July 2011

THE Neighborhoods

issuE

Au s t i n A r t s + c u lt u r e

j u ly 2 0 11

Find home in Austin’s Urban Core.

urbanspacerealtors.com512 457 8884follow us: +real estate for urban lifestyles

810 West Johanna 1402 Alta Vista

5954 Highland Hills 4301 Camacho

3311 Far View Drive - $2,990,0005729 Krause Ln #18 - $1,350,000 The Island on Westlake - $4,295,000 148 Woodland Trail - $800,000

SOLD

5600 +/- sq

feet o

f garage sp

ace

david haynese x c l u s i v e l y p r e s e n t s

CASIS/TARRYTOWN AREA — PRICE REDUCED! NOW FROM $720K MLS# 3362316

LAKE TRAVIS AREA RETREAT — FROM 640K MLS# 5008072

1801 S. Mopac #100 Austin, Texas 78746 (512) 844-0940 mobile [email protected]

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

BG_July fin.pdf 1 6/13/11 11:11 AM

$600 MILLION IN AUSTIN LUXURY REAL ESTATEWAS ENTRUSTED TO THE ELITE 25 LAST YEAR

RREPRESENTING CENTRAL TEXAS LUXURY PROPERTIES:

THE 2011 ELITE 25

smElite

Jana BirdwellColdwell Banker United, Realtors

Megan GattisAvenueOneProperties

Charlotte LipscombAvenueOneProperties

Pat TateTate Property

Mary BriggleMoreland Properties

Cynthia GoldrickWilson & Goldrick

Realtors, Inc.

Chris LongRealty Austin

John TeinertAustin FineProperties

Jessica BruehlKeller Williams Realty

Laura GottesmanGottesman Residential

Real Estate

Desmond MilvenanTurnquist Partners

Realtors, Inc.

Kumara WilcoxonVan HeuvenProperties

Carol BurdetteGottesman Residential

Real Estate

Susan GriffithAmelia Bullock,

Realtors

Mark MooreAvenueOneProperties

Shannon WindhamGottesman Residential

Real Estate

Roxan CoffmanRoxan Coffman

Properties

Debbie HarmonAmelia Bullock,

Realtors

Eric MorelandMoreland Properties

Robin WrightAvenueOneProperties

Tommy CokinsTommy Cokins,

Broker

Mary HickeyKeller Williams Realty

Stephanie PanozzoGottesman Residential

Real Estate

Karen CunninghamAmelia Bullock,

Realtors

Kenny HilbigMoreland Properties

Jocelyn PottsMoreland Properties

Jan DownsGottesman Residential

Real Estate

Nicole KesslerGottesman Residential

Real Estate

Kathryn S. BechtolTurnquist Partners

Realtors, Inc.

Debbie GainerMoreland Properties

Kirk LewisHomeCity Real Estate

Cord ShifletMoreland Properties

TRUST YOUR LUXURY HOMETO THE

W W W. E L I T E 2 5 AU S T I N . C O M

FOLLOW US ON ELITE25AUSTIN

d e p a r t m e n t s c o v e r p h o t o g r A p h y b y m i c h A e l t h A d c A r t e r

C o m m u n i t y

social hour 16

exposed 24

perspective 26

A r t s

Arts & entertainment calendar 30

s t y l e

things We love 34

style pick 88

street style 90

D i n i n g

dining pick 92

restaurant guide 93

our little secret 96

featuresHow We Live 36

The Really White Vigilante 78 A Ride with Annick Beaudet 83

The Breakfast Club 81

Contents j u ly 2011

TRIBE Z A

69

83 62

54

50

fro

m l

eft:

An

drA

lie

mA

nd

t A

nd

fA

mil

y by

co

dy

hA

mil

ton

; tA

co

del

i bre

Akf

Ast

tA

co

s by

sh

An

no

n m

cin

tyr

e; s

ArA

h W

itte

nbr

Ac

ker

An

d f

Am

ily

by c

od

y h

Am

ilto

n; c

urr

ie p

erso

n b

y ke

nn

y br

Au

n;

dAv

id c

ou

rtn

ey A

nd

fA

mil

y by

pA

ige

neW

ton

.12 july 2011 tribeza.com

© 2

011

Chr

ysle

r G

roup

LLC

. FI

AT is

a r

egist

ered

tra

dem

ark

of F

iat

Gro

up M

arke

ting

& C

orpo

rate

Com

mun

icat

ions

S.p

.A., u

sed

unde

r lic

ense

by

Chr

ysle

r G

roup

LLC

. A

war

ded

by t

he T

exas

Aut

o W

riter

s Ass

ocia

tion.

fi atusa.com

Everything in Texas is Bigger,

INCLUDING THE ACCOLADES.

THE 2012 FIAT® 500 Voted both “Best New Design” & “Best Value” of Texas.

Thank you to the Texas Automotive Writers Association for adding to our proud list of awards. for adding to our proud list of awards.

IMPATTO CLIENT: Chrysler Group LLC LIVE: 8.25 in x 8.25 in AD: xx PROOFREADING SIGNOFF

JOB: 139549 TRIBEZA PRODUCT: FIAT 500 TRIM: 8.75 in x 8.75 in AB: xxINITIALS: ______ DATE: _________

CHANGES:

JOB #: 139549 Step 2

GA: DDTITLE: FIAT 500 TEXAS TAWA BLEED: 9 in x 9 in AC: xx

DATE: 6/3/11 2:45 PMSPECS: 4/C Swop PUB: Tribeca PP: Bill Addison

80 70 70 10010.2 7.4 7.4 100 100 100100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 100 10070 70 30 30 100 100 60 70 70 4070 70 30 30 100 40 100 40 40 100 10 40 40 20 70 70 3.1 2.2 2.270 40 40 75 66 6650 40 4025 19 19B 0 0 0 0

100 70 30 100 10 25 50 75 90 100100 60 100 70 30 100 60 40 70 4070 30 100 40 40 100 40 100 40 70 40 70 40 40 340 70 40 70 40 40100 60A

3%ISO 12647-7 Digital Control Strip 2009

Lauren Smith [email protected]

PuBlisHergeorge t. elliman

eDitor + CreAtive DireCtorlauren smith ford

DesignerAvalon mckenzie

eDitoriAl AssistAnt + eventscarolyn harrold

senior ACCount exeCutivesAshley beallAndrea brunnerkimberly chassay

ACCount exeCutivedylan sack

PrinCiPAlschuck sackvance sackmichael torres

internsAutumn AshleyAurora bellsheila buenrostrorachel corejovana gojkoviccatherine hongdawn kayjoyce pickenscarol shih

Editor’s Letter 10Anniversary

y e AR

l A s t s u m m e r , I came to know Austin in a new way as we spent months on the house hunt to buy our first home. We had been renting in Hyde Park for years and decided…it was time. I wanted to keep an open mind, so we looked in just about every ‘hood in the city — Clarksville, Crestview, Brykerwoods, French Place, Bouldin, Zilker, Tarrytown, Hyde Park, Deep Eddy to see everything from the bare bones modern to the old but charming bungalows. Along the way, I became obsessed with the hunt. I would scour MLS day and night, constantly emailing our realtor (thanks Gerald Bodle of Austainable Properties for being so patient) with links to places that just might be our dream house.

I thought I was incredibly indecisive, but when I walked into the cozy Craftsman we now own for the first time, I realized that I just hadn’t found her yet (her because she’s been deemed the Olivia House in honor of the home’s original owner). The disappointment and tears I had shed (had no idea it would be such an emotional process) over the first two houses we made bids on that at the time I thought I couldn’t live without all made sense because I was waiting for this house. A year later in the Olivia House, we truly feel part of the community in our neighborhood (even if there is a bit more pressure to keep the yard looking spiffy than we felt in laid-back Hyde Park).

For this year’s Neighborhoods issue, we went straight to the inside sources in each ‘hood to find out what they love most about their area for a whopping story we call “How We Live.” Take tours of places like Crestview with interesting residents like Jessica Shortall (the Director of Giving for TOMS) and her husband Clay (an architect) who traded in their urban digs in London for the blocks of Crestview, one of our favorite Austin communities. Each of our savvy sources gives us their Top 10 to do and see in each place. Julia Smith, who works at Corcoran & Co., is married to Evan, the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Tribune and has lived all over Austin and beautifully writes about her experiences in this month’s Perspective. Next up for team TRIBEZA is the August Nightlife issue and then one of my personal favorites, the September Fashion issue. We’ve all been blogging away on Tribeza.com, so head there for daily updates from our team or visit our TRIBEZA Facebook page to tell us about your favorite neighborhood in Austin.

A career highlight — meeting my first true love Mark-Paul Gosselaar (also known as Zack Morris of Saved by the Bell) pictured left with Breckin Meyer on the right. Check out their new comedy on TNT Franklin & Bash.

14 july 2011 tribeza.com

HavenG A L L E R Y & F I N E G I F T S

G L A S S

W O O D

M E TA L

C E R A M I C

M I X E D M E D I A

PA I N T I N G

J E W E L R Y

J U DA I C A

112

2 W

. 6

th S

tre

et

| (5

12)

47

7-2

70

0 |

ha

ve

ng

all

ery

au

stin

.co

m

A New Nestby Christ ian Price Frazer

G L A S S

W O O D

M E TA L

C E R A M I C

M I X E D M E D I A

PA I N T I N G

J E W E L R Y

J U DA I C A Cosmic Wispby Colin Schleeh

An eclectic mix of two and three dimensional fine art and fine craft

Columnistskristin Armstrongtim mcclurecarla mcdonald

illustrAtorsjoy gallagher

PHotogrAPHerskenny braunmichael thad cartercourtney chavanellAnnie forrestcody hamiltonpaige newtonshannon mcintyredave meadjohn pesinaAnnie raycory ryanjay b. sauceda

Writers jackie rangellisa sivaclay smithkaren o. spezia

copyright @ 2011 by TRIBEZA. All rights reserved. reproduction, in whole or in part, without the express written permis-sion of the publisher, is prohibited.

TRIBEZA is a proud mem-ber of the Austin chamber of commerce.

mailing address 706a west 34th streetaustin, texas 78705

ph (512) 474 4711fax (512) 474 4715

www.tribeza.com

founded in march of 2001, TRIBEZA is Austin's lead-ing locally-owned arts and culture magazine.

A u s t i n A r t s + c u lt u r e

austin area urban league young professional mixermark skateboards launch

social HourA selection of party pics from happenings in every corner of the city.

mark skateboards: 1. Maksim Kleimenov & Mickie Brunton 2. Cameron Larson & Ariane Leverette 3. Jesse Reed & Justin Olejnik 4. Joseph Blalock & Lauren Hammonds 5. Steph & Gilbert Pugh 6. Kat Bobbitt & Jonathan Rea urban league mixer: 7. Austin Bingham & A.J. Bingham 8. Angela Dusk & Virginia Cumberbatch 9. Jovan Price & Chris Howard 10. Rhea Sen & Nikki Green 11. Austin Fay & Shelby Harcarl 12. Kevin Overton & David Brewer.

mark gobble and marc english celebrated the launch of their new company, MARK Skateboards, with a release party at industry screen printing headquarters, where guests enjoyed custom screen-printing as well as drinks by live oak brewing company. mArk features intricate and vivid designs, available at skate shops around Austin.

the Austin Area Urban League recently re-launched its Young Professionals (yps) group with a mixer at dirty bill’s, featuring jams by dj Quick draw and drinks by Absolut vodka. the yps are a devoted group of diverse, passionate and engaged individuals dedicated to transforming their generation and community through philanthropic efforts, social outreach and education.

1 23

4

5 6

7

8

10

1112

9

18 july 2011 tribeza.com photog r A phy by joh n pesin A

1601 w 38th st at 5 jefferson square (512) 458–5407

gardenroomboutique.com monday–saturday 10am to 5:30pm

summer 2011

IsdaEileen Fisher

Bell by Alicia BellJohnny Was Collections

Nicole MillerTracy Reese

Lauren Vidal Paris Lundström Collection

Three Dots Marisa Baratelli

Robin Kaplan Designs

Jewelry fromAmanda Sterett

Betty lash guests celebrated the grand reopening of kate merrick-smith’s renowned eyelash boutique, Betty Lash, in its new location at 515 West 15th street as well as the launch of merrick-smith’s lines be belle make up + beauty and organic glow, nature’s sunless tan. the event featured cocktails, delicious gelato from tèo and an exciting photo booth by on the flip side.

Grounded in music Chapeaux & ChampagneGrounded in Music, an organization that provides music education programs to Austin’s youth, hosted Chapeaux & Champagne at travaasa. Austin notables designed one-of-a-kind hats for an exciting raffle, and hat-clad guests competed in a hat contest, with the winner receiving an overnight stay and spa treatments at travaasa.

Betty lash: 1. Chuck Smith & Kate Merrick-Smith 2. Jenifer Daniels & Grant Sanregret 3. Jessica Stevens & Danielle Winkles 4. Lauren Lovell & Jen Kaplan 5. Courtney Buie & Cory Ryan grounded in music: 6. Kate Hull & Michelle Valles 7. Bettina Dahl, Lisa Hickey & Rebecca Valdespino 8. Melanie Jones & Autumn Rich 9. Annie Mahoney, elena Garcia & elizabeth Baird 10. Heather Wagner Reed 11. Andrea Villarreal & Sekara Ortega 12. Stacy Whitworth & Caroline Hammond.

1 2 3 4

56 7

9

8

1011 12


social hour A u s t i n

SOLAR SCREENS

AWNINGS

INSECT SCREENS

ROLLING SHUTTERS

INTERIOR SHADES

11813 Bee Caves Rd.

Austin 78738

tel. 512.402.0990

Showroom Hours

10-5 M-F & 10-2 Sat.

www.txsunandshade.com

I N T E R I O R & E X T E R I O R S U N C O N T R O L S O L U T I O N S

Interior Roll-up Solar Screens

M O T O R I Z A T I O N & A U T O M A T I O N E X P E R T S

texas swing: 1. Aaron Ward & Christina Brookes 2. Jessie Johnson & Matt Browning 3. Paul Smith & Callie Thompson 4. Adam Pruitt & Alyssa Barker 5. Rob Bacak & Josh Mazour Blanton B scene: 6. Anah Wiersema & Amy Thibaudeau 7. Jaimey Sloan & Brooke Calhoun 8. Stephanie Topolgus, Brady Dyer & Kathleen Brady Strimpert 9. Aimee & Aaron Borders 10. Aurora Bell (Hair & makeup by José Luis Salon) 11. Jonathan Terrell 12. Lorena Seidel & Brenda Ramirez 13. Hillary & Chris Bilheimer with Margaret Goerig.

texas swingProject Transitions hosted the 16th annual Texas Swing at saengerrunde hall. the night was fueled by delicious barbecue and cobbler by scholz garten, and boots scuffed the floors to the music of the derailers, crooks, Whiskey shivers and more. the event benefited project transitions’ hospice and housing programs for people living with hiv/Aids.

Blanton B scenethe Blanton’s recent B scene, the museum’s bi-monthly art party, coincided with the opening of the summer exhibition, "About face: portraiture as subject." the event featured performances by el john selector, not in the face and the kathy dunn hamrick dance company. Attendees toured the new exhibition and enjoyed appetizers and cocktails.

12 3

4

5 67

9

8

1112

1310



12 3

4

5

6 7

9

8

1011 12

the White Party: 1. elizabeth Spruiell & Pepper Ammann 2. Joey Leak & Casey Laine 3. Kevin Sooch & Alexandria Coe gray Hawn’s exhibit: 4. Zoe Adams & Susan Wise 5. Brian & Macey Krpec 6. Sylvia Orozco & David Garza 7. Gray Hawn & Jerry Jeff Walker 8. Cathy Marlow & Jonna Juul-Hansen 9. Michael Torres & Nancy Harte 10. Lisa Morgan, Mike Leamon & Glenda Facemire 11. Lauren Garrick & Kyle Hanes W Hotel Party: 12. erica Welch & Jenny Murphy.

the White party As always, Lifeworks’ signature event, The White Party, lived up to its reputation as the hottest event of the year. chaired by camille styles, kendra scott, heather newby and joe ross, the event, held at the long center, featured all-white cabanas, a tasting grove with bites by bess, Walton’s, paggi house and more, as well as an exciting auction and fun tunes.

Gray Hawn’s romancing mexico exhibit Openingphotographer Gray Hawn showcased images from her Romancing Mexico series with an opening in a raw downtown space. the exhibit featured spectacular shots of dances and ceremonies traditional to the toltecan and mayan cultures.

