First Look: Dai Due (with a Special Shout-out to Bending Branch Winery)

Another new edition to the neighborhood! As a resident of Cherrywood for almost five years now, it has been so exciting to see this area of Austin grow and evolve.

I had only tried Dai Due's offerings once before: at Oktoberfest last year at the Real Ale Brewery in Blanco.

First impressions of the brick-and-mortar restaurant? Charming and delicious. We sat at the bar and ordered a la carte, but the supper club menu (see below) did look fantastic. I was also excited to find an offering from Bending Branch on their drink list, a winery Chris and I discovered in Comfort in February (and now adore).

(And for the Texas-wine-naysayers out there: I was once one of you! Try Bending Branch and you might just come back from the dark side. You know, the dark side, that special place where all Texas wine haters exist in vast numbers. Just kidding. That was a Star Wars reference. I actually used to copyedit a large amount of licensed Star Wars books, so I could probably Star-Wars-reference most people under a table. Just try me! I will Asajj Ventress you until the Wine Wars are over. PS. I won't really do that. And I know, it's the Clone Wars, not the Wine Wars. Honestly, I would probably want to be a female version of Obi-Wan, not Asajj. Although she is awesome in an evil way. Okay, I'll stop now.)

Pictures!

Dai Due

Dai Due Menu from Thursday

 Waiting patiently for delicious treats

Queso Flameado with 

Boar Chorizo, Mushrooms, 

Chilies, and Homemade Tortillas

 Grilled Blood Sausage with Butter Bean Stew (fave dish of the night)

Mesquite Sourdough Bread 

with Honey Whipped Lard

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

School House Pub on Manor

School House Pub has finally arrived! Our entire neighborhood has been excited for this place to open up for over a year; I think partly because, since Red House closed, there hasn't been a place you could feel comfortable getting just a drink at. (Yes, I realize there are other places on Manor to get a drink. But usually most people there are studying or eating dinner. Or they don't have proper cocktails.)

It was ridiculously busy last night, but once everything calms down, we will be back again. And probably again. And again. (Hey, we only live a block away.) Some snaps of our first experience there:

Cocktail menu

Physics (a whiskey cocktail)