Cover Story
Best of Austin 2006
Readers’ and critics’ favorites
Toros Tryouts: Day One, Part One
Like free elections, a system of checks and balances, and the right to trial by jury, the open tryout is one of the great glories of democracy: “Open to all and closed to none,” like the inscription on the base of a noble statue. Surely the present administration would be overjoyed if 10 years from…
Walk the Walk at Next Week’s ‘Chronicle’-Fadó Adult Spelling Bee
Ah, the Chronicle-Fadó Adult Spelling Bee. This Austin Public Library fundraiser comes around every fall, and the Chronicle proofreaders scramble to compile a new list of words tricky enough to stump the eerily smart hordes who show up and whose spelling abilities always belie the incredible amount of beer they’re drinking. Even more strange than…
Euro Champions League,Game Day 3
With games this midweek, the European Champions League is now halfway through. In the highlight matchup, Chelsea edged Barcelona 1-0 in London; they’ll meet again in the Catalan capital in two weeks. The Londoners had third-string keeper Henrique Hilario in goal, after starter Petr Cech suffered a fractured skull on Saturday against Reading. Results, Game…
Next-to-Last Chance to See Your 2006 Lady Longhorns!
The UT Lady Longhorns ran their record to 12-3-1 with a pair of wins last week. Up next: Missouri and Iowa State at home this weekend. The Lady Longhorns thoroughly dominated Sam Houston State last Friday night, winning 7-0, behind goals from seven different players. Amy Burlingham, Priscilla Fite, Caitlin Kennedy, Jill Gilbeau, Stephanie Logterman,…
TXRD Season-Opening Recap and a Quick Course on Roller Derby Rules
The 2006-2007 season of the Lonestar Rollergirls kicked off Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Austin Convention Center. Lust was in the air for blood and nasty panty-ripping among Austin’s finest roller skating/fighting babes. To start off the season, Sunday’s Cornucopia of Death consisted of five minibouts to allow the teams to feel one another out…
‘I’d Unravel Any Riddle for Any Individ’le’
If I only had a brain. Jeff “the Scarecrow” Weaver (if we only had Major League Baseball’s permission to use their photographs, I could provide visual proof of his ability to ward off avian pests) has allowed only four earned runs in 11.2 innings during the National League Championship Series after a disastrous season start…
‘Hell on Wheels’ Roller Derby Doc Nears Completion
Bob Ray and Werner Campbell of Crashcam Films released their stoner-rock epic, Rock Opera, in 1999 and have been mad at work on follow-up feature Hell on Wheels for the last five years. Hell on Wheels follows local Roller Derby leagues the Texas Rollergirls and the Lonestar Rollergirls as they build their Roller Derby empires…
UT Softball Looks to Remain Undefeated in Exhibition Play
The Lady Longhorns softball squad has begun their post-Cat Osterman era with an impressive 6-0 fall-season record including winning three at last Saturday’s Spring Klein College Classic in my hometown of Spring (just north of Houston). Sunday’s two games were canceled due to rain. UT concludes their fall schedule this Wednesday at McCombs Field vs.…
Confessions of a Baylor Team That Got Oh-So Naughty in Austin
Some of you may be wondering what happened to the Longhorns in the first quarter as the Baylor Bears put the hurt on the reigning national champs for a nanosecond before totally falling apart. As a guy who was formerly sort-of engaged to a Baylor co-ed, I can sum it up in one word: naughty.…
‘The Sporting Life’: Pocket Billiards
Bar games, pub games, or parlor games – call them what you will, but there is no denying that Americans love sporting action when they drink. And I can’t blame them. I’m one of them. So pour me another one, barkeep, and rack ’em because this week we’re playing the king-daddy of all bar games:…
‘Pig Skinny’: Horns Ranked No. 9AD Out for the Season
Number Nine, Number Nine: The first BCS standings came out Sunday and things don’t look so hot for the Texas Longhorns, who debuted at No. 9, despite being ranked No. 5 in the human polls. It will be mighty difficult for the Longhorns to get into the championship game over a one-loss SEC team, a…
TO Was Probably Thinking About the Eagles the Whole Time
Remember all those mean things I’ve said about TO in the last few weeks? Probably not – that last sentence is based on the assumption that I have regular readers other than my dad, and the creepy guy who lives in the apartment above me. I have, however, taken a few cheap shots at Terrell…
Austin Film Festival 2006
Austin Film Festival 2006 The film festival begins Thursday, October 19 and continues through Thursday, October 27, while the conference part of this event devoted to the art of the screenwriter occurs this weekend. Among the features and documentaries in competition at numerous venues around town, the festival will also sneak some of Hollywood’s prestige…
Quo Vadis, Baby?
Quo Vadis, Baby? 2005, NR, 105 min. Directed by Gabriele Salvatores, Starring Angela Baraldi, Gigio Alberti, Claudia Zanella. Contemporary noir about a woman who investigates her sister’s suicde 16 years earlier.
Ashes and Diamonds
Ashes and Diamonds 1958, NR, 105 min. Directed by Andrzej Wajda, Starring Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzanowska. This powerful antiwar film is the best of Wajda’s early work and a touchstone of Polish cinema. It takes place on the last day of World War II and finds an underground operative needing to make a personal decision…
Soup Is Good Food
Somewhere behind perfectly manicured hedges, Donovan McNabb’s patronizing mama comforts her sobbing son with a warm bowl of Campbell’s Chunky Soup. The bruises on McNabb’s hip from Charles Grant’s helmet make every swallow a wince-filled reminder of the New Orleans Saints’ 27-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon. Former Westlake Chaparral Drew Brees filled…
The Dreams of Sparrows
The Dreams of Sparrows 2005, NR, 74 min. Directed by Haydar Mousa Daffar, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . The Dreams of Sparrows wings into consciousness as an urgent document from everyday Iraq. Filmmaker Daffar, a lifelong resident of Baghdad, shows us the Iraq he knows: the residents and the shopkeepers, the artists…
‘Friday Night Lights’: Leopards, Buffaloes, Hippos, Panthers Lead Week 6 Menagerie
This weekend’s headline game should be a corker, or at least closer than McCallum’s 52-0 blowout over LBJ last night. (Stamp Cedar Park’s playoff passport too, though the T-Wolves were lucky to get past Stony Point by a single, stony point, 14-13.) Hurry up and head out 290; even with Friday afternoon traffic, there’s still…
Best Mariachi
Craving Mexican food on a Thursday? Austin certainly has plenty of spots that can satisfy, but only one place offers the hottest damn salsa this side of the Rio Grande and live mariachi soloist James Broadway, strumming and serenading into the night.
One Reason Mondays Don’t Totally Blow
When else can you see Debbie Harry stoned on cable access and celebrate Wayne Newton’s birthday? Music Mondays at the downtown Alamo have become the place where $2 will make you hollah – at the screen – thanks to badass programmer, creator, and music lover Kier-La Janisse. Everything from obscure French new wave to glam…
Best Waitron at a Fast Casual/Family Restaurant
Show us a waitron who doesn’t roll his or her eyes at the sight of a toddler being plopped into a high chair in their section and we’ll introduce you to Diana Lucio, the endlessly cheerful and eminently competent server at Kerbey Lane UT. Lucio has been slinging ‘cakes at Kerbey for more than five…
Best One-on-One Indoor Swimming Lessons
Ensuring your child knows how to swim is one of the most important responsibilities you will ever face as a parent. Some kids take to group classes at city pools and health/social clubs like fish. Others need one-on-one attention, and unfortunately, it can be hard to find a reliable, private teacher. Tom’s Dive & Swim…
Best Star-Power in a News Anchor
Glamourous, gorgeous, and smart as a whip, KXAN’s Michelle Valles anchors the news with style and integrity. Appearing at 4, 6, and 10pm, we like it when she’s serious, but when she smiles, it lights up the world. The El Paso native is deeply involved in our community, dedicating herself to the Muscular Dystrophy Association,…
Best Scenery on Town Lake
Watch the paddles splash and the balls fly as the kayak polo players duke it out under the Mopac bridge on Town Lake every Wednesday at 6:30pm. A morphed version of water polo and basketball, kayak polo is an on-the-water game where players’ helmets do little to keep them dry and spectators enjoy a so-ever…
Best Man to Turn to at 2am
Oh what the cabbie knows. The cabbie not only knows the nooks and crannies of every byway in this town and beyond but the cabbie also knows every nook and cranny probed in the back seat on the way there. So find a cabbie you can trust. We trust our lust to our fave, Peter…
Best Key to Happiness
There are few things more irritating than being stuck in the middle of a blacktop parking lot at 5pm on a blistering summer day, the sweat pouring from your brow as you stand, staring, longingly, through your car window at the keys dangling from the ignition. In fact, it’s a nightmare; trust us, we know.…
Best Place to Refry Beantown
On top of being one of the best overall thrifts in Austin, Thrift Town receives a large portion of its stock from Massachusetts; so, supplies for sports-minded nor’easters are as plentiful here as burnt-orange Ts are at other, more picked-over shops. Whether it’s BoSox, Celtics, Patriots, BC, BU, Harvard, or Tufts, you’re sure to find…
Best Cemetery
Want a VIP pass to the afterlife and to requiescat in extra peace? Snag a plot at the Texas State Cemetery, and you’re guaranteed views of lush landscaping, shady trees, and sparkling ponds. But there is one stipulation: First you have to become a politician, celebrity, or Confederate soldier. The last of which may require…
Best Composer
A brilliant composer of all genres, Austin’s Graham Reynolds has attacked live scores for theatre (the Rude Mechs’ upcoming Have You Ever Been Assassinated?), soundtracks for films (Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly), and live music of his own in the Golden Arm Trio. Whether it’s experimental, classical, or avant-garde, Reynolds is the man.
Best Beer/Wine Selection
It may sound like a tall tale, but with more than 5000 labels in stock, it’s easy to believe that Texas’ largest selection of German and Italian wines can be found here. Add to that largesse a beer selection spanning 20 countries, and you have the stuff legends are made of. Bridal registry, party planning,…
Best Brunch Crowd
At Chez Zee, you can have your Benedict surfed or turfed, as beef tenderloin and salmon are but two options. Or perhaps a simply elegant Eggs Sardou will do? At Austin Java, the variations are more Tex-Mex, like their Green Chili Tomatillo Eggs Benedict and their Egg in a Hole. Whichever you choose, you needn’t…
Best Birthday Cakes
Oh, we get it. We understand that your munchkin has been eagerly anticipating her special day. And we also understand that you’ve been looking forward to it, too but not to rug rats tearing it up on Big Wheels or Patches the Clown’s detachable thumb trick. Oh no, you’ve been anticipating the butter cream chocolate…
Best Local Comic/Zine
The self-proclaimed “Zine That Supports the Austin Scene,” Austin Daze has kept a pulse on the music and arts of our fair city for seven years. Editors Russ and Wendy get in good with the likes of Jethro Tull and Kinky Friedman. They’ve recently relocated to South First Street, and they always do their part…
Best Sportswriter
When the soft-spoken Statesman sports writer picked Trojan Reggie Bush over Longhorn Vince Young to top his 2005 Heisman ballot, there was burnt-orange outrage. Yet the two-decade veteran commentator on UT sports kept his own counsel, even when it would be easier to play to the home crowd. Bohls remains the voice of reason in…
Best Place to Skate
And by skating, we speak of the inline shred, graceful skitching, hitting it hard because this is 3.1 smooth miles of concrete, shared only by bicyclists who know what’s up, perfect for tucking in and balling out. Let it rip. Or you can stay to the right and carve out a peaceful stroll for yourself…
Best News Story
Talk about your Austin stories! Always controversial, always on the scene, Kinky Friedman has turned politics and the media on its ear with his run for governor. Call it a travesty, or call it the Second Coming, Kinky will keep ’em talking long after the election, whether he wins or not. And speaking of controversy,…
Best Graphic Designer
This Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard (The Crossings, Chanel, Nickelodeon, to name a few). Since 1999 the creamy creative agency has been shaking Austin up with techniques that freaks and shows no signs of slowing down. Milkshake’s frothy know-how with regard to people and technology has helped maintain their halo and get…
To Your Health
Statin drugs reduce serum cholesterol levels, but there is intense controversy over whether this translates into a reduction in deaths from heart attacks
Best Recording Studio
It’s moved around a few times, but “Frenchie” Smith’s Bubble has played home to everyone from Nic Armstrong’s IV Thieves to the Arm, Zykos, and myriad other local bands. With Alex Lyon behind the board, you’re sure to get something amazing on tape for a price that won’t break the ever-dwindling bank.
Best Gardening Store
There’s no garden like a natural garden full of native Texas plant life, decomposing granite, and compost, compost, compost. The Natural Gardener is a haven for seasonal plants, organic remedies, and soil, as well as tips on when, what, and how to plant that mystery succulent. Go organic!
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
In this prequel to the original Chainsaw, we learn how Leatherface grew up to become a monster.
Best Public Artwork
The vivid graffiti panels painted by the mysterious and brilliant Federico Archuleta are mesmerizing works that are part Mexican pop culture and part Wild West Americana. With a look back to commercial art of bygone eras, Federico turns his images into crisp, modern statements that are as haunting as they are evocative. As he says,…
Best Maybe I’ll Have One More …
Slice, pint, play on the jukebox … favorite pizza place. While the suckers to the south and east might wonder why the Parlor opened its second location so close to the original on North Loop, we in the area aren’t complaining. How life-affirming is it to feast on the fresh and bubbly haute-punk pies –…
Best 24-Hour Cheap Eats
If Delicious Heaven exists, it’s La Mexicana Bakery. One step through the automatic doors reveals rows and rows of sugary goodness behind the glass counter — churros, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, ooohh just try one of each, they’re affordable, and you won’t be sorry. Best of all, La Mexicana is open 24 hours, so no matter…
Best Way to Feed the Whole Team
Let’s say you’re part of a hungry team that happens to be made up of people like “I Only Eat at Buffets Guy,” “I Don’t Want to Split the Bill at the End and Pay For All Your Expensive Crap When I Only Ordered a Salad Girl,” and “Coach I Love Seahorses.” Luckily there’s Mongolian…
Best Place for Before-Meal Prayer
Some of us were raised to think Jesus isn’t all that impressed with public displays of devotion outside of the church hour. On the other hand, what harm is it doing the Lord or anyone else? None. More than any other Austin eating establishment we can think of, the place to spot hands-around-the-table, heads bowed,…
Best Structural, Yet Deconstructed Projections
Shamelessly analog Lori Surfer splices and warps film reel-to-reel in hypnotic projections. Long into the night her machinations run, providing a visual mash-up of vintage loot – found family slides and home movies flicker alongside ocean waves and stellar constellations. Kinky detective stories dance to the music of a Moog theremin. And it all comes…
Best Senior Exercise Guru
Oh, Ruth. We love Ruth! She’s the Texas grande dame version of Jack LaLanne, the Jane Fonda of the senior set. She is bright and sunny and encourages folks in her age group to make movement and activity a crucial part of everyday life from her local television show that has been airing in Austin…
Best New and Potentially Sexy Zoning Ordinance in Austin
What’s seven pages long and written in hieroglyphics? Most city ordinances. But this one is different. In clear language, it actually protects the little guy, the humble home dweller, you and me! It even uses the words “declaring an emergency,” about burgeoning yuppie monstrosities and massive McMansions ruining our old neighborhoods. Why is it sexy,…
Best Laser Hair-Removal Specialists
It ain’t easy to drop your drawers for strangers, but the funny and nonchalant “hair removal specialists” with 16 years of experience are skilled at putting people at ease at Alite. You lie back on a massage table in a beautiful room draped with vibrant silks and fresh flowers. Take in the feng shui, and…
Best Pretty Princess Clothes for Your Pretty Princess Munchkins
Wee magical clothes for the kiddo with unique, impeccable style. When playing dress-up is a matter of daily life for your little fashionista, accept nothing less than the flowery, impish, imaginative designs of Emily Clay. Sold exclusively at the Stash and Secret Oktober, both on South First.
