Cover Story
Best of Austin 2005
Readers’ and critics’ favorites
Good Night, and Good Luck Screening and Discussion
Good Night, and Good Luck Screening and Discussion 2005, PG. Directed by George Clooney, Starring David Strathairn, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Frank Langella. UT professor Robert Jensen will lead a discussion of the events covered in the film regarding Edward R. Murrow’s conflict with Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s,…
Nowhere to Hide
Nowhere to Hide 1999, NR, 112 min. Directed by Lee Myung-se, Starring Park Joong-Hoon, Ahn Sung-kee, Jang Dong-Kun, Choi Ji-Woo. A big festival hit, this Korean cop movie has style to burn. Full of visual flair and kinetic editing, it’s one of those films whose plot is almost subservient to its set-pieces. The movie’s imagery…
Best Homegrown H2O
Cielo Water is Austin’s own purified and oxygenated H2O, bottled and distributed by the Cielo folks – self-described “urban monks” who are dedicated to a “simple life” of 24/7 prayer, work, “hospitality, and reconciliation.” Cielo is a nonprofit, and proceeds from the sale of the oxygenated water go to their Austin Prayer House. They’ll custom…
Best Archive of Survival
Alive in Truth: The New Orleans Disaster Oral History & Memory Project. This Austin-based oral history project was born after local resident and New Orleans native (and Chronicle contributor) Abe Louise Young first visited the convention center during the horrible aftermath of hurricane Katrina. “Like everyone, I was somewhat desperate to [figure out] how I…
Best Way With Words
“I have listened to the arguments. I have listened to all of the crap. … I want you to know that this amendment [is] blowing smoke to fuel the hellfire flames of bigotry.” – Rep. Senfronia Thompson, who delivered an impassioned argument against a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages and civil unions. Following…
Best Place to Make Lines and Wrinkles Disappear
Vickmay is a medical day spa, so with her potions and lotions and magical treatments, she offers complete skin and body care. Whether you’re choosing topical treatments like the new Prevage series by Botox, or deeper treatments like Restalyn, Vickmay has it all. From cleansing facials, therapeutic body-wraps, and relaxing massage to romantic packages for…
Best In-Store Kitty
We like to think the “Best of Austin” list is somewhat prestigious. But when one of our writers went to the Lair for an interview with this category’s winner and mentioned the Chronicle … well, we hope that explosive release of a hair ball wasn’t intentional. Maybe we expected too much. After all, Ashawan is…
Best Preteen Band
This quintet of four 11-year-olds and their 9-year-old keyboardist exploded onto the scene three years ago from Natural Ear Music Camp. Their repertoire of Texas and roots-rock plus classic Sixties songs is impressive – just listen to Daniel whoop on “Lucille.” Still, it’s their miniset of Roky Erickson and 13th Floor Elevators songs, recently performed…
Best Online Resource on Hep C
The insidious threat to Austin’s music community is not AIDS but Hepatitis C. The virus has already taken three figures near and dear to Austin’s musical heart this year – Chet Helms, Biscuit Turner, and T.J. McFarland. Hope and help, however are on the way: Karen Mueller of Travis County Health & Human Services, along…
Best Yoga Teacher in a Ganesh-less Environment
The first time you attend one of Cary Choate’s classes, you’ll probably leave cursing his name and nursing your quivering abs. Those bold enough to return risk developing a cultish attachment to his carefully designed, hurt-so-good sequences. The phrase “gym yoga” tends to be an insult in yoga circles (and often for good reason), but…
Oops!
The phone number for Fox Meadows Bed and Breakfast in “Day Trips,” Sept. 30, should have been 903/549-3400. The Chronicle regrets the mistake.
Elizabethtown
Cameron Crowe’s romantic comedy doesn’t make the attraction between the characters played by Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom believable and then goes off in dozens more unprofitable directions.
Best Movie Theatre
The Drafthouse may have been named Entertainment Weekly’s “Best Theater in the Nation,” but how does that stack up to the annual nod given by the loyal readers of The Austin Chronicle? Anyway, could you possibly imagine a better theatre? Maybe 50 years in the future, when theatres offer immersive, interactive technologies and in-house massages.…
Best Outdoor Public Space
Home to Austin’s annual holiday Trail of Lights, the ACL Fest, and Barton Springs, Zilker holds a mighty hunk of Austin bragging rights. Everyday features include a disc-golf course, fields for soccer, and plenty of wide-open spaces for family, friends, and canine pals to frolic. It also invites relaxation with ample tree shade, gigantic rock…
Best Theatre Performance Space
Eighty-eight years and still going strong, this ornate downtown fixture has been lighting up Congress since before Austin even had traffic. With glitzy Hollywood premieres, children’s plays, Broadway series, and the annual casserole of Tuna classics, the old-timey marquis is an eye-catcher, especially when classics like Casablanca hit the screen. (The Paramount was one of…
Best Locally Produced Food Product
Ever see the cow spokesmodel for Amy’s? Googly eyes and stuck-out tongue, this bovine has to be a serious party animal. How else could you explain the quality of Amy’s offerings? From rotating and constantly updating flavors like rum raisin, malted Belgian, PB&J, s’mores, and mint ice cream sandwich (Best. Flavor. Ever!), there is a…
Best Sports Program
WAYA offers kids practice for high school sports at the early ages of 3 and 4. Basketball, football, baseball, and soccer classes are all available, as well as lacrosse, gymnastics, cheerleading, and yoga. Go ahead: Start planning for that letter jacket now!
Best Morning Radio Host
Good matches aren’t uncommon in morning radio, but perfect pairings are. JB and Sandy, two down-to-earth, sometimes self-deprecating, everyday guys are faves with area listeners, especially the ladies (just listen to their call-ins). Add to that their regular appearance in this poll courtesy of our readers. Folks appreciate how very Austin-oriented they are; their dedication…
Best Day Trip-Dry
The Tonkawa have a legend that tells of a conquistador swallowed by this land and reborn as one of their own. “When I was swallowed by the rock, I joined the many spirits who enchant this place,” the Spaniard reportedly said. Now, we aren’t purporting attempts at rock swallowing, but, if you’re looking for a…
Best Activist
Bettie Naylor is a dynamo, a 5-foot firecracker, and the best friend Austin, Texas, has ever had. Co-founder of HRC Human Rights Commission and with a long and deeply held Christian belief that we are put on earth to help one another, Ms. Naylor truly strives for human rights across the board: Brown, white, black,…
Best Appliance/TV Repair
The word-of-mouth loyalty generated by this team of repair geniuses makes Mr. Wizard a consistent reader’s fave. With one wave of his magical staff, Mr. Wizard takes your electronics headaches away. Leave it to the sure hands at Mr. Wizard, and soon enough your househould will be running as smoothly as the words flowing from…
Best Movers
No strangers to this award, Blue Whale Moving is the largest locally owned moving company in Austin. Packing, shipping, storing, and even cleaning up the space you just exited are all part of their repotoire. We love the fact that their employees are full time and not simply contracted out. Our readers love their Free…
Best Drugstore/Pharmacy
Yet another way that Austin is kept not only weird but healthy, Peoples Rx is beloved locally for their in-store nutritionists, naturopaths, and homeopathic specialists as well as pharmacists. Their monthly e-mail newsletters and weekly seminars genuinely encourage good health and information without hard sell from the pharmaceutical industry. Favorites in town for more than…
Best Used Records/CDs
For some American locales, iTunes or Napster might be the best option to find new or obscure music for a reasonable price. For Austin, that just ain’t the case. Waterloo and Cheapo, two local music pillars, continue to offer the widest range of music-you-want and music-you-don’t-yet-know-you-want. There’s no finer joy than scouring the used bins…
Best Dance Diva
With her fourth CD, Trois, in release, Hedda Layne is captivating Austin with her spellbinding vocal performances of classic standards and irresistible originals. The New World Diva casts her magic spells with pop-torch and dance collaborations masterminded with her composer/arranger/guitarist husband, Troy Lee Warden … and what gorgeous spells they are. She has been compared…
Best Lovin’ and Love-In
Retail goddess Cindy Hill and musician Ginger Leigh own and operate Love., a premier gift boutique and live music venue. Yes, you heard it right, Love. blends shopping and live entertainment. Are we in heaven? Yes. Love. is a family and dog-friendly venue that sells great clothes, jewelry, and gifts inside the shop and features…
Best Hot Dog Renaissance
Say goodbye to the Dark Ages: The mighty wiener has made a comeback! Dog Almighty’s menu features scrumptious, 100% pure-beef hot dogs, steamed buns, slow-stewed sauerkraut, and their own special veggie chili and tofu dogs for the veggies in your crew. But the real fun begins with free ping-pong and foosball. Free ping-pong! Makes us…
Best Bipartisan Kids Legislator
Carter Casteel is a rare bird in Texas politics these days. She’s a Republican who refuses to toe the party line on public education issues. If the GOP leadership had its way, the state would scrap public ed altogether and hand it off to profiteers. Republicans – the dangerous ones at the top – think…
Best Woman in the Zone
Chances are, if you’ve stumbled across Channel 6 (the City of Austin’s C-SPAN, if you will …) and paused for a while, you’ve seen her. Poised at the mic, addressing the city council or dais full of county commissioners, this elegant woman presents data with a calm and certainty that makes even the driest civic-speak…
Best Place to Realize Your Visions
Holland Photo Imaging does one thing and does it well. This photo lab is equipped with the finest in modern image processing. Your negatives never looked better and neither did your prints. Holland uses the highest quality in archival materials available, and the trained technicians are schooled in color correction, the results of which are…
Best Letting Out of the Seams
Too many novice sewers receive outdated, hand-me-down machines and try to learn to use them on their own. They quickly become frustrated nonsewers. Sad! This 21-year-old sewing business has been one of our favorites before, but now they’re legal, baby, and have expanded to a new, larger space just two doors down from the old…
Best Time for Beginners to Hit the MoPac
We don’t care what the guidebooks on parenting say: The toughest moment in a parent’s life is riding shotgun on that first high-speed merge onto the interstate with a nervous 15-year-old at the wheel. But, those who don’t bleed orange know that the time to do anything in Austin is smack dab in the middle…
Best Shot at Connecting with the Smoldering Eyes Across the Room if You’re Too Shy to Approach Them in Person
For every waiter you almost gave your number to, every barista you were almost overfriendly with, every hook-up that almost happened – there’s hope. Why self-flagellate over the little moment that could’ve? Our very own Chronicle “A Shot in the Dark” section or its distant online cousin in matchmaking crime, Craigslist’s “Missed Connections,” are ready…
Best “Real” Life Lesson Metaphor
“The one thing I learned is that there is nothing real about ‘The Real World,'” says Colin Funderburk, who works at the Blind Pig on Sixth Street. Back in February, while the 16th installment of MTV’s The Real World was midway through shooting in Austin, Funderburk briefly dated Rachel, the Valencia, Calif., Army nurse on…
Are We Sucking the Trinity Dry?
Hays County residents call for creation of conservation district
The War Within
This fiction film, in which the lead character is but one cog in a plot to detonate a series of bombs in New York City, portrays a terrorist’s point of view in a jarringly matter-of-fact manner.
Best Place to Drink Alone
Aushtin isss the Life Werld of the Capitollll! We luvv to go out an tie on one by ourselfs at a number f clubs and placces. Buttttt sometimsh, is juss easier to stayy! Put! Awwwwwww, hell. URP. At leasssssht we know where our own john issssh. Johnnnn? JOHN! Johnnnnny-John? Oh, john.