W Hotel application launch partythe W Hotel celebrated the launch of their new smartphone application with a party in the secret bar. dj johnny phelps kept the party going as guests sipped cocktails and checked out the application on ipads.

tribeza.com july 2011 23photog r A phy by joh n pesin A


lawn Party: 1. Chase Heard, Mason Brent & Andy Stepanian 2. Natasha & Adi Anand 3. Joanna Wilkinson & Joe Ramos 4. Shaun Jordan with elizabeth & Aaron Stanley 5. Brad & Noelle Otts 6. Hobson Brown & William Nachman 7. Frank Ward, Nicole Carbon & Joseph McMahan 8. Brent Standefer & Haley Terrill.

lawn party

Lawn Party

Criquet ShirtS / howLer BrotherS / toMS ShoeS / Breed & Co. / triBeZa

Hosted by

wedneSday / June 1St / 6-8PM the FrenCh Legation MuSeuM

802 San MarCoS Street

RSVP to http://tinyurl.com/lawnparty

booze x burgers x hot dogs x music

1

2

3 4

5 6

7

8

TRIBEZA teamed up with Criquet Shirts, Breed & Co., Howler Brothers and TOMS to throw a Lawn Party at the French Legation Museum. guests played classic lawn games on the museum’s grounds while enjoying 50s tunes. beer by Victoria and cocktails by Savvy and Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka were a perfect complement to the warm spring day, and

Yeti’s virtually indestructible coolers, which are available at Breed & Co., kept the drinks cool all through the event. Frank served up some of their famous dogs and michael terrazas and his team from The Woodland passed out their delicious corn fritters.



lawn Party: 9. Tommy Jacoby & erin Keigher 10. Tracy Campbell & Miguel Cambo 11. Clayton Christopher & Brandon Cason 12. Partygoers 13. Mackenzie Snyder & Paige Newton 14. Judy Cardenas & Kate Risinger 15. Anisa Webb & Ashley Kaplan 16. Luke Thompson & Will Hardeman 17. Place setting by Breed & Co. 18. Anna & Margarette Trimble with Wade Miller.

9

10 11

12

13 14

15

16

18

17

tribeza.com july 2011 25photog r A phy by joh n pesin A


if you weren’t in your current career, what else would you try? A pro golfer who gets to travel the country and play great golf courses. this is slightly unrealistic due to my playing ability, but it would be a dream come true!

if you were an inventor, what would you invent? A 2,000 calorie pill that you could take when you were busy to get full. it would have all the real nutrients of a healthy meal. it would give you energy to run or work without having to stop and eat.

When and where are you happiest? hanging

out with my wife shelby and our new baby girl lucy bell. We would probably choose to walk at lady bird lake and go eat a big breakfast at the original pancake house in north Austin (Austin’s best kept breakfast secret) and then go home and take a nap!

how do you measure success? eight great friends to carry your casket at the end of your life.

Who would you take a cross country trip with? i would take all the guys who were in my wedding. it would be a fellowship trip for the ages — start in san diego and six months later end up in maine!

Where do you go in Austin to get away? i love going biking on the greenbelt. Although i have

to walk my bike at times due to the challenge of the terrain. you feel like you’re in the middle of the mountains in montana. great feeling!

Who are your fantasy dinner party guests? george W. bush, bill clinton and james baker because these guys have witnessed and been a key role in so much recent history. they are all great leaders and it would be interesting to understand how they made important decisions.

At age seven, you wanted to be? A professional basketball player. i was all about nbA basketball!

What do you never travel without? A bible and golf clubs — two of life’s staples. if i ever got stuck out of town, i would want to have these two items!

F or Drew Gressett, starting a successful business in his hometown

was always a part of the plan. “Since high school, I’ve always want-

ed to have my own hamburger stand,” says the self-proclaimed

burger guru. “When I travel I love finding the best burger in town.” So, it

was only natural that after spending a few post-college years honing both

his palate and his business skills in Washington, D.C., Dallas and China,

Gressett would feel pulled back to Austin to follow his passion for patties.

“I remember reading Pour Your Heart Into It about the story of Starbucks,

and it was all about how if you truly have a passion for what you’re doing,

the success will follow,” he says. Driven by ambition and a desire to create a

community-minded hub, Gressett launched the first Hat Creek Burger Co.

outpost in 2008 as a trailer along West Sixth Street. Although navigating

the fast-paced hospitality industry was a learning experience, he remained

undaunted, and continues to be as the business grows, by pulling inspira-

tion from the sense of fellowship cultivated in his restaurants. “What we’re

trying to establish is just a great, fun place where people can come to-

gether, feel comfortable and enjoy good food.” Gressett’s dream will really

come full circle this fall with the opening of a new flagship location in his

native Westlake. “Growing up, I must have driven by that corner a million

times, and never once would I have thought I’d have my hamburger shop

there someday. When we open it will be surreal.” j. ranGel

Drew GressettoWner of hAt creek burger co.

9 Q u e s t i o n s f o r d r e W

e x P o s e D

26 july 2011 tribeza.com photog r A phy by e ye c A n dy by cory ryA n

community P r o f i l e

Beauty you can see.Wellness you can feel.

PLASTIC SURGERY

e U

U

vv Plaza St. David Professional Building1015 East 32nd Street, Suite 205 Austin, TX 78705

512.478.NEWU (6398)www.NEWUplasticsurgery.com

It’s Time to Love Your Skin

Get TouchableKiss that razor goodbye and remove unwanted hair - permanently.

Using the best technology available, NEWU’s medical aestheticians are able to provide the results you want with the fewest treatments possible. Our team has the education, training, skill and experience you expect and deserve.

Call to book your appointment today!

25% off all laser hair removal treatments Offer valid through July 31, 2011

When I was growing up in a

small town in Northeast-

ern Ohio, Austin seemed

sun-baked and glamorous.

My uncle lived here with his family in a house that

couldn’t have been more different from ours —

glass doors leading out to a pool in the backyard,

and the entire house on one level, no going up-

stairs to bed or down to the basement when torna-

does came.

By the time I was in my 20s and living in

Manhattan, I wanted in. I came down for family

Thanksgiving in 1991 and marveled at the

perfection of the weather, the deliciousness of the

migas and the cheapness of the rent. It didn’t hurt

that my cousin was living in a group house on East

12th Street with a few band mates and friends from

college. As soon as I visited this den of coolness, I

began questioning my choices. These guys had cars,

and dogs. Why was I killing myself in New York?

By the following summer, I’d become one of

them, moving into an annex group house next

door and sliding into the rhythms of Austin life.

Our rent was $140 each, easily covered by a couple

of weeks of temp work. Sure, life without air

conditioning wasn’t fun, but as long as you could

jump into Deep Eddy or Barton Springs, you’d

feel cool for the rest of the day. Besides, just move

slower. It’s summer in Austin!

I didn’t have a car when I got here, but luckily,

there was plenty of temp office work to be had

within walking distance downtown. In the

morning I’d greet the ladies still out working close

to the slumping motel on the highway. They were

always cheerful, at the end of their shifts just as I

was at the beginning of mine. I loved it there and

never felt unsafe, although the police used to stop

us pretty regularly, white kids on the wrong side of

I-35, surely there for no good reason.

From there I moved to a bungalow in

Clarksville, where the whole world was my crispy

Jeffrey’s oyster. By that time I’d met Evan, another

New York transplant who shared my love of Elvis

Costello and running in the heat; we got a dog and

settled into the neighborhood. The rent was a little

steeper — $950 a month — but we felt like real

grown-ups, driving off to work at real jobs each day

and coming home to walk our dog in the evenings.

Fresh Plus became our go-to grocery store.

We loved everything about living in Austin, and

so naturally that was exactly when Evan got a great

job offer in Washington, D.C. In February of 1994 we

said goodbye to our familiar friendly neighborhood

and relocated to Northwest D.C. Long story short:

we were back within eight months, poorer, wiser and

certain that Austin was our home. We gathered up

all our courage and bought a lovely two-bedroom

Victorian in Hyde Park.

The halcyon Hyde Park days! Big trees,

beautiful houses painted in bright colors, friendly

and fascinating neighbors and another Fresh Plus

within walking distance. We swore we’d never

leave, and when our daughter was born in 1997,

the neighborhood opened up in a whole new way:

we became regulars at the annual fire station

festival; we knew exactly which blocks to hit on

Halloween; and we acquired plenty of riding toys

for all those nice sidewalks.

Baby number two hammered home the reality

that the house was too small, no matter how many

ways we tried to make our lives fit into those

tiny Victorian rooms (and closets). By this time,

Hyde Park — and just about everywhere else in

Central Austin — was white-hot. We fell in love

with a house a few blocks away from Shipe Park

and made a full-price offer…only to be told that “a

couple from Dell” had seen the house, gone outside

and sat in the car, then sent their realtor in to

make a full-price, all cash offer. Ouch. Eventually

we quit trying to stay in the neighborhood and

moved to a massive, fading “soft contemporary” in

Pemberton Heights.

Another new neighborhood to explore! We were

half a mile from the Shoal Creek Greenbelt, the

streets were filled with other kids and the house

was perfect for large parties, so we began hosting

them on behalf of several (continued on page 30)

in Her OWn WOrds

Julia SmithA sense of Place — from her 20s in East Austin to her current abode in Tarrytown (with other stops along the way), this mother of two always feels at home...as long as she’s in Austin.

28 july 2011 tribeza.com photog r A phy by m ich A el th A d c A rter

community P e r s P e C t i v e

tribeza.com july 2011 29

Introducing the Carpet Reloaded Collection by

GolranAvailable exclusively

at Threshold

furniture & design studio:801 West 5th Street, Suite 100Austin, Texas 78703

thresholdfurniture.com512 476 0014

Follow us: +

non-profit organizations. (The bonus for them? No need to

hire valet parking — the nice wide flat streets could easily

accommodate hundreds of cars.) We threw so many parties in

that house! Jonathan Demme was the celebrity guest at the very

first party we hosted for the Austin Film Society. We hosted a

book-signing party for Lauren Bacall, who was terrified that

our sweet mixed-breed hound would emerge out of some dark

corner and make a snack of her Pomeranian.

It was a great party house, but not a terrific living-in-the-

rest-of-the-time house, so recently we relocated once again,

to Tarrytown. It’s lovely over here, quiet and established. I feel

safe letting the kids disappear into the neighborhood. We even

have a pool, something that seemed so exotic to me as a kid.

Sure, we felt like we belonged in Clarksville, in Hyde Park and

in Pemberton. We’ve been certain a few times that we were on

our way to Travis Heights, Judges Hill and Rollingwood. I guess

that as long as we’re in Austin, we’re home.

Julia Smith works at Corcoran & Co., a firm that provides strategic

fundraising solutions to non-profit organizations. Her husband Evan

is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Tribune.

The Smith family; Photography by Jay B. Sauceda


community P e r s P e C t i v e

GILDA GRACE

1818 W. 35TH ST AUSTIN TX 78703

WWW.GILDAGRACECOLLECTIONS.COM

512-407-8433 MON-SAT 10-6PM

Unveiling for Spring:

Lyn DevonCharles Chang Lina

81 PoppiesJerome C. Rousseau

MIH JeansPPeter Cohen

Delman ShoesBy Malene Birger

Bridal Fashion

MusicmArC BroussArD WitH AlPHA rev AnD CHiC gAmine july 6, 8pm Antone’s steve eArlejuly 7, 7pm the paramount theatre tHe glitCH moBjuly 7, 8pm la Zona rosa PerlA BAtAllAjuly 10, 7pm one World theatre Kelly Willis AnD BruCe roBisonjuly 15, 7 & 9:30pm one World theatre mAttHeW morrisonjuly 17, 7:30pm bass concert hall eelsjuly 20, 7pm stubb’s CHristinA Perrijuly 20, 8pm Antone’s tHe WooDen BirDsjuly 20, 9pm the mohawk ottmAr lieBertjuly 22, 7 & 9:30pm one World theatre

summer JAm stArring normAn BroWn AnD riCHArD elliot WitH PAmelA HArt AnD CHArmin greenejuly 23, 8pm the paramount theatre oWl Cityjuly 27, 7pm Acl live at the moody theater vonDA sHePArDjuly 30, 7pm one World theatre KAty Perry WitH roBynjuly 30, 7:30pm frank erwin center

Childrenlife Ki-Do KArAte CAmPjuly 5-8 West Austin youth Association imProv summer CAmPjuly 11-15 the hideout theatre

WizArD APPrentiCe ACADemy AnD DrAgon sCHooljuly 11-15scottish rite children’s theatre Austin summer musiCAl for CHilDrenjuly 30-31 the george Washington carver museum & cultural center

FilmAustin film soCiety DoC tourjuly 13, 7-9pm Alamo ritz downtown tHe getAWAy (1972) Austin film festivAl’s mADe in texAs film seriesjuly 13, 7:30pm bob bullock texas spirit theater

CenterstAge PresenteD By tHe Austin film festivAljuly 24, 3pm ballet Austin Austin film soCiety AvAnt CinemA 4.5july 27, 7-9pm Afs Austin studios screening room ligHts. CAmerA. HelP. film festivAl sAturDAy mAtineejuly 30, 3pm lbj school

ComedyCeDriC “tHe entertAiner”july 8, 8pm Acl live at the moody theater

An evening of ComeDy WitH miCHAel mCDonAlDjuly 9, 7pmthe parish

DAn Cummins july 13-16 cap city comedy club

HAl sPArKsjuly 20-23 cap city comedy club sixtH AnnuAl funniest filmmAKer in Austin finAlist sCreening PresenteD By tHe Austin film festivAljuly 26, 8pm cap city comedy cluB PAul mooneyjuly 27-30 cap city comedy club

Theaterfootloosejuly 8-Aug 13 Zilker hillside theater HAirsPrAythrough Aug 28 ZAch theatre

moliere’s tHe imAginAry invAliDjuly 21-Aug 14the city theatre tHe PHysiCistsjuly 22-30 the vortex

OtherDAvis CuP: usA vs. sPAinjuly 8, 2pm frank erwin center CHilDren of PArADise PerformeD By tHe PAris oPerA BAlletjuly 9, 12:30pm the long center CAleB 5K runjuly 16, 8am shoreline church texAs rollergirls Bout 6july 16 Austin convention center

CHristmAs in July in tHe West enDjuly 21-13 shops at the West end

CoWPArADe Austin 2011july 28-oct 16throughout Austin

Entertainment Calendar

JULyCALeNDARS

arts & entertainment


a s much as Austinites enjoy being outside, sometimes it’s just too hot. This summer there are plenty of outdoor options for film lovers, including Deep Eddy Movie Nights and the Cinema East series at the French Legation

Museum, but for those needing more than a little shade, the Paramount Theatre’s new film programmer, Jesse Trussell, has put together an exciting lineup for their 36th Annual Summer Classic Film Series. According to Trussell, “I try to focus on new restorations of classics, films that are under-screened in Austin and our big traditions — Casablanca opening the series, Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm, Gone With the Wind closing.” Offering everything from old favorites like The African Queen and The Leopard to legendary horrors like The Shining and Aliens, the series has something for everyone, as well as an array of perfectly paired double features — think A Very Swayze Weekend and Monsters from Beyond. Trussell, who has programmed for the Austin Film Festival and his own summer screening series, recommends The Sound of Music sing-a-long on July 30 as well as a series with Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam, in which Beam is presenting two on his favorite films, The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon on July 27 and 28, and playing a concert at the theater on July 29. Tickets to shows start at just $7 online and $9 at the box office, and discounted Flix-Tix booklets are available. Visit austintheatre.org to purchase tickets and view the complete line up. C. HarrOld

JULY 1JuliA C. ButriDge gAllerythe history of thought: hawkeye glenn & leon Alesireception: 6-8pmthrough july 29

JULY 2DAvis gAllery 11th Annual summer group showthrough sept 3

JULY 9WAlly WorKmAn gAllery group show: rivers reception: 6-8pm through july 30 JULY 16gAllery BlACK lAgoon fourth jewelry by Artists exhibition & trunk show 12-6pm

Ongoing ArtHouse At tHe Jones Center javier tellez: letter on the blind, for the use of those Who see through july 31 ely kim through Aug 28

Austin museum of Art good design: stories by henry miller new Works: the mona lisa project by rino pizzi through sept 11 BlAnton museum of Art About face: portraiture as Art through sept 4

CHAmPion bloom: claire falkenbergthrough july 9

HArry rAnsom Center becoming tennessee Williamsculture unbound: collecting in the 21st centurythrough july 31 lorA reynolDs gAllery susan collis: so it goes through july 16 mexiC-Arte museum 16th young latino Artists serie print project Xviii through Aug 28 Women & tHeir WorK lauren Woods through july 23

Arts Calendar

e v e n t P i C K

Paramount Summer Classic Film Seriesthrough september 4austintheatre.org

portraiture as Art exhibit at the blanton Farrah Fawcett, 1980, Andy Warhol

4th jewelry by Artists exhibit & trunk show Necklace by Jasmine Turner


fro

m l

eft:

ph

oto

grA

ph c

ou

rtes

y o

f g

All

ery

blA

ck

lAg

oo

n; f

ARR

Ah

fAw

cET

T, 19

80, A

nd

y W

Arh

ol,

imA

ge

co

urt

esy

of

the

blA

nto

n m

use

um

of

Art

; th

eAtr

e im

Ag

e c

ou

rtes

y o

f th

e pA

rAm

ou

nt.