Best City Beautification
Stretching along the Colorado River in the heart of Austin, Town Lake Park is truly one of the city’s finest treasures. The 10-mile hike and bike trail is always populated with joggers and cyclists, baby buggies, and happy dogs. At any point along the trail, outdoor adventures await – from the many ball fields at…
Best Cultural Asset
Though its name comes from the Latin “to breathe together,” when this professional choral ensemble starts to sing, it’s more likely to take your breath away. The voices in this company meld together so seamlessly, into luxuriant harmonies with such purity of vocal tone, they seem to be pouring down from some celestial source. Having…
Best Cheap Date Place
Tim and Karrie League’s minicinema-chain has been open for a decade; try imagining Austin without it. While the Rolling Roadshow made Alamo a national institution, ever-soaring downtown business rates almost closed the original downtown site. Yet even with those financial pressures, the Leagues have stayed true to their ambition of providing accessible, affordable, and innovative…
Best Catering
Word of Mouth, the “Tiffany’s of catering”, as the owner says, is truly a well-oiled machine inside and out, and is, yet again, Austin’s best catering company. Able to pull off events with such professional grace and consistency, Word of Mouth has put themselves in a league of their own. From weddings to bar mitzvahs,…
Best Bookstore
Maybe it’s the indoor theatre space that functions as Storytime Central, or maybe it’s the well-informed, opinionated staff that hops to attention at the slightest mention of “Newbery Award-winning illustrated books,” but y’all just love the gigantic space devoted to future bookworms at Austin’s stalwart indie bookseller.
Best Local Non-‘Chronicle’ Publication
While some Austinites might consider our own humble rag a travesty in and of itself, UT is home to an actual self-styled Travesty. The student-run publication fancies itself a hybrid of The Onion and National Lampoon and is good for more than a few chuckles during boring history lectures. If poking fun at coffeeshops and…
Best TV Anchor
K-EYE’s got it again. Friendly Fred’s got the morning news, judicious Judy’s got the evening news, and together they’ve got it covered. The two of them have traded off this “Best of Austin” award for many years. But this year, instead of one or the other, they’ve tied for Best TV Anchor – and they…
Best Place to Smooch Outdoors
Climb the 100 steps to paradise: That’s what our readers tell us year after year. If you’re a tad winded when you reach the top, you may want to smooch before you gaze out because the views are truly breathtaking. Settling into the perfect pavilion on the peak, you’ll be rewarded for your effort with…
Best Nonprofit Group
Since 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been enriching the lives and inspiring the minds of the next generation. This nonprofit helps children shine through mentorship, community action, and the knowledge of how much having a role model can mean to the life of a child. Shine on, shine on.
Best Hair Salon
Avant – it’s not just a salon and spa … it’s an institution and probably one of the top businesses that have won more “Best of Austin” awards than any others. Do we need to go on about their excellent service, products, and multiple locations? Nah, we’ll just let their fabulous reputation and a mention…
The Common Law
My Neighbor’s Dog Won’t Stop Barking – What Can I Do?
Best Shoe Repair
Repairing a pair of shoes isn’t just about saving the expense of buying a new pair. Austin’s own minichain of shoe repair artisans have become experts in putting a few more miles into those beloved boots, a few more business meetings in those comfy brogues, and a few extra nights teetering on those heels that…
Best Gas Prices
Gas prices are so ugly that we put our cars on a petroleum diet, shoving celery stalks and corncobs into them to make them go. That didn’t work out so well, so, reluctantly, we are back on the gas habit. Thank you, HEB, for making our nasty addiction a bit easier on the pocketbook and…
Love’s Abiding Joy
A faith-based Western.
Best Shrine to Planned Obsolescence
What is a cathedral of junk? An oxymoron – all at once a sacred space and a scrap heap. It’s everything old that has been discarded, transformed into something new and imaginative. It is exploration and Dada. Hiding in the back yard of the unassuming house of the equally unassuming Vince Hannemann, if you don’t…
Best Neighborhood Nightlife Secret
Check out Thursday nights in Clarksville, where, at this delicious little Italian Bistro, Glover Gill (of 8 1/2 Souvenirs fame) takes the stage with a handful of friends and electrifies the mostly local crowd with two hours of Tango. The regular dancers help add some flavor to the scene as well – some of the…
Best 24-Hour Coffee Resurrection
The day the 24-hour lights at Mojo’s on the Drag went dim, night owls citywide went limp with the prospect of decaf evenings and unproductive moonlight. Alas, Mojo’s isn’t one to roll over and die. This summer, Joe, Chris, Steve, and Kevin of the former coffeehouse opened doors on North Loop’s Epoch, the only locally…
Best Yes, It Is Meant to Be On-the-Bone
The scent and color of real Indian food is turmeric. It’s that heady perfume and the yellow that stains your fingers when you bite into a tender, oven-baked slab of tandoori chicken. At $3.99 for a two-entrée plate, with pilau rice and a fresh, unleavened naan, Student Biryani’s homemade Indian and Pakistani cuisine is fast…
Best Place to Jump Around
Jump around, jump around, jump up, jump up, and get down… Inflatable chutes, slides, ladders, and rooms filled with jumpy castles sound like a dream come true and the perfect place to plan a party. The friendly Pump It Up crew does almost all of the work for you; just let them know what you…
Best Sweetheart of the Radio
With a soft Panhandle accent and a deep, abiding love for country music in all its flavors and shades, she’s the sweetheart of the radio, that Janice Williams. Her weekday afternoon shows are among KVET’s most popular. Her listeners also have an appetite for her Friday Taste of Texas shows, done on location at area…
Zippiest Way to Get Around
Nerd alert! There they go, the lot of ’em, whizzzzzzing past the traditional pedestrian pace with their little helmets and big wheels. And they’re always in a cluster! The tech is so new, and the first impression so much a head-turner that they are wise to honor the instinct to travel in packs. (We could…
Best New Coalition of the Willing
Believe it or not, there are still a few elected offices in Travis County that are not held by Democrats. True Blue Travis – aka the Travis County Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign – wants to fix that, and make sure our little blue island in the red Texas ocean stays as deep a shade of…
Best Laser Operator
Locally owned and operated, Wellsprings is located in a swanky dermatologist office instead of a strip mall. Shannon Hicks, owner of Wellsprings, cannot only have your unmentionables lasered free of hair, but she can also remove tattoos, reduce wrinkles, and has been known to lend her patients books and take prayer requests.
Best Recycled Goods
Everything that’s old is new again at Re-. It’s a tiny little building on Krebs between South Congress and South First, but it offers a world of reinvigorated, recycled, refurbished goods. Based upon the premise that newer doesn’t necessarily mean better, Re- stocks gently used toys, über-hip home furnishings, and vintage styles at thrifty prices.…
Best Historic Site
We just can’t hide our Texan pride. No, really: State law limits the height of building projects in areas surrounding the historic dome (completed in 1888) so that its majesty can stay visible from many observation points around the city. Free guided tours help make the interior easy to view as well, that is, if…
Best Dance Company
Magical and magnificent, Sally Jacques’ contribution to local culture makes her an Austin treasure. Her compositions and choreographies take us into dimensions only she dreamed of. From the breathtaking Where Nothing Falls to her dazzling Whispers of Heaven to her etherally beautiful Requiem, Jacques is rewriting the book of dance.
Best Cocktails/Cocktail Menu
From call brand martinis and mojitos to gourmand comfort food like chipotle macaroni and mini caprese burgers, everything we’ve ever enjoyed at this downtown hot spot has been simply scrumptious. We hear they even grow their own vegetables – how Austiny! Whether you’re looking for a nice cocktail or cocktail corn dogs, 219 West has…
Best Cheap Meal
Not only is this locally owned (part of the Manuels’ family) taqueria cheap, but it’s good too. Changos uses the freshest ingredients to make your order when you order. We suggest the grilled mahi mahi tacos which are very yummy yummy. Their aguas frescas are known across town for hitting the spot. Cheap and tasty,…
Best Clothing
Covering bases of quantity and quality, our readers tied a national and local outlet for this category. Old Navy has cheap, colorful, trendy clothes for the kiddos. And you can buy those cheap, colorful, trendy clothes in every city in America. For two generations, Bright Beginnings, has been a local treasure only found here in…
Best Local TV News
KVUE nails down another “Best of Austin” in 2006, along with 21 Associated Press Awards for excellence, including 13 first place, four second-place awards, and four honorable mentions. KVUE was also honored with a special statewide award for Overall Excellence. Anchor Christine Haas captured several of the awards herself, and Austin favorite Mark Murray won…
Best TV Reporter
Ever question the sometimes outrageous claims made by the manufacturers of new products? KVUE’s Quita Culpepper does too, and her “Does It Work” Wednesday segments can be very satisfying by either confirming the claims or debunking them. In adition, she anchors the Weekend Daybreak news and reports three days a week. A native New Yorker,…
Best Pool Tables
One of Paul Newman’s more inspired lines in 1986’s The Color of Money: “Pool excellence is not about excellent pool.” It’s true. But is pool made more excellent with a live music venue upstairs, a solid bar, and three separate rooms of tables? Even TomKat would have a hard time finding a place more excellent…
Best Scandal
Where were you when the Hammer fell? Once he was the king-maker, cutting up the Texas electoral map like it was his private domain. Now he claims he doesn’t even live here. Now that he’s out of office and facing criminal indictments, his alleged malfeasance is less shocking to politics watchers than the fact that…
Best Health Care
With 14 locations in Austin and scads of health care professionals to fill ’em, ARC is a one-stop doc shop for your mortal coil. Little Timmy has the croup? Check. Cedar fever? Check. Something fishy down yonder? Check. And, speaking of checks: Leave them at home! Cash customers get a discount.
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Royal tattoos, and the award for tallest actor goes to …
Best Spa
They are all at the top of their game, and each offers particular luxuries that are strictly their own. Few spas have won the international awards that Lake Austin Spa Resort has – with good reason. This 25,000-square-foot resort boasts the ultimate in luxury services and accommodations. The Crossings Wellness Spa is as well-appointed as…
Best Independent Bookstore
If there’s one down side to BookPeople, it’s that they have so many booksignings and readings that it’s hard to keep up with what author is coming to town next. Actually, there’s another problem. There’s only one BookPeople. Its model of educated staff, huge stock, regular events, and the warm approachability that book-lovers crave should…
Queens
Spanish comedy about same-sex marriages and mothers-in-law.
Best Way to Get Drunk With a Genius
Head East on MLK, past the dump and the jail, ’til Martin Luther King morphs into 969. There, on the top of the hill to the left, resides Pliny Fisk III, the man who the Pentagon turned to (after it got rammed with a plane) in the hopes of making the building green. The Pentagon!…
Best New New Year’s Party
New Year’s Eve used to belong to drunken revelers, then last December a group took back the night for everyone else. First Night Austin commandeered Downtown from Auditorium Shores to the Capitol for 10 hours of family-friendly performances and demonstrations by artists and community groups. The results were dazzling: men in suits rappelling down the…
Best Corner Revamp
If you haven’t driven past the corner of Barton Springs and Lamar in a while, make your way over there already. We insist! What used to be two lonely, empty buildings has been revitalized and revamped and the corner is now bustling with activity almost every night of the week. First came P. Terry’s, a…
Best You Are Paying for It, So You May as Well Eat There
Which members of the Lege are getting schmoozed by corporate interests over tacos? Are our mortal enemies doing some bipartisan socializing at the deli counter? And what state reps can’t eat a burger without dripping ketchup on their red, white, and blue ties? For answers, politico-watchers can observe state hacks in their natural habitat, the…
Best Place to Take the Kiddos Out to Dinner
The Nutty Brown Cafe has rockin’ events most nights of the week, but Tuesday nights are specifically for kids. A kid-centric super fan-damily nutty haven, it’s the local version that many a chain wishes it could emulate. Limpy the Clown is on hand to keep the kids’ attention rapt in another direction while you steal…
Best Televised Guilty Pleasure That Is Not Guilty, at All!
