up and item and bring it to me, and he's done it. He knows exactly what "vitamin" means, and "bath." When we ask him if he wants to go outside, take a walk, ride his bike, etc. he knows what's going on. He sticks his tongue out on the page in a book where a kid is doing that. He waits for me to give him a kiss on the page in another book where that happens. He gets things.

The other day, I asked him if I could clip his nails. He walked over to get his grooming kit, opened it up, and... took off with the clippers so I couldn't. He gets things!

But it's like he's given up on trying to talk. He vocalizes almost constantly. But he isn't trying to make words, so... that's interesting.

Eating in Oak Hill, Austin

Last Update: October 24, 2015
Update Details: Added a review of Milano Cafe

I just looked up "Oak Hill" on a map. This is it:

As you can see, our apartment complex is near the west edge, and we're about a mile west of any restaurants.

When we moved, I asked on our community's website for some local restaurant recommendations. Many gave me tips about placed to eat in Bee Cave. Most of those were in the Hill Country Galleria area.

Ehh, that's not really our speed. Hill Country Galleria is a fancy schmancy outdoor "mall" and it's not the kind of thing we seek out. We like local, and when I asked for nearby recommendations, I knew we'd have to drive, but I was still thinking "In the general neighborhood.

So, since we were unable to find much help beyond searching Google Maps and then cross-referencing Yelp reviews, I decided to make it our mission to eat at every Oak Hill eatery and report back to you!

There are quite a few national chains around here, and I won't comment on them unless there is something spectacularly good or bad about them. Otherwise, assume that Whataburger is Whataburger and Domino's is Domino's (although they were very nice and brought my pizzas out to me the other day, since I had the baby in the back seat and it would have been a pain in the rear to get him out just to pick up three pizzas... and how would I have carried all of those back at the same time, anyway?!).

I'm going to list all of the restaurants I've been able to find, and then whether or not we've eaten there yet. James and I will review the places we've been as time permits, but just know that so far, we've not had any "Yuck! Never again!" experiences. Which is pretty exciting!

Southwest Parkway - 

Milano Cafe - 4601 Southwest Parkway. Tucked in between a liquor store and a Subway, this Sicilian restaurant is welcoming and surprisingly spacious, with interesting (if minimalistic) design quirks. We, of course, brought our baby and, while the restaurant is very nice, we felt welcomed and comfortable. The owner and his son spoke with us about kids, and the boy really loved my pasta.

I had the Tortellini Piementosa: shrimp, sun-dried cherries, sun-dried currants, capers, cranberries and fresh seasonal berries in a light creamy mint and pesto sauce. Actually, the "light" part kind of makes me laugh because it wasn't heavy, but I'm pretty sure it was basically butter with mint and pesto. It was delicious.

Neither my husband or I got appetizers, but the entrees came with a small salad. We were able to eat both of our meals in their entirety (sharing a bit with the kiddo) and didn't feel overstuffed or sluggish afterwards. The ingredients were fresh, the presentation was delightful, and the whole experience was great. Can't wait to go back.

Price for both of us, no drinks, was around $50 with the tip.

Highway 71/290 - 

Donut Tacos Palace - 5446 W. US Highway 290 Service Road.
The menu indicates that the "donut taco" is a new item. Although the sign doesn't look *too* new, I can't help but wonder whether they created it because people made a joke about the name and asked why they didn't have any donut tacos. Even if it were just separate doughnuts and tacos, this place would be perfect for my family. I love some doughnuts, but my husband and daughter like their protein, so here is the best of both worlds.

They have lots of doughnuts. Lots and lots. Variations on the same themes, a lot, but also a huge variety of actually-different-tasting doughnuts. A good selection of cake and yeast. Plus, they'll custom-make hand-shaped doughnuts (but I doubt they'd do the ones my husband thought would be funny to serve at our boy's birthday party). They had Longhorn and #1 shapes available, and there are pictures of the "ILY" hand shape.

Lots of savory options, too. Typical doughnut house kolache with sausage, cheese, jalapeno; cheese and strawberry cheese kolache; and croissant sandwiches and sausage rolls. Their online menu shows sweet croissant options, but these might have to be specially-ordered or might just be at a different location because they didn't have any here.

This line? It took them about three minutes to handle all of the people, all the way to the door. They know what they're doing.

Maple bacon yeast doughnut.

Bacon, egg, and cheese donut taco. This was the most expensive thing we got; it's $4. My husband said it was really good, but probably worth closer to $2.50. (He doesn't remember the prices at Gourdough's Public House. You put a doughnut somewhere people don't expect it, and it increases in value by at least 50%!)

Strawberry cheese kolache. The bread was yeasty and light. Very tasty!