MuseumsArtHouse700 congress Ave. (512) 453 5312 hours: th–f 11–7, sa 10–5, su 1–5 arthousetexas.org

Austin CHilDren’s museum201 colorado st. (512) 472 2499 hours: tu 10–5, W 10–8, th–sa 10–5, su 12–5 austinkids.org

AmoA DoWntoWn823 congress Ave. (512) 495 9224 hours: tu, W, f 10–5, th 10–8, sa 10–6, su 12–6 amoa.org

AmoA lAgunA gloriA3809 W. 35th st. (512) 458 8191 driscoll villa hours: tu–sun 10–4 grounds hours: m–sa 9–5, su 10–5 amoa.org

BlAnton museum of Art200 e. mlk jr. blvd. (512) 471 7324 hours: tu– f 10–5, sa 11–5, su 1–5 blantonmuseum.org

tHe BoB BulloCK texAs stAte History museum1800 congress Ave. (512) 936 8746 hours: m–sa 9–6, su 12–6 thestoryoftexas.com

elisABet ney museum304 e. 44th st. (512) 458 2255 hours: W–sa 10–5, su 12–5 ci.austin.tx.us/elisabetney

frenCH legAtion museum802 san marcos st. (512) 472 8180 hours: tu–s 1–5 frenchlegationmuseum.org

george WAsHington CArver museum1165 Angelina st. (512) 974 4926 hours: m–th 10–9, f 10–5:30, sa 10–4 ci.austin.tx.us/carver

HArry rAnsom Center300 e. 21st st. (512) 471 8944 hours: tu–W 10–5, th 10–7, f 10–5, sa–su 12–5 hrc.utexas.edu

lBJ liBrAry AnD museum2313 red river st. (512) 721 0200 hours: m–su 9–5 lbjlib.utexas.edu

mexiC–Arte museum419 congress Ave. (512) 480 9373 hours: m–th 10–6, f–sa 10–5, su 12–5 mexic–artemuseum.org

o. Henry museum409 e. 5th st. (512) 472 1903 hours: W–su 12–5

umlAuf sCulPture gArDen & museum605 robert e. lee rd. (512) 445 5582 hours: W–f 10–4:30, sa–su 1–4:30 umlaufsculpture.org

GalleriesArt on 5tH1501 W. 5th st. (512) 481 1111 hours: m–sa 10–6 arton5th.com

tHe Art gAllery At JoHn-WilliAm interiors 3010 W. Anderson lane(512) 451 5511hours: m–sa 10–6 ,sun 12–5mannfinearts.com

ArtWorKs gAllery1214 W. 6th st. (512) 472 1550 hours: m–sa 10–5 artworksaustin.com

Austin Art gArAge2200 s. lamar blvd., ste. j (512) 351-5934hours: tu–sa 11–6, su 12–5 austinartgarage.com

Austin Art sPACe gAllery AnD stuDios7739 north cross dr., ste. Q (512) 771 2868 hours: f–sa 11–6 austinartspace.com

Austin gAlleries1219 W. 6th st. (512) 495 9363 hours: m 10–3, tu–sa 10–5 or by appointment austingalleries.com

B. HollymAn gAllery1202-A W. 6th. st.(512) 825 6866hours: tu-sa 10-5bhollymangallery.com

BirDHouse1304 e. cesar chavez st. by appointment only birdhousegallery.com

BroCCA gAllery1103 e. 6th st. (512) 628 1306 hours: tu–sa 11–5 broccagallery.com

ByDee Art gAllery1050 e. 11th st., #120 (512) 480 3100 hours: tu–sa 11–7 bydee.com

ART SPACeS

i n 1839, Alphonse Dubois de Saligny was sent to Aus-tin as the chargé d’affaires, responsible for surveying the cultural and political landscape of Texas. Unim-

pressed by traditional log cabin structures, Dubois con-structed his own home in the Louisiana-Bayou style with European flourishes. Today, Dubois’ legacy still stands as the French Legation Museum, the oldest wood-framed structure in its original location in Austin. “Texas was a brand new nation without credit on the world stage,” says the museum’s Programs Coordinator, Franke Smith. The French Legation Museum is a remider of the transition period, when a newly independent Texas had begun to forge international ties. Visitors to the museum can tour its many rooms and explore an intriguing collection of mid-19th century antiques, including a few of Dubois’ original furnishings. The museum also hosts a variety of activities open to the community. In the fall, commemo-rating its 170th anniversary, the museum will launch a major restoration project. For more information, visit frenchlegationmuseum.org. l. siva

f e A t u r e D g A l l e r y

French Legation Museum


CHAmPion800 brazos st. (512) 354 1035 hours: tu–sa 11–6 championcontemporary.com

CreAtive reseArCH lABorAtory2832 e. mlk jr. blvd. (512) 322 2099 hours: tu–sa 12–5 uts.cc.utexas.edu

DAvis gAllery837 W. 12th st. (512) 477 4929 hours: m–f 10–6, sa 10–4 davisgalleryaustin.com

flAtBeD Press2830 e. mlk jr. blvd. (512) 477 9328 hours: tu–sa 10–6 flatbedpress.com

gAllery 56195619 Airport blvd. (512) 751 2360 gallery5619.org

gAllery BlACK lAgoon4301-A guadalupe st. (512) 371 8838 hours: W–f 3–7 galleryblacklagoon.com

gAllery sHoAl CreeK2905 san gabriel st., #101 (512) 454 6671 hours: tu–f 11–6, sa 11–4 galleryshoalcreek.com

grAyDuCK gAllery608 W. monroe dr. (512) 826 5334 hours: W–sa 11–6, su 12–5 grayduckgallery.com

HAven gAllery & fine gifts1122 W. 6th st. (512) 477 2700 hours: m–sa 11–6, su 11–4 havengalleryaustin.com

JeAn–mArC frAy gAllery1009 W. 6th st. (512) 457 0077 hours: m–sa 10–6 jeanmarcfray.com

lA PeñA227 congress Ave., #300 (512) 477 6007 hours: m–f 9–5, sa–su 9–3 lapena–austin.org

lorA reynolDs gAllery360 nueces st., ste. c (512) 215 4965 hours: tu–sa 11–6 lorareynolds.com

lotus gAllery1009 W. 6th st., #101 (512) 474 1700 hours: m–sa 10-6 lotusasianart.com

mArAnDA PleAsAnt gAllery2235 e. 6th st. (713) 922 8584 by appointment only bigmodernart.com

mAss gAllery916 springdale rd. hours: W 7–9, sa 12–5 massgallery.org

tHe nAnCy Wilson sCAnlAn gAllery 6500 st. stephen’s dr. (512) 327 1213 hours: W–f 9–5 sstx.org

oKAy mountAin gAllery1312 e. cesar chavez st. hours: W 7–9, sa 12–5 okaymountain.com

Positive imAges gAllery1118 W. 6th st. hours: m–sa 10–5, su 11–4 (512) 472 1831

Pro–Jex gAllery1710 s. lamar blvd., ste. c (512) 472 7707 hours: m–f 10–6, s 12–4

reD sPACe gAllery1203 W. 49th st.(512) 740 6133by appointment onlyredspacegallery.com

russell ColleCtion fine Art1137 W. 6th st. (512) 478 4440 hours: tu–sa 10–6 russell–collection.com

sofA301 e. 33rd st., #7by appointment onlysofagallerytx.com

stePHen l. ClArK gAllery1101 W. 6th st. (512) 477 0828 hours: tu–sa 10–4 stephenlclarkgallery.com

stuDio 107411 brazos st., #107 (512) 477 9092 hours: tu–sa 1–6 studio107.com

testsite502 W. 33rd st. (512) 453 3199 hours: su 2–5 fluentcollab.org

WAlly WorKmAn gAllery1202 W. 6th st. (512) 472 7428 hours: tu–sa 10–5 wallyworkman.com

Women & tHeir WorK1710 lavaca st. (512) 477 1064 hours: m–f 10–6, sa 12–5 womenandtheirwork.org

yArD Dog1510 s. congress Ave. (512) 912 1613 hours: m–f 11–5, sa 11–6, su 12–5 yarddog.com

Alternative Spaces

ArtPost: tHe Center for CreAtive exPression4704 e. cesar chavez st.artpostaustin.com

Austin PresenCe2785 bee cave rd., #336 (512) 306 9636 hours: tu–f 10–6, sa 10–4austinpresence.com

Big meDium5305 bolm rd., #12 (512) 385 1670 bigmedium.org

ClArKsville Pottery & gAlleries4001 n. lamar blvd., #200 (512) 454 9079 hours: m–sa 10–6:30, su 12–4 clarksvillepottery.com

Domy BooKs913 e cesar chavez st. (512) 476 domy hours: tu–f 1–9, sa 12–9, su 12–7 domystore.com

JuliA C. ButriDge gAllery1110 barton springs rd. (512) 974 4025 hours: m–th 10–9:30, f 10–5:30, sa 10–4 ci.austin.tx.us/ dougherty/gallery.htm

PumP ProJeCt Art ComPlex702 shady ln. (512) 351 8571 pumpproject.org

QuAttro gAllery12971 pond springs rd. (512) 219 3150 hours: m–tu 10–3, W–sa 11–4 quattrogallery.com

roi JAmes3620 bee cave rd., ste. c (512) 970 3471 hours: by appointment only roijames.com

uniteD stAtes Art AutHority2906 fruth st. (512) 476 4455 unitedstatesartauthority.com

To have your gallery considered for listing in the Arts Guide, please send a request to [email protected].

chameleon cold-brew coffeeLike most people, sometimes we need a little

help getting going in the morning time, and sometimes the line at our usual coffee spot is just too long. Luckily, Steve Williams, the owner of one of our favorite East Side coffee shops, Bennu, and Chris Campbell have cre-ated Chameleon Cold-Brew Coffee, Austin’s only bottled, cold-brewed coffee. Made with 100 percent organic Fair Trade-certified beans, it can be served hot or over ice, black or blended with your favorite dairy, sweeteners or flavors. Chameleon Cold-Brew is available at an ever-growing list of retailers ranging from Wheatsville Co-Op to Magnolia Café. Visit chameleoncoldbrew.com for a complete list of locations and some suggested recipes — we recommend trying the “South of the Border” made with Horchata.

NurturMeAn Austin-based company is offering a new take on baby food — naturally

grown and quick dried, their foods maintain more nutritional value and come in easy to use palm-sized pouches. Parents can just add water, formula or milk and nourish their babies without feeding landfills. Each recyclable box contains eight pouches. For more information and to learn about founder Caroline Freedman’s story, visit nurturme.com.

Fresh Local Favorites

Green Living Pick

Rallyhood Patti Rogers’ idea for Rallyhood.com

— an app that makes it easy to organize a group (a team, a class, a club, a commit-tee or just friends helping friends) — that was born out of her experience of being supported by her own neighborhood when she was battling cancer. “Our community showed up. They fed my family, not just with dinners but with love. Casseroles, prayers, and good thoughts filled our living room and carried us through,” she says, “And as my health and well-being were restored, I had a new calling — to make it easy for other communities and groups (big or small, serious or fun) to come together and get stuff done. People want to help, the want to contribute, but they also want it to be easy.” At Rallyhood.com, users can create a rally-site in less than 60 seconds. Then, invite other members to join and share a calendar, files, tasks, video, messages, money and life, all in one place. Rallyhood elimi-nates the headache of group-coordination (reply-all chaos, hunt for lost attachments, organizing volunteers, keeping up with last minute schedule changes, multiple sites and multiple log-ins) by bringing all the social and work-together tools into one uber-friendly to use ap-plication. “The inspiration and essence for Rallyhood is this — great things happen when we come together. It’s how we build and support our communities. It’s how we fire-up and overcome,” Rogers says. “It’s how we celebrate and grieve. It’s how we live, learn, give and play. Rallyhood’s mission is to make it easy and fun to bring these groups together and get stuff done.”

36 july 2011 tribeza.comc

hA

mel

eon

co

ld-b

reW

ph

oto

co

urt

esy

of

ch

Am

eleo

n c

old

-bre

W; p

Atti

ro

ger

s by

kin

g l

AW

ren

ce;

nu

rtu

rme

pho

to c

ou

rtes

y o

f n

urt

urm

e.

style t H i n g s W e l o v e

PRESENTS

with the

2 0 1 1

JOIN US ON DECEMBER 4, 2011 AT THE HILTON AUSTIN

AND LUXURY CAR RAFFLE

CO-CHAIRSDr. John Hogg & Charmaine Denius McGill

DANCE DIRECTORSabrina Barker-Truscott

CHECK BACK NEXT MONTH WHEN TWO MORE AUSTIN STARS ARE REVEALED!

BENEFITING THE CENTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION

Announcing two of the stars of this year’s show:

JACKIE MOONEY CAROL ADAMS

www.centerforchildprotection.org

President- Animal Trustees of AustinCommercial Escrow Officer - Prominent Title

Photographs by Bill Wilson

liveWehoW

We went ‘hood to ‘hood to find out what Austinites in every corner of the city love most about their zip codes.


(fir

st r

oW

fro

m l

eft)

th

e bu

tler

fA

mil

y by

lyn

dsA

y st

rAd

tner

; th

e sh

ort

All

fA

mil

y by

mic

hA

el t

hA

d c

Art

er; l

ore

n k

irkp

Atri

ck

by d

Ave

meA

d; (

sec

on

d r

oW

fro

m l

eft)

th

e c

um

berb

Atc

h f

Am

ily

by m

ich

Ael

th

Ad

cA

rter

; c

Aro

lin

e h

ud

dle

sto

n b

y c

od

y h

Am

ilto

n; c

urr

ie p

erso

n b

y ke

nn

y br

Au

n; (

thir

d r

oW

fro

m l

eft)

th

e li

emA

nd

t fA

mil

y by

co

dy

hA

mil

ton

; th

e c

ou

rtn

ey f

Am

ily

by p

Aig

e n

eWto

n; b

ruc

e c

urt

is &

fre

d d

An

iel

by k

enn

y br

Au

n.

hen I was a kid, I dreamed of living in a place where people knew each other — a neighborhood that was truly about neighbors. But then I discovered cities, and their buzzing energy and accessible drinking establishments and good restaurants. How would I choose?

In 2008, when my husband Clay and I threw a dart at the map and moved to Austin after three years in the U.K., we found a realtor and headed straight for 78704. We were hip. He’s an architect. I work for TOMS. Clearly this was the neighborhood for us. Two weeks later, when we were beat down by prices and on the verge of giving up, our realtor looked us in the eye and said, “Come with me.”

That afternoon, we found ourselves in Crestview, 78757, and within a month we were calling it home. Sure, we wondered at first if this was actually still Austin. It was five miles north of downtown! We were used to hearing people trade death threats outside of our window. We had bus passes and lived in 300 square feet. We were urban.

But this neighborhood reached out and grabbed us. Example: One night, we were walking our dog Blue, and an elderly neighbor stopped to chat with us. (Crestview was built on an old cotton farm in the 1950s,

Crestview: Close in, and Far Out

By jessica shortall Photography by michael thad Carter

London transplants Clay and Jessica Shortall find their very own modern-day Mayberry in one of our favorite neighborhoods.


offering bungalows to newly returned GIs and their wives and some original residents still live here.) A retired botanist, this neighbor had a beautiful garden. I mentioned this, and he bent down, pulled a handful of beets from the ground, and handed them to me. I was dazzled that a place like this still exists — only five miles from downtown. Like the neighborhood bumper stickers say: “Crestview: Close In, and Far Out.”

So our love affair with Crestview began. One warm spring night this year, we were walking with Blue and our new son Otis, and we heard music. We turned down Richcreek and came upon a little band playing in their front yard. Guitar, bass, banjo, washboard, and a seven-year-old. We stopped to watch, and someone handed me a cold can of Lone Star. Two months later we threw a party with the same band, The Native Transplants, playing on our patio. This time they brought their steel guitar and did a fantastic cover of “Sleepwalk.”

This is a talk-to-your-neighbor-over-the-fence neighborhood that refers to itself, with not even a touch of hipster irony, as Austin’s “modern-day Mayberry.” Joining the neighborhood Yahoo group will expose you to owl-lovers, breastfeeding activists and parents organizing beers at the local pizzeria. There are yoga classes in Brentwood Park — also home to a good elementary school and small pool. The independent grocery store has been fending off developers’ offers for our little “mall” (grocery, pharmacy, dry cleaner, jeweler, barber, hairdresser, acting school, pizzeria) for years.

Crestview also is, unsurprisingly, a neighborhood of walkers. Young couples and their babies (we’re in the middle of a baby boom) and older folks stop to chat on regular evening strolls. Every Christmas, a

self-organized committee puts up luminarias along Arroyo Seco, and in the December evenings you can see parents and their kids, bent over the empty milk jugs with flickering flames, as dusk settles on the neighborhood.

Life in the big city wowed us with its energy. Life in a small town sounded lovely but impractical. And then Crestview seduced me with its simple solution: Austin, boiled down to its essentials. A small town smack in the middle of a growing city. Crestview gave us the best of both worlds, and for that, I’ll love it forever.