When local boy Britt Daniel from Spoon showed up at the cafe where super-teen-sleuth Veronica Mars works and karaoked the Elvis Costello song “Veronica,” we were sold. It was even better than when key characters began sporting UT logos. Fun and self/TV-referential, VM, as penned by other local boy Rob Thomas, could be dismissed as…
Best AIDS NGO Stalwarts
Project Transitions and AIDS Services of Austin both provide invaluable resources and support for Central Texans living with AIDS. And they both count on major fundraising opportunities to stay afloat. PT’s mainstay is the wonderful and newly renovated Top Drawer Thrift store on the Burnet thrift strip, selling quality, gently used merchandise. ASA has their…
Best New Orleans Import
What Hurricane Katrina didn’t destroy, she blew our way. Austin was lucky enough to acquire the talents of legendary musicians like Cyril Neville. We also inherited the Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indian tribe. Big Chief Kevin Goodman lost much of his family’s history but decided to stay in Texas. Since then, he’s re-formed the tribe,…
Best Long Lost Hair-Doer
For those who knew Phyllis Nunez (aka Sharoo) from back in the day at Gaitan’s Barber Shop in Hyde Park, it was a sad day when she left. For those who’ve been searching high and low for the teeny, wild-tressed lass, fret not. She can now be found in her own little corner of Kent…
Best Reuse of a Post Office
It was a sad day for the Bouldin neighborhood when the South Austin post office was moved to new facilities on South Congress. Fortunately, the city bought the old building, but it will be at least 2008 before it becomes a branch library. In the meantime, the Friends of the Austin Public Library are using…
Best Hotel
“BOA” award clean-sweeper Hotel San José still reigns as the Queen of the SoCo Strip. With its chic landscaping by Big Red Sun, minimalist interiors, and inviting courtyard, it is a home away from home for regular visitors to Austin, as well as a gathering spot for the local scenesters. Owner Liz Lambert has the…
Best Dance Lessons
Talk to owner Mylie Alrich for two minutes and you can tell: She is absolutely in love. With dancing. She just wants everyone to dance. All the time. Any time. She’s that lady at weddings tugging the unwilling onto the wood. Just go dance, she says. Do it by yourself (private lessons) or with a…
Best Dance Club
Four years running, and John Wickham’s Elysium is holding strong as Austin’s Best Dance Club. Whether it’s New Wave, no wave, goth, house, electroclash, Eurotrash, or the occasional Eighties revival band, the Elysium is the fabric of Austin nightlife. The drinks are cheap, the dance floor huge, and there are few things cooler than a…
Best Coffee/Tea Selection
Step over the signature wonky Lone Star embossed in the pavement and into the home of the Fog Cutter, the best pick-me-up coffee in town. Austin Java Co.’s two buck bottomless cup and a row of differing roasts and blends turns every trip into a tasting session. The only bigger selection is the food menu,…
Best Kids Video/DVD Selection
Some kids don’t like The PowerPuff Girls. Some kids get bored with Thomas the Tank Engine. Some kids have already figured out that Vulcan Video is way better than the chains. While Vulcan on the Drag keeps its children’s section just below its expansive animation collection, the Vulcan of SoCo boasts more than 5 feet…
Best Local Web Site – Entertainment
Thanks again, Austin, for voting Yours Truly as your online source for all things entertainment in the ATX. This year you also recognized the contribution of Austinist.com to your insatiable lust for entertainment goings-on. With our powers combined, you’ll never be short of something to do. While you’re checking us both out online, befriend The…
Best Weatherperson
Awww! We dare you not to love Jim Spencer’s welcoming grin and comforting personality. When he says it’s gonna rain, you better believe it will, and he understands 100-degree pain. We adore the KXAN meteorologist, and you do, too, for the eighth time.
Best Sport
Football would be too obvious. Basketball would be too normal. In Austin, Soccer reigns supreme as the favorite sporting pastime. There’s a league and a team to fit every age and skill level, so everyone can get in on the action. Youth clubs ranging from the Optimists to the fiercely named Warrior Soccer Association are…
Best Scenester/Mover & Shaker
She’s only one woman, but she affects more positive change than many organizations could ever hope to achieve. A networking dynamo, Diane “Kitty” Murray draws upon the same hyperactive multitasking mania she did back in her days in the film business to provide venues and events for Austin women (and especially women who love women).…
Best House Painter
A woman in a tool belt. Palpitations. That’s what Michele’ll give you. That, and a helluva remodel … you know, if you’re looking to repaint and make yours a not-so-humble abode. And according to our readers, she’s a general contractor and house painter willing to work with each client for the creative, detail-oriented designs that…
Best Tailor
Listen to Stacy and Clinton! Ill-fitting garments are first on the list of “what not to wear” – any season. You need a tailor, and Austin’s Ace Custom Tailors is not only dependable, it’s convenient no matter where you are. Whether those slacks need a hem in place of a cut or your mother’s leather…
Best Independent Hardware Store
Hardware doesn’t begin to cover all the things Breed & Co. offers. Yes, you can buys nails and hoses there, but you can also buy Baccarat crystal, Kitchenaid electrics, Spode china, cookbooks, bird feeders, and more importantly, gift certificates. It would be hard to find someone who didn’t covet something from Breed & Co.
Zen Noir
A hard-boiled detective investigates a murder at a Buddhist monastery.
Most Eagerly Anticipated Development
While city planners struggle to keep apace with the buzzword brigade – “mixed use,” “urban pioneer,” “new urbanism,” and the like – we’re cautiously optimistic the Mueller redevelopment will be that exemplary, shining city on a hill … or here, in an airport. The transformation of the old space into a housing, shopping, and industry…
Best Place to Play SuperChexx and Revel in the Infinite Regressions
Whether your idea of an infinite regression is listening to Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” (“You make the rockin’ world go ’round!”) over and over and over or reliving your college rathskeller glory days impersonating the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team in a rousing match of Super Chexx, you can do it all and at the…
Best Crepes This Side of France
Oh la la … French kisses, French flicks, French accents, french fries. (Yes, we know they originated in Belgium, just roll with it.) There is just something so decadent and delicious about all things French. No room in your budget for a trip to that fair country across the sea? Well, if it is a…
Most Kickass Caterer
We could go on and on about the “Interior Mexican” this or the “poblano” that; we could yak for days about the nuttiest rice and the smoothest black beans ever, but really it all comes down to the Flautas Cancun. A staple at many a Chronicle party, these delicate, crispy rolls of sweet and tangy…
Best Toy Library
Anyone with a child from 0 to 6 should make a stop at Family Connections, a toy library where you can check out toys, instruments, books, and art. For a $5 annual donation, you can get art to put on walls, prints, tambourines, drums, huge wooden trucks, dolls, and parenting advice to go along with…
Best Weatherman
News 8’s fresh-scrubbed meteorologist Burton Fitzsimmons says that it was growing up on a 20-acre spread in San Antonio, watching the often crazy Texas weather roll over the Hill Country that sparked his interest in all things hail, rain, and drought. We don’t doubt it: Fitzsimmons is confident and heady enough to inject into his…
Best Barely Legal Statewide Queer People of Color Group
You’ve heard us sing the praises for Austin’s local group for gay and lesbian (etc., etc.) people of color. And guess what? Their scope is no longer limited to our immediate area as this year they became the first statewide group of their sort in the whole dang U.S. of A. And that’s all well…
Best New Out Reach Efforts
It’s top down from the national office: The Human Rights Campaign (think blue with yellow equal signs) is officially making headway in changing their previous image as a high-end, predominately white male group to one that more effectively represents the many faces in the struggle for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality. The local office…
Best Mechanical Saviors
Because of our office’s proximity to the little shop on the corner of 38 1/2 and I-35, we’ve been asked about the guys over at Dura-Tune. We had no idea. So, we asked around the office, and everyone who had utilized them had nothing but great things to say. Hmmm. Well, on more than one…
Best Scents That Make Sense
So.A.P. self-identifies as “strong enough for a dirty hippie, yet weak enough for a dirty CEO.” With an assortment of scents for everyone in between, this dye-free, petroleum-free, dolphin-free, rainforest-wood-free bar is slipping and sliding on heinies from Northwest Hills to the studios on the Eastside. Be sure to pick up a bar of Orange…
Best Indoor Public Space
An architectural delight overlooking Town Lake, City Hall continues to be the best new addition to downtown Austin. Clad in copper and limestone, the four-story contemporary structure designed by Antoine Predock offers plaza, mezzanine, and amphitheatre areas, and a media room which may be reserved by the general public. Under certain circumstances, the council chamber,…
Best Film Series
For 31 years, Paramount’s Summer Classic Film Series has been a tradition in Austin. Showcasing popular to obscure classic movies and foreign features in a classic theatre with a big screen and adult beverages, it’s a great way to revisit old memories and make new ones. Also, this year the Austin Film Society debuted AFS@Dobie.…
Best Drag Queen/Drag King
Tough as nails and smooth as silk, divine diva Jamé Perry has worked the Austin clubs for years. Be it Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé or Li’l Kim, Miss Perry’s got ’em all covered with her inimitable style and consummate showmanship … or is it showwomanship? Either way, watching this drag doll is no drag at…
Best Desserts
Pop into either joint on any given night of the week, and you’re likely to find yourself amid a sea of moms, liberated for the night, enjoying adult libations and sharing copious plates of Chez Zee’s luscious ginger marscapone cheesecake or Manuel’s famous flan. Either one of these award-winners is perfect for a girls’ night…
Best Party Place
Boasting a giant arcade which includes more than 100 of the best video and virtual-reality games, is it any wonder this wonderland of excitment got voted Best Teen Hangout and Place to Party? If video games aren’t your thing, no problem. Main Event is also home to active-interactives, such as glow-in-the-dark bowling and golf, laser…
Best Local Web Site – Information
Just a point and a click’ll do ya, satisfying anyone desiring the A-Z’s of A-town … and much more. Full circle, like the name suggests, with easy-to-navigate tool-bars, easy enough, even the myopic grandparents might have a chance at getting the happs in the capital city. Thank goodness, this site covers what you need: local…
Best Basketball Court
The players up in Enfield know how to make a baller feel welcome. And pampered, too: After a heated game, amid the manses of Old Enfield, our readers like to kick it back poolside at the park’s nearby pool. Word to the wise: Ride your bike or park along the MoPac frontage road, as parking…
Best Swimming Hole
Austinites have been craving and braving the chilly waters of Barton Springs for as long as the springs have sprung. Some stay for an hour, some for three and some for an entire day, even going into the night hours under the stars. Is it for the great people-watching, the eclectic music, the sun, the…
Best State Legislator
In his first term in the state house, Rep. Strama has been trying to undo some of the damage done to Texas democracy. After unseating Republican incumbent Jack Stick, the District 50 Democrat has championed state electoral and campaign-finance reform. As befits Austin’s voice in the House, he’s also backed tax breaks for hybrid cars…
Best Landscaper
Since 1994, Big Red Sun has been working on more than their big multicolored shop. Their designs for dramatic outdoor spaces include those for the Hotel San José, the roadside scenery at the Lake Travis NorthShore community, and many private residences, which have at times incorporated pools full of pet koi and tiered, circular, lily-pad-like…
Federal Judge Limits Smoking Ban
Sparks says businesses are not responsible for smoking patrons’ conduct
Best Tattoo Artist
She’s cute, talented, and a friend to many Red River rockers. Southside Tattoo’s five-year resident Karen Slafter is an artist, period. Her tattoos match her oil paintings in creativity, and more than likely, that Handsome Joel tattoo was inked by his good friend Karen. There’s just something about a woman’s touch when it comes to…
Best Liquor Store
Whether you have busting some capillaries or a more elegant evening in mind, one of Austin’s many Twin Liquors locations can provide the necessities. Though known for specializing in wines and hard liquors, they also boast an unpredictable beer selection including German and Czech beers, Mexican beers, Belgian beers, and numerous domestic macros. So many…
Shortbus
John Cameron Mitchell’s sophomore film effort asserts – with great gusto and even a brass band – our universal right to sexual happiness.
Most Improved Venue for Rent
Come revel in the simple beauty of a turn-of-the-century small-town church relocated and renovated into one of the most interesting and desirable event and performance centers in Austin. Nestled among towering oaks, green lawns, and wildflowers, Mercury Hall is a 4-acre bit of heaven on earth, right in the middle of South Austin. Weddings, meetings,…
Best Place to Pretend You Have an Interscope Expense Account
Downtowners are of two radically different minds about the “Booty Bar”: either they love it or dismiss it as hipsters gone wild. Then there are those who love it because it’s hipsters gone wild. Whatevs, anywhere Blur’s “Girls + Boys” comes on at closing time twice in 10 days is fine by us. Because the…
Best Home-Cooked Meal
The “concept” of “home cookin'” in the restaurant scene is a bit of a conundrum. The idea that there is a formal genre around recreating the home-style meat-two-veg paradigm for the general dining public defeats the purpose a bit, doesn’t it? Sure, there’s plenty of great home cookin’ in Austin: Our town is built on…
Most Revolutionary Juice Maestros
In two words: compostable cups. Yes, the sweet, organic juices pumped by the gallons by Daily Juice hotties are now handed over the counter in cups made of earthy love. They look like plastic but are a teensie bit … silkier. Not plastic. Not petroleum. Corn. What better way to celebrate your health than by…
Best Way to Get Kids Pumped About Bikes
YBP’s all-volunteer staff donated nearly 100 bikes last year to Winn, Andrews, Blanton, and Harris elementary schools, located in the vicinity of its main shop. This year, with the help of an REI grant, volunteers are providing area students with free reconditioned bikes, along with lights and helmets, as part of the Bikes to Schools…
Most Dedication to Austin Music So Early in the Morning
The unsung music-promoting heroes in Austin are Joe Bickett and Ketherine Kisiel on Fox Morning News from 5-9am. They run the gamut of musicians from touring bands passing through, to emerging new bands, from local legends like Ray Wylie Hubbard, to music-related personalities such as Pamela Des Barres. Particularly around SXSW (especially the Austin Music…
Best Bartender and Community Servant
Handsome, popular, and community-oriented, Steve Higginbotham, the bartender with a 16-year tenure at Oilcan Harry’s, is a force to be reckoned with. In addition to wielding a mean soda-gun, he is the founder of the annual Red Hot benefit that has raised more than $160,000 for Project Transitions. His dedicated following is in no small…
Best Place to Protest a KKK Rally
The only pointy thing at City Hall on Nov. 5, 2005 was the horizontal copper spire on the north end of the building’s roof. Gone were the pointed Klan hoods of yore for this new crop of KKK members. There were no crosses afire, but there was a fire-breathing “Grand Dragon” to lead the 12,…
Best Moving Muscle
So, you couldn’t resist that sectional couch at J.C. Penney’s Highland Mall closing, or you succumbed to the lure of that weighty armoire at a garage sale. And you own a two-door Toyota, and all your friends with pickups are out of town. Give Chris Rogers a jingle and drop him an e-mail. He’ll be…
Best Way for Turning Asian
Anchored by MT Supermarket and complemented by restaurants and shops offering travel, jewelry, cell phones, herbs, fashion, music, hair and beauty, insurance, banking, and the Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Chinatown Center offers convenience and variety for Austin’s growing Asian community and folks seeking more than your garden variety of options. Vegetarians and seafood cooks…
Best Lobby/Waiting Room
Outside, Col. Jesse H. Driskill’s architectural masterpiece may be overshadowed by neighboring downtown developments – the bust of ol’ Jesse on the roof probably has to lean to see the state house now – but nothing can detract from its internal glories. From the art-nouveau-influenced, stained-glass lantern that illuminates the pillars and marble floors of…
Best Improv Group
Austin’s getting funnier by the minute, and it’s thanks to folks like these guys … and gals. The nine talented ladies of Girls Girls Girls have been performing long-form improvised musicals since Sept. 2003, which makes them the oldest performing improv troupe in town. With this much talent, we can only hope they’ll be around…
Best Gay/Lesbian Hangout
“I’m only happy when it rains,” crooned Garbage lead Shirley Manson. Austin’s gay community appears to agree. Offering weekly karaoke, blasting out dance and (thankfully) hip-hop’s latest, and offering some of the cutest bar staff in tight shirts, Rain’s meteoric rise should come as no surprise. And with newbie Fabric and old timers Rainbow Cattle…
Best Gourmet/Specialty Grocer
Where most organic and whole-foods grocery stores are small operations, locally founded Whole Foods’ eco-friendly megastore on North Lamar is a behemoth. Bringing economies of scale to environmentalist gastronomy, the national Whole Foods chain proves that quality food from quality produce is not a niche market. Whether you’re stocking up on farm-made cheese and locally…
Best Place to Commune With Nature
Hey, we love our video games, too, but sometimes you’ve just got to get off the couch and breathe in the sweet air that is the wonderful world of Zilker. With so many options, you’ll never tire of this game: Take a ride in the Zilker Zephyr; go canoeing; play with the ducks; or just…
Best Local Writer
John Kelso started in life with what some consider an impediment – he’s not a native Texan. Born in Oklahoma, raised in Maine, educated in Missouri, this carpetbagger has become one of Austin’s distinctive and defining voices. The down-home homilies in his three-day-a-week Statesman column manage to have a true Texas twang.
