This year I gambled and bought my ACL 3 Day Pass early. I just found out I won big! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! There are so many bands on this years ACL 2010 line up, I will get well past what I invested in the ticket plus more. There are so many bands I either love or have wanted to see for a long time that I will probably not get to see them all because they will overlap. No fear, my ADD will come in handy.

Here are Austin City Limits Bands I am very excited to see:

Band of Horses – My favorite band of SXSW 2010. “Band of Horses is always a pleasure to see live, with their winning blend of raw emotion, relentless waves of guitar and drums, and southern rock flavor.”, Kiri on Band of Horses at SXSW 2010 on TheOwlMag.com. Why would I post this article specifically? Well I was standing right next to Kiri, writer for The Owl Mag when she was writing her awesome detailed notes and taking shots at Stubb’s.

Listen to their entire new album: http://stream.bandofhorses.com/#

The Strokes – This is a band I have been a fan of for years and they have been on my Pandora.com for a long time. Songs I like are Is This It, New York City Cops, Last Night, and a few more. The songs i like from the Strokes are obviously a few years old, so I have not really listened to anything new by them. One of my friends is coming from Houston on Friday specifically to see them. I also know if you listen to The Strokes songs while driving it makes you feel a little bit cooler than you are. Try it & see u at the show.

The Strokes – Last Night – LIVE VIDEO

http://thestrokes.com

Sonic Youth – Damn you for canceling SXSW in 2010. Don’t do it again or I will ‘Incarcerate’ you! Joking, I know you are a punk band and need to be punkish, it is expected. You know we still love you. I actually did not like Sonic Youth in the 80′s but grew to love them in the late 90′s. Androgynous Mind is probably my favorite songs by Sonic Youth.

http://www.sonicyouth.com

LCD Soundsystem - POW POW! POW POW. I know little to nothing about LCD Soundsystem but what I do know I really like. I have heard their songs, POw POW, Drunk Girls, and ‘I Can Change’ on XM radio originally. They are coming to Austin, Texas in a few weeks to play at Stubb’s but I will be on a job in San Antoinio, otherwise I would be there. Yesterday I actually watched this video of them before they were announced to play at ACL:

http://www.lcdsoundsystem.com

Puerto Rico Sushi Article Highlights:

- Can Twitter Help you Eat Well in Puerto Rico?

- Great Sushi in Puerto Rico

- Yum Sushi Pics

So a few months ago I was craving sushi as I often do, but while in Austin my wife was pregnant and had no desire for raw fish creations so I had to eat some out of town in Puerto Rico.

I just left the office in Puerto Rico, it was late, and I was craving Sushi. So I tweeted a message on twitter.com asking if anyone could recommend a good Sushi place on the island. With-in a minutes of the tweet @isasbread had a suggestion.

Isas, who lives in Puerto Rico, a Chef, and owner of IsasBread.com. At the time of her tweet she had a chef’s hat on on her avatar. So who int he world would not trust a Puerto Rican with a Chef hat on giving a food recommendation?

Isas recommended Osaka and the link she gave had a review with a phone number but no exact address. So I called Osaka and an Asian lady answered in Spanish..at this point I know I am in a bit of a pickle because I know very little Spanish. Spanish with an Asian accent, I am totally lost. So we go back and forth for a bit not understanding each other. Then I come up with ‘Yo Ritz Carlton..quiero ayer tu’ lol don’t laugh at me Spanish speakers, it is all I could pull out of my ass on the fly in Spanish. At that point that lady obviously was like ‘WOW This guys is nuts’(in Spanish of course).

So she finds someone who speaks English and he gives me perfect directions and tells me where to park.(Parked in Gas Station Parking Lot & told them Osaka sent me) Parking sucks in this area and it is on a one way street. Luckily if you drive by the place you will clearly see Osaka as the sign is well lit. I park and walked up and meet the kind lady who I abused with Spanish an infant speaks. She smiles and welcomes me in, clearly knowing I was the one who called.

The young sushi Chef name William from LA was awesome! He had actually worked at my other favorite Sushi place on the island Momoyama in the Intercontinental Hotel on Isle Verde. He said he liked to work at Osaka because he can express himself more in his food. Which is true, check out the pictures below.

