AUSTIN PICTURE RECAP

At the end of April, we took a little family vacation to Austin, Texas. Rich had to go for work, and since we have good friends who live in Dallas who had a baby girl we hadn't yet met (and they said they'd meet us in Austin), we thought it would be fun to all make the trip. 

 We chowed down on some amazing Mexican, some finger-licking barbecue and even some gourmet Japanese (at a restaurant owned by Bravo T.V.'s latest Top Chef Paul Qui). The capital of Texas is a great food city that is also known for its food trucks (which are almost on every corner!!!)  It was exciting to jet set to a new destination, and I certainly have plenty of blogging catching up to do.  

But, in the meantime, here's a little Austin Picture Recap to browse through this weekend.

WHERE CELEBRITY CHEFS GOT THEIR GRUB ON IN AUSTIN

I've been working on my list of places where I want to eat when I visit Austin, Texas.  In my search of where to go, I stumbled upon a blog that highlighted some of the places where Food Network Celebrity Chefs have eaten in Austin, and I just had to add the restaurants to my list too.  Those of you who know me, know I love Giada De Laurentiis and have the loved the places I've tried that she's been to, so Austin is no different.  So, here's where Celebrity Chefs got their grub on in Austin, and where I'll be getting my grub on too!

1- Amy's Ice Cream
1012 W. 6th Street Austin, TX 78703
(512) 480-0673
These ice cream stands are all over Austin, and they're supposed to be famous!  Their ice creams are made fresh and are super creamy according to what I've read.  They feature more than 300 rotating flavors.  When Giada went to one she tried the Texas Dirt Cake which is chocolate cheesecake ice cream filled with oreo cookie chunks.  Sounds good to me!

2- South Congress Cafe
1600 South Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78704
(512) 447-3905
This place is fun and young, sleek and modern and is supposed to be good for either brunch or lunch.  Giada also checked this place out.  The menu is full of yummy things like Carrot Cake French Toast made with homemade carrot cake.

3- Jeffrey's of Austin
1204 West Lynn Street Austin, TX 78703
(512) 477-5584
This is an upscale restaurant with equally upscale food.  Jeffrey's has become an institution since it opened in 1976, and is one of the first fine dining establishments in Austin.  Their signature dish is Crispy Oysters. They've been on the menu for over 30 years.  Giada had them and said they are fabulous!

4- Casino El Camino
517 East 6th Street Austin, TX 78701
(512) 469-9330
Guy Fieri headed to this spot for some of the best burgers in town, which weigh in at 12 ounces each.  He had the buffalo burger which is coated in wing sauce and topped with blue cheese.  If you like heat, I've heard you should try the Amarillo burger which comes with fresh roasted serrano chiles and cilantro mayo.

5- Green Mesquite
1400 Barton Springs Road, Austin TX 78704
(512) 479-0485
Guy Fieri checks out this barbecue joint which uses only green mesquite wood or young wood for cooking.  The owner swears by it for giving the meat the best and most consistent flavor.  They've got everything from brisket and beef to pork ribs and pulled pork and even smoked turkey and tacos on the menu.

6- Flip Happy Crepes
400 Jessie Street Austin, TX 78704
(512) 552-9034
On The Best Things I Ever Ate, Beau MacMillan shares his sweet-tooth favorite: Nutella Strawberry Banana Crepes from this trailer, where every crepe is cooked to order.

7- Magnolia Cafe
(512) 478-8645
2304 Lake Austin Boulevard Austin, TX 78703
Guy Fieri tries this spot which is open 24/7.  They have everything on the menu from pancakes to omelets to jambalaya to quesadillas to anything else you could possibly be craving.

8- Maria's Taco Express
2529 South Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX 78704
(512) 444-0261
This taco place has been around for 12+ years.  He orders the Pollo Guisado, which is like barbecue chicken in an enchilada.

9- TRIO at Four Seasons Hotel
98 San Jacinto Boulevard Austin, TX 78701
(512) 685-8300
Giada heads here for the best bat-watching in the city (it's supposed to be one of the things you must do in Austin- watch a million bats emerge from under the South Congress Bridge at dusk).  She has a Batini Black cocktail which is a mix of Texas' Tito Vodka, blue curaçao, blackberries, grapefruit juice and champagne.

AUSTIN HERE WE COME!