Best Bike Ride
It’s 10 miles of truly luscious landscape and lots of nice, firm booties to see. There are many points of entry/exit, and the trail is easy enough for beginners. Advanced cyclists can take advantage of the long stretches to build endurance – and even firmer booties.
Best Swimming Pool
Deep Eddy is Texas’ oldest swimming pool. Situated along the west end of Town Lake Park, the pool is fed by a well and features shallow water for the kiddos and lots of lanes for lap swimmers. On summer nights you can catch your favorite movies projected there on a big screen, while cooling your…
Best Visionary
Richard S. Friedman. Author. Musician. Politician. And now citizen, visionary, and news story of the year. This double-triple threat has done the almost impossible: When state politics seemed too depressing to follow, everyone’s favorite Jewish cowboy gubernatorial candidate and his homegrown campaign made it all seem fun again. Plus, he managed to write two books,…
Best Laundromat
Hippies and professionals agree! A laundromat and dry cleaner that’s not only doing its part to save the environment but is peaceful and comfortable enough to pummel through chapters, waiting for your darks to dry. And afterward, just smell those clothes. They’re green-clean. Makes ya feel good, like when you eat organic or save a…
County Doesn’t Blink on City’s WTP 4 Challenge
City dangles Bull Creek in front of bulldozers, but county won’t take the bait
Best Travel Agent
With so many votes, we had to know what it is that makes Barbara Panzer so special. And, boy howdy, did we find out. It’s not just her 25-plus years in the business, with more than half of it at Tramex. It’s not just her encyclopedic knowledge of corporate and leisure travel. It’s that special…
Best Music Gear
Whether you dream of becoming the next Eddie Van Halen on guitar, John Bonham on the drums, or Jaco Pastorious on the fretless electric bass, it matters not. The fine folks at the Guitar Center have the gear you need to bring your fantasy to reality, and they’ll keep your music room fully stocked with…
Keeping Mum
Maggie Smith, Rowan Atkinson, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Patrick Swayze come together for this dark British comedy.
Best Excuse to Be a Band Geek Again
One time, at band camp, we heard about this great group of musicians in A-town: As Austin’s oldest community band, the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble has been charming Central Texas audiences since 1975. Besides treating our town to the best in-concert band performances, this ensemble also provides an outlet for Austin area musicians, amateur and…
Best Place to Recharge Your Cha Cha
Two left feet got you down? Don’t worry, Footworks has got you covered! Their staff are not only experienced and friendly but an integral part of the Austin dance community. Plus you’ll get more attention because their classes are relatively small. Located in the warehouse district, Footworks offers group/private classes in salsa, ballroom, country, Argentine…
Best Hosts With the Most
When you walk into this little eatery off of Highway 71 East, you will be greeted warmly by Dick Simcoe, your guide for the evening. The friendly Army pilot, along with his wife, Surin, has been serving home-cooked Thai food to lucky Texans (including ex-Faces member Ian McLagan, who Dick counts as his No. 1…
Yummiest UT Tribute
Ever since our beloved Longhorns won the national championship this year, it seems as though burnt orange and other Bevo-esque items are in even greater abundance than usual. However, we know one particularly yummy UT tribute that has been pleasing sushi and football fans alike for years, the Longhorn Roll at Kyoto. This combination of…
Best Way to Help Kids Help Themselves
American YouthWorks has been transforming the lives of at-risk Austin youth for 30 years. Their holistic approach to education and community service has enabled thousands of would-be dropouts to complete high school, find employment that supports them and their families, build life skills that last a lifetime, and gain the self-respect that comes with self-sufficiency…
Best Bird-Brained Propagators
Ever wondered what those white poles with the clusters of gourds on top are? You know, the ones around town that sort of look like shorter moonlight towers? Those are purple martin houses! And purple martins are some of the most desireable birds to have in your neighborhood. Why? Because, according to the local site,…
Best Blues Man
He didn’t howl like Wolf, nor honk like Little Walter. As a bassist he posed no threat to Willie Dixon. And yet, the late, great Clifford Antone (1949-2006) now sits like royalty among the hallowed six-stringers, sidemen, and big brassy belters crowding ’round Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters at eternity’s music festival. Without Antone’s undying…
Best Post-Council Crusade
With his bambino enrolled in Escuelita, Downtown’s only day care, the former council member returned to his old chambers to ask council to extend the center’s lease; Alvarez has used his post-council juice to advocate extending the lease on the site until the end of the school year.
Best Original Rock & Roll Realtor
Austin is blessed with a plethora of hip realtors who once worked the music business – Laura Croteau of Rabid Cat Records and Readers Poll winner Don Harvey of Ian McLagan’s Bump Band come to mind immediately. Yet it was Joe Bryson, owner and founder of the original indie record store of the Seventies, Inner…
Best Way to Keep it Green if You Have to Drive
Got a diesel car or truck? Want to give Bush & Co. one less reason to forcefully bogart Iraq’s oil? Check out Austin Biofuels. This local startup has been slinging biodiesel – a clean, renewable fuel you can pump straight into any diesel vehicle – since 2003, when they were making the stuff out back…
Best Motel
Judging by how hard it is to book one of the 41 uniquely decorated rooms, the avenue’s best kept secret is no secret. The Austin Motel typically accepts reservation requests three months in advance, and dates usually sell out before the first day is over. Those lucky enough to score a room are right in…
Best Local Filmmaker
The hometown hero best known for his sprawling, dialogue-driven, philosophical films about disaffected youth, is surely a favorite because he appeals to everyone. He tackles every film genre, from the lighthearted heroics of School of Rock, to the serious and somewhat disturbingly revelatory Fast Food Nation. Linklater is nothing if not inventive, and his rotoscopic…
Best Jukebox
We couldn’t think of a better soundtrack machine for this eclectic neighborhood bar, either. An 11-year streak shows you agree. Outside of the occasional Ramones staple, you’re guaranteed to hear something new each visit. The genre jumping can be a pleasant surprise – kinda like walking through a gargoyle-themed dungeon bar, past Hell’s Kitchen, to…
Best Local Food Company
Where most organic and whole-foods grocery stores are small operations, locally founded Whole Foods’ eco-friendly megastore on North Lamar is a behemoth. Bringing economies of scale to environmentalist gastronomy, the national Whole Foods chain proves that quality food from quality produce is not a niche market. Whether you’re stocking up on farm-made cheese and locally…
Best Recreation Center
Wet or dry, the kids can rock some doggy paddle, or thrive under the tutelage of Mother Nature (and their own mom and pop) with Austin Adventure Guides, blazing trails and making the nature scene. The YMCA has it all and at locations around Austin. It’s no wonder the “Y” was tied by the one-stop…
Best Locally Produced TV Show
Now you can take a trip into the city without ever leaving your sofa. Thank goodness KLRU is a frequent remote destination for us, or we may never have stumbled across our new favorite show, and as a result, some of our new favorite things about our town. In half an hour the Emmy Award-winning…
Best Bowling Alley
We’ll spare you from having to search every alley in the city for cheap entertainment (get your mind out of the gutter), so split to Dart Bowl for a striking good time. Go ahead — get the ball rolling and go. There are leagues of fun waiting for you, and you don’t even need a…
Best Tennis Court
They’ve got a real racket (heh, heh) going on over at Texas’ oldest tennis facility. Serious fans can attest, the staff here at the Cas know how to cater to the pros – perhaps due to the city’s contracts with true tennis pros to operate the eight Laykold courts. And our readers are happy about…
Best Appliance/TV Repair
Spent a buncha monies on that vintage range, huh? Broke again, huh? Let us introduce you to our readers’ favorite repair-people, AAA. In their words, “Since 1955. If we can’t save you $$, we don’t deserve your business.” If only all the folks who take our $$ had that kind of attitude.
Best Movers
Reliable, trustworthy, and professional movers are essential – especially when that box marked “fragile” is filled with your out-of-print record collection and lava lamp. Our readers appreciate Apple Moving for all that and more – like their instant online quote form, storage options, and free boxes.
Developing Stories
Two downtown projects uneasily launched
Best Veterinarian
Brykerwood is the place to be, if you’re a dog. Or a cat. Dunno if they’ll help you if you’re a hamster, but we say give it a shot. Because the folks at Brykerwood, docs and techs alike, are the nicest people around, the kind that know how important a pet can be to a…
Best Naughty Business
Forbidden Fruit says it’s “dedicated to your body’s needs,” and for the umpteenth year in a row, you readers — and your naughty bits — concur. This fruit has ripened in Austin for 20 years, and with its constantly blooming assortment of erotic toys, edible underpants, and dirty books with titles as subtle as Blow…
The Last King of Scotland
Forest Whitaker becomes dictator Idi Amin in a ferocious performance that often dwarfs the more ordinary aspects of this picture.
Best Funny, Funny Man
You may know Matt Bearden as E. Murray McKinley, the, uh, charming host of GameShow! at the Flamingo Cantina. Or maybe you’ve seen him at the Velveeta Room’s open-mic night. No? What about on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend? Are you serious? You really haven’t seen this guy? Do yourself a favor and go to his…
Best Place to Watch Granddad Cut a Rug
Going to Donn’s makes us look forward to growing older. The amazing septuagenarian dancers totally school the young whippersnappers who won’t dance until they’ve have four beers. Several of the veteran ladies have better legs than the twentysomethings who watch the two-stepping, dazed by the graceful chemistry the older women have with their partners. Couples…
Best Italian Renaissance
There was a time in this town when a true New York Italian pizza was hard to come by, and even a decent pizza could require a trek across town, as there are so few center-city restaurants devoted to the art of the pie. You wouldn’t know it now. With Home Slice, Southside Flying Pizza,…
Yummiest Vegan and Veg Cuisine
A meal at this Tarrytown cafe is an all-out sensory joyride. From the first step in, past the display case loaded with a variety of exotic teas (their extensive array of natural bevvies take up an entire menu), the first impression is mauve and otherworldly. The staff says the decor is based on a dream.…
Most Perfect Pandemonium
Although Austin is home to many wonderful things, it does not have an amusement park. Austin’s Park ‘n Pizza has many of the great amusements without the whole amusement-park mayhem. There are go-carts, bumper boats, little-kid attractions like the tea cup rides and the Rio Grande train ride. Plus there are more active choices such…
Best Chance to Trance Out
All across America, there’s a new trend in music that goes hand-in-hand with the explosion of yoga as a movement and spiritual-seeking as a national pastime: kirtan. And Austin has a few avid proponents. The most familiar kirtan artists include Krishna Das, Dave Stringer, Wah!, Deva Premal, and Jai Uttal. Kirtan, which literally means “to…
Best Bus Driver, Again
To be invited to the International Bus Roadeo, drivers must have a perfect record of manuvering a 35-foot bus and its passengers through city traffic. And then they have to take the driving test. Murillo, 46, won top honors at the international event in 2002, and a second time last fall. The 22-year veteran has…
Best Post-Katrina-Evacuee Service Providers
Long after the terrible aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – and, to a much lesser extent, Rita – faded from media headlines, several organizations in Austin continued working to provide social services to the area’s thousands of evacuees in need. The following is a by-no-means-exhaustive list of organizations still serving area evacuees. Advocacy Inc. provides information,…
Best Reason to Take Your Disk Out for a Drive
In college, Whitney Tracy broke his roommate’s Macintosh during finals and had to figure out how to fix it. Lucky for the rest of us, because after stints in Apple’s tech support division and rocking a few independent shops, Whitney found his own squad of badass technophiles in 2004. Their motto, “Relax, it’s HappyMac,” sticks…
Best When Cutting the Cheese on a First Date Is OK
First dates are hard. You’re trying to impress, but you’re also working out that new hottie’s likes and dislikes. So why not come off all clean-living and healthy-eating, and find out whether they’re more inclined to nibble salad or scarf a steak all at the same time? Suggest a jaunt down to the Saturday Farmers’…
Best New Building (Past Five Years)
When construction began on the 515-foot-tall Frost Bank Tower less than two months after 9/11, it was questioned as financially reckless. When it was complete in 2004, critics said it was more Manhattan than Austin, that its blue glazing did not fit the pinks and russets of Downtown’s stones and bricks. Now its four-peaked crown…
Best Museum
The opening of UT’s new improved Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art this past spring gave Austin the largest university art museum in the country and the third largest art museum in Texas. With a permanent collection of more than 17,000 works, it is recognized for its old master paintings, modern and contemporary American and…
Best Karaoke
While the choice between karaoke venues might seem immaterial, consider this: “How confident are you in front of a deeply inebriated crowd?” If you were short-listed by a Simon Cowell-inspired reality contest, consider the recently reconstructed Common Interest, where brave souls have been belting tunes since 1974. However, if you’d prefer not to subject total…
Best Locally Produced Food Product
What’s your poison? You like the Mint & Honey Green Tea, but your pops prefers the old-school sweet stuff. There’s a flavor to suit every palate on offer from the purveyors of Sweet Leaf Teas. Clayton Christopher and David Smith, through their passionate, DIY efforts, have ensured that you, too, can have Mamaw-approved sweet tea…
Best Restaurant
Dining out with children can be fraught with a variety of problems, beginning with deciding on a restaurant that will be kiddie-pleasing. Fortunately, EZ’s and Chuy’s fit the bill, offering a wide variety of food in fun-packed environments where even the grownups are known to be a little louder than usual. If your kiddos like…
Best Media Critic
People who don’t know him personally ask those of us who do know him personally: “Is he really as much of a totally decent guy as he seems?” And the answer is: Yes. Even though he’s so often called by duty, amateur or professional, to render judgment upon a mind-numbing variety of local creative productions…
Best Community Garden
Would a tomato by any other name taste as sweet? No one knows better than the Sunshine Gardens gardeners and volunteers, who have continued to cultivate and maintain their urban Eden, despite this summer’s droughts and record-breaking temperatures. Thanks, Sunshine, for having some of the greenest thumbs in Austin.