Best Recent Renovation
With its recharged decor and Web site, FactoryPeople keeps its cutting edge razor sharp. While their Industrial Age-toned nom de commerce may evoke creepy visions of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, the recent remodeling recalls a certain Cold War wall on the night of its celebrated destruction. The explosive blocks of murals (including works by Peat…
Best Annual Festival
Austin now features so many festivals of worldwide recognition that you could almost be tempted to take them for granted. But take them for granted we will not. In three short years ACL has established itself as a festival to be modeled after and has featured memorable performances from such heavyweights as R.E.M., the Pixies,…
Best Outdoor Seating
“Shady Grove, my little miss/shady grove, my darling!” The song may hail from the bluegrass of Kentucky, but the restaurant is all Texas. Could there be a more relaxed cowboy restaurant setting to celebrate being an Austinite, being alive, and being healthy, all while chompin’ into a Hippie Sandwich and sippin’ on a tasty frozen…
Best Summer Camp
Kids Acting has eight locations in Austin, each specializing in a different production for 12 weeks of the summer. Classes vary depending on what class and location kids take. Older kids can participate in Mystery Dinner Theater, often bringing in their own ideas and props, or one of the many different musical productions that may…
Best News Journalist
River City, a deceptively liberal enclave within the most powerful conservative state government in the country. With tragic and farcical state politics, and the city trying to balance growth with a near mythical idealization of itself, incisive print journalism and opinion is at a premium. That’s why the Chronicle is doubly elated and humbled by…
Best Day Trip-Wet
The highlight of this Balcones Canyonland Perserve is her signature 50-foot waterfall flowing from Hamilton Creek. The falls drop into the pool itself, which is nestled in a sheer, grottolike canyon. Apparently our readers love to rough it, as the preserve’s first focus is on nature, not cushy amenities. Bring sturdy hiking boots and plenty…
Best Citizen
He used to be mayor. An excellent public speaker, Watson emphasizes balance and compromise in the political spectrum, a welcome Switzerland among the reddest of states. These days he’s a mediator and public-affairs consultant. Positive change, regionalism, and economic development – it’s all his bag. He has been called the driving force between the convergence…
Best Auto Inspection Station
Part of the Groovy Enterprises family that includes Groovy Automotive on Red River, their mission has been to bring back the “honest, neighborhood garage.” These Groovy inspectors will speak a language you understand and will have you in and out and stickered in no time. They are environmentally friendly, too, recycling everything from filters to…
Best Pedicure/Manicure (nonspa)
The ladies of UT Nails are fabulous. They’ve got style, they’ve got infectious laughter, they’ve got mad skills, and they’ve got the best deal in town: a manicure/pedicure three days a week for $25. But the real thrill at UT Nails, as your feet soak in warm bubbly water, is listening to the aforementioned ladies…
Best Fashion Accessories
Like a crow drawn to a glinting coke can caught in a ray of sunlight, so are the multitudes of Austinites to Emeralds’ glittering variety of fashion accessories. Browsing the amazing rows of shimmering earrings, bejeweled and giant sunglasses, and various other delights will leave you squealing with school-girl ecstasy. Emeralds also boasts an assortment…
Best Bed & Brothel
Located on the corner of San Jacinto & Third is a red brick edifice, once home to the 16th season of MTV’s Real World cast: Wes, Melinda, Lacey, Johanna, Rachel, Danny, and Nehemiah. But who cares about them? The Real World house was 8,000 feet of carnal fury with hot tub, circular bed, shag rug,…
Best Destination for Literary Groupies
Ah, the library. The idyllic seclusion of the stacks, the careworn edges of oft-thumbed volumes, more periodicals than the mind can grasp – is there any place better for a bibliophile? How about UT’s Harry Ransom Center, which boasts one of the most impressive rare-book collections not only in Texas, but in the country. Perhaps…
Best Place for Celebrity Sightings
Madam Mam’s has been the best place on the Drag for authentic Thai cuisine since 2001 (just try to find a table during the lunch rush), but another great quality that makes Madam Mam’s one of the best is its proximity to the KLRU television studio in the UT Communication Building B, where Austin City…
Best House Taco
With some of the hottest dang salsa on God’s green Earth, it’s a good thing that Little Mexico, the homey li’l South First eatery just north of Oltorf, has some superfine agua fresca limonada to wash it all down. Just keep it comin’, ’cause you’ll need just such a belly washer when you tear into…
Best Customer Service
Dealing with billing issues is never fun. In fact, more often than not, it is a completely frustrating experience. But every once in a while you get a chance to meet a truly exceptional customer service agent. Meet Bobby Shaw, supervisor at Austin Energy’s customer-service call center. Shaw is efficient and gracious, actually hearing what…
Most Unflappable Hostess
When a few curmudgeons among her Williamson County neighbors complained about Round Rock’s First Ever Drag Show! – horrors! – and some public officials proceeded to make official asses of themselves, even calling out the fire inspectors, Coffee House Impresario Roberts declined to respond in kind, saying simply, “What’s the big deal? This is ……
Best Spanish Conversation Hours
This homey, ramshackle house on Gunter street, Casa Marianella, is the warm and familylike shelter for homeless Central American men. Stop by for free Spanish Conversation hours with the residents, sign up to teach a little ESL (no experience necessary), or cook a big pot of beans on the Volunteer Dinner night. This is the…
Best Loot/Booty Free-for-All
At the end of every semester, West Campus looks like the furniture section of a Goodwill – except everything is free. Dumpster diving is never better than when students move out of their apartments. Whatever doesn’t fit in daddy’s SUV goes on the curb and is free for the taking – usually by other students.…
Best Vibrant Music Hour
Laura Freeman’s monthly children’s music performances – often held at Ruta Maya cafe – coax wide grins from the grumpiest. Her newest show, Color Wheel Cartwheel, sets Roy G. Biv a-spinning in his rainbow footie pajamas. This happy, bouncy, and poetic children’s music is written and sung by our local redheaded chanteuse, who leads the…
Best Sultry New Deejays
And you thought public radio deejays were all white guys of a certain age and nasal condition. KUT this year added a couple velvet-throated hostesses to their lineup, turning up the sultry quotient to levels unheard-of since some lost, forgotten golden age of Sultry (or at least the day Teresa Ferguson was hired!). Laurie Gallardo’s…
Best Active Activist
What can we say? If this woman had as many heads as she wears hats, she’d be one scary looking mama. But she doesn’t have a gazillion heads. Just one, that’s the miracle. Yet she’s a board member of the ACLU and is active in a myriad of community groups, including the Austin Spokescouncil, the…
Ecology Action: Recycled by Zoning?
Neighboring ‘cop shop’ garage dissatisfied with EA’s upkeep
Screen Door Jesus
Kirk Davis’ slick, locally produced film, adapted from the stories of Christopher Cook, plunges into Texas’ small-town religious mores and comes up with some insightful revelations in this character-driven pastiche.
Best Place to Find a Lover
Prospective partners in passion are all over Austin just waiting to be found; you just have to know what you’re looking for to know where to look. Our readers have a three-way tie of suggestions suitable for sating a wide array of tastes. For your pick of the party animal herd, they suggest Sixth Street.…
Best Sign
Do we have to choose between one that is “so far out” and one that is so outlandish? It was too close to call, so we didn’t.
Best Bartender
Asian Love – not only Duc Dihn’s signature drink, but, if you’ll forgive us, his signature style. Serving up a heady mix of class, wit, and presentation since 219 West’s inception, he’s tended his way through college and successfully shakes (not stirs) this up with two, count ’em, two businesses on the side. Entrepreneurial, a…
Best Place to Dine Alone
Carnivores and herbivores alight here for mastication of pure, whole earthly goodness with an array of self-serve bars that offer every possible variation of food for any mood. Perched along the extraordinarily spacious outdoor/indoor seating areas and watching as Austin’s healthy buzz on by, it is easy to feel as if one is dining as…
Best Teen Hangout
This new entertainment Eden has almost two full acres (75,000 square feet) of bowling, billiards, laser tag, video games, rock climbing, glow golf, and a cafe under one roof. And in its year or so since opening in Austin, Main Event has become known not just by parents booking birthday parties but also by the…
Best Photographer
It would be easy enough to let Alan Pogue’s credentials speak for themselves – New York Times Magazine, Boston Globe, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Texas Monthly, and various Japanese publications, to name a few. But credentials don’t tell the story of stark images, captured on film, and preserved with Pogue’s discerning eye, one that hasn’t…
Best Fitness Classes
With three (and a fourth on its way) studios, Yoga Yoga knows how to bend, stretch, and kick. Two rooms in the north studio sport Canadian Maple wood floors, which shine with peaceful serenity and prove sturdy for Hatha and Ashtanga sessions. The list of class offerings is long and intricate: from gentle instruction for…
Best Effort to Improve Austin
The intentions at the heart of both the smoking ordinance and SOS are to improve the environment in Austin. Both were voted in by the people of Austin. And since so many of our readers divide time between the Springs during the day and bars and live music venues at night, it makes sense that…
Best Auto Service/Repair
What do these two great auto service shops and frequent award winners have in common? Jim Ernst of Auto Depot and Joe Lamping of Flamingo run their businesses with both a friendly and no-nonsense style. They and their mechanics tell it like it is and always call before making any unforeseen repairs, so no surprises…
Best Printer/Copies
Kinko’s offers 24-hour service to lazy college students and ambitious entrepreneurs alike. They’re known for their full spectrum of printing resources … but what if you don’t need an egg-shell business card? Or a thesis copy? Maybe you just want to print out those digital nudies you took of yourself, and Kinko’s seemed the best…
Best Furnishings/Home
So you’re throwing a bash. You’ve got your B-sides all set on the Stack-o-Matic, you’ve perfected the highball and the mint julep, but were you really planning on entertaining your guests amid creepy, futuristic furniture? Hightail it on down to Room Service, where you can pick up genuine vintage furniture, bar accoutrements, and perhaps even…
Best Construction and Revitalization of Civic Space
Walking into the quiet atrium of the new Carver Museum and Cultural Center feels like being in the heart of a nautilus shell. Wrapped around you are light, history, heart, struggle, celebration, and the solidity of white and red stone. The ambitious Carver complex centers around the old Carver Library, the first library for residents…
Best Excuse to Dress Up
There’s an old commercial for the opera promoting it as something so inclusive that it can be experienced even in jeans and cowboy boots. Sure, it’s great to not care about what you have to wear in this home of “Austin Casual,” but isn’t it fun to dress up for something special? Since formal gowns…
Best Place to Drunkenly Belt Out Thin Lizzy to a Crowd Who Cares
Even the karaoke faint of heart can find a place at Beerland’s Rockeoke. First observations may leave newcomers wondering if Austin now boasts its own karaoke rehab clinic. A few drinks later, the scene more closely resembles the Mickey Mouse Club gone terribly wrong. All around, people peruse song selections, while an impressive version of,…
Best Lean, Green, Eatin’ Machine
Time was, drive-through meals were an embarrassing convenience, cloaked in the secrecy of your car. The time-saving element made it too perfect for too many occasions to count. The nutrional content made it a cardiologist’s nightmare. The bingo bulb went off in Sharon Mays’ head, and drive-through dining is now certifiably healthy. Not to mention…
Best Dream Finally Realized
After seven years of planning, one of the largest universities in the nation finally acquiesced to student and faculty demands for a gender and sexuality center. Combining elements of an LGBT safe-space headquarters and a women’s resource center, the little office in the SSB (Student Services Building, for you non-Horns) has been offering counseling, mentorships,…
A Truly Moving Experience
It was with great trepidation that we approached the moving of a household cross-country … and unloading the 27-foot truck ourselves? Not a chance. So we hired Adams to send a couple of guys over to do it for us. Due to a scheduling snafu, the movers were not there when we expected them, and…
Best Swanky Convenience
Not all gas station convenience stores are created equal. Indeed, the Lake Austin Boulevard Chevron, aka Le Chevron, is one of the best run and – dare we say it? – swankiest convenience store/gas stations in town. It is run by a friendly contingent of dedicated employees and has a superwide selection of goodies: from…
Best Out With the Old
Recycling that garage full of old computer equipment has become as easy as a phone call and hauling the old computers and printers to the curb. While old computer equipment can still be dropped at Goodwill donation sites around town, this partnership of the city of Austin, Dell Inc., and Goodwill Industries will cart off…
Best Activist Resource
As any world-changing Austin activist can attest, world-changing is a pretty tough task – especially when no one even knows you’re trying to do it. See, for years now, the problem has been that only the activist community knew about their activism. No more! Along came the Web site ThirdCoastActivist.org, a shining beacon of thoughtful…
Best Transplanting Handbook for Austin Transplants
For many in Central Texas, “back home” means someplace where it rained so much even rolling stones gathered moss. If Austin’s your adopted hometown – or you simply need a primer for our region’s best photosynthetic bets – get the just-sprouted third edition of the TCMGA Garden Guide, with monthly planting schedules custom-tailored to our…
Best Place to Find Fairies
Behind the motorcycle cop, hidden in the guise of a rustic shed, proprietress extraordinaire Yvonne Beltran shuns notions of what it means to run a successful boutique (/fine arts gallery … /live music venue …). Boasting a wide selection of Austin’s finest handmade gifts, jewelry, and soapy suds, the Stash encourages playful discovery and youthful…
The Roberts Court Begins Its First Term
Abortion, assisted suicide, and free speech vs. campaign reform on the docket
Everything Is Illuminated
An amusing road trip through Ukraine leads to epiphanies of history and memory in actor Liev Schreiber’s only partially illuminating adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel.
Best Place to Watch Hipsters
Whether the sun is setting on First Thursday or not, SoCo is always a safe bet for both eye candy and just desserts. While clothing, shoes, hair, tattoos can all be bought within mere steps of one another on this bustling strip, the attitude pulling it all together cannot. Patio seating as de rigeur provides…
Best Street
Rows upon rows of hip boutiques, unique eateries, vintage treasure troves, and Austin’s notable Hotel San José and Austin Motel await, just south of the river. Each month, on First Thursdays, SoCo stays open late, and folks from all over Austin pour in to enjoy a wild night of music, art, and, of course, shopping,…
Best Beer on Tap
“80 varieties of draft on the wall/100 bottles of beer/Nestled downtown, buy another round/80 varieties of draft on the wall.” Whether the mood calls for a dark corner on a plush leather chair or sunshine on a spacious deck, the Ginger Man is the yin-yang blend of summer and winter and a consistent Readers favorite…
Best Place to Meet for Lunch
Whether you’re rolling out of bed late on Saturday morning and don’t feel like cooking or looking for a quick and breezy grab and gab before heading back to the ol’ cubicle, Austin Java is the place to be. Brunch or lunch, despite its enormous popularity and high volume, Austin Java offers rapid and friendly…
Best Toys
Our readers love both of these Austin-based toytowns! Terra Toys offers an escape from reality. Step into colorful walls lined with Steiff teddy bears, a wooden Playmobil world that makes Dad jealous, and imported toys that you can’t get anywhere else. Check out the kids clothes shop Dragonsnaps within. Toy Joy is bursting with pizazz,…
Best Place to Wi-Fi
With opportunities for rubberneck people-watching so indulgent you might get whiplash, this popular local coffee co-op is perched on one of Austin’s most used forks in the road. Watch as crowds of Austin’s finest choose the road less traveled … or the other one. And do it all with full (FULL) bars of wireless, sipping…
Best Gear/Sporting Goods
REI stands for the three C’s (camping, climbing, cycling) done up in sprawling, warehouse fashion. This place is massive, walls lined with the Gucci’s of outdoor gear: North Face, Gramicci, Patagonia, K2, Teva, Columbia, Ex Officio, and more. Stocked in all the brightest colors, REI gets our readers stoked for a woodsy outing, equipped with…
Best Elected Official
Two years ago, Joby Fortson, a staff member of Ennis Republican Rep. Joe Barton wrote a glib memo regarding the effects Texas redistricting would have on Democrat incumbents. In respect to Doggett, the analysis began “ha ha ha” and concluded with the belief that Fortson’s own friend Brian Walters would be entering in Doggett’s place.…
Best Barber Shop
Tucked inside the Crestview Shopping Center since 1954, this barbershop is still such a part of neighborhood life that the proprietors refer to the area as “Little Mayberry.” Go in for a haircut and find three barbers and two stylists ready to clean you up and fill you in on the latest.
