Sources don't come much better than this: last night at the Paramount, Anthony Bourdain announced that his Travel Channel show "No Reservations" will film an Austin episode within the next 4-6 weeks. Speaking to a packed house along with good friend and decorated Le Bernadin chef Eric Ripert, Bourdain mentioned that the Austin segment of the "Heartland" episode from 2010 wasn't quite enough about Austin and that they'd made the decision to return this spring. One suspects that the filming will coincide with Bourdain's SXSW 2012 appearance on Tuesday, 3/13 for his "Digital Debauchery" panel (where his social media team will also appear.) So it appears that TV audiences may see Austin in the full throes of SXSW music and interactive party mayhem. more ›

February isn't traditionally a big month for Austin's food scene, but Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert aren't the only thing going this month for Austin's food nerds. In January, the culinary website StarChefs.com announced that their regional "Rising Star Awards" would be making a debut appearance in Austin in 2012 - each year, the site selects four metro areas and interviews and reviews a multitude of restaurants and chefs before making their top picks. more ›

Find out who, out of all 567 entries, stood out the most in this year's contest at the Winners’ Party tonight at BookPeople (losers also welcome). Stay to hear first, second and third place read their winning pieces; afterwards, shmooze with local literati and enjoy free snacks. more ›

If you’re wondering what to do with your Saturday night, why not make good on your New Year's resolution (the one that says: Read more, Facebook less) and get thee to a local bookstore. ZZ Packer makes an appearance at BookPeople tonight at 7 pm, thanks to American Short Fiction, where she'll be talking with writer Jacqueline Luckett about Luckett’s second novel, Passing Love more ›

What is wrong with kids these days? In Ben Marcus' new book The Flame Alphabet their words have become toxic to just about anyone who would utter such a question. The epidemic has spread across the country, and found it's way into the Upstate New York community of our narrator, Sam, through his 14 year-old daughter Ester. His wife Claire and he have become very ill over the past few weeks. Their daughter laughs at their frailty, off-put by how meek and quiet they are. more ›

Austinist poshed up our Sunday brunch with a visit to the Shoreline Grill, the location of Tribeza's Style Brunch + Designer Showcase. Benefiting Citizen Generation , attendees enjoyed a tasty spread including a personal favorites, sweet potato pancakes and bacon. We took our food outside to the patio, enjoying the semi-breeze and the view of Lady Bird Lake. After some mingling and mimosas, we made our way downstairs to check out offerings from local designers. more ›

Just in time for F/W 2012 (it's been in the cool 90's, lately) comes Austin-based arts and culture magazine, TRIBEZA's eighth annual Style Week. Dachis Group presents TRIBEZA Style Week No. 8, events begin this Thursday, September 22 and continue through Thursday, September 29. more ›

This is the kind of news that makes our tastebuds go “Holy Schnikes!” Barley Swine, the lovable restaurant that celebrates pork and beer above all, is fulfilling our dreams and hosting a beer dinner on Monday, May 2. Yes, that’s right. Beer. Dinner. Dinner, with beer. As if you needed more of a reason than that. more ›

It’s back! Austin Restaurant Week, that epic semi-annual event we all know and love, starts next week and is better than ever. Organizers are ramping it up with new additions like brunch, wine pairings, gluten-free options, the first annual Austin Restaurant Awards, and charitable donations to both Capital Area Food Bank and Meals on Wheels. More than 75 A-list restaurants are participating to please the most discerning palettes at hard to beat prices, with prix fixe three-course dinners ($25-$35), lunches ($10-$15), and brunches ($15-$20). more ›

This Sunday evening at Lustre Pearl, eleven of Austin's best drink slingers will shake, stir, mix and muddle their way toward world domination. The two bartenders with the most inventive concoctions in Sunday's competition will move on to the 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup regional finals in New York, with a chance to compete for the top prize in New Zealand. more ›

If you're the type who enjoys a little from Column A and a little from Column B... and C and D and so on, mark your calendar for the Taste of Austin, Thursday, January 27 at the Palmer Events Center. Every year, 50 or so restaurants and vendors participate, and your ticket price entitles you to samples from each and every one of them. more ›

Some foods are so important that they earn their own national day of recognition. (Surely you have plans to celebrate National Chocolate Cupcake Day on Monday, October 18, right?) Other items require more celebration than could possibly be contained in a 24-hour period. We can think of none more deserving than the world's third most popular beverage (just behind water and tea), and one of the building blocks of modern society: beer. October 24 - 30 is the first ever Austin Beer Week -- officially the hoppiest week of the year. more ›

You know how cookies are best fresh and gooey out of the oven, and towels are best warm and fluffy out of the dryer? Well, it should be no surprise that beer is best cold and frosty straight out of the tap at the brewery where it was lovingly crafted. This is definitely the case at Austin's own Live Oak Brewing Company. more ›

If you ever wanted to be in the Skull and Bones but your daddy wasn’t George H.W. Bush, or, better yet, if you wanted to be in the Illuminati but then realized that the Illuminati doesn’t actually exist, now is your chance to be a part of Austin’s very own elite society. It’s called the Oyster Club, and if you’re a member it means that you’ve finally arrived in life. It also means that you have $200.