Best View
Climb the 100 steps to paradise: That’s what our readers tell us year after year. If you’re a tad winded when you reach the top, you’d better smooch before you gaze out because the views are truly breathtaking. Settling into the perfect pavilion on the peak, you’ll be rewarded for your effort with a sweeping…
Best Arborist
Fun to watch, these guys strap in and fearlessly fly around in your treetops for the upkeep, health, and beauty of your greenage. Whether it’s a yard just aching for the creative genius of these monkey-men or a necessary pruning, these certified arborists and landscape designers have been gracing Austin with the kinds of lawns…
Best Pedicure/Manicure (non-spa)
You’re in a hurry and your nails need help, pronto. You pop into UT Nails and those sweet ladies (and dude) scramble into action, clipping, buffing, and polishing your claws until they nearly twinkle, all for 10 smackers. You’ll even have time to stop for coffee after they’re done with you. And their $25 mani-pedi…
Naked City
Quote of the Week “There is no term limit for Texas governor, and that’s why people should be horrified.” – Democrat Chris Bell, responding to an election trivia question thrown at him during last week’s gubernatorial candidates debateHeadlines• Friday’s TV debate for the governor’s race delivered no great surprises, although it was entirely more engaging…
Best of Austin 2006
Crossdress My Heart Facial hair fascinates me. Not the gross stubble shit that so many poseurs and lazy boys like to pass off as, ooooh, millennial fashionable, but full-on, cultivated, bold-statement facial hair. Once I met a clerk at some big-box computer place on the north side of town. His look, his style, his facial…
Best New Boutique
“Because You Can.” That is the motto of the boutique that will equip you to bewitch, anytime, anywhere. Bat those lashes on a moment’s notice in labels like Beau Bois, Miss Me, Red Button Seven, and Triple Five Soul, while shoes from Dollhouse, Seychelles, Zinc, and BC provide a quick getaway. An attentive staff and…
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Chinese film by veteran Zhang Yimou is a tale about good intentions and missed opportunities.
Best Gala Event in a Doomed Structure
On a breezy night in October, the heavens were lit up with the lighting magic of Jason Amato, and the air was filled with the haunting sounds of Graham Reynolds and the Golden Arm Trio. It was the Opening Night Gala for Sally Jacques’ encore of Requiem, a site-specific dance composition designed for the Intel…
Best Porch for Smoking, Drinking, Headbanging
What’s best about this little record store is its seemingly unending series of free shows. Because of the pint-sized proprietor’s musical palate, the riffage is usually heavy and always loud. Sometimes there’s a keg, and sometimes you’ve got to hoof it to the Cool Store around the corner for a 40. But invariably, the kids…
Best Local Authorities on Tea
Growing out of an online company called Tea Treasures (www.teatreasures.com), Tea Embassy set up shop in 2004 at the historic Campbell-Miller house, a figurative Graceland for tea connoisseurs anywhere. With well more than a hundred teas harvested from Texas to England to Kenya to India to China, Tea Embassy feels more like the Renaissance-era Far…
Best “Not Going Back to School Day”
On the first day of school, hundreds of lucky kids in Austin converge on Deep Eddy pool to celebrate “Not Going Back to School” Day! These are our legal outlaws: homeschoolers, those charmed children and teens who learn from the living world, the out of doors, their iconoclastic parents, and a variety of hands-on activities.…
Best Children’s Television Show
Once upon a time, locally produced television shows for children were the norm; today, they are a rarity. The Biscuit Brothers is reviving the concept on public television with a kiddie hoedown steeped in rural Texas charm and music with an undeniably Austin twist. It’s a three-man circus with Jerome Schoolar and Allen Robertson as…
Best Disc-Golfin’ Day Trip
Tucked away 45 miles over yonder in the Hill Country of Hays County you’ll find Circle R Disc Golf Course, where not one, but two “world class,” 18-hole courses are spread out along 106 acres of local beauty. As one of the world’s most laid-back sports, disc golf is an upscale version of a leisurely…
Best Card-Carrying Canaries in the Political Coal Mine
The pro bono defenders of democracy are often forgotten when the times are friendly. But in an era when the Bush administration is treating the Bill of Rights as a “quaint” anachronism, state government is asleep at the switch, and human rights are an endangered species at home and abroad, the American Civil Liberties Union…
Best Straight People
While the radical right’s misguided control freaks are all hopped up on gay-marriage banning, the rest of us are getting really, really angry. Why shouldn’t a lesbian have next-of-kin visitation rights when her partner is in the hospital? Why shouldn’t she be entitled to bereavement leave when her partner has died? These, and a host…
Best Salon, Gallery, Boutique and Performance Space
Pink Salon, Gallery, Boutique, and Performance Space has provided award-winning service for more than seven years. But it’s not just the service that’s such a draw; it’s the atmosphere that the clients and visitors adore. Owned by the exotic Deborah Carter (hairdresser, artist, writer, and illustrious astrologer) and her daughter Farah Carter, Pink is a…
Bestest Punkest Rockest Toy Store
Gaijins beware! Where else can you find the most devastatingly fashionable footware, killer couture, and punk/post-punk/pre-punk junk as well as more Japanese kaiju eiga, Gojira gear, and tin toys than you’ll ever have room in your crib for? (Hello Godzilla! Goodbye nursery!) Nowhere but here, Austin’s first, best, and rightfully legendary home of all things…
Best Outdoor Public Space
Deeded to the city of Austin in 1917 and 1931 by Col. Andrew Jackson Zilker, who felt it “a wrongful thing for this beauty spot to be owned by any individual and that it ought to belong to all the people,” Zilker Park remains the crown jewel of Austin’s public trust. It is the home…
Best Painter/Sculptor
Our readers’ favorite artist works in a wide variety of mediums including sculpture, painting, photography, film, and mixed media. He has exhibited his work regionally, nationally, and internationally. As president and founder of the GAT5 Artist Collective, he helped make it possible for Mayor Will Wynn to take a sexy turn on the runway at…
Best Live (Club/Party) DJ
No shit, this guy’s a vegetarian. And a Terp fan. No wonder those Real World brats never left the Rooster. The place is packed, nightly, with hot crowds drunkenly muttering “That DJ.” What is he up to this time? Is it a spoof video, showing a nut-hugging version of the DJ as Britney Spears? Or…
Best Outdoor Seating
You might have to wait a little longer to get a table during the prime summer months, but there’s no better way to enjoy your Hippie Sandwich than underneath those lovely fairy lights, watching some weird old movie, and slurping a delish margarita. Add a sweet breeze, and you’ve got a perfect Austin dining experience.
Best Shoes
Sandy’s is back on top! That’s right, Austin’s favorite place to buy high-quality kid’s shoes is back, after being toppled off of their long run of wins last year. This one-store operation doesn’t need its foot in every corner of the Earth to corner the Austin market on kicks for the smaller set. And, with…
Best Photographer
Art photographer Celesta Danger became a household name this summer as the woman behind the camera that launched Texas’ “Naked Teacher” photo controversy, a story that blazed across the blogosphere and even made waves on the national mainstream talkshow circuit. Even without the nudity or titillating topics, her work is damn sexy. This no-digital diva…
Best Day Trip – Dry
The pink granite dome was sacred ground to the Native Americans for centuries before Anglo settlers began moving into Central Texas north of Fredericksburg. This 425-foot-high rock outcropping attracts legions of campers, hikers, and rock climbers who marvel at the view from the peak. On weekends, the state park often reaches capacity before noon, but…
Best Activist
Our readers voted in equal measures for these two public service legends. Both leaders bring together disparate groups of people sometimes touting very different agendas with the goal of finding areas of agreement to achieve the greater good. Since the 1970s, Bettie Naylor has served as a working Texas feminist icon striving for human rights…
Best Auto Inspection Station
“Just kickin’ down the cobblestones, lookin’ for fun and feelin’ groovy.” OK, well, auto inspections may not be your idea of fun, but Groovy Lube’s quick and thorough auto inspections will leave you feelin’ groovy, knowing you’ve gotten honest and efficient service at a great price.
Best Printer/Copies
With 13 locations around the Austin area, Kinko’s offers self- and full-service black-and-white and color copying around the clock. You can even download your document to their Web site and pick up the printed document at the location nearest you – something to consider when that report has to be on your teacher or boss’…
South Congress Cafe to 86 Deck?
Jury finds restaurant guilty of violating agreement it made with city to bring eatery into compliance with city building and zoning code
Best Antiques/Collectibles/Vintage
You can’t just visit Uncommon Objects once. The shelves, floor, and ceiling are so crowded with vintage and antique items that you’ll miss something wonderful if you don’t keep going back. Where else can you find a photo tree, a hat-rack just for fezzes, or a bucket of chenille spiders? Less a store, more a…
Best New Car Dealership
The hum of a new engine. The smell of untouched leather interior. The click of new gadgets. The smoothness of the sales spiel as slick as the tie collection, except, this time it’s as friendly as the name implies. Howdy. And hello. To the good ol’ down-home folks selling practical cars at down-home prices.
Best It’s a Gallery as Well?
While AMOA and ArtHouse are the undisputed art heavyweights on Congress, the Hideout gives coffeehouse wall space to rising Austin-based talents. Selected by the management, there’s an incredible diversity of styles on display: Recent shows have included CS Jennings’ monkey pirates, high school whiz kid Justin Schueleter’s brand of pop-art collage, Amy Hughes’ globe-trotting photos,…
Best Reason to Pawn Your Karaoke Machine
That K-Tel Hit Machine is one of the most beloved bands in originality obsessed Austin should be no surprise to anyone who’s seen them do “Hot Legs.” Or packed into Antone’s for their ELO tribute. Or salivated over their looming “Eighties explosion.” What started as a goof among friends has certainly grown – have them…
Best Morsels With Mouthfeel
They are decadent. They are perky and sweet. They come in pairs, melt in your mouth, and when you’re finished, you’re not quite satisfied. Don’t worry, it’s not just you. Breasteses have that effect on everyone. The melty, chocolatey goodness is the culinary creation of one Lois M. Rodriguez, mistress of the baked goods. Chocolate-covered…
Best Birthday Party Entertainment
If your kid won’t stand for anything less than the party of the century, you’d better get some kick-butt entertainment. That means booking Penelope Foolish. Ms. Foolish is not only a pro at classic clownery like juggling and making balloon animals, but she’s also a storyteller, magician, and a singer who just wants everyone there…
Best Golden Age of Wireless
Tune in, turn on, and browse to your heart’s content without forking it over to The Man. Some of us may remain technologically challenged, but no one can deny the democratic satisfaction of free Internet access. Welcome to the Wi-Fi world order, courtesy of the tech-activist pioneers responsible for the following Web directories, which, of…
Best Free Fall
Fortunate landscapes and genius minds have given Austin something many other cities are lacking; awesome lakes. We’re darn proud of ’em too. Not only do our lakes offer boating, swimming, and fishing, but for the daredevils out there, cliff-climbing and cliff-diving. Paleface is one of the many notorious limestone cliffs along Pace Bend’s nine-mile shore,…
Best Champion for Her People
TRLA had their hands full doing free-of-charge legal cases for migrant farm workers, domestic-violence victims, and other people at or below 125% of federal poverty guidelines – when Hurricane Katrina happened. Enter a whirlwind of another kind: attorney Heather Godwin. She came to Austin because she was traveling with four cats and a dog, and…
Most Dedicated Fundraiser for the GLBT Community
As founder of the Octopus Club, Lew Aldridge is in charge of the amazing Art Erotica parties and the legendary Octo Tea Dances and a host of other events. His grassroots efforts over the years have inspired hundreds of enthusiastic young, gay volunteers to raise funds and awareness for AIDS relief in Austin. He has…
Best Southside Remodeler
Dreamed about that new kitchen, converting the garage, or a deck in the back yard? Been scared of all the horror stories about remodeling scams or shoddy work? Here’s a remodeling contractor whose excellent work you can bank on: George Felix Minor Home Repair. What makes him so good? Fine, conscientious work, of course, but…
Coolest Clothing Store for Men and Women
Just having celebrated its first birthday this summer, Estilo is hardly suffering from infantilism. In fact, it has easily established itself as one of Austin chicest, hippest, and most interesting stores in that short time. Carrying lines such as Ted Baker, Vivienne Westwood, Nicole Miller, and Kapadia, owners Stephanie Coultress and Cami Cobb are the…
Best Recent Renovation
We blinked, and it happened. Within a few short years, these plots just north of the river were magically transformed into a pedestrian-welcoming, European-style promenade. A bustling cityscape of sleek high-rise condos, chic boutiques, and cafes is the setting for a perfect day and an even better night, all within a two-block radius: Coffee at…
Best Place to See New Art
The opening of UT’s new improved Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art this past spring gave Austin the largest university art museum in the country and the third-largest art museum in Texas. With a permanent collection of more than 17,000 works, it is recognized for its old master paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin…
Best Live Music Venue
Emo’s: dark, loud, and hip. Antone’s: colorful, rootsy, and historic. Those might be generalizations, but you’d be hard-pressed to find two live-music venues that differed more. Nevertheless, both clubs boast regular clientele, top-notch bookings, and fantastic sound. Where Emo’s concentrates on contemporary rock & roll, Antone’s leans more toward blues-based rhythms. Emo’s is to Spoon…
Best Place to Dine Alone
Allegedly, Zen serves fast food. The only thing speedy about the Zen dining experience is how quickly it’s cooked to order and served. Soft, organic curves of bamboo and the firm’s signature sea-green on the walls are calming to diners seeking peace, letting them serenely relish every flash-fried morsel.
