The Allandale Reporter

The Egg & I opening Monday

The Egg and I at Northcross is opening Monday, January 30. The new restaurant is part of a Fort Collins, Colorado-based chain. According to a Statesman article dated November 18, it will be one of three opening in Austin. The restaurant is located on the north side of the mall next to the Guitar Center. According to their website hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon-Fri, and 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sat and Sun. Here is a link to their menu. Check it out and let us know what you think.

 

Girl Scout cookie sales start Wednesday

Girl Scout cookie sales start this Wednesday! Allandale is chock-full of Girl Scouts, so you may have girls coming to your door. If not, there will be booths in the area for at least the next three weekends (such as at Blockbuster, Walgreens, Randalls, and more). Please consider supporting these girls by purchasing a box or ten. Cookie sales fund troop activities including campouts and service projects and are a great way for young girls to learn financial skills. Plus, they are YUMMY (think Super Bowl party or Valentine's gifts!).

Thanks for supporting Girl Scouts,
Kristin Knifton

(photo credit: Jeff Sandquist)

Gusto Italian Kitchen + Wine Bar to open in Rosedale Village

Peruvian restaurant La Sombra in Rosedale Village at Burnet and 47th has closed, however it will soon be replaced with a new Italian eatery called Gusto Italian Kitchen + Wine Bar under the same ownership, Eddie Bernal and Cameron Lockley. Eddie Bernal also owns Blue Star Cafe next door as well as other restaurants in Austin. The restaurant will serve pizzas, salads, paninis, pastas, classic Italian dishes, desserts and more. The bar will include a diverse wine menu as well as beers on tap and in the bottle, and Italian roast espresso drinks. The restaurant opens January 16. Click here to read an article about the new restaurant on eater.com including the press release about it.

It's official, Fresh Plus to open at Sprouts location

Fresh Plus Grocery is opening a store on Anderson Lane at the location recently vacated by Sprouts Farmers Market, formerly Sun Harvest. According to this article in today's Statesman, the new store may be opening as soon as February 1. Sprouts recently closed that location as the result of a merger; it had too many locations too close together. The closure upset area residents who made a plea to similar-type grocers to fill the void. Fresh Plus responded. The locally-owned grocer owns two other stores; one in the Hyde Park and the other in Clarksville. Allandale residents Carolyn Croom and Barbara Garza are quoted in the article.  Click here to learn more about Fresh Plus and the planned opening.

5 Mile Farms

Some of you may have seen this lot on Woodview next to Fonda San Miguels that is for sale and wondered if they are selling it as a farm. Turns out, it is one of the nine urban farm yards that 5-Mile Farms has around the city. 5-Mile Farms uses people's backyards and vacant plots to grow vegetables. According to this article, the community supported agriculture (CSA) farm started wholesaling its produce to restaurants and grocery stores. Now it is selling the produce direct to the public. For $20 a week, members can choose their produce harvested from the various yard farms. They pick it up at the home of founder Randy Jewart on Jim Hogg Ave just off Burnet Road or at HOPE Farmers Market on Sundays. Click here to learn more about this hyperlocal approach to farming and Jewart's future plans.

Restaurant Review: Roll On Sushi Diner

by Laura Dooley

Have you noticed the development at 5350 Burnet? It just keeps on growing, this time with the addition of a new sushi place. Roll On Sushi Diner opened in August and has brought its unique take on sushi fusion to our neighborhood.

One of the first things you’ll notice upon visiting Roll On Sushi Diner is, well, the “diner” part. Instead of tables, there’s a shiny red lunch counter that wraps around the interior. The barstool seating lends itself to interaction with neighbors, as well as being able to watch the chefs at work. I’ve eaten there twice, and both times I was impressed by the friendliness of the staff and their willingness to answer my food-related questions.

The environment is cool, clean, and Austin-chic. Bright art pops from the walls, and a steady stream of cool tunes, including those from local faves Bob Schneider and Sarah Jarosz, streamed steadily from the speakers.

It’s one thing to have a cool vibe, but what about the food? I can attest that the food at Roll On Sushi is yummy, fresh, and satisfying.

Restaurant Review: Man Bites Dog

Our neighbors, The North Loop Scoop, wrote a review of Man Bites Dog, located on Burnet Road in the same shopping center as Sue Patrick and has heaped effusive praise on it. The reviewer tried the menu item aptly named “Danger Dog,” which contains layer after layer of artery-clogging deliciousness: a deep-fried hot dog wrapped in bacon with jalapenos, queso fresco, and “danger sauce” on top. She also tried to pulled pork macaroni and cheese, which was a “HUGE serving of just what it sounds like” (with a dollop of sour cream on top). She says that the restaurant is a lot like Frank downtown, but “way better,” because it is tastier and “not overpriced.”  You can read her entire review here and see the restaurant’s website here. Before visiting, you may want to be sure you have your cardiologist on speed dial.

 

Pappy's Bar and Grill is now open!

Check it out. Pappy's Bar & Grill in Allandale Village, formerly the location of Hangtown, is now open and serving up BBQ, burgers, pizzas, deli sandwiches, chicken and more. I visited with co-owner Jack Allen this afternoon who said they have been open since Sunday. The layout is similar to Hangtowns with the addition of a bar (they serve beer) and a couple of pool tables. Jack and his two partners, Mark Morgan and Don Gieson have been working on getting the new restaurant ready for the last 3 1/2 months. All three are friends going back to their Murchison days. Click here to visit their website and here to view their menu. The restaurant is open Tue-Sat 11am to Midnight and Sun 11am to 2pm. 

Saturday morning at the Burnet Road Farmer's Market

I stopped by the Burnet Rd Farmer's Market on Saturday morning around 11:00 am to pick up some produce and encountered more than just produce stands. Boy Scout Troop 413 was there cooking up their "award winning" chuck wagon peach cobbler and students from the School of Rock were belting out some foot stomping rock n roll. In the photo Ian McCord sings "Uncontrollable Urge" by Devo. Payton Keller followed up with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools." Market Director J Kruse says neighbors can look forward to more music, vendors, farmers and foodie trucks at the Market. The Farmers Market is open Thursday's, 4-8 pm and Saturdays, 9 am-1 pm.

Monkey Nest – Review

by Laura Dooley

You’ve probably seen the brightly colored sign with the cute name beckoning you from the 5300 block of Burnet Road. My six-year-old daughter Kathryn wanted to know if there really was a nest of monkeys that lived in that building. I assured her that no, monkeys didn’t live there, but that I was going to find out about Monkey Nest. It’s a new coffee shop in the 'hood (ok, it’s technically in Brentwood, but close enough to Allandale to call our own) that serves organic, fair-trade coffee in a hip and relaxed atmosphere. 

I met my friend Heather there on a recent Thursday afternoon before picking up our kids at Gullett. She and I walked in and were welcomed by a modern ambience with comfortable-looking sofas, chairs, and barstools. Even though the weather is rapidly warming, I was happy to see a fireplace and imagined drinking a hot chai tea by the fire in the winter.