The white flower looking decoration on the main dish is made of the bottom of a cauliflower. The green star is made from the top of a cucumber and if you look closely the circle in the cucumber star is actually carrot cut in a circle fitting perfectly. He also color coordinated the Super Crazy Rolls as each slice had a different color accent. Since I am not familiar with the art of Sushi making or the decorations which goes along with it, I asked William how long it takes to make the leaf seen in the White Tail Sashimi…he said about 5 seconds.

The meal was the best Sushi I have had in years honestly. In my opinion the quality, freshness was par with Momoyama but the presentation blew Momoyama out of the water. I started with two rolls, the House Special, Mango Roll and the Super Crazy Roll. The Osaka House Special, Mango Roll was refreshing with just enough Mango cut like a piece of Sushi on top and a crab shrimp mix(I think) in the middle along with sour cream. Tasty!

The Super Crazy Roll had my favorite Unagi(spell) or Eel and was delicious. Oh yea and Sapporo Beer. Almost finish with meal and William comes over and asked how I heard about the place and I told him through twitter. And continue to explain the turn of events. He was very interested and wrote down http://twitter.com/isasbread . He had not heard of twitter before so I game him a demo of how it works and the twitter conversation which brought me to his awesome awesome Puerto Rican Sushi restaurant.

Before my departure of Puerto Rico I visited a few more times with friends and co-workers.

Thanks Asian Spanish Speaking Lady, William, and Osaka!

Osaka
670 Ave Ponce de León
San Juan 00907, Puerto Rico
1-787-723-0020

Pacha Logo Austin Texas

Come to Pacha!!

In the heart of Austin, a local coffee post has stood to welcome all diners from all walks of life. On Burnet Rd, you will never get to enjoy Austin living without having a taste of the Pacha.

I walk into Pacha on a Saturday morning, actually the Saturday morning of Austin’s Hot Sauce Festival, a smoking day it was! In Pacha I see a extremely diverse bunch of folks. We had the older lady crocheting, young college student on his laptop, an old Jewish guy in the corner with his hat on, a Texas lawyer who was damn proud to let everyone know it, some guys who looked they just walked out of Emo’s, and two soccer moms. No joke, they were all at Pacha and the place isn’t that big. Oh yea, and a bald guy with his little girl.

Pacha Cafe Austin Coffee Shop

The inspiration and roots of identity…

Passing by this very homey and unique coffee shop, you will first notice the Pachamama logo. The lady in the signage is told in Andes’s history as the goddess of fertility. However, getting on more recent times, a painting from Potosi, the Virgen del Cerro gave inspiration to the now Pacha trademark. As interpreted, the symbol is a mountain woman, “a pillar to heaven”, then a globe was added at the bottom to define the translation of “earth” as it has also been associated with.

The foundation…

Pacha Coffee On Burnet Rd in Austin, Texas

Café Pacha’s building has been up for about 28 years now and it remains original-looking as it was before. The main shop has been known for its festive paints and very vibrant interiors which were kept warm and cozy by owner – Julie

Pacha Coffee Shop View

Schuroeder and her sister Suzanne. Julie’s stay in Bolivia played a big role in her interest on handicrafts and Andean arts, not to mention of course, the food! From there she got the salteñas and empanadas along with their home-brewed coffees and teas. This very optimistic lady crafted arts on the tables with her own hands and soon after with her French hubby, who makes the home-made specialties, Pacha became their first-born!

After some time, the real angel came in to the couple’s lives and they had to sell the business. In December 2008, Pacha was run by a new management, under Marjorie Boulden and A. P. David (‘David’), and it is now known as Mother Pacha Inc.

The Local Austin Owner

As the shop became more popular, so as its new runners. Marjorie Boulden’s passion for cooking has been well-exercised in her new business, yet the truth is, she is an electrical engineer who eventually got bored to just sitting in a cubicle cleaning up microchip designs, even if it pays her more. Her figure is a clear icon of what real passion is all about.

Pacha Quiche in Austin

The aroma of her enticing pies will surely entice your palates, same goes for her quiche and pancakes that are really something to look forward to and of course, get a taste of!

Marjorie and her hubby were both high school drop outs yet they made the best that they could to still get the ball rolling. However, David was able to publish a book thru Oxford and maintained a supporting site for the business. His writing prowess continued under a pen name and eventually came up with the novel Cliquez Ici! You’ll often find Marjorie at Pacha, managing and serving guests with her warmth and gentleness. On the other hand, David only spends afternoons at the café!