Best Sports Program
This nonprofit youth organization has been keeping Austin’s kids fit and out of trouble since 1981, luring them out of the arcades and away from the television not with USMC-style threats of push-ups as punishment but with a dedication to “positive coaching” that eschews the win-at-all-costs mentality of so many competitive sports. People like that.…
Best Place to Wi-Fi
Sure, Austin is one of the most wired cities in the nation, and you could probably catch a signal just about anywhere. But why settle for just any signal when you can punch it strong at Austin Java Co., where you can surf, get caffeinated, people-watch, and listen to live music all at the same…
Best Day Trip – Wet
A lovely drive through Texas Hill Country and a brief hike down into a ravine, and before your eyes rises an ancient sunken cave. Water cascades from an overhang, at a height where you once stood only moments before and never would have even known such a treasure existed here below. The blue-green lagoon that…
Best Citizen
Richard S. Friedman. Author. Musician. Politician. And now citizen, visionary, and news story of the year. This double-triple threat has done the almost impossible: When state politics seemed too depressing to follow, everyone’s favorite Jewish cowboy gubernatorial candidate and his homegrown campaign made it all seem fun again. Plus, he managed to write two books,…
Best Auto Service/Repair
Though Hondas and Toyotas are the joint’s specialty, they have what it takes to take care of what’s under your hood, no matter the make. Not to mention what’s on your body, in your stereo, you name it. They’ll even send an A/V guy to come outfit your ride with some custom-made sound systems. And…
Arts Review
The title of Monika Bustamante’s ‘Stillborn’ is no pun but a promise of what is to come: two hours of anger, rape, murder, and stillbirth that is upsetting, dark, and, unfortunately, not illuminating
March Against Executions
This year’s Texas Moratorium Network-organized march to focus on execution of innocents
Best Clothing
Again and again and again By George wins this award. They make it seem easy – how tough can it be to scour the world’s fashion capitals for cool clothes? Well … very tough. That’s why owners Matthew and Katy Culmo are so successful at making it seem easy for you to breeze in feeling…
Best Pet Store
It was odd. Most of the “Best of Austin” ballots were submitted with plainly written responses in ink or pencil. But a large portion came stained in paw prints. Far be it from us to question the mewling and growling of our animal companions, and so Bark ‘n Purr Pet Center carries home the best…
Best Keepers of the Biscuit Flame
Randy “Biscuit” Turner gave a young Dotty Farrell a ride home on his motorcycle from an early-Eighties Thanksgiving “orphan” party, and a fast friendship was forged. The pair took their shared affinity for bruising punk rock and flamboyant costumery to its zenith in Swine King but were just as simpatico offstage. Turner’s passing last year…
Best Restaurant Jazz Outside of New Orleans
Besides what may be the finest Creole dining in town, the second location of this Pflugerville-born restaurant has created a weekend jazz haven in the revitalized heart of Downtown’s Eastside. While Brenda “Ms. B” McGowan (who occasionally moonlights as a waitress in her own restaurant) first offers her floor to Big Easy musicians who have…
Best North Austin Coffeehouse
Genuine Joe has all the basics that make a good coffeehouse: tasty beverages, comfortable seating, homey atmosphere, and quirky art. It has quickly become a neighborhood center, hosting Spanish lessons and several community groups in its meeting room. But Genuine Joe is so great because the staff there is so gosh darn … well, genuine.…
Best Education Money Can’t Buy
Breakthrough is a great Austin feedback loop: free summer education for kiddos that also creates an army of passionate teachers. Seventh graders from families with a variety of risk factors (like poverty or single parenting) come to learn math, writing, art history, Swahili, physics, theatre, and to acquire an unabashed love of learning. Their teachers…
Best Media Outlet for Teens
Tune in and celebrate 10 years of some of this country’s finest youth broadcasting, as recognized by the National Federation of Broadcasters. Youth Spin is a collective (in which class credit may be earned by local high school students) that meets at the Griffin School and produces a Friday afternoon show every week on KOOP…
Best High-Tech Golf Lesson
At every GolfTEC, there are scientists dissecting our swings. During each lesson, the PGA member instructors video tape every swing from different angles, to break down what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong, in slow motion. They attach sensors to our shoulders and to our hips, to scientifically see where we…
Best Consumer Protector
Since Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott took office in December 2002, his Office of Consumer Protection has been kickin’ ass and takin’ names. Indeed, under Abbott, the office’s consumer watchdogs have chased some big names and scored some major victories: In June, they cinched a $10 million judgement against former UT student-turned-super-spammer Ryan Pitylak; last…
Most Jubilant Unification Through Song
For sure, music is among the world’s greatest uniting forces – and, regardless of religious affiliation, to hear the voices of the David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church choir rise in song is to know that there is far more that unites us than divides us. Under the direction of Ruth Sauls, the David Chapel choir…
Best Unsubluxator
Tense? Stiff? Strained? In pain? Well, you are probably subluxated, meaning that the nerves in your spine may be irritated by the shift of vertebrae. To undo it, a round of heat therapy, electro stim, chiropractic adjustment, and massage might just do the trick. Oh, what affable Gary Dow and crew can do for you…
Coolest Drive-Through
What’s the matter, yuppie? Find yourself on the Eastside without fast access to some locally handmade, natural body products? Fresh outta Stella and need to make a good impression, quickshape? Well, fret not, you tasteful scourge of Austin. You needn’t aim your fully restored ’57 Merc station wagon with the wood panelling over the Congress…
Best Sign
Whether by clever wording or an, um, iconic shape, these two signs are as Austin as hot sauce. El Arroyo’s ever-changing and racy wording keeps the traffic on West Fifth all agog and has won multiple “Best of Austin” awards … but so has the Austin Motel’s historic sign which was, um, erected in 1938…
Best Theatre Director
One of Austin’s most creative theatre directors, Steakley graces the stages of Zach Scott with his visions of life and drama and spirit – and we are better for it. His original production Keepin’ It Weird is a homegrown showcase of the quintessential elements that make Austin what it is; his direction of Crowns presents…
Best Lounge
No one ever gets tired of those limestone walls. Half patio bar, half red-and-black lounge, de Ville fills all of our needs for gathering, entertainment, and libation. With more music right around the corner – not to mention their regular karaoke gigs – de Ville hits for the third year in a row as Best…
Best Place to Meet for Lunch
Step over the signature wonky Lone Star embossed in the pavement and into the home of the Fog Cutter, the best pick-me-up coffee in town. Austin Java Co.’s two-buck bottomless cup and a row of differing roasts and blends turns every trip into a tasting session. The only bigger selection is the food menu, with…
Best Summer Camp
Taking “let’s play pretend” to the next level, KA puts on impressive, remarkably talented renditions of popular musicals every summer. The talented staff draws out so much spirit, confidence, and stellar performances to match shining smiles of these little thespians-in-training at every curtain call. Fun for all ages and experience levels. The kind of leg-breaking…
Best Public-Access TV Show
All right, that’ll be enough jokes about MTV not playing music videos anymore. Thanks to Texas Student Television and one radio-television-film senior named Jerod Couch, Austin has found a better way to keep up with what’s happening in hip-hop, locally and nationally. And there’s something heartwarming about seeing Austin rappers like Kevin Jack and Tee…
Best Fitness Classes
Since holding her first camp only a year ago, Stephanie McDonald, founder, coach, and bodybuilding physique competitor, has managed to muscle out the competition. We wouldn’t dream of denying the novel drill serg-ette anything. Her clients haven’t, and they are grateful for the inspiration and the success at the five-days-a-week, four-week camps.
Best Effort to Improve Austin
Keep Austin clean. And beautiful. Between ’em, your top picks have it covered. One’s by land; one’s by lake. KAB’s been at it since 1985, a nonprofit that doesn’t mess with Texas. Litter bugs them. With clean-up, beautification, and education programs, these tree-huggers show Mother Nature the love. On the wetter side, SOS has been…
Best Barbershop
No wonder they split down the middle: These two are from very different schools of barber. One shop boasts $15 mohawks, DJs spinning, and a venue for live music with hot stylists that back up the rock-star flamboyance. Meet Birds, the new kid on South Lamar that fuses art with music with life with beauty…
Arts Review
The dance ‘We Are Normal, Cha Cha Chaaa’ is such a whirl of motion, bursting with youthful exhilaration, that it suggests nothing so much as five girls hard at play on a long summer’s day
Temporary Freedom for Anthony Graves?
Judge recommends Texas death row inmate Anthony Graves be released while awaiting retrial
Best Comic Books
When it comes to graphic novels, if Austin Books doesn’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist. A recent re-fit to expand the manga section has changed some priorities, but the enormous selection covers the comic spectrum, from the biggest Marvel titles to the smallest hand-stapled indie. A permanent 10% discount on trade paperbacks makes this…
Best Shoe Selection
Notoriously Nordstrom, the shoe selection at this upscale national retailer is sheer heaven – not to mention that the service is legendary. From Birkenstocks to Betsey Johnson, Converse to Cole Haan, Mephisto to Michael Kors, and Stride Rite to Steve Madden, the Nordstrom shoe department has what you want … as well as what you…
Best Tribute to the Fleeting
Whither the orphaned technology of yesteryear, the detritus of culture obscured by shrouds of time, the quirky whatsits created by divinely inspired kooks or by the eccentric machinations of nature itself? Scott Webel and Jen Hirt, who run Austin’s delightful Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemera, know whither. In fact, they devote much of their…
Best Stripper
With a rockin’ bod and a sassy personality, the stud they call Magnum is the Magic Bullet of Austin strippers – you know, personal, versatile, and does any job in 10 seconds or less. And like the challenge of shopping for wacky kitchen gadgets on late-night TV, shopping for strippers can be a crapshoot. Who…
Best Nostalgic Homage With Great Chow
Whisper the word “Stallion” to some old Austin fogey and you’ll witness wistful sighs and grown men cry. The old favorite is honored in the name of this new addition to the Airport road dining dash of decadance, as it brings the best of Southern fare with Southern flair to a strip peppered with working-class…
Best Half Pipe and More
Mabel Davis Park finally reopened last December after five years of toxic-waste abatement and new construction. The site of a landfill that closed in 1955, the centerpiece of the park is Austin’s first city-provided skateboarding bowl that looks like an empty swimming pool. Skateboarding should not be a crime, and here, among the stairs, railings,…
Best Midweek Shakedown
You just got over your case of the Mondays, but the weekend is still three days away. KVRX, student radio for the University of Texas, has your Tuesday night pick-me-up, brought to you by the Rev. Get Down, aka grad student Thomas Fawcett. Each week, Fawcett delves into the KVRX archives and his own vast…
Best Machine Pilates
At its core, Pilates is an exercise created by the injured, for the injured to make themselves better. For example, Gary Ames, an ex-cop and elementary school teacher was forced to have back surgery about five years ago because herniated discs were crushing his sciatic nerve – that’s the one that allows you to move…
Best Death Row Documentary
Looking for a new project, these two filmmakers couldn’t have imagined the attention their award-winning documentary would garner, nor the focus it placed on its star, Rodney Reed. State vs. Reed lays out the the shaky circumstances surrounding Reed’s death-row conviction nine years ago, creating momentum for a new trial. The film will air locally…
Best … uh … Septic Service
Well, there’s just no way around the gamey topic of septic tanks. If you live outside the city in Oak Hill or Manchaca or near the lake, you likely experience the pleasure of country living and an occasional need for septic tank service – pumping, repair, building, etc. And when you call Rainbow Septic, don’t…
Most Glamourous Transportation
It’s not red hot, it’s pink hot … Pink Car service, that is. Created for the sensibilities of a woman (and the men who love them), Pink Car offers a pink stretch limo or pink Cadillac Escalade with a female chauffeur attired in pink. Clients are treated to a pink rose with pink champagne (or…
Coolest Furniture Warehouse
Like 99% of aspiring musicians, Alex Navarro needed a job and found one selling furniture for a discount warehouse. That was nearly 20 years ago and today, he’s traded throwing money at the TV screen for being “The Furniture Dude.” Yet it’s not just elaborate,luxury furnishings that have made him a success at his new…
Best Street
Remember when Second Street was nothing more than warehouses, parking lots, and the occasional backhoe? The modern Second Street District is part of an urban design plan catering to people who live, work, and entertain in downtown Austin. Tied but not forgotten, South Congress still reigns supreme. The embodiment of all things weird, SoCo is…
Best Theatre Performance Space
As one of the premier theatrical venues in Austin, Zach Scott may be the most versatile. With its 135-seat Whisenhunt Arena Stage, and the 250-seat Kleberg Stage, and the new Grace and Andrew Groten Stage created out of the former bike shop on Toomey, the theatre complex maintains an intimacy even as the venues expand…
Best Movie Theatre
Tim and Karrie League’s minicinema-chain has been open for a decade; try imagining Austin without it. While the Rolling Roadshow made Alamo a national institution, ever-soaring downtown business rates almost closed the original downtown site. Yet even with those financial pressures, the Leagues have stayed true to their ambition of providing accessible, affordable, and innovative…
Best Place to Take a First Date
Salsa. Magaritas. Red lights. Oh, just box those fajitas up and take us now, right on top of this ultra-hip table! Hopefully your date will be just as, uh, impressed with your choice of restaurant. Manuel’s feels fancy, but the prices are more than reasonable. The sexy vibe and excellent food at this downtown institution…
Best Teen Hangout
Boasting a giant arcade which includes more than 100 of the best video and virtual-reality games, is it any wonder this wonderland of excitment got voted Best Teen Hangout and Place to Party? If video games aren’t your thing, no problem. Main Event is also home to active-interactives, such as glow-in-the-dark bowling and golf, laser…
Best Radio Deejay
Truly a mark of Austin diversity, Hot 93.3’s D-Train – the multiyear winner of Evening Radio Host – and KUT’s John Aielli match up for this honor. Aielli, fresh off his yearly August sabbatical, has the soothing voice of an angel, perfect to wake up to on those early, rainy mornings. D-Train, on the other…
Best Gear/Sporting Goods
With everything from bicycles to tents, and kayaks to glow-in-the-dark disc-golf discs, REI has something for everyone. True sportsmen and couch potatoes alike can find something to put on the wish list – even the inspiration to get active. Their impressive selections of dog gear, picnic supplies, and gym accessories cover just about anything one…
Best Elected Official
Three cheers for Lloyd Doggett! Our readers think you’re a real champ. And, as you were against the war in Iraq from the very beginning, you stood tall as one of the only sane voices in a wilderness filled with screeching pro-war hawks and the quivering mice they ate for dinner. And for that, your…
Best Bicycle Repair
We imagine that when old bicyclists retire from their day jobs, they all want to go to work in Bicycle Sport Shop’s repair shop. The pros at BSS don’t try to sell you stuff you don’t need (no BS!), but do make an effort to get you back on the road quick. Best of all,…
Arts Review
The pieces in ‘Daniel Bozhkov: Recent Works’ grab our eye with comic incongruities, but behind the visual joke is a story of how everything in our world is connected
Energy Efficiency One Way or Another
Wanted: new rules to ensure funding is available year-round for consumers seeking to lower their electricity use
Best Computer Store
When PCers stroll by this store at Barton Creek, do they think it is forbidden fruit? The Apple, the source of all knowledge? Eh, probably not so biblical but a few branches higher than what snake charmer Gates has to offer. The Apple Store Genius Bar offers more wisdom in the form of workshops and…
Best Thrift Stores
The Lake Austin location is known for its great clothes; the expanded North Lamar relocation is a veritable department store of treasures; and this time of year, all locations pull out the stops to ensure you can find a great Halloween getup. Goodwill engenders a lot of goodwill here in Austin. With everything from clothes,…
Best Club Peekaboo Portals
We love this snazzy Pedernales bar, with its rich blue-green interior that screams “Better Homes & Gardens Decorators Annual gone terribly terribly right.” We adore Slim & Co. slamming the libations behind the bar. But our favorite thing about the Eastside neighborhood hangout is its ample outdoor patio, enclosed from the outside world by large,…
Best Vanishing Art in the Neighborhood
Her castle was weird Austin a century before the first bumper sticker was printed. In 1892, the German sculptor went from sculpting Europe’s kings to sleeping in a tent in Hyde Park. Today, her gallery/legacy is more than just a bunch of stone heads. Ney designed this mock-castle as her home and studio, and it…
Best Tourist Destination for Your Bachelor Brother
He’s way too classy for a strip club and far too hip and urbane for one of those home-cookin’ places. Why not show your bro’ one of the last Texas biergartens? This 140-year-old watering hole has been the gathering place for generations of Texas politicians and exuberant Longhorn fans. Head on down on Thursday night,…
Best Quick Lunch Downtown
If you’re looking for a quick place to grab a healthy, tasty lunch downtown, check out Noodle-ism. Brought to you by Bistro 88’s Jeff Liu, Noodle-ism offers food influenced by French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Southeast Asian dishes. There’s even a Kobe-style hamburger and fries for those picky lunch dates.