Best Real Estate Agent
What makes a Live Music Capital most? Its clubs and bands? What about its Realtors? After all, even musicians – and painters and politicians and mechanics and techies, for that matter – need a place to call home. And when they’re in the market for a new pad, our readers choose Dan Harvey, the music…
Best Gardening Store
The horticulturally challenged will find this South Congress oasis as inviting and inspiring as the green-thumbed do. A turn into the gates and down the hill, and suddenly you’re seemingly miles away from the bustle of the Avenue. Glorious foliage and friendly help provide outdoor inspiration and good-ol’ Texas know-how all year round. Christmas tree…
Best Day Trip Dream Within a Dream
Close your eyes. Instead of waking up from a dream, you’ll be waking up to one. That is, if you heed our advice: Take a trip to nearby Wimberley, Texas. Find Mill Race Road. Go to the end of the trail that kisses the creek’s edge. Open your eyes. Creekhaven, the looming chalet on the…
Best Excuse to Get Your Draw On
Every Sunday between 2 and 6pm, this laid-back congregation of art students, cartoonists, animators, and graphic design professionals convenes in the homey confines of the Hideout on Congress Avenue, there to spend a few beverage-fueled hours rendering everything imaginable in oversized sketchbooks. It’s a friendly, wisecracking atmosphere – especially after a few beers or too…
Best Reason to Shine Your Boots
The Broken Spoke is many things to many people – dance hall, hangout, bar, restaurant, museum, employer, home away from home – but the institution of Hardcore Country Night last year was the most wildly successful event of recent years. So successful, in fact, that the early evening show is now twice monthly on Tuesdays,…
Best New Kid on the Block
We thought this new addition to Manor Road’s Restaurant Row was too good to be true when it opened this year and started serving delicious Mexican take-out breakfast and lunch items, along with aguas frescas, ices, and other goodies. With its walk-up windows and tiny glassed-in kitchen, this offshoot of the larger, sit-down El Chile…
Best Guardians of the Eternal Fag
Maybe that’s what the Statesman’s Michael Barnes was referring to when he detected an underground gay vibe in Red River cornerstone Beerland. Owners Randall and Donya Stockton have done so much for live music in Austin: They not only opened a hole in the wall four years ago that catered to small-crowd, punk rock shows…
Best Ally in the Fight Against Total System Failure
Its guts splayed open on the operating table – stories, pictures, music, and movies – flashing before our eyes in an ominous frozen blue screen of death. Enter the techno-surgeons of Logic Approach. They brought said PC back from its walk into the light, recovered the data, told us how not to let it happen…
Best Ticket to Ride
With the new Day Pass, Capital Metro’s passengers can board the city’s buses an unlimited number of times during a 24-hour period for only $1 ($2 for express service). The card eliminates the messy business of transfers and time limits. The transit authority also offers other discount packages that can reduce the 50-cent local fares…
Best Photographer’s Haven
While Precision Camera maintains its status as the professional photographer’s most trusted resource, the staff offers the same enthusiastic service to every level of amateur as well. Walking into the store on Lamar is like walking into a warehouse of every variety of film, lens, camera, housing, and gear available: from point-and-shoot disposable Kodaks to…
Best Austin Poster Artist
In a city known for its live music, so many bands are destined to slowly fade away into obscurity. Each day more and more groups fall from our collective consciousness and are soon forgotten. This fate, however, will never befall a band who plays a show postered by Jack Barfield. His screen-printed posters are truly…
Most Relevant Radio
Armadillo World Headquarters is gone but not forgotten. Townes Van Zandt and the 13th Floor Elevators and Liberty Lunch and Stevie Ray Vaughan and Raul’s and Doug Sahm and the Dicks and Les Amis: all very much gone and all very much not forgotten. Welcome to Austin, where every day is slightly worse than the…
Best Place to Find Hidden Treasures
Whether you’re furnishing your home or business office or movie set, TOPS is a must for those on a budget or into recycling. Featuring an ever-changing stock from area office, store, and hotel close-outs and auctions, TOPS is the place to find a pre-owned Herman Miller chair or Steelcase file cabinet at half the price…
Council Notes: FEMA Makes Good – So Far
FEMA promises that we’ll be reimbursed for our Katrina troubles
Best Architecture
The tallest building in town, this retro-future skyscraper looms large over the skyline, providing an obvious beacon of change, signaling an era of things to come. Designed by HKS Inc., who along with Lake/Flato will design the new UT Hotel & Conference Center in 2008, the Frost is 515 feet of glass and steel. This…
Best Window Display
Like a Tim Burton nightmare gone terribly, terribly right, Blackmail’s eagerly anticipated window displays take black very seriously: minimalist, spartan, concise … while a certain elaborate “so-goth-it’s-dead” playfulness draws passersby right on in. Perhaps exactly what shop owner and design maven Gail Chovan has in mind.
Best Beer/Wine Prices
Grapevine bends over backward to stock their 18,000 square feet with the most extensive selection of spirits in the city; if they don’t have it, you don’t want it (but they probably still can get it). This density keeps prices low and quality high. They sell single bottles of beer in every imaginable brand –…
Best Place to Take a First Date
When the moon hits your eye like the proverbial pizza pie, that’s take-away. When meteor showers rain down upon two star-crossed lovers, that’s Romeo’s. Wine, soft music, and candlelit conversations are par for the (highly delectable) dinner course, and their luscious desserts beg to be shared and savored. Love lasts forever, but not on an…
Best Video Game Rental/Purchase
If the local Hollywood Video seems overwhelmingly populated by 14-year-old boys, don’t automatically assume it’s because of the cute clerk behind the counter. Gamer aficionados love this place, because it’s given games like Grand Theft Auto and Burnout Revenge a certain respect: a specialty game store within the store complete with game stations and tip…
Best Public Access TV Show
Documentary filmmaker, nationally syndicated radio talk show host, and that guy you can find railing against the police state on Access TV, Alex Jones is heralded as a patriot by some and dismissed as a loose nut by others. Here in Austin we’re glad to claim Jones as our own and hope he continues to…
Best Gym/Fitness Facility
Whether you’re a yogi in training or are in search of the almighty six-pack, when it comes to shaping, sculpting, rehabilitating, or building the body you’ve always wanted, the nine area locations, million tons of weights, 450-plus weekly classes, plasma TVs, ladies-only workout rooms, child care areas, steam rooms, and certified trainers team up under…
Best GLBTQ Community Leader
Oh, what a friend we have in Glen! For more than three decades, this sage organizer of many talents has been there for us, fighting for sound HIV/AIDS policy, leading the state’s Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby, and representin’ us in the Texas Legislature for 12 whole years (1991-2003). Now he’s taking on our biggest fight ever…
Best Bicycle Repair
As bike crazy as Lance has made Austin, the Bicycle Sports Shop had to work hard to come out ahead of the competition. Instead of a Spanish Armada, the Shop used its new location on South Lamar to step it up and take the trophy home. Don’t worry, we doubt the other contenders are so…
Best Recording Studio
Build it, and they will strum. Founding partners Wally Williams and Danny Levin converted a downtown 1970s bath house (and, ahem, the original old Chronicle HQ) into a 6,200-square-foot recording studio, and now they keep the place buzzing with a staff of 13 and dozens of freelance composers and world-class studio musicians. Designed by Mark…
Best Gas Prices
With their value-added offers to loyal customers (or, in the case of Costco, members), HEB and the big C have taken on petrol stalwarts (and runners-up) Diamond Shamrock and last year’s winner, Race Trac. And with average gas prices tickling the $3-per-gallon underbelly, you’d better believe our readers know where to find a good deal.
Best Football Helmet for a Giant Saint
Go Saints! And go Shoal Creek Saloon for keeping Lamar salty. The black and gold fleur-de-lis-emblazoned football helmet icon out front is made of a recycled VW bug turned on end – but don’t let that confuse you. Shoal Creek Saloon is one of the last holdouts on that stretch of Lamar that won’t ever…
Best Outdoor Fundraiser
One of the most elegant parties on the party circuit, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden presents its annual Garden Party, harking back to a more gracious era. The trees and shrubs sparkle with light, as guests stroll along the paths of the garden, through the woods, over bridges and babbling brooks, and may bid on flower…
Best Retro Bar on the Eastside
Calling Red’s “retro” does it a disservice, for there’s nothing self-conscious about it. It’s just a soulful little Hispanic nightspot on Fourth Street east of the interstate, attracting local working class patrons, friendly neighbors from nearby, longtime Austinites, and for more than a year now, the latest crop of Austin’s indie newbies. The unassuming venue…
Best New Reason to Grab a Slice
… and a nice cold ice. Slices and Ices is relatively new to the Drag, but it has already created a buzz among students and other campus-area aficionados. Their service is friendly, and you can get a giant slice (of some darn fine NY-style pizza pie) for about $2. Their slushie … or should we…
Best Honored Guests
Come on down, sweet darlins. Shake off the weary sweat of “travel,” and let Austin bathe your brow. Nothing could make Austin happier than to have thousands of new friends from the Big Easy and beyond take a respite here. You enrich our culture, spice up our cuisine, and make us proud to share an…
Best Auto Body Repair
Opened by Bob Flynn in 1954 (and now run by his son Ryan since ’95), this small garage and tight-knit family of honest employees has a reason to have pride in their work. “Folks keep running into each other to get in here,” manager Stan Templeton says. They work on all cars bruised by collisions…
Best Way to Get Clarity
We hate to harsh on you, but better us than your mother: Your windows are dirty. Sure, you could spend the better part of a couple weekends washing them inside and out, scrubbing the screens, and vacuuming the interior tracks. Or you could call Texas Window Cleaning and let them do it all, real fast…
Best Place to Buy a Gift for Simi-one Who Is Hard to Shop For
Does gift-shopping make you go ape? Are your pockets lined with chimp change? Does the search for the perfect present involve too much monkey buisness? Then check out this monkey business: Monkey See, Monkey Do! is chock-full of cheeky goods from “chimpan-A to chimpan-Z” that will drive your giftee bananas. Maybe you wish to offer…
Best Blog With an IRL Component
Driving along I-35 is like attending a UT advertising seminar. If you’re not bombarded by the radio waves, then the billboards will guide you in the proper consumer direction. Well, most of them. More accessible than a blog, larger than a picket-line sign, and purchaseable by just about anyone with an agenda and enough dough,…
Best Austinite-to-Austinite Gift
Need to reintroduce the jaded to the twin pools of liquid ecstasy, Barton Springs and Deep Eddy? Here’s the perfect gift: a 40-aquatic-adventures-for-$32 swimming pass that is the perfect way to re-educate any dehydrated spirit about why Austin is the Best. Place. Ever. Pick up these fabulous punch cards at either pool during open hours…
Best Place to Get Wired
When we find ourselves with an otherwise perfectly fine electrical appliance that has fried a small, replaceable part, we run to Harrell’s, which is packed with a huge variety of cords, coils, and other electrical mysteries. Sure, we’re willing to believe the home-improvement behemoths have this stuff, if you look hard enough, but we prefer…
Arts Review
Portraying the radical bastards of Eric Bogosian’s one-man show ‘Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll,’ Ken Webster is a babbling bear on crystal meth
Point Austin: The Gift Horse
On our way to the altar, it’s not too late to check the Samsung family tree
Best Bathroom
Perched atop marble-inspired countertops, pyramids of crisp, rolled terrycloth provide an elegant respite from the scratchy paper way to dry one’s hands. Each commode of this lavish lavatory has its own room, ensuring peace and privacy in this ultimate answer to nature’s call. Shimmery gold everywhere adds a touch of majesty, making the experience of…
Best Actor/Actress
Lee Eddy, unafraid to tackle material dark or light, has fewer performance boundaries than a blogger with Tourette’s. What’s equally important is that she’s got the pure talent and, after years of dazzling in so many of this theatre-rich city’s offerings, the skill to support her flights of fancy. There’s not a stage in the…
Best Beer/Wine Selection
Grape Vine bends over backward to stock their 18,000 square feet with the most extensive selection of spirits in the city; if they don’t have it, you don’t want it (but they probably still can get it). This density keeps prices low and quality high. They sell single bottles of beer in every imaginable brand…
Best Afterschool Activity
The family that fights together stays together? Austin Martial Arts Academy has 25 years of experience letting kids work off some extra steam with classes in all forms for kids as young as 2! Your soon-to-be sensei will not only learn how to waste any two-by-four that has an attitude problem, but may take an…
Best Video/DVD Selection
With 1,702 titles in stock, Vulcan’s children’s section has all the classics and new releases. Whether we’re dying to share the joys of Babar, Fraggle Rock, and Madeline, or quelling that curious Bob the Builder obsession, there’s no better place to find exactly what we’re looking for. And it’s cheap, too. At $1.50 a pop,…
Best Radio Station
When they say “listener-powered,” they mean it. Fueled by the community’s desires, needs, and ideas, KUT’s programming fills the spectrum, and the whole shebang is 70% funded by support from listeners like you. National shows like World Cafe and Weekend Edition add fuel to local faves like Left of the Dial and the Big Ear’d…
Best Outdoor Event
If it’s your inner explorer you’re looking to find, then check out one of Hill Country Outdoor’s numerous events. It seems this outdoor adventure club offers a different activity almost every single day: kayaking, biking, backpacking, boating, spelunking, camping, rafting, skiing, golf, disc golf, ultimate Frisbee, tennis, volleyball, swimming. Whew! We got a workout just…
Best Grassroots Group
It started as a lark. A local poster on Craigslist, a woman named Kitty sent out a notice on the list’s Women Seek Women personals board inviting local women to meet at a restaurant for cuisine and camarderie. The rest is history. Foodies was born. What began a casual dinner for a handful has bloomed…
Best Car Wash
Chronicle readers know: You can still stand at the windows and watch your chrome and candy paint re-emerge from a soapy cloud while your mats are shampooed. You can also still get a full-service car wash for $10.99. Check out the Genie’s full menu of protectants and interior services to keep your whip gleaming.
