June Outdoors Issue 2014

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T HE

Outdoors is sue Our Home on the Range.

june 2014


Introducing the very best mobile real estate search. Download our free mobile & tablet app today!

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Richard Caprioli (512) 294-8968 Richard@TurnquistPartners.com

lacey bowen (512) 507-5224 Lacey@TurnquistPartners.com

Seven Oaks, $3,950,000

Chelsea Kumler (512) 351-5083 Barton Creek New Construction, $2,495,000 CKumler@TurnquistPartners.com

151 Secretariat Drive, $975,000

5505 Ridge Oak Drive, $879,900

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Marisa Alderete Hopper (512) 917-0336 Marisa@TurnquistPartners.com


11604 Hare Trail, $939,000

Kathryn scarborough

101 Lakeway Hills Cove, $1,070,000

(512) 970-1355 Kathryn@TurnquistPartners.com www.KathrynScarborough.com

(512) 328-3939 | TurnquistPartners.com


Collage Studio

DESIGN PORTRAIT.

Sophie is in love with Ray and Contemporary Art. Ray is designed by Antonio Citterio. www.bebitalia.com

Scott + Cooner Austin Showroom - 115 W. 8th Street Austin Texas 512 480 0436 - www.scottcooner.com


DESIGN + BUILD

Laurel Prats 512.636.7579 laurel@turnquistpartners.com www.laurelprats.com www.pgmdesignbuild.com

Awarded 2014 Custom Home Builder of the Year by the Austin Business Journal


cluB room with wine and cigar lockers

tennis courts

A Wild Place for a Ranch.

owners’ suite and Bunk house

Fifteen 100-acre ranches 20 minutes from downtown Austin,

equestrian and polo arena

adjoining 10,000 acres of pristine wooded hills that will never be developed. Resort-quality amenities and activities. O Bar Ranch,

outdoor kitchen and dining arBor

10 miles of trails

for people who love wild places and open spaces, spirited

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architecture and the warm camaraderie of family and friends.

10-horse Barn and paddocks

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T R IBE Z A

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48

features

d e pa rtm e nt s

Ranch Refuge 48

Communit y

on the cover: B ison from madrono r anch, photo by w ynn myer s.

Style

Call of the Wild 62

Social Hour

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Profile in Style

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Column: Kristin Armstrong

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Behind the Scenes

94

Hunting Down Dinner 70

Exposed

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Inspiration Board

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TRIBEZA Talk

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Style Pick

Road Trip: Bastrop 78

Last Look

Arts

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Arts & Entertainment Calendar

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Arts Spotlight

Dining

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The Nightstand

Without Reservations

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104 112

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: weather up drink photo by michael a. muller; texas boot company photo by nicole mlakar; alan lazarus photo by wynn myers; erich schlegel and daughter photo courtesy of erich schlegel; madrono ranch photo by wynn myers; mckinney roughs teepee photo by nicole mlakar.

Contents



Editor’s Letter

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Paula Disbrowe paula@tribeza.com

Paula disbrowe photo by wynn myers; hair + makeup by franchska bryant. Georgia pellegrini photo by ashley horsley; bastrop photo by nicole mlakar.

An early morning

ne of my first realizations about life in shoot with Georgia Pellegrini and Texas, particularly life on a Texas ranch, photographer Jody was that wealth is measured in land and Horton. Unexpected treasures found water—the size of a spread or the depth of a while wandering in well, for instance. More than luxury cars or downtown Bastrop. flashy baubles, whistles of awe and respect come from river access that nourishes grazing livestock or a pecan orchard, or the number of mountain laurel and cactus blossoms that you can call your own. To some extent, that’s true of urban life in Austin as well. For many of us, the places that make our growing city truly rich offer the refuge of nature. Summer in Texas means swinging off a rope and splashing into an ice-cold swimming hole (Blue Hole or bust!), a steamy outdoor concert followed by the essential body-cooling plunge into Barton Springs, picnics among the peacocks at Mayfield Park, and admiring blooms and native succulents at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (I can’t wait to visit their new Family Garden; see page 36). That’s why we’ve devoted this issue to engaging with the great outdoors and the ruggedly beautiful landscape that surrounds us. It’s no coincidence that our sources this month (including a foraging florist, a kayaking photojournalist, and a restaurateur who encourages you to kiss his bass) are well accustomed to navigating our waterways, digging in Texas dirt, and kicking up a trail of caliche dust. That’s just the adventuresome spirit that prompted parenting guru Carrie Contey to trade her mod urban nest for a more remote South Austin home, a soaring space that thrillingly connects with the changing light, the seasons, and the sprawling vistas that stretch from her new perch. In “Call of the Wild” (page 62) writer Clayton Maxwell discovers how living a more streamlined life close to nature made Contey feel more connected and created an inspiring dream lab for her clients. Not everyone can boast a granddaddy’s ranch to escape to, but there are other ways to seek solitude among the live oaks and cedar trees. In “Ranch Refuge” (page 48), novelist Amanda Eyre Ward writes endearingly about her stay at Madroño Ranch, a residency program for artists near Kerrville that offers unfettered time to work and the creative inspiration of the Hill Country landscape. As anyone who frequents our farmers’ markets knows, our food sources also tether us to our region. In “Hunting Down Dinner” (page 70), Elizabeth Winslow asks two chef-cookbook authors fiercely devoted to local, seasonal eating (hunting, foraging, and preserving local bounty) why revisiting our traditional foodways (i.e. the ways our grandparents cooked) matters. To embrace the thrill of discovery that draws us all down unknown paths, this month we’re launching a new travel column, “Road Trip” (page 78). Our first destination is a fun and quirky romp in and around Bastrop. Even though it’s only 30 minutes away, the quaint historic town and is a great place for families to reconnect with our Texas heritage and to paddle along the lovely Colorado River. We didn’t forget about your beach reads. I’m thrilled to announce another new monthly column, “The Nightstand,” written by my friend Claiborne Smith, the editor of Kirkus Reviews, one of the most respected literary journals in the country. Each month he’ll hand select essential books from our best local writers, as well as a few standouts from national stars. We hope this issue inspires you to make the most of the season. It's the brink of summer, what are you waiting for? Pack a book, a picnic, a swimsuit, and hiking shoes and get outdoors.



BE IN YOUR

ELEMENT IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN

A u s t i n a r t s + c u lt u r e

PUBLISHER

George T. Elliman EDITOR-in-chief

Paula Disbrowe

art director

Ashley Horsley

Events + Marketing Coordinator

Maggie Bang

Senior Account ExeCutives

Ashley Beall Andrea Brunner Lindsey Harvey

principals George T. Elliman Chuck Sack Vance Sack Michael Torres Interns Hayley Albrecht Emma Banks Christina Ewin Harrison Robinson

Columnist Kristin Armstrong Illustrator Joy Gallagher WRITERs Emma Banks Jessica Dupuy Clayton Maxwell Jaime Netzer Leigh Patterson Claiborne Smith Karen Spezia S. Kirk Walsh Amanda Ward Elizabeth Winslow Photographers Miguel Angel Casey Dunn Jody Horton Kate LeSueur Nicole Mlakar Michael A. Muller Wynn Myers Leah Overstreet Jessica Pages John Pesina Bill Sallans mailing address 706a west 34th street austin, texas 78705 ph (512) 474 4711 | fax (512) 474 4715 www.tribeza.com Founded in March 2001, TRIBEZA is Austin's leading locally-owned arts and culture magazine. Printed by CSI Printing and Mailing Copyright @ 2014 by TRIBEZA. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the publisher, is prohibited. TRIBEZA is a proud member of the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

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social hour

austin

Social Hour

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An Evening with Diana Kennedy

MJ&M Fashion Show at Neiman Marcus

works of cookbook author and culinary legend Diana Kennedy. Kennedy

MJ&M Fashion Show on April 25th, featuring designer Badgley Mischka. The

This four-course dinner at a private home on Windsor Road honored the life and

Over 180 fashion enthusiasts gathered at Neiman Marcus at The Domain for the

herself attended and each guest left with a signed copy of her award-winning

event, hosted by Camila Alves McConaughey , Sally Brown, Amy Ingram, was part of

cookbook, “Oaxaca al Gusto or My Mexico.” Proceeds from the event are helping

Mack, Jack, and McConaughey (mackjackmcconaughey.org), the joint fundraising effort

to fund a documentary film on Kennedy and her legacy.

of actor Matthew McConaughey, recording artist Jack Ingram, and Texas coaching legend Mack Brown that benefits Children’s Charities across the United States.

Diana Kennedy: 1. Katie Lesnick & Elise Avellan 2. Diana Kennedy & Margaret Martin 3. Eric Maycotte & Melanie Harris de Maycotte 4. Lindsey Byrd & Isabel Avellan 5. Joaquin Avellan & Anne Elizabeth Wynn MJM: 6. Chris Hendel & Chuck Steelman 7. Natalie Thigpen & Rachel McCoy 8. Candice Young & Ava Raiin 9. Christy May & Porter Thompson 10. Katie Andrews & Ashley Rachner

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P h oto g r a p h y by j o h n p e s i n a


1710 Windsor

4101 Churchill Downs

1201 Gaston

2800 Stratford

The Bluff House

Central Austin Estate

2015 Stoneridge

M A K E A SPL ASH T HIS SUM M ER Laura Gottesman, Broker l gottesmanresidential.com l 512.451.2422 l austin

2801 Robbs Run


N ATA L I E K O P P , REALTOR速 512.657.5596 | natalie@gottesmanresidential.com

AN AUSTIN POINT OF VIEW gottesmanresidential.com

ELIZABETH BUCHANAN, BROKER ASSOCIATE 512.695.4289 | elizabeth@gottesmanresidential.com


CAROL BURDETTE, REALTOR速 LAURA GOTTESMAN, BROKER 512.451.2422 i gottesmanresidential.com

carolburdette.com i lauragottesman.com

Magnificently poised on over 5 acres in the shadow of the University is a spectacular estate that is widely considered the finest in Austin. This stunning home was designed by master architect Henry Bowers Thomson and built in 1929. The property includes a gate house, guest house, and Belvedere. centralaustinestate.com


social hour

austin

LaV Supper Club The first of Tribeza’s Supper Club Series, dinner at LaV on April 22 was hosted at one of Austin's most beautiful new restaurants that also boasts the most impressive cellar in town. Guests enjoyed luscious varietals, bistro favorites, and a lighthearted evening of fun served in impeccable French style.

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New Fiction Confab at Lenoir This year’s New Fiction Confab featured seven critically acclaimed authors of local and national fame. Every year the writers spend a day in Austin’s libraries leading workshops and reading from their latest works.

Umlauf Garden Party The 16th annual Garden Party featured artist Margo Sawyer and raised funds for the

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Umlauf’s Sculpture Garden and Museum educational programs and long-term restoration project.

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LaV Supper Club: 1. Kathrin Kersten-Schneider, Matthew Redden & Kelly Kersten-Schneider 2. Leo Anzaldua, Joe Gage & Justin Boyd 3. Kristin Stouffer & Ane Urquiola 4. Mary Tally & Jamie Barshop New Fiction: 5. Courtney Schmoker & Kelly Goodpastor 6. Gemma Marangoni Ainslie & Clay Smith 7. Adam Lefton & Mary Miller Umlauf: 8. Stephanie & Paul Henry 9. Megan Podowski & Reed Calhoun 10. Carla Umlauf & Tom Umlauf 11. Miranda Hoffman & Chrissy Bricker 12. Tim Lopez & Jenna Reeves

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P h oto g r a p h y by j o h n p e s i n a


It’s all about the details...

LAKE AUSTIN ESTATE

Near the heart of the city, this beautiful estate is perfectly sited on 1.5 acres above Lake Austin. Follow the gentle slope of the grounds across a carpet of St. Augustine grass to the boat house in a protected inlet. Built with expert craftsmanship and attention to detail Dalgleish Construction and Gary Furman of Furman + Keil Architects, combined extraordinary materials to create this ultimately warm, welcoming, sophisticated and fun family home. Included in the many features are a separate guest suite, a large wine cellar, pool, cabana and a sport court. WWW.3905ISLANDKNOLL.COM

CAROL BURDETTE, REALTORÂŽ gottesman residential real estate 512.431.0280 i carolburdette.com gottesmanresidential.com


social hour

austin

STAR Bash – Women & Their Work

Nonprofit Women & Their Work hosted its annual STAR Bash on April 26 to benefit the art education of underprivileged children, bring more art to Austin, and maintain a culture of art appreciation in the city. Attendees enjoyed food and drink, a silent auction, a raffle, and musical entertainment by jazz band the Ephraim Owens Experience.

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La Condesa Cinco De Mayo Block Party

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La Condesa held their 6th annual Cinco de Mayo Downtown Block Party on Sunday, May 4th. The convivial event was sponsored by Univision, Dos Equis, Tecate, Tequila Cazadores and TRIBEZA, and included appetizers, free flowing margaritas, dance competitions, and a VIP reception at Malverde.

The White Party at the Long Center

Hosted by Kendra Scott and nonprofit LifeWorks, the White Party raised funds for the nonprofit, which focuses on improving the lives of youth and young adults in Austin. It’s an evening to wear white, mingle with friends, and

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raise money for a good cause.

The Kentucky Derby Party benefiting the LIVESTRONG Foundation

Held in the newly refurbished Hotel Ella, the inaugural Kentucky Derby Party was an evening to remember: gourmet food and drinks, a silent auction, live music, and a live stream of the derby itself. Money raised went to the LIVESTRONG Foundation to benefit those afflicted by cancer.

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WATW: 1. Clayton Maxwell & Jennalie Lyons 2. Sarah Medina & Grace Steinel Jones 3. Becky Beaver & John Duncan 4. Micky Hoogendijk & Emma Hoogendijk La Condesa: 5. Mayra Garza & Shawn Ullman 6. Jazmine Sausameda & Joshua Frescas 7. Tyler Dunson & Alexis Lanman White Party: 8. Lauren Vandiver, Kendra Scott & Lara Schmieding 9. Marisa Tom & Nate Jaffee 10. Olivia Watson & Alyssa Garcia Livestrong: 11. Alicia & Tony Capasso 12. Dani Lachowicz & Kristie Keating

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P h oto g r a p h y by j o h n p e s i n a & M i g u el a n g el


Bottom left to right: Tom Neville, EVP; Robert Hearn, SVP; Paul Holubec, Austin Chairman; Alan Nirenberg, EVP; Jason Thurman, Congress & Mopac President; Jon Levy, Westlake and Bottom left to right: Tom EVP; David RobertStory, Hearn, SVP; Paul Holubec, Austin Chairman; AlanCommercial Nirenberg, Loan EVP; Jason Thurman, Congress Mopac President; Jon Levy, Westlake Lakeway President; Back Neville, left to right: AVP; Tommy Ward, AVP; Brandon Ferguson, Officer; Wade Morgan, SVP;&Hill Shands, Commercial Loan Officer; and Lakeway President; Back left to right: David Story, AVP; Tommy Ward, AVP; Brandon Ferguson, Commercial Loan Officer; Wade Morgan, SVP; Hill Shands, Commercial Loan Officer; Michael Ramirez, AVP; Frank Jackel, EVP; Mike Litton, SVP; Cody Naumann, VP; Sean Mills, SVP; Eric Kelley, SVP Michael Ramirez, AVP; Frank Jackel, EVP; Mike Litton, SVP; Cody Naumann, VP; Sean Mills, SVP; Eric Kelley, SVP

PlainsCapital Bank was proud to support the restoration of this iconic Austin PlainsCapital Bank was proud to support the restoration of this iconic Austin mural. Helping return the mural to its original glory meant helping preserve the mural. Helping return the mural to its original glory meant helping preserve the character and culture of Austin. character and culture of Austin. We believe in taking care of our customers and in giving back to the communities We believe in taking care of our customers and in giving back to the communities we serve. we serve.