Best Healthy, Fun Bonding Activity for Parents and Children
Looking for a fun activity to share with children young and old that combines adventure, exercise, high tech gadgets, the Internet, and old-fashioned backwoods know-how? Look no further than GeoCaching. Part hobby, part sport, GeoCaching is a worldwide, high tech treasure-hunting game. Using a GPS receiver (starting at less than $100), GeoCachers search for cleverly…
Best New Texas Travel Guide
While Ride Texas has a decidedly two-wheeler focus, those who prefer a steering wheel to handlebars can find plenty of travel tips on the pages for their next road trip. The magazine is heavy on where to ride, hang out, eat, and stay while on the road; with just enough technical information and photos of…
Best New Way to Avoid Poison Ivy
The Anacardiaceae family has ruled the Town Lake Hike-and-Bike Trail for about as long as the trail has been traversed and has trafficked its itchy wares with impunity. Trail users know the family members by their nom de guerre: poison ivy. But now there’s a new hope. A concerned hiker/biker—possibly masked and caped — armed…
Best Entertainment Attorney
Who’s the pro the pros turn to? Where do you go when you’re mired in the muck of ever-changing copyright laws and the implications of the digital age? In the world of entertainment law, Armadillo World HQ co-founder and State Bar of Texas’ Entertainment Law Institute founder (among other impressive Austin and Texas accolades) Mike…
Best 50 Ways to Love Your Liver
Just lay off the drinks, Jinx. Get an exam, Sam. Take care of yourself, Relf, and get yourself free. Free of that nasty hep C virus that is, or at least get it under control, thanks to the Liver Foundation of Central Texas and their education and referral program. They also offer free testing and…
Best “Little” Bookstore
It’s worth it to visit 12th Street Books just for the smell: that dank, comforting scent of knowledge and history. Founded in 1991 by Mike Hale, this “little” bookstore just west of the Capitol is remindful of East Coast and European bookstores of lore – more a museum of escapism than a place of commerce.…
Best Architect
Dick Clark’s modern designs are impossible to miss. His minimalist tendencies and “Dick Clark angles” – as one client calls them – stand out in Warehouse District restaurants Kenichi and the Bitter End Bistro. His residential designs are equally unique. The same client, frustrated by repeated uncreative tree-slaughtering schemes from other design teams, recalls the…
Best Window Display
Gail Chovan’s establishment, offering goods without the “distraction of color,” has swept this category since its inception three years ago. How can a storefront get so much attention working with just one shade? With Gail’s creative sense, honed in France, New York, and Austin. We’re so glad she’s continuing to help make the SoCo scene…
Best Annual Festival
Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges! We do, however, need masks, sunscreen, and gallons of water to protect ourselves from the punishing elements while we’re waiting in line for cold drinks. Oh, and enjoying all all those awesome bands – Al Green, Cat Power, Elvis Costello, Massive Attack, Tom Petty, Aimee Mann, Gnarls Barkley!…
Best Place to Drink Alone
It’s been one of those days. Work sucked. The last person you want to see is your lazy-ass roommate. What you need right now is a ginormous burger, a nice Pernod/Maker’s/Lone Star, minimal conversation, and Johnny Cash singing in your ear. Choose your poison and go with it.
Best Afterschool Activity
They’ve been cooped up in a classroom all day surrounded by shhhhhs. The bell rings. All that’s pent up is fit to explode. Into a bag of chips and Super Mario? No, not anymore. Now, all that energy can be molded, guided, and channeled by the calm, experienced instructors of the academy, who maintain one…
Best Toys
“Yetis and rainbows and nuns, oh my!” Behind its cheerful mural-covered walls, Toy Joy eschews movie merchandising in favor of real toys – gooey eyeballs, clockwork animals, and fuzzy puppets. While a location two minutes from the UT campus means it attracts its fair share of students, this independent toy store puts children first.
Best Radio Station – Music
Local favorite, one-of-a-kind KGSR, blends Triple-A hit makers like Norah Jones, Sean Lennon, and Shawn Colvin with stalwarts like Dylan, Petty, and Jerry Lee, all while pushing locals like Alejandro, the Sextons, and Los Lonely Boys, and our readers love ’em for it year after year after year.
Best Gym/Fitness Facility
A lot of ingredients go into making this pure original: trainers, nutrition experts, massage therapists, fitness level assessment equipment, fresh towels, sand volleyball courts, one private lake for swimming and kayaking, another location on Town Lake, and even – occasionally – a trainer aiming to run 12 hours to raise money for charity. This homegrown…
Best Grassroots Group
It began with some flirting on the Craigslist personals board. Then one brave regular posted a call out to all the women reading: Let’s get together! With only a handful of attendees, those first few encounters solidified the base for what would become Foodies, a net-based social group for women who love women who love…
Best Car Wash
Austin has spoken. For the 10th consecutive year, you have voted Genie Car Wash the best in town. With three locations and one of the coolest neon signs in Austin, the Genie will make your every wish come true … as long as your wish is for a cleaner vehicle.
Page Two: Feels Like the First Time
On onion rings, barbecue, and the never-ending “Best of Austin” debate
Texas Coal Rush Update
Planned coal power plants loom large, get political
Best Convenience Store
Question: If all of the employees at Whip In know your name, does that mean you have a problem? Never mind. We challenge you to find a staff like Whip-In’s anywhere else on the planet. Led by the Shiek of Shiraz, the wine and beer experts at the Whip know their stuff and then some.…
Best Used Car Dealership
Thanks to CarMax, long gone are the days of bow ties, greasy hair, and smooth talk from used car salesmen. The classy folks at CarMax won’t bother you unless you ask, and they’re more than willing to go out of their way to help you when you do ask. And not just with finding a…
Best Hearts in Stone
It’s subtle. It’s sweet. The blue-and-white striped pole is the first indication that you’ve happened upon something very special. But if you don’t stop to look, you might miss this loving memorial to artist Tre Arenz. It is but one of the many watering stops for humans and their four-legged friends along Town Lake’s Hike…
Finest Paradise for Poets
Poetry at Round Top is the best kept secret on the American poetry scene. It’s new, small, powerfully charged and incredibly intimate. In early May, a handful of the nation’s poetic luminary descend from their desks for a weekend outside of Austin. For $100 (or around $250 if you want to bunk on site and…
Best Way to End a Night on the Town
There’s no better way to end a night on the town than by going down to the dark basement of the Elephant Room to enjoy live jazz and a drink or three. On any night of the week, expect to see some of the most talented musicians in the city — from UT music professors…
Best Taco Lunch
Nestled in two nondescript locations on opposite ends of the city, TacoDeli takes the fine art of the taco to a whole new delectably unique level. Their signature Frontera Fundido is only one of a choice of 20 authentic Interior-Mexican-style tacos that will change your lunch hour as you know it. Try the Taco Blue…
Best Holistic Approach to Education
So many kids graduate high school with the grades, the award certificates, the extracurricular experience, the friends – all the indicators of a successful, fulfilling life to come. Yet none of these guarantee healthy self-esteem, and without it, those indicators eventually prove meaningless. That’s where the Khabele School comes in. Parents of Khabele students marvel…
Best Operating Operators
The noble telephone operator used to be a beacon in the night, a lone voice amongst the static, before the days of fiber optics and computer-generated hold music. No offense to the poor saps doing time at the 411 stations across the country, but their field pales in comparison to the true “information, please” operators…
Best Place to Empty Your Wallet
We’re certain that anyone who has made a wrong turn at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and wound up at Iron Rock Raceway missed that flight. Is it any wonder? Racing at Iron Rock is the real deal — this place ain’t your average go-kart joint. Before you hit the track, you’ll need to sit through a…
Best Faces in New Places
City Council’s Place 2 and Place 6 seats – have each traditionally been held by a Latino and African-American candidate, respectively, in an archaic “gentleman’s agreement” preventing single-member districts. But in today’s multifaceted municipal arena, their current occupants, Mike Martinez and Sheryl Cole, are positioned to lead all of Austin and balance the concerns of…
Best Dirty Name for a Hygienic Place
Let’s be clear (as clear as your freshly waxed skin, even): there isn’t necessarily anything scandalous about an establishment that calls itself The Strip. (Mothers, rest easy! Those biweekly appointments in day planners were not for job interviews afterall.) Do be judicious when looking for this establishment online, lest you make an appointment for paint-stripping…
Best Local Homegrown Web-Based Business You’ve Never Heard Of
If a present-day Alice in Wonderland caterpillar were shopping for his pipe of choice, he’d probably crawl on to Hookah-Shisha.com. In less than 10 years, the company has grown from the depths of a dorm room into a commercial success, with two warehouses in Southeast Austin and a factory in Jordan, offering more than 100…
Best Bathroom
Outside, Col. Jesse H. Driskill’s architectural masterpiece may be overshadowed by neighboring downtown developments – the bust of ol’ Jesse on the roof probably has to lean to see the state house now – but nothing can detract from its internal glories. From the art nouveau-influenced, stained-glass lantern that illuminates the pillars and marble floors…
Best Actor/Actress
Improv darling and actress extraordinaire, Lee Eddy charismatically charms her audiences with a quick wit and a face of a thousand expressions. She’s best known for her prodigious comedic timing and is a core company member of the Salvage Vanguard Theater. Ms. Eddy’s credentials include her original one-woman production The Ladee Leroy Show, Salvage Vanguard’s…
Best Bartender
Last year, our readers clued us in to the wonders of 219 West’s Duc Dihn, known for his signature libation, Asian Love, and his signature style of debonaire drinkery. This year, add to your list of cocktail curators one wonderful Emily of Elisium. Known for her attentive and sweet demeanor, Em pours ’em mean and…
Best Place to Find a Lover
It happens every time. You’re just stopping in to buy your week’s supply of oysters and chocolate, and the next thing you know, you’re back up at Make-Out Point (what you’ve come to call the second floor courtyard). It makes sense: Your witty remarks are audible (hear that, Sixth Street?), there’s no swimsuit body anxiety…
Most Influential Arts Patron
In a recent profile on this local arts volunteer and philanthropist, KLRU said, “For Anne Elizabeth, art is that holy breath that revives, restores, and renews.” No doubt that’s what has inspired her energetic efforts in so many artistic fronts. Thanks to her leadership, dozens of local artists have their work exhibited year-round in City…
Best Video-Game Rental/Purchase
It’s a Saturday afternoon, and you have a few options. You could try to crack the level-60 barrier with your gnome warlock Jeurgnnadie, you could take your mom’s advice and get some sun, or you could rent the new Madden and teach your buds the meaning of the word “pawned”. If the latter is chosen,…
Best Radio Station – Talk/News
As eclectic as they come, 90.5 KUT has so much to offer to so many, in so many ways. And that’s just the music. Excellent local news, features, and interviews spice the day’s music blocks, while national shows like NPR’s All Things Considered, This American Life, Fresh Air, and international news from the BBC and…
Best Outdoor Event
You refuse to be sidetracked by the heat. Austin’s ACL Fest manages to combine hippies, indie rockers, and KGeezers in a conglomerate of summer love. We just put the fifth edition to bed, and rumors are already flying for 2007: Radiohead, anyone? What other festival notches Tom Petty, Coldplay, the Pixies, and Wilco on its…
Best Job
In previous years when this noble profession has earned your honor, we’ve weighed in on the meager wages, thankless duties, ceaseless devotion, and awe-inspiring humility of our wonderful instructors, private and public. This year, we’d like to specifically congratulate the union and the school board for coming together to present a landmark – and so…
Best Computer Repair
As our worlds become more complex, so do the machines that we rely upon. For most of us, we would no sooner attempt a repair to our refrigerator than we would to our computer. That’s when the good folks at PC Guru come down off the mountaintop and share their wisdom, seeming genuinely concerned about…
Letters @ 3AM
On September 28, key rights guaranteed by our Constitution, plus the central tenet of the Magna Carta, were nullified by an act of Congress – specifically, the Military Commissions Act of 2006
Point Austin: Turn the Page
While Iraq burns, official Washington wallows in the Foley scandal
Election 2006
Tidbits from the trail
Best Drugstore/Pharmacy
As corporate giants compete on every corner, it’s hard to find a human-sized pharmacy that still cares these days. Our readers know to head over to Peoples, where someone who might even remember your name will guide you through the great selection of local products, natural foods, and alternative medicines. Most reassuringly, the pharmacists there…
Best Used Records/CDs
If you’re looking for the mainstream stuff that you know someone off-loaded for beer money yesterday, Waterloo is the place to find it, with the added bonus of an insanely healthy vinyl selection in the same room. But if you’re looking for that Archers of Loaf EP that costs about a skadillion dollars and is…
Best New Club Design
Retro-chic without a hint of mustiness, the thoroughly modern Belmont is the most happenin’ restaurant and bar in town. Brought to us by Matt Luckie and Daryl Kunik who, between them, have brought us Lucky Lounge, Uchi, Mercury Hall, Betsy’s Bar, Hi-Lo, Red Fez, and the Lavaca Street Bar, the Belmont is a classic American…
Most Celebrities per Square Inch
Cyd Charisse, Robert Rodriguez, Matthew McConaughey, Sissy Spacek, Woody Harrelson, Cybill Shepherd, Billy Bob Thornton, Dan Rather, Marcia Gay Harden, Lauren Bacall, Dennis Hopper, Kris Kristofferson, Ethan Hawke, Robert Duvall, Liz Smith, Rip Torn, Quentin Tarantino, Treat Williams, Jack Valenti, Peter Bogdanovich, Willie Nelson, Billy Gibbons, Lyle Lovett, Farrah Fawcett, Dabney Coleman, Dennis Quaid, Luke…
Biggest Drag (Conference)
It’s an annual international celebration harnessing the performance-fueled energy of the chicks-with-packages and ‘staches-to-die-for set: IDKE, the International Drag King Extravaganza. This year (next week!), it’s in Austin. Boo-yah. With keynote gender revolutionary Leslie Feinberg, author of queer cult novel Stone Butch Blues, and the DJ stylings of Lesbian on Ecstasy’s Lynne T, not to…