Best Shoe Repair
Walk into any of their nine locations around town, and you’ll find an able ESS (Emergency Sole Savers) staff member standing ready to perform triage on your ailing shoes and bags. Check the racks on your way in for a fine selection of brushes and buffers, shoe polish, slip guards, and cleaners to keep your…
Best Independent Bookstore
Several sources have named Austin “No. 1” in book purchases per capita. We can’t help but think that part of that honor has to do with BookPeople, the best independent bookseller in Texas and, according to Publishers Weekly, the country. The store carries an incredible range, from graphic novels to literary criticism, and their frequent…
Best Grottoes to Pray In
Walk through the manicured gardens on the grounds of Santa Julia’s Church at Lyons & Tillery at night, and you’ll find a little, handmade stucco and brick cave to the Goddess – in her incarnation as Virgen de San Juan de Los Lagos. Hundreds of lit candles flicker, and shadows tremble on the smoke-stained walls.…
Best Return to Form
Used to be a lot of comedy improvisation in this town, back in the day. And now, after a long sad lull, there’s even more – thanks in great part to the Hideout’s relentlessly gung-ho Andy Crouch and the Out of Bounds Festival’s Shannon McCormick and Mike D’Alonzo. There’s currently more improv – short form,…
Best Sunday Morning Entertainment
Nothing goes with grits like gospel, so Threadgill’s south provides both every Sunday at brunch. Each week, different performers, including the Darden Family and Bells of Joy, move diners to give some amens with powerful renditions of church classics. Nonreligious and faithful alike can enjoy some good beats and eats. It’s hard to get full…
Best Noncamping Camping Snack
Nestled in the heart of the Warehouse District with a full bar and cigar store, Halcyon is a coffee shop for adults. Amidst the liquor and fine modern art, however, there exists a certain childhood nostalgia. Fresh marshmallows, fine Hershey’s chocolate, and crisp golden graham crackers are served right at the table (roasting fire included).…
Best Hunky Fundraiser
The Austin Association of Professional Firefighters entered the big leagues last year by organizing an annual fundraising firefighter calendar. All proceeds from calendar sales go to the AAPFF’s Relief and Outreach Fund, which donates money not only to firefighter families in need but also to other individuals who, for example, have been displaced from their…
Best Blow Dry
Maris Stella and her crew of professionals bend over backward to make sure you like the style … but more importantly, that the style likes you. Sage isn’t a salon that tries to be all things to all people; they just care about hair and do it magnificently. They are blow-dry specialists who know how…
Best Way to Get In On the Ground Floor
You just bought a new place, and there are seemingly miles of “that” flooring. You could live with it if it were just stripped, waxed, and polished, but oh, the work. Trey DeAtley, of DeAtley Tile & Stone, to the rescue. It’s hard to find people more serious about what they do than DeAtley, and…
Best Place to Buy a Rare Acoustic Guitar
Cozy couches, pictures of the family dog, and a funky monkey chandelier are not the only things that make this place resemble a den or clubhouse. What Pat and RoseAnn Skrovan have created is less a showroom and more a musicians’ lounge, with gorgeous guitars mounted along the wall, seats situated all around, and a…
Best Blushing Blog
InThePinkTexas.com or “Politics on the Lege of Reason,” gives an insider’s view to the goings-on at the state Capitol and beyond. Eileen Smith’s blog is controversial, often offensive, mostly nonpartisan, and totally thought-provoking. The photos and text are updated many times a day, and a loyal group of commentators keeps the conversation going beyond the…
Best Drum Circle
On top of the hill at Barton Springs, where the girls tan topless and a vaguely familiar smell lingers in the thick, hot air, the drummers beat a mean bongo. There are many places in town where one might catch an impromptu drum circle, but no backwoods clearing or dirty streetcorner can provide the ambience…
Best Place to Not Wear That Che Guevara T-Shirt You Bought at the Mall
Here’s the deal: Che Guevara is not a fashion icon. He is a symbol for rebellion and subversive ideologies. Some would say in the service of the downtrodden and destitute, while others might argue he served only communist principles. Regardless, the good people at Resistencia – Austin’s oldest Chicano performance space and bookstore – might…
Arts Review
Austin Lyric Opera’s ‘Il Trovatore’ featured voices in good form, from the leads to the chorus, but the relationships among the characters was clearly missing
Naked City
Headlines and happenings from Austin and beyond
Best Cocktails/Cocktail Menu
Named not for Texas’ San Saba River but for a volcano in the Caribbean Sea, Saba overflows with tropical cocktail concoctions. One specialty they make by the raftload is the tastiest mojito to ever touch lips. The house fave, they’re fresh, stiff, and fruity. Another specialty is their Saba Island Tea, a Long Island Iced…
Best Bed & Breakfast
Aside from all those standard B&B touches – high thread count, broadband cable access, bath robes, etc. – Austin Folk House is famous for its delicious breakfast that can be ordered ahead at reservation and served in bed once you’re there. Then there’s the main hallway, loaded with “outsider” art. Of course, they offer the…
Best Art Gallery
Every summer Arthouse is host to “New American Talent,” an exhibit whose name speaks for itself. There’s also the annual 5×7 auction, in which artistic creations of postcard-sized proportions vie for the attention of collectors. Family days abound on Arthouse’s calendar, with hands-on activities for the kiddos young and old, all tying into the themes…
Best Cheap Date Place
The Drafthouse may have been named Entertainment Weekly’s “Best Theater in the Nation,” but how does that stack up to the annual nod given by the loyal readers of The Austin Chronicle? Anyway, could you possibly imagine a better theatre? Maybe 50 years in the future, when theatres offer immersive, interactive technologies and in-house massages.…
Best All-Ages Music Venue
This all-ages venue puts it right out there, letting the young ones have a taste of the night life … but not the liquor, hence the gigantically obvious black X marks gleefully applied by eager bouncers. Local “kid rock” bands (we hate ourselves for typing that …) get a chance at Emo’s indoor stage, with…
Best Afternoon Radio Host
If your interests range anywhere from, say, football to hard-ball politics, Jeff Ward is your man. Since joining the KLBJ-AM team in 1994, the former Dallas Cowboy and Libertarian-leaning Ward has cornered, and tackled, Austin’s afternoon talk-radio market with his well-researched, tuned-in talk on an ever-widenening spectrum of subjects.
Best Radio Station Programming
When they say “listener-powered,” they mean it. Fueled by the community’s desires, needs, and ideas, KUT’s programming fills the spectrum, and the whole shebang is 70% funded by support from listeners like you. National shows like World Cafe and Weekend Edition add fuel to local faves like Left of the Dial and the Big Ear’d…
Best Place for a Picnic
The crown jewel of city parks has it all for dining al fresco: shaded picnic tables, sunny grasslands, and charcoal pits. As if that weren’t enough, there’s a mini train for scenic thrills, an extensive playscape for getting out the sillies, and Best Pool Ever: Barton Springs. And heck, you can even forgo the packing…
Best Job
To the first grade teacher who taught us how to read and add … to the sixth grade teacher who brought in Peace Corps volunteers and inspired us to change the world … to the high school teachers who cared enough to call our parents when we skipped class … to all the overworked, underpaid…
Best Computer Repair
Ordinarily, discovering that your PC has contracted a processor-eating virus is hardly a calming, meditative experience. Fortunately, when disaster strikes the hard drive, Austinites can turn to their very own Paul Mullens, aka the PC Guru, who practices his intercontinental computer know-how right here, in the heart of the Silicon Hills – and he even…
Best Spa
Both Aziz and Avant are longtime institutions in Austin. Both are full-service hair salons as well as day spas. They both do facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing, massage (including specialties such as Swedish, deep tissue, sports, acupuncture, and reflexology), body wraps, scrubs, polishes, other body treatments, make-up application, and more. Both offer wonderful packages for you…
Best Independent Hardware Store
In business since 1971, this place is a shopper’s paradise. Offering everything from screwdrivers to Godiva chocolates to Jay Strongwater frames as well as a well-stocked plant nursery in between, Breeds is a place you don’t want to enter without a budget. Don’t get us wrong: Their prices are reasonable, competitive, even. Their selection, however,…
Best Higher Education State of Mind
Home of Austin Community College’s Cultural Center, featuring the Latino/Latin American Studies Center (El Centro) and the African-American Cultural Center, ACC Eastview, with its signature Austin-style design, inviting open air breezeways, and elevated walkway connecting buildings, is in a state-of-the-art state of mind … and that spells success for many generations to come. The newest…
Best Roving Museum
Just across from the Victory Grill and down a ways from the Longbranch Inn sits an unassuming office building. But hanging above the nondescript glass doors is a vinyl sign alerting those who enter to the importance of what lies within. Since 1985, the Texas Music Museum has been one of Austin’s hidden secrets, and…
Best Use of Airwaves to Stick It to the Man
The first rule of KAOS is: Nobody talks about KAOS. The second rule of KAOS is: There are no rules at KAOS. Playlists full of mostly punk rock cred and obscure one-offs, with random old-timey blues and the sporadic audiofeasts of time-encapsulated speech, their inconsistency is their only consistency. They have real live deejays, too…
Best Place to Not Lose Your Tempura
In Japan, restaurants that specialize in tempura are called “Tempura-ya.” Although Sushi Japon serves all kinds of Japanese cuisine, their tempura dishes are among the yummiest on the menu. There is tempura sushi such as the Rock & Roll (shrimp tempura), Spider Roll (softshell crab tempura), and Hot Night (shrimp tempura, tuna, avocado, and hot…
Best Hurricane Helper
In the wake of Katrina, Austin didn’t quite get the overwhelming second line of evacuees who landed in Houston or Dallas, but we opened our hearts and homes to those who landed here and can be justly proud of the city’s response, official and unofficial. Despite a few bumps here and there, the local Red…
Best Boutique Design Firm
Chemset doesn’t sell chloroacetic acid, but they did design the print materials for the opening of Austin’s City Hall. These bronze inlaid invitations were a joy to see and feel. This group of young UT design grads boasts a client list including Arthouse, Austin Museum of Art, and Artl!es. They can not sell bromnaphtalene, but…
Friendliest Barrista
Chances are if you’ve been to Flipnotics Coffeespace more than once, barrista extraordinaire Andrew Linares will know your name. He’s one of those rare individuals who make you feel as if you are the most important person in Austin. When he’s not busy making Moonquake Shakes, a Chewbacca Chicken Salad, or any of the other…
Best Place to Color Your World
Shop the red area … or the green area … or the yellow, blue, or purple. Vivid has the clothing, accessories, gifts, and housewares that you want … all in vibrant, living color. A conceptual retailer, like its sister store Blackmail, Vivid dares to be different – and succeeds brilliantly.
Best Call to Action
No snide comments about FEMA here. This award is to acknowledge our peeps manning the keyboards during the Gulf Coast’s time of need, battling Katrina’s waves with the communication wave of the future. Responding quicker than most print or televised media and in considerably more detail, the Austin Web – once it learned of our…
Best Free Blues
If your motto is “If it’s for free, it’s for me,” then you probably went to at least one of KGSR’s Blues on the Green summer concerts. From June through August, the radio station sponsors free shows at Zilker Park every other Wednesday. Fans of blues and free things converge at the park’s Rock Island,…
Best Relocated Radical Retail
Tucked into a suave and spacious new location at Lincoln Village, Mitchie’s Fine Black Art pulsates with community activity. The walls are lined with African-American- and African-themed art, jewelry, raiment, books, and curios. Kids Storytime every Wednesday and Saturday, a monthly Urban Poetry Slam, an early Voting Center, and a wireless environment: Mitchie’s is the…
Arts Review
A coruscating sensuality fills the paintings of Lin Rich, with the objects and people of everyday life taking on the luxuriance of color and form well-applied
Reports Detail Threats to National Wildlife Refuges
Energy exploration endangers refuges, including ones in Texas
Best Dance Club
The staff is still sexy; owner/bon vivant John Wickham is still one friendly mofo; but most importantly the music is still keeping everyone moving to the beat. This “gothic and industrial haven” on Red River has quite a loyal following of booty-waggin’ clubgoers. Live music and events are for Thursday through Saturday, while Wednesday and…
Best Billboard
An integral part of the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, this billboard can either be construed as a gentle reminder that boobs are for nurturing babes or as a hegemonic attempt to prevent moms from going to the bathroom by themselves for a year or so. We prefer the former. Interestingly enough, the second place holder…
Best Author/Poet
There’s something about being the wacky outsider living on the fringes with which Austin can identify. Friedman’s alter ego, a super-sleuthing New York detective, serves as the main character for a series of mystery novels penned by the “next governor of Texas.” With one-liners that’ll have you bursting into laughter at the bus stop and…
Best Porn Rental/Purchase
In days of yore, adult shopping was limited to dimly lit stores hidden away on the outskirts of town, where the combed-over selection was meek, the attendants gruff and gnarly, and the patrons shuffled quietly by in their trench coats. Thank the heavens for Dreamers. Two easily accessible locations, vast selections, professional and knowledgeable staff;…
Best Arcade
Save the world from alien invaders! Kung-fu battle with big-headed babies! Create a social uprising with your sweet foot music! And do it all in the time that you should probably be devoting to the freshman calc quiz you have in an hour. Le Fun est vraiment la joie d’vivre.
Best Evening Radio Host
Who is Mike Jones? What you should be asking is “Who is D-Train?” OK, it might not roll off the tongue quite as well, but it is a question you’ll like the answer to. Paul Wall, Slim Thug, and 50 Cent aren’t the only reasons to keep your dial fixed on Hot 93.3FM. Take a…
Best Sportscaster
And once again, KVUE’s Mike Barnes breaks into the lead! Oh sure, Roger Wallace from KXAN and Dave Cody from FOX came close to edging him out, but in the end, the Texas native and repeat BOA winner takes this year’s honor as favorite sportcaster on the tube. He’s been with the ABC affiliate for…
Best Place to Camp
Besides being built around the same vein of pink granite outcroppings, Inks Lake in Burnet and Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg have a few more things in common. Both parks feature great hiking, biking, birding, and of course camping. Enchanted Rock offers a more primitive experience; no RVs or pop-up trailers allowed here. However, the exciting…
Best Local Political Blog
It’s time to polish the Dome. Thanks to their staff of writers – their eponymous head, Bluebonnet, and Rawhide – PinkDome has, in short time, become one of Central Texas’ most popular political blogs, taking the Republican piss with their salacious, slanderific prose. And don’t get us started on their clothing line and “Adios, Mofo”…
Best Dry Cleaner
If Reid’s cleaners were a bar, it would be Cheers. Because everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came. You’ll be glad, too, when that stain on your expensive new coat is gone, and the coat still fits. Masters of dry cleaning and alterations, and a regular Readers Poll champ, the only thing…
Best Tailor
From bridesmaids dresses that will never again see the light to jeans worn every day, Ace Custom Tailors knows what they are doing, and that’s why they are No. 1, yet again. In fact, we think maybe they weave a little magic into their stitches to get them so precise. What else could keep Austinites…
Best Liquor Store
For some, the name may suggest a double entendre fit for an AC/DC lyric, but the only thing that’ll leave you chuckling more is the armful of alcohol you’ll carry out of this Austin landmark. With a number of convenient locations, the Twin will have you doubling up on your liquor supply in no time.…
Best Interior Design Guru
Uchi. Oslo. Wildflower. The Real World: Austin house. Jackson Ruiz Salon. Bettysport. Underwear. Mint. Girl Next Door. You’ve seen them, and he’s designed them. Zen, San Antonio. Restaurant Le Rêve, San Antonio. The Red Bull Lounge for American Airlines, Dallas. And the tour bus for a popular trio of singers we’re not allowed to mention.…
Best Visionary Composer
“Few musicians have the teeming ambition of Graham Reynolds,” we wrote back in 2003 when the leader of the Golden Arm Trio won a Readers Poll award for Best Classical Musician. Since 1995, Reynolds has sewn a patchwork amalgam of classically structured, jazz-inflected, and punk-influenced soundtracks, symphonies, operas, and performing groups of nearly every size.…
Least Likely New Live Music Venue
What’s that sound, you ask? Above the squeak of leather, the jingle of spurs, and the guffaw of a big-bellied laugh? No, it isn’t an S&M-themed Stomp routine; it’s the deep country-rock twang of Chain Drive’s new live-music Wednesdays. With their $1 wells and domestics, it’s an enticing enough night for all of hell’s angels,…
Best Public Service Servant
The ugly reality is that Texas ranks second out of 50 states in the highest percentage of hungry families. Shocking, isn’t it? And did you know that Austin continues to have the highest cost of living in the state of Texas, exceeding housing costs in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Fort Worth? Not a pretty…
Best Labor Union
Love ’em or hate ’em, over the last decade the Austin Police Association has organized itself into a political force to be reckoned with. From their influence in City Council elections to their power at the bargaining table during labor negotiations (how else do you suppose the APD was able to secure the title of…
Best Childbirth Class
Run by doulas Lanell Coultas and Marcela Billig, Conscious Birthing blends the Bradley and Birthing From Within techniques to create an informative and emotionally aware entrée into the world of labor, delivery, and beyond. The series of six classes is an earthy marriage of the cold, hard, technicolor facts of birthin’ babies along with a…
Happiest Home Hazmat Handlers
Got something toxic in your life? Flammable, corrosive, poisonous, or reactive? Then Travis County wants to tell you where to stick it – their Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Don’t dump paint down the sink or chuck that old carton of Miracle Grow in the trash; might as well drink it, because it’ll just end up…
Best Place to Drop 10 Grand on a Lamp
Financially speaking, Design Within Reach might be a misnomer for most people. For those with disposable income, however, DWR offers plenty of ways to dispose of it, with original furniture from some of the world’s most respected designers (i.e., the guys Ikea copies notes from). The ultramodern studio anchors the Second Street district and carries…
Best Corporate Acts of Civility
Wiring the community: Regulation. Deregulation. Franchising. Monopolies. Red-lining. Sometimes the insidious nature of corporate telecommunications in Texas makes a citizen just want to hang up and unplug. Well, we’d like to shine a light on two efforts that make it a bit easier to forget, if for one moment, that most American media is held…
Best Gateway to the Great Outdoors
Every year in early autumn, the headquarters of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is turned into the Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo, an outdoor interactive showcase of the outdoor experience possibilities at our state parks and wilderness areas. The 14-year-old two-day event offers something that can’t be found in a superstore at the mall.…
Best Return to Neighborhood Roots
South Congress’ renaissance has been so successful, it’s easy to forget its roots. With its proximity to the Capitol, its past is peppered with tryst-seeking dome denizens. The colorful corridor has even been known as a haven for hookers and drug dealers. Aside from its checkered past, Congress was also the main avenue of “respectable”…
Page Two
It was 20 years ago today, Ed Lowry taught the gang to play.