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PlainsCapital.com PlainsCapital.com


social hour

austin

Olive & June Supper Club

Part of Tribeza’s own Supper Club Series, this Italian feast at Olive & June, held on May 6 made for a delicious evening. Guests dined on fresh, vegetable-driven dishes and sumptuous dessert from chef Shawn Cirkiel.

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Austin Restaurant Week Kickoff Party Austin Restaurant Week is an

eight-day culinary event hosted over a two-week period, benefitting nonprofit Meals On Wheels and More. Tribeza produced this year's Restaurant Week and helped launch the week with a kickoff party at Olive & June on May 6. Bon appétit!

CultureMap Tastemaker Awards

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards are an annual celebration of Austin’s top culinary talent, hosted on May 7. Attendees wined and dined with the best of the city’s restaurant scene at Brazos Hall on East 4th street.

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Olive & June: 1. Marcella & David Davis 2. Taylor Terkel & Ryan Steed 3. Veronica & John Hottenroth ARW Kick-off: 4. RT Moreno & Zelina Serna 5. Brockett Davidson & Melissa Culbertson 6. Cameron Breed & Tiffany Peters 7. Travis Huse & Lisa Smith Tastemakers: 8. Dennis Gobis, Carley Dunavant & Shaun Baldwin 9. Shawna Fletcher & Katie McCoy 10. Theresa Grillo & Dave Manzer 11. Kimberly Bolton & Susie Felts 12. Suzanne & Matt McGinnis

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P h oto g r a p h y by j o h n p e s i n a


OPENING L ATE SUMMER 2014 Austin’s upscale gay bar, lounge and dance club. Hosting the LGBTQ community in the heart of downtown.

Join us for the fun. HighlandLounge.com 404 Colorado Street, Austin, Texas 78701


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community

column

Lake Lessons BY K R I STI N ARMSTRO NG I llu s tr ation by Joy G a ll ag h er

My gr andfather is dying.

At 96 he is the last of the Mohicans in our family. All my other grandparents are already gone. He is in assisted living in Peoria, Arizona. He and Grandma left the frozen tundra of Minnesota many years ago. The snowbird friends they used to play cards with and drink cocktails with are long gone. He cannot see due to macular degeneration, and his formerly keen blue eyes are rheumy and blank behind thick, useless glasses. He no longer attempts to read the Wall Street Journal with a shaky, handheld magnifying glass, or listens to the news with the volume on full blast. He can’t hear, despite his hearing aids turned up to an audible hum. He has no appetite since Grandma died, and his well-worn clothes are swallowing his shrinking form in his La-Z-Boy recliner. His Manhattans have been replaced with servings of Ensure. He calls out for Grandma, gripes at the nurses, and no longer takes our phone calls. He has 24-hour care. He lives in a place where people dine silently at four in the afternoon, where wheelchairs park in the lobby at random with openmouthed occupants staring straight ahead. Despite being a “nice” place, it smells stale, like loneliness and medicine. I long to take him outside, but everything is too cold for him. Even Arizona. So I go outside often, by myself and with my children, in his honor. I make it a point to walk the dog, hike the greenbelt, run at the lake—and I pray for him. I don’t picture him in Peoria. I remember him as the purposeful man who owned banks and drove a white Lincoln and came home for lunch. I spent childhood summers at my grandparents’ lake house in northern Minnesota. I waited for him after work, in my terrycloth shorts and Wonder Woman bathing suit. He would park and I’d hug him hello and we would walk through the garden, where he would pull vegetables at random and let me eat delicious, dusty carrots. Like Mister Rogers, each day he would change into his prescribed outfit: shorts, socks, white loafers, and an unbuttoned short-sleeved dress shirt. He would light a cigar and start the grill. It was a very happy hour; ice

clinked in cocktail glasses, and we ate Wheat Thins and Triscuits and small cubes of cheese. He flipped pork chops and I sat on the cement steps, cleaning fresh corn, ripping silky shreds into a brown grocery bag. After dinner we played cards, slapped mosquitoes, listened to Patsy Cline, and stayed up late. I painted rocks, big white ones that I pulled out of the lake. Each one was a master creation, and I proudly sold them to all the neighbors as signed limited-edition paperweights. Grandpa was my best customer; he told me that with my business sense I was going to be quite a successful young lady one day. We were outside all the time. He took me fishing for walleye and taught me how to drive his boat. He showed me how to tell when things were ripe and ready to pick. He mowed the lawn and when he was through, he would walk straight into the lake in his shorts with a gold bar of Dial soap and bathe, explaining that the lake was as clean as any bathtub. I believed him and sudsed off beside him, with minnows tickling my toes in the sand. At summer’s end, I left sadly, waving and making the letters “C” and “U” with my hands from the rear window, all the way down the gravel drive. See you. See you. See you. Those summers are my happy place, part of my internal center and mental refuge. I go there when I need to breathe and remember when things were simple. Back in the days where kids had to be reminded to come inside, not urged to go out. Back in the days when you spent time with, rather than made time for, the people you loved. We can re-create these days of old for ourselves and for our children. We can resurrect the spirit of family and dust off forgotten or forsaken traditions. Step one is to Go Outside. Go outside into nature and remember how necessary and healing this is. And go outside of ourselves, fully connecting with the experiences and the people that make memories out of passing time. My grandfather, Carl V. Lind, passed away the morning after I wrote this essay. C U.

i llu s t r at i o n by j oy g a ll ag h er For a limite d- e dit i on p r int , c onta c t jo ygall agh e r@g m ail .c om .

tribeza.com june 2014

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community

profile

exposed

On assignment for National Geographic in Austin, Texas. From left, Assistant Dive Safety Officer Roger Banks, photographer Erich Schlegel and Dive Safety Officer James Piper after the bubble curtain shoot in the underwater test tank at Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas.

Erich Schlegel f r eel a n c e p h otoj o u r n a l i s t

I

f you happened to find yourself stranded on, say, Matagorda Island, you’d want to tap the skills of someone who knows how to pitch a tent, rustle up dinner, and generally navigate the wild. That would be photojournalist Erich Schlegel, who has traveled the globe capturing the human story in outdoor adventure for the better part of 30 years. Who better to serve as tour guide for our outdoors issue? This month Schlegel heads out to document the grueling Texas Water Safari, a 260-mile canoe and kayak race from San Marcos all the way to the coastal town of Seadrift. For the remainder of the year, he will work with Ultralite Films on a documentary film titled

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The Disappearing Rio Grande, capturing the geography, landscape, and culture influenced by this historic Texas waterway from its source in Colorado to its end in the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville. But photography wasn’t always the direction Schlegel’s professional life was headed. After completing his undergraduate business degree from Southern Methodist University, he thought he would follow in his father’s footsteps in international business consulting, a career that had Schlegel’s family stationed in Latin America for much of his young life. But before applying for a master’s degree in business, he was stopped short by his father, who suggested a different path. “One day, he asked me what I’d really like to do,” says Schlegel. “I’d always been interested in photography, but I had never really thought about it as a career to pursue. I looked at him and said, ‘I’d kind of like to get into photography.’ And he said, ‘Then why don’t you do that?’” Schlegel credits his father’s response as being the best advice he’s ever received. “He wanted me to answer the question for myself, and I will thank him for the rest of my life for that.” He got his first full-time gig as a photographer for the Brownsville Herald, covering everything from traffic accidents to sporting events, including a bullfight in Matamoros, Mexico, that almost ended his life when one of the bulls jumped its pen and chased Schlegel around the ring. “There were a few guys there from the Herald, and when they saw me running for my life, it really earned me some chops with them,” Schlegel recalls. As he matured in his career, he spent a few more years in Brownsville before moving on to a job at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and later landing a spot at the Dallas Morning News in 1988. During his tenure there, he covered three Super Bowls, nine Olympic Games, and a smattering of international conflicts in Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, and Afghanistan. In 2000, he moved to Austin to work remotely for the paper, but in 2008, following the economic recession, he faced company-wide layoffs and began a career in freelance photography. “It has not been a smooth road,” says Schlegel. “It’s a feast or famine sort of career, and I don’t sugar coat it when I talk to young people who are interested in getting into this. But if you can make it work, it can be very rewarding.” j. du pu y p h oto g r a p h y co u rt e s y o f er i c h s c h l eg el


exposed

8 Questions for erich

How would you characterize the type of photography you do? I’d probably call it outdoor photojournalism, but it’s not just landscape photography. I like to key in on people. It’s the human aspect of the places that really bring a story to life. What are some of the favorite places you’ve visited? I have three. I love Belize for its variety of recreation and culture. You’ve got rivers, mountains, caves, and barrier reefs along with the Mayan ruins and culture. It has some of the best snorkeling, diving, and fishing all in this tiny little place. I love Cuba for photography because it really is like going back in time to the 1950s, yet it’s just a few hours away. It’s surreal. And I also love Nepal. You can never grasp the majesty of the Himalayas until you see it first hand.

Schlegel and his daughter Thira, then 13, now 14, wade the Rio Grande River upstream into Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Schlegel takes his daughter on different adventures during their summer vacations together.

Is there a favorite place you love to photograph? That’s easy. Texas. I’ve traveled all over the world, but I love coming home. I could go shoot a beach in Morocco, but with this Texas Water Safari, I can shoot the Texas coast right here, and people really don’t realize what a wonderful resource it is. I like going to places where not many people go like Caddo Lake or remote places of West Texas. What kind of snacks do you always have on hand? I never go on a trip without Jolly Ranchers. I think I packed five bags with me on my trip to the Amazon. (Regular and Passion Fruit varieties.) That and beef jerky, if I can pack it. There's also a new Austin-based company making meat-based energy bars called Epic Bars that you can get at Whole Foods. They have beef, bison, turkey, and lamb flavors and are pretty good if you can't have beef jerky. What do you like most about your job? Being able to find the real, honest emotion from

Erich Schlegel

people in some of the most amazing places. It’s great when you can photograph a beautiful place, but it really means something when you can balance that with the human component of what’s happening. What do you like least about what you do? The unpredictability of freelance life. You’re always wondering where the next job will come from. What’s your favorite time of day to shoot? I’m a morning person, so I’d have to say early morning, before anything has been disturbed from the night. What would be your dream job? I’ve always wanted to go back to Nepal and do a story on the sherpas in the Himalayas that they call the Icefall Doctors. They maintain the trail between the “Base Camp” and “Camp 1” on Mount Everest. Other than the death zone about 28,000 feet, it’s the most dangerous place on the mountain.


june Calendars arts & entertainment

Entertainment Calendar Music NEON TREES

June 2, 6pm Stubb’s BBQ

HOWIE DAY

June 4, 8pm One World Theatre AUSTIN SYMPHONY PRESENTS: THE CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR – A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES

June 6-7, 8pm Palmer Events Center

HUGH LAURIE WITH THE COPPER BOTTOM BAND

June 6, 8pm Paramount Theatre

MARIACHI VARGAS EN CONCIERTO

June 7, 8pm The Long Center

KUTX LIVE: SLAID CLEAVES

June 8, 8pm Paramount Theatre

ACL TAPING: ED SHEERAN

June 11 ACL Live at Moody Theater ANDY GRAMMER

June 13, 7:30pm The Parish

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june 2014 tribeza.com

SAY ANTYHING

June14, 7pm Emo’s Austin TOADIES

June 14, 7pm Stubb’s BBQ TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE

June 15, 9pm Emo’s Austin

ANDREW BIRD & THE HANDS OF GLORY

June 16, 8pm Paramount Theatre PAULA COLE

June 18, 8pm One World Theatre BLAKE SHELTON

June 20, 5:30pm Austin 360 Amphitheater at Circuit of Americas CUT COPY

June 21, 7pm Stubb’s BBQ JACKOPIERCE

June 21, 8pm Paramount Theatre TEXAS HERITAGE SONGWRITERS’ ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME AWARDS SHOW

June 22, 7pm ACL Live at Moody Theater

Film HANNA RANCH

June 2, 7:30pm Marchesa Hall and Theatre THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP

June 5, 7:30pm Marchesa Hall and Theatre EMMA MAE

June 13, 8pm June 15, 2pm Marchesa Hall and Theatre JULES AND JIM

June 19, 7:30pm Marchesa Hall and Theatre DREAMS THAT MONEY CAN BUY

June 25, 7:30pm Austin Film Society Screening Room J’ACCUSE

June 26, 7:30pm Marchesa Hall and Theatre

Theatre 5O SHADES! THE MUSICALTHE OFFICIAL PARODY

June 3-4 The Long Center

VANYA AND SONIO AND MASHA AND SPIKE

Through June 22 Topfer Theatre at ZACH Theatre BETHANY

Through June 7 The Long Center

Children SCOOBY-DOO LIVE! MUSICAL MYSTERIES

June 8, 3pm The Long Center

ERTH’S DINASOUR ZOO LIVE

Comedy NORM MACDONAL

June 5 - 7 Cap City Comedy

CRISTELA ALONZO

June 11 - 14 Cap City Comedy JIMMY PARDO

June 20 - 21 Cap City Comedy

June 17-22 The Long Center

HILL COUNTRY GALLERIA INDEPENDENCE DAY FESTIVAL

June 28, 4pm Hill Country Galleria

Other X GAMES

BRENT MORIN

June 5-8 Circuit of the Americas

JIM JEFFERIES

ROY LOZANO’S BALLET FOLKLÓRICO DE TEXAS FIESTA 2014

June 25 - 28 Cap City Comedy June 27, 8pm Paramount Theatre EDDIE IZZARD AND THE FORCE MAJEURE

June 27-28 The Long Center

TRACY MORGAN

June 28, 8pm Paramount Theatre

June 21, 8pm Paramount Theatre

12TH ANNUAL KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD FESTIVAL + 5K

June 28 The Long Center



arts & entertainment

C A l e n da r s

Arts Calendar june 5 THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTIN – JONES CENTER