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During the height of summer in Austin, a steak can sound like the culinary equivalent of a wool sweater -- way too heavy and guaranteed to make you uncomfortable. But with a distinct hint of fall now in the air, we're overjoyed to welcome the return of steak season. Celebrate by making your reservation for Steak Night at Hotel San Jose this Monday, September 20. more ›

The pub crawl has evolved. Drunken stumbles are fine and all, but man cannot survive on beer alone. That's why the food trailer crawl is the new "taco the town." more ›

No matter how old you are, at some point you've seen I Love Lucy and have longed for the chance to prance barefoot in a vat of grapes. This Saturday, August 28, Fall Creek Vineyard in Tow, Texas, kick off your shoes and get to squishing at the 21st Annual Grape Stomp and Harvest Festival. more ›

Who makes the best cupcakes in Austin? Determined to answer this question once and for all, Jennie Chen—the Austin food blogger behind Miso Hungry—organized a blind taste test last year: the original Cupcake Smackdown. The event was so popular it merited a round two, scheduled for this Saturday, August 21. more ›

La Condesa's Cinco de Mayo Downtown Block Party takes over W. 2nd St. (between Guadalupe St. and San Antonio St.) tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. The second annual street fair event drew 3,000 patrons last year and should again prove to be a popular Cinco De Mayo stop this evening.

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Some of Austin's leaders in the high-tech community take the stage tonight for a series of rapid-fire presentations as part of the initial Ignite Austin event. more ›

Classic Rock, Classic Country: As per usual, Willie Nelson will play two nights at The Backyard for both locals avoiding SXSW and tourists willing to skip one night of showcases to see Austin's most enduring music legend. Willie's shows are tentatively scheduled for 3/14 and 3/15, and will go on sale sometime in February. In another move designed to access some tourist dollars, Direct Events has announced a relatively intimate show with Van Morrison at the Austin Music Hall on Tuesday, March 11. Van the Man apparently hasn't heard about the looming recession, as tickets are priced from $102 to a whopping $257. more ›

If you're interested, drop us a line (editor at austinist.com) with your basic bio (keep it short!) and a writing/photo samples (keep it short!). We'll get back to you in the next couple of weeks if there's a match! more ›

Playwright and filmmaker David Mamet will appear at UT's Hogg Auditorium on Monday, February 4th for a discussion of his work with the Austin Chronicle's Robert Faires. The event is the first of several appearances by Mamet at UT in conjunction with the acquisition of his archives by the Harry Ransom Center. more ›

101X FM’s No Control along with C3 Presents and Direct Events bring a full onslaught of metal to La Zona Rosa on Tuesday evening. An early tip-off with doors at 6:30 p.m. and rock show an hour later should accommodate your younger sister’s boyfriend’s curfew and also allow you to nurture your aggression if you're so inclined. As I Lay Dying (the band, not the book) formed in 2001 and have since released four full-lengths, including three for Metal Blade Records. Their most recent release, An Ocean Between Us debuted at #8 on The Billboard 200 while “Nothing Left” off the record was recently nominated for a Grammy. Check them out on us by following the jump to the contest form! more ›

Unlike the faux-rockers American Hi-Fi from Boston, Massachusetts, American Mid-Fi are a similarly named musical collective from right here in Austin. A consortium of some eight bands, the American Mid-Fi label, or “movement,” as they’d like to be known, rep North Austin (why not?) and count the garage rock Dr. Zoom and lap-pop computer jams of Prices This Low Won’t Last amongst their associates. more ›

Navdo is a record label that also promotes and books artists, and this Thursday they’re hosting their first “Hangin’ with Navdo” in Austin at The Parish, featuring Peel, The Boxing Lesson, and AM Syndicate. AM Syndicate will be celebrating the release of their second album, Liberation, recorded by Erik Wofford at Cacophony Records. This will be the first release put out by fledgling label Novastar Records. more ›

Listen, the point of karaoke is to get up there and belt that shit out. If you’re the type who really, really, really wants to stay true to the original version, then that’s great. But you don’t have to. Feel free to kick a leg out. Bend down and pump a fist. Throw some scat in there. Or scatology. Whatever one might choose to call “improv noise crap between actual word-based vocals”. That stuff. Do that stuff. No one really cares, including you, and that’s the beauty of the whole thing. more ›

After an automobile accident Sunday morning in San Antonio, paramedics placed a yellow tarp over the body of Texas State student and Austinite Erica N. Smith, thinking her dead. When the medical examiner came to investigate the scene of the accident over an hour later, she discovered that Smith was still alive. Smith was immediately sent to a hospital, where she died from her wounds Monday afternoon. more ›

101X FM presents this year’s final installment of their Homegrown Live series on Wednesday at Emo’s Lounge. Homegrown Live has featured a broad array of local hotshots this year including Born To Lose and Black Before Red, staying true to their mantra of “showcasing promising local artists and the kick-ass live music venues in Austin.” more ›

The Strange Attractors MySpace] | [The Koreans MySpace]