Jonesin’ for an Office at the Capitol
Kirk Watson formalizes plans to roll into the state Senate; and a roundup of area House races
Best Drag Queen/Drag King
“I’m a man/I’m a goddess I’m a man/Well I’m a virgin I’m a man/I’m a blue movie” Oh, sorry! We got lost in our little reverie there. The thought of Leslie, our favorite homeless transvestite, gallivanting around town in that thong does that to us. And apparently to our readers, too, who year after year…
Best Cemetery
Of course it’s the best cemetery in Austin; it’s the most coveted burial spot in the state, with residents such as Barbara Jordan, Bob Bullock, and even our town’s namesake, Stephen F. Austin. Don’t even try to reserve a space; the only folks who get a headstone here are state officials and those specified by…
Best Dance Company
Not content to rest on its “biggest game in town” laurels, Artistic Director Stephen Mills took the company to new heights and depths with the Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project, an ambitious community project with UT’s College of Education. No weekend romp in a swan-infested forest, this project included public lectures, professional development opportunities for…
Best Video/DVD Rental/Purchase
Video stores plaster every corner, their garish corporate logos visible blocks away. Local fave, Vulcan Video, discreetly housed on side streets, still stands out amidst the competition. Huge selections of domestic and foreign films, current and future cult classics, and its unique Directors wall, make perusing the shelves at Vulcan almost as entertaining as watching…
Best Birthday Cakes
After introducing the practice of using forks at a celebration, it is rumored that England’s King Henry II ran into a problem. His nobility began attacking one another, thinking forks some new-fangled dagger. Be warned: Should you bring one of Lucy’s cakes to your next birthday party, you might run into a similar situation in…
Best Feature Journalist
The Statesman’s lead columnist, John Kelso is a Readers Poll favorite once again. His bubba-fied take on Life as It Is in Austin is as Austin as an armadillo and as Texas as Texas Tea. He’s gonna have to fight to keep his crown, however, as two able runners-up gave him a close call: the…
Best Sportswriter
Austin loves its Longhorns, and Austin loves the way Kirk Bohls reports on the venerable UT football team. The “E.F. Hutton of Austin sports” comes to his love of all things burnt orange legitimately; he reported on the Horns over a quarter of a century ago. Yet even when he weighs in on non-Horn sports,…
Best Place to Skate
Just over 3 miles long, the Veloway is the Austin in-line destination supreme. While it was found in the mid-Eighties amidst slight controversy, the Veloway has proven itself to be a human-made resource prized in the skating community. Changes in incline provide varied levels of difficulty, and the lack of motorized vehicles, pets, and joggers…
Best Neighborhood
Hyde Park’s beauty doesn’t just lie in its location or the splendor offered by the tree-lined streets. It isn’t simply her ties between the diverse community, nor unique treasures like the Avenue B Grocery and the Elisabet Ney Museum. What makes Hyde Park special might just be applicable to all of Austin; so many factors…
Best Florist
Enchanted Florist is a full-service florist offering everything from single blooms over the counter to complete wedding packages and floral delivery. They are noted for their dramatic designs and exotic blooms, but they also provide the more traditional selections as well. Enchanted Florist is also a gift store with a stellar selection of Texana, including…
Best Tattoo Artist
In our increasingly disposable society, very little is meant to last. So if you’re going to affix forever onto your skin, be sure your tattooist is worth their weight in ink. Locals in the know, know two best of the best reside at SouthSide Tattoos. Chris Gunn and Karen Slafter have been creating works of…
Best Music Gear
This well-stocked mega-music shop in Northcross Mall has all the gear and knowledgeable customer service a hungry musician could ask for. You’ve got to have the right gear to make the right sounds, and the staff at Guitar Center wants to help you make the music in your head come out of your amp.
Best Place to Get Yer Tile On
At Vanilla Girl, it’s all about the sparkly, shiny, thrilling details. So hip, so chic, every corner and nook of the studio on South First Street is packed with delightful gifts, handmade greetings, luscious jewels, and gotta-have-it fashion. And that’s just the storefront. The pièce de résistance, the crème de la crème of Vanilla, is…
Most Entertaining Nonprofit
Presenting local brilliance for almost 35 years, Zachary Scott Theatre is an integral part of Austin’s entertainment scene. With their show-stopping mainstage productions as well as multiple programs for school-aged children, Zach is an equal-opportunity entertainment center, offering musicals, dramas, comedies, one-person shows, experimental productions, cabaret acts, and every other kind of entertaining stagecraft. A…
Most Romantic Nerd Night Out
So you’ve found a counterculture beau or beau-ette at your local comic book store, perusing Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. The traditional dinner and movie doesn’t fit the personality of your relationship, so what are are y’all to do? Easy. Get to Spider House early enough to order your yerba matte mint lattes, fill…
Best Restaurant to Stumble Toward After Sixth Street
Time was when there were two dining options after a night on Sixth Street: pizza or bratwurst. The drunk palate rarely discriminates, and we like our grease, too, but on a weekend the stands often have intimidatingly long lines filled with less than polite patrons. Imagine our delight when we noticed that Thai Passion –…
Best Living Angel on this Earth
Imagine you own a tiny little cookery named Nubian Queen Lola’s Cajun Kitchen and you’ve just closed up for the night after a long day of frying and smiling and talking and frying. You hear a knocking at your locked door, which you open slowly to reveal three sweaty people on bicycles. Would you smile…
Best Floral Designer
You won’t find her in any of the florist shops around town, but Shirley Watson’s vivid streak of creativity makes her one of the most sought-after designers in town. Her inspired creations for last year’s Austin Music Awards featured psychedelic touches of lava lamps and black-light posters amid big bright blooms. Imagine what she can…
Mightiest Dogs on Earth
Attracting more than 5,000 participants annually, THSD’s Mighty Texas Dog Walk has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records several times for being the largest dog-walk on earth. The nonprofit THSD adopts dogs from animal shelters and trains them as working partners for Texans living with disabilities — free of charge. Hearing Dogs…
Best Gentrification Protest
The Young Scholars for Justice is a group of high school students, led by PODER (People in Defense of Earth and Her Resources). The scholars researched Eastside gentrification, and what they learned inspired action. Last spring, they filmed a movie about the history and politics of land use on the Eastside, painted acrylic paintings symbolizing…
Best Document of Urban Density
The brainchild of the Downtown Austin Alliance, design firm Action Figure, and local PBS affiliate KLRU, Downtown is a love letter to the city’s urban core. In each episode, top-notch production values help highlight three different aspects of the city’s throbbing heart. Informative and amazing to look at (and accompanied by a well-selected soundtrack), Downtown…
Best Local Exotic Bird Colony
Maybe you don’t like non-native species; so move to Germany. In the meantime, in Austin there’s a thriving colony of aliens right smack (almost) in the heart of American athletics, and by this we mean there are parakeets living right next to the Krieg sports field. These feisty green birds with their nests amid the…
Best Service in Women’s Underwear
If statistics are correct, you’re wearing the wrong-sized bra. But you might not ever know it until you put yourself in the hands of the professionals at Petticoat Fair. This full-service shop offers personalized attention that is dedicated to helping you look your best because they know that what happens underneath determines how you look…
Letters at 3AM
People of all political persuasions are beginning to face the reality that Americans’ demand for oil is outpacing our supply and refining capacity, which in turn will cripple our economy’s ability to grow. Our disposable society will become a scavenging society, and, on the brighter side, a more inventive society.
Death Sentence Overturned
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals narrowly sides with argument that killer is mentally retarded
Best Gay/Lesbian Hangout
About a year ago, the humidity began to rise. The barometer was getting low. Our readers asked around, and everyone told ’em that Fourth Street was the place to go. For on that night – just about half past 10 – for the first time in a looooong time, it started to rain men ……
Best City Beautification
Both of these winners have turned formerly overlooked areas into creative showcases of urban potential. The limestone, copper-clad Austin City Hall is designed for public gatherings like the popular lunchtime live music shows. The civic center offers free public parking after-hours and anchors one end of the new shopping district, which features furniture, home goods,…
Best Dance Lessons
Interest during the Nineties’ swing and early 2000s’ salsa crazes turned out to not be fading trends, as local dance groups still seem to be popping up all over town. Go Dance wins this brand-new category for their smooth moves and many workshops (Cha Cha with David! Salsa Team with Azucena and Carlos!), classes (over…
Best Brunch Crowd
Whether you’re rolling out of bed late on Saturday morning and don’t feel like cooking or you’re looking for a quick and breezy grab and gab before heading back to the ol’ cubicle, Austin Java is the place to be. Brunch or lunch, despite its enormous popularity and high volume, Austin Java offers rapid and…
Best Bookstore
BookPeople is the ideal location for a kid to get lost in a book. The children’s section is enormous, the shelves always filled from floor to ceiling, and there’s even a service desk for the quick finding of any obscure, beloved picture book. Parents might find that their children “disappear” while reading here, as there…
Best Local Blogger
Ooh, snap! That’s right, they said it! Pink Dome and Burnt Orange are often so sharp and critical, it is actually possible to hear our Guvna’ cringe all the way from Lavaca. Establishing themselves as the pre-eminent Austin-based anti-red state blogs, they’re helping to keep the Capitol accountable and the rest of us well-informed.
Best TV Anchor
For more than 30 years Fred Cantu has been doing what he does best, reporting the news. His roots are in radio, but today you can see his friendly face as evening news anchor for KEYE-42. Through his years of service to the community, one thing has remained the same: his dedication to his fans.…
Best Place to Smooch Outdoors
Towering more than 700 feet above the city, Mount Bonnell was selected by our readers for its breathtaking views … which may have something to do with it also being chosen “Best Place to Smooch Outdoors.” Hike with your sweetie up the park’s 102 steps to enjoy the 360-degree vista. Marvel at the urban landmarks…
Best News Story
If you weren’t paying attention to the school finance drama spilling forth from the great pink dome of the Capitol all year, here’s what happened: a whole lot of nothing. Well, a lot of blood was spilled and a lot of time and money went to waste, but in the end, lawmakers had nothing to…
Best Graphic Designer
Whether they’re working the clean, bold line; mishmashing elements into a melange; or serving up a simple, yet elegant brochure, ShoeHorn Design is quietly making a name for themselves in a town packed with great design. With clients ranging from the Victory Grill to Dell, these Eastside-based graphic artists are ready to lay out your…
Best Travel Agent
Our city may have plenty to offer, but sometimes you’ve got to roam. For those with ants in their pants, our readers recommend STA Travel, a discount travel agency catering nominally to students, but also to youngsters in general. STA operates on the belief that travel enhances people’s lives, and when it gets sweaty enough…
Best Naughty Business
Austin’s favorite G-string Garden of Eden, Forbidden Fruit has remained the apple of our fair city’s fetishly inclined eye by not only carrying the very best in diverse adult shopping but by providing it in a direct, discreet, informative, and easily understood fashion. There are no stupid questions here, and while you will not be…
Best Place to Throw a Throwdown
The idea of a party in a gallery might bring to mind stuffy artistes sipping wine in a conspicuously dance-free environment. The truth couldn’t be more different when it comes to parties at Gallery Lombardi, a space that’s become increasingly popular for private (and public) parties over the past year. Anything but stuffy, parties at…
Most Fun Fundraiser
Like the OK Corral for arts patrons, the Arthouse 5×7 event adds some serious excitement to art collecting. The walls are lined with hundreds of pieces of art – all 5 inches by 7 inches, all $100 each, each with a tag – as attendees scope out their favorite. But when the starter pistol goes…
Best 24-Hour Menu
If it’s breakfast you want, they have eggs the way you like, pancakes in multiple flavors, french toast, oatmeal, and breakfast burritos. No? Well how about some chicken and mashed potatoes, a variety of veggie burgers and hamburgers, kettle fries, french fries, BLTs, tacos, or just a delicious slice of apple pie? We all know…
Best Return of a Franchise
Back in the Nineties, an outpost of this Portland, Ore.-based franchise existed at Spicewood Springs and Mesa (where the very fine Mirabelle lives now). It quietly closed, and we never did stop missing it. But the Original Pancake House returned to us in July 2004, this time up on Parmer Lane. It’s the home of…
Best Minister/Spiritual Leader
The minister of First Unitarian Universalist Church might possibly be the Austin faith community’s best-kept secret. Having already authored the thought-provoking and profound Jesus Series, Dr. Loehr delivered an incendiary sermon titled “Living Under Fascism,” after the botched 2004 presidential election, and inspired standing ovations in the sanctuary. A Vietnam veteran and former photographer, Loehr…
Best Healthcare Professional
As clinical nurse specialist at Austin Gastroenterology, which handles a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, Carol Mitchell is a dream. A 12-year resident in town, Mitchell received her master’s in nursing from UT and is a member of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates. Her warm manner and friendly demeanor underscore her dedication to hepatology…
Quickest Way to Warm up a Business Relationship
No telling how many a working stiff’s day has been lit up by Tiff’s Treats, but we’re willing to bet, well, quite a few. Founded in 1999 by two enterprising UT students, Tiff’s has a narrow but humanitarian mission: to spread freshly baked cookies and accoutrements (Blue Bell ice cream, milk, espresso shots) throughout the…
Best Innovative School Program
Each day for six summer weeks 20 teens from Gonzalo Garza Independence High School gather in a portable they have dubbed “The Squad Room.” Each member dons a white lab coat emblazoned with the symbol of the program, “CSI Garza,” looking more like college grad students or professionals than high schoolers. They meet each day,…
Best Fitting Magazine Redesign
Founded in 1997, this venerable magazine covering all things fitness-related made the leap from a tabloid format to a sleek and clean glossy in March of this year. Transcending the advertainment trappings of other freebie glossies, AFM offers information on health, fitness, and diet, while turning an eye toward sport, style, and life.