James got the maple nut without realizing it was a cake doughnut. Although he likes cake doughnuts, he said he wished he'd tried a yeast (I guess I forgot to share a bite with him?) until he actually got into it and said that it was like coffee cake and he loved it!

I didn't see these until later, when my son went to smear his face all over the glass. Don't be a sucker like us and get plain doughnut holes! They have FILLED doughnut holes!

Very festive decor for our August 29 visit.

Final take: Everything was very good. Our total bill was just under $11 for: donut taco, maple nut cake, maple bacon yeast, half dozen doughnut holes, sausage croissant, strawberry cheese kolache. At $4, the taco was the most expensive thing by a couple of bucks. The regular breakfast tacos are closer to $2-$2.50.

I can see us returning here an awful lot.

Taquiera Chapala - 6116 W. US Highway 290 Service Road. TBV. (But we've eaten at the other one on South Congress and it's solid, affordable "neighborhood" Mexican food.)

Sesame Hill - 6156 W. US Highway 290 Service Road. TBV, maybe. They deliver. We've ordered from them and it was a good value and what you'd expect from Chinese take-out. More details to come.

Austin Pizza Garden - 6266 Highway 290. New York-style pizza in a historical building. More details to come.

Oak Hill Centre, at the corner of 290 and William Cannon, 6705 Highway 290.
Via 313 - Detroit-style pizza (cheese on bottom, sauce on top). More details to come.
Chen Z Noodle House - TBV.

Donut Hole - 6863 W. Highway 290. Doughnuts, kolache, coffee, and murals. More details to come.

Center of the Hills, on the north side of the "y," 7010 Texas 71.
Thai Taste - Thai food. Yelp users cannot agree on this place. It's great. It's gross. Who knows? One thing that came up was that this place is pretty utilitarian. Whatever. Actually, the interior reminded me a lot of Heche en Mexico (see below) in terms of concrete flooring, muted colors on the walls, and minimal "flair." I'm not sure why that matters, but if you're expecting zen rock gardens and fountains or things of that nature, maybe go somewhere else? But if you want really good food (at least in our experience), you should check this place out.

We went at lunch. I recommend lunch! Their special is right at eight bucks per person. After I ordered my beef pad thai, the waitress asked me if I wanted soup or salad. I said, "No, thanks," then she asked, "Do you want an extra eggroll then?" I guess my husband saw my confusion and said, "It comes with the meal." So I followed his lead and ordered the coconut chicken soup.

So, to be clear, the $8 lunch comes with either soup or salad and an eggroll. Another Yelp thing is that the eggrolls are pretty much the same ones you can buy at Costco, which is true. But I don't have a deep-fryer, so I can't cook them up exactly the same. Anyway, the other food more than made up for a "fast food" eggroll!

Coconut chicken soup. Mildly coconutty. Light and refreshing, with mushrooms and green onions.

My beef pad thai.

James' pad cashew with tofu and brown rice.

The portions aren't outrageous, but we both brought a bit home. They have some desserts that look fun, but I'd have to be hungrier to try them. And then, which would I pick? Thai pancakes? Sticky rice with mango? Fried banana?

Whatever the shopping center is called, on the south side of the "y,' 7101 Texas 71.
Jim's Restaurant - Okay, it's a chain, but only in San Antonio and here. Diner food. Great family place. Breakfast all day. More details to come.
Tucci's SouthSide Subs - TBV.
Verona Ristorante Italiano - TBV. Soon, hopefully. Honey?

Donn's Texas BBQ - 7001 Oak Meadow Drive, just behind Planet Fitness and Goodwill in the above-referenced shopping center. Barbecue. Order at the counter, eat it at family-style picnic tables. Good stuff. More details to come.

Delaware Sub Shop - 7212 Texas 71. Usually has a coupon in Community Impact newspaper. TBV.

Jack Allen's Kitchen - 7720 Texas 71. Upscale American southwest food, locally sourced. Amazing happy hour from 4-7 during the week with half price appetizers, but their appetizers are not just fried stuff. Spinach gorgonzola ravioli, anyone? Indoor and outdoor seating, beautiful view with fans and even misters. More details to come.

Sundance BBQ - Thomas Springs and Circle, a food truck midway between 290 and 71. My son and I were on our way to the zoo the other day when we passed this trailer that said "Brisket Tacos" on the front.

I made a mental note to come back by on the way home. I was glad that I did! I went simple and just got a brisket taco... he has red onions and pickles, but I don't like pickles, so just went the onion route. And barbecue sauce.