Jessica Shortall is the Director of Giving for TOMS. clay Shortall is an architectural designer (clayshortall.com) with Austin-based and international projects. Their son, Otis, is a year old and is a professional, full time baby.

1. experience the little Deli (7101a Woodrow Ave.). tony, the owner, is from new jersey (like me), and it shows in his pizza, italian subs and meatball sandwiches. byob with booze bought from the grocery store across the parking lot and hang out with couples, old folks and families on picnic tables that spill out of the restaurant. then go inside and measure yourself on the doorjamb.

2. …speaking of, the walk-in beer fridge at the igA minimax (7108 Woodrow Ave.) grocery store (family-owned since the 1950s) is pretty fantastic.

3. chris p’s or joe’s insane vinyasa classes at yogayoga (2167 W. Anderson ln.). All the classes are great, but these guys are vindictively loving and changed my (sporadic) yoga practice forever.

Jessica’s Crestview

top 10

4. genuine Joe (2001 W. Anderson ln.) is about as local-feeling a coffee shop as you get in Austin. the armchairs and couches are old, the baristas (who i think might never want to be called that) are friendly and the coffee is good.

5. people line up out the door for a table at enchiladas y más (1911 W. Anderson ln.). you’d never guess it from the outside, but this hole-in-the-wall tex-mex place makes good, straightforward plates at great prices, and a strong margarita.

6. crestview’s Wall of Welcome on Woodrow is a long and beautiful mosaic, telling the history of the neighborhood. it’s a great spot to snap family and kid photos.

7. have i been to lala’s (2207 justin ln.) since i had a baby last year? no. but just knowing this neighborhood institution/dive bar is there, serving cans of lone star and sporting its decades-old, year-round christmas decorations is enough for me, for now.

8. the new Burnet road farmer’s market (6701 burnet rd.) is giving it a go — and with enough support, i hope it will stick around!

9. step back into the 50s with top-notch Burgers (7525 burnet rd.), which serves fantastic flat (not fat) burgers and great fried chicken, in decidedly un-updated surroundings.

10. tam Deli (8222 north lamar blvd., d33). not technically crestview, but this simple vietnamese place makes a char-grilled pork sandwich that is rivaled, as sandwiches go, only by its own fried shrimp sandwich. go for lunch and order your cream puff the minute you sit down — the sisters who own the place make them themselves every morning, and they sell out fast.


Mi Casa es Su Casa is the motto on this special South Austin street where a true sense of community reigns.

ford street

photog r A phy by r en e r enteriA tribeza.com july 2011 43

FORD STReeT

South Lamar

The Neighborhood

n the early 1950s, each house on Ford Street received a Sycamore sapling as it was built. Many saplings are now dying off, but the one in our yard is at least 35 feet tall. I’ve been here for over 20 years and in the ‘hood for 30. We are moving, and it is really sad for us because we know everyone on Ford Street and love them all! It’s the greatest group of the most creative and loving folks I’ve ever met. It’s really hard to leave and miss watching the kids grow up. But, I’m so happy the kids have a sense of identity and com-munity to take with them. They truly have a village. It’s really a Camelot — a shining moment that could disappear or endure — but I know we’ve made an impact on some of those around us. They now see it’s possible for a mere

urban street to become a real village. I think it gives others confidence that they can create a special community too. It’s been a true privilege to live here.”

— Carol stall —Ford Street Resident

“Our street-wide e-mail group is pretty unreal. Post if you need an egg, if you need to borrow a car for 20 minutes or if you have extra cans of paint after a project. We even have a street-wide DVD library! Just walk to your neighbors and borrow the latest Harry Potter for your kids.”

— ben kweller — Ford Street Resident

+ Musician

44 july 2011 tribeza.com illus tr Ation by AvA lon mck enZiefo

rd s

tree

t ph

oto

grA

phs

co

urt

esy

of

cA

rol

stA

ll; b

lAc

k &

Wh

ite

pho

tog

rAph

co

urt

esy

of

mA

ry j

Ac

obs

.

Ford Street, like the automaker, I always tell the pizza delivery dispatch.------------------------------But I’ll tell you this, it’s home to the 78704 list serv, 20 kids, one rock star, a chef, three photographers, educators, academics, state employees, a builder, a BBQ magnate, a civil war reenactor, a european auto mechanic, a doctor, a psychologist, the engineer for Austin City Limits, power moms, the Crazy Aaron, some advertising types and very frequent block parties.------------------------------Need some homegrown cilantro? Drop a transmission? Want a sprinkler system? Ping the list serv; there’s a neighbor who can handle it.------------------------------Hungry? Hit Luke’s Inside Out next to Gibson. We buy local, as in people-that-live-on-our-street-local.------------------------------Friday Night?Shabbat shalom. Interfaith couples light the candles, tear the challah and drink the fruit of the vine. Others just crack the Lone of the Star.------------------------------Saturday night? Walk to South Lamar or just lobby the neighbors to open

their secret saloons.------------------------------ Sunday morning? Soccer at Little Zilker. We have our own league. No uniforms. Barefoot vs. Shoes. Love of the game.------------------------------Fifty years ago there wasn’t a tree on our street. We were the edge of Travis county. But the American dream got built and saplings got assigned yards. ------------------------------We lost our two WWII vets not too long ago, but we memorialize them with Carol’s new poems and Ruth’s old photos at most gatherings.Our trees are real tall now. Roots. Area midwives have caught over a half dozen babies in the last nine years on this street. There’s something in the water, we say. Time marches on, we know.------------------------------Lately we’ve rallied to save our schools. We’ve shared nannies and recipes. We’ve appreciated each other and watched the kids race up and down the street. Faster and faster.------------------------------Fences make good neighbors. But gates cut into fences, connect backyards and make Ford Street.

Adam Butler’sford street

Long-time Ford Street residents Adam and Julie Butler and their three boys had their family photo taken at Zilker elementary School. Julie says: "We love the school and neighboring Little Zilker Park. It's a community meeting place. The school has quite an Austin theme running through it, and music and art are big parts of it with an amazing parent community. Parents organized to have the portable buildings painted, and we are standing in front of one in this photo."

Fun Fact:

Stevie Ray

Vaughn used

to live on

Ford Street.

tribeza.com july 2011 45photog r A phy by lyn dsAy s tr A dtn er of life in motion photog r A phy


loren Kirkpatrick on his bike at 8:07pm in front of rio rita where he and his buddy Shaun Jordan (pic-tured right) typically meet every Tuesday evening.

ART + CReATIVe SPACeS Baby Blue Studios 1522 e. 12th st. Bill Baird’s compound is always exploring the collective music consciousness of Austin. Big Medium 5305 Bolm rd. #12, 78721 Red Bluff Studios 4907 red Bluff rd.If you are not hiring the folks over there, you should be. Great place to go and get creative.

BARSLongbranch Inn 1133 e. 11th st.Any chance to see Stockbauer in full form. With so many other options on the east Side these days, this one makes even more sense and is easier to enjoy.

La Perla 1512 e. 6th st.Practice your Spanish. Shrimp for $1.25!

Rabbit’s Lounge 1816 e. 6th st.Drink it up while you can, for we will miss it. Thanks Rabbit and Ryan for the good times.

Scoot Inn1308 e. 4th st.See Longbranch Inn — oldest railroad bar in town. Swan Dive 1906 e. 12th st. Lots of live music. Waxploitation spinning makes for fun dancing. This re-emerging venue is a great step over into the east Side, and check out Galloway’s sandwich shop or get your haircut at the Barber next door. Open late on weekends. TC’s Lounge 1413 Webberville rd.Junior Kimbrough would have played here — Monday nights and every night — all night long.

Yellow Jacket Social Club 1704 e. 5th st.New kid on the block, in the old Cafe Mundi — owners Stan, Mimi and crew have created a lively bar. Think emo’s sans music circa 1996.

COFFee SHOPS Progress Coffee 500 san marcos st.

Rio Rita 1308 e. 6th st.Tasty infused drinks. Coffee house and great place to connect quietly with friends inside, or step outside and listen to bluegrass on the back porch.

FOODAmity Bakery Coming to the East Side in 2011!Barrie Cullinan’s barriebaking.com will help you locate plenty of places on the east Side and West Side to find her amazing breads and croissants.

l O r e n K i r K p a t r i C K ’ s

EAsT sidEWelCOme tO lOren ’s WOrld! He shares his personal favorite locales and activities from more than 20 plus years in Austin, and 15 years living on the East Side of town.

My FAVoRitE thinG about the East Side is the trees. The soils are richer and that includes both what can grow and what has grown on the East Side. From great music and food, East Austin contains the diversity that makes for a vibrant neighborhood and city.”

“

tribeza.com july 2011 47photog r A phy by dAv e m e A d

Dai Due Austin daidueaustin.comJesse Griffiths is really a food magician, and any supper club you can catch consider yourself lucky!

El Azteca 2600 e. 7th st.Cabrito! — Like eating at el Rey Del Cabrito in Monterrey, Mexico (sort of, a lot closer).

Cisco’s 1511 e. 6th st.If the migas and fajitas don’t satisfy, they serve alcohol for breakfast, and I mean early for Longhorns games at noon.

Hoover’s 2002 manor rd. Pork chops, collard greens, black-eyed peas, jerk-style BBQ. Need I say more?

Eastside Café 2113 manor rd. One classic east Side eatery, Huevos Mexicanos!

Franklin Barbecue 3421 n. i-35Worth the wait at least two times a month, get there early! The Good Knight 1300 e. 6th st.The June Rose cocktail is a nice way to cool off in the summer, and its history and pride in its namesake makes this a nice conversation starter.

Joe’s Bakery & Mexican Food 2305 e. 7th st.They batter and deep fry their bacon! Need I say more?

Juan in a Million 2300 e. Cesar Chavez st.egg’s Mexican Con Queso. This is all you need to start the day off right. Justine’s 4710 e. 5th st.Pierre and Justine have built a dream location for getting out and enjoying the great brasserie, cocktails and exceptional waitstaff. They serve late and the record collection is worth a visit alone.

Little Thailand4315 Caldwell ln.del valle, tXI have spent more birthdays here than I care to remember. Although Dick has passed away, his family is carrying on the tradition. Best place to go shopping for gifts. There is always something there I end up giving to someone — including the Bloody Mary mix. Nubian Queen Lola’s Cajun Soul Food Restaurant 1815 rosewood ave.Cooking good and doing good — this is it! Closed Sunday to feed those in need.

Papatino 1306 e. 6th st.New Mexican restaurant open now next to Rio Rita. lan’s traditional Mexico City comida tipico de D.F. Tastefully re-done to keep the character of the original house and a generous outdoor areas to dine and wine. Viva la raza!

Sam’s BBQ 2000 e. 12th st.Mouton is not for everyone, but I am sure it is the best Mouton on the east Side!

Three Little Pigs 1209 rosewood ave.Behind east end Wines. Pork Slider and Meatloaf with Cracklin’ — now open for lunch mid-week if you’ll come and visit.

Victory Grill 1104 e. 11th st.Best place to mingle with the community and hear some blues. you can rent out the Victory Grill for your next dance party.

MUSIC STOReS Switched On 1111 e. 11th st.Amps, musicians' source. Trailer Space Records 1401 rosewood ave.Great collection of punk and off-beat records, shows and music gatherings.

OUTDOORS + SPORTS Baseball Govalle Park 5200 Bolm rd.Home of the Texas Playboy Baseball Club, and home to many east Side BBQs and intersquad play. The tree in left field is one of the larger oak trees I have seen on the east Side.

Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club 8707 lindell ln.Try and hit the rabbit. We are in Texas and you never know when you might have to prove you are truly a Texan and can hit a target.

First Tee Austin 5501 ed Bluestein Blvd.Cheap golf, beautiful stretch of land along creek. even if you don’t play golf, this is a learner’s course and has a huge stretch of pecan trees along the creek — bring a bag and fill up with pecans.

Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park400 Grove Blvd.Hiking and floating river below Longhorn Dam. The “Secret Beach,” while not-so-secret, is a great place to enjoy the river with dogs and go for a little swim, although you might want to wait a few days after it rains.

OTHeR Cinema East802 san marcos st.Now hosted at the French Legation every other Sunday. Recently featured movie — Winnebago Man. Maybe not best place for Tree of Life but great place to see a movie.

East End Wines 1209 rosewood ave. East Side Drive-In 1001 e. 6th st.Music in the neighborhood

Hotel Vegas & Volstead1500 e. 6th st.Traditional boarding house for Austin’s creative class, offering affordable leases on studios and studio apartments. Mexitas Event Center 1109 n. i-35Need to go check out your bingo skills at least once. Michoachana Meat Market 1917 e. 7th st., #1Affordable eats with a wide selection of meats that are not usually offered in such quantities and styles. All your Latin spice, just add water.

Rain Lily Design + Farmhouse Delivery farmhousedelivery.com, 914 shady ln.Wednesday happy hours, Shakespeare on the Farm. If you can make it you will eat well and be inspired. Stephanie Scherzer and Kim Beal continue to amaze as the farm grows and more and more innovations materialize on a weekly basis.

Loren Kirkpatrick is an East Austin resident, recovering entrepreneur, real estate broker and UT Alumnus.

East Side Guide


5

9

4

87

32

6

1

1510 11

12 1314

1. Franklin BBQ2. East Side Yoga3. Blue Dahlia Bistro4. East Side Pies5. French Legation Museum6. Progress Co�ee7. Shangri’La8. East Side Show Room9. Cheer Up Charlies10. Fast Folks Cyclery11. Birds Barbershop12. Buenos Aires Café13. The Good Knight14. Rio Rita15. Takoba16. The Liberty17. Domy Books18. Your Mom’s

17

18

16

The East side

I-35

texas state cemetery

kealing park

11th St.

6th St.

Cesar Chavez

TribezA Picks1. Franklin BBQ2. east Side yoga3. Blue Dahlia Bistro4. east Side Pies5. French Legation Museum6. Progress Coffee7. Shangri-La8. east Side Show Room9. Cheer Up Charlie's10. Fast Folks Cyclery11. Birds Barbershop12. Buenos Aires Café13. The Good Knight14. Rio Rita15. Takoba16. The Liberty17. Domy Books18. your Mom’s Burger Bar

tribeza.com july 2011 49illus tr Ation by AvA lon mck enZie

Photography by Valeria Castillo

AU S T I N A R T S + C U LT U R E

SEPTEMBER 22 - 29, 2011STYLEWEEK2011

presents

FASHION SHOW THURSDAY 9.29

e moved to Austin from Shanghai, China, where we lived for six

years. Then, it was Buenos Aires, Argentina.When we met, we were both living in London — Mark had been working as a trader there for many years, and I am from London (although I was born in Greece to Norwegian and Venezuelan-Ameri-can parents and raised in Barcelona, Spain). Mark is from Dallas, so when it came time for us to start a family, Austin seemed a natural choice, since we could be close to his family. I never thought in a million years that I would be a Texan! But then again, I never thought I’d marry an American or that I’d end up living in China either...

Mark and I love Austin because it is so open minded. It’s full of interesting people doing interesting things. And they are all in varied walks of life. It has a wonderful, nurturing artists’ community (I’m a sculptor). Austin also has a really positive environment. People who are here are really happy to be here. They feel fortunate to be in Austin and that creates a really positive energy. No one is trying to ‘get out.’

As for Bouldin Creek, we love the fact that it offers such an eclec-tic mix of neighbors and styles of houses. It has a wonderful ‘neighbor-hoody’ feel to it. We know so many of our neighbors, be it through our dog or our kids. Bouldin has got lots of families with kids the exact same

age as ours, and we have a wonderful community where we all get together a lot — kids play and parents have some cold ones. It’s such a luxury to have that within blocks of your home. We also love that we have bars, restaurants, shops, parks and swim-ming pools that we always walk to. We love not getting into our car.

Leslie Begert is a sculptor represented in six galleries around the U.S. View her work locally at Scott + cooner (115 w. 8th St.), where her installation "Baby heads" is currently on display with Deborah Page Projects. for more information, visit lesliebegert.com.

Leslie Begert’s Bouldin Creekshe’s lived and travelled around the world, but feels right at home in the 78704. By leslie BeGertPHOTOGRAPHy By miCHael tHad Carter


david Courtney’s Hyde ParkBy david Courtney Photography by paige newton

ello, we’re the Courtneys and this is charming Hyde Park.

Since leaving Temple, where I was born and

raised, and moving into my UT dorm room way back in May of 1984, my mail, except for a few semesters abroad, has been delivered solely to Austin addresses, none of which have been more than six miles away from the intersection of 43rd and Duval in Hyde Park. After multiple rentals in West Campus, years of bachelordom in that beautiful little stone cottage directly across Barton Springs Road near Shady Grove (perhaps you attended a party there?), and a period of premarital bliss spent shacked up with my soon-to-be in a tiny two-dog house in Allandale, my wife, Kendall, and I got married and bought our little “Hyde Park Charmer” in the fall of 2000.