Film: The Institute Screening, 8:30pm JUNE 7

Luci & Ian Family Garden

T

he Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is in full bloom, and this season it’s larger—and even more beautiful—than the last. Their new Family Garden, which opened in May, doubled the size of the center’s garden spaces with its nearly five acres of native plants. And it’s cultivating more than just fragrant flowers; the garden also serves as a playground with education resources, a model for sustainable landscape design, and more than a dozen interactive features (including a maze made of native shrubs, giant tree stumps for kids to climb on, giant birds’ nests made from native grape vines, and a grotto with caves and a waterfall). Executive Director Susan Rieff says the garden will offer a new range of experiences for children and families, where kiddos can explore nature freely. The idea has been in the works for several years, and now it’s finally come to fruition. “A few small groups of children have come out and played in the space already to give us a sort of preview of what to expect,” Rieff says. “The kids have all had a wonderful time, and they have surprised us with how they have interacted with some of the features in ways we didn’t anticipate. It’s been fun to watch.” Along with the opening of the garden, the center plans to host its annual Nature Nights for six Thursdays this summer, beginning June 12. Rieff says the Wildflower Center has always been guided by Lady Bird Johnson’s mission of “harmonizing the needs of man with the needs of nature.” With the Family Garden, they are serving the needs of parents with kids who want permission to play in the dirt. “It’s really hard to have a bad day!” Rieff says. “I get to work with anincredibly talented and dedicated staff, who are supported by more than 800 volunteers. And I have the deep satisfaction of knowing that the center is doing vitally important work and advancing Mrs. Johnson’s vision for a more sustainable world.” e. banks

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WALLY WORKMAN GALLERY

P.A. Jones: Above & Below Opening Reception, 6pm Through July 4 JUNE 12

LORA REYNOLDS GALLERY

Jason Middlebrook Through July 5

BLANTON MUSEUM OF ART

Between Mountains and Seas: Arts of the Ancient Andes Through August 17 In the Company of Cats and Dogs June 22 - September 21

THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTIN – LAGUNA GLORIA

Orly Genger Artist Talk, 7:30pm JUNE 19 BLANTON MUSEUM OF ART

Third Thursday, 5:30pm

Ongoing THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTIN

Susurrus June 4 - 28 A Secret Affair Through August 24 Orly Genger Through August 24

GALLERY SHOAL CREEK

Tony Saladino + Karen Hawkins Through June 14

HARRY RANSOM CENTER

The World at War 1914-1918 Through August 3 MEXIC-ARTE MUSEUM

Young Latina Artists 19: Y, qué? June 13 – September 7 Women of the Serie Project June 13 – September 7 DAVIS GALLERY

All Summer Long June 7 – August 30 RUSSELL COLLECTION FINE ART GALLERY

Five Generations of Pissarro June 1 - 30

photo courtesy of the wildflower center

event pick

YARD DOG ART GALLERY

Bill Miller: New Work June 21 - July 27


BALLET AUSTIN ACADEMY

DREAMS BEGIN HERE. • Classes for boys & girls beginning at age 3 • Now registering for summer classes • Fall registration opens June 10

ENROLL TODAY BY VISITING BALLETAUSTIN.ORG OR BY CALLING 512.501.8704



www.poshpropertiesaustin.com 512.947.9684


version of Puccini’s

R

R

g a l l e r i e s & t h e at e r

all female La Bohème

the very first version of Puccini’s

R

Art Spaces Museums

Hours: Tu–Su 1–5 frenchlegationmuseum.org

The Contemporary austin: laguna gloria

George Washington Carver Museum

3809 W. 35th St. (512) 458 8191 Driscoll Villa hours: Tu–W 12-4, Th-Su 10–4 Grounds hours: M–Sa 9–5, Su 10–5 thecontemporaryaustin.org. the contemporary austin: Jones Center

arts pick

June 21, 8:00 p.m.

T

June 22, 3:00 p.m.

La Femme Bohème

North Door • 502 Brushy street 78702 • tickets $10

L

sPoNsoreD By

iz Cass felt so compelled to produce an all-female version of La Bohème that it was only a matter of time before lofty ideas led to cross-dressing, et voila, La Femme Bohème was 8:00 born. It is a dream turned into reality, one Cass says she has June 21, p.m. T June 22, 3:00 p.m. envisioned for the past five years. North Door • 502 Brushy street 78702 • tickets $10 This is the first ever production of La Bohème with an all-female cast, and one that sPoNsoreD By promises to bring a whole new dynamic to an opera already filled with emotion and anguish, centering on themes of friendship, love, hardship, struggle, and creative expression. A woman’s perspective will help to tell the story in a new way, Cass says. “La Bohème is a total human experience story,” Cass says. “I wanted to show how at the core of it all, we share so many things. We have much more in common than we don’t have in common.” Cass says women are often misrepresented as divas in the opera world, whereas her cast is made up of “amazing, passionate, artistic women.” But there’s more to this production than empowering the ladies; it’s also a way to celebrate diversity and expose just a few of the many layers of complexity in a person’s life. “Being an opera singer and now producer, I totally identify with the pain of struggling for your art and for love,” Cass says. “How life can be complicated and reality can hit you like a ton of bricks. This production, having characters that straddle the gender norms, takes that idea a step further.” La Femme Bohème clearly wrestles with broad, complex themes, but there’s also beautiful simplicity in the idea of sharing the human experience-good and bad-with one another. Compassion is one powerful tool. e. banks

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700 Congress Ave. (512) 453 5312 Hours: W 12-11, Th-Sa 12-9, Su 12-5 thecontemporaryaustin.org austin galleries

5804 Lookout Mountain Dr.

(512) 495 9363 By Appt. Only austingalleries.com

Blanton Museum of Art

200 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. (512) 471 7324 Hours: Tu– F 10–5, Sa 11–5, Su 1–5 blantonmuseum.org

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

1800 Congress Ave. (512) 936 8746 Hours: M–Sa 9–6, Su 12–6 thestoryoftexas.com Elisabet Ney Museum

304 E. 44th St. (512) 458 2255 Hours: W–Sa 10–5, Su 12–5 ci.austin.tx.us/elisabetney French Legation Museum

802 San Marcos St. (512) 472 8180

1165 Angelina St. (512) 974 4926 Hours: M–Th 10–9, F 10–5:30, Sa 10–4 ci.austin.tx.us/carver Harry Ransom Center

300 E. 21st St. (512) 471 8944 Hours: Tu–W 10–5, Th 10–7, F 10–5, Sa–Su 12–5 hrc.utexas.edu LBJ Library and Museum

2313 Red River St. (512) 721 0200 Hours: M–Su 9–5 lbjlibrary.org

Mexic–Arte Museum

419 Congress Ave. (512) 480 9373 Hours: M–Th 10–6,  F–Sa 10–5, Su 12–5 mexic–artemuseum.org O. Henry Museum

409 E. 5th St. (512) 472 1903 Hours: W–Su 12–5

THINKERY Austin Children's Museum

1830 Simond Ave Hours: T-Fri 10-5, Sa-Su 10-6 thinkeryaustin.org Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum

605 Robert E. Lee Rd. (512) 445 5582 Hours: W–F 10–4:30, Sa–Su 1–4:30 umlaufsculpture.org

image courtesy of la femme boheme

arts & entertainmentR museums,

La Bohème


arts & entertainment

Galleries Art on 5th

3005 S. Lamar Blvd. (512) 481 1111 Hours: M–Sa 10–6 arton5th.com Artworks Gallery

1214 W. 6th St. (512) 472 1550 Hours: M–Sa 10–5 artworksaustin.com

Austin Art Garage

2200 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. J (512) 351-5934 Hours: Tu–Sa 11–6, Su 12–5 austinartgarage.com Austin Art Space Gallery and Studios

7739 North Cross Dr., Ste. Q (512) 771 2868 Hours: F–Sa 11–6 austinartspace.com capital fine art

1214 W. 6th St. (512) 628 1214 Hours: M-Sa 10-5 capitalfineart.com

Creative Research Laboratory

2832 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. (512) 322 2099 Hours: Tu–Sa 12–5 uts.cc.utexas.edu/~crlab Davis Gallery

837 W. 12th St. (512) 477 4929 Hours: M–F 10–6, Sa 10–4 davisgalleryaustin.com

Flatbed Press

2830 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. (512) 477 9328 Hours: M-F 10-5, Sa 10-3 flatbedpress.com Gallery Black Lagoon

4301-A Guadalupe St. (512) 371 8838 Hours: Sa 1-5 galleryblacklagoon.com Gallery Shoal Creek

2832 MLK Jr. Blvd. #3 (512) 454 6671 Hours: Tu–F 11–5, Sa 10–3 galleryshoalcreek.com grayDUCK gallery

608 W. Monroe Dr. (512) 826 5334 Hours: W 11-6, Th 4-8, F-Sa 11-6, Su 12-5 grayduckgallery.com La Peña

227 Congress Ave., #300 (512) 477 6007 Hours: M-F 8-5, Sa 8-3 lapena–austin.org Lora Reynolds Gallery

360 Nueces St., #50 (512) 215 4965 Hours: W-Sa 11-6 lorareynolds.com Lotus Gallery

1009 W. 6th St., #101 (512) 474 1700 Hours: M–Sa 10-6 lotusasianart.com Mondo Gallery

4115 Guadalupe St. Hours: Tu - Sa, 12- 6 mondotees.com

(512) 453 3199 By Appt. Only fluentcollab.org

By appointment only bay6studios.com

The Nancy Wilson

Wally Workman

Scanlan Gallery

Gallery

5305 Bolm Rd., #12 (512) 939 6665 bigmedium.org

6500 St. Stephen’s Dr. (512) 327 1213 Hours: M-F 9-5 sstx.org

1202 W. 6th St. (512) 472 7428 Hours: Tu–Sa 10–5 wallyworkman.com

Okay Mountain

Women & Their Work

Gallery

1619 E. Cesar Chavez St. Sa 1-5 or by appointment (512) 293 5177 okaymountain.com Positive Images

1118 W. 6th St. (512) 472 1831 Hours: M-Sa 10-5, Su 12-4 Russell Collection Fine Art

1137 W. 6th St. (512) 478 4440 Hours: Tu–Sa 10–6 russell–collection.com Stephen L. Clark Gallery

1101 W. 6th St. (512) 477 0828 Hours: Tu–Sa 10–4 stephenlclarkgallery.com studio 10

1011 West Lynn Hours: Tu–Sa 11–5 (512) 236 1333 studiotenarts.com Testsite

502 W. 33rd St.

1710 Lavaca St. (512) 477 1064 Hours: M–F 10–6, Sa 12–5 womenandtheirwork.org Yard Dog

1510 S. Congress Ave. (512) 912 1613 Hours: M–F 11–5, Sa 11–6, Su 12–5 yarddog.com

Alternative Spaces ARTPOST: The Center for Creative Expression

4704 E. Cesar Chavez St. artpostaustin.com Austin Presence

330 Bee Cave Rd., #700 (512) 306 9636 Hours: Tu–F 10–6, Sa 10–4 austinpresence.com Bay6 Gallery & Studios

5305 Bolm Rd. (512) 553 3849

M u s e u m s & Ga l l e r i e s

Big Medium

Clarksville Pottery & Galleries

4001 N. Lamar Blvd., #550 (512) 454 9079 Hours: M-Sa 11-6, Su 1-4 Co-Lab Project Space

613 Allen St. (512) 300 8217 By appointment only colabspace.org farewell Books

913 E. Cesar Chavez St. (512) 476 DOMY Hours: Mon-Sa 12–8, Su 12–7 domystore.com Julia C. Butridge Gallery

1110 Barton Springs Rd. (512) 974 4025 Hours: M–Th 10–9:30, F 10–5:30, Sa 10–4 ci.austin.tx.us/ dougherty/gallery.htm Pump Project Art Complex

702 Shady Ln. (512) 351 8571 pumpproject.org Roi James

3620 Bee Cave Rd., Ste. C

(512) 970 3471 By appointment only roijames.com Space 12

3121 E. 12th St. (512) 524 7128 T-F 10-5 space12.org

Fredericksburg AGAVE GALLERY

208 E. San Antonio St. Hours: M-Sa 10-5 (830) 990 1727 agavegallery.com ARTISANS AT ROCKY HILL

234 W. Main St. (830) 990 8160 Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30, Su 11-3 artisansatrockyhill.com FREDERICKSBURG ART GALLERY

314 E. Main St. (830) 990 2707 Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30, Su 12-5 fbartgallery.com INSIGHT GALLERY

214 W. Main St. (830) 997 9920 Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5:30 insightgallery.com WHISTLE PIK

425 E. Main St. (830) 990 8151 Hours: M-Sa 10-5

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TRIBEZ A Talk A n i n s i d e r ' s g u i d e to A u s t i n ' s h i d d e n g e m s .

b y l e i g h pat t e r s o n

sneak peek

she doesn't leave home without 'em: Jad e' s su m m er e ssential s fo r th e spri n g s Paw Paw o i n tm e n t : I pretty much have a tube of this in every bag I own. It’s made close to where I grew up in Australia, and I use it as a lip balm, on mosquito bites, and dry skin. The smell reminds me of my friends and family at home. U n o : Anyone who knows me knows I will play Uno anywhere, anytime. If this pack could talk it would probably say, “Stop drinking so much tequila and buy a new pack that actually has all of the cards.” Keys : I have a ‘71 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible,

and it’s so much fun driving to Barton Springs in it—swimming noodles sticking out the back. Plus, I know I’ll be warm enough to jump right in when I get there.

Ea rly Bird g r a nol a ba r : Slightly sweet and a little salty, I got addicted to these in Brooklyn. Luckily, we now sell them at F&N.

Wh at ’ s in my Ba rton Spring s bag? Jade Place-Mathews Jade Place-Mathews is one part of the well-traveled, stylish trio who own Friends and Neighbors (2614 E. Cesar Chavez, friendsaustin. com), a new East Austin destination that’s part clothing boutique, part

G ather Journal : Reading Gather Journal always makes me hungry. It is dedicated to the aspects of gathering—dining, drinking, harvesting, and cooking—and has definitely helped inspire many dinner parties in our backyard. Throw : My husband gives me a hard time about buying so

many textiles when we travel. Austin is the perfect place to use them all the time as blankets, towels, or sarongs.

Sung l a ss es : I can’t go anywhere without my Persol sunnies. Hat: I found this on our last trip to Mexico: it’s not fancy, but it

fits perfectly and covers my neck and shoulders. As I get older, I’m starting to get more paranoid about the sun.

coffee mecca, part artisanal sundry shop, and part evening hangout, all stationed in different rooms of an old house. Place-Mathews, who also coowns Hillside Farmacy with her husband Greg Mathews, shared with us

Bag : This Mara Hoffman bag is huge with sturdy leather

straps—I can pile it full for a day at the springs.

the components of her Barton Springs bag. Bring on the sunshine!

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p h oto g r a p h y by m i c h a el a . m u ll er


Rig ht foot forward This summer we’re sitting poolside with Hari Mari, the Texasbased sandal company with a do-good slant—$3 from every pair supports kids battling cancer. And lest you wonder if it’s too soon to upgrade last year’s pair, we have four words for you: memory foam toe posts.

ad u lt s n ow co n e s : A tipsy riff on everyone ’ s childhood favorite

Hari Maris shoes retail for $60. Find a full list of Austin stockists—including Stag, By George, and Whole Earth Provision Co.—at HariMari.com.

