Weekend Plug: Love Shack Burgers

Oh Ft. Worth, why did it take me 13 years of living in Texas to visit you? Dallas had all my love until I arrived on your doorstep Friday night.

This Weekend Plug is not about the museums I visited, not the WWII airplane flight I set-up for my my husband, nor is it about the historic Stockyards and twice daily cattle drive down the middle of the street. (Every time the longhorns tilted their heads towards numerous parked cars, there was an audible gasp that would arise from the gathered crowd. I wasn't the only one hoping the big cows wouldn't scratch up someone's paint job!) No, this plug is all about Love Shack Burgers. I wouldn't have given much thought to this restaurant hidden between two buildings if I hadn't first heard about them on one of our family-favorite shows, The Daytripper. Thanks for the tip Chet!

First of all, it's a cash-only joint. Don't stand in line ordering like we did without cash in hand first. There's an ATM on the sidewalk right next door, so you won't have to travel far to get a fistful of green. My husband ordered the "Dirty Love Burger", and said, "I would have never thought to put an egg, a quail egg, on a burger. Wow, was that good!" I ordered the "Boom Boom", but made the mistake of thinking the battered portobello mushroom would be on top of my burger. No, it's just a giant mushroom with all the fixin's. So if you want meat (umm, hello, you're at a BURGER joint!), then ask for a "Boom Boom Double." I've had plenty of mushroom topped burgers in my day, but this was extraordinary and my petite self ate every bite.

Live music on the stage, picnic tables covered with signatures from across the globe, stray kittens at your feet, Love Shack Burgers run by Chef Tim Love is a place that needs to be replicated here in Austin or I'll be putting a lot of miles on my car traveling to Ft. Worth for a burger.

Weekend Plug: The Diva's Closet

I'm not your typical female that revels in outings to the mall to spend a day aimlessly wandering through racks of clothing and shoes. I shop with a purpose. Grocery store shopping is a necessity to feed. Mall shopping serves no purpose for me, so as you can imagine my walk-in closet with numerous built-in shelves is pretty bare.

Step back a few weeks ago to the surprise party I was throwing for my husband's birthday. All the plans were in place: venue, food, friends, and family. What to wear? Leave it to me to shop the day of the party. I had driven past The Diva's Closet many times on my purpose-filled trips to the grocery store. With fingers crossed, I walked in hoping for a painless experience.

The store can be overwhelming upon entering because you don't know where to start. The stuffed racks are maybe a little too stuffed aiding to the shopping anxiety of trying to find the perfect outfit. Once I threw some muscle behind shoving hangers from one side to the other, I had a rhythm. At the end of my, "oh my gawd I have 3 hours until the party and I have nothing to wear" panic episode, I was standing in the dressing room with 2 outfits that I couldn't decide on. That never happens to me.

Because they are a consignment shop, the inventory is always changing. The good news is, it's a high-end consignment shop. You won't find faded t-shirts from company retreats or questionable stains on sweaters. We're talking Louis Vuitton handbags, BCBG jackets, Chanel shoes and so much more. Go shop. And let me come with you.

Weekend Plug: Galaxy Theater

I can't even put into words how excited I am that we have a new movie theater near us. Our previous options were driving to Lakeline Mall (ick), or over to the Alamo Drafthouse, eh, it's ok. Enter Moviehouse & Eatery, Galaxy at the Trails. We bought tickets for 007's latest flick, Skyfall, and sunk into cozy, oversize seats. We would have checked out the upscale bar area if we had more time, so that's on the "to do" list for our next outing. My only complaint: the all male staff we encountered at not just the ticket counter, but also in the lobby, only addressed my husband. "Thank you sir, you'll be in theater 4," "right this way sir, here's your ticket", and upon leaving, "how did you like the movie sir?" I felt invisible which doesn't make for an entirely good first impression, but given my other theater options, I'll be back to give them another chance.

Weekend Plug: Wimberley

I have now been to Wimberley, Texas exactly twice. It's a cute little town that is a b**** to get to from my part of Austin. I'm a highway/freeway kinda girl, and the GPS loves taking me down unknown ranch roads despite stabbing the "maximize freeways" button a couple hundred times.

Visit:

1. Wimberley Market Days. They occur on the first Saturday of each month, March - December. Admission is free, parking is between $3-$5 depending on how far away you want to walk. Tip: bring a rolling cart if you plan to shop a lot otherwise if you have many items, it's a minimum $7 donation for the Lions Club to haul it all to your vehicle.
2. Mount Baldy (Prayer Mountain) Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, it's a little tricky to find. There are no signs pointing the way, you either know how to get there or you don't. Overlooking the city, it's a great place to take photos. Tip: It's a long, steep climb up the 200+ steps so comfortable shoes are a must. Nerves of steel also needed because the only "handrail" is a piece of wire.