Best Mountain Biking Trails
Walnut Creek Metro Park boasts plenty of ample amenities (swimming pool, softball and soccer fields, picnic facilities, playground, volleyball, basketball, and restrooms), but the trail system is what sets it apart. Actually two trails, both with side trails that when added together cover nearly 15 miles over much of the park’s 294 acres, the system…
Best Standard Bearer for the Vinyl Revival
It’s uncanny, really, how with each walk through the front door at End of an Ear (It’s a turn and a push, people!), a surprising new concoction of ear-pleasin’ and obscure tunage awaits. Whackadoo rare vinyls invite the curious and the collector-geek alike to comb the stacks. Oddities abound, sure to thrill even the snobbiest…
About AIDS
The OZ Parties are open to all people living with HIV/ AIDS and their friends, families, and partners, a place to socialize in a comfortable and enjoyable environment where HIV is not an issue. Mix, mingle, and enjoy the evening with old friends and new on Saturday night, Oct. 29, starting at 9pm. Austin’s best-dressed…
The Hightower Report
No Child Left Alone, er Behind, ‘opt out’ provision lets parents keep kids’ names out of military recruiters’ hands; and Big Oil rolling in the hurricane dough
Best Jukebox
It’s been a decade since the Casino first took this top honor, and may it rule for another 10! To celebrate, we have a game for you, lucky reader: Head toward the honored jukebox, insert a quarter, and pick a song at random. The odds are stacked in your favor and the payout is almost…
Best Historic Site
It’s true: Everything is bigger in Texas. Our capitol building is no exception. Taller than our nation’s own, it’s our most popular local tourist destination. Even longtime Austinites can’t help but admire the imposing pink edifice that tops the drive up Congress Avenue. Step back in time, peruse the portraits of governors past, poke around…
Best Film Location
Watching Austin outgrow its film industry kid gloves as it bustled through its more formative years has been a wild ride of slackers, spies, sharks, and sin. Austin Studios and their 20 acres of celluloid dreamscapes are now boxing with the big boys, dually giving our western neighbors a welcome respite from Hollywood and a…
Best Catering
It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since this local company started pulling together special events, weddings, and personal dinners with elegance and charm and a focus on food above all else. Just like the name, their reputation precedes, so ask anyone who’s used ’em: It’s about delicacy, consistency, class, and good eats. And…
Best Clothing
Kids grow fast. They also spill a lot. Occasionally, they even decide to cut their clothes with scissors when they’re bored in class. For the parent who has no idea if that hot new T-shirt will last a week, Old Navy is a savior. Cheap enough for any budget, the store is still hip enough…
Best Local Comic/Zine
Best read while inhaling (…), this is an eclectic look at the Austin scene. Seemingly random and somewhat all-over-the-place at times, the Daze pulls it together for cool interviews with folks like Texas’ future governor Kinky, KGSR’s Jody Denberg, and noodley music guru Bela Fleck. Our readers call it the “Best Comic/Zine” in town.
Best TV Reporter
Quita Culpepper’s poise and professionalism shine through on the three days a week she reports and the Weekend Daybreak program she hosts. Her stories on Austin volunteerism and evacuee services during the 2005 hurricane season transcended the usual human-interest reporting to show us the very human side of Katrina’s aftermath. We are proud to say…
Best Pool Tables
Buffalo Billiards isn’t just a pool hall trying to recall Texas’ Wild West past; it’s housed in a building that helped create it. Built in 1861, the Missouri House (as it was known then) was rumored to be a brothel. Almost a century and a half later, Buffalo’s stage offers some of the best guitar-laden…
Best Nonprofit Group
While we can’t trust our current state government to do anything about schools, at least we can count on Texas Freedom Network, a white knight in these dark and dangerous times for education in the state. At the same time the state has been wasting time failing to solve school funding, it has managed to…
Best Hair Salon
Avant again! With three locations to whip you into shape, Avant has the city covered, cut, and colored. Racking up “Best of Austin” awards for as long as anyone can remember, Avant loves what they do: extensive consultations, rejuvenating scalp massages, shampoos, conditioning rinses using Aveda products, and complimentary bang or nape trims, plus color…
Best Veterinarian
What do our readers like best about Brykerwoods Veterinary Clinic? Is it the friendly and knowledgeable staff, the delightful neighborhood setting, the excellent service, the community and animal outreach? Nope. Well, yes … of course, all those things. But more importantly, the peace of mind knowing that they will love your pets just as much…
Best New Boutique
The hippest coeds on the block know that the hottest clothes at the coolest prices are at Flirt. Being trendy can be very expensive, and Flirt understands that not everything has to be “investment clothing.” They offer an ever-changing selection of tops, jeans, dresses, and skirts combined with the shoes, bags, jackets, and jewelry. All…
Best Throwback on the Street
Truth be told, we don’t know much about the old Rio Rita on East Sixth, except that it was once an orquesta haven back in the day (1950s) and that sometime in the early Seventies someone erected this wondrous bit of commercial psychedelia, which we are darn glad no one has taken down since. Back…
Sexiest Nonprofit Fundraiser
Sex and art. Inseperable since time immemorial. And there’s no better place to see them co-mingle than the annual ArtErotica Ball. Hosted in February by the Octopus Club, which raises and distributes money to various AIDS-related charities, ArtErotica mixes hundreds of pieces of erotic art with hundreds of erotic beauties of all persuasions. Toss in…
Best Biscotti That’s Not a Biscotti
Triple Chocolate Almond. Oh, the anticipation. The delicate snap of the bag top. That fresh-baked-good aroma. Chocolate-chocolate-chocolate almond. Slide one out of the bag. The toasted almonds keep your fingers from getting coated with the underlying layer of chocolate that warms to your touch. That first bite: true love. Pavlos Zarkos’ Triple Chocolate Almond Paximadi…
Best Way to Sober Up Before Going Home to the Missus/Mister
It’s three in the morning. Your nerves are frazzled as your drunken friends have discovered the Broadway tunes on your iPod and are rocking out to Kristen Chenowith in Wicked. The neon sign of Katz’s comes into view. Suddenly, your disturbing fantasies of crashing into oncoming traffic are replaced by the image of strawberry cheesy-ness.…
Best Open Arms
Not that Austin is ever at a loss to offer a helping hand, but when the hurricanes hit, this town rallied like never before. Not only did the capital city open its arms to thousands of Katrina (and later, Rita) evacuees, the benefits began to rock & roll into action. The biggest and most star-studded,…
Best Home Pet Grooming
The affable Barbette Ellis, whose Exmoor Pet Care Services has cared for local pets over the last 20-plus years, stumbled across this oddly brilliant business model. “We set up the mobile grooming van to help the pets of seniors at assisted living centers, because they couldn’t come to us,” she says. “Soon we were being…
Best Antique Shopping
Is it midcentury modern you’re looking for? Forties clothes? Turn-of-the-century repros? Victorian ephemera? You’ll find it all at this old roller skating rink lined with stall after stall of housewares, clothing, jewelry, and furniture of every description. Noted across the region as an important destination on the antiques trail, the Austin Antique Mall is ground…
Best Kid-Friendly Rehearsal Complex
Every summer, Sonny, Taylor, Mike, and the staff of the Music Lab on Oltorf Street gird themselves for the annual invasion of kids with guitars. Since giving a home to Michele Murphy’s Natural Ear Music Camp four years ago, Music Lab has afforded dozens upon dozens of aspiring adolescent rock stars the opportunity to rub…
Best Insider Tipsheet
If you have a serious need to stay in touch with city politics, Jo Clifton and her busy-bee staff at this online newsletter can’t be beat. With yearly subscriptions starting at $399 for government officials and employees and going up from there, it’s not for the casual gadfly, but with reports on seemingly every single…
Best Place to Film a Horror Movie
Decker Creek was dammed in the late Sixties to form Walter E. Long Lake. Acres of East Austin green space and this public lake are surrounded by barbed-wire fencing, preventing escaped convicts from the nearby Austin Jail from taking a little leafy refuge. The city of Austin Web site reports: “Walter E. Long Lake is…
Best Store to Find a New Wardrobe for Under $10
Going thrifting is a full-body contact sport at the “Blue Hangar.” It’s the last stop before the River Styx (i.e., trash compactor) for all those Goodwill goodies that never got bought. Burly workers use hydraulic lifts to dump wooden crates of merchandise onto flat tables a block long. Shoppers must stand behind lines painted on…
To Your Health
Is it true that drinking a lot of liquid with meals dilutes the enzymes needed for digestion?
Best Karaoke
Much to the chagrin of music snobs everywhere, the so-called “fad” that washed upon these shores more than a decade ago is still singing its heart out (if a bit off key). A phenom once exclusive to Japan, karaoke is now part of the American office party underbelly with mainstream counterparts in the forms of…
Best Hotel
Clean lines: the epitome of style. With its mix of history and culture, neighborhood and privacy, what used to be a run-down motorcourt has evolved into one of the nation’s hottest, hippest hotel havens. Owner Liz Lambert had a vison, enlisted design firm Lake/Flato, and went for it. Is it a coincidence that we’ve now…
Best Local Filmmaker
The award-winning director was born and raised in San Antonio, but was claimed by Austin as our own since the early Nineties when he made a big splash at UT. His first movie, El Mariachi, had a worldwide theatrical release and became the lowest-budget movie ever released by a major studio. Since then, he has…
Best Cheap Meal
One step into local chain Zen brings a sense of calm. Credit the elegant midcentury/Japanese modern decor. Then there’s the delightful waft of delicious meats searing on the grill mixed with piquant aromas of various sauces and seasonings. But what really brings the heart home (aside from their full line of heart-healthy menu options) is…
Best Party Place
In a time brimming with electronic kiddie palaces and manmade pleasure parks, it is refreshing to award a local nature spot Best Kids Party Place. For more than 50 years the Depwe Family has privately held and operated this inviting park featuring covered and open picnic tables, grills, a volleyball court, fishing and swimming areas,…
Best Local Non-‘Chronicle’ Publication
The motto of the TT is “What are you laughing at?” And they hope it’s something they wrote. Sometimes it is. A staff of budding journalism students, activists, and nut jobs offers plenty to mull: roommate orgasms, the “Poorly Kerned Issue,” and even fake ads for “Fourier Transforms: Functions in Discrete.” (Don’t ask us, we…
Best Weatherperson
We were shocked when KXAN’s Jim Spencer grew a goatee this summer because we’re used to his delivering the weather exactly the same, every day – in fact we depend on him to do it the same way all the time. But the goatee proved that still waters run deep, and we realized that this…
Best Sport
Central Texans are hip to what the rest of the world has known for a long time: Soccer is the best (arguably) and most popular (without question) sport on this planet. Beating out what many consider the pinnacle of Austin athletics (UT football) is a testament to the unwavering love its practitioners profess for this…
Best Scandal
“Best” attached to anything implies an endorsement, but let’s be clear that our readers don’t applaud the gerrymandering, the arm twisting, the money funneling, the felonious friends, etc., etc. They simply recognize that the exterminator’s antics are in a scandalous class by themselves.
Best Health Care
What would you call a medical practice with a dozen area offices and scores of doctors – from general pracs to internists to allergists and endocrinologists – that accepts a wide range of health plans as well as discount cards for cash-paying patients? A dream? Well, wake up, because its real, and its called the…
Best Antiques/Collectibles/Vintage
Technically, serendipitous discoveries aren’t something you can plan on making. That is unless you head to Uncommon Objects, where you might just find the exact thing you didn’t know you were looking for. Though the store won’t win any awards for organization, exploring its many nooks makes the shopping experience an adventure. One-of-a-kind curios are…
Best New Car Dealership
In the market for a utility vehicle that is actually fuel efficient? Perhaps you’ve got your eye on a new gas/electric hybrid? Or maybe even a supersporty coupe? Look no further than Texas-friendly Howdy Honda. Since 1985, the folks at Howdy have been putting Austinites in the driver’s seat – and in the process have…
Best Urban Archeological Application
When archaeologists go out in the field, it typically means heading to remote, unpopulated locales. Sometimes, expected ruins are even uncovered in construction sites. But a busy urban parking lot? Yep, Mangia Pizza at 35th & Guadalupe was the site for this archaeological challenge: to restore the Mangiasaurus dinosaur statue that had sat atop the…
Best Club Candidate for an AARP Membership
Bobby “Blue” Bland. B.B. King. Chuck Berry. Aside from the blues, these three have a couple of other things in common. They’re all in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame … and they all got their start at the legendary Victory Grill. The Victory Grill is a place where time stopped, but the music…
Best Coffeehouse Trifecta
Our fair burg sports its share of good politics, great nosh, and stylish environs, but few dare to dream of the hat trick upstarts Joshua and Sarah Bingaman of Progress Coffee have pulled off: the harmonic convergence of all three. Located in a developing area but conscientiously occupying a revamped warehouse rather than gobbling up…
Food Mascot Most Likely to Put the Hurt on “That Red-Headed Clown”
Papa J. better run for the hills. The Colonel is about to be discharged. And the clown prince of pseudo-burgers isn’t going to be laughing much longer. With an air of Marlon Brando in Viva Zapata!, El Patrón doesn’t need twin pistolas. No, his weapons are far more fearsome in the franchise wars: low prices…
Best Rock the Goat
We abound in hometown heroes: Lance, Willie, Ann, Molly, W.C., Earl. The latest addition to the pantheon is Nik the Goat, heir to the throne previously occupied by Dopey (also of the Capra persuasion). Nik’s status rose from favored neighbor to local legend when city officials (aka the Man) found him in violation of city…
Best Low-Income Medical Assistance
With the ER being an often staggeringly expensive and more often overcrowded source of primary medical care, Project Access, a program offered by the Travis County Medical Society Foundation, provides qualified, uninsured applicants with a network of service-providers who can offer desperately needed medical assistance and prescription help. Caring and attentive, these folks may help…
Best Art Wear for the Creative Dresser
Who said “mature” means “old and frumpy?” Not the owners of Wardrobe, who understand that the well-dressed woman may not wish to look like her teenaged daughter. Offering carefully selected and very unusual pieces of clothing, jewelry, and accessories, Wardrobe is also the in-town outpost for Vën Shoe Salon.