Here's a summer treat from the nice people at Weather Up (1808 E. Cesar Chavez St.), who are serving up boozy snow cones from their SaniServ Slushy Machine all season long. Here, owner Kathryn Weatherup shares a couple of inspired flavor suggestions for her favorite icy combinations. The Av enue

Reposado tequila Calvados Cocchi Americano Fresh lemon juice Passion fruit syrup (cane sugar and fresh passion fruit juice) The Tais Toi (pic tured)

Armagnac brandy Oloroso sherry Blackberry and mint syrups Fresh lime juice tribeza.com june 2014

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New Location Summer 2014!

512-472-1768 www.austinshadeworks.com

AUSTIN SHADEWORKS



Welcome to Madrono Ranch.

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refuge

Just outside of Austin, a r e s i d e n c y on the range offers writers unfettered time to c r e at e, a n d d r aw i n s p i r at i o n f r o m t h e r u g g e d ly beautiful landscape. by a m a n da e y r e wa r d | p h oto g r a p h y by w y n n m y e r s tribeza.com

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A cheery artist’s cabin provides a temporary home on the range.

As you turn off the paved road and enter the ranch...your heartbeat slows just a bit.

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I a r r i v e d at Madroño Ranch w i t h a pa c k a g e o f i n d e x c a r d s, a b ag o f

ologist and science writer. Juli wrote the first

Martin and Heather, both bookworms, fell

chapter of her book about jellyfish, Spineless,

in love at Williams College. “We didn’t start

at Madroño. She remembers, “While I was at

dating until the spring of our senior year

Madroño, the swifts were nesting in the eaves

despite some very determined and, in retro-

of the Lake House. Early in the morning the

spect, probably creepy stalking on my part,”

babies would start chirping for food…they

confides Martin. “Since the college closed the

were my alarm clock.”

dorms during spring break, and I couldn’t af-

Madroño Ranch is rugged and lovely, com-

ford to fly home to California, I asked Heath-

prising 1,500 acres and located on Wallace

er if I could stay at her house while she was

and thirteen cans of

Creek a few miles north of Medina. The prop-

visiting her folks. She said yes, and when she

erty includes a lake of about 25 acres and nu-

returned after spring break, well, something

s o u p. F r o m t h e s e i n -

merous other streams and draws; steep, rocky

just . . . happened, and I stayed. Maybe it was

terrain; and grassy, rolling hills. It’s home to a

the lilacs.”

co f f e e , a j u g o f w i n e,

g r e d i e n t s I h o p e d to

number of plant and animal species, includ-

The Kohouts wanted to share their ranch

ing bison and chickens; the madrone trees

but weren’t sure how to begin. “We were un-

construct a novel.

(madroño in Spanish) for which the ranch is

easy with using the property as a pet, which

It was fall in Texas, hot and dry, and I’d also

named; feral hogs; raccoons; whitetail, sika,

is what having a nonworking ranch usually

tossed a swimsuit and sneakers into my car

and axis deer; bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie,

devolves to,” says Heather. “Everyone needs

with the thought that maybe I’d start jogging

and perch; bald eagles; wild turkeys; and

to work in a relationship, but the Texas Hill

again, and swim afterward. (I planned to

many more, according to the ranch’s website.

Country is a tough place to make a go of it un-

The Kohout family first began their rela-

der traditional agriculture and ranching par-

a mom of three wonderful and mischievous

tionship with the property when Heather Ko-

adigms, which tend to require slow (or swift)

children, I was tired. When I drove off the

hout’s mother, Jessica Hobby Catto, bought

destruction of the land. How do we open the

paved road into the ranch, I rolled down my

600 acres. As the years passed, Martin and

place up carefully? How do we share it? How

car window and inhaled, smelling sage.

Heather bought more of the property as it

do we start thinking out loud with Very Prac-

I had heard about Madroño Ranch, which

became available, enjoying time there with

tical People and visionaries about managing

is owned by Austinites Martin and Heather

their three children Elizabeth, Tito (Chris-

such a place? A residency program seemed

Kohout, from my friend Juli Berwald, a bi-

topher), and Thea.

like a good start.”

be in pajamas for the rest of my hours.) As

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Owner Heather Kohout loves “all the living water.�

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Miles from urban traffic, the only delays on ranch roads are caused by wandering livestock.

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Also in residence: chickens. As wells as various forms of Texas-inspired art.

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“ I w e n t f o r wa l k s t h r e e o r f o u r t i m e s a d ay, d r a w i n g i n s p i r at i o n f r o m t h e l a n d s c a p e . I t w a s i n c r e d i b ly c e n t e r i n g , inspiring, and productive.”

56

- da l i a a z i m

“Given our backgrounds in various aspects

Dalia Azim adds, “I went for walks three or

of the word biz, we came up with the idea of

four times a day, drawing inspiration from the

giving time and space to writers, specifically

landscape. It was incredibly centering, inspir-

environmental writers,” says Martin, adding

ing, and productive.”

wryly, “whatever that means; we didn’t real-

My first evening at Madroño, I marveled

ly know what that meant then, and we still

at the wide sky as it changed from blue to

don’t.”

orange and then transformed into glittering

With the help of an advisory board (which

night. The main character of my novel, Home-

includes Jesse Griffiths of Austin’s Dai Due

coming, is a girl named Carla who leaves her

Butcher Shop and Supper Club, who also hosts

native Honduras to find her mother in Texas.

“ethical hunting schools” at the ranch), the

That evening as I typed, Carla also looked up

Kohouts began accepting applications. More

at a bowl of stars.

than forty artists have now visited Madroño.

The next morning I brewed coffee and

Geologist Julia Clarke worked on a chapter

laced on my sneakers. I puffed along, reach-

for the Princeton Guide to Evolution there.

ing a wire fence. Undeterred, I hopped over

“An electric vermillion flycatcher outside the

and soon saw what the fence was meant to

window and low flybys from belted kingfish-

contain: a herd of bison that snorted at me

ers during a swim in the pond provided only

as I stood, panting, in my running shorts. I

a small part of the inspiration—diversity! I

couldn’t remember if bison were aggressive,

recorded 80 species of birds, flocks of dusky

so I sprinted back to the house. I amended my

grey wild turkeys, a silent encounter with an

workout plan: after every ten pages, I would

excitable group of wild hogs, and the lonely

jump in the lake.

honks of a single Chinese goose repeating on

Many visitors find the bison inspiring. Art-

the canyon walls. Local, introduced, beautiful

ist Shelby Prindaville says, “The Madroño

with or without names,” says Clarke. Novelist

Ranch residency provided a wonderful oppor-

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Artist, Graham Burns, at the Madro単o Ranch, sips coffee outside his cabin.

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Bison range freely on the 1,500-acre Madro単o Ranch.

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Grass-fed Madro単o Ranch bison meat. Jesse Griffiths, of Dai Due Butcher Shop and Supper Club, runs a series of ethical hunting, fishing, and cooking classes throughout the year at the ranch.

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“I love the cleared f i e l d s i n t h e c o l d, s h a r p w e at h e r , e s p ec i a l ly w h e n t h e b i son are huffing their w h i t e b r e at h s a n d

tunity for me to begin a body of work focused

love. I love the rocky valley filled with old ma-

on bison, one of the quintessential American

ples and hardwoods. I love the side of a hill

icons.” And during his visit, says writer David

overwhelmed with cedar that still has moss

Todd, “I was mostly working through a chap-

growing even in the summer. Moss! I love the

ter about the fall and return of buffalo in the

cleared fields in the cold, sharp weather, espe-

state. I felt very fortunate to get to write about

cially when the bison are huffing their white

the century-long recovery of these wonderful

breaths and making those grunts that sound

‘crooked-backed oxen’ right there in the midst

like they emerge from the center of the Earth.”

of the very alive, snorting, steaming, shaggy

Somehow, in the stillness of the ranch, I

Madroño bison! How lucky could I be?”

found my story. By the time I filled the recy-

I fell into a wonderful rhythm of writ-

cling bin with metal cans, an empty wine jug,

making those grunts

ing, swimming, and eating lazy (soup) din-

and more than a few discarded pages, I had a

ners while watching the sunset. The ranch

draft of Homecoming to send to my agent. It

t h at s o u n d l i k e t h e y

foreman, Robert Selement, who lives on the

still feels like a miracle to me.

property and has worked there since he was

I am not the only one to feel that Madroño

emerge from the cen-

a teenager, delivered wood, and when he no-

Ranch might, perhaps, be magic. Remembers

ticed it went untouched, he asked me, kindly

Heather, “Once, when I got annoyed at some

and without judgment, if I needed a lesson on

peacocks that had shown up unexpectedly at

starting a fire. (I did, and the fire was won-

the main house and wouldn’t let me in peace

derful.)

to watch the sun rise on the porch, I huffed off

ter of the Earth.” - h e at h e r ko h o u t s

When I came to a place in my book where

to the lake with my binoculars and sat there.

I felt stuck, I explored the ranch. Heather de-

I saw something appear in the water about 25

scribes her beloved land beautifully: “I love all

yards away and watched. What was it? Wasn’t

the living water. I love the deep draws with

a snake, because it wasn’t moving. Could be

their secret ferns and gnarled madrones and

two turtles, but they looked odd. I checked

dripping springs, alive with moving things,

with the binocs. It was a small alligator. I’ve

especially those vexing warblers. There’s

been accused of all sorts of things since that

fifth novel, Homecoming, will be published by Random

a view from a rise near the top of the road

sighting, and most of them probably aren’t

House in 2015.

above Robert’s house that looks east that I

true. No one’s ever seen the alligator again.”

For more information, see madronoranch.com Amanda Eyre Ward lives in Austin with her family. Her

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Cantilevered out over a ravine, Contey’s home is balanced between gravity and flight.

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call of the wild b y c l ay t o n m a x w e l l | p h oto g r a p h y b y c a s e y d u n n | s t y l i n g b y a da m f o r t n e r

A r e i m ag i n e d da n c e s t u d i o co n n ec ts to t h e s o ot h i n g r h y t h m s o f H i l l C o u n t r y a n d p r o v i d e s a d r e a m y s ta g e f o r l e s s - i s - m o r e l i v i n g .

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Simplicity reigns in this streamlined kitchen of slate and bamboo.

W

hen you first walk into parenting guru Carrie Contey’s new living room, about 20 miles west of Austin, you sense immediately how this building began as a dancer’s dream laboratory.

Great expanses of windows open the loft-like space to the outdoors, bringing light, breeze, and the green of the surrounding tree-covered hills into the room. Boundaries between inside and out feel deliberately porous. Such openness has a physically energizing impact—as if leaping like a dancer or maybe gliding like the turkey buzzards just outside Contey’s windows is within the realm of possibility. This home is all about possibilities. In 2005, Austin Community College dance department chair José Bustamante, wanting a studio where he could experiment with video projection, collaborated closely with Austin architect Rick Black to create a choreographer’s playground. Brainstorming during sometimes seven-hour meetings that lasted through dinner, Black and Bustamante laid out a plan for what would become a 1,620-square-foot dance studio with 21-foot ceilings downstairs, and a wide-open kitchen/dining/living area with one bedroom and two baths upstairs. The upstairs walls are movable wooden panels that open to overlook the dance studio below. “The inspiration for the project was to provide space that dealt with the sense of gravity,” says Black, who, like Bustamante, saw this as an art project as much as an architectural one. “That seemed interesting to José from the point of view of a dancer—the sense of weight and hovering.” Like a dance posture, the 1,170-square-foot upstairs living space cantilevers out from the building’s sturdy metal frame—achieving a striking balance between gravity and

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A vase of cherry blossoms creates balance with the home’s handsome steel beams and window frames.

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Contey watches the ever-changing scene outside: light and shadow, turkey buzzards, clouds rolling in.

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Contey’s airy, unadorned bedroom is a prime spot for sunrise watching.

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With soaring ceilings and nothing but her desk and a bike, Contey’s office is a fresh clean slate.

“ I wa k e u p e v e ry m o r n i n g w i t h the sun since my bedroom w i n d o w fac e s e a s t. I a m v e ry awa r e o f t h e s ta r s. I c a n s i t a n d watc h t h e c lo u d s f o r h o u r s. I f e e l m u c h m o r e i n t u n e w i t h h o w t h e wo r l d i s m o v i n g .”


flight. A butterfly roof lifts the structure upward and funnels rain to

kept blaring at me was ‘Bigger nature, smaller living space, less stuff.’”

a 10,000-gallon water tank. Handsome custom-made steel beams and

Upon her return to Austin, she found this property while browsing a

window frames anchor the roof, while the clean sparseness, high ceil-

modern housing website. Bustamante, who’d been so busy with his full-

ings, and expanses of windows make it float.

time job in Austin that he wasn’t able to stay out at the house enough,

It feels like more than chance that Contey, who bought the house

was ready to pass it on. Carrie acted fast, drove out to see it, fell in love,

from Bustamante last November, should now be the steward of such a

and ended up signing the papers the day before Thanksgiving. And her

balanced creation: helping families with young children find their own

love affair with the house has only grown deeper over time.

equilibrium is her life’s work. With a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and

“It feels like it is changing me to be living in such nature,” she says,

a specialty in prenatal and perinatal psychology, Contey launched her

looking out over the newly green spring landscape from her back pa-

coaching practice in 2004. At the time, she supported parents in their

tio. “I wake up every morning with the sun since my bedroom window

early years of raising children through one-on-one and small-group

faces east. I am very aware of the stars. I can sit and watch the clouds

meetings in her south-central Austin home. Over the past decade, Con-

for hours. I feel much more in tune with how the world is moving. It’s

tey has developed her practice into a broader form of parent coaching,

changing me, and how I want to work. Just being here puts me in a

creating an online community that spans the globe, and her compre-

state of complete awe. What I’m consuming each day . . . it feels like a

hensive program for new parents, Evolve, has taken off.

satisfying feast that nourishes me deeply.”

“Just talking about parenting and self-care wasn’t enough,” says Contey,

Black and Bustamante were very deliberate in building the house

who structured the Evolve program to support parents in all areas of fam-

in relation to natural cycles. “We figured out some ways to bring the

ily life: parenting, personhood, partnership, and prosperity. Contey works

breeze in low and ventilate up high in order to take advantage of ther-

with clients for more than a year, interacting with them through daily

mal convection,” says Black. “We oriented the building away from the

e-mails, a community site, livecasts, and in-person gatherings.

afternoon sun and toward the ravine that lies to the east. Apparently

“In this way, I can consistently whisper in their ear, ‘Hey, slow down,

the moonrise is amazing there.”

get connected, be playful,’ and help them really find a new way of think-

And even though it takes only about half an hour without traffic to

ing and being,” says Contey. “Through the work we do together, they

drive in to Central Austin, Contey does not go to town much. She doesn’t

rewire their own brains and create more mindful ways of connecting

miss city living. Friends come out, her neighbors all watch out for one

with and guiding their growing people. And ultimately family life, and

another, and she travels plenty for work and play. Rather than feeling

life in general, becomes more fun.”

isolated, she feels the opposite: more connected—with her work, the

It is because of this Web-based evolution of her work that Contey

landscape, the people she loves, and with what makes her hum.

has been able to realize her own dream—living a more streamlined life

“If I am asking my clients to slow down and connect with their peo-

close to nature. In the midst of one of her regular work/play road trips

ple and get more in tune with what they love about their life,” says Con-

this past summer, driving alone in her car, she hit upon the clarity that

tey, “I need to be living that myself every day. If I am going to help

inspired this move away from ever-more-dense Austin to its outskirts.

others find and create their most joyful lives, I’d better be practicing

“I was on the open road, it was beautiful weather, and the message that

what I preach.” tribeza.com june 2014

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hunting d ow n d i n n e r b y e l i z a b e t h w i n s l o w | photography by j o d y h o r t o n Styling for Georgia Pellegrini by Ashley Horsley | Hair + Makeup by Lindsey Harvey

Call it a culinary time warp—across the country chefs are returning to old-fashioned methods of food preparation. We asked two gun-toting, butcher knife-wielding enthusiasts why reconnecting with our culinary past matters.