Then, it was torture. My son had fallen asleep in the van, so I had to bring the tacos home to eat. Which means I had to smell them in the car. At the intersection of Thomas Springs and 71, I was about to faint from the delicious, enticing, smokey aroma, so I unwrapped one of the tacos... and the light turned green!

Finally, I got home and my child woke up, so I had to make sure he was back to sleep before I could eat. He fell asleep on my skirt, so THEN I had to spend about ten minutes slowly extricating myself. THEN I finally got to try the still-warm (wrapped in foil) taco.

Oh my. The barbecue sauce was perfect: not at all sweet, with a tiny kick, and not too much of it. The meat was almost chipped, very buttery soft, and delivered on all of the smokey flavor that the smell had promised. I'd bought one of these for me and one for my daughter, who was sleeping when I finished mine. I almost ate hers, but decided that would be cruel and unusual punishment.

I liked these so much that the next morning, I took my husband for breakfast. That's when I found out that they serve breakfast all day. In addition to the menu above, they have: bacon, egg and cheese - $3; add sausage - $4; add brisket (The Beast) - $5.

My husband said that The Beast was "pretty spectacular." I got another brisket taco and it was just as delicious the second time. Swing by this truck! He's there from 8 AM until 4 PM every day but Sunday.

William Cannon west of Mopac -

North side -

Yaghi's New York Pizzeria - 4220 W. Wm. Cannon. TBV.

P. Terry's Burger Stand - 4228 W. Wm. Cannon. This isn't McDonald's so don't expect it to be very fast! Excellent burgers, chicken sandwiches, and veggie burgers. You can also get fries, a shake, and an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but that's all they make here (unless you come for breakfast, when they add an egg burger, "breakfast potatoes," and banana bread)! They make it fresh when you order, so even in the drive-through, you're going to have to wait for a while. Nothing is ever frozen, and they cut their own potatoes every day. Everything is delicious, and the fries are enough for two people. Or one really enthusiastic (and hungry) fry fan. A combo meal will set you back about $7, and the sandwiches alone are $4, or in the $2.50 range for a single patty with or without cheese.

Wholy Bagel - 4404 W. Wm. Cannon. Bagels made from scratch, breakfast and lunch offerings, desserts and pastries. TBV.

D'Lites of Austin - 4404 W. Wm. Cannon. I know I said "no national chains," but this is pretty special. It's an ice cream shop and bakery and grocer specializing in "diet" items: low carb, gluten free, low sugar, etc. Every day they have a special (free sprinkles, buy two/get one free take-homes, etc.) and their website lists which ice cream flavors will be available on any given day. TBV.

Cypress Grill - 4404 W. Wm. Cannon. Louisiana cafe. Also typically has a coupon in the Community Impact paper. Live music on Thursdays and New Orleans brunch on weekends. TBV.

Yanagi Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar - (warning: their website has music!) 4404 W. Wm. Cannon. I've only had the sushi and the avocado bomb, so we'll have to go and try their food food, too. Sushi is really good; several fairly original offerings. More details to come.

South side - 

Mandola's Italian Market - 4301 W. Wm. Cannon. Italian food and grocery. TBV.

Torchy's Tacos - 4301 W. Wm. Cannon. A veritable Austin institution, known for "Damn Good" Mexican street food. We have eaten at the Guadalupe location and the trailer on South First, but this one is TBV. Breakfast burritos are great. Apparently they're in Colorado now, too, so it's sort of national, but it started here! More details to come.

Kerbey Lane Cafe - 4301 W. Wm. Cannon. Another Austin institution. This is a sort of upscale diner with seasonal features and local artists' work for sale displayed on their walls. Great family place. The service staff is friendly and accommodating. I usually order from the seasonal menu because I hate to feel I might have missed out on something awesome. More details to come.

Flores Mexican Restaurant - 4625 W. Wm. Cannon. Pretty big Tex-Mex restaurant, one of four in the area. Hey, parents! There is a (n outdoor) playground here! TBV.

Hecho En Mexico - 6001 W. Wm. Cannon (southeast corner of Escarpment and Wm. Cannon). Small cantina serving contemporary interior cooking. This seems like the real deal, and a nice break from the chain-y Tex-Mex offerings all over the place around here. Lunch is typically under $10 and dinner is in the $10-15 neighborhood. Service feels really personal. More details to come.



Okay, have I missed any? I realize that there is a "cafe" (where everything is nuked) on the 9th floor of ACC's Pinnacle campus, then of course there are the McDonald's, Jersey Mike's, etc. but we don't need to go into all of that, right? If I've overlooked any Oak Hill restaurants, let me know!

James and I will update this page periodically, noting at the top when and what updates were made. If you have an opinion (especially if it differs from ours), let us know!