Did you hear that story in the New England Journal of Medicine this week that talked about how our own weight is significantly influenced by the weight of our closest friends? Well, our friends better watch out because we're likely to plump up in a hurry now that Stortini has come to town. Stortini is the newest restaurant in the El Chile family of eateries and it’s in the space on Manor Road where... [continue]

Hey all you vegetarians – you finally have that chance to fulfill your lifelong dream of winning a hotdog eating contest. (C'mon - you know you've always secretly wanted to.) Not only that, but you can gross out all the carnivores at the same time! (Those guys hate tofu.) Grease up your gullet and come on out to the Scoot Inn for the first ever Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest this Saturday, May 26,...... [continue]

Remember how much fun it was to play in the dirt when you were a kid? Well guess what? It’s still fun! Come out this Sunday to the Xterra Dirty Tri and see for yourself. This ain’t no pansy triathlon: this is an off-road extravaganza guaranteed to leave you exhilarated, fit, and totally filthy. Go for the Olympic distance (1500 meter swim, 14 mile mountain bike, and 10K trail run) or the sprint (750...... [continue]

We were excited to find out that we no longer have to rely on walking our dog by at night to see the inside of those cool old houses near Duval St. because this Saturday, they will be open to the public as part of the Heritage Society of Austin’s 15th Annual Homes Tour. This year’s theme is “Duval Street in the 20’s,” and six of those beauties will be part of a walking...... [continue]

If you have already failed and re-upped your New Year’s resolutions more times than you can count, take heart – tomorrow is another day (to fail). No, but seriously, we're fortunate to live in a town where there's a whole subculture of masochists who organize events around such activities as running, biking, swimming, and various combinations thereof. Looking for a torturous fun way to get outside and get your body moving? Then why not...... [continue]

Is your pet's wardrobe bigger than yours? Is your bed and your pet's bed one and the same? Does your pet get better healthcare than your kids? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you'll likely be wagging your tail when you hear that the latest location for California-based pet care franchise Fetch! will be opening its doors right here in (north) Austin. The fur-friendly business offers various services for your pampered pet,... [continue]

Or, if you prefer, swim, bike and then run like hell. The weather is finally cool down to double-digit temps, so it’s a great time to get out and give it all you've got at one of the many races going on this weekend. Arts Run 5K - Saturday, September 9 at 8:30 a.m. We're partial to this race, mostly because the T-shirts look so cool. And it’s all about the shirt, you know....... [continue]

...like a big pizza pie, that's Salvation. We're talkin' Salvation Pizza, folks and we say YUM! This new pizzeria quietly opened a few weeks ago at 624 W. 34th Street in the space that used to be Starlite restaurant. If you're hungry for pasta or anything other than pizza, you won't find it at Salvation. The only thing on the menu besides pizza is a mixed green salad. But that's the beauty of this... [continue]

We just got word that ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be doing a show in Austin and is currently in the process of searching for a local worthy family. To be honest, we've never seen that show except for tiny snippets at the end while we were waiting for Desperate Housewives to start. But from what we've seen, it appears that they give seriously kick-ass makeovers to the homes of really inspiring... [continue]

Sure, we also wanna have fun, but let’s face it – having fun is secondary to buying clothes. Or maybe it’s just that we consider buying clothes to be tremendously fun. Or something like that. Anyway, we’re super fired up about Big Red Sun’s upcoming All Female Citywide Clothes Swap which will be held Saturday, August 26th from 11am-5pm. Yeah, we know we already have way too many clothes. Yeah, we also know that...... [continue]

Or, better yet, high fashion and hard alcohol. You’ll find it all at the new Jo’s on 2nd Street this Saturday night (August 5). Stop by at 9 to grab a drink, listen to some tunes, and check out the unique and sure-to-be-popular silent auction items which will include: Night on The Town at Hotel San Jose, dinners for two, all kinds of bike related gear, parts, helmets, Discovery and other pro kits, National...... [continue]

Ever notice the dearth of options for gourmet grocery shopping in Austin? Yeah, um, we haven’t either. But still, we’re super excited about the newest purveyor of gastronomic delights – Cissi’s Urban Market (pronounced See-See’s). Cissi’s is fixin’ to open this fall in the space at 1400 South Congress (or just “1400” if that's how you roll). Not only will Cissi’s offer the fine and varied selection of meat, fish, wine, cheese and organic produce... [continue]

Most of us have a long weekend coming up. And we all know what that means – beer. And lots of it. But remember that the secret to life is balance. And even more importantly, nobody wants to have to see your big beer gut at Barton Springs. So go ahead and soak up the suds, but do us all a favor and burn it off at one of the many fun races going...... [continue]

We never felt engaged in the story, nor did we find any of the characters or their plights to be particularly believable, much less sympathetic.... [continue]

We mentioned before that we absolutely love Beck, but even setting our fan status aside, last Tuesday night's show at the Backyard was a quality performance and one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. ... [continue]

What they say about judging a book by its cover is true. Don’t do it! The late Wendy Wasserstein’s first and only novel, Elements of Style, has a pretty pink cover that looks like a neatly-wrapped gift and invites the viewer to tear into it with excited anticipation about the goodies inside. Only, what’s inside that pretty pink cover is shallow, overdone, contrived, and very disappointing. At least in our humble opinion. Elements of...... [continue]

Actually, at the risk of sounding crass, what we really need at this point is your money. You see, this Saturday, while you and your hedonistic friends are gallivanting around Eeyore’s Birthday Party, we’ll be slogging up hill after hill on our bike as part of the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. This annual event raises money to provide essential services to hundreds of people living with HIV/AIDS in Central Texas. As government funding for... [continue]

D’oh! Just when we were trying to figure out when we might be able to sneak in one last weekend of camping before the mercury rises to unbearable levels, not only has the mercury already risen to unbearable levels, but also the dang blasted burn ban has been implemented yet again as of today. Apparently, the recent hot temperatures and dry air have evaporated the moisture that allowed the ban to be lifted last... [continue]

Ever notice how dogs tend to look like their owners? Or is it the owners who look like their dogs? Decide for yourself this Saturday at the 8th Annual Mighty Texas Dog Walk . Leash up your pooch and head out to the Tony Burger Center to help this Austin event retain its Guinness Book of World Records status as the world’s largest dog walk (or something like that). This gigantic 3-mile canine constitutional...... [continue]

Yeah, we know he's a little wacky a la Tom Cruise, but we still adore Beck and his unpredictable blend of funk, rock, and pop. In fact, his recent album "Guero" is one of our favorites, ever. Seriously - ever. If you don't have it, rush out and get it now. Seriously - now. And if you heart Beck as much as we do, you'll want to know that he's coming to the Backyard... [continue]