Organic Goodies on the menu

Pacha Menu Austin Coffee House

What is Pacha if coffee, pies, quiches and pancakes aren’t around? It’s as sad as your last day!!!
Pacha has been known widely for their delicious versions and home-cooked recipes that are sure to keep your tummy happy. All the more, they just do not offer sumptuous Pacha Latte, soups, pies and empanadas, you’ll be surprised to know that these very delicious dishes and beverages are healthy as well. Every item on the list is made with their signature secret recipe and all-organic ingredients. You’ll really taste the difference!

Starting off with your daily dose of coffee, Pacha offers the house regulars Drip, French pressed Coffee, Espresso and Café Con Leche, or more popularly known café au lait. However, you must never fail to miss trying out their Pacha Latte! The house’s special organic coffee that will really give you a lift! The coffee is cold-brewed-based, it’s non-dairy, so it’s good for those lactose-intolerant, it’s not too sweet either, plus you’ll have a choice of whether to have it hot, ice-blended, or with banana added and turn it into a smooth shake. As for the not so coffee-lovers, don’t worry, you can still choose from their Hot Chocolate, Milk, Tea, Juice and Smoothies, all tastes so good, you’ll even forget your name!

If you think this café will grab you for its coffee variations, well, don’t be mistaken, you’ll surely enjoy their food the same way as you enjoyed your drink! Pacha offers a wide range of choices, starting with short orders like the organic breakfast specials which consist of any or all of the following: oatmeal, tacos, bagel-egg-cheese, mini-omelette, tortilla-egg-cheese, canadian bacon, and grilled toast! If you come after breakfast time, there are all-day-available meals that are cooking in the kitchen.

So what are you waiting for?
Come on…and experience what people have been buzzing about Pacha and don’t over look the amble parking in the back!

Pacha Cafe & Coffee House
4618 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 420-8758
http://MotherPacha.com
motherpacha@gmail.com

Pull Your Card at Pacha

Pacha Table Art in Austin

Pacha TV Aquarium Art in Austin

Bennu Coffee Lounge an Austin Great

Bennu Coffee Shop is one of Austin’s Top places to enjoy a cup-a-joe. What’s cooler than hearing Bob Dylan in Austin’s coolest coffee shop Bennu. Bennu’s definitely has the ideal coffee shop feel. Bennu is located south east Austin on MLK Blvd close to the UT Campus but far enough away to not only have college student patrons. This coffeeshop in Austin won, Austin’s Coffee Shop Twitter Coolness Award and needed a independent review.

Bennu Coffee Shop Counter Logo

Visiting Bennu in the morning, you will find a good mix of people from all walks: professional, hip, tattooed, band members and just regular ole Austinites. It must be noted, the gene pool appears to be above par.

Bennu Mocha Drinks

Bennu’s Coffee: On to the coffee, I tested a Grande Iced Chai with two Shots of Espresso and it was damn tasty. Bennu Coffee Lounge has all of your regular coffee shop coffee options with dark, light coffee, espresso, french press, and a variety of loose leaf teas, including mango tea. Austin’s Bennu also has their specialty designer mocha coffee’s like the house favorite, “Pride & Prejudice” which consists of a blend of sweet chocolate powder and sauce topped with home-made whip cream and dusted with chocolate powder. Bennu also has, Don Quixote on the menu  Azteca D’Oro Spiced Chocolate Mocha topped with home-made whip cream and dusted with Mexican Spiced Powder. Wow typing all of that made me a bit thirsty for the ole’ Don and Bennu is open 24 hours.

Bennu Coffee Counter

Bennu’s Food: Bennu also has a wide variety of food options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night snacks. The morning I visited, they had already run out of breakfast tacos, so I had a pastry. An almond cinnamon crusted croissant which was outstanding! The Parmesan bagel seemed to be popular as everyone was ordering one. During lunch, I had a turkey and cheese which had a fancy name, but forget what they call it. Bennu’s Coffee House also serves pizza folks! Some of the food vendor’s Bennu works with and has avaliable are: Torchy’s Tacos, Russell’s Bakery, Fricano’s Deli, The Green Cart, & Hoboken Pies.