Between then and now we’ve expanded both our family, with our daughter Sarah in 2003, and our house, with a small remodel in 2005. And while the neighborhood has changed a little over the past 10 years too, it has retained, and even improved upon, everything that makes it the great and quintessentially Austin

neighborhood that it is. The 50s-ish post office and the historic

Fire Station Number 9 at 43rd and Speedway still make that intersection look like Mayberry, and the very historic Elizabet Ney Museum on 44th between Avenues G and H, even with its recent renovations, stands much like it did more than a century ago, when the sculptress was creating an early incarnation of Austin’s art scene alongside her masterpieces. One block west, across Avenue G, are the pools (swimming and wading), playground and tennis and basketball courts of Shipe Park, which even though not huge by city park standards has plenty of good grassy space for lolling away an afternoon. A few blocks west, over on Avenue B, there’s the tiny, picturesque and quite creatively named Avenue B Grocery, where you’ll have much more success filling your stomach with one of their made-to-order deli sandwiches than you will filling your cart with actual groceries from all two

of their hundred-year-old and very short aisles of necessities (they don’t have carts).

And then there’s Vino Vino, the instantly comfortable Guadalupe wine shop/wine bar/restaurant that opened a few years ago amid a small and inexplicable hubbub with the neighbors. Who could oppose a neighborhood wine shop/wine bar/restaurant? Other relatively recent additions include a 43rd Street edition of the Parlor, or, as both it and its North Loop predecessor of the same name are referred to at our house, the Punk Rock Pizza Parlor. Both have great pizza, great juke boxes, and great, if a little grimy, 80s-Austin punk rock ambiance, but the Hyde Park location is much larger and features a full bar. The best-beaten path, though, between our home and any point in the neighborhood, or the rest of town for that matter, runs from our front door to the area around the intersection of 43rd and Duval. All of our favorite places are there: Julio’s Cafe


for roasted chicken, crazy-good Mexican martinis (one and a half will do the trick) and superb Mexican breakfasts; Asti Trattoria for excellent Italian home-style; Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery for chocolate croissants, thematically-decorated butter cookies (who doesn’t need a cookie shaped like a mustache for National Mustache Day?), and double macchiatos (Sarah

sticks with milk); Dolce Vita for gelato and nightcaps in an Old World sidewalk café meets Les Amis (remember Les Amis at 24th and San Antonio?) sort of setting,

a vibe that is hard to come by in Austin these days. And the new kid on the block, Antonelli’s Cheese Shop for cheese, wine and cheese and wine advice. The great thing about this particular conglomeration, like everything in the neighborhood, is that their proximity to one another makes for endless combinations. Okay, not endless, but you can imagine the possibilities.

We’re the Courtneys. Meet us at 43rd and Duval, in charming Hyde Park.

1. Mint Salon2. Vino Vino3. Gallery Black Lagoon4. The Parlor5. Avenue B Grocery

6. elizabet Ney Museum7. Daily Juicy Café8. Quacks 43rd Street Bakery9. ASTI Trattoria10. Dolce Vita

11. Mother’s Café & Garden12. Antonelli’s Cheese Shop13. Hyde Park Bar & Grill

Hyde Park

45th St.

38th St.

Duval

Guadalupe

1

2

3

5

6

11

12

13

7

4

89

10

TribezA Picks

David courtney is an associate editor and the Texanist at Texas Monthly magazine. Kendall courtney works in the Investment Management Division at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Sarah courtney just completed the second grade with flying colors and is an avid unicyclist, dancer, diver and parent pleaser.

54 july 2011 tribeza.com illus tr Ation by AvA lon mck enZie

. .

SMS Photography

few years ago, after a frenetic decade in New York City, I moved back to my childhood neighborhood of Clarksville, with my boyfriend

Patrick and our dog Greta, a long-legged Great Dane mix. Our evenings are tranquil, and we love dinners at home followed by evening walks. When the cicadas start their serenade and the blistering sun gives way to cool evening breezes, we wander, just to stretch our legs, get a little fresh air in our lungs and walk off the lingering heaviness of dinner.

West Lynn, the central neighborhood thoroughfare, feels like the main street of a friendly, yet chic, single-traffic-light town. A couple blocks away, Matthews Elementary, with its rolling green lawn and classic brick 1916 facade, seems nostalgically sweet and unchanged from my years spent there two decades before. Along West Lynn and

family affairA father and daughter share why Clarksville is the “best neighborhood in the world.”

by Currie & Jim Person photogrAphy by Kenny braun

down the hill, young couples sip fragrant coffees on the porch at Café Medici, and on summer nights, the usually plain and unassuming parking lot of Bond’s Television & Electronics is often filled to capacity with families spread out on quilts and perched on folding lawn chairs, waiting for an outdoor screening of a classic movie to begin.

Further down the main drag, Sledd’s Nursery, housed in a former filling station on the corner of West Lynn and 12th, presents an abundant tangle of flowering plants, vines and shrubs. Just on the other side of the sprawling verdant rows, a small but lively group gabs animatedly at the outdoor tables lining the sidewalk in front of Cipollina. The tall bistro windows display intimate clusters gathered inside sharing thin-crust pizzas and glasses of wine amidst the warm glow of candles and vintage pendant lamps.

We nod and smile hellos to our neighbors as they walk by enjoying the temperate evening, riding bikes, walking their dogs or simply strolling, as we are. En route back to our house, we pass under the antique neon signs of the neighborhood institutions Nau’s Drug and Anthony’s Cleaners, the cool blue light of the 1950s interiors spilling

across the sidewalk. I recall so many fond afternoons spent with my father at Nau’s classic soda fountain counter, chatting over burgers and milkshakes, my feet dangling from the swiveling stainless stools.

We often end our walks rambling through the long park that stretches between 9th and 10th Streets, as Greta bounds through the tall grass. Windows from the surrounding houses shine through the dark around us and the evening’s quiet settles in.

These walks have a magical, cinematic quality — a strikingly beautiful portrait of our small Clarksville community fully engaged in life, framed by lovingly preserved architectural vestiges of the past. Though the specific street scenes change season to season, year to year, the enduring feeling and pleasures of community remain delightfully the same.

Currie Person grew up in Clarksville, moved to New York City to attend New York University and remained there for over a decade working as a feature film location scout. She returned to Austin four years ago and opened Spartan, a boutique featuring a tightly edited collection of beautiful and functional objects. Her new venture, Mar-tineau & Bird, curates local monthly gatherings focused on explorations of art, food and design.

Currie's view


My friend Dick Clark used to say that Clarksville was the best neighborhood in the world, by way of it being the best neighborhood in Austin, Austin being the best city in Texas, Texas being the best state in the United States, and the United States being the best country in the world. Still can’t say I disagree with him.

Clark and I were early pioneers in Clarksville in the 70s, coming along after the hippies and students seeking cheap rents in the 60s. We were a bit hippy-ish ourselves, but we were serious about our business, Clark with architecture and me with developing real estate, and both with making money. We built our homes on 11th, across the street from each other.

When young people ask me about getting into real estate development, I advise going to work for a developer for a couple of years. You learn in a year or two what will take you five to ten years to learn doing it yourself, but my idealistic self decided I was going to do it differently and no one could teach me that, or so I thought. Clarksville provided that wonderful opportunity to work much harder than normal developers and make much less money. There was a reason established developers were not buying in Clarksville. In Clarksville proper (West Lynn, 10th, Mopac, Waterston) there were no paved streets; property ownership was difficult to determine with the property passed down for generations, sometimes without wills or deeds; and surveying was difficult

because the less-than-accurate old notes often overlapped (one surveyor, after doing a job for me, said, “I’m not going back into Clarksville, life’s too short”).

What Clarksville did have was a rural feel in the middle of the city, with lots of trees, creeks and buildings that looked like farmhouses. Half the lots were empty, or the houses on them were vacant and falling down. As I said, the legwork was arduous, but, with the help of a variety of partners, we bought enough property for about 40 homes, the lots ranging in price from $500 to $5,000.

The bankers had effectively redlined the area, but we finally talked Charlie Betts at Franklin Savings into making the first loan. Once we got the first house built and a permanent loan in place, a comp was established and the rest were easier. Our price points were low, generally around 50K, and we found plenty of buyers.

Now, with almost all of Clarksville built out, remodeled and gentrified, it has lost some of that rural feel but retains a unique charm and an even more unique mix of residents. Then there’s the location – Nau’s hamburgers, Jeffery’s, Mathews School, proximity to UT, The Capitol, Downtown, Whole Foods, Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, etc. Yep — the best neighborhood in the world.

Born and raised in Mississippi, Jim Person is a real estate developer, sportsman, father and grandfather who currently resides with his beautiful wife of four decades in Clarksville and Paris.

jim's view

The Person family in and around Clarksville in the 70s and 80s.

58 july 2011 tribeza.comph

oto

grA

phs

co

urt

esy

of

cu

rrie

per

son

.

2

13

4

75

6

8

Enfield

West Lynn

1. it’s hard for me not to start the day with a steaming Americano from Caffé medici (1101 W. lynn st.) — kind staff, delicious coffee and catching up with the neighbors before work.

2. morning yoga at Black swan (1114 W. 5th st., #202), a lovely and welcoming studio with talented teachers.

3. neighborhood jogs with my big dog, greta, and a visit to the 9th st. Dog Park.

4. happy hour cocktails and nibbles with friends at Jeffrey’s bar (1204 W. lynn st.) — the thumbalina salad is so crisp and fresh.

5. milkshakes at nau’s enfield Drug (1115 W. lynn st.) classic soda fountain.

6. the most relaxing facials using organic and locally made ingredients at neu skin (1411 W. 6th st).

7. super thin crust kale pizza at Cipollina (1213 W. lynn st.).

8. Alfresco summer movies at Bond’s television & electronics (100 W. lynn st.).

9. Willis littlefield’s front yard christmas light display on W. 12th st. during the holidays.

10. cold drinks and a spin around the dance floor at Donn’s Depot (1600 W. 5th st.).

Clarksville

Currie’s Clarksville

TOP 10

TribezA Picks1. Fresh Plus2. Cipollina3. Jeffrey's4. Zocalo Café5. Nau's enfield Drug6. Caffé Medici7. Galaxy Café8. el Interior

tribeza.com july 2011 59illus tr Ation by AvA lon mck enZie

fter four years away at college and two working in New York, I never thought I’d be this content to live with my parents again. My parents moved

into our current neck of the woods while I was a sophomore in college. It’s our sixth different neighborhood in Austin since I was born. My mother and father moved to Austin in 1980 just after they were married and when city development pretty much ended a half hour outside of downtown. Aside from UT Law School, there were very few attractions my parents could reference to convince their families that they weren’t crazy for moving to Texas. My dad grew up in New York City. My mother was born in Cincinnati but spent her formative years in Indiana, North Carolina and D.C. She and my dad both had always looked to their faith as a guide for life’s big changes. Moving was no different. As a result, we’ve lived all over Austin. And, the houses and neighborhoods we’ve lived in make

for convenient landmarks in our family’s Austin history.

I was born in 1985 in the West Austin neighborhood of Bryker Woods. After that, our tracks crisscrossed as far east as Red River — where my younger sister, Virginia was born — and as far South as Manchaca, on the edge of Buda. The years we spent in stroller-friendly and then-cheap Hyde Park — where my youngest sister was born and where we adopted my brother Benjamin — were some of my favorite. After that, I spent all of my teen years in a ranch-style house on Shoal Creek, and there’s a spackled-over hole in the wall to prove it.

But, it’s not just the places we’ve lived that define our version of Austin. Perhaps even more so it’s the kind of work my parents have dedicated themselves to over the years. Whether it’s starting a church in South Austin, working with nonprofit service programs in East Austin, sitting on boards at City Hall or building inter-cultural and interfaith relationships all over the city, they’ve always had a

very interconnected view of Austin’s neighborhoods. In a city, people tend to carve out their lives in 20-minute-drive enclaves, and that’s a fairly unique perspective.

After I graduated college, I spent a year living back at home. By then, we had been living in Pemberton Heights for a little over three years, but it still didn’t feel like home to me. It wasn’t until I returned from New York last July that Austin felt like home again and I began to appreciate my parents’ new neighborhood, mainly for its location (just 10 minutes from downtown and 15 from the East Side). But, moving back home has been less about the neighborhood and more about getting to know Austin all over again and reconnecting with the civic legacy of my parents. In many ways, it feels like things have come full circle. In a nice bit of symmetry, my parents’ house is only a few minutes away from the house I was born in. There’s no feeling quite like rediscovering your hometown, and there’s no town quite like Austin.

By Graham CumerbatChPhotograPhy By miChael thad Carter

Back homeAfter a jaunt in the big city, designer (and the very dapper) Graham Cumerbatch rediscovers his hometown, carrying on his parents’ legacy of giving.


Graham Cumerbatch (pictured far left) and his close knit family love parts of every neighbor-hood they have lived in over the years.


S H O P O N L I N E AT A D E L A N T E A U S T I N . C O M

1. Sandwiches, soda and candy at avenue b Grocery & market (4403 Avenue B). When we lived in Hyde Park, we also attended Hyde Park Baptist School, just a couple of blocks away. After school, our mom used to take us to this old-fashioned corner store for a treat.

2. Keeping fit at YmCa town lake branch (1100 W. Cesar Chavez St.) When we were kids, it’s where we played basket-ball and tee-ball. Now it’s where we get in our semi-regular 20 minutes on the treadmill. I miss tee-ball.

3. Vintage furniture at Next to New (5435 Bur-net Rd.) My mom’s always had an expert eye for qual-ity secondhand furniture. This has long been one of her go-to spots.

4. Snow Cones at Casey’s New Orleans-Style Sno balls (808 51st St.) Austin’s never been short on snow cone spots, but this old-Austin treasure off of Airport has always been our favorite. Super fine ice and tons of syrup — it’s perfection in a Styro-foam cup.

5. A burger at hill-bert’s (1501 W. 35th St.) Every-one’s got their favorite burger in Austin. But, for people who grew up here, it’s got as much to do with taste as nostalgia. Our fondness for one of the oldest burger joints in Austin goes back to Sun-day night takeout — after long days at church when mom and dad were too tired to cook dinner.

6. New duds at buffalo exchange (2904 Guada-lupe St.) Having learned the importance self-presentation at an early age, the Cumberbatch kids have always had a thing for style. While we sometimes disagree as to what that entails, Buffalo Exchange is probably the one place that tends to have some-thing for each of us.

7. A swing and a swim at Shipe Park (4400 Av-enue G) This was one of our favorite parks growing up. Back in the day we loved the swimming pools, huge (to us) swings and the best wooden play-scape in town. But, it’s still a great spot for a grown-up picnic.

8. Thai Food at madam mam’s (2514 Guadalupe St.) People argue a lot about where to get the best Thai food in Austin. But, when a place is this delicious and hugely fill-ing and five minutes from your house, what’s there to argue about?

9. Cold bliss at amy’s ice Cream (3500 Guadalupe St.) Oft-cited? Yes. Over-rated? Never. As far as we’re concerned, Mexican Vanilla is one of the true gastrological wonders of the world.

10. A great cut at agape barbershop (3218 E. Martin Luther King Blvd., #103) Finding a good bar-ber is very personal. My dad and I have been go-ing here for several years, and even when I lived in New York, I couldn’t bring myself to get cut any-where else. Mr. Reggie is a hair savant.

Back home

A selection of favorites from all the Austin neighborhoods they’ve walked.

Graham & Virginia’s

Top 10

phoTog r a phy by joh n pesin a60 july 2011 tribeza.com

SALES // SERVICE // RENTALS

Moving Soon to a New Location at2153 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704

512.447.7764 | cycleprogression.com

Summer Beautiful... from Head to Toe

Visit SpaReveil.com for exclusive offers or call (512) 339-7000

1. Although breakfast is served 24 hours, we hit magnolia Cafe (2304 Lake Austin Blvd.) early on Saturdays, then stroll over to Lady Bird Lake to walk off our pancakes.

2. Blazing summer days are bearable thanks to neighborhood pools — the tucked away reed Park and fabulously freezing deep eddy (401 Deep Eddy Ave.).

3. Disappearing into dive bars is no longer on our agenda, but a drink with the local cast of characters at deep eddy Cabaret (2315 Lake Austin Blvd.) is a good thing.

4. The lakeside Mediterranean villa and lush gardens of laguna

Gloria (3809 W. 35th St.) always amaze me. Art classes for kids and adults are an added bonus.

5. Work is better with a view of the water. mozart’s (3826 Lake Austin Blvd.) is a nice change of scenery for the coffee shop laptop crowd.

6. Walking to the howson library (2500 Exposition Blvd.) is a weekly outing. A stylin’ mid-century building houses a great selection and helpful staff.

7. Palm Tree Hugger nachos at hula hut (3825 Lake Austin Blvd.) are a favorite — preferably followed by a sunset cruise on a friend’s boat. (We’re accepting invitations.)