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With a series of books, a blog, and adventure getaways, Georgia Pelligrini wants to make sure other women know hunting’s not just for the boys. tribeza.com

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I

t’s a cultural cliché to say that everything

learned to cook and forage for edibles in the

ful way to preserve your harvest whether it’s

old is new again, and yet in the culinary

woods, but then she headed off to the big city

fruit preserves or pickled ramps you’ve gath-

to make her fortune. The hectic life of an in-

ered.

vestment banker made her miserable, though,

What are some “forgotten” ingredients we

so she sought out ways to get reconnected to a

should all be revisiting?

world, that’s never been truer. Food preparation methods that date back to pioneer

days (and were born and practiced out of necessity)

past in which she’d felt happy and free. Stints at

Purslane is wonderful. You can find it in the

are currently being resurrected and championed by

New York’s Blue Hill Restaurant and a culinary

sidewalk cracks. It has more omega 3s than

some of our most forward-thinking cooks.

internship in France taught her about paying

fish, and a naturally tart flavor, so you don’t re-

the karmic price for food—she killed a turkey

ally need dressing when you make it into salad.

with her own hands and learned to dress and

I have a simple and delicious recipe for purs-

cook it. Inspired, she picked up her pen to share

lane with red onion, tomatoes, hard boiled egg,

her adventures with others. And now, in addi-

salt, and olive oil. I love wonderfully bitter dan-

tion to publishing three books, she leads wom-

delion greens as well.

Not that many generations ago, it wasn’t possible to not know where our food came from (hint: it wasn’t from plastic-wrapped packages at the supermarket). That’s because we were likely actively involved in growing, slaughtering, preserving, and

en on adventure getaway weekends and offers

What are some trends you’re seeing within the

preparing it. Being hungry meant getting busy, like

modern gals the opportunity to get their hands

general return of traditional foodways?

it or not. But in the mid 20th century, that began to

dirty and learn updated pioneering skills that

I think people are finding ways to get back to

change. Convenience foods replaced time-hon-

make for a more connected and authentic life.

the land, whether by keeping backyard chick-

ored recipes and from-scratch cooking, factory

There’s a resurgence of interest in traditional

ens, a beehive on their rooftop, or planters in

techniques for hunting, growing, foraging, and

their driveways. We’re finding ways to be more

preparing food. Where do you think this cultur-

hands-on and to create a relationship with

al yearning is coming from?

whole foods and connection.

farms usurped small family farms, and fluorescent lights and nine-to-five schedules replaced the daily rhythms of the seasons. Are we better off? Two

I think it’s an antidote to the very technolo-

Can you describe some traditional techniques

chefs who champion traditional techniques and

gy-driven times we’re all living in. Trying eco-

that you’ve tweaked to adapt to modern life?

butchering skills think not. Through hunting and

nomic times are a great equalizer—it makes us

I have a great recipe for cheese that you can

foraging classes, supper clubs, and cookbooks,

ask, “What do we really need?” People are crav-

make in 30 minutes. You can make home-

ing what’s really lasting, they want to use their

made fresh butter in 15 minutes using a mixer.

hands, roll up their sleeves, get back in touch

Many of my recipes have a fun modern twist—I

with things that are more grounding.

use red wine to make popsicles, and preserve

What are your three favorite traditional food

strawberries with balsamic and black pepper in

techniques?

homemade fruit roll-ups.

I’m a big proponent of brining—brining is the

What other aspects of your daily life are im-

key to making wild game more palatable and

pacted as you embrace a return to traditional

preserving the vegetables you’ve gathered or

foodways?

grown. I’m also very intrigued with smoking

I now see possibility in the backyard and on ur-

foods. There are so many different ways to

ban streets. I see the natural world differently

Georgia Pellegrini grew up fishing for trout for

flavor smoke with herbs, or by using different

and have a symbiotic relationship with it—I

breakfast on her family’s property in upstate

woods when you’re smoking cheese, fish, or

know how to interact with it instead of keeping

New York. At the side of her grandmother, she

meat. And of course there’s canning, a wonder-

it at arm’s length.

each seeks to be a guide through our culinary heritage, perhaps tweaked for modern life but best not forgotten.

Georgia Pellegrini Owner, Adventure Getaways; Author, Food Heroes, Girl Hunter, and Modern Pioneering

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Chef Jesse Griffiths passes essential skills for catching and cooking your supper to the next generation.

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Filleting just-caught white crappie is quick work for practiced hands. Right: Griffiths preps dinner with his young daughter Paloma.

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Jesse Griffiths

or killing a deer in the winter. I’d say that this is far

falling on their cars when they are driving to the

Chef/Owner of Dai Due Butcher Shop and Supper Club; Owner, Dai Due Hunting and Fishing School; Author, Afield

more natural than not knowing anything about

store to buy fruit.

your food. The ability to remain aloof about your

What are some trends you’re seeing within the

food has only been an option for a couple gener-

general return of traditional foodways?

ations out of thousands, so I’d reckon that we are

Nose to tail is becoming normalized. It’s not just

To scores of devoted customers, Jesse Griffiths

just waking up from a little nap and remembering

chefs posturing and trying to outdo each other

is the moral compass of our local food scene.

that food is and will be a profound priority.

anymore. I feel that the focus on offal and other

He founded his business on the simple princi-

What are your three favorite traditional food

meats like goat and rabbit really expanded some

ple that people can eat extremely well on foods

techniques?

palettes, and it is now a viable menu option for

sourced solely from our own food shed. This

Fermenting, hands down—a controlled rot of

the mainstream. In places where it was tradition-

hardly seems groundbreaking now, but that’s

food. It totally dismisses the hubris of man being

ally incorporated, in ethnic foods, it’s more sought

due in large part to Jesse’s own tireless work

in control and lets nature just do its thing while

after and accepted, too. They were naming boy

educating and inspiring us with alfresco supper

serving us extensively. It’s prevalent in every cul-

bands Menudo decades ago—that’s cultural ac-

club dinners, cooking classes, guided hunting

ture, it keeps the nutritional integrity of food—or

ceptance of tripe. I’d like to see Head Cheese go

and fishing excursions, expertly cut local, pas-

even increases it—and it can get you drunk. That

triple platinum.

tured meats, and handmade pantry items like

one’s easy. Regionally, I love smoking things, too,

Can you describe some traditional practices

Hefeweizen and horseradish mustard and sau-

especially meat. Smoke has a strong history in

that you’ve tweaked to adapt to modern life?

erkraut made from organic cabbage. Over the

Central Texas because of our resources and cul-

I can’t go on extended hunts and fishing trips

years he has fed us well, but more than that, he

tural influences—barbecue happens here for a

with a family and a business. I make quick morn-

has opened up a world of possibility by showing

very good reason. I think that the way food is con-

ing hunts for ducks and doves now, or try to hit

us how delicious our very own corner of the world

sumed is also a technique. Before refrigeration,

the creek for just a couple of hours for some white

can be. This summer will mark the opening of

if you had caught a bunch of crappie or trapped

bass and then go to work. It’s the only way I can get

Dai Due’s seven-years-in-the-making brick and

a lot of crawfish or killed your fat hog, you had

out, get some food, and keep up at the same time.

mortar location on Manor Road, with a full retail

to get everyone together and have a party out of

What other aspects of your daily life are im-

butcher counter and a restaurant serving a menu

necessity to consume it all before it went bad.

pacted as you embrace a return to traditional

of locally-sourced, wood-fired dishes.

Feasting is a technique then, I guess, that serves

foodways?

There’s a resurgence of interest in traditional

us both culturally and physically.

We eat game and fish almost exclusively at our

techniques for hunting, growing, foraging, and

What are some “forgotten” ingredients we

house. It has an obvious importance to us. We

preparing food. Where is this cultural yearn-

should all be revisiting?

have to plan most of our meals ahead, so that

ing coming from?

Anything that you can find in your neighborhood

slows you down a bit. Eating vegetables sea-

There’s a collective desire right now to have more

that is edible should be revisited. It’s painful to

sonally was always fun and challenging, but

of a connection to food, whether that means

see loquats and plums, banana leaves, agaves,

explaining why we can’t have mulberries in Au-

knowing who’s making your sandwich, who grew

figs, agarita, nopales, and mulberries rot on the

gust to a three-year old is a pretty fun exercise in

the food it’s made from, gathering your own eggs,

ground. People will complain about the fruit

describing patience.

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A few hours at a closely-guarded local fishing spot means pan-fried fish with sauteed spring artichokes, peas, carrots, leek and kale for supper at Chef Jesse Griffiths’s house.

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t r i b e z a t r av e l e r

r oa d t r i p:

b y pa u l a d i s b r o w e | p h oto g r a p h y b y n i co l e m l a k a r

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Just 30 miles east of Austin,

you can explore an entirely different world. Here, are our favorite fun, funky, and delicious reasons to get lost in the Piney Woods in and around Bastrop.

At Dinosaur Park, realistic replicas of prehistoric friends surprise and delight along the trail. tribeza.com

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A teepee at McKinney Roughs Visitor’s Center offers a shady spot to play and sparks a spirit of adventure.

Pack your hiking shoes and a water bottle, because just 13 miles east of

Most of us hop onto Highway 71 east to catch a flight. But

miles of wooded trails) or on horseback (bring your own horse). The

there are plenty of alluring reasons to forge ahead, past Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and plan a day or a weekend exploring one of the most compelling areas in Central Texas. Perched on the banks of the Colorado River, with a quaint downtown surrounded by more than 6,000 acres of loblolly pines, Bastrop, TX, has true grit. After enduring the devastating wildfires of 2011, the place dubbed “the most historic small town in Texas” has worked hard to preserve its character, promote heritage tourism, and enhance its creative community. “Our historic downtown is home to more than 18 independently owned restaurants, many featuring locally sourced ingredients from Bastrop County growers and producers,” says Nancy Wood, director of the Bastrop Main Street Program. “There are 10 fine art galleries in the three blocks of the commercial district, each with unique art, jewelry, tableware and collector items. With the Colorado River running right through downtown, there’s the opportunity to rent a kayak or canoe for a short trip be back in time to enjoy a late lunch,” she continues. “We like to say, “come for a visit and we’ll capture your heart!”

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the airport, McKinney Roughs Nature Park (1884 State Highway 71 W, 512-578-7427) offers 1,100 lush acres to explore by foot (across 18 park is home to hundreds of native plant and animal species that flourish within the rolling box canyons, expansive wildflower meadows, and lazy river bends of the Texas Colorado River. After you pay your entrance fee ($5; free for children 12 and under) and get the latest trail info at the visitors’ center, check out the Mark Rose Natural Science Center, where you can get up close and personal with the area’s indigenous species (including snakes and turtles) through interactive exhibits and learn more about the diverse confluence of ecosystems (including Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairie, East Texas Piney Woods, and a riparian zone) within the park. Next stop, time travel. Sure, you can go to a museum to see skeletons, but at the fun and funky Dinosaur Park (thedinopark.com), you can walk along trails and behold dinosaur replicas roaring from behind plants, trees, and rocks. As you amble past your new friends (e.g. a velociraptor and a triceratops), you’re also likely to see real-life wild rabbits,

Resident Maura Ambrose, the artist we feature on page 102, echoes the

lizards, and roadrunners. Kids can channel their inner Indiana Jones

enthusiasm. “I love living in Bastrop because it feels like a small community

at the park’s fossil-dig and playground. Be sure to bring comfy shoes

of people working hard and enjoying the simple life,” she says. “With an

for the half-mile long gravel trail, and snacks (food and drinks are not

abundance of farmers and cattle ranchers, a lot of the work here is done in

available) for an afternoon picnic. A well-themed gift shop ensures that

cooperation with the land, and I can relate to that lifestyle.” It may be the

you won’t escape without a souvenir or two. The park is open Friday,

best time yet to visit this beautiful, resurgent community. What follows, our

Saturday, and Sunday 10-4; admission is $7 per person, children under

picks for making the most of the adventure.

24 months free.

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Hear them roar: a colorful Stegosaurus and towering Tyrannosaurus Rex greet visitors from the path.

Hikers hit the trail at McKinney Roughs State Nature Park, which offers year round science-based programs for kids.

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What says summer more than a drippy, cherry-topped cone from The Sugar Shack (pictured at right)?

Street tacos and potent margaritas beckon at Viejo’s Tacos y Tequila.

A vintage setting and hand-cut steaks make for a romanic evening at Baxter’s on Main.

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You’ll find boots galore (and everything else you need for ranch dressing) at the Texas Boot Company.

In Bastrop, there are enticing options round the clock. For breakfast, join locals downtown at Maxine’s Café (905 Main St., 512- 303-0919) for hearty, from scratch cooking like Jack’s Eye Opener ($5.75), flaky buttermilk biscuits topped with scrambled eggs and sausage gravy, or spicy migas ($9) with bacon or sausage served with breakfast potatoes, flour or corn tortillas, and homemade salsa. When you’re ready to refuel after a day of gallery hopping or kaya-

Kazem Khonsari’s Lost Pines Art Bazaar (lostpinesartbazaar.com)

king, Viejo’s Tacos y Tequila (www.viejosbastrop.com) beckons with

offers a surprising and thoughtfully curated mix of Persian culture

an appealing patio and signature drinks like the Basil Antigua ($9)

with a Texas twist, including richly hued handwoven rugs, fine an-

with silver tequila, elderflower liqueur, fresh lime, hibiscus-infused

tiques, metal and wood art pieces, and western bronze sculptures.

agave nectar, fresh basil, and mint. (Purists can order a flawless top

You’ll also find fair trade and handmade home décor items, such as Rifle

shelf margarita.) Round out your happy hour with their modern riffs

Paper Company recipe boxes and Ten Thousand Villages serving sets.

on tacos, like Carolinas Pollo Frito ($4) with fried chicken, guacamole,

Art Connections Gallery (artconnectionsgallerybastrop.com) is a

mango, cilantro, and salsa verde or the Pirata ($4) with steak, Manche-

window into Bastrop’s robust art community. The historic building

go cheese, and avocado.

doubles as a working studio for three artists, while showcasing the

With exposed brick walls, soaring beaded ceilings, and throwback

collective vision of over 60 local arts and crafts workers. You’ll find

1920s décor, Baxter’s on Main (baxtersonmain.com) sets the stage for

fine art photography, wood carvings, and paintings (including oils by

a date night. Go for the cozy table by the window in the bar—it looks

owner Deborah Johnson). Other works include fiber and paper art,

out onto Main Street—then settle into warm spinach-artichoke dip,

colorful glass objects, handcrafted furniture, handmade jewelry, ce-

hand-cut Angus steaks (ribeye and filet mignon), fresh Gulf seafood,

ramics, and books and CDs by local writers and musicians.

and an appealing wine list.

