Date Night Accessory: Pinhole Press Beer Labels

S: After we got back from our epic date night, I told Chris to mosey around in the bedroom for a few while I stuck these personalized beer labels from Pinhole Press on the Summer Love bottles we had bought. Kind of cheeztastic, but also a little rad, right? I recommend using a slightly goofy picture or one from a super great day. Basically the more cheese in the cheeztastic, the better for everyone.

Epic Austin Date: Barley Swine, Henri's, Lick, Rushmore

S: Here's our epic date night, told through Hipstamatic photos.

Me waiting to be impressed at the award-winning Barley Swine.

The pork belly that did it. (Also, the corn soup is made of DREAMS.)

Then wine at the cheese shop Henri's next door to Barley Swine. 

We both had a nice California chardonnay.

And we played some 1980s Trivial Pursuit. (I won big-time.) (Also, it's good to know who Tom Wolfe is, btw. He came up several times.) There is nothing more endearing than an establishment with board games ready to go at every table.

Cheese!

Dessert: ice cream at Lick (a newish all-organic ice cream place in South Austin). I had the coconut, peanut butter, and chocolate swirl.

Finally, we headed to Whip-In (a beer store/Indian restaurant in South Austin) to get some Summer Love, then went home and watched Rushmore. Perfect film to end a perfectly sweet summer night.

Rebecca Wilson Picnicware

S: Gorgeous disposable and completely recyclable picnicware by Rebecca Wilson. A little pricey, but who doesn't want a little fancy in their picnicking time?

Available for purchase here.

(Image via Rebecca Wilson)

Summer Saturday: F & D Bake Sale and Real Ale Anniversary

S: Saturdays in the summer should always be full of pastries followed by copious amounts of day drinking. As such, Chris and I started this past Saturday hitting up Foreign and Domestic's new weekend bake sale. We scored zucchini bread in a can, a giant cinnamon bun with cream cheese frosting, and a ham and Gruyère popover. If the description wasn't enough for you, just look at this:

Our pastry box

Zucchini bread in a can

I've become a little obsessed with the zucchini bread we bought, and I'm hoping to recreate it soon. I found a similar recipe here that's now on my cooking to-do list.

After we were fully sated from F & D, we drove out to Blanco, Texas, around lunchtime to wile away the afternoon at Real Ale Brewing Company's 16th anniversary party. (Blanco is about an hour's ride away, and just about the most perfect day trip from Austin. Head to the tasting room at Real Ale and then drive a few miles to Blanco State Park to swim away the afternoon the next time you have a free day.)

We waited in line for about thirty and were then handed packets of tickets for four beers, a bbq lunch, and a koozie. For free! Love you, Real Ale.

Ticket packet. The anniversary beer (Four Squared) was delicious. 

The warehouse

 

Firemans 4 cans

We ended up back in Austin around seven, STARVING. You would think ingesting all those calories hour after hour would have been enough for us. But no. We showered, threw on some clothes, and headed to Komè, where we shared the awe-inspiring tempura zaru soba special (soba noodles with tempura shrimp, dipping broth, and a quail egg) that basically made me realize that living in Austin is the most perfect and right thing to be doing at this moment in time. Perfect summer day. End scene.