8. If skin care expert Tracy Bethel’s hydrafacial at tracy bethel Skincare can put instant glow into my dull, sleep-deprived skin, then there’s hope for all of us.

9. I get nostalgic in Over the rainbow (2727 Exposition Blvd.) — an independently owned toy store with a small town feel. The ladies here are experts on picking birthday gifts and children’s books.

10. Walking the trails and picnicking at mayfield Park (3505 W. 35th St.) makes for a perfect afternoon. The kids and I find the peacocks hilarious...and loud...and everywhere.

Sarah Wittenbraker’s

Top 10 to Deep Eddy/Tarrytown

after wOrkiNG in New York, UT grads Sarah and Rick Wit-tenbraker returned to Texas and settled into West Austin six years ago. Sarah, an interior designer, and former editor of Aus-tin Kidbits, shares her family’s favorite spots in the Deep Eddy/Tarrytown area.

62 july 2011 tribeza.com phoTog r a phy by cody h a m ilTon

AUSTIN SHADEWORKS

The ONLY Downtown Austin Window Covering Company!

Keeping Austin cool since 1993.

www.aust in shadeworks . com

IT’S DINNER.IT’S A MOVIE.IT’S MORE.

www.ipictheaters.com512-568-3400

DISCOVER IPIC THEATERS A Revolutionary new movie theater. Redefining Entertainment.

OPENING FRIDAY, JULY 1

Austin Domain3225 Amy Donovan Plaza, Austin TX 78758

5055iPicAustin_Tribeza8,25x4.qxp:Layout 1 6/9/11 6:29 PM Page 1


Travis HeightsTWO TAKES ON ONE OF OuR CITY’S MOST BELOVED ‘HOODS NESTLED WEST OF I-35.phoTography by Kenny Braun

Margo and Jonathan Tate with their daugher Maggie.



ravis Heights anchors Austin south of Lady Bird Lake, showcasing Victorian mansions and Texan bungalows shaded under a canopy of Live Oaks. Here, I,

live history at the Allidi House. Peter Allidi, a Swiss immigrant, artist and designer of note was hired in the 1920s to build Travis Heights homes and create frescoes for the city and university. His wife Esther Allidi, a perfumer, went on to start the 1950s Austin institution Mrs. Allidi’s Food Products out of the unusual brick and limestone basement.

Shiplap painted cocoa brown with a contrasting red traditional glass topped front door, the house is a modest 160-square-foot bungalow built in 1927 and methodically restored to near original. While rehabbing the front facade I removed shutters flanking the door and unearthed a wall of original side panels with all original Depression glass. The interior houses a collection of contemporary art, white bisque and oddities and is a perpetual motion exercise in shifting spatial orientation. The renovated kitchen features soapstone counters and floor to ceiling beadboard walls, hewing true to form and function. The studio garage built mid-century by a nascent Haliburton underwent

like rehabilitation and now has dual rolling farm doors painted red. At one point, a previous owner used the structure as a feline leukemia triage. It now contains my studio and via a separate entrance my partner Fred Daniel’s production office. Before purchasing the house in 2002 I stalked it, parking outside each evening for a week, I was drawn to its simple cottage feeling and strong lines. I have always wanted people to be comfortable in my home yet be able to sit next to a gloss white wild boar and not be alarmed.

The yard mingles tropical with native Texas landscaping, a lush and shaded private garden perfect for frequent dinner parties with family and friends. Adjacent to South Congress and downtown and populated with an eclectic mix, Travis Heights is light on pretension and heavy on amenities. The quiet hilly streets are perfect for walking Colonel Klink, our standard Dachshund and Town Lake Animal Shelter alum. An appropriate pied-à-terre after a day at work designing national commercials and feature films. bruCe CurtiS

Bruce Curtis is a film and commercial production designer. This fall a Richard Linklater film written with Skip Hollandsworth that Curtis designed will introduce audiences to Carthage, Texas with help from Shirley MacLaine, Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey.

“ADJACENT TO SOuTH CONGRESS AND DOWNTOWN AND POPuLATED WITH AN ECLECTIC MIx, TRAVIS HEIGHTS IS LIGHT ON PRETENSION AND HEAVY ON AMENITIES.

— Bruce Curtise originally chose Travis Heights be-cause we loved the old neighborhood feel, the architec-ture and short drive

to downtown. Since moving in, we have dis-covered walking to South Congress eateries and the Stacy Parks and trails. We also hit Lady Bird Lake, and Jonathan swims laps in Stacy Pool during the summer mornings before work. We’ve lived here for five years, and the best day of the year on our block has to be Halloween. This must be the most active street in Austin on October 31. Each year hundreds of trick-or-treaters stampede over our front porch. Homes up and down the street (including ours) are transformed into haunted houses. There are tombstones in the front yards, electric chairs and fire breathing spiders, just to name a few of the sights along the spooky gauntlet called Travis Heights Boulevard. We regularly walk to South Congress with our friends and kids for dinner (The Mighty Cone and Homeslice Pizza are our regular spots). Our best memory of all though was bringing our daughter Maggie home from the hospital. We were greeted by our family with open arms and smiles — it was a fun celebration and a cherished memory. marGO tate

Jonathan Tate is a commercial real estate broker, and Margo Tate is a stay at home Mom and owner of an event-planning company, m.tate events. Maggie Tate loves to color with sidewalk chalk. Jonathan and Margo both grew up in South Texas (San Antonio and Corpus Christi, respectively) but found their way to Austin for college and grad school and stayed.

Margo Tate & Family

Bruce Curtis



Bruce Curtis (left) and Fred Daniel (right) at home in the Allidi House.


SCULPTEDARMSFLAT ABSLIFTEDSEATLONG FIRM THIGHS

AUSTIN’S NEWEST BARbarmethod.com 1611 WEST 5TH

AUSTIN

Downtown dwellers cultivate small-town charm and big-city culture wrapped into one.

by JaCkie raNGel // phoTography by COdY hamiltON

Andra Liemandt, her husband and daughters thought they were going to stay in the Monarch while they were building a house, but loved it so much that it’s now their permanent home.

an UnexPected Neighborhood tribeza.com july 2011 69

t’s no wonder that people are clamor-ing to live in Austin’s downtown area — the calming waters of Lady Bird Lake, the abundance of eclectic live music, the familiar sense of com-munity — it has all the sophisticated amenities of a major city, plus the added benefit of local charm. In

comparison to other bustling cities, Austin’s downtown is an oasis, inviting visitors to leisurely engage with one another and the surroundings, to become a part of the neigh-borhood fabric.

Andra and Joe Liemandt originally moved their young family to The Monarch with the intention of staying for only a year while building a home on the lake. Three years have now passed, and today this young family is even more in love with their downtown life-style than they were at the beginning. While moving a family with two young children into the fray of downtown may seem like an atypical decision, the Liemandts have found that the change of pace has enhanced their daily lives on multiple levels.

For musician/mom Andra, the close prox-imity to Austin’s live music scene and the ease with which she has been able to take care of her two young daughters, Kate, 5, and Elle, 2, has proved a rewarding com-bination. Having recently formed the band The Cover Girls with five of her close friends, Liemandt appreciates the continuous lineup of concerts and performances that are merely steps away from her door. “I love mu-

sic, and because I’m a fairly new musician, I need to hear as much of it as I can just to help with fostering who I am as a mom and as a person,” Liemandt says.

While likening the downtown vibe to the “contemporary, young and edgy” sound of The Bravery, Liemandt also notes that The Monarch itself embodies the traditional sup-port system and values of a classic neighbor-hood, albeit modernized in form. “I talk to


my neighbors on a daily basis,” she says. “We text, we see each other on the elevator — I have such a community feel here. Everyone is so kind and generous, and willing to reach out and help with the girls.”

Joining a handful of other young chil-dren in the building and following in their mother’s footsteps from an early age, Liemandt’s daughters participate in a weekly music class at The Monarch. Built-in social and enrichment activities like this are only a small example of the opportunities available to children downtown. From the park to the Austin Children’s Museum to storytime at

BookPeople, the Liemandts are constantly out exploring and taking advantage of their hyper-local surroundings. “Being a mom downtown rocks. Totally and completely rocks. You don’t feel isolated the way you can when you live in a house.”

For Joe Liemandt, convenience is key. Of-ficing out of a smaller apartment on a lower floor in the building, he practically works from home. Removed enough to create a true office environment, yet close enough for mid-day visits from his wife and daughters, his daily commute consists of an elevator ride. In fact, he uses his car so infrequently that they have actually had to jumpstart its battery

“Being a mom downtown rocks. Totally and completely rocks. You don’t feel isolated the way you can when you live in a house.”

— andra leimandt —

Rooms with a View — Danny Hamilton and Paul Hilliard traded their Tarrytown digs for the W Residences. Their favorite downtown haunt? Lofty Dog (403 W. 2nd St.). Hamilton says: “It’s the go-to destination for all the pet owners downtown.”


on more than one occasion. But for the Liemandts, a slight inconvenience like that is hardly noticeable, in comparison to the broader benefits of their multi-facet-ed urban lifestyle.

eeking a similarly dynamic change, Danny Hamilton and Paul Hilliard origi-

nally made the transition from Tarrytown’s intimate neighborhood to the Ashton last summer and then moved into the W Austin Residenc-es in February for the flex-ibility to travel for extended periods of time. It was not until they had experienced downtown’s diverse offer-ings firsthand as residents, that they realized numerous unanticipated advantages to their new home.

“It offers a beautiful view of modern high rises above Lady Bird Lake, and coupled with a vibrant and active community — arts, music, shopping, dining, parks — it’s like a New York City neighborhood feel, but on a much smaller scale. Almost like a great Woody Allen movie,” Hamilton says.

Making use of the neigh-borhood’s ample public space and proving that

pets and condos can in fact mesh well, the couple takes their two dogs, Boomer and Biscuit, to Republic Square Park, Auditorium Shores or just around the trail for their daily dose of exercise. Al-though initially apprehensive about moving the animals to a smaller domestic space, they have been pleasantly surprised to notice lifestyle improvements all around. “We’re all happier and healthier, and these good long walks have been such a wonderful addition to our lives,” Hamilton says.

And on the subject of walking distance, having lo-cal favorites like La Traviata, Lamberts and Congress right around the corner ranks high on their list of positives as well. Hilliard and Hamilton acknowl-edge that unless they are in search of Tex-Mex, venturing beyond their neighborhood spots is becoming increas-ingly unlikely.

t is exactly this feel-ing of a centralized cultural hub that attracted Caroline Huddleston to her downtown home at the AMLI. A Dallas native and previous New York City and

Washington, D.C. dweller, she is no stranger to the constant buzz of city life.

“Austin was a significant

change for me, but it’s just as sophisticated, the qual-ity just as high as in other places. Plus, downtown has this approachable community feel that you don’t find in a bigger city.” For Huddleston, this feel is fostered by things like outings to the weekend farmers market at Republic Square Park, running into friends around the trail or daily visits to Royal Blue Grocery, where workers not only know her name, but also her breakfast taco preference.

Currently a graduate student at the McCombs School of Business, she also values the quick ac-cess to both faculty and friends that a downtown residence affords, not-ing that the convenience has made many of her classmates want to move to the area. “I can’t tell you how often I run into friends downtown. It’s a destination; everybody ends up here, so it’s great,” she says. For Huddleston, however, in comparison to her Manhattan apartment, these perks have simply been bonus points in Aus-tin’s favor. “When I came here, I doubled my square footage, added a bathroom and decided not to have a roommate — and I still pay less rent.“ Overall value-add indeed.

“I can’t tell you how often I run into friends downtown. It’s a destination; everybody ends up here, so it’s great.”

— caroline hUddleston —


The AMLI on Second is the perfect location for uT MBA Student Caroline Huddleston. She says: “Downtown has this approachable community feel that you don’t find in a bigger city.”


here is a certain kind of person, we like to think, who lives downtown: young, adventurous, hip — someone whose auditory nerves are excited, rather than

harassed, by late-night noise. We like to think that artists of all stripes — visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, writers — choose to live downtown because the vibrant life downtown offers, with its easy access to shows, exhibitions, restaurants and a frenetic energy best described as “buzz,” is geographically unique.

But what if, as in other cities across the nation, Austin’s downtown is too expensive for many artists, those who aren’t established (or trust-funded)? Anyone who saw Nathan Christ’s documentary Echotone this spring — about Austin musicians like the Black Angels, Ghostland Observatory and Black Joe Lewis grappling with how not to get priced out of a city that otherwise nurtures them and that they love — knows that it’s not easy for Austin artists to live in the center of things. But

what if Austin’s artists are moving instead to a neighborhood that, although it has its comforts, isn’t in imminent danger of being labeled “hip”? There’s not one single neighborhood Austin’s artists are uniformly overtaking — not even East Austin — but the Westgate area, south of Ben White Boulevard, is attracting artists because of its relatively cheap housing and even because of (and not despite) its uniformly suburban feel. Featuring a Central Market that functions as a tasty, bustling community center, a popular Yoga Yoga, a Hyde Park Bar and Grill and Regal Cinemas, the shopping center at the heart of the Westgate neighborhood seems constantly active. Take Westgate Boulevard a few miles south of that shopping center, and you’ll end up at the South Austin Artists Co-Op, a space for area artists to both create and exhibit their work.

But the residential blocks in Westgate do have a cookie-cutter, suburban feel. With street names like Lariat Way and Side Saddle Street, the neighborhood seems more like a developer’s plan than a neighborhood artists would choose to inhabit. But that’s part of the appeal for

hOme SweetUNCOOL hOmeAustin artists are moving to the last place you’d think of.by Clay Smith phoTography by Michael Thad Carter


Eric Braden, 25, works as a director and writer, is a recent Brooklyn transplant and feels right at home in the Westgate area. “I looked a little on the East Side, but I like being out of the way,” Braden says. “There’s a lot of trees and train tracks nearby that are active where it’s nice to walk along. I get inspiration.”


Sculptor Dana Brown, 35, moved to Austin from Portland, Oregon in 2006 and chose Westgate for its small-town feel. He says: “Westgate is like the place I grew up in, and it felt familiar.”


painter and sculptor Dana Brown. “I think artists find inspiration in a lot of places,” Brown, who is 35, says. He moved to Austin in 2006 with his wife from Portland, Oregon, first living on South First Street, then finding an apartment closer to Westgate, and now finally settling there. Brown says that cities like Austin and Portland attract artists from all over the nation, a lot of whom had “average suburban upbringings.” Moving to Westgate “was like the place I grew up in and it felt familiar,” he says. Because it wasn’t that expensive, he and his wife were able to find a house where he could turn one of the rooms into a home studio. Westgate feels “like a small town” to Brown. “I think that a lot of artists want to make their work in a way that they’re not having to find that next meal,” he says. Westgate allows them “to then make their artwork in a way that they have time for it; they have access to other artists.”

Genre-hopping musician (and realtor) Patricia Vonne says housing gets cheaper the farther south you look. “A lot of my musician and artist friends including myself live in South Austin,” she says. “It’s artist friendly and is affordable the more south you go. You get a lot more bang for your buck especially south of Ben White. You can buy an 800-1,100-square-foot house in the range of $130-150,000.”

estgate is appealing even to artists younger than Brown who might typically

live in East Austin. Twenty-five-year-old Eric Braden probably dislikes limiting a description of his work to just video directing and music writing (he

is also a writer and he was a cartoonist in college). “I’m not really musically trained at all so I take things that I like and manipulate them until it sounds like something I haven’t heard before,” he explains. He moved to Austin several months ago from Brooklyn and has a job as a counselor at a summer camp. “I looked a little on the East Side, but I like being out of the way,” Braden says. “After working all day, my favorite thing is to go home and work on music, and I love seeing my friends every now and then, but often times they just want to hang out and I feel like I need to be productive every day. I hate it when I don’t get to produce something.” (He means what he says. For someone as young as he is, he has a lot under his belt — check out his music videos on Vimeo by typing in the name of his video production company, Nervous Room Service).

Braden lives in an apartment next to hectic Ben White Boulevard, but he likes taking walks through Westgate. “There’s

a lot of trees and train tracks nearby that are active where it’s nice to walk along. I get inspiration.” Like his neighbor Dana Brown, Braden finds inspiration in suburbia. He grew up in Katy, the vast suburb outside Houston. He doesn’t think suburbia is heaven (“when I go to certain places outside of Ft. Worth, it creeps the hell out of me,” he points out), but he finds inspiration in it nonetheless. He’s fascinated by the staid boredom he says suburbia can engender. “There are certain realities about human existence that are being avoided in suburbia,” he says, and that has been a fruitful reality for him to explore. When he returns to Katy to visit his parents, it feels almost like a ghost town. “I never see anybody. Cars live there and the people are just tucked away. It’s strange.” He lives in suburbia, but he lives right by a freeway. Suburbia is more complex — and has more fertile aesthetic ground — than we give it credit for. “It can be a bad thing for artists to avoid suburbia,” Braden says, “because it’s so American.”