Expect to smell leather when you open the door at Texas Boot

We love the small town vibe (and sweet tooth nirvana) at Sugar Shack

Company (thetexasbootcompany.com), where you’ll find everything

(sugarshackbastrop.com), a family owned and operated sweet shop where

you need for a night of roadhouse fun. The store boasts the area’s big-

you can tuck into chocolate-dipped strawberries, Blue Bell ice cream, waf-

gest selection of western wear, including boots by classic brands like

fle bowl sundaes, and handmade candies (chocolate-covered Rice Krispies

Ariat, Justin, and Lucchese, as well as cowboy hats, plenty of denim,

treats, anyone?) by the pound.

pearl-snap shirts, hand-tooled belts, and more. tribeza.com

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Grogeous Persian art, and Western bronze sculptures offer a compelling mix of treasures at Lost Pines Art Bazaar.

Sure, you can be home by nightfall, but it’s a lot more fun to linger. If you’re game for a weekend, book a room at Hyatt Lost Pines Resort and Spa (lostpines.hyatt.com, rooms from $269), which offers a luxurious setting to sink into the area’s diverse charms. The well appointed, nature-themed rooms have super cozy beds, and the grounds provide plenty of room to roam (thanks to 405 acres adjacent to McKinney Roughs and alongside the Colorado River). The best way to refresh upon arrival is to grab an inflatable tube and cool down at the Crooked River Water Park. If you and your little cowpokes yearn to be in the saddle, there are scenic trail rides ($85) and easy pony rides ($40 for kids 2 to 10) at Renegade Trailhead equestrian facility. When you’re ready to put your feet up—and have them scrubbed and polished— head to Spa Django for a fragrant, rosemary-scented massage. At Wild Hare Youth Spa, moms and daughters can have their toes painted side-by-side with treatments like the Berry Serene Pedicure ($55). The rest of the day is easily rounded out with photo ops with their mascot longhorn steers, activities like raft rides, biking, and extraordinary birding tours. When the light fades, grab a margarita and a seat on a leather couch in the lobby for their new live music series. (We heard Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay, two of our favorite Austin singer-songwriters.). What’s the most delicious ending to day brimming with Texas swagger? Slice through a fat ribeye at Stories, which serves seasonal fare in a fine-dining setting (they even have gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids). Save room to end the evening as you should— under a sky full of Texas stars, with s’mores and tall tales around a campfire. Aren’t you glad you got away?

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Happy toes at Hyatt Lost Pines Crooked River Water Park; resort riders saddle up for a guided trail ride.

Light fades on the Colorado River, abundant western style give Lost Pines’ entrance a distinct sense of place.

Photos courtesy of Hyatt Lost Pines Resort

tribeza.com

june

2014

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a curated collection of vintage and handmade rentals

lootvintagerentals.com // 512.464.1184 // 3700 Thompson Street Austin TX 78702 // photo by Paige Newton Photography


Architectural Gem on Camino Alto

Zen Garden Paradise with UT Tower and Lake Austin Views

Charlotte Brigham Broker, MBA

512.423.5707 | CharBrigham@gmail.com


profile in

style

Alan Lazarus c h e f a n d co - o w n e r o f V e s pa i o a n d E n ot e c a r e s ta u r a n t s It all started with a hunt for morels,

the wild

posed to be a guesthouse. After they furnished the space in

mushrooms that beg to be panfried in brown butter and

their style—a mix of mod and folk touches, well-worn fa-

served alongside grilled ribeyes. When a friend came

vorite books, surround-sound for listening to the Rolling

through the back door of Vespaio in 2010 with a basket of

Stones and Crosby Stills and Nash on vinyl, and nostalgic

them, Alan Lazarus, the chef and co-owner of the beloved

photos from New York, where Alan grew up—they pretty

South Congress restaurant, caught a whiff of possibility.

much adopted the space as their master bedroom. “We al-

He was surprised that the mushrooms grew in the Texas

most never sleep in the main house,” Alan admits.

Hill Country and asked his friend if he could come out to her property to do some foraging.

88

A chef at heart, (for years Alan worked as the national corporate chef for Whole Foods, before cashing in his stock

The elusive mushrooms were located just outside of

options to open his restaurants), one of Alan’s focus at the

Wimberley, nestled among live oaks and wild mountain

creek house is preparing simple, satisfying meals to be eat-

juniper on Lone Man Creek. Alan and his wife Susan

en outdoors. On most weekends, they arrive with produce

Clark Lazarus, had been contemplating purchasing a sec-

from their garden in Allendale and something to grill. They

ond home, and they were immediately drawn to the rug-

also buy local eggs down the road and Wagyu beef from Ch-

ged landscape. As luck would have it, there was a creek-

isholm Ranch across the creek. In between bowls of gazpa-

front property for sale up the road.

cho (inspired by a neighbor’s ripe tomatoes) and big salads

They immediately looked at the house and made an of-

prepared from whatever is in season, there are plenty of

fer. Although there were five pending contracts ahead of

other ways to while away the weekends. They read in the

them, Lazarus shared a simpatico sensibility about preserv-

hammock, play guitar, hike, and paddleboard. Susan works

ing the land and found himself with that increasingly rare

on her tile mosaics, and Alan spends shameless amounts of

Texas treasure—waterfront property adjacent to a 32-acre

time fishing for bass, sometimes from a chair submerged in

nature preserve. In other words, it is guaranteed that the

the creek. When friends visit, there is late-night wine drink-

land surrounding his new home would remain wild and un-

ing and guitar playing, and marathon matches of the board

developed.

game Cards Against Humanity.

“We’re so lucky that we landed here,” Alan said on a re-

For Lazarus, the creek house means unfettered time with

cent afternoon as we dipped our toes in the cool, impossibly

his family, and a home that his kids will eventually inherit.

clear spring-fed creek. Over the last few years, he and Susan

“It represents sanity; coming here feels like a staycation every

have added a deck that looks out over the creek (the perfect

weekend,” he says. The house has the unexpected bonus of

perch for morning coffee and evening aperitivos) and have

enriching their friendships. “We thought we might see people

converted their garage into a guesthouse with an expansive

less, but we actually connect with our friends more because

glass door that—even when closed—provides a near seam-

when they come out and spend the night, we get to know them

less connection to the outdoors, including the occasional

much better,” Alan says. “The worse part about every week-

glimpse of axis deer and wild turkey. Or at least it was sup-

end is coming home.” P. disbrowe

june 2014 tribeza.com

P h oto g r a p h y by w y n n m y er s



profile in style

3.

1.

2.

4. 1. “It’s catch and release, so I kiss them and release them.” 2. A bed in the master suite that looks out over the water. 3. A bookshelf in the main house holds artifacts found on the property, photos of friends and family, and cookbooks. 4. A 1968 Guild guitar, mod orange office chairs and folk textiles create a kick back style.

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5.

9.

7.

6.

8.

10.

5. A tile mosaic egret counter created by Susan. 7. The glass pane garage doors are frequently open to the outdoors. 8. “We love taking an outdoor showers, ours has a view of the creek." 9. An old birdhouse in the cedars. 10. Chillin’ and fishing. P h oto g r a p h y by w y n n m y er s

tribeza.com june 2014

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MAY 3 – AUGUST 24, 2014 Orly Genger: Current Laguna Gloria

A Secret Affair: Selections from the Fuhrman Family Collection Matthew Barney, Louise Bourgeois, Maurizio Cattelan, Katharina Fritsch, Robert Gober, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Subodh Gupta, David Hammons, Jim Hodges, Anish Kapoor, Jim Lambie, Ron Mueck, Juan Muñoz, Marc Quinn, Charles Ray, Thomas Schütte, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Kiki Smith, Gillian Wearing Jones Center and Laguna Gloria

Jones Center 700 Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701 thecontemporaryaustin.org

Laguna Gloria 3809 West 35th Street Austin, Texas 78703

Director’s Circle: Michael and Jeanne Klein, Suzanne Deal Booth and David G. Booth, Michael A. Chesser, Johnna and Stephen Jones, The Still Water Foundation, Melba and Ted Whatley, Texas Monthly, Anonymous

Orly Genger, Current, 2014. Lobster rope and latex paint. Dimensions variable. Installation view, The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, Austin. Courtesy the artist. Photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons.

2014 Exhibition Sponsors: Deborah Green and Clayton Aynesworth, Susan and Richard Marcus, Jane Schweppe, Diane Land and Steve Adler, Sue Ellen Stavrand and John Harcourt, Don Mullins, Austin Ventures, Amanda and Brad Nelsen, Pedernales Cellars, Gail and Rodney Susholtz, Lora Reynolds and Quincy Lee, Janet and Wilson G. Allen, Shalini Ramanathan and Chris Tomlinson, Teresa and Darrell Windham, Oxford Commercial, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Lindsey and Mark Hanna Additional Support Generously Provided By: ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Pedernales Cellars, Luxe Interiors + Design, The Texas Tribune, Hotel Saint Cecilia, Hotel San Jose, W Austin, Four Seasons Hotel Austin, The Austin Chronicle, KUT/KUTX Support for Orly Genger provided by The Moody Foundation. This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and in part by the City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

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style

behind the scenes

In Bloom: Rosehip Flora F o r a f l o r i s t w i t h a f o n d n e s s f o r l at e n i g h t f o r ag i n g, l i f e i s a b lo s s o m -s c e n t e d, p e ta l-s t r e w n a dv e n t u r e. Knipp loves to arrange with succulents—though she laughs that they’re considered a Texas look, because they were native to California first.

T

he studio where Erin Knipp crafts her floral arrangements is cool, tiled, and perfumed—an organized, temperaturecontrolled environment. But though Knipp works indoors

most of the time, she finds much of her inspiration, and some of her materials, from the abandoned yards and gardens of Austin. You read that right: Knipp, owner of Rosehip Flora, is a forager. “I have kids, so I drive a lot around Austin,” she says. “And I’m always scanning the landscape—I can’t help it. If a color pops out at me, or a different texture or foliage, I make a mental note of it, and then if I need it or want it, I go back in the dark of night and I get it.” She grins mischievously. This is obviously the fun part for her. But, Knipp explains, she’d never take from someone’s prized garden. Instead, she sticks to abandoned lots or seriously forlorn-looking plants. And she never decimates a plant. “I want to go back to it,” she says. “I want it to look great the next year so I can have that option again.” Knipp enjoys foraging because it’s local and sustainable but also because it expands her palette, so to speak. “I clip stuff that wouldn’t necessarily travel well from California or Colombia or Holland.” A former coffee-shop manager (Ruta Maya on South Congress) who holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution and mediation, Knipp first fell in love with flowers in grad school, working part-time

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Knipp started designing flowers for friends’ weddings before opening up her own full-service floral shop 12 years ago.

for a florist to help pay her bills. “I answered the phones, swept floors, greeted customers . . .” She loved the job—and though she didn’t do

P h oto g r a p h y by l e a h ov er s t r ee t


much arranging, she learned by watching. When she moved back to Austin and her friends started getting married, she found herself offering to do their flowers. “I was doing it for my own gratification and as a gift to them,” she says. But that gift quickly grew into a business; the vast majority of Knipp’s work is devoted to weddings. Her favorites, she says, are those where she is given creative freedom. “I want a bride who trusts me and my aesthetic and will appreciate being pleasantly surprised on her wedding day,” Knipp says. The satisfaction she finds in arranging— as she says, “all alone, picking posies”—may have once surprised her, given her education and the lack of entrepreneurs in her business-oriented family. But she followed her gut, embraced a passion for flowers, and twelve years later, Rosehip Flora is in full, glorious, and definitely local bloom. j. netzer Her East Austin shop has ample table space for spreading out and getting specific with her options.

Knipp says that about one third of the flowers pictured here have been foraged.

Erin’s tips for a perfect summer centerpiece 1. Use succulents and cacti; indoors or out, they add a touch of green when everything else is turning brown. Hearty plants hold up best outdoors and prefer indirect sunlight. 2. Find a container that suits the venue or occasion. With succulents I prefer to use containers that are low profile and generally more sleek or modern. This keeps the focus on the plants. Line the container with pea gravel to absorb excess moisture. 3. Shop for a variety of textures, shapes, and colors, and consider how they will blend in the container. Don’t crowd the pot; plants need room to grow. 4. For a floral touch you can also “plant” a small vase among the succulents. Go native and find roadside wildflowers to fill the vase. This will add color while also offering the flexibility to change out the flowers as needed. 5. Top-dress the arrangement with any number of elements: moss, sand, rocks, tumbled glass. This is another chance to bring in color and whimsy.

Knipp has been arranging flowers, or as she calls it, “poking posies,” for more than twelve years. tribeza.com june 2014

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“We are making impressions in the metal just like the story that you are documenting has made an impression in your life. You have to embrace those moments and Cherish Who You Are®.” – Heather Moore

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the

n i g h t s ta n d

Claiborne Smith is the editor in chief of Kirkus Reviews and the former literary director of the Texas Book Festival.

Above the East China Sea By Sa ra h B i rd 336 pp., $25.95

Bird’s new novel opens with the suicide of a pregnant girl, Tamiko, in Okinawa in 1945 as the Japanese government spreads propaganda that the incoming American soldiers are going to rape and kill the women there. Fast-forward seven decades to present-day Okinawa, where Army brat Luz James, the daughter of a severe military sergeant mother, is mourning her sister, killed while serving in Afghanistan, and battling suicidal thoughts of her own. This is Bird’s most provocative and thoughtful novel yet, about a place that has haunted her imagination since her own expe-

The Nightstand By C l a i b o r n e S m i t h Su m m e r r e a d ing : it’s a phrase that conjures images of fluffy, frivolous

page-turners forgotten the day after finishing them or paperbacks abandoned for the next beachgoer to read at the condo you rented. But why should lazing away on vacation mean you lose your good taste in books? Have at the latest Danielle Steel if you’d like, but these Austin writers (or writers with ties to Austin) offer in their new books all-encompassing worlds that are gripping, funny, dark, and thoughtful. We all know by now the virtues of eating local, but take it a step further this month: read local.

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c l a i b o r n e s m i t h p h oto co u rt e s y o f k i r k u s r e v i e w s

riences with the island.


the

n i g h t s ta n d

Fourth of July Creek By S m i t h H en d erso n 480 pp., $26.99

The pleasurable feeling of being menaced by a suspenseful story that entirely grabs you and won’t let you go starts on page 1 of Henderson’s debut novel, as a social worker shows up in a Montana town to investigate (and attempt to help) a troubled teen whose mother is hopped up on speed. Henderson, an alum of the Michener Center for Writers at UT, is a Montana native. His determined social worker, Pete Snow, uncovers Thunderstruck & Other Stories By Elizabeth McC r ac k e n 240 pp., $26

an assortment of vicious cases until his estranged daughter disappears and the FBI starts sniffing around.