Best Texified Tuna
What is it about Texas? Sometimes it seems like we have to put our mark on everything we touch and make it our own. Maybe it’s because we just know how to do things better? Now food, we Texans love our food, especially staples such as chicken-fried steak. Well, the chefs at 219 West mixed…
Best Kite Selection in Austin
More than 300 different Balinese kites await the connoisseur in an attic room atop a long, turning staircase at Earth Art. When the shopkeeper switches on the light, you are in an aviary of fabric magic: grasshoppers, dragons, monkeys, spiders, and macaws peer down from the eaves, each a handpainted, handcrafted work of art ready…
Best Phoenix Act
When KOOP radio suffered two fires and nearly went off the air for good, their loyal listeners and supporters circled the wagons and showed the popular noncommercial radio station the love. And no one showed it better than classical station KMFA, which offered studio-broadcast space to the beleaguered KOOP. While KOOP continues to fundraise and…
Best Place to Get Naked
Clothing got you in a cold sweat? Tan lines got your panties in a bunch? Well McGregor Park has your solution! Introducing the stranger to no one, yet stranger than your everyday, clothing-mandatory watering hole: Hippie Hollow, where cliff climbing and birthday suits go hand in hand. As the only clothing-optional public park in the…
Best Fast-Food Superstar
Junior, well-known on the UT campus as the “Wendy’s Guy,” has been making fast food a literal thing since he’s been working at the Wendy’s in the Texas Union. He’s so charming, hardworking, and hilarious that he was actually recruited by a Wendy’s franchise owner more than eight years ago. Junior does the work of…
Best Drive-Through Postal Service
UPS, U-Haul, USPS, packing, copying, faxing, notary public, mailboxes for rent, keys made, and a Chihuahua named Annie – all this from a drive-through window. Drive-Thru Postal is the easiest way to handle the drudgery of mailing and any affiliated tasks, and owners Rick and Venice Wheeler take a great deal of pride in running…
Best New Block Party
The buzz is electric. Miss Eva’s out tending to the bright white outdoor tents erected alongside the Victory Grill just for the occasion. The regular happy-hourers at Longbranch and diners at Dandelion are sticking around a little longer to see what’s happening. And the bar at Ms. B’s is spilling the smoothest (albeit muddled) mojitos…
Best Bed & Breakfast
Built in 1877, this historical slice of original Republic of Texas homestead also doubles as a quick weekend getaway, offering the peace and quiet of the country within arm’s reach of the city. Just you, an acre of green stillness tucked away atop a tree-crested bluff, your favorite books, and innkeeper Phoebe Williams’ cozy hospitality,…
Best Art Gallery
In the year that the Blanton has dominated arts news, two galleries off the beaten track have provided outlets for rising new voices. Gallery Lombardi, home for new Austin artists, is so far off the beaten track it’s almost on the tracks – the abandoned train sidings on Third at Bowie. Women & Their Work…
Best Beer on Tap
With more than 75 revolving beers on tap – not to mention 100 bottles of beer on the wall – it’s no wonder that Fourth Street beer lovers’ haven the Ginger Man capitalizes on the Beer on Tap category. One of four Ginger Mans, the Austin hold boasts international brews, ciders, and wines to play…
Best Place to Watch Hipsters
With darker plumage and a diet of veggie chips and Roppolo’s pizza, the hipster is more comfortable in an urban setting. Unlike the reclusive cassowary, this species flocks around central Austin. In particular, music from Emo’s and South Congress’ live stages soothes their nerves and aids in mating dances. Binoculars are not a necessity when…
Best All-Ages Music Venue
Look, Mommy! There’s Betty and Wilma and Pebbles! One of the many reasons Emo’s Austin has become one of the nation’s premier live-music venues is their open-door policy to kids of all ages. It might cost a couple bucks more, and it sure is hard to wash that big, black “X” off your hand, but…
Best Local Author/Poet
Novelist Sarah Bird (The Yakota Officers Club, The Boyfriend School, Alamo House, The Mommy Club and her latest book, The Flamingo Academy) wins over her readers with hilarity and plots that take place in notorious Austin and Central Texas landmarks. Spike Gillespie also hits audiences hard in the funny bone, taking jabs at herself and…
Best Radio Talk/News Host
And the winner is … surprise! Jeff Ward must have his bathroom plastered in his BOA certificates, by now. And well he should, since the former Dallas Cowboy has been charming, informing, and baiting Austinites (and, apparently, Austin Chronicle readers) on his afternoon KLBJ-AM talk radio show since 1994.
Best Place for a Picnic
There is simply too much to do in one picnic outing at Zilker Park. Feed the ducks. A ride on the miniature train. Romp around the playground. Swim in Barton Springs pool. Snooze under the shady groves. Games of soccer and football on the fields. Live music or theatre. Frisbee golf. Snow cones. So much…
Best Local Political Blog
The Texas Capitol was constructed of pink granite in 1885, and it’s deconstructed, brick by brick, in 2006 by PinkDome. Solidifying itself as the gadfly on the rotunda wall, PinkDome catches all the whispers in the gallery, gauges them for absurdity or incompetence, and posts them for the rest of us to see.
Best Dry Cleaner
Hippies and professionals agree! A laundromat and dry cleaner that’s not only doing its part to save the environment, but is peaceful and comfortable enough to pummel through chapters, waiting for your darks to dry. And afterward, just smell those clothes. They’re green-clean. Makes ya feel good, like when you eat organic or save a…
Day Trips
The Millie Bush Bark Park on the west side of Houston is the best leash-free dog park in Texas
Beside the Point
The downtown plan moves forward, but the direction is a little uncertain
Best Public Health Care
Courteous service. A sliding scale. People who care. Since 1970, the folks at the People’s Community Clinic have been providing quality health care services to the people of Austin, even if those people are without insurance or a lot of money. This nonprofit clinic is one of the places uniquely Austin, and we are lucky…
Best Fashion Accessories
Does it glimmer? Shimmer? Does it light up the night sky? Yes? No matter, chances are it probably still came from Emeralds. And chances are getting greater by the second with the launch of HelloEmeralds.com. An Austin favorite in this category for three years running, Emeralds is now making their fashion accessories fashion necessities to…
Infamous
It’s another Truman Capote picture about how the author wrote In Cold Blood – and it stands solidly on its own merits.
Best Place From Which to Wave to the Masses
So you’re not Eva Perón. You don’t have a full orchestra to accompany your spontaneous operatic outbursts; your last presidential proclamation was to your sixth grade Spanish club (that time both members were in attendance), and your delicate wrists haven’t taken well to repetitive motions. Well, you still may not be able to resist the…
Best Funtime Free-for-All
On the first Thursday of every month, Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse gets filled to the brim with Austin’s queerest of queers coming out for a DIY talent show (it is truly do-it-yourself at this very open mic). Your affable hosts, Silky and Kai, present a perfect mixture of feel-good, camp-counselor energy, vaudevillian gags and skits, and…
Most Smoooooooov New DJ
First he goes down. Down low. Chill. Downtempo. Ambient. Low. Then a dose of lounge spreads across the mix, sending vibes even lower, slower, like hips on a perpetual grind. Electrical grind. Then he takes it a little further, deeper. A tease. A flush. A wash of chill. The name Polaris may imply “north,” but…
Best Upscale After Hours Dining
Sure, Magnolia Mud and Kerby Lane pancakes still hit the spot after another night of Tito’s shooting and Shiner swilling, but is anyone else having some late-night craving for something different? Like a little upscale French bistro, perhaps? Try Capitol Brasserie, conveniently located in the heart of the Warehouse District and also, conveniently, serving fine…
Best Musical Opportunity
Anthropos Arts has been bringing music workshops and lessons to Austin students for seven years, free of change. Each $300 donation pays for one student’s lessons for the whole year. As an end cap to the experience, students give a live performance at Stubb’s.
Best Place to Put Your Hancock
We’re a little biased, being located across the street and all, but the Chron has long marveled at Hancock Center, that shining strip mall on a hill. But with so much stuff – groceries, burritos, clothes, movies, liquor, and a hair salon – it feels like we spend half our lives there. Now there’s a…
Best Place to Pick Up Litter
With its high cliffs and cubbyhole ledges, the serene river bed and hike trail of Campell’s Hole on the Greenbelt is great for a romantic sunset, a walk with the dog, a jump in the creek when the weather permits … as long as the endless amounts of trash sprawled out along the thin wooded…
Best Man on a Mission
Having already raised $70.8 million of the $77 million needed for Central Texas’ premier performing arts venue, executive director Cliff Redd has made a huge splash in Austin over the past two years. Born and raised in Austin, Redd left Dallas to take on this daunting position, but with his extensive background in fundraising and…
Best Force for Theatre Behind the Curtain
You may not have heard of Austin Circle of Theaters – that’s because, rather than take center stage, they work behind the scenes for local theatre. They describe themselves as the one who arranges the bride’s veil and fluffs her train before she walks down the aisle in splendor. ACOT provides marketing, ticketing, and capacity-building…
Best Place to Get Your Toy/Trash On
Finally! An answer to the eternal question, “Where can I get a matching pair of Daft Punk action figures sporting matching Coco Chanel leathergear?” John and April Gomi’s new location (sagely situated across the promenade from Jo’s Downtown) is part street-couture clubland depot, part Krylon-bomber HQ, and 100% wicked cool fun. John travels the world…
Best Billboard
Repetitive and visually appealing, great giant bottle caps of every flavor available from the little brewery in Shiner beckon to motorists headed southbound on I-35. Don’t drive. Come in and relax. Take the edge off your busy day with a cold one. Ain’t nothin’ finer.
Best Clothing Designer
In just a few short years, South Austin has watched the charming Chia grow from a small crafter into a serious entrepreneur. Her simple styles of vintage and new fabrics are inexpensive and coveted by all the SoCo girls and her imagination is as big as her list of fans. Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!
Best Beer/Wine Prices
HEB is the true one-stop shopping destination. After you’ve picked up some fresh produce, soy milk, and maybe a little sushi; delve into their extensive and impressive beer-and-wine section for an excellent array of hooch at prices that can’t be beat.
Best Video/DVD Rental/Purchase
Yes, the mainstream video chains will have a copy of the new Freddie Prinze Jr. straight-to-DVD release. Hooray! But if you’d like to try to get the lowdown on what was well-received at the Vienna Film Festival or go for an episode of old-school Dr. Who, those savvy folks at Vulcan can point you in…
Best Arcade
Boasting a giant arcade, which includes more than 100 of the best video and virtual-reality games, is it any wonder this wonderland of excitement got voted Best Teen Hangout and Place to Party? If video games aren’t your thing, no problem. Main Event is also home to active-interactives, such as glow-in-the-dark bowling and golf, laser…
Best Local Blogger
Is this Web site’s name a double entendre? Of course, it refers to the rose-tinted edifice on Congress Avenue. But some of the elected officials satirized by the caustically observant bloggers at PinkDome must surely “see red.” Then again, it could be a conceit to the facial hue of the blog’s founder after one of…
Best Sportscaster
Uh-oh. Number 24 looks like he’s waning a bit. No, he’s still pushing, running toward the finish line. But, wait, what’s this? Get a load of Number 36! He’s gaining on 24! They’re neck and neck! And … oh, my god! We’ve never seen anything like it, not in all our years of BOA writing…
Best Place to Camp
Pace Bend’s popular cliffs and coves make for secluded camping areas where folks feel they have the entire cozy nook all to themselves. While the activities at this treasure right off of Lake Travis are vast and varied, you might not leave your chair. Very close to the city, Pace Bend is a wonderful destination…
Best Neighborhood
Founded in 1891, Hyde Park was intended as an aristocratic suburb, away from the hustle of the rising city. Now a mix of artistic freewheelers, tech-sector families, and students escaping dorm life call its mix of tree-lined avenues, independent businesses, and historic housing home. Quiet, leafy, pedestrian-friendly, and (mostly) McMansion-free.
Best Florist
Painstaking arrangements, flowers of the rarest and most beautiful variety, novelty items, and Texana, Texana, Texana! Flower shops aren’t just for flowers these days. Though it certainly does have the very stems that whet any long-stemmed appetite. Thinking big, this shop is more geared toward awe-inspiring arrangements and meticulous deliveries intended to wow the deliveree.
Soccer Watch
Emily Anderson nets her first career college goal for the Lady Longhorns, and more
The Hightower Report
The Ungodly Pensions of CEOs; and Drinking Liberally
Best Real Estate Agent
Hey. Give the drummer some! That’s the ticket. Just call Don, the rock & roll Realtor. Everybody does. He co-founded the SIMS Foundation, to which he donates a share of his proceeds and has played with so many top-notchers, it’ll make your cymbals spin. With the same care he uses throned behind his tubbies, Don…
Best Furnishings/Home
Receiving their fourth “Best of Austin” award in a row, Room Service continues to be one of the best places in town to find weird lamps, unusual wall clocks, vintage toys, and tiki statues. With their new location on South Lamar, it’s even easier to find that perfect piece to complement everything else in your…
Employee of the Month
Assorted workers vie for the coveted title of “Employee of the Month.”
Best Place to Park Your Rucksack
The price can’t be beat ($19.75/night), people are friendly, and the sheets are clean on the 42 beds at the newly regussied HI-Austin. Check out the fresh coat of bright colors and fun design, and keep them in mind when you have last minute guests. Bunk-bed appreciation is a must, though, and earplugs are encouraged…
Best Group Effort
The only surprise for us was that somebody actually beat them. Well, not really: We knew they were good, but we didn’t know they’d accomplish so much so quickly. Neither did the 72 teams they snuck up on. South Flavas – comprising performance poets from the weekly Neo Soul slam at Antonio’s Tex-Mex – skyrocketed…
Luv Doc Recommends: The Sinus Show: Snakes on a Plane
This Friday is the 13th. If you’re feeling unlucky, consider this: At least you’re not in fucking Iraq. Sure, here in Merka you stand the chance of breaking a mirror or having a black cat cross your path, but being in Iraq is like breaking a mirror and having a black cat cross your path…