Cari Palazzolo of the band Belaire is fea-tured in Echotone, the new documentary that “provides a telescopic view into the lives of Austin’s vibrant young musicians as they grapple with questions of artistic integrity, commercialism, experimentation and the future of their beloved city.”


ny East Sider will tell you that the neighborhood is changing, and while it would be hard not to admit that this progress has its benefits, most will also rat-

tle off a laundry list of places they miss and reasons the area used to be better. However, unlike most residents, instead of just talk-ing about it, artist and loyal East Austinite Michael Schliefke has documented his neighborhood’s gentrification in a series of comic books starring a pretty typical white guy turned superhero fighting to preserve his beloved ‘hood. While Schliefke may not dress up in a Mexican wrestling costume and terrorize East Side hipsters like the hero in his comics, he has found his own way to preserve the area’s history. Through a series of three, soon to be four, comic books, written and released over the past four years, Schliefke captures the changes happening on Austin’s East Side, recording businesses and buildings and even commu-nities that have come and gone.

From the anger and frustration that the main character expresses in the loosely au-tobiographical comics, it is easy to imagine Schliefke as another bitter hipster who just happened to get to the neighborhood before

the next few waves arrived. But when we meet at his house, tucked away on a quiet, tree-lined block near Holly Street, his pas-sion for his art and the East Side outweigh any bitterness he may feel.

Originally from Upstate New York, Schliefke has lived in Austin for nine years, always on the East Side. His first place was further north, on Cherrywood and Manor, an area that he describes as almost unrecognizable now, long before El Chilito and when Mueller’s was the place to go for barbecue. After that he moved to Bolm Studios with Shea Little, Jana Swec and Joseph Phillips. They made a living space and a working space in the warehouse, and Schliefke describes it as that “rugged, studio-lifestyle of an artist.” He lived there for almost four years, volunteering for the East Austin Studio Tour. Over the years, he has managed to support himself on the East Side without taking a day job, but he did have to start renting a more affordable studio in North Central Austin. There he paints and draws and teaches around 14 private art classes a week. “Years ago you used to be able to just find a giant ware-house on the East Side, split it up and go for it, but those spaces are no longer easily available and not affordable,” he explains.

For the past four years, he has been working on his comics, The Tales of The Really White Vigilante. While the stories and characters are entertaining, it is the illustrations and the settings, the closed restaurants like Gene's New Orleans Style Poboys and Taco Sabroso, that carry the message about what is being lost and gained through the area’s rapid develop-ment. Schliefke does not imagine that the gentrification is going to stop or even slow, but says, “I think the secret is to be cool with everything and not go in and do some-thing crazy, like build a giant house on your property or be a complete idiot to everyone around you. Adapt to the neighborhood. Let the neighborhood change you, instead of you changing the neighborhood.”

Schliefke, who also witnessed gentrifica-tion in Boston, explains, “Artists are the first ones in, and then a salon or coffee shop opens, bars, then condos. Then everyone’s out, moving to a new part of town.” But he is hopeful for Austin. “However long this has been going on — eight years now, what-ever — it still hasn’t killed East Austin yet. Which is pretty nice.” As the characters in his comics do, he recognizes both the pros and cons of the development of the East Side, and he is here until the rent goes up.

michael schliefke, The Really White VigilanteThe East Side’s really white vigilante, Michael Schliefke, has taken up the pen in defense of his ‘hood, and the result is a record of the area’s changing character — in comic book form.

by Carolyn Harrold

Artist Michael Schliefke hangs out at an East Side piñata shop, which served as a setting in the second issue of his comic, The East Side Vigilante.

78 july 2011 tribeza.com phoTog r a phy by cou rTn e y ch ava n ell

The cover for Michael Schliefke' East Side Vigilante Volume Three; Painting by Ian Shults (ianshults.com).


18th C French, “new” antiques, current furnishings and industrial salvage.

Austin’s own showroom with an exceptional eye for sophisticated chic furnishings.

18th-19th C. antiques, current furnishings and “new” antiques, and industrial salvage.

www.wendowfineliving.com

w hen I heard that female cyclists (particularly

beginners) are the “indicator species” for how bike friendly a city is, I realized our staff might be just the right riders to take on the assignment of touring the city with the City of Austin’s bike program manager, Annick Beaudet. Nationally in 2010, the gender split for bicycling commuters was 75 percent male and 25 percent female (in Austin, it’s 64 percent male to 36 percent female). “If more women are bicycling, this means the bicycle network is perceived as safe and accommodating. So by this indication, Austin is on the right track to becoming an even better place to get around by bicycle.” I rallied two other TRIBEZA staffers and beginner female riders, designer Avalon McKenzie and editorial assistant Carolyn Harrold, to join me on a two-wheeled tour on Austin’s bike routes.

Our day began with getting outfitted on hybrid bikes from Mellow Johnny’s (not without fueling up on tacos and coffee from Juan Pelota Café first of course). We met up with Beaudet

at Zilker Park to begin our ride. She has worked for the City of Austin off and on for the last 10 years, beginning her career as an entry-level urban planner, then focusing on land use planning. In 2006, she started focusing on sustainable transportation planning. A born and raised Austinite, she’s been commuting by bicycle since age 12 and rides competitively (she’s a two-time Texas State Time Trial Champion and an Ironman finisher). “It’s important that Austin’s bike network be planned and designed by experienced engineers and urban planners, but also by people who actually ride bikes,” she says. “Much of our staff at the Bicycle Program rides regularly for transportation or recreation, which I believe is a big part of our success.”

From Zilker Park, we took the Barton Springs Bike Lanes to the Mopac Feeder bike lanes, a short stretch that runs parallel to Mopac. “It’s such a good feeling to be speeding on your bicycle if you look over to Mopac and see stopped traffic,” she says giddily. This particular stretch illustrates the Program’s coordination

with the Texas Department of Transportation to make their highways more bike friendly for stretches within the city of Austin. The star of the routes seems to be the Lance Armstrong Bikeway because it connects other routes. As we rode north to south and east to west, we became more confident in our pedaling and were each surprised by the short cuts we were able to take and how fun and invigorating commuting could be. Beaudet updated us on some of the city’s upcoming projects like a trail from Central Austin to the City of Manor (the commuter and recreational trail could be in place by 2014) and among others, the Mopac Bicycle Bridge over Barton Creek, one of the highest ranked projects in the City’s Strategic Mobility Plan (would create access in the Mopac Corridor, connecting Southwest Austin with Downtown, Zilker Park and beyond).

All three of us began the ride tentatively, but were collectively surprised by how easy it was to get around the city and how safe we felt. After just a few hours, we got back to Mellow Johnny’s feeling invigorated and in the

mood to shop for our own wheels. But what inspired us most was the startling fact Beaudet shared with us — “If half of Austin’s commuters carpooled or biked just one day a week for a year, they’d save more than a million and a half gallons of gas. And the CO2 emissions prevented would be the equivalent of making 1,500 Austin households carbon neutral for the whole year.”

To get started, Beaudet suggests a Bicycle Traffic Skills 101 course. Class schedules are available at austincycling.org. To purchase one of the city’s new Bike Maps, contact Pete Dahlberg at (512) 974 7834.

a ride with aNNiCk beaudetThe City’s Bike Program Manager shows team TRIBEZA the commuter’s way to cruising around Austin.by l auren smiTh Ford // phoTogr aphy by cody hamilTon

The City Bike Program Manager Annick Beau-det, outside the gates of Barton Springs.


boT

Tom

ima

ge

co

urT

esy

oF

an

nic

k be

au

deT

.

From East to West and North to South, every ‘hood in

Austin has its own unique morning-time haunt.

Take one bite of upper Crust Bakery’s signature cinnamon rolls and you will see why they sell about 450 a day.

The Breakfast Club by JeSSiCa duPuYphoTography by ShaNNON mCiNtYre


How do you start your day? Do you roll out of bed, pour a cup of coffee and go? Do you linger over the morning paper with eggs, toast and fresh orange juice? Is there a regular pit stop you make on your way to work for a little morning sustenance?

There’s no question that the best way to start your day off right, is to break your evening fast with a little something in your stomach. For years Austin’s go-to breakfast spots included the likes of Kerbey Lane and Magnolia Café where weekend mornings saw scores of people waiting in line for gingerbread pancakes and specialty omelets, but these days, the choices are endless, with popular restaurants around town offering special weekend brunches and regular breakfast spots popping up everywhere. Below are a few of our favorite selections around town.

Upper Crust Bakery

Those in the Allandale/Brentwood area know the secret to a good breakfast. It comes in the form of flaky croissant dough rolled tightly with butter, sugar and cinnamon into a mammoth-sized cinnamon roll. Crispy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, these famous morning pastries aren’t the only things that have this family-owned European-style bakery on the map — try their selection of sandwiches on homemade bread or their chocolate chip cookies — but the cinnamon rolls certainly take top billing.

According to owner Stephanie Shuster, the rolls are a special recipe devised 27 years ago by her sister and then bakery owner, Valerie. “When we used to roll out our croissant dough, we would have to trim the edges of the dough to roll the croissants. But we hated to waste things,” says Shuster. “So Valerie reserved all of the trimmings, sending them back through the sheeter and rolling them up again with cinnamon and sugar before baking them. It was just an experiment at the time, but now we sell around 450 a day and up to 1,000 a day during the holidays.”

And while you can easily swing by Upper Crust for a cinnamon roll and cup of Joe to-go,

you’ll find most area residents have made a ritual of lingering over the morning paper with a simple-yet satisfying breakfast.

Counter Café

Central and Downtown Austin have a plethora of primo breakfast haunts. From the fried egg sandwich on a fresh challah bun at 24 Diner or the country chicken and waffles with a cup of Intelligentsia coffee at Frank to the weekend brunch favorite of huevos y carne asada at La Condesa or the Big Boy omelet at Jo’s, there’s no shortage of sensational breakfast options. One of our favorites is the tiny little dinner/dive with nothing but a single row of two-top tables and a long service counter, the Counter Café. Sure, they get a lot of recognition for their burger — and rightfully so — but their buttery biscuits with gravy or classic stack of buttermilk pancakes are unmatched for a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast. Not only is this old-timey café a favorite for its flavorful offerings, but also for its locally-sourced, naturally-raised and primarily organic ingredients. Pair that with a relaxed, down-home friendliness, and you’ve got a perfect welcome to the day.

Just ask Robert Malina, a local mortgage

broker for PrimeLending and self-proclaimed home chef. “When I feel the need for a big breakfast, I prefer the pork chop and eggs at the Counter Café,” says Malina. “It’s a simple bone-in chop. It’s not dressed up, it only has salt and pepper, which is all it needs, and it’s cooked perfectly. It comes with eggs as you wish — although I prefer sunny side up — and of course, crispy breakfast potatoes. Add a cup of coffee and you have a breakfast of champions.”

South Congress Cafe

In its eight years at the corner of South Congress and Monroe Street, the South Congress Cafe never fails to draw a steady crowd for dinner, lunch and breakfast. Known for a menu with particularly bold and spicy flavors, this vibrant café offers the sweet side of breakfast an equally bold temptation with its carrot cake French toast.

As indulgent as it sounds, this decadent dish arrives as thick slices of carrot cake prepared with cinnamon-vanilla egg batter in traditional French toast style and served with a rich cream cheese-pecan syrup. And while it certainly satisfies even the most voracious sweet tooth, it’s a good idea to clear a few hours of naptime for a post-meal coma.


The Carrot Cake French Toast at the South Congress Cafe is made of fresh baked carrot cake dipped in cin-namon vanilla egg batter and grilled to golden brown. It’s served with the Cafe’s original cream cheese-pecan syrup and seasonal fresh fruit.


The specialty tacos are the key at Taco Deli — pictured are the El Popeye (spinach, scambled eggs and crumbled queso fresco Mexican white cheese), the Vaquero (eggs scrambled with mix of corn, toasted poblano and red peppers with monterrey jack cheese), the Migas Royale Plate (migas topped with queso, monterrey jack cheese, avocado and pico de gallo). Wash it down with a water-melon aqua fresca.


Java Dive Café

West of town, near Lake Travis, residents have experienced a wave of new breakfast spots in the past couple of years. Long ago, you could get a hefty breakfast taco with brisket and eggs from the old Jim Bob’s barbecue on Highway 71. Unfortunately, Jim Bob’s is long gone and along with it the mammoth breakfast tacos, but with recent additions such as Baguette et Chocolat and Maudie’s Tex-Mex, you no longer have to drive all the way into town for a good breakfast. A fairly recent addition to this area that has grabbed our attention is Java Dive Café. Despite its name, the Java Dive is a step up from what you normally might consider a “dive.” Located in a shopping center along Ranch Road 620, this charming little bistro offers a delightful selection of breakfast treats including breakfast sandwiches and tacos, sweet baked goods and omelets. But what sets this locale apart is its 100 percent organic and primarily gluten-free menu, a mission that strikes a chord with owner Roni Liberman who believes those who have different food allergies should still be able to eat delicious food.

We like the whole-wheat breakfast taco with homemade turkey sausage as well as the triple berry muffin, but the gluten-free waffles are a special sweet and spongy morning surprise. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Java Dive reminds us that we can have a hearty and heart-healthy meal in one.

Blue Dahlia

Taco fans flock to Juan in a Million, and with the size of their monster breakfast tacos, it’s easy to see why. But if you’re in the mood for something more refreshing, Blue Dahlia is the place. Designed after a French countryside bistro, this East Side locale offers a menu of baked goods, salads and sandwiches using local and organic ingredients.

A favorite of Texas Monthly executive editor Pamela Colloff, she says, “I love Blue Dahlia for their brunch and amazing homemade breads, but I also love the atmosphere. The outside patio feels a bit like the South of France.”

Among their lunchtime favorites are the open face “tartine” sandwiches on fresh-baked wheat bread with a number of different fixings. But we like Blue Dahlia for its morning morsels including blueberry blintzes with sweet ricotta and their assorted breakfast breadbasket with different spreads. This quaint neighborhood spot may not be for the big breakfast eater, but it certainly fits the bill for the healthy, grazing morning diner in us all.

Chez Zee

This northwest Austin favorite is known for its whimsical décor, it’s enormous pie selection and its weekend brunch — more specifically its famous weekend brunch dish, crème brulee French toast. Though you’ll hear myriad recommendations for the lobster benedict and the challah bread French toast, which are both popular options, the crème brulee French toast in all of its dense, sweet and creamy glory, is perhaps the most popular brunch item. So popular, in fact, that owner Sharon Watkins has adjusted the menu to offer both full orders as well as appetizer-sized triangles of the dish to satisfy customer cravings for both sweet and savory orders.

“We were looking for what would set us apart with our breakfast menu, but also something that could easily be made in large quantities,” says owner Sharon Watkins who developed the recipe in the early 1990s. Watkins uses fresh challah bread and tears it up in chunks. The bread is then infused with the crème brulee mixture and packed tightly into a spring form pan to set overnight. The bread is then baked, sliced into wedges and toasted. “Now we serve about 600 meals for brunch on the weekends and a large portion of those are the crème brulee French toast.” And

for those interested in having it at home, Chez Zee also fills mail order requests with loafs of the favorite recipe shipped anywhere across the country.

This year, thanks to items such as the crème brulee French toast, Chez Zee was the only Texas selection for the Open Table Diners’ Choice awards for the Top 50 Restaurants for Brunch in the United States. Taco Deli

Like barbecue, Tex-Mex and burgers, everyone in Austin has a breakfast taco preference: the Shack Taco at Taco Shack for its chorizo potatoes; the basic bacon and egg taco at Elsi’s Restaurant with fabulously fresh salsa; or the migas taco from Torchy’s. But Taco Deli is towards the top of our list of favorite breakfast tacos.

When one of their tacos makes the list for the “63 Tacos To Eat Before You Die” from Texas Monthly, you know you’re dealing with a good breakfast taco contender. Though the spicy Cowboy taco with beef tenderloin, grilled corn, caramelized onions and roasted peppers made the Texas Monthly list, we love the breakfast options including the Vaquero (the Cowboy taco with eggs instead of steak), the Jess Special with migas mixings and fresh avocado — not just because this writer happens to share the same name — and the build your own option with a heaping scoop of Taco Deli papas (Mexican-style mashed potatoes.)

Taco Deli also makes the list for its vibrant morning vibe. Whether down by the Barton Creek hike and bike trail at Barton Skyway or the hip new location at North Lamar and 42nd, this morning wake-up favorite always pleases with a laid-back Austin crowd and a satiating taco experience.

Whether planning a weekend brunch with friends or looking for a place to grab something on the go for work, with a little investigating, your breakfast of champions is just a block or two away.


P art interior design store, part studio and part museum of oddities, Howl Interiors is a venture into the unex-

pected. An eclectic selection of pieces stud the studio, from a colonial-era teak box with brass inlay work to three-dimensional, double-faced mirrored towers that protrude into the room. “You can’t put a label on anything here,” says designer and founder Barry Jelinski. “There’s modern furniture, there’s Eastern furniture, there’s European furniture, new, old — all of it. Howl has something for everybody.”