Best Orthodontists for Kids
We’ve toured the offices of enough orthodontists with their get-’em-in, move-’em-out office efficiencies, assembly-line rows of teen-sized dentist chairs, their branch offices and promotional T-shirts (the cha-ching of the cash register for this big-ticket expense always faintly audible) to know that Dr. Salome is in a class by himself. An academic who teaches as well…
Best Katrina Convention Center Hookup
“You will need to be patient and a good listener. Sometimes the good listener part is the most important part of this work…” So began the job description for Austin Free-Net’s call up to good citizens to come help offer our Katrina guests a virtual hookup with the outside world … with their families, with…
Best Place to Learn Tree Species
Admittedly, distinguishing tree species is a pastime of the elderly. But that’s no excuse: You need to know your trees, slacker, and Father Time ain’t waitin’. Fortunately for you, the Capitol Grounds, with their 27 different varieties of trees, can clear up any identification confusion. It’s safe to say that you will be impressing your…
Best Locally Produced Food Product
Ask any nursing mom about her experiences with whipping out a boob in public, and she’ll regale you with tales of everything from dirty looks to directives to cover up her dirty pillows, even though the health benefits for both baby and mama are immeasurable, not to mention the bond that breastfeeding instills between parent…
The Common Law
Child support – who’s the dad?
Best Live (Club/Party) DJ
A taste of São Paulo for the late-night ravers, DJ Tarek keeps it going until the cops show up. And even after they do. Resident DJ every Saturday night at Barcelona, he keeps it underground but flaming hot. Bringing a hint of Brazilian flair to Austin, his set is a bilingual exploration of break beats,…
Best Indoor Public Space
It waters its own plants with the condensation from air conditioners; it powers itself with a fabulously futuristic awning over an outdoor amphitheater; it’s fully wired with free public Wi-Fi; and not only that, it looks cool. Dang right it’s the best new building, indoors and out. A civic prototype for the new milennium, our…
Best Museum
Modern giants like Annie Leibovitz and Andy Goldsworthy, this quarter alone, are fine examples of the caliber of internationally renowned art that this group of two museums has brought to our town. AMOA–Downtown and AMOA–Laguna Gloria are truly attentive to what makes Austin unique, with a focus fine-tuned to contemporary horizon-expanding American art. The current…
Best Coffee/Tea Selection
Why are coffee and tea names so much fun to say? Try not to order a Guatemalan blend in a saucy accent. Or English breakfast without using an upturned nose or haughty tone. Café au lait and yerba matte invite their own interpretations. Regardless of where beverage nomenclature will take you, Little City’s offerings will…
Best Place to Commune With Nature
All aboard! Grab some cotton candy and take a seat, the Zilker Zephyr will take the kids on a whirlwind (very low-speed) ride around the park. The children’s train is only one of the many reasons why kids love this park like no other. There are always enough swings, three playgrounds, and even a fire-truck…
Best Local TV News
It’s no surprise, really, that readers say KVUE is tops in local TV news – sportsman Michael Barnes, meteorologist Mark Murray, and reporter Quita Culpepper have each earned their own BOA acclaim. Put ’em all together – along with other station faves, like 2005 Texas Press Association Best Anchor Christine Haas – and whaddaya get?…
Best Basketball Court
With its close proximity to Enfield Pool and fashionable maroon and green pavement, Enfield basketball court stands ready for a pick-up game of shirts vs. skins. Temperatures in Austin being what they are, it is more likely to inspire a game of skins vs. skins. Losers have to wait ’til all the winners are in…
Best Swimming Hole
Even those who suffer from a crippling fear of cold water somehow manage to overcome the chill-o-phobia long enough to take a refreshing plunge into Austin’s favorite freaky-cold swimming hole. Kept at a constant 68 degrees courtesy of Mother Nature and some bubbling goodness down below, Barton Springs continues to be Austin’s respite from the…
Best Scenester/Mover & Shaker
Clad in a yellow (or Pepto-pink … or lime green …) G-string, Leslie and his patented high-heeled saunter bring Rod Stewart’s “Hot Legs” to mind. But not only does Leslie make the scene, his unflinching mayoral campaign attempts and frequent police protests make everybody’s favorite wo/man on the street our town’s main mover and shaker…
Best House Painter
Since last year’s win in this same category, RedStart has gone big time. Local musician/artists Michelle Marchesseault and Rachael Shannon (both regular fixtures in Austin’s H2Hos synchronized swim troupe) still offer the classic antique glazed finishes and murals clients love, plus their signature Op art pop art evidenced by their eye-popping work at Viva, BettySport,…
Best Clothing
To which George are they referring? The Curious one? The one of the Jungle? Well, if you’re trying to civilize any man, taking him on a quick hunt to this boutique’s oft-overlooked men’s side for the wide range of European, American, and Japanese high-end fashion should probably be your first stop. As for the women’s…
Best Pet Store
This beloved locally owned pet store in North Central Austin celebrates its 50th birthday this year! Their neat trick is not to roll over and play dead in the face of super pet markets but to specialize in personal service, specialty products such as natural flea control, and a select, well-stocked inventory. Our little darling…
Most Affable Postmortem Greeting
Dusk. Winter. Starting to rain, and what luck! You’re waiting for the No. 37 bus as cars hurtle by above on the upper deck, and (luckier still!) right here on the ground, at alarming proximity to your book bag. Headlights blink on as night falls and rain begins in earnest, and checking south again for…
Best Excuse to Get Really, Really Sweaty
Sweat pours down your face and flies from your limbs. Bodies move to the beat in unconscious rhythm. The brilliant mix of colors and people grind in unison. The dance floor is so packed strangers are bumping into your backside … On purpose? Who knows? At this point, who cares? Hip-Hop Night at Nasty’s: The…
Best Dill Pickle Snow Cone
Where does the desperate pregnant woman crazed by her inexplicable craving for bizarre treats go for an easy fix? How about La Paletera, the recently arrived from San Antonio frozen dessert emporium that has outlets popping up all over the place? It offers a wide array of paleta and snow cone flavors to satiate even…
Best Event to Take the Kids and Get a Beer
Looking for a way to get your hops and live-music fix while also giving the kiddos ample opportunity to burn off that excess energy before bedtime? Look no further than Jovita’s on the first and last Sunday of each month. That’s when Pop Stars: Dads Who Rock take the stage, affording hipster parents the opportunity…
Best Senator Emeritus
Last month, after 30 years of official public service, 20 in the state Senate, Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos announced he will not seek another term and will step down at the end of 2006, to pursue other opportunities – and to continue to work for Texans. It’s been a long and distinguished run, and it’s not…
Best Mammogram Technician
We’ve gotta take our hats off to someone who can turn an anxiety-freighted, not-all-that-pleasant – if necessary – medical screening into an experience that’s, well, not so unsettling or scary. Takes a special kind of person to pull this off.
Best Big Sleep on the Cheap
Cruising north up the I-35 feeder, it’s impossible to miss – a banner headline adorning a former tattoo parlor, reading “Affordable Caskets” in foot-high font. Despite the implict strangeness, it’s the store’s matter-of-fact approach that’s made Collier’s Affordable Caskets a success since 1997. While we were sad to see the hand-painted sign of the cutest-lil’-casket…
Best Outside-the-Box Public School Philosophies
If your memories of high school involve something along the lines of Ben Stein intoning, “Bueller … Bueller …” into a slack-jawed vacuum, you’ll probably agree that most high schools could use an overhaul. Enter high school redesign, Austin ISD’s effort to make its high schools more relevant to real life – the basic idea…
Best Lovable Losers
We let you down, Austin Music Network. After enjoying 11 years of your faithful service, we let a true light on Austin television go dim. After more than a decade’s struggle through the morass of dumbfounding city and telecommunications hoo-haw, you muddled through, always presenting quirky, offbeat visuals to accompany the soundtrack to Austin life.…
Best Scenic Drive
If we’re going to be stuck in traffic for a few hours, we’d rather be stuck on Loop 360 than any other road. Circling around town, the road runs through white cliffs, awe-inspiring hills and valleys, and over Lake Austin on the landmark Pennybacker Bridge. It may be just on the edge of the city,…
Best of Austin 2005
Relief DATELINE: KATRINA: As the Gulf Coast gasped and clawed through the deluge of civil ineptitude and natural wrath, we watched in unrealtime, safe and landlocked; a pall of helplessness our tenuous buoy. The blue glow of the screen and the online feed from WWOZ-in-Exile from New Orleans is pretty much all I remember now…
Day Trips
Some ‘Day Trips’ highlights
The Gospel
An R&B singer rediscovers his roots in this faith-based drama that successfully captures the ecstatic experience of gospel performance.
Best Live Music Venue
You can’t have Austin without Stubb’s. Wafts of their special sauce simmer the backyard air electrified by the crowds: eager, poised on the hill, and ready to rock. The sound is almost as dope as the atmos (almost), with acoustics surprisingly on-point for an outdoor venue of this size. Stubb’s hosts just about any genre:…
Best Lobby/Waiting Room
Opened in 1886 to rival the great hotel showpieces of San Francisco and New York, the Driskill is as storied as it is opulent. The lobby welcomes patrons with classic marble whites and leather browns, as soft light drifts from the chandeliers above. Never let it be said, however, that the Driskill is not of…
Best Painter/Sculptor
Paul Gauguin once stated that “art is either plagiarism or revolution.” With respect to Gauguin, there are the rare artists that are a combination of the two. Seamlessly blending Renaissance figurative paintings with Magritte-like contextualization or postmodern reimagination, Julie Speed’s works are groundbreaking … except that Ms. Speed is breaking ground with the techniques of…
Best Desserts
They may have remodeled, but the dessert menu here is still a heavenly monster of more than a dozen confections. This is impressive considering that all of their goodies, from the Lemon Rosemary Cake to the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake, are made in-house by the pastry chef and are available every day. Give them 48…
Best Recreation Center
Whether you’re looking for an afternoon family treat or a retreat from a family afternoon, YMCA has a few options of which you should be aware: day care services and monthly programs designed to give parents a weekend night without the kids, as well as plenty of activities and programs the entire family can enjoy…
Best Local Web site – Information
One niche? One degree? Austin360 covers 360 and then some. Traffic, weather, help wanteds, restaurant reviews, breaking headlines, hot concerts, not-so-hot concerts; there’s even a place to sell all your valuables. So much information, so little time. Good thing it’s online. Quick, smart, and convenient: a fine tool for anyone wanting to get to know…
Best Bike Ride
Just look at all our Hike and Bike Trail offers: drinking fountains every mile, breeze off the river, meeting place with refreshments provided by RunTex, showers, central location, safe and populated trail, and don’t forget the view of kayak water polo. It’s the Tour de Austin. Just watch out for the joggers; you don’t actually…
Best Swimming Pool
Tourmaline waters, shimmering trees, all the ecstatic toddlers and tatooed alternaparents you could possible desire to see in their skivvies! This is Deep Eddy, the hidden Jewel of aquiferial runoff tucked alongside Lake Austin Boulevard. It is one-fourth the size of Barton Springs, with a silky concrete bottom and a view of Lake Austin over…
Best State Legislator
We knew politics could get hot, but we never knew it could be this hot. Mark Strama: HOT (wink, wink). Yes, we know there is more to consider, such as: his unseating of Republican incumbent Jack Stick; his involvements with initiatives “Rock the Vote” and KidsVoting USA; not to mention his founding the first company…
Best Landscaper
Let’s face it: Texas summers are downright unfriendly to our lawns. When the grass resembles the “uncut hair of graves,” our readers call Crazy Aaron, who will not only tame the yard for a reasonable price but throw in a free hug for good measure. For a more elegant view from the patio, our readers…
Best Comic Books
There are some amazing comic book stores in Austin. Dragon’s Lair has an unbeatable selection of gaming, and Funny Papers has some incredibly quirky choices. But Austin Books isn’t a comic book store; it’s a comic book Mecca. The staff recommendations are more insightful than a wizard’s, and the back issues are as impressive as…
Best Shoe Selection
At first glance, Nordstrom’s sprawling shoe department overwhelms, but in a matter of seconds, you’ll be flitting from pair to pair with boundless joy and scholarly intent. More than just a shoe store, Nordstrom catalogs seasonal shoe history with fantastic sales to mark the end of eras and display pedestals to showcase the year’s newest…
Most Likely Place to See the Bat Signal
The next foggy night you find yourself wandering the warehouse district, turn your head to the Frost Tower. It’s pretty easy to picture the bat signal blaring over the four pincerlike pillars. Besides, we already have our Joker (Hola, Mofo!), Two-Face (DeLay), and Superman (Mssr. Tour de France). Clearly, we need a Batman. Or Catwoman,…
Best Harmonious Convergence
Where do we begin? This is the movement that inspired the theme of this year’s “Best of Austin.” As Katrina evacuees headed for Central Texas, our city sprang to action. Folks of all stripes pulled together to carry out one of this town’s greatest ever human relief efforts. Our local music community was at the…
Best Fried Yams & Queso
Take your out-of-towner for a real taste of South Austin. If you’re traveling east on Oltorf, the Texicalli can be easy to miss; once you find it though, don’t miss their “Yam Good Fries.” These mouthwatering fried yams are covered with queso and can be served with or without “Tex Mix,” a mixture of pickled…
Best Filmmaking Book for Teens and Beyond
Leave it to Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols, two St. Stephen’s faculty-guys teaching teens here in the filmmaking epicenter we call the Third Coast to write the definitive how-to book for Linklater and Rodriguez wannabes. This book does about the best job we’ve seen of reverse-engineering the filmmaking process from the first “a-ha!” of inspiration…
Best Show of Bipartisanship
What a difference a biennium makes. In 2003, Republican House members marched in robotic lockstep with the GOP leadership on everything from congressional redistricting to ideological zaniness. In 2005 we saw a new day with a fair number of moderates splitting from their über-conservative brethren on education issues. Seems not all Republicans agree with the…
Best New Outpost in the Fight Against Animal Euthanasia
Hey, Austin! We’re killing more than 10,000 animals a year at Town Lake Animal Center. You know why? Because a whole lot of y’all don’t spay and neuter your animals. Bad, bad pet owners! No treat! And now, there’s one less excuse not to snip your fluffy friends: The cheap spay/neuter clinic EmanciPet just opened…
Best Compost Tea
Sledd Nursery – an Austin original for nearly 27 years – has introduced another Austin original: Live Tea. This totally organic and sustainable compost tea is a blend of ingredients aerobically brewed to provide nourishment for all kinds of green, living things – Sledd’s roses thrive on them. We can’t even begin to list the…
Best Place to Find Fossil Sea Urchins
Once upon a time, the Edward’s Plateau was the seashore. Next to that seashore, in those prehistoric tide pools and on those ancient shallow sea floors, an infinite number of sea critters thrived and died. Nowadays the best place in Austin to find urchin exoskeletons is just west of Loop 360 on City Park Road…
Best Netflix-like Service for the Politically Minded
Roiled that Hollywood Video’s out of Noam Chomsky’s latest lecture? Blockbuster a tad light on 9/11 investigations? Well, while these may or may not be legitimate options, Liberation Video delivers edgy and informative, left-of-center political programming directly to your doorstep. Created by local entrepreneur Michael Polachek, Liberation offers subscribers dozens of titles listed on the…
Best Secular Shrine
Favorite Son Lance Armstrong has gotten plenty of local kudos (and why not?), but the folks at 24-Hour Fitness (Hancock Center) have spared no expense or emotion in establishing the sanctuary of the First Church of Lance, Cyclist. There’s an enormous LiveStrong bracelet over the reception desk; a Lance Honor Wall (from baby pictures to…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Leather Tuscadero, Don Shula, and Alan Shepard in a wet space suit
Occupation: Dreamland
In this amazingly candid documentary, soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division talk about their lives and their mission in Fallujah, Iraq, in early 2004, just weeks before the full strength of the Sunni insurgency becomes apparent.