Eat:

1. The Old Mill Store. Their website doesn't mention it, but they have a sandwich counter at the back of the store where they make homemade deli sandwiches and offer Blue Bell ice cream alongside Fredericksburg fudge. Tip: check the bulletin board next to the tables (there's only 3), for posters and announcements of more "to do" in Wimberley.
2. Sugar Shack Bakery. Needing a chocolate fix, I found them through Urbanspoon, and what a great find that turned out to be. We ordered one chocolate truffle cupcake and one chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing for just $5. Tip: they offered to warm up our cupcakes. Delish! (ps. their website does not appear to be updated with these flavors so you may want to call ahead to ask about their flavor offerings.)
3. Wimberley Pie Co. With 19 pie flavors to choose from, it was hard to decide what pies I wanted to try. I picked up an apple and a chocolate pecan to take to a potluck, and they were both a huge hit. Tip: it's a very narrow store, so visit their website for the flavor list ahead of time to expedite your walk along the case as you make your way to the register to order.

Skip:

Wimberley Cafe. Maybe they were having an off day, and if they were it was a really off day. Slow to no service, a host that was cursing at the staff (with plenty of children around), and food that arrived 45 minutes after ordering was cold were just a few of the issues we had. One visit there was one too many for me. Only perk: Free wi-fi, which helped kill the time while we waited for our lunch.

Weekend Plug: Wendy's DIY Salad

(Sorry, I need to get better at not only starting the "Weekend Plug" on the weekend, but also posting it then too.)  And today I bring you...salad dressing! I absolutely love, love, love Cardini's Raspberry Pomegranate salad dressing. This coming from a person that doesn't like raspberries, nor pomegranates on their own. I'm a huge fan of the Wendy's Apple Pecan Chicken Salad and the pomegranate dressing that it's served with, and in an effort to save time from driving across the interstate, and money, I sought out a dressing that was as close as I could get to the Marzetti dressing at Wendy's. All the other ingredients are easy to replicate: apples, pecans, grilled chicken, your choice of greens, and some bleu cheese crumbles. Delicious! Don't be fooled and buy the Annie's Organic Pomegranate dressing by mistake. It's not good. At. All. Happy salad eating!

Weekend Plug: Hopdoddy Burger Bar

So as you know, I was feeling a bit under the weather to get around to doing my weekend plug. Better late then never!

You're in Austin and looking for something different to eat. Something casual, something kid-friendly yet offers adult beverages, and in this economy, something that won't break the bank. Good luck, right? Welcome to Hopdoddy Burger Bar. I've been just twice, once with family and once with co-workers, and on both occasions, I was impressed. Their Magic Shroom burger with goat cheese, field mushrooms and basil pesto makes my mouth do the happy dance. Order two of the Mexican Vanilla milkshakes - one for the kiddies and one for you to make it "grown-up" by having alcohol added. Service is superb. They are earth-friendly without being snobby. They are hip without being pretentious. They are the essence of Austin. (And I'd love it if they sent me one of their t-shirts.)

Weekend Plug: Alice

A website I discovered over a year ago, can save you trips to the grocery store, but you do need to plan ahead just a bit. Or in my case, I'm also sick with strep throat and the thought of leaving the house just to buy cat litter is not gonna happen. The cat can make do for 2 days while I pop online to order the litter, and wait for Mr. Brown Shorts to deliver it.

The site I'm talking about is Alice. I really have no recollection of how I ever came to create an account and shop here, but it's perfect for those plan ahead types like myself. No need to clip coupons - they do it for you. No need to find a code for a shipping discount - it's always free.  I just wonder if it's Alice from the Brady Bunch running the site...that would be as cool as the box that your groceries arrive in.

Weekend Plug: Daiquiris

Free product endorsement? Sure why not! Welcome to the "Weekend Plug". Today's post is brought to you by a product that I stumbled on while in an allergy drug induced trip to the grocery store for essentials. You know, bread, milk, haircolor...I could not focus at all in the store. I had a list and a fistful of coupons, and yet managed to come home with said coupons still clenched in my hand, and half of the list not crossed off. I think we're surviving on a bag of green apples and one sweet potato this week.

I tossed a pizza in the cart for dinner knowing I was completely incapable of preparing anything more complicated with my runny Rudolph nose and eyes so bloodshot, I looked like I hadn't slept for a week. That apparently was also too difficult since it was in the oven for 20 min. and the middle was still cold. I digress... Anywho, around the corner of the freezer case were individual frozen pouches of pre-made cocktails. Namely, margaritas and strawberry daiquiris. The pouch even said, "The alcohol is in it!" How convenient. I will lie on the couch with my box of kleenex, cat napping on my toes, while eating half-cooked pizza and drinking a strawberry daiquiri that I don't have to drag out a blender to make. It even said I could drink it straight from the pouch. I'm not that lazy (ok, I did briefly consider it after hubby offered a straw). I found them at Wal-Mart for $1.97/pouch. Check them out here.