Dave Floyd is an attorney, real estate broker, and trivia host in Austin, Texas. He works with the Foskitt Law Office and is an owner of Floyd Real Estate. He was a candidate for Austin City Council in 2014 and lives in the Zilker Neighborhood.
I did a little Christmas binging of the new season of The Expanse (one of my favorite shows currently in production, along with Better Call Saul). I'm enjoying it a lot so far, and as usually I strongly recommend this show. I would say more, but this review already did the work: Ars Technica on Expanse Season 5
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I highly recommend reading The Expanse book series in addition to watching the show. I've read seven of the books, and I'll be starting book 8 soon.
While I only recommend the books to people who enjoy sci-fi, the show is one which I think people who don't normally like sci-fi will also enjoy (not unlike the 2000's reboot of Battlestar Galactica).
The last part of this year has been quite busy and exciting. You may have noticed a distinct lack of posting. This is in part related to having adopted Gus back in August, an exceptionally busy real estate practice (on the brokerage and law firm/fee attorney fronts), and the intensification of some of my creative projects.
About the dog: Gus is a fantastic Labrador Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix (aka, a Pyrador) we adopted from Heart of Texas Lab Rescue back in August. Gus has been great and (I think) he enjoys living with us. I know we love him. If you are in the Austin area and thinking about a Lab (or Lab mix), visit the HOT Lab site to see many cool dogs looking for good homes.
Stay tuned. I plan to be posting more in 2021. Also, I've been considering moving over to a Wordpress site. Blogger is great, but from time to time I think I need more customization options. We'll see, but obviously I'll post instructions on how to find any new blogging project.
Visit ABoR.com/MarketStatistics for more information and a full press release from the Austin Board of Realtors. The above statistics compare November 2019 to November 2020.
Visit us at Floyd Real Estate, LLC, if you are thinking about buying or selling property (residential, commercial, or land) in the Central Texas area. We would be happy to advise you on your real estate related needs.
Floyd Real Estate is a Texas real estate brokerage, TREC Lic. #9003790
I have another online Floyd Real Estate Trivia Night coming up on 8/26. Form teams of 1-6. There will be 5 spoken rounds comprised of my typical choices for categories. The Zoom room opens at 6:30, with the game lasting from 7-9.
I'm sitting in my home office with a couple of prime T-bones (which I just picked up from Central Market) in the fridge. Tonight I'm keeping it simple with just the steaks; however, last month I grilled up a 1/2 pound of scallops to go with my grass-fed ribeyes (also from Central Market) and the results were excellent.
For the steaks, I used a pretty basic Montreal seasoning with a little extra kosher salt and pepper. If you haven't tried grass-fed yet, I highly recommend it. It provides a different texture than grain-fed beef, but the flavor is rich and delicious. While they rested, I melted some of the Lewis Road Creamery garlic and chive butter over them. I highly recommend the seasoned butter as a finishing move for your beef.
For the scallops, I used a recipe from the grill manufacturer.
I served the steak and scallops with roasted asparagus.
Separately and in the aggregate, all of the above were a hit.
I have been listening to a couple of good podcasts lately. I figured I'd share, in case you were looking to be informed and entertained regarding science and/or Austin history:
Star Talk: Neil DeGrasse Tyson and rotating co-hosts discuss scientific concepts in a humorous way. I've already learned a lot about volcanoes and black holes. If you are coming to my next trivia night, it's possible I've pulled some questions from this podcast.
Austin Found: If you want to know more about Austin history and culture, then tune in to this one. Long time Austin American-Statesman journalist Micheal Barnes and Austin radio personality J.B. Hegar are the hosts. I think of myself as reasonably knowledgable about Austin history, but I've found out lots of interesting and hitherto unknown to me information from these podcasts.
I don't usually get excited about buying butter, but I'll make an exception in this case. The Lewis Road Creamery's garlic and chives butter is excellent (it's grass-fed and traditionally churned too, if you care about such things). I ran across it last month while shopping for primeribeyes on the Central Market website. I thought it might be good tp melt some thick garlic and chive butter over the steaks while they were resting post-grilling. My intuition was very correct and flavor expectations were exceeded. Also, this stuff tastes great on bread, potatoes, and just about anything else which goes well with garlic butter.
I bought another unit of this butter in my most recent Central Market order. It's in the the fridge waiting on a pair of grass-fed ribeyes slated to hit the grill soon.
[speaking of Central Market: grab some of their Hatch chile tortillas while they are in stock. They taste great, especially wrapped around a sausage fresh off the grill.]
A Few Photos From Our Listing on Cat Mountain in Austin
Are you in Austin? Are you interested in buying investment property or moving here? Are you a small business owner interested in commercial real estate in Austin? If so, you should follow Floyd Real Estate, LLC, on these social media channels:
Visit ABoR.com/MarketStatistics for more information and a full press release from the Austin Board of Realtors. The above statistics compare June 2019 to June 2020.
Visit us at Floyd Real Estate, LLC, if you are thinking about buying or selling property (residential, commercial, or land) in the Central Texas area. We would be happy to advise you on your real estate related needs.
Floyd Real Estate is a Texas real estate brokerage, TREC Lic. #9003790
Do you (1) like the TV show Seinfeld a lot, and (2) enjoy reading about the law? That's a yes and yes for me, and if it is for you as well then check out the Seinfeld Law blog.
You can catch all 9 seasons of Seinfeld reruns on Hulu right now. The show will move to Netflix in 2021.
At least it's a dry heat and cool at night, unlike summer in Austin.
It's July in Texas, and while heat's an issue it's still nice to get outside for some socially distance fun and exercise. Unfortunately, there is the danger of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Check out these articles to learn more:
Have fun, wear light clothes, and stay hydrated. If you are feeling adventurous, you can do what I do and enjoy summertime night biking. It's cooler than during the day, plus you don't have the sun beating down on you.