The staff is hip, professional and most importantly friendly. The music is picked by the staff and not your general radio station music. Obviously, this can be good or bad. If you don’t like the CD or station playing, it might be a little uncomfortable. Example, Bob Dylan’s first few songs was super cool, the entire CD was a little much. No big deal if you have your iPod. Not mentioned yet, but obviously Bennu has free Wifi.

Bennu Coffee Seating

Bennu Layout: There is a variety of seating options, cosy couch, extra high bar stools convent for laptop work and coffee shop observation or your regular table and chairs. Bennu is very spacious with a variety of different types of seating options, one has to work for you. I actually moved around three times while working to change up the scenery. I fell in love with their long coffee table and the red leather couch.

Summing Up Bennu: Overall Bennu Coffee Lounge is not only the Austin’s Coffee Shop Twitter Coolness Winner, but this coffeehouse may very well be the best coffee shop in Austin. It is almost exactly what you think of when you think of a real coffee shop. When I have friends or business associates come in town who enjoy coffee, when I want to drink coffee and relax with my wife, when I need to bang out a few hours of work I am going to Bennu’s Coffee Lounge. Bennu is not overly fancy, the colors are soothing, the people are Austin and the coffee is exceptional.

Bennu Coffe Lounge

Special Bonus Bennu’s Bathroom Review:
Bennu Coffee House bathroom was very unique. First things first, the most important thing about a bathroom is that is is clean and theirs was. When you walk in you see a HUGE Chalk board covering the entire back wall along with a chalk tray filled with many exciting colors. Even cooler, you can lock the door and just chalk up the blackboard at your hearts desire or until you hear a knock. The funniest thing in Bennu’s bathroom is the urinal is small and almost set on the floor, not sure why. The sink is filled with soothing rounded river rocks to keep with nature.

Bennu Twitter Logo

Bennu on Twitter:

Since Bennu is Austin’s Winner of Coolest Twitter Award it is only fitting to mention a few tweets going on about Bennu on Twitter.com. Here are a few Tweets relating to Bennu Coffee:

- @BennuCoffee suggests our cold brewed iced coffee or iced Bennu. It’s hot out there!Cool down while waking up. Perfect.
-@summersmichael Bennu coffee reading a great book.
-@juliosteen Coffee at Bennu while I work on my spec for what I plan to call “Web 1.9″.
-@hookem12387 @BennuCoffee just started #lawschool. Already need a cappaccino. I need to find $3 in the couch cushions and cone over
-@alifesheloves I’m @BennuCoffee my favorite way to start the week! Coffee + pizza = sounds strange but it totally works!
-@texeyes Haha I actually use Shazam to remember songs I hear and I just happen to hear Mr Dylan while @BennuCoffee

If you find this article useful, interesting, terrible, or if you have more insider info on Bennu, please leave comments or retweet or throw it to the social networks!

Mama Roux has quickly become the buzz around Austin’s food topics especially relating to Cajun food! I was recommended to check out Mama Roux in North Austin by Eilenbug on Twitter.com. A few people after the recommendation informed me Mama Roux owners are the same folks who brought Austin Gumbo’s. Gumbo’s is one of the most well known and recognized Cajun food establishments in Austin, Texas. So knowing the history of Gumbo’s, I visited Mama Roux Cajun Cafe with in the week!

I must point out, I had seen Mama Roux a few times when I was in the area previously but did not really think of stopping because of the few recent food eatieries which were there were not to my liking. This assumption was a big mistake on my part because Mama Roux is a complete turn from previous restaurants in the location.

When I first walked into Mama Roux, I was honestly floored with the looks of the place and the customers eating there. The set up was very nice and does have the feel from both Gumbo’s in North Austin and South Austin. Black and White are the main colors with nice black beat boarding through out. The use of space and design works well including the chef window. You will also see customers of all kinds, when I first walked in I saw two gentlemen dressed up very nice and almost bolted because I was in my casual clothes.

Then I walk in further and see Yoli Amr, the owner of Mama Roux and creator of Austin’s Gumbo’s. She reminded me of an Austin Paula Abdul with out all of the crazyness. Yoli was all dressed up in her purple dress and purple high heels. Now I am really feeling uncomfortable but Yoli welcomes my family and I in and made us feel right at home. Once seated, I see there are all types of people eating some casual, some dinner dates, and a few family parties. At this point I am comfortable and excited about some Cajun food!

