The now-ubiquitious Torchy's Tacos, which captured our hearts as a humble trailer giving away free chips and salsa on S. 1st, is expanding their empire with a new location on South Lamar. And to give back to their fans, Torchy's is thanking 78704 with a party featuring the one thing Austinites like best: FREE stuff. more ›

Bryce Gilmore had quite a year in 2010. In December 2009, Gilmore opened The Odd Duck, a South Lamar-based food trailer with the mission of cooking with 100% locally-sourced produce, cheeses, and proteins. He also wisely added the caveat "please keep in mind, this is a trailer." Gilmore's food and philosophy seemed to capture the zeitgeist of a city in the midst of a local and seasonal movement. Lines were long, and reviews were fantastic (Fearless Critic dropped a 9.1 on them.) In the summer, when heat sometimes leaves trailer sales sagging, Gilmore caught a stroke of luck: the trailer was featured during a segment on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations," which sent sales soaring for months to come. The trailer's continued success allowed Gilmore to put together one of his dream projects, a bar with a focus on pork - which came to life last week in the form of Barley Swine on South Lamar.

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Open for a little over a month now, the Gibson (1109 South Lamar) is owner Matt Luckie's latest contribution to the Austin nightlife scene. His previous ventures include Red Fez, The Belmont and Star Bar, and like those establishments, the Gibson offers a variety of cocktails, beer and wine in a casual setting. more ›

If you’re still decompressing from Burning Man and want to get your money’s worth out of that leather vest and chaps outfit you’ve only worn once, perhaps you ought to head on down to the Alamo South Lamar -- this Friday they’re putting the “roll” in “Rolling Roadshow” with a screening of The Road Warrior. In the parking lot. 'Cause that’s the way Mad Max would have wanted it. more ›

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm. more ›

In Intimidad, documentarians Ashley Sabin and David Redmon follow the lives of Cecy and Camilo, a young couple living in Reynosa, Mexico. Cecy and Camilo both work for minimum wage in maquiladoras, trying to save money to buy land, build themselves a house, and bring their daughter Loida back to live with them. more ›

Tired of staying in your house to watch the Oscars, all seventy hours of them? Want to heckle in the company of others? Couture make you really hungry? more ›

As we reported last week, the Austin-birthed Teeth will be hitting our silver screens on Friday, January 25th. But of course, it would be a grievous crime against the good people of Austin to not give them the chance to see this genre-bending flick before the rest of the unwashed masses, so the tireless miracle-workers over at Ain't It Cool News and the Alamo Drafthouse have cooked up a little sneak preview for our collective cringing pleasure, with Director Mitchell Lichtenstein live in person to field all of your probing questions. more ›

The owners of The Broken Spoke on South Lamar have reached an agreement with Ardent Residential (also developing the Four Seasons condos) and Direct Development (also developing the Fifth Street Commons project) to develop a residential/retail project on the lots surrounding The Broken Spoke. The Broken Spoke itself, including the dirt parking lot and oak tree out front, will remain intact. You may remember that Direct Development reached a similar agreement to include the Mean Eyed Cat in Fifth Street Commons. more ›

Son of Rambow - Free Screening!Monday, December 10thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)Free, 7pm[info]Amidst the blood, guts and graphic violence of Fantastic Fest 2007, which we lovingly embraced in all its gory glory, was nestled a small, quiet film about the wonders and struggles of growing up and growing out. Son of Rambow was like a tall glass of Iced Tea on a 110 degree day: refreshing, calming and cool. We went into... more ›

Paris Is Burning DVD Cover Scion Independent Film Series Presents Paris Is BurningWednesday, November 28thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)Free, 9:30PM, RSVP Required[info]The musical stylings of "strike a pose, there's nothing to it", "you better work" and "I'm too sexy" entered our lexicon at a time when we were still sporting a perm and a retainer, so understanding that these pop radio songs were simply a corporatization of an entire underground subculture was far... more ›

Photo of Frantz Fanon courtesy of AFS website AFS Essentials: Black Is, Black Ain’t and Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White MaskTuesday, November 20thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)$4 / Free to AFS Members, 7PM[info] | [tickets]Most of the time it is easier to just blend in with everything around you, to not be different, to avoid rocking the proverbial boat, perhaps to the detriment of your true identity and eventually your soul. In the... more ›

Still from The District! The DistrictNovember 16-222110 South Lamar (2110 S. Lamar)Various Showtimes, $8.25[info]We heard a lot of good things about Áron Gauder's one-of-a-kind animated gem The District! during Fantastic Fest last year, but we hadn't had a chance to see it until recently. It's a Hungarian Hip-Hop / time travel / gangster odyssey set in Budapest's notorious 8th district, where rival crime families feud like Montagues and Capulets. That is, until their kids fall... more ›

AFS Essentials Presents Black DjuTuesday, November 13thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)7pm, $4 / Free to AFS Members[info] | [tickets]It's bad enough being a stranger in a strange land, but when you need assistance from the local people to help solve the mysterious disappearance of your father, things can get downright maddening. Tonight, the Austin Film Society sends us on a suspenseful quest as they presents Black Dju, the fifth offering in the... more ›

Boubacar Joseph Ndiaye & Youssou N’Dour at the Maison des Esclaves AFS Presents Return to GoréeTuesday, November 6thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)$4 / Free for AFS members, 7pm[info]The place where my fathers died, return to the land of Gorée, the place where my mothers cried, return to the land of Gorée. – Harmony Harmoneers We'll admit it: our jazz knowledge consists of a couple of Miles Davis and John Coltrane albums mixed with... more ›

