End of Silence

Ok, so the Alamo’s in San Antonio, but 5000! from the LA Metblog tried Google mapping “hollywood sign” and got the expected results. The only landmark nearby that I could come up with was “The Alamo“.

I don’t remember if I first saw this on Prentiss’s blog or if I heard about it somewhere else more recently, but, like him, I just got an update e-mail from their mailing list notifying me that the Austin Past and Present project now has DVDs available on their website for $24.95 and also at Bookpeople, the store at City Hall and the Austin History Center.

It looks like a really great project. I’m not sure how much they’ve incorporated it into local libraries or schools yet. I’ll have to remember to ask the next time I’m in my local branch library and when the kids go back to school in the fall. I may just go ahead and pick up a copy to have at home. If I do, I’ll be sure to post a review here.

According to my Metroblogging brethren in San Jose and DC, today is National Doughnut Day and Krispy Kreme is giving away a free doughnut to honor the occasion.

I haven’t verified with the Stassney or the 183 locations that they’re participating, so don’t blame me if you get down there and they tell you to screw off. The free doughnut isn’t really all that special since they seem to make a habit of giving out a free one when you’re standing in line. At least they do at the Stassney location when I’m there on Sunday mornings.

Not coincidentally, I suppose, Metroblogging LA points to a list of America’s Best Doughnuts. I saw Voodoo doughnuts in Portland, OR featured in an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. It was drool worthy. There aren’t any Texas shops on the list. I know people are partial to Shipley’s and there are fans of Round Rock doughnuts. Dale Rice blogged last month that Dunkin Donuts will be adding five locations here over the next few years.

Have we gotten far enough past the Atkins craze that people are eating these again? Are there any other local shops we’re missing? I’m all for the fat doughy goodness. I’m still pissed off at Starbucks for instituting that no trans fats deal. Their pastries taste like shit now. Who do I have to kill to get the old Pumpkin Scones back?

Now that school’s out, it’s time to find something to do with all of that free time. If you haven’t already booked your kid from morning to evening with activities, the two local Apple stores and Alamo Drafthouse have some free stuff for you.

Alamo South Lamar continues its Free Summer Kids Camp this year. The free films are Mon.-Thurs. at 11am. Admission is free and seats are first come first served, so you’ll want to get there a bit early. The series kicked off this week with Sky High. Here’s the list for the rest of the summer. See their site for details.

6/4 – 6/7 – Muppets Take Manhattan
6/11 – 6/14 – Monster House
6/18 – 6/21 – Zathura
6/25 – 6/28 – Wallace And Gromit
7/2 – 7/5 – March of the Penguins
7/9 – 7/12 – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
7/16 – 7/19 – Iron Giant
7/23 – 7/26 – Holes
7/30 – 8/02 – Nanny McPhee
8/6 – 8/9 – Howl’s Moving Castle
8/13 – 8/16 – Heavyweights
8/20 – 8/23 – Harry and the Hendersons

Apple Barton Creek and Apple Domain are also sponsoring the Apple Camp again this year. You need to register through the site. The workshops are from 9-11:30am and are recommended for kids aged 8 -12.

7/9 and 7/17 – Podcast Workshop
7/10 and 7/19 – Garageband Workshop
7/11 and 7/16 – iMovie Workshop
7/12 and 7/18 – iWeb and iPhoto Workshop

On Sunday night, The Wife and I were looking for somewhere new to try. The kids were out of town with the grandparents, so we were unencumbered and ready for adventure. Since we’ve visited most of the local mexican food establishments, we thought we’d give the relatively new Cantina Laredo location downtown a try.

I wasn’t expecting too much. It’s a chain and I’d been to the location in Dallas many years ago. The reviews on Yelp and Austin360 are pretty likewarm. I had heard that the tableside guacamole was worth experiencing and I was looking forward to a margarita.

We parked at the free City Hall parking (which ends in a few days on June 4th btw) and wallked over to 3rd and Colorado. The outside patio was mostly full, as was the restaurant when we walked in. There was no host/hostess at the stand when we entered. A woman behind the bar looked up and informed us that they were understaffed and that they were closing. It was 8:45pm on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. She lamely explained that Sundays are usually quiet. We turned around, extremely annoyed and passed the 8-10 other confused people who thought they were going to eat there. While I appreciate them not seating me and making me wait hours for my food, it’s colossally stupid to understaff on a holiday weekend.

We ended up at Malaga, who aren’t usually open on Sundays, but opened to take advantage of the increased business on a holiday weekend. Imagine that! They were, of course, packed. We’d been there once before and enjoyed. This time was also good. Despite the high volume, our server was attentive and one of the kitchen staff even brought out our last order to ensure we got it while it was still hot.

So, the moral of this story, kids, is to visit Malaga and avoid Cantina Laredo like the plague. They blew their chance to make a good impression on me.