Though he never received formal training, Jelinski has cultivated a passion for interior design since childhood: the designer first picked up a circular saw at the age of eight and began designing pieces for his mother’s antique store during college. “Afterward, when I was wondering what direction my life was going to take, I thought back to what I enjoyed doing most in my life, and that was being creative and making things,” he notes. In Denver, Colorado, Jelinski co-founded Rue 22, an antique store, and Ballpark Market, an urban flea market and the first of its kind in the area.

Seeking greater freedom and a more social line of work, Jelinski opened Howl in 2005, where he now showcases both antiques he has collected as well as his own work created in the studio behind the store. The name, Howl, was inspired by Allen Ginsberg’s work by that name, reflecting the poem’s intensity and expression.

“Ginsberg had something he wanted to say to the world, and so do I.” Through Howl, Jelinski’s message is a plea to rethink our living space: “I want people to seek some inspiration. Maybe Howl

will inspire them to reexamine the way they surround themselves. If you’re going to put

care into anything, make it your house, your apartment, where you spend your time.”

Channeling Ginsberg’s innovative spirit, Jelinski draws from his background as a seasoned traveler and antiquarian to combine antique and repurposed materials in unique ways. “The old stuff has soul,” he remarks. “And that’s what Howl is about: creating soul where you live.” One of his latest works, for example, is a table constructed from a 100-year-old piece of wood set atop chrome legs, highlighting Jelinski’s emphasis on counterbalance of seemingly contradictory

influences. “There are organic elements, manmade industrial elements, soft elements,” he observes. “It doesn’t matter what two things are, but if they can speak to each other, then that’s what the Howl aesthetic is about.” l. SiVa

HowlInteriorsTHE FANTASTICAL MEETS CHIC IN THIS SOuTH LAMAR SHOP CuRATED BY BARRY JELISNKI AND HIS CREATIVE VISION.

barry jelinski pre-sides over the funky and eclectic howl interiors on lamar. before opening howl, he co-founded ballpark market and rue 22 antique shops in denver, colorado.

howl interiors1601 S. lamar blvd., Ste. a

(512) 291 2123howlinteriors.com

88 july 2011 tribeza.comim

ag

es c

ou

rTes

y o

F h

ow

l in

Teri

ors

.

style p i c k

705 b south lamar 512 916 9961

[email protected] www.mossaustin.com

1700 B. South Congress Ave. (enter on Milton) 512.912.9779 [email protected]

feathersboutiquevintage.blogspot.com

Extraordinary vintage for women

Now carrying shoes from Jeffrey Campbell and Dolce Vita

We BUY vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories everyday

Now Open!high-end designer clothing,

shoes, and handbags

we accept consignments everyday

no appointment necessary

Photography: Amanda Elmore

Beau Comeaux: Implied FictionsJuly 9 - August 20, 2011Opening ReceptionSaturday, July 9th 6-8pm

1202-A West Sixth StreetAustin, Texas 78703

512.825.6866www.bhollymangallery.com

CycleStyle

aUstin’s eco-minded riders show off their

sUmmer threads

AL Foote,20, shops at clown dog bike shop.

shAwn o’keeFe,36, likes to shop at Freewheeling bikes, and for clothes he hits up service menswear.

sAmAnthA corAy, 20, shops at Feath-ers and laced with romance for the best vintage finds.

eLeAnor rosAire, 29, likes to shop at savers.

trAvis Austin,28. his favorite bike shop is austin bikes.

LisA schergen,29, shops at prototype and keeps in shape by biking everywhere.

AndreA bArbosA,25, loves shopping at madewell.

eLLen ALger,32, wears earrings by local designer augustina rodriguez.

90 july 2011 tribeza.com phoTog r a phy by a n n ie Forr es T

style s t r e e t F A s h i o n

R i v e r sGroup ShowJuly 9 - 30

Wa l l y Wo r k man Ga l l er y 1 2 0 2 W. 6 t h St . A u st i n , T X 7 8 7 0 3512.472.7428 www.wallyworkman.com Tuesday- Saturday 10-5

Janel Jefferson, Mother Oba, acrylic on paper, 78x51 inches

austin

Only the pickled beets seem unremarkable.Sausages are made in-house and are

worth trying. The Crepinette is a savory patty of ground pork, currents and mush-rooms, wrapped in caul fat and sautéed, then served warm over an herb salad. The Italian Sausage Special was a tasty fennel-spiced link served on a crusty baguette.

And my favorite dish was the Rabbit and Dumplings, a cast-iron skillet brimming with moist rabbit, succu-lent veggies, savory au jus and topped with fluffy biscuit-like dumplings.

Beer is a ranch prerequisite and Contigo offers over two dozen, including a citrusy pint of local Live Oak Hefe-weizen. The wine list is brief but diverse and we enjoyed a rare sparkling Lam-brusco Bianco and deliciously pert Pi-

etra Santa Zinfandel, both served in tumblers rather than fancy-pants stemware. Handcrafted cocktails like the refreshing El Pepino and the zingy Moscow Mule were perfect antidotes to the Texas heat.

Service was promising at first, but as the evening wore

on, became less and less attentive. So as we waited for our server to reappear, we kicked-back and soaked up the scenery. Contigo has the comfortable worn-in look of a ranch, but with modern updates: sleekly polished concrete floors; retractable corrugated tin walls; wooden chairs with leather backs; and steel-trimmed rough-hewn tables, most of which were filled the night we visited. We spotted diners not only from the nearby Muel-ler development, but also students, conven-tioneers, a table of nurses and one of our city’s top chefs.

Contigo is no mirage; it’s a delightful slice of ranch life right here in Austin. I highly recommend you saddle up your Prius and mosey on over. k. SPeZia

a s I approached Contigo one night, it seemed like a mirage. Its enormous neon sign unexpectedly emerged

above an industrial stretch of East Austin, il-luminating what appeared to be a ranch filled with herds of people — not livestock — mak-ing merry beneath strands of twinkle lights.

Had I stumbled upon some sort of ap-parition? No, it was Contigo, a very real new restaurant in the heart of Austin. Inspired by the ranches of South Texas, this sprawl-ing cantina aims to recreate a rural experi-ence in the most unlikely of places: beside the urban warehouses and runways of the

Contigo2027 anchor ln. (512) 614 2260 contigotexas.com/austin

old Mueller airport. And it does so with great success.

Beyond its rustic ranch gate (and ample, well-lit parking lot), Contigo unfolds into a rambling open-air compound. Leafy trees and metal awnings create a canopy of shade, while ceiling fans whirl breezes around, even on mercury-busting nights. The communal tables in the courtyard seat 100 or more, while smaller covered tables provide more intimate din-ing options. Imbibers can belly-up to the welcoming bar or retire to a smaller lounge around the corner. In the side yard, guests can play a friendly game of washers.

Although the menu is ranch-inspired, co-owner/chef Andrew Wiseheart has given chuck wagon grub a fresh twist. Delicious white bean dip is blended with duck fat for added creaminess and flavor. Tempura-bat-tered fried green beans are addictively good.

contigo’s building, furni-ture and aesthetic was all inspired by ben edgerton’s (pictured right) family ranch in south Texas (con-tigoranch.com). edgerton and chef/co-owner andrew wiseheart (left) met during their childhood at laity lodge youth camp.

dining p i c k

92 july 2011 tribeza.com phoTog r a phy by joh n pesin a

dining p i c k

Lauren’s Central Austin Haunts

24 diner600 n. lamar blvd.(512) 472 5400I have yet to order some-thing I don’t like at this lively and much needed addition to the restaurant scene. When I need some nourishment, it’s succulent roasted chicken with veggies or the chopped salad. But when it’s guilty pleasure time, we indulge in chicken and waffles or…the sinful bacon gorgon-zola burger.

mAdAm mAm’s 2514 guadalupe st. (512) 472 8306Even though I didn’t go to UT, there’s something about walking on the Drag that makes me feel the energy of being a co-ed again. I am always up for a stroll to my favorite Thai spot, which happens to be on the Drag, the center of all the campus action. My husband, brother and I have always loved ‘Mam’s’ as we call it and all three have the exact same order — pad see ew with chicken and vermicelli, please…delish!

sALvAtion pizzA624 w. 34th st. (512) 535 0076Sit at one of the outdoor picnic tables on the porch or slide into a table inside the old house for the best thin crust pizza in town. Clever combos like white pie with chicken, fresh garlic, prosciutto and sage deliver as well as the classics like pepperoni and mushroom.

texAs French breAd2900 rio grande st. (512) 499 0544The most melt-in-your mouth cinnamon croissant around. This is my go-to neighborhood coffee stop and now (like Lance Arm-strong himself), one of our favorite dinner spots with a rotating weekly menu of prepared from scratch, fresh dishes.

wheAtsviLLe co-op3101 guadalupe st.(512) 478 2667My favorite vegan and TRIBEZA designer Avalon McKenzie introduced me to this spot, which has become somewhat of our office cafeteria. From the delicious sandwiches and smoothies made to order from the deli to the rows of organic options, a lunch break at the CO-OP always re-energizes.

Avalon’s South Austin Favorites

mAgnoLiA cAFe1920 s. congress ave.(512) 445 0000As a native Austinite, I’ve been going to Magnolia for as long as I can remember. Their flamingo sandwich is my current favorite (I go with hummus instead of cheese). Other favorites from my pre-vegan days: carrot cake and whole wheat waffles with ba-nanas cooked inside.

bouLdin creek coFFee house1900 s. First st.(512) 416 1601This artsy vegetarian spot serves a bit of everything. With healthy breakfast options, like fruit and granola, to a full menu of coffee drinks and a delicious veggie burger, there is something for everyone. My usual order is the V-Lux salad with their homemade tahini dressing.

homesLice pizzA1415 s. congress ave.(512) 444 7437After living in New York for four years, I can easily say that Homeslice makes fantastic pizza. Their ingredients are fresh and their staff is beyond friendly. If you’re not in the mood for a slice, their Greek salad is a healthy alternative.

hoteL sAn José1316 s. congress ave.(512) 444 7322 The Hotel San Jose isn’t just for tourists! They have a beautiful outdoor patio that is perfect for relaxing with friends.

Jo’s coFFee 1300 s. congress ave.(512) 444 3800The folks at Jo’s know cof-fee. My favorite drinks are their iced Americano and soy latte.

Carolyn’s Cherrywood

Choices

bennu2001 e. mlk blvd.(512) 478 4700Owned by friendly hus-band and wife duo Steve and Stephanie Williams, this East Side coffee shop outfitted with vintage office furniture provides a buzz to area business types and students alike all day and all of the night. Morning barista Jesse Hill pours an irresistible Don Quixote, one of their many gourmet mochas. the butterFLy bAr2307 manor rd.A badly needed addition to the ‘hood, this whimsical beer garden and wine bar tucked away behind the acclaimed VORTEX Rep-ertory Theater boasts a large deck and private yard outside and a 100-year-old bar inside.

FiestA3909 n. i-35(512) 406 3900Offering everything from typical groceries to colorful ponchos and serapes and an array of international and specialty foods, this super store lives up to its name on the weekends when vendors set up booths outside, and the parking lot feels like a party.

monArch Food mArt1402 e. 38th 1/2 st.(512) 478 7425Not your average bodega, zip into this convenience store next to Cherrywood Coffeehouse for all of the necessities, including an impressive selection of boxed and bottled wines and beers and an array of hard to find treats.

STAFF NEIGHBORHOOD

PICKS

tAco-mex2611 manor rd.(512) 524 0860With no interior, this literal hole in the wall serves up some of the best migas tacos in town, for only $2. Hang out with the assort-ment of regulars or slip into RBM Food Mart and grab a drink while you wait for the friendly staff to make your overflowing taco.

TRIBEZA publisher and our resident foodie, George Elliman likes so many restaurants in each neighborhood that it was hard for him to pick just a few, but here goes. Justine’s to the East because the escargot, the duck confit and the atmosphere always deliver. The Grove to the West for delicious pizza, the best spaghetti and meat balls. Paggi House to the South — the historic setting with delicious lobster bisque, risotto or duck breast. Then, there’s 34th Street Cafe for the Hack Salad at lunch or Chicken Picata for dinner, Fleming’s at the Domain for filet mignon and Truluck’s downtown for fresh red snapper or crab legs. And of course he can’t forget Ranch 616 for fish tacos, Vespaio for spaghetti carbonara with an egg on top, La Traviata, Eddie V’s, Roaring Fork, Enoteca, Annie’s, Chez Zee, La Sombra, Cipolina, Zocalo’s, Mandola’s, Apothecary, Vino Vino, the list goes on...

For the complete TRIBEZA Restaurant Guide, please view our May Cuisine

issue online at tribeza.com.


dining g u i d e

Act 2 StudioAct 2 Studiowe design & build effective interactive solutions.

When AIA Austin needed a new web presence, they trusted Act 2 Studio to get it right.

Go to www.aiaaustin.org to see the results.

To find out how we can help your brand online, visit www.act2studio.comor call us at 512-410-0283.

Marketplaceaustin essentials

tribeza.comfacebook.com/tribezatwitter.com/tribeza

Subscribe to our weekly eNewsletter by visiting tribeza.com.

TRIBEZA is now available for

delivery. Subscribe today by visiting

tribeza.com

M

M

WELLS MASON GALLERY

abstract expressionism and deconstructivist art

please come see our new gallery in east austin. by appointment only.

727 airport blvdaustin, texas 78702(512) 466-9577www.wellsmason.com

travel by marinadon’t leave the success of your honeymoon or vacation to chance…contact your local austin travel professional and maximize the value of your travel dollars. call or email me for an appointment today!

marina byrum, CtCtraVel bY mariNa7718 wood hollow — suite 200austin, TX 78731(512) 261 [email protected]

Joshua baellowBeyond Sold

Contact:(512) 627 [email protected]

110 East Main St.Llano, Texas

325.423.0146

www.arosyoutlook.com

biO • laNdSCaPe • deSiGN • irriGatiON

ChriStie bieberowner

(512) 354 [email protected]

vo

te

d 1

0 b

es

t i

n t

he US!!! best of Au

stin

20

04

- 20

11

Thanks Austin !!!

b ack in college at the University of Texas in the late 80s, my taste buds and desire for margaritas at Chuy’s on

Barton Springs often led me past this mysteri-ous, macrobiotic restaurant nestled behind Zach Theatre and the baseball fields. I’d take the back road on Toomey and see the quaint Casa de Luz and wonder if I was near Zen enough to walk through its doors. Part of the charm of the vegetarian and organic restau-rant, literally named “House of Light,” is how it is set back from the street and customers must walk down a pathway lined with gazebos, cobblestones and lush greenery. Basically, the entire experience is about centering your mind and body, which is essential for a high energy, dramatic and casually intense person like me.

After maturing enough to realize I needed something beyond salt-laden drinks and fried tortilla chips, Casa de Luz called me

in for an overhaul. Nowadays, whenever my friends, husband, our three young daughters and I need a quick reset with our diets, we make an appointment at the calming, off the beaten path vegetarian restaurant. Our oldest child once nearly gagged upon eating such wholesome food there, giving me proof that perhaps she may have become too accustomed to processed foods.

After paying at the front of Casa, you quietly serve yourself a drink, soup and salad and sit down. As the health wizards prepare fresh food in the exposed kitchen, you can rest easy knowing your digestive system will soon be receiving natural, unprocessed and uniquely tasty foods. A self-professed lover of queso, I learned from Casa de Luz that my favorite Mexican food lunch there, which includes kale, kidney beans and homemade tortillas untouched by dairy, can be satisfyingly delicious. My colorful plate, served by a kind and unhurried staff, is filling, but I never leave feeling bloated and regretful. Their chefs combine the most healthful ingredients, including some things I have never even heard of, for flavorful dishes without all the guilt, fat and caloric content of the meals that I have spent much of my adult life consuming.

As a distance runner and former television health reporter, I know I should be kinder to my body. Casa de Luz, which also houses a community center and school on its grounds, focuses on healing. Others I know, after enduring cancer or diet-related illnesses, head to Casa one or more times a week for the natural foods.

If you are going to share our little secret, please do so quietly and know your insides will be thanking you. I’m no poster child for Casa de Luz, but I’m attempting to step up my nutritional ways to be a worthy customer. The great news is they would welcome me warmly no matter what. PaiGe alam

Paige Alam is a faith, family, friends and food lover who lives in Central Austin with her husband Jamil and their three daughters Layne, Riley and Quincy.

PaigeAlam

CASA DE Luz

Casa de luz1701 toomey rd.

(512) 476 2535casadeluz.org

96 july 2011 tribeza.com phoTog r a phy by a n n ie r ay

our little secret

From Walter Knoll, the ever-so-clever Living Platform Loft sofa: Just pull out the seat and it’s a daybed. Designed by EOOS.

115 West 8th Street Austin 512.814.8702 • scottcooner.com

ScottCoonerTribezaJuly.indd 1 5/27/11 1:51:21 PM

July 2011

Documents

Transcript of July 2011