Surf Texas By Ken n y B rau n 144 pp., $55

After eyeing the pages of Surf Texas, lingering on its black-and-white images, you

A cursory description of the events that

put the book down feeling a little water-

occur in McCracken’s new collection (her

logged and sun-baked. That’s a compli-

first in 20 years) makes her stories sound

ment to the deeply immersive quality of

like tabloid fodder, more like a horror

Braun’s photographs: he makes you feel as

novel than a thoughtful offering from

if you’re in the water with these bands of

one of the most respected literary writers

surfing brothers. A surfer himself, Braun

publishing today. Murder, disappearing

has shot for Texas Monthly, Wired, South-

children, a ghost child, abuse: welcome to

ern Living, and Pentagram Design, among

McCracken’s world! But horror and deep

others. Feeling ambivalent about sunbath-

insight, humor and grim happenings in-

ing with the crowds at South Padre Island

tertwine themselves in her writing. Mc-

this summer? Spend time with Surf Texas

Cracken is a National Book Award finalist

and you’ll feel as if you were there (without

who teaches at the Michener Center; her

the sting of sea salt in your eyes).

stories wittily evoke strange associations while serving up honest revelations. tribeza.com june 2014

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style

i n s p i r at i o n b oa r d

I n s pi r at i o n B oar d:

Maura Grace Ambrose folk f i b e r s Since she was child, Maura Ambrose, owner of Folk Fibers, has embraced a passion for vintage objects and fabrics. When she traveled from her home in Carey, North Carolina, to her grandparents’ in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Ambrose spent countless hours in her grandmother’s attic, discovering lost treasures and antique fabrics. “I’ve always been drawn to items of history,” explains Ambrose, “but it all started in my grandmother’s attic.” As Ambrose grew older, she took her interest to the professional level by studying in the Textile Design & Arts Fiber program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. After graduation, she worked a number of different jobs—from the corporate offices of Urban Outfitters to a small organic farm. In 2011, Ambrose started to prepare her own natural dyes and stitch quilts full time. (We featured her in the Makers’ Issue of Tribeza in 2012.) Since then, her homegrown business has flourished—and Folk Fibers has gone beyond the local and garnered national attention: she was nominated as a Tastemaker Honoree by Martha Stewart and has over 52,000 followers on Instagram. Nowadays for Ambrose, organic inspiration still comes in the form of vintage objects but also in the handmade tools that she uses to create her dyes and quilts. “I get a sense of connection with my materials when I’m working with my hands.” K. WALSH

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m au r a ' s 1.

7.

5.

3.

2.

Inspiration Board

4.

6. 12.

9. 11.

8.

19.

18. 13. 15. 20.

21.

16.

16. 14.

10.

1. Quilt box: “My handmade cedar boxes are built by Austin local Kelly Dewitt. My husband, Chap, laser-etches the logo, which is designed by Ryan Rhodes and Renee Fernandez, who also live in Austin.” 2. Bunny: “One of two rabbits that have joined us on our move from Philadelphia to Austin.” 3. Indigo-dyed woven cloth: “This fabric was a collaboration with my friends Leslie and Jay from Tangleblue [a textile consulting business in San Francisco], using linen I dyed in the indigo vat.” 4. Feathers: “Hawk and turkey feathers collected on a four-month road trip that my husband and I took a couple years ago in our VW camper van.” 5. Mortar: “I use this tool to grind indigo.” 6. Awl and spindle: “I found these handmade tools at the Golden Nugget in New Jersey.” 7. America’s Quilts and Coverlets: “An antique book that I bought in Maine.” 8. Blue thread: “Cotton bamboo yarn that I dyed with indigo.” 9. Clothespins: “Old-fashioned clothespins are beautiful and useful objects.” 10. Kentucky quilt: “A quilt I made using naturally dyed and vintage fabrics, available for sale in my online shop.” 11. Chinese printing block: “A hand-carved woodblock I found in San Antonio, a source of inspiration for sashiko stitching patterns.” 12. Star: “Vintage fabric remnant to be used for a quilt.” 13. Slippers: “Hand-stitched, rabbit-themed children’s shoes.” 14. Postcard: “Amish horse and buggy postcard from a friend living in Pennsylvania.” 15. Indigo cake: “Natural indigo cake ready to be ground up and used for dye.” 16. Madder: “Chopped-up roots ready to be soaked and used for dye.” 17. Cactus postcard: “Flora and fauna found in West Texas.” 18. Sashiko sample: “Muslin fabric with red sashiko stitches showing samples of patterns to aid in teaching stitching workshops.” 19. Wooden rabbit: “Hand-carved by my late grandfather-in-law, Harvey.” 20. Turtle shell: “I found this walking in a pecan grove in Austin with my old farm boss Brent Johnson.” 21. Travel clothesline: “A vintage keepsake that includes tiny clothespins, cotton cord, and two glass-head pushpins.” p h o to g r a p h y b y b i l l s a l l a n s

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style

pick Architect Jean-Pierre Trou designed the large wooden containers to give the space character and division.

A clever use of storage containers create a juice bar and Rogue Running retail space.

The containers are made from reclaimed shipping pallets, inspired by the building's proximity to the railroad tracks.

A former garage (note vintage light fixture) created an industrial-chic setting.

Pure Austin 410 Speed Shop a h i p n e w d ow n tow n t r a i n i n g faci l i t y i s a n i n s p i r ed p l ac e to s w e at.

R

ough and tough: these are the two qualities that most in- ored sneakers and other gear) and embody the themes of movement spired principal architects Jean-Pierre Trou and Aaron and strength that are so important to both brands. “The space had a lot of character already. The warehouse look fit Vollmer while designing Pure Austin’s latest fitness hot spot, 410 Speed Shop. The gym is a former car repair shop turned perfectly with their brands. We just needed an element that could tie premier training facility, but it’s stayed true to its roots with the help of everything together,” Trou says. “The containers help in the organizaTrou and Vollmer, who vowed to honor the iconic history of the space tion of the program elements, defining retail areas and training areas, as well as creating communal spaces, such as the juice bar.” throughout the design process. 410 Speed Shop has one goal in mind: to foster a sense of commu“We wanted to create a statement, something iconic that resembled both the history of the space as well as the core values of both brands, nity amongst both athletes and nonathletes that moves people to be inspired about life and fitness. Pure Austin & Rogue Running,” Trou says. “When you walk inside 410 Speed Shop, you should feel like you want The spacious building is situated adjacent to railroad tracks, and that theme is carried over to the interior as well, where Trou and to work out; you should feel like you can’t wait to wear your running shoes and go for a run,” Trou says. “We want you to get Vollmer have created “containers”: large reclaimed ship410 Pressler Street pumped, inspired, and to come back with a friend. So ping pallets that give the space more division and char(at 5th St) it becomes a destination.” e. banks acter (one of them holds Rogue’s vast array of candy-col-

pureaustinspeedshop.com

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P h oto g r a p h y by b i l l s a l l a n s


Media sponsor:

Blanton Museum of Art / The University of Texas at Austin / www.blantonmuseum.org

Copper is a unique, locally-owned restaurant and cocktail lounge in The Domain that serves contemporary American cuisine spiced with native Austin influence. Join us for lunch, dinner, dessert, or our incredible "six half" happy hour & reverse happy hour. Stop in to see why we’re one of the best kept secrets in the Domain.

3401 Esperanza Crossing Suite #104 at The Domain | copperaustin.com


without

r e s e r vat i o n s

The rooftop patio at Silo is a prime spot for sipping beer on a warm summer evening.

Silo on Seventh

The California Burgeriitto: carne asada burger, pico, grilled avocado, queso fresco, tater tot patty, sour cream on a kaiser bun.

After years of renovations and delays, owner, David Rightmer, finally opens his burger heaven on Seventh Street.

Q u e s t fo r a B e t t er B u rg er

I

n our nine years of living in Austin, my husband, Michael, and I have been on something of a culinary pursuit to track down the best burger in the city. Admittedly, we had been spoiled by the monumental burgers that Manhattan has to offer (from the classic on an English muffin at P.J. Clarke’s to the Parisian variation topped with melting Roquefort at Café Luxembourg). When we first arrived in 2004, Austin’s selections were, let’s just say, less than impressive. More than once, we met with sad plates of overcooked patties or belt-busting, Texas-sized burgers, both resulting in a post-repast, brick-in-the-stomach state. But like other versions of dining in Austin, the rapid proliferation of new restaurants along Congress and other areas of town has spawned a wide array of new options—from the bustle and (often) wait of Hopdoddy to the artisan burger at Salt & Time butcher shop and restaurant. This spring another burger joint opened in town, after two years of renovations and delays from the considerable backlog of city building permits (another sign of the boom), on the corner of East Seventh Street and Lydia: The Silo on 7th. With its burger-centric menu, this low-key restaurant definitely brings something new to the table.

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At The Silo a bit of old Austin meets new Austin; the two-story restaurant is housed in a former tortilla factory. The stone building was first erected in 1922, but parts of the structure burned down, while the main retail store and old corn silo stayed intact. (In the downstairs dining area, two of the original packages from Tony’s Tortilla Factory are framed and displayed along the exposed metal beam that runs across the center of the restaurant.) Upstairs, the rooftop deck offers a prime perch for alfresco dining on early summer evenings. On our first visit, Michael and I sat at a table as the sun began its descent and soft pinks played across the silhouetted skyline of downtown. Right away we were drawn to The Silo’s friendly service and lowkey atmosphere with little hipster pretense. We were each seduced by a different burger. I went for the traditional half-pound burger (the Silo, $8.95) featuring Stella’s relish, a homemade relish with finely chopped zucchini as its starring ingredient. The burger was perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside with the right amount of red juiciness on the inside. The dense, toasted brioche bun soaked this all up, in addition to the mouthwatering mix of relish, mayo, mustard, and ketchup.

1300 E 7th St (512) 524 0866

Michael went for bold and spicy: the Navasota ($10.95), which consists of a patty made from pork butt topped with Muenster, grilled avocado, tomatillo, garlic, cilantro, serrano, and chipotle in adobo sauce. His burger offered up a fiery kick with a complex layering of fresh flavors, from the thinsliced tomatillo to the paprika-spiked adobo sauce. For a side, we split the sweet potato tots— crispy nuggets of goodness seasoned generously with salt and pepper. As we ate, the sun settled beyond the western cityscape, and the string of yellow lights crisscrossing the deck glowed more brightly. Early eighties Depeche Mode pulsed on the sound system. Other menu selections range from a sloppy joe to a grilled portobello mushroom. Appetizers include tempura-battered, fried deviled eggs and pulled pork sliders, among other standard barroom fare. For beer geeks, there is a comprehensive selection of more than thirty-six varieties, including Texas craft beers. If you have room for dessert, there are scoops of Lick ice cream. The verdict: Silo on 7th is a burger destination that stands out amid the other options in town. This new restaurant presents bold, tasty burgers in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Brunch is also served on Sundays and Mondays, and lunch is served daily, with a modified menu being offered soon. k. walsh P h oto g r a p h y by j e s s i c a pag e s


! s u h t i w e t a r e celeb

JUN1

SUN 8PM

Com

ST

HAPPY 2 BIRTHAVERSARY PARTY!!

315 CONGRESS

nd

The World at War, 1914–1918 Drawing on the Ransom Center’s extensive collections, this exhibition illuminates the experience of the war from the point of view of its participants and observers, preserved through letters, drafts, and diaries; memoirs and novels; and photographs and propaganda posters.

between 3rd & 4th (above the elephant room)

512.482.8200 www.swiftsattic.com

STOREFRONT NOW OPEN 2406 Manor Road 10-6 Tues - Sat I 12-5 Sunday www.RAVENANDLILY.com

Through August 3, 2014 21st and Guadalupe Streets Free admission, donations welcome www.hrc.utexas.edu

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APPAREL + JEWELRY + ACCESSORIES + GIFTS


Dinner & Drinks

dining guide

From brisket to briny oysters, our favorite places to eat and drink al fresco. 360 UNO TRATTORIA

artisan sausages and over

(512) 916 1315

and outdoor seating is

EAST SIDE SHOW

EDEN EAST

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100 beers on tap. Spend

An inviting trattoria with

available.

ROOM

755 Springdale Rd

3801 N Capital of TX Hwy

an afternoon getting to

warm Tuscan colors.

1100 E 6th St

(512) 428 6500

(512) 327 5505

know your neighbors on

Small bar up front and

CONTIGO

(512) 467 4280

Weekends at the farm

Great espresso bar and a

their huge patio with com-

cozy booths in back. Es-

2027 Anchor Ln

When you step inside,

have never been more deli-

mostly-Italian wine list,

munity tables. They have a

cape from the hustle and

(512) 614 2260

it’s like stepping into a

cious: Chef Sonya Cote of

complete with an outdoor

small dog park, too!

bustle of South Congress

Taking cues from Contigo

completely different era.

Hillside Farmacy teamed

in their backyard patio.

Ranch, the restaurant

Enjoy delicious vintage

up with Springdale

offers fresh, quality bar

cocktails, ‘30’s- and ‘40’s-

Farms to create a (literal)

patio for sipping. BENJI'S CANTINA APOTHECARY CAFÉ

716 W 6th St

BOULDIN CREEK CAFÉ

food in a relaxing, patio

inspired music, and cui-

farm-to-table concept

AND WINE BAR

(512) 476 8226

1900 S 1st St

environment.

sine by Fermin Nunez. On

restaurant on the East

4800 Burnet Rd

Rooftop dining on West

(512) 416 1601

nice nights, head back to

side, serving a seasonal

(512) 371 1600

6th, Benji’s offers a fresh,

Affordable, wholesome

CRU WINE BAR

the small outdoor patio.

prix fixe menu under a the

Apothecary’s dog-friendly

innovative approach to

vegetarian cuisine, includ-

238 W 2nd St

patio and excellent wine

Tex-Mex where seafood

ing soups, salads, and

(512) 472 9463

EASY TIGER

selection make it the per-

and Mexican influences

sandwiches. Their patio is

An excellent place for a

709 E 6th St

fect weekend afternoon

adorn the menu.

always full with the week-

date; drink a bottle of

(512) 614 4972

EL ALMA

end brunch crowd.

wine at one of the cozy

Delicious bakeshop up-

1025 Barton Springs Rd

sidewalk tables.

stairs and beer garden

(512) 609 8923

downstairs—this is the

Enjoy chef-driven, authen-

destination to sip wine

elm tree.

and enjoy a bite with

BLUE DAHLIA BISTRO

friends.

1115 E 11th St

CLARK’S OYSTER BAR

(512) 542 9542

1200 W 6th St

EAST SIDE KING

kind of place where you

tic Mexican cuisine on their

BANGER’S SAUSAGE

A cozy, French-inspired

(512) 297 2525

1618 E 6th St

can relax while sipping

outdoor, upstairs patio.

HOUSE AND BEER

bistro serving up break-

Small and typically

(512) 422 5884

a local brew on the patio

GARDEN

fast, lunch, and dinner

crowded, Clark’s’ extensive

Chefs Paul Qui, Moto

and warm aromas of

EL NARANJO

79 Rainey St

indoors or in the quaint

caviar and oyster menu,

Utsonomaya and Ek Tim-

croissants and freshly

85 Rainey St

(512) 386 1656

outdoor courtyard.

sharp aesthetics, and

rek offer out-of-this-world

baked pretzels and beer

(512) 474 2776

excellent service make it a

pan-Asian food from three

cheese waft over you from

Husband and wife team

upstairs.