Best Local Music Label
The blues ain’t dead, baby. No sir. You can hear the pulse from here. Some genres wait for the scene to come around. Others create it and take the rest of the world by storm. You know the name: Antone’s, an Austin dynasty. You’ve seen the store, hocking vinyl and CDs by the bushel. You…
Best Motel
Most South Congress newbies giggle at the sight of the Austin Motel’s – um – shapely neon sign. In the marquee’s words, the landmark has been “Corporate Free Since 1938,” evident in the range of decor across its 41 rooms. The hipster in us loves the minimalistic 115, turquoise and yellow, Saltillo-tiled, and adjacent to…
Best Stand-Up Comic
Kerry Awn is a legend in the Austin comedy scene, making us laugh since … well, practically the Stone Age as one of the original Uranium Savages. For the two people left in Austin who don’t know him, he’s the guy behind the Velveeta Room’s cheesy institution Ronnie Velveeta. Last year’s BoA winner for Best…
Best Gourmet/Specialty Grocery
Never, under any circumstances, shop for groceries at Whole Foods hungry. The strangest combination of random items – like avocado and orange juice salsa, fresh halibut, and a loaf of ciabatta – will seemingly jump into your cart. Instead, take a few minutes to fill your belly at the massive salad bar, then shop.
Best Restaurant
We are so jealous when other parents’ kids take them to EZ’s. It’s totally the cool place to go. Pleeease, can we go? They have, like, the best milkshakes and cutest little pizzas, and all our friends will be there! The atmosphere at EZ’s, with retro booths and black-and-white tiles, is laid-back and fun –…
Best Local Website – Entertainment
Aw, shucks! You like us … you really like us! And that’s a tall honor. We will burn the midnight HTML to keep you armed with the very latest and greatest on what’s what in A-Town, on everything from government scandals to the very yummiest burgers in town. We love you, too, and will strive…
Best Bowling Alley
We know Austin has great food … but at a bowling alley? Isn’t that the place you order warm beer and stale pretzels? But no, Dart Bowl has to have veal cutlets, grilled ham, and the nearby Dart Bowl Steakhouse. What’s next? Champagne bowling brunches? Um … actually, it might be time to join a…
Best Tennis Court
The official Austin Chronicle barometer for determining tennis court cachet is gauged by how much admiration we get for performing our interpretation of Monica Seles-style grunts as we execute our John Cleese-style moves. Unfortunately, due to its great location, numerous separate courts, and a staff accustomed to catering to serious practitioners of the sport, the…
Best Unsung Community Hero(es)
To the first grade teacher who taught us how to read and add … to the sixth grade teacher who brought in Peace Corps volunteers and inspired us to change the world … to the high school teachers who cared enough to call our parents when we skipped class … to all the overworked, underpaid…
Best Laundromat
Ecomat is the activist of Austin laundromats. Their energy-saving machines give other laundromats the same spin the Prius did for the SUV, and the fact that they have eliminated toxic chemicals in their dry cleaning process gives Ralph Nader-ites an ecologically sound way to keep their white suits clean during soapbox speeches. Plus, hanging out…
Best Computer Store
Emerge from your Luddian Dark Ages into this beeping and blinking wonderland of memory chips, PDAs, hard drives, notebooks, and more. If you get lost and hungry, head for the generously stocked cafe for a sandwich and a latte. They also offer a new ISP dial-up service with free Web mail for $9.88 a month.…
Best Thrift Store
In a town bursting at the seems with thrift stores and secondhand shops, the fine folks at Goodwill hold a special place in our readers’ hearts. Whether shopping for Halloween or that upcoming job interview, Goodwill has got the threads you need at a price that is practically criminal.
Best Art Icon
That Randy J. Turner, better known as Biscuit, died before he could see himself on the Chronicle cover was a shock to his many friends and fans. His untimely death from Hepatitis C left the music and art community reeling from the loss. As lead singer for the Big Boys, Biscuit melded funk with punk…
Best In-Store Parties
Clothes … sound … vibe … guest list!!! It must be an awesome party when rock stars like the Faint get turned away because the place is at capacity. With an upstairs deck overlooking downtown and free-flowing Red Stripe, FactoryPeople has thrown parties to support charities like the SIMS Foundation, Arthouse, and GENaustin. Seeing stars…
Best Green Light in a Red Light District
Go Go Gourmet owners Tristan Callaway and Craig Long make no bones about the raciness of its location – between Dreamers and the Crazy Lady on I-35 – but they’re in the business of providing a more wholesome adult pleasure: the sating of the sophisticated palate. Go Go offers a rotation of portable-but-complex entrees –…
Best Advice to Texas Voters
Run for your lives! With global terrorism limping behind as a far-distant second, the insidious spectre of gay marriage is here to destroy your family, ruin your neighborhood, and turn you queer in the process – or so would the cynical, grandstanding legislators that penned HJR 6 have you believe. The resolution prohibiting both same-sex…
Best Use of Recycled Material
The highly marketable “One Tough Grandma” campaign slogan worked so well for Carole Keeton Strayhorn in her 2002 bid for state comptroller, she’s taking the catchphrase out for another spin – this time in her candidacy for governor.
Best Place to Clean Your Bones… and Your Ride
Driving down East 11th Street, you may pass the three car ports sitting quietly on the side. Don’t. Pull on into Car Nu, and you’ll be greeted by two or three of the most pleasant elderly gentlemen you’ll ever meet. And they will stop what they’re doing, which, more than likely, is playing dominoes, and…
Best Fresh Addition to South Austin
Locally grown fruits and vegetables came to South Austin last spring when the Westlake Farmers Market moved to the Tony Burger Center and became Sunset Valley Farmers Market, and it’s been good eating ever since. When the popular market moved from the west side to the northwest corner of the AISD facility at US 290…
Best Place to Remember It Takes a Village
Not to overlook the perfectly blended espresso drinks, outta-sight breakfast pie (a tasty, herby quiche/frittata kind of thing), the always intriguing artwork, or the equally fascinating adult conversation, but Dandelion Cafe was made with kids in mind. Stylish but practical concrete floors, neatly packaged helpings of Cheerios and goldfish crackers at the counter, and a…
Best Networking List
Want to become a socialite? Dying to find out about philanthropic balls? Holly’s Hot Happenings weekly e-mails and Web site provide the skinny on what Austin’s elite are doing, as well as events for the rest of us. It is a great resource for those who are new in town or for sixth generation Austinites,…
Best Soccer Shop With the Cutest Employees
Soccer USA on South Lamar is just about the best place in town to get your fútbol fix of socks, shorts, cleats, and some serious shin guards. It’s a one-stop shop for all your soccer needs, including advance tickets to local and touring games and local team merch and branded gear. They even have everything…
Soccer Watch
It’s a big week for the Lady Longhorns, and more news from around the world
Domino
Attention-deficit filmmaking reaches a new pinnacle in Tony Scott’s hyperstylized portrait of a bounty hunter as an iconic bad girl.
Best Lounge
The bartenders are hot (especially that tiny ball of assmaster energy, mulleted and rough enough to scare the boys – you know who you are). The drinks are boozey if you know someone, and the lines are usually packed enough that the Darwinian grab is generally offset by a chance for a friendly chat. Throw…
Best New Building (Past Five Years)
It waters its own plants with the condensation from air conditioners; it powers itself with a fabulously futuristic awning over an outdoor amphitheatre; it’s fully wired with free public Wi-Fi; and not only that, it looks cool. Dang right it’s the best new building, indoors and out. A civic prototype for the new millennium, our…
Best Theatre Director
In a year that ran the gamut from canine capers to Ghengis Khan to Greek gore to Victorian goth to NPR, Neulander wowed Chronicle readers with his seemingly inexhaustable ability to surprise. And thrill. And horrify. And amuse. And intrigue.
Best Local Food Company
Talk about knowing good food. Our readers know that White Mountain’s locally produced food line is perfect for the active, progressive lifestyle. Faves include tofu salads and dips, wheat roast “fajitas” and barbecue, veggie tamales, fresh yogurt cheeses, and the ever-famous Bulgarian-style yogurt. (You have to try it! It’s amazing!) This natural food empire is…
Best Shoes
Nordstrom began as a shoe store a very long time ago in a faraway land called Seattle. Though it has expanded over the years across the country and now includes clothing, the store’s roots are quick to spot. The entire first floor is covered in shoes. And the best part? There are miniature versions for…
Best Locally Produced TV Show
This internationally renowned PBS concert series has been wowing audiences since 1976, making it the longest-running. The stars love to add their shine to the stage amidst the twinkle of the Austin skyline backdrop. Willy’s been there (including his pilot performance so many years ago), Lyle’s sold it out, and budding supernovas consider it the…
Best Community Garden
Wildlife scatters across the paths as wildflowers soar from the earth in vibrant, organized displays. Zilker features Zen gardens, historic dinosaur tracks (found in 1992), and even a stone path that leads right through the pond, evoking a powerful sensation of walking on water. This masterpiece is romantic in a most subtle way, with plenty…
Best View
Towering more than 700 feet above the city, Mount Bonnell was selected by our readers for its breathtaking views … which may have something to do with its also being chosen “Best Place to Smooch Outdoors.” Hike with your sweetie up the park’s 102 steps to enjoy the 360-degree vista. Marvel at the urban landmarks…
Best Visionary
Kinky Friedman wears many hats – but they all seem to be black Stetsons. A humorist, novelist, and columnist, the Kinkster kicked off his campaign (or anti-campaign) for Lone Star State governor this spring, running on platforms such as decent public education and the “de-wussification” of Texas. Considering that California and Minnesota elected the Governator…
Best Local Web Designer
Web site in need of a little spice? Groovee Fortune has more to offer than a cool name. With clientele like Texas Rollergirls, artist Heyd Fontenot, band the Action Is, and Legs Diamond shoe salon, Web mistress Beth Been is well-seasoned in the art of Austin flava. And, hey, if HTML is not your cup…
Best Convenience Store
Easily accessible from I-35, this South Austin jewel is already well-known for boasting the largest selection of beer in all of town. Patrons already familiar with this family-owned institution know that’s not all. On top of a ginormous wine galley they stock party supplies to accompany the above vices, from a variety of cigars, hard-to-find…
Best Used Car Dealership
Jim Ernst and his staff know what they are doing, winning this year for “Best Auto Service/Repair” as well. For years now loyal customers get the best of both worlds, a great price on a fabulous new-to-you used car (specializing in small imports) and an in-house repair shop to boot. What more could you ask…
Best Classical Music Education for the Masses
One of the most striking things about the Armstong Community Music School, located in the modernly elegant Austin Lyric Opera building on Barton Springs Road, is the diversity of its students. The school provides individual and group classes in voice, and a multitude of instruments and music appreciation for infants, adults, and everyone in between.…
Best Interactive Movie Night
Hosted by Henri Mazza, Videoke is like karaoke except it’s in a movie theatre, and you’re not singing but acting out scenes from movies. Now, it’s been said that first-timers should not participate (practice at www.videoke.org), but the night we went, two Videoke virgins won first place. That’s right, they have judges scoring performances and…
Best Grilled Peanut Butter & Jelly Money Can Buy
You lounge and read comic books while Mom sings in the kitchen and cooks your favorite fantasy food. That’s almost what you’ll get when you order a PB&J at Cafe Azul, the art-filled and friendly cafe on East Caesar Chavez. A PB&J on sourdough, buttered, then grilled golden brown. It’s light and soft, crunchy and…
Luv Doc Recommends: All Over the Map Hoot Night
Here’s the key to living a full, satisfying life: Take a lot of pictures. You may not be especially photogenic. You might wear a perpetual scowl like Janet Reno or have that Robert Blake I’m-hungover-and-I-just-shot-my-wife bedhead, but by and large with photographs you’ll come out looking pretty good. Besides, most people don’t even charge you…
