Union Park

Perfect spring weather means spending as much time outside as possible.  Tons of restaurants and bars in Austin have outdoor patios, put them to use!  Union Park downtown has a great rooftop deck.. very relaxing, and as you can see not very crowded during the day. 

Jasper's

We had to try Jasper's in the Domain after seeing their $5 drinks and edibles menu (available all day every day in their bar & patio area).  These are quality drinks, and very tasty appetizers.  It's a great way to try this place out without breaking the bank.  Above is the Dirty Blue martini, below are the prime rib carne guisada flautas. 

This pizza (thick crust tomato mozzarella with veggie sausage) was just great.  I liked it that the crust remained light all the way to the edge, instead of becoming too chewy at the edges the way some crusts can get. 

The tortilla soup wasn't on the $5 menu, but it was only $6 and I love tortilla soup.  This one did not disappoint.  Very flavorful and with a good kick to it. 

House cut french fries, also from the regular menu, were just right.  Hot, crispy, salted.  And such a large portion! 

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Orange Cup

As you've probably noticed, frozen yogurt places are popping up all over Austin.  Our favorites are the self-serve spots, but we had to try Orange Cup since they're apparently super super healthy.  Froyo taken to a whole new level of self-satisfaction!  Orange Cup is located in The Domain, which really reminds me of L.A. because of the sheer number of upscale shops.  Well, there is that awesome new Forever 21 store.. like an oasis in the desert.  Anyway, back to the froyo.  This yogurt tasted more yogurt-y than other froyo does, if that makes sense.  It tasted healthier and not quite as sweet.  You have a few flavors to pick from, and then all healthy fruit or nut topping choices (with the exception of chocolate, but it's dark chocolate, so still sort of healthy).  

Below is acaiberry yogurt with strawberry, blueberry & pomegranate toppings.

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More Dining Deals...

In my previous post about dining deals for 2010 I completely left out some great websites.

Frugal Feaster has long lists of restaurants that have 1/2 price happy hour appetizers.  You can also see which restaurants have deals every day of the week.

Localiter works like Groupon-- they offer one deal on Austin dining or services every day.  You must purchase the deal on the day it's offered, but don't worry, you have a while to use it before it expires. I sometimes have problems accessing this website.. but maybe that's just me.

The Lunch Deal is another Austin website that offers dining deals only.  Two deals per day.

The Belmont

The Belmont is one of our favorite places in Austin.  Great outdoor patio with free movies in the summer, live music, strong margaritas, and the interior makes you feel like you're in a gangster movie.

The food and drinks can be a bit pricey but luckily there are great happy hour specials: half priced appetizers and cocktails.  These happy hour cocktails were $5 each. 

Click on to see the food...

Corazon at Castle Hill

The interior of this restaurant is just beautiful. Cozy, warm colors.. artwork.. you forget that you're just off a busy street in downtown. We started off with butternut squash soup and posole, both $3.95. Sometimes butternut squash soup can be too boring; this one was not. Even the presentation was exciting.

Pictured below are roasted chicken enchiladas suizas. ($14.95) They are drenched in a sauce made from swiss cheese and sour cream, so needless to say they were very rich and delicious. I ended up taking half of this entree home so I could fit in dessert.

This next entree was an interesting experiment, we had never heard anything like it before: potato-corn sope with wild mushrooms in chile verde sauce. ($11.95) Confused? We were too. Confusing or not, this was excellent.

The desserts sounded so delicious and the prices were so reasonable that we broke from the habit of splitting one dessert and ordered two. The first was a Kahlua & cinnamon creme brulee. ($4.95) It was so rich and creamy and full of flavor. It had the creaminess & crunch of regular creme brulee with amazing flavors thrown in for added excitement.

Mmm... a chocolate truffle heart. ($3.25) Not as amazing as the creme brulee, but very enjoyable for a chocolate lover. We savored every last drop of that strawberry sauce.

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Garrido's

Another Restaurant Week!  This time, not only can you get 3-course dinners for $25-35, you can also get 3-course lunches for $10-15.  What a steal.  Garrido's restaurant in the base of the 360 condos downtown is participating in Restaurant Week and offering a 3-course brunch for $14 and a 3-course lunch for $10.  

Enjoying $2 Mimosas by the big windows.  Garrido's has outdoor seating as well, but it was just a tad too cold for us. 

Crab guacamole dip was one of the options for the first course.  Served with wonderful chips and a spicy salsa. I really love the feel of this restaurant.. everything from the tables to the chairs to the high ceiling to the shapes of the dishes.