Shilla offers delicious beef and pork bulgogi, tabletop barbecuing for marinated ribs and the like, and whole broiled mackerel. Shilla also offers sushi that, while not exactly top-tier, is fresh and better than we expected.... [continue]

Photos from the Sock Monkey Nativity holiday display around the corner of 37th street taken by Brian Berzer.... [continue]

Yesterday the EarthLab Foundation announced its annual list of the top 10 greenest cities in America. Austin ranked 9th in this year's list. The list is compiled by sampling the one million plus users of the website's carbon and lifestyle calculator that has been featured in Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary The Eleventh Hour, at the 2007 Emmy Awards, and by Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection.... [continue]

Mighty Fine Burgers have set themselves up a branding punchline. At the risk of being obvious to the point of heavy-handed, we'll say that Mighty Fine Burgers is not so much mighty fine as somewhat passable.... [continue]

City Council Member Lee Leffingwell and the City of Austin seek resident and visitor input alike for a major City of Austin website redesign via the Austin Go survey. Up until January 4th, you can tell the gub'ment just how you'd like their new-fangled webhighwaytubes to assist you by filling out the online survey on such topics as how you use the City of Austin site, how you'd like to see it improved, and how you rate redesign areas such as navigation, timeliness and accuracy of the online information the city provides, and security of personal information.... [continue]

Photo by brookenovak on flickrThe Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) scientifically analyzed 100 metro areas for ranking in their "Most Challenging Places to Live with Fall Allergies" list. We're number 1! Before we pass out the foam fingers, let's discuss what went into this #1 ranking: pollen scores (airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores), the number of allergy medications used per patient, and the number of allergy specialists per patient all went into... [continue]

Image courtesy Keep Austin BeautifulThursday November 15th is Texas Recycles Day, a statewide campaign to raise awareness about recycling. There are a number of happenings across the state, but an Austin event worth mentioning is HEB's celebration. Local area HEBs are giving out 20,000 reusable grocery bags as well as encouraging customers to use the newish plastic bag recycling containers at the entrances of the stores for both grocery bags and other thin plastic recyclables...... [continue]

Original menu image courtesy the Frisco Shop With the Brentwood Tavern and the Travis County Farmer's Market both closing last month, the Allandale culinary scene is certainly undergoing some transition. The Austin Business Journal and the Statesman's Dale Rice report that the Frisco Shop (North Central Austin's haven of pie and artery-clogging comfort food) has found a new home and will not close its doors after learning last year that its location would soon house...... [continue]

Photo from the Casserole Queens WebsiteCasserole Queens (Home-delivery Comfort Food) Phone: (512) 905-6967 or (512) 905-6986 [Website] Casserole Queens, the brainchild of chef Sandy Pollock and business partner Crystal Oakes, is a casserole delivery outfit servicing south, central, and north Austin with hearty throw-back fare. Great for busy working families or anyone looking for a little bit of oven-y comfort food, the Casserole Queens fill a food delivery niche with a kicky, campy retro feel....... [continue]

Photo by Lex in the City on FlickrSouth south Austin (we're talking Brodie and 290 South) is home to big box stores and mega-outlets, so when we heard about a new chain restaurant going in called BJ's Brewhouse, we weren't exactly vibrating with excitement. But the thing is, the food is surprisingly good, and if you can ignore the Cheesecake Factory vibe and the Disney-fication of America (and that's a BIG if), you can enjoy...... [continue]

Brunch: the perfect weekend meal. You sleep in, roll out, and eat the best kinds of foods at a different and superior hour than the rest of the week. Anything that involves the illicit acts of consuming loads of carbohydrates and drinking firewater before noon while not at a sporting event has our votes. There are a number of places that one can find such a wondrous meal, ranging from holy-fuck-that's-expensive to the hey-sure-bring-your-dog. We've...... [continue]

Rebecca Robinson won't sit still. In addition to her day job, Robinson is also an award-winning actor, garnering recognition as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for the 2006-2007 B. Iden Payne Awards. Austinist asked Robinson some questions about The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas and her role as Executive Director of the Austin-based organization whose membership reads like a a who's who of heavy-hitters in the growing Texas culinary scene. How did...... [continue]

Hand food: it's almost as awesome as food on sticks, but boasts the added bonus of carbohydrates! Food that comes in its own container is perfect for busy Fall days at work and school. Austin offers some great options for sandwich-y goodness on the go, so jump in your preferred mode of transport and grab some grub that requires little else than a hungry stomach, and perhaps a napkin or three. Hog Island Italian Deli...... [continue]

Smarter than Tyler Florence and cuter than Mario Batali, the thinking foodie's older man crush — Anthony Bourdain — chatted with a sold out audience at the Paramount last Saturday. At once charming and challenging, cynical and optimistic about the state of food and travel, the audience was walked through "The World According to Tony Bourdain" for an hour an a half - and he didn't disappoint. Bourdain on stage is no different than his...... [continue]

One of Texas' most popular and oldest independent craft breweries — Saint Arnold Brewing Company — is hot off a gold medal win at the Great American Beer Festival. Judges at the annual festival in Denver awarded Fancy Lawnmower Beer the gold medal in the German Style Kölsch/Köln Style Kölsch category. This is the first gold medal win for Saint Arnold's. Lawnmower beers, for the uninitiated, are light, crisp, and ideal for hot weather drinking....... [continue]

The Hey Cupcake! trailer that used to call the campus area home is now on South Congress, in the parking lot across from Vespaio. At two bucks apiece, the palm-sized treats are made fresh and delivered to the trailer several times a day. The vanilla and chocolate cupcakes are good, but not transcendent — they're basically what you'd think of when conjuring up a basic sugary cupcake in your mind's eye, replete with day-glo...... [continue]

Last Thursday's Texas Conference for Women brought 7,500 folks to the Austin Convention Center for some estrogen-fueled networking and personal development. With panels on starting a small business and caring for children and elderly parents, the conference served its diverse demographic well. While we wished for a little more substance from some of the speakers and panelists — the keynote session featuring Nancy Giles and Elizabeth Vargas mined well-worn material to the point of blandness...... [continue]

If you're not headed to the real thing, there are quite a few Oktoberfest events around town this year. So, ready your stomach for schnitzel, brats, liters of beer, and old dudes in lederhosen and retire to one of the area's best pubs for some Austin-style Deutschamerikaner action. Gingerman 304 W 4th St. (512) 473-8801 [map] Eight Oktoberfest beers on draught throughout the month of October. Gingerman will be hosting an annual benefit for Blue...... [continue]

Local writer Spike Gillespie (along with a dozen of her closest friends) has been holding forth on the subject of wookin pa nub in all the wrong places. The Dick Monologues run once a month at Hyde Park Theater. When we walked in, there was a sea of women with tiny plastic cups of red wine. Any trepidation over being surrounded by that many sleeveless tops quickly dissipated as the raucously hilarious women (and...... [continue]

Primizie Osteria (Italian) Location: 1000 E. 11th St., Ste. 150 [map] Phone: (512) 472-9299 Cost: Entrees $9-11 Atmosphere: Casually urban decor, concrete floors, wine bar. Counter ordering. Food: The new Primizie Osteria serves simple but elegant Italian at good prices in a comfortable, casual setting in semi-gentrified East Austin. Eastside denizens are lucky to have such a place close by for a spur of the moment relaxed dinner or a to-go run for a...... [continue]