Fabi and Rosi - LOVES it!!

*****

Location: West Austin
Price: $$
Reviewed: Dinner
Reviewer: Cat
Attire: Business Casual (jeans and heels are appropriate)
While this charming restaurant appears to be a small Austin house on the outside, its walls have been knocked down to create a beautiful and modern dining area on the inside. Tiny mirrors and candles line the walls  of the dining area, and around dusk, a waitress lights the tea candles floating within dozens of glass spheres hanging from the restaurant's ceiling. The menu boasts an impressive assortment of authentically European dishes, so ask your waiter for recommendations if you're in a spontaneous mood! A delightful find, and the perfect venue for a special night out with a special someone.
Great for: Date, Family Outing, Friend Outing, Dinner

Piranha Killer Sushi - Meh.

**
Location: Downtown
Price: $
Reviewed: Lunch
Attire: Casual
Reviewer: Jenn
Somewhat chic sushi bar tucked away downtown. Cheap rolls, but not really a bang for your buck. Piranha Killer Sushi ends up being more of a victim to bad presentation than a "killer" place to find great rolls.

Chatter's Cafe and Bistro - LOVES it!!

Pita bread and hummus makes Yas a happy girl!

*****

Price: $$ - $$$
Reviewed: Dinner
Reviewer: Yas
Attire: Casual but you can definitely arrive fancy
Location: The Heights
Chatter’s offers “new american cuisine” with a heavy Mediterranean influence. Walking into Chatter’s is like walking into a well decorated and furnished, artsy home with a front porch. You can go inside for an intimate dinner setting, or sit outside on the porch and enjoy the nice Houston weather. Well...when we have nice weather! Perfect for a first date, an intimate dinner with your boo, friends, or family and a great place to take a visitor who wants to experience amazing and affordable Houston food.

italian sausage & sausage baked penne

On our blog, I (Jenn) wanted to do a series of easy and simple recipes that can be made quickly. My inspiration? Studying to take the bar this summer. Unfortunately, I'll have to spend more time memorizing law rather than spending hours in the kitchen making culinary masterpieces. Keep reading for yummy pictures and the recipe!

Max's Wine Dive (Brunch) - YES, please!

****
Price: $$
Reviewed: Brunch
Attire: Casual
Location: Downtown
It's a rare occasion when all 3 Foodies get together for a meal, but Yas came to Austin, and we grabbed brunch before seeing her return to Houston!  Max's Wine Dive is a great place to get your friends together, nurse your hangover, and have an amazing fattening brunch!

Olivia - LOVES it!!

*****

Price: $$
Reviewed: Brunch
Reviewer: Cat
Attire: Casual or Business Casual
Location: South Austin
A fresh and charming restaurant with windows on every wall. This establishment caters to the classy food enthusiast by offering classic dishes with a creative and modern twist. 

D'Amico's - Meh.

**
Price: $$
Reviewed: Dinner
Reviewer: Yas
Attire: Casual
Location: Rice Village
Little restaurant inside of a small Italian market. Laid back atmosphere in a quaint setting. Better for the eyes instead of the stomach.

olive garden "tuscan kitchen" a sham

So you remember the Olive Garden commercial with that fancy Italian kitchen that the Olive Garden cooks go to learn the true craft of making subpar spaghetti? Surprise! It doesn't really exist. I should've known when the last time my pasta was several minutes past al dente and instead was a hot, mushy, mess. Yuck.

I still love their breadsticks and salad. But, you don't really need to travel to a culinary institute in Italy to make that...and I'm sure that's a bag mix.

For the story from Slashfood...

simple ingredients, divine patty melts!

Picture source: YumSugar

I love a good patty melt, and I love one with simple ingredients that are always on hand. This old recipe I stole from YumSugar makes burgers at home a very easy thing to do! You don't need to be a kitchen genius to whip these up, and I often freeze the rest of the raw burger patties (I only cook 4 patties at a time) for later.

I'm a Miracle Whip gal...but Grey Poupon makes everything better. (If you haven't made the bourgeois switch to Grey Poupon from regular mustard, you're not living life.) You can always substitute ground turkey (if you're that kind of person...), or stock up on the red meat, like I do. Either way, you know exactly what's in your meat that you're eating...since you put it there! For the recipe, click

Parkside - YES Please!

****

• Price: $
• Reviewed: Happy Hour
• Attire: Casual chic (but feel free to get jazzy)
• Location: East Sixth Street
• Short Description: With the weather getting warmer, head to the sixth street you never see during the day and sit on Parkside’s rooftop patio.  If it’s too hot, head inside to the swanky indoor space with its loft style and hardwood floors.  This happy hour, honestly, cannot be beat.

tenOak - YUM.

***
 Price: $$

 Reviewed: Dinner

 Attire: Snappy Casual (whatever that means)

 Location: Warehouse District

 Short Description: Affordable menu where the “ten” in tenOak stands for nothing being more than $10 dollars. Come here to share tapas before you head out for a night on the town. Or a fun ladies night.

MARIA MARIA - YES Please!

****

• $$
• Reviewed: Happy Hour
• Business or Dressy Casual (Jeans and heels are appropriate)
• Location: Warehouse District

Maria Maria is a wonderful place for happy hour, ladies night, or to pre-party before you really hit downtown hard. Fresh drinks and fresh queso at great prices start the night off right every time. Plus, there's live music! I mean, could it get better?

QUICK BITE: NoRTh - YES Please!

Please note the highlighters/pens as I tried to study while the pizza took all of the room.  The sacrifices I make for food!

 
****
Price: $
Location: The Domain
Attire: Whatever!
Reviewed: Happy Hour/Late Lunch


I know…we said no chains. But if there’s only one in Texas, it doesn’t count, right?  This restaurant doesn’t have the chain feel – and was a great quick stop as I was running errands (and trying to find time to study).  Plus, the day I stopped in, MC Lyte was there! I would have taken pictures...but this is a food blog, not People magazine, people! Ok...I was too shy to take the picture.

coffee cravings may be genetic

And here I thought my grande latte a day habit should be blamed on law school. I had no choice! I was genetically predisposed to yearn for  espresso!

Yes, like receding hairlines and pendulous earlobes, it seems your daily 3 o'clock caffeine craving can also be traced back to your genes, according to new research released this week.

As USA Today reports, scientists have identified two genes that decide whether you're a double-shot-of-espresso sort of gal or a "one-cup-gives-me-the-jitters" kind of guy. Essentially, depending on whether you carry a "high-consumption" variant or "low-consumption" variant of either gene determines just how fast or slow you metabolize caffeine, and thus, just how much java juice it takes to get your motor running in the morning.

Read more: http://slashfood.com/2011/04/08/craving-coffee-it-might-be-in-your-genes/#ixzz1JFufajwS