First Look: Inside the New Cap City Comedy Club

No longer is the Domain just a place for hitting up Nordy's, Louie V.'s, and Neiman. Now it's also Austin's far-north outpost for laughs. Tuesday night, Cap City Comedy Club reopened at its new location with a show by Mary Lynn Rajskub and a crowd of eager fans.

The new space looks great. Attendees waiting in line to pick up their tickets are greeted by Ziggy Stardust in the form of brightly colored wall art. Once inside, a small bar/lounge occupies the center of the building, along with stairs to the main showroom's balcony.

The big room itself is what one might expect from a good-sized comedy club. It's wide with mostly four-person tables spread out around the stage. After tickets are torn, patrons are escorted to an assigned table, either reserved ahead of time or in real time like at a restaurant.

The menu has changed from the Research Boulevard days. Gone are the Dudley & Bob nachos and the Southwest chicken egg rolls and in comes items like a pretty tasty spinach and artichoke dip ($10.99). The featured entrée is sliders (3 for $18), with nine versions on tap. It looks like the kitchen is using a sweet roll, which made these burgers above average from the jump. The brownie sundae ($9.99) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream gives the menu something sweet to offer. Heads-up: Between food and drinks, the main room has a two-item minimum per guest.

The evening’s entertainment began with local comic Avery Moore, a perfect candidate for inaugurating this stage. Later this month on July 24, she's set to headline at Cap City's new Red Room, so audiences will have a chance to catch her full act, which might include her new bit about an "old-fashioned margarita" that will be worth the price of admission by itself. Danny Goodwin was up next, exploring everything from sports-related incest to annoying liberal family members. Bearded hipsters aren't always funny, but this one sure is.

Smack-dab in the middle of a book tour for her newest work Fame-ish: My Life at the Edge of Stardom, Rajskub came to town with lots to say about life, love, and being "from television." In what will surely be a staple of many acts at the new Cap City, she couldn't help but comment on the environs, with the Domain getting some good-natured ribbing for its ridiculous assortment of high-end stores.

Her interactions with the audience made for some good banter. As she delved into her love life and previous marriage, a couple with 40 years together made for a great foil. And the guy with a Mary Lynn Rajskub shirt at the Mary Lynn Rajskub show received nodding approval from the start without a trace of cringe. The entire set was a delight, with Rajskub harnessing some manic energy at times while telling stories that demanded no less.

For an opening night at a new facility, the entire Cap City crew did a great job. There were plenty of people on hand, from hosts and ticket takers to waitstaff and servers. With a stellar future lineup, audiences are in for many nights of hahas and belly laughs. Maybe it'll make Austin's "second Downtown" a little more fun and a little less fancy. It certainly can't hurt.

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Cap City Comedy Club, 11506 Century Oaks, 512/467-2333, capcitycomedy.com