Fried Green

My new happy place. Around the corner (S First and Live Oak) and boy oh boy are they good. Though hours of operation are erratic. After swinging by a shuttered trailer more than once, I asked the (very cute) guy about his hours. He was sheepish - said 11-2 and 5-8 - and then he explained how sometimes he closes it down if its too slow. Why isn't everyone lining up for his fried green tomatoes? They are the best I've had. And the grilled sandwich/wrap place next door is also pretty incredible (I was sitting in front of it waiting for mine to go when I snapped this).

Snowball

I've been knitting fiendishly which I'm sure explains why this particular merchandising vignette caught my eye. Still, I thought it was festive and creative. Let the holiday season begin!

Charmed

The magic of a nighttime taco at the Trailer Park Eatery never gets old.

Cowboy

A slice of life from the overwhelmingly massive and sprawling East Austin Studio Tour. I'm pretty sure this cowboy is also the artist in his studio. I'll be back at it tomorrow. Impossible to see everything, you can only hope to get a good glimpse.

Eastside

I'm trying to figure out why this photograph speaks to me. I think it's the Fall light. The sky of course. The idea that the elements in and of themselves are nondescript and generally ratty, but somehow work as a whole. And the notion that barely a few yards to the west is I-35 and then downtown Austin, and just behind me is a hipster strip of cafes and creative small businesses. You'd never guess it.

Park

Fun with parking structures.

Happy Hour

La Condesa has one of the best. Lots of amazing bites and tastes and even steak and plantain frites. Half price cocktails and their margarita is the best I've had. Ever.

They also won the 2009 AIA Restaurant Design People's Choice Award. Grainy iPhone adds a certain charm.

Exclusively

I'm not sure if the bats are just an Austin thing - you know, the whole bat/Austin connection. Or if there are sour bats at Whole Foods around the country in honor of Halloween. If it's the latter, I hope you will go get yourself some pronto. They are not to be missed.

Moonlight Tower

I learn the coolest details about whatever new city I'm living in when Mom comes to visit. Austin was no exception - constant mumblings and requests to find one of the 17 remaining Moonlight Towers - the only ones in the country still functioning. I had never heard of them. 

Mom, you'll be annoyed to hear that we drove past this one on S 1st and Monroe multiple times a day, just blocks from my house. Oops! They are amazingly beautiful structures, even moreso at night when all lit up. More to come on Moonlight Towers in the moonlight. 

Watering Holes

Hamilton Pool.

Angel's - poker night.

Al Fresco

The heat is behind us, for now, and it's a treat to eat outdoors again. An even bigger treat to be eating a Torchy's Taco.

Sugar Mama!

This post was just a matter of time. Among the Things Ibby Likes best: cupcakes. Sugar Mama's reign supreme.

I'm eating, I'm eating! Given they are just a few blocks from my house, it's a small miracle I haven't turned into a cupcake.

Trash or Treasure

Another booth at the Warrenton Antiques extravaganza. I think I'm still amazed, overwhelmed and perplexed by the volume of stuff.

Grindstone

Not everyone was ACL-ing this weekend. Progress at Progress.

Catfish

I saw Catfish (the documentary) the other day and it made me think of all sorts of ideas and themes that are related to a story I'm working on. So I took a short drive to find me some nature, clear my head and think more about it.

And look what I found! Hamilton Pool was full of catfish swirling around. I'll take it as a sign to keep working on my story.

Overcome

A rare morning when iPhone came along on my run. From the Pfluger pedestrian/bike bridge.

Coolhaus!

I took the long way home from dinner (Uchiko, yum) hoping just maybe the tiny truck would be parked in its sometimes spot near the firehouse on South Congress. And voila!

Homemade ice cream + homemade cookies. I got the dirty mint in chocolate cookies. Next time I'll get lemon in ginger cookies. The sandwiches are huge so most of mine is sitting in my freezer.

Look out for them in LA and NYC! You can follow them on Twitter if you prefer a sure thing vs driving around aimlessly looking for them like I do.

Gully Cat

I'm not in the market for a tattoo, but if I were it'd be lucky for me that I live two blocks from one of Austin's tattoo hotspots. There are about 100* tattoo joints within a 4 block radius. They seem so cozy and charming compared to tattoo destinations I've seen in other cities.

*Not really 100.

More on Fried Pie

The concept was a new one to me - until I remembered my last McDonald's cherry pie which was maybe 25+ years ago (crap I'm old). I had my first adult taste at Perla's - a fancy blackberry version with homemade vanilla ice cream and a candied rosemary sprig on top*.

Then, the very next day while trolling Round Top:

Of course I had to try! They were all out of pineapple. So apricot it was. And then peach*. I went from zero to three fried pies in a matter of 24 hours. Impressive, even for me.

*If I were worth my salt as a blogger, there'd be photos of all fried pie examples. Oh well - stay tuned I guess.

Collectibles

It's fascinating to see what people collect. Jars and jars of vintage swizzle sticks (the NYTimes Style section just did a bit on those...), belt buckles, mounds of ratty looking fabric (all I see are bed bugs). Doll parts, of course.

I get the appeal of some of it - these sturdy old tools are handsome and great to hold.

Carnage

More from Warrenton, TX.

Heady

Ghoulish and surreal. This is at the mind-bogglingly massive "Antique Weekend" (which goes on for almost two weeks) in Warrenton and Round Top, TX. Literally miles of tents and vendors from all over the country. A treasure trove, but not for the meek or faint of heart. 

Tangy Spicy

These are more about assembly than cooking - you toss Chinese noodles and scallions with soy sauce, sesame and chili oils, balsamic vinegar + sugar and salt. But they're pretty and tasty (better on day 2) and I like knowing they're in the fridge for when I need a quick snack.

I Heart Cobbler

This one is made with fresh local peaches from the farmers market. That's a simple cream biscuit recipe on top. The secret is lemon juice + zest and a little almond extract. And of course served with fresh whipped cream!

 I thought it was yummy, but I was most pleased when a dear southern friend (he says things like "my rig" and "two shakes"), a cook and an authority on peach cobblers, said it was "pretty darn good." That is, for a yankee like me.

Spruced

Here's a glimpse into some fabric selecting I've been doing to breathe new life into some chairs. Clearly, still in the brainstorming, collecting phase -

This last photo is taken at Spruce, one of my favorite places in Austin. It is the most elegant, well-edited upholstery fabric store I've ever been to. Not a single ugly thing and the owners are incredibly friendly, helpful and also very talented and inspired upholsterers. I love checking out whatever's on the floor for new ideas:

Their upholstery class is on my to-do list so I too can create such coolness.

Pint Sized

Cute enough little outfit. But it's for an 18 month old! Over the top, 3.1 Phillip Lim. Love it.

I was in the process of taking another photo to better show scale when I got scolded about the no photography rule.

Dream

We stopped by The Rug Company in Soho. Poor lighting and iPhone get most of the credit, but I love the dreamy look of these photos.

The rugs are gorgeous, except our sales woman kept saying everything was a Kelly Wearstler when it wasn't.

Trance

Miranda Dodson at ND@501 Studios. She's all rock n roll with a voice that transcends.

Garden Beds

Someone is quite the literalist.

Irony

Jewel box houses, meticulously built from 100% salvaged materials, cunningly efficient and elegant. As "green" as it gets.

http://www.tinytexashouses.com/