Iliana de la Vega and

Banger’s brings the Ger-

108

canopy of a majestic Texas

man biergarten tradition

BOTTICELLI’S

refreshing indulgence on

food trailers dispersed

stateside with an array of

1321 S Congress Ave

West Sixth Street. Indoor

around town.

june 2014 tribeza.com

Ernesto Torrealba serve


FRESH LOCAL

Finn & Porter is fresh and modern. Locally sourced and exquisitely presented. Known for the freshest seafood, steaks, sushi and produce the state of Texas has to offer. Prepared by Chef Peter Maffei, with his talent for selecting the best of the season and allowing its flavor to shine.

500 e. 4th street | austin, tx 78701 finnandporterAUSTIN.com

up authentic cuisine from

EDEN EAST

EL NARANJO

EPICERIE

Mediterranean plates for

Mexico’s interior. Dine al

755 Springdale Rd

85 Rainey St

2307 Hancock Dr

sharing. Sip a handcrafted

KITCHEN & WINE BAR

fresco on the charming

(512) 428 6500

(512) 474 2776

(512) 371 6840

cocktail al fresco on the

4800 Burnet

Rainey Street patio.

Weekends at the farm have

Husband and wife team

A café and grocery with

lovely patio.

(512) 458 1100

never been more delicious:

Iliana de la Vega and

both Louisiana and

EAST SIDE KING

Chef Sonya Cote of Hillside

Ernesto Torrealba serve

French sensibilities by

FRESA’S

solid pasta specials, in-

1618 E 6th St

Farmacy teamed up with

up authentic cuisine from

Thomas Keller-trained

915 N Lamar Blvd

credible desserts (orange

(512) 422 5884

Springdale Farms this year

Mexico’s interior. Dine al

Sarah McIntosh.

(512) 428 5077

olive oil cake!), and an

Chefs Paul Qui, Moto

to create a (literal) farm-

fresco on the charming

Tasty chicken al carbon,

interesting wine list.

Utsonomaya and Ek Tim-

to-table concept restaurant

Rainey Street patio.

refreshing agua frescas,

rek offer out-of-this-world

on the East side, serving

FOODHEADS

and the best guacamole

HAYMAKER

pan-Asian food from three

a seasonal prix fixe menu

ELIZABETH STREET

616 W 34th St

around.

2310 Manor Rd

trailers.

under a the canopy of a

CAFÉ

(512) 420 8400

majestic Texas elm tree.

1501 S 1st St

Fresh, inspired sandwich-

G’RAJ MAHAL

It's comfort food meets

(512) 291 2881

es, soups, and salads in

73 Rainey St

sports bar meets beer

EASY TIGER

GUSTO ITALIAN

Upscale-casual Italian;

(512) 243 6702

709 E 6th St

EL ALMA

A charming French-

a charming, refashioned

(512) 480 2255

pub in Cherrywood, an

(512) 614 4972

1025 Barton Springs Rd

Vietnamese eatery with

cottage and porch.

With an extensive yet

easygoing place to get a

Delicious bake shop up-

(512) 609 8923

a colorful menu of pho,

cozy covered patio, G’Raj

craft beer and elevated

stairs and beer garden

Enjoy chef-driven, authen-

banh mi, and more. Vi-

FINO RESTAURANT

Mahal is one of the best

bar food. Get the name-

downstairs. Enjoy the

tic Mexican cuisine on their

brant and comfortable

PATIO & BAR

places to spend a summer

sake: The Haymaker is

signature house-made

stunning rooftop patio.

surrounding patio.

2905 San Gabriel St

evening feasting on au-

an open-faced roast beef

(512) 474 2905

thentic Indian cuisine.

sandwich, topped with

sausages.

tribeza.com june 2014

109


v i e w t h e e n t i r e r e s ta u r a n t g u i d e o n l i n e at t r i b e z a .co m

flavorful slaw, tomatoes,

With its French bistro

(512) 215 9778

METTLE

Subtle design elements

Expect the freshest fish

a fried egg, decadent

fare, impressive cock-

A gorgeous spot to enjoy

507 Calles St

make the space cohesive

and oysters flown in daily

gruyere sauce, and—wait

tails, and charming décor

a luxurious French-

(512) 236 1022

and modern, and its

from both coasts, carefully

for it—french fries.

inside and out, Justine’s

inspired prix-fixe meal in

Created by Rainey Street

creative twists on classic,

prepared with simple yet

has Austin looking east.

an intimate dining room

proprietor Bridget Dun-

comforting dishes from a

elegant flavors. Go early

HILLSIDE FARMACY

Expect a crowd, even late

and table that seats just

lap, Mettle offers a diverse,

pork belly/sirloin burger

on a nice day to eat oysters

1209 E 11th St

at night.

34 diners. The recently

often-experimental menu

to seasonally topped flat-

and people-watch on their

added outdoor wine gar-

exciting for omnivores and

bread pizza are downright

fantastic front porch.

vegetarians alike.

delicious.

MULBERRY

OLIVE & JUNE

2004 S 1st St

(512) 628 0168 Hillside Farmacy is locat-

HUDSONS ON THE

den makes for the ideal al

ed in a beautifully restored

BEND

fresco dining experience.

50s-style pharmacy with

3509 RR 620 N

a perfect porch for people

(512) 266 1369

LUCY’S FRIED

360 Nueces St #20

3411 Glenview Ave

(512) 441 5446

watching on the East Side.

Best handling of wild

CHICKEN

(512) 320 0297

(512) 467 9898

Between the salsa bar,

Oysters, cheese plates, and

game in town—delicious

5408 Burnet Rd

Mulberry is a wine bar

Celebrated Austin Chef

patio seating, and deli-

nightly dinner specials.

quail salad, rattlesnake

(512) 514 0664 &

and New American

Shawn Cirkiel created this

cious margaritas, this is

cakes and grilled venison

2218 College Ave

style restaurant that has

southern Italian-style res-

one of Austin’s beloved

chops with lobster tail.

(512) 297 2423

received praise for its

taurant with a menu that

Tex-Mex icons.

This South Congress

cozy atmosphere, unique

highlights local, seasonal

JACK ALLEN’S KITCHEN 7720 Hwy 71 W (512) 852 8558

LA BARBECUE

favorite opened a new

design, carefully prepared

ingredients and includes

QUI

Savor country favorites

1200 E 6th St

outpost off Burnet Road.

cuisine, and an expertly

Southern and some

1600 E 6th St

from Chef Jack Gilmore

(512) 605 9696

Different location, same

curated wine list.

Northern Italian favorites.

(512) 436 9626

on the covered patio.

In the heart of East Sixth,

straight-up Southern

The beautiful tree-covered

Chef Paul Qui’s new HQ

La Barbecue whips up

goodness, from Moon pies

NORTH

patio is the perfect spot for

is one of the hottest new

JOSEPHINE HOUSE

classic barbecue with free

to fried green tomatoes to

11506 Century Oaks #124

a summer meal.

spots in town for Japanese

1601 Waterston Ave

beer and live music.

corn muffins to the crème

(512) 339 4440

de la crème: fried chicken.

Guests enjoy modern

(512) 477-5584 Rustic, continental fare

LA CONDESA

with an emphasis on fresh,

400 W 2nd St

MANDOLA’S ITALIAN

interior with sliding doors

local and organic ingredi-

(512) 499 0300

MARKET

that make for a seamless

ents. Serving lunch, after-

Delectable cocktails, tasty

4700 W Guadalupe St

indoor/outdoor space at

noon snacks, and evening

tacos and appetizers,

(512) 419 9700

this Domain standout.

cocktails, the shady porch

delicious main courses,

Casual Italian fare and

The fig and prosciutto

is the perfect spot for a

all inspired by the hip and

a well-stocked gourmet

pizza is the perfect mid-

late-afternoon paloma.

bohemian Condesa neigh-

grocery, alongside a deli,

shopping snack!

borhood in Mexico City.

bakery, and espresso bar.

JUSTINE’S BRASSERIE

110

POLVO’S

Italian cuisine in a sleek

Grab a gelato and unwind

NO VA KITCHEN & BAR

4710 E 5th St

LENOIR

on the patio overlooking

87 Rainey St

(512) 385 2900

1807 S 1st St

the Triangle.

(512) 382 5651

june 2014 tribeza.com

PAGGI HOUSE 200 Lee Barton Dr (512) 473 3700 Eclectic fine dining in an inviting setting of one of Austin’s famous landmark homes. A spacious patio overlooks Lady Bird Lake. PERLA’S SEAFOOD & OYSTER BAR 1400 S Congress Ave (512) 291 7300 A South Congress staple:

food: an unparalleled dining experience set under an airy, beautiful backdrop. SALTY SOW 1917 Manor Rd (512) 391 2337 Salty Sow serves up creative signature drinks, including a yummy Blueberry-Lemon Thyme Smash. The food menu, heavy with sophisticated gastropub fare, is perfect


Happy Hour, this is a

WEATHER UP

think triple-fried duck fat

great place to start your

1808 E Cesar Chavez St

fries and crispy Brussels

evening with quality cock-

(512) 524 0464

sprouts.

tails and delicious tapas.

Cozy and intimate inside,

Take in the downtown

and laid-back outdoors

SALVATION PIZZA

skyline seated on their

seating, bartenders create

624 W 34th St

rooftop bar.

high-end, handcrafted

(512) 535 0076

©2013 Bob’s Steak & Chop House

for late-night noshing:

drinks from scratch.

A cozy spot that serves up

THE GROVE WINE BAR

delectable flavor combina-

6317 Bee Cave Rd

WINEBELLY

tions of New Haven style

(512) 327 8822

519 W Oltorf

pizza pies in an inviting

3001 RR 620 S

(512) 487 1569

bungalow.

(512) 263 2366

Tapas on Oltorf in a cozy

Lively, popular Westlake

setting: rich small plates

SWAY

wine bar and Italian

are spins on old favorites

1417 S 1st St

restaurant. The wine list

and the wine cocktails are

(512) 326 1999

boasts more than 250

a welcome surprise.

The culinary masterminds

wines by the bottle. WINFLO OSTERIA

behind La Condesa cook up Thai cuisine with a

TRACE

1315 W 6th St

modern twist. An intimate

200 Lavaca St

(512) 582 1027

outdoor area, complete

(512) 542 3660

Classic Italian fare made

with a Thai spirit house,

At W Austin, TRACE

simply and with locally-

makes for an unforget-

focuses on responsibly-

sourced ingredients with

table experience.

and locally-sourced ingre-

a darling patio on West

dients from Texan farmers

Sixth.

TAKOBA

and artisans. Great out-

1411 E 7th St

door seating and excellent

YELLOW JACKET

(512) 628 4466

service.

SOCIAL CLUB 1704 E 5th St

Bold, authentic flavors with ingredients imported

VIA 313 PIZZA

(512) 480 9572

straight from Mexico; cozy

1111 E 6th St

Step out for a drink and

outdoor seating.

(512) 939 1927

stay for the classic fare,

Deep-dish, Detriot-style

from sandwiches to frit-

TAPASITAS

pizza from an East Austin

tatas.

800 W 6th St

food truck - perfect for a

(512) 436 9633

late night out.

Austin’s prime spot for prime steaks. We know you’ve heard about us … the food, the

atmosphere, the service. Bob’s Steak & Chop House exceeds its reputation from the moment you walk in

the door. Come in and see for yourself. Don’t be the last one to become addicted to Bob’s.

301 Lavaca Street Austin, TX 78701 512-222-2627

With such an amazing www.bobs-steakandchop.com

tribeza.com june 2014

111


style

last look

Wine: A light Beaujolais-Villages Le Pot pairs well with the entire mix, especially on a sultry summer evening. White (we love the Sancerre), sparkling, and an assortment of beers are also available.

Splendor in the Grass

Antonelli's Cheese Shop 4220 Duval Street (512) 531 9610 antonellischeese.com

Chocolate: Made by northern California’s Dick Taylor with beans from the Dominican Republic, this bold bar is the producers’ favorite. “Don’t save it for dessert,” urges Kendall, “It goes great with cheese, too.”

There’s no better (or more romantic) way

to savor these warm summer evenings than with

Olives: Vibrant green Castelvetranos from Sicily are more fruity than briny. “They’re a customer favorite,” says Kendall. Add them to your basket for a well-spent fee.

a picnic. The wine sipping, baguette slicing, and slipping off of shoes is easy. The hard part about picnicking is typically the task of pulling together the perfect spread. If you’re seduced by the idea more than the schlepping, call the nice folks at Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, where you can rent a fully loaded picnic basket for $75. Theirs includes three varieties of cheese, two meats, wine or beer, an Easy Tiger baguette or crackers, buttery marcona almonds, and an artisanal chocolate bar.

Goat Gouda: Citrusy with a slight scent of caramel, this California cheese from Central Coast Creamery is handcrafted in small batches. It’s firm texture holds up well in the Texas heat. “You don’t want a cheese that turns into messy, stinky pool,” says Kendall.

Ossau-Iraty: Rich and nutty, this semi-soft fromage from the Onetik Cooperative is one of only two sheep's milk cheeses granted the prestigious AOC status in France. Of ancient origin, it was traditionally made by shepherds in the region.

(You can supplement the mix with extra goodies like olives or fruit preserves.) They’ve even covered the serving essentials by including a wooden cheese board, utensils, corkscrew, dishes, jam-jar glasses, and napkins. All you need to do is remember the blanket (and return the nonedibles— remember, Tartufo Salami: Made in California by Alle-Pia, this delicate pork salami has a subtle mushroom essence. Currently Antonelli’s is their only Texas distributer.

you’re renting). Owners Kendall and John Antonelli opened their Hyde Park cheese shop in early 2010. Since then they’ve expanded across the street, and their curated offerings appear on menus throughout the city. When it comes to packing their own summer baskets, they choose “whatever is tasting the best at the time,” says Kendall, “and cheeses that make sense seasonally, which means avoiding ooey-gooey

Cheddar: Clothbound cheddar made in Vermont by Cabot, this firm cheese is produced from the milk of a single herd of Holstein cows. It is especially tasty with brown ales.

or stinky cheeses in the Texas heat.” Their favorite picnic spots include “Lady Bird Lake, Springdale Farm on market days, and Sand Beach Park by Seaholm Power Plant,” Kendall says. But when the thermometer rises, “sometimes we just toss down a blanket on our living room floor and crank up the

Bresaola: These shaved petals of dried beef come from the well-established, highly respected Salumeria Biellese in NYC.

A/C.” k. spezia

112

june 2014 tribeza.com

P h oto g r a p h y by k at e l e s u eu r


Shown: the Mellow sofa with pillow that aren’t.

TOILE WITH SCENES OF

DONKEY-RIDING

PEASANTS? LET’S ALL NOT GO THERE.

115 West 8th Street Austin 512.480.0436 scottcooner.com



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