Does anybody have any suggestions for restaurants and/or entertainment for Austin? I am going to be there with my 20 year old nephew for 4 days in March.

What are your Austin favorites?

I like Artz Rib House and the Ironworks for BBQ. Artz has entertainment (country and folkish mostly). The Continental club and Saxon pub have good entertainment. The Broken Spoke is an old country institution. If you want a quiet upscale meal try the Roaring Fork or Driskill Grill downtown. I liked the burgers at Posse East near the UT campus. FYI, I'm not a resident, but my daughter lives there.

Esther's Follies down on Sixth Street is great. It's a comedy/vaudeville/magic show and is just really funny. Don't go if poking fun at politicians (including W) upsets you.

Vespaio on S. Congress.
M

Chuy's for great TexMex. They also make some awsome margheritas. 20yr olds have been known to get busted by the cops trying to buy drinks at Chuys, so your nephew will be out of luck.

A second vote for Esther's Follies. It's great fun, and an Austin tradition.

When in March? I'm thinking South By Southwest is usually held that month. It's an incredible music fest!

The SXSW fest is March 10-19. If you're visiting Austin then, I hope you already have hotel reservations!

Also, what are your nephew's interests? It may make it easier to give you suggestions.

I just had Sunday brunch this morning at Santa Rita's on 38 1/2 St., just across from Seton Hospital. I went on the recommendation of Rachel Ray. The food was superb, especially the Mexican vanilla/cinnamon pancakes. There s/b a law against those pancakes!! Those pancakes were so good I almost ate the plate. Unfortunately they are only available on the Sunday brunch menu, but DH ordered from the regular menu and that food was quite good too.

I love breakfast (pastry and coffee only) or lunch (sandwiches) at Jo's on S Congress people watching. At Jo's, you'll see many flyers with current events - might be a good place to get ideas...spur-of-the-moment.

P_M - thanks for the suggestion! We'll be Austin in April and Santa Rita is going on the list. Was there a long wait?

Hi, pepper. We got there right at 11 when they opened and there was no wait at all.

What date in April will you be here? I have a trip planned from April 7-18, but maybe we can organize a mini-GTG??

Believe it not...I'm going for another GTG with the locogringos - Riviera Maya travel junkies. I'm committed at 4pm on Saturday the 1st for the evening.

We're arriving March 31st - staying at the Radisson (Austin Motel is booked: boo-hoo). Leaving On Sunday the 2nd.

How 'bout Saturday or Sunday brunch/lunch. Or even Friday night.

Oh, boo-hoo for me. Another Austin GTG and I'm gone. Have one of those cinnamon pancakes for me!

Darn the luck, kopp, we must meet sometime!!

Pepper, please drop me a line, hopefully we can get together while you're in town. Kopp, if you'd like to meet for coffee, lunch, or happy hour, you are welcome to email me as well.

[email protected]

Do we need to get tickets ahead of time for Esther's Follies, or can we get them at the door?

My nephew has just moved there to attend UT and he is a bit homesick. I think he'll enjoy anything. He is a bit quiet and to himself, but he is GREAT to travel with. He is up for anything and rarely complains.

I'm hoping we can "discover"
a few places that he can share with his girlfriend or the rest of the family when they go to visit.

I will be there from March 9-13 and will be staying with him in his apartment.

Yes, you should get tickets ahead of time for Esther's Follies. They have an 8:00 show and a 10:00 show. I believe it's only Friday-Sunday but maybe Thursday too. They have a website.

TexasTraveler, make sure you and your nephew go to Mt. Bonnell to see the view. It's very close to downtown and you walk up 100 steps to get to the top. Once at the top you get to see great views of Lake Austin. Make sure you walk down the path to the right when you get up to the top for the best views. Also, drive out to Lake Travis and have lunch at the Oasis. Another great view and this time of Lake Travis. These are not to be missed and will definitely impress his girlfriend or other family members. Also, don't miss the Capitol building and the Bob Bullock Museum. There's an IMAX theater in the museum too.

Are there any good Italian restaurants we can try?

Thanks for all of your help!

The only Italian restaurant I've tried here in Austin is Vespaio on S. Congress. It was very good but not really traditional southern Italian. It was a little expensive but I thought it was really worth it.

And, to comment on the Santa Rita recommendation...it might be good for brunch but dinner is nothing to brag about. Definitely not great Tex Mex.

Our favorite for authentic Mexican, not Tex Mex, is definitely Las Manitas downtown on Congress. They are only open for breakfast and lunch (til 4:00 on weekdays and 2:30 on weekends). Yummy!!!