Sugar Cane Alley, the third offering of the current Austin Film Society series Torn From the Motherland: Films from the African Diaspora, introduces us to a young boy named Jose who has grown up in the shanty towns of Martinique. Life in his village has been poor in material possessions, but rich with lessons. He has learned about race relations through his friendship with a child of mixed ethnicity, the bastard son of the Creole... more ›

If you're looking for somewhere to show off that killer Halloween costume this Friday, the good folks at do512 have you covered. They're taking over the warehouse compound adjacent to an old abandoned graveyard on South Lamar, and bringing in Markus with a K, Haunting Oboe Music, DJ Thibault, and Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears. More importantly, there's complimentary booze and brew. "Come in Costume," they recommend. "If you are dont, we may turn... more ›

If you ask us, "bling obsession" has long been commercial hip-hop's most shameful component (though we're totally down with the Bling! barbershop quartet). At one time, conspicuous consumption by a historically poor culture might have seemed like powerful social commentary--but now that hip hop is the music industry's cash cow, doesn't a $100,000 necklace just seem completely ridiculous? And is obnoxious ornamentation really worth the cost--not only monetarily, but socially and politically? Next week, as... more ›

Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th Hey you, big-spender: if you missed FactoryPeople's last pop-up store (at their former 1325 South Congress location), take a look-sy at the jewelry by Crumley, designed by Austinite-turned-New Yorker Brian Crumley. Crumley pieces are favored by stylists for both national and international photo shoots and runway shows. Guests can chat up Brian from noon to 6 p.m. and sip Crumley Cosmos—a raspberry champagne cocktail—while grooving to some... more ›

Arthur Seaton (a young, bright Albert Finney) reminds us of ourselves--a hard working man that refuses to let the daytime sweat on his brow dictate his ability to personify something more grand in the twilight hours. (Granted our job doesn't necessarily make us "sweat" in the conventional definition, and we are actually of the female persuasion, but that's all semantics really.) He cares not what toll his rabble rousing may bring upon those around him,... more ›

Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th Hey you, big-spender: If you missed FactoryPeople's last pop-up store, take a look-sy at the rockin' jewelry by Austinite Brian Crumley (now based in New York). The Crumley trunk show is from noon to 6 p.m. Guests can chat up Brian and sip Crumley Cosmos—a raspberry champagne cocktail—while browsing through sample on the new fall lines. Enter to win Crumley's handsome Banquet Amulet, a large hand blown glass... more ›

Two-time Austin Chronicle Best of Austin tattooist (and really badass chick) Karen Slafter is now pumping ink at Resurrection Tattoo on South Lamar at Oltorf. She's got a bigger, private room now with more space to work her painful magic, and the guys and gals at Resurrection make sure the place is uber-clean and always friendly. Long-time Karen customers and tattoo n00bs alike should check her out at the new location. Karen works Mon-Fri 12pm... more ›

Today is the day! Fantastic Fest--North America's coolest, fastest growing genre film festival--officially kicks off this afternoon at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. With around 100 feature films, shorts and special events, Fantastic Fest is a horror / sci-fi / fantasy / action film lover's dream come true. As of yesterday, badges are all sold out. But don't despair, badgeless film lovers--you can still buy individual tickets to certain screenings. We got an early look... more ›

As Fantastic Fest kicks off tonight, Austinist will be bringing you previews of films playing at the festival. We begin today with Wendigo director Larry Fessenden's latest, The Last Winter. An interesting yet practical genre mash-up, the film is an eco-horror piece concerning the fate of an oil crew who are damaging the environment in rural Alaska. There's no serial killer here: the antagonist(?) is actually the planet, which begins to fight back when... more ›

Moxie and the Compound wants to wet your fashion whistle with its own Project Runway-inspired competition. Both Marques Harper and Stephen Moser mentioned they're judging the event. But who do you think promoted it better? Remember Factory People, the hip store on South Congress that closed this summer? Of course you do! They're still around, promoting parties and selling their shamelessly cool clothing online. But if you want to see Factory People's latest looks... more ›

One truly is the loneliest number. We prefer things in multiples: beers, potato chips, orgasms (was that taking it too far? Eh, fugetaboutit.) And we definitely enjoy the chance to experience two landmark films in one compact bundle. Tonight, the Austin Film Society presents not one, but two sensational films as part of their gritty Essential series Blokes 'n' Birds: British Realist Cinema (1958-1965). In the past several years, you may have noticed that a... more ›

Technically, Fantastic Fest doesn't start until Thursday. But for badgeholders who get into town early (or, you know, live here), the fun will begin on Wednesday night as Casey Affleck hosts a free sneak screening of his new film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. more ›

A pedestrian was killed on IH35 near Cabelas this morning. Pflugerville teen posts online a threat to blow up his high school, and is subsequently arrested. Some businesses on South Lamar having to close or move because of increased rent. And the Ginger Man has to move so more condos can go up downtown. H.E.B. will take over some recently-vacated Albertson's store locations. City releases list of ACL Fest-related road closures for this weekend.... more ›

Tuesday night, the Austin Film Society presents Girl with Green Eyes, a tale of the naive-girl-in-the-big-city and the second offering in their Essential Cinema Series "Blokes 'n Birds: British Realist Cinema, 1958-1965." more ›

Sazón (Interior Mexican) Location: 1816 South Lamar Blvd. [map] Phone: (512) 326.4395 Cost: Entrees $8-10 Atmosphere: Relaxed, neighborhood-y. Very warm, attentive service. Food: If the Polvo’s patio is already full, we suggest heading down the street to Sazón where the food is (arguably) just as good or better. Strong margaritas (not your average mix margs), savory spiced meats and vegetables, and perfectly toasted moist corn tortillas are some of the things Sazón gets right. The... more ›