We are promptly greeted by one of Mama Roux’s professional waiters and given an explanation of the Cajun specials that day. For give me, I forgot all of the fancy names and words used, & Yoli, you forgot to write down all fo the details for me! The Mama Roux specials that day consisted of Trout with a creamy crab meat sauce or Yellow Fin Tuna with a crawfish sauce. I had the yellow fin tuna and my wife ordered the trout, my daughter will share.

While waiting on our meal the waiting staff made sure we were doing ok. Mrs Amr did also. She would come by and entertain our daughter ever now and then. I can not say it enough how nice of a person Yoli Amr is, as I said I was dressed down and she treated us like a million dollars. I rarely see this in Austin restaurants. While waiting for the cajun fish entrees we has some tasty bread with butter from the table which looked like ice cream. Yoli motioned to my daughter to take a big scoop with her finger like ice cream..and she did of course.

Mama Roux Cajun Trout

Our dinner arrived with out much of a wait and ( my mouth is watering now) WOW again I was floored by what I saw at Mama Roux! My Yellow Fin Tuna with a crawfish sauce with Cajun rice and lima beans and corn looked and smelled delicious not to mention my wife’s Trout with a creamy crab meat sauce with mashed potatoes.

At this point, I already know I have found my new favorite Cajun food restaurant in Austin, Texas. Unbelievable! Everything on the plate was more than I could have imagined, honestly. The crawfish sauce had many full sized crawfish. The crab meat sauce had huge chunks of crab and no shells. Both fish portions were large and perfectly cooked. The sides were perfect. You have to try Mama Roux!

We end our meal and Yoli surprises our daughter with complementary ice cream! At Mama Roux we all had a great dinner and for what you get very affordable! The place is nice inside, the owner and waitstaff is professional. Austinites or anyone traveling to Austin must try Mama Roux if you are looking for the best Cajun Food in Austin!

Mama Roux Cajun Cafe
13000 N Interstate 35
Austin, TX 78753-1030
(512) 490-1304

Please leave comments, questions, and additional entry bests!

Piñones is located in Puerto Rico, 2 miles north of San Juan & the San Juan Airport. The popular tourist road, Isle Verde in San Juan which holds most of the top Hotels in Puerto Rico, like Ritz Carlton, El San Juan Hotel, and Intercontinental run right into Pinones going north bound.

Puerto Rico

View Larger Map

Pinones at Sunset

I enjoy visiting this town during sunset and for a relaxing dinner. Pinones is sort of a reserve in Puerto Rico where no development is aloud. This is why you see luxury hotels and then you run into small open outdoor non-commercial restaurants and a few local bars on the side of the road. I was told by a Puerto Rican, you get the real feel of Puerto Rico in Pinones. I must warn you it is not anything fancy, but is full of authenticity. Parking is difficult, traffic is sometimes bad, and I would not venture here past 8pm without a local accompanying you. This is just my observation.

Besides those three pieces of advice, I would say Piñones is a must see for new visitors to Puerto Rico.

Pinones Beach:

Pinones Beach

During the day there is a very impressive beach for kids to play. This is not a regular beach where the waves come in and you can walk into the ocean. There are many rock or reef barriers which allow a few small pools for kids to play in. Past the barriers, the waves are fairly rough and jagged rocks would prevent swimming. There is nice sand and it makes a good place to layout or enjoy family time.

Pinones Hike & Bike Trail:

Pinones Tall Coconut Tree- Be careful when walking through the trail because there are a few extremely tall coconut trees which produce huge coconuts. One falls on your head and it's over buddy!

One of my favorite things to do in Pinones is to show up around sunset, get a REAL Pina Colada and watch the sunset at the end of Pinoes Hike and Bike Trail. There are also a few authentic Puerto Rican places to eat at the dead end. These are all local hang-outs so you know you are getting the real deal. At the end of the trail, you can actually see El Moro in Old San Juan along with a beautiful sunset. In addition, there is a place where you can walk down to the water, play in the sand, or climb a rock ormations with cool little crabs in them.

Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Food on the Travel Channel also visits Pinones and has Mofongo. There is a great write up and actually my favorite Puerto Rico information website at  http://www.visit-the-coqui.com.