Between having a baby, buying our first house and moving...jet setting has been far from our minds.  But, that all changed today when we booked a springtime trip to Austin, Texas.  It will be a first for all of us and we are so excited!  I wrote about a good restaurant to check out in the Austin airport here and had a guest blogger post about his Austin favorites here.  So, now I'll be re-reading those posts and spending my free time planning our to-do list.  I can't wait!  If you have any good Austin recommendations, please let us know.

GUEST POST: THINGS TO DO IN ATX

(We have a guest post to share with ya'll today!  This one comes from Logan Baker from Blog Content Guild.  Logan is from Austin.  He enjoys jet setting, and his favorite trip was when he went to Japan and ate monkfish liver!  Thanks for sharing about your hometown with us Logan!)

This year, Austin, Texas has been on the top of more than a few best cities lists. People who live in Austin have the opportunity to enjoy city life and the outdoors in equal parts. Austin’s growing tech industry has attracted people from all over the world to the city. Austin is not only a great place to live. It’s also a great place to visit. There’s never a shortage of things to do in ATX (as it’s lovingly called by locals). If you’re planning on taking a trip to Austin in the near future, you should check out the following three attractions:

1. Lady Bird Lake – This gorgeous lake is smack dab in the middle of all the action in Austin. If you go canoeing on Lady Bird Lake or hiking around the lake, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of Austin’s beautiful downtown skyline. Here’s one view of Austin’s skyline from Lady Bird Lake:

2. SoCo – SoCo refers to a section of South Congress Avenue in Austin that starts near St. Edward’s University and ends at the Congress Bridge, which connects the SoCo area and downtown. SoCo is famous for its boutique and specialty shops as well as its restaurants. If you want to buy some products or clothing that have a special Austin flair to them, SoCo is the place to go. Here’s what the area looks like from a car:

3. The Food in General – The food in Austin is phenomenal. This is probably because there are so many locally owned eateries in the city that use fresh, delicious ingredients. If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, you have to go to Matt’s El Rancho, one of the city’s most famous Mexican restaurants. If you’re craving some quick food, you can walk up to one of the many food trucks in the city and grab a bite to eat. And if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, you have to check out Amy’s Ice Creams, a local, independently owned ice cream chain that is well loved for its Mexican vanilla ice cream. Here’s a shot of Amy’s:

There’s a lot to do in Austin, so you definitely won’t be bored when you visit there. Be sure to check out Lady Bird Lake, SoCo, and Amy’s Ice Cream when you get a chance. You’ll be happy you did!

BEST AIRPORT DINING SPOTS

I don't know about you, but when I jet set somewhere I always get hungry. Whether it's before I get on the plane, or during a layover, I want something to eat at the airport, but sometimes the fast food joints don't cut it for me. I want a hearty meal that's halfway decent. So where should I go? Thanks to Food and Wine magazine (so glad I have a subscription- best investment ever!) I now know and wanted to share with all my jet setters. So if you are ever in any of these U.S. airports, just log onto Jet Set Smart and you'll find your suggestion for where you should eat in no time.

1- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: One Flew South This sushi restaurant is Atlanta's first upscale airport restaurant, complete with a menu created by chefs Todd Richards and Duane Nutter of The Oakroom at the Seelbach Hilton in Kentucky (Terminal E, near Gate G6).
2- Los Angeles International Airport: Encounter Restaurant At the center of LAX is the 1961 Theme Building, a freestanding structure designed to look like a flying saucer. It's home to this space-age restaurant, known for 360-degree views, stylings stolen from The Jetsons and California-style dishes like organic salads and mushroom ravioli with grilled asparagus (Theme Building).
3- Newark Liberty International Airport: Vino Volo This growing chain of cushy airport wine bars serves small plates of cheese, cured meats, olives, and dishes like chilled paella and duck-confit-and-lentil salad. The food is available to go, and you can also order wines you've tasted for home delivery (Terminal C, Gate 73).
4- Philadelphia International Airport: Chickie's & Pete's The Philadelphia airport recently overhauled its main food court, adding an outlet of this lively South Philly crab house known for its chowder, steak sandwiches and "crab fries," or French fries seasoned with crab-boil seasoning and served with a creamy cheese dipping sauce (Terminal A-West).
5- John F. Kennedy International Airport: AeroNuova JetBlue's Terminal 5 has nine full-service restaurants; the best is Aeronuova, an Italian restaurant created by New York City star chef Mark Ladner, with dishes like grilled Berkshire pork chops and warm radicchio bruschetta (Terminal 5, post-security).
6- George Bush Intercontinental Airport: Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen Like Louisiana, its neighbor to the east, Houston has its share of Cajun and Creole food. This regional chain serves gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp Creole and dirty rice (Terminal E, Gate 3).7- San Francisco International Airport: Anchor Brewing Company The famed San Francisco brewery's airport outpost serves the full range of its craft beers, including its Anchor Steam Beer, made using a unique brewing process that gives it the fruitiness of an ale and the rounded maltiness of a lager (Terminal 3, Gate 70). 8- LaGuardia Airport: Figs Post-security, LaGuardia's terminals offer very few food options. The most diverse selection can be found pre-security in the food court at the Central Terminal Building, where pizzas with toppings like fig and prosciutto (Central Terminal Building). 9- Miami International Airport: La Carreta The airport outpost of Miami's well-known Cuban chain is open 24 hours, serving favorites like pressed, portable French-bread sandwiches including the Cubano, made with roast pork, Swiss cheese and pickles, and the smaller medianoches ("midnight") made with ham, cheese and pickles (Terminal D, post-security). 10- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: El Bravo Mother and daughter Carmen and Lorraine Othon's green-chile tamales have been drawing crowds to their El Bravo restaurant in Phoenix's Sunnyslope neighborhood for nearly 30 years. Now, Lorraine's daughter, Monique, serves those same tamales–prepared earlier that morning in the original location–at El Bravo's airport outpost (Terminal 4, near Gate D).
11- Logan International Airport:Bonfire This steakhouse in Boston's Terminal B and New York's JFK airport with dishes like fish tacos (Terminal B, American Airlines side, post-security).
12- Portland International Airport: Rogue Ales Public House The funky Newport, Oregon, brewery Rogue produces some of the best craft beers in the country; it also has five Rogue Ale Public Houses–the one in the airport has eight Rogue ales on tap and gastropub dishes like Kobe beef burgers topped with local Rogue Creamery cheddar (Concourse D, post-security). 13- Charlotte-Douglas International Airport: Yadkin Valley Wine Bar This forward-thinking wine bar offers flights, glasses and bottles from North Carolina's growing Yadkin Valley wine region, including producers like Shelton and RagApple Lassie vineyards–and they'll ship, too (in the connector hallway between Terminals D and E).
14- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport: Salt Lick The 40-year-old Driftwood, Texas, institution has brought its barbecue–most notably its supertender brisket–to Austin's airport (West Terminal across from Gate 12). 15- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Anthony's This regional restaurant chain in the Pacific Northwest is known for fresh local seafood and stunning views. The Sea-Tac location is no exception, with dishes like Puget Sound oysters and the Olympic mountain range as a backdrop (Central Terminal).

16- Washington Dulles International Airport: Five Guy's Both Terminals A and B have branches of this Washington, DC-based chain, which makes skinny, flavorful burgers and hand-cut fries to order and offers free peanuts (Terminal A, Gate 3; Terminal B, Gate 71).

17- Chicago O'Hare International Airport: Berghoff Café O'Hare's coolest quick dining option: This outpost of the restaurant was opened by German brewer Herman Joseph Berghoff in the 1880s. Beyond Berghoff's beer on tap and root beer, there are hand-carved roast beef, turkey and corned beef sandwiches and the house specialty: The Reuben (Terminal 1, Gate C26).

18- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: French Meadow Bakery & Café The Minneapolis original bills itself as the longest continuously running certified organic bakery in the country; the airport outpost serves baked goods like warm apple crisp as well as savory dishes such as pan-seared walleye with Minnesota wild rice (The Mall across from Checkpoint 1).

19- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: Cousin's Barbecue As with the Charlotte, North Carolina, airport, your best bets at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are barbecue and local wines. Cousin's offers Texas standards like smoked brisket, ribs, sausage and pinto beans (Terminal D, near Gate 28; Terminal B, Gate 27).

20- Denver International Airport: New Belgium Hub The Denver airport has half a dozen taverns featuring the state's microbrewed beers. This artsy bar and grill serves whole-wheat pancakes for breakfast, but also chicken sandwiches and oversize salads to pair with Fat Tire Amber Ale and other award-winning beers from New Belgium, a Fort Collins, Colorado brewery (Concourse B, Gate 80).