Fantastic Fest Guide #2: Finding Local Food Options

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Hey Cupcake! by Jim Nix on Flickr

It may seem strange, but there are times when you want a change of menu as well as venue during Fantastic Fest, even with the variety of choices at Alamo and Highball. We're not the experts on every local eatery, but we've got the resources to help you find what you're looking for, and some local eateries deserving of your attention. We'll start with general tips and work our way down to specific suggestions.

Decisions, Decisions.  There are several sites that can help you find places to appease your food cravings, including local publications Austin Chronicle and Austin360, and websites Dishola, Urban Spoon, Chowhound and Yelp. If you're interested in Texas restaurants outside of Austin, check out Texas Monthly. When looking for restaurants near Alamo, look in the 78704 zip code.  Note that the Slackerwood Venue Guide has a map link for each venue page.

Go Local. Austin has this nifty little thing called the Go Local card. Businesses participating in Go Local Austin offer discounts to cardholders; the Alamo Drafthouse offer is 10 percent off with purchase of $10 or more on food and beverages, which can be quite a savings over the course of a week-long festival.

You can purchase the $10 card at Mondo Tees, near the box office of Alamo South Lamar.  There are a lot of local businesses participating, not just restaurants, so look for the orange-and-yellow Go Local logo in the window and by the register. Visit the Go Local site for details. 

Stay Near Home Base.  If you want to wander around town, I suggest roaming the following streets: South Lamar, South First, South Congress and Barton Springs. The first three of these roads are parallel, so it's not hard to orient yourself. If you're easily lost, you still have many options between Lady Bird Lake, which is just south of the downtown area, and Ben White/290 (which is clearly a highway and hard to miss). On Saturday, the UT home game may make traffic and parking north of the Capitol dicey at best.

Don't Fear the Trailers.  Part of the recent local small business revival is a renaissance in fast-food trailers with some impressive menus that include fresh -- and often locally sourced -- ingredients. You can find a row of them on South Congress, and two within a few minutes' walk from Alamo South Lamar. 

Veg Options.  The Alamo does have several options on its menu for vegetarians, and a few for vegans as well. Local vegan/vegetarian restaurants include Veggie Heaven, Bouldin Creek Coffee House and Cafe , Baby Greens, macrobiotic Casa De Luz, and the legendary Mother's Cafe & Garden. The flagship Whole Foods at North Lamar and 6th includes specialty food stations of all sorts, for all tastes, vegan to omnivore.

Websites that might be useful include Michael Bluejay's Vegetarian Guide, Austin Veg, and Happy Cow. Many local restaurants in town are veggie friendly, so go ahead and ask about veggie options. At the barbecue joints, however, ask at your own risk. 

MooMoosSouth Lamar near Lamar Square. Obviously, there's the Alamo and the Highball.  But other options are in easy walking distance for the weary festivalgoer, including:

  • Thundercloud Subs (1010 S Lamar) they're all over town, have good sandwiches. This location can't get any closer.
  • MooMoo's Miniburgers (904 S Lamar) for burgers, shakes, and sodas made from real sugar (11m-8pm or so daily).
  • Brevita (1219 S Lamar) for coffee and smoothies, but not open Sundays.
  • Uchi (801 S Lamar) for some haute asian fusion (and a tab to go with it).

South Lamar.  A little further down south, there are several Austin landmarks like Kerbey Lane Cafe, Artz Rib House, Taco X-Press, and Old Alligator Grill. But there are other options, with several new places that have opened or not on anyone's radar yet last year, including:

  • Music Cafe (2050 S Lamar) just opened two weeks ago, so we haven't checked it out. They're a coffee and wine lounge with hookahs, so do let us know what you think.  They open at 3 pm.
  • Black Sheep Lodge (2108 S Lamar) Texas Monthly ranks their Black Buffalo Burger #27 in the state and it only opened this spring.  Friends and I just ate there, and we all loved it. The burgers are juicy, tasty, with great toppings. The sweet potato fries aren't sugared, but savory.  The Corn Dog Nuggets are addictively good (and made with Nathan hotdogs, the good stuff). Michelle at Bird's Barbershop next door swears by the Portabello cheese sandwiches. Parking is almost non-existent in front, but there are a few spots back. 
  • Lulu B's (2113 S Lamar) is another trailer surprise, with Vietnamese sandwiches, vermicelli bowls and more.  Just last week I saw at least 20 people milling about at the end of the lunch rush, and with temps still in the 90s, that's an endorsement.  

Congress near The Paramount. Sixth Street and the nearby stretch of Congress Ave. boast a lot of restaurants, as well as some coffeehouses and of course bars. These are the dining options nearest the Paramount:

  • Roaring Fork (701 Congress). In the Stephen F. Austin Hotel, right next to the Paramount. Jette swears by the bar food/happy-hour menu as a quick meal, just let them know you're going to catch a show. I may finally try this for once.
  • Marakesh Cafe & Grill (906 Congress). Mediterranean offerings.   
  • El Chilito (918 Congress). Good tex-mex, lousy acoustics if you want to hear your compadres, but until their liquor license is approved, two free margaritas per person. I like their complimentary black bean salsa. 

Alamo Drafthouse (1120 S Lamar).  The place where you'll spend most of your time offers a diverse American pub menu with something for just about everyone, including vegetarian items and clearly identified gluten-free options.  During Fantastic Fest, the specials include Pork Yakiniku, Gyoza, Truffle Oil Pizza and Extract-inspired Root Beer Cookies. I hear the specials may be changing again, so keep an eye on the menu. Don't forget to tip, as the Alamo waitstaff does everything other waiters do, but in the dark and on stairs. It's a long fest, and they're taking care of you, so take care of them (15-20% of your bill). 

The Sunday screening of Truffe will be a Food and Feast event with three courses of truffle dishes and an optional upgrade for wine pairings with each course (and discounted for badgeholders, but open to everyone).

The Highball (1120 S Lamar). Not yet officially open to the general public, the Highball is doing a very soft opening just for Fantastic Fest, letting us be the eager lab rats to test the food and festive beverages.  The downside is that the full menu won't be available.  Still, as I glance over the full menu those selections will come from, my mouth is watering. The emphasis is impressivelly locally sourced, fresh, and unconventionally Texas-centric across the board, balancing class and kitsch. We're talking Dr. Pepper Ribs, Dewberry Hills Farms Chicken Liver Pate, Loncito's Lamb Tips and Rice, and Chocolate Ginger Icebox Pie. We're also talking Tito's Vodka, and a beer selection heavily emphasizing local brews. 

Fantastic Fest runs from Thursday, September 24 through Thursday, October 1 at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar and the Paramount. Follow @fantasticfest and @slackerwood on Twitter for updates.

[Photo credit: "Hey Cupcake!" by Jim Nix. Found on Flickr, used under Creative Commons license. "MooMoos" by Jenn Brown.]