Visit ABoR.com/MarketStatistics for more information and a full press release from the Austin Board of Realtors. The above statistics compare May 2019 to May 2020. The numbers here are low compared to a good year in the Austin area, but we are of the opinion that our optimism (considering the COVID-19 situation) has been correct. Furthermore, inventory is still quite low and tilted in favor of sellers. People who are in a position to buy (and are well qualified) are finding great interest rates. Thus if you are casually thinking of selling property, it would be worthwhile to take deeper consideration. The Austin residential market has been slowed, but not stopped, by COVID-19. The above data represents a snapshot of activity in May 2020. As for June, what I can say is only anecdotal: we have seen in our brokerage and title practices any increase in activity over May. Of course, please take my anecdotal observations with the appropriate caveats and grains of salt. Visit us at Floyd Real Estate, LLC, if you are thinking about buying or selling property (residential, commercial, or land) in the Central Texas area. We would be happy to advise you on your real estate related needs.
Floyd Real Estate is a Texas real estate brokerage, TREC Lic. #9003790
I was recently playing team trivia (via Zoom) with some friends and after a TV theme song round the group's conversation turned to our favorites from the 80's. I voted for the themes songs to Miami Vice (by Jan Hammer) and The Equalizer (by Stewart Copeland of The Police) as tied for my favorite (though I could give Magnum PI honorable mention among a few others). The theme to Knight Rider, of course, came up during our group's discussion. Thus, shortly thereafter I was delighted to run across a Mashable article about a cellist who covered the Knight Rider song by playing the eight cello parts herself. After listening, I like the cello cover better than the original.
I was on Facebook earlier, and I noticed a friend had posted that The Empire Strikes Back premiered 40 years ago today. And damn, that is correct information. I remember Empire well, as it's one of the first live-action movies I saw in a theater. It was (to me, at that age) and unbelievably amazing spectacle (and to me at my current age, it remains my favorite of the Star Wars movies). It also helpfully put into context all of the Star Wars toys we were playing with (having mostly learned about the plot of the original Star Wars from older kids).
With the above in mind, it seemed appropriate to share this video I ran across (via Nerdist) on Twitter:
The scale of the Star Wars franchise spacecraft is pretty impressive. It was fun to see them next to various real-life objects for scaling purposes.
Thinking back to the days when I was a kid and we played with Star Wars toys a lot: later on, after having seen Empire Strikes Back, I recall going to a Star Wars themed birthday party. When it was over, the moms in charge piled us into station wagons and took us to see another sci-fi movie. In this case, it was the 1980 cult classic Flash Gordon (the one with the excellent theme song and score by Queen). If you haven't seen this movie, it is hard to emphasize how confusing Flash Gordon is for small children. I know. I was one of them. We all walked out of the movie, highly confused, and promptly went back to Star Wars as our sci-fi outlet of choice (we certainly didn't appreciate the performance by Max von Sydow or the whip fight with future 007 Timothy Dalton). I watched Flash Gordon again about 25 years later whereupon it (a) was immensely more enjoyable and (b) made a lot more sense.
If you are an adult, you halfway like the sci-fi genre, and you have a good sense of humor about campy things: then by all means have a couple of drinks and watch Flash Gordon. It is awesomely and hilariously campy (or incredibly, delightfully weird... however you want to define it). I started to describe it, but then deleted all of the sentences I wrote because I (a) did not want to set your expectations and (b) could not describe it in a way which does it justice. Just see it for yourself and enjoy.
Also, the original Flash Gordon comics, movie serials, and TV series were major influences on George Lucas as he came up with the initial concepts for Star Wars. Lucas first wanted to revive the Flash Gordon character but Dino DeLaurentiis (producer of Dune, Three Days of the Condor, and Blue Velvet, among other movies) already had the rights. Thus, Lucas decided to craft his own space opera. The more I've learned about Star Wars over the years, the more interesting it is to look at the some of the material which inspired Lucas. Furthermore, it's interesting to learn more about the role his wife (at the time) Maria had in shaping the original Star Wars movie.
I'm cutting myself off before I go down any more sci-fi movie rabbit holes. Now you have a few ideas for your next movie night.
While reading about a national park's plans to re-open, I found this handy chart from the CDC:
Spoiler Alert: All of these Heat-Related Illnesses Are Unpleasant
Summer is just around the corner, but it's already getting hot in Austin (it's 92°F as I type this post). Some of you can handle the heat better than others. I'm not here to judge, just to remind you that it is entirely possible to overexert yourself in the heat of the Texas summer. I have never experienced heat stroke, but I have ventured into mild heat exhaustion territory and it is no fun.
For beating the heat, I try to wear fishing shirts or dry-fit shirts if I'm outside and active. That along with hydration and staying in the shade seems to work for me. Also, during the summer, I shift most of my bicycling activities to the night (or occasionally early in the morning) and move cardio into the gym (which presents a challenge this summer, thanks to COVID-19). Kayaking also becomes an early morning or evening activity.
An extra note on sunburns: if you are up in the cool, delightful mountain air remember that mountain air gets a lot thinner as you go up. That means less shielding from UV rays, and thus the potential for some nasty sunburns. Speaking of the mountains, I really want to get up into the mountains of New Mexico this summer.
An extra note on bicycling: check your helmet. A little ventilation goes a long way. I have two helmets, and my lighter (more ventilated) Specialized Echelon makes quite the difference when it's warm out.
Visit ABoR.com/MarketStatistics for more information and a full press release from the Austin Board of Realtors. The above statistics compare April 2019 to April 2020.
At our office we looked at the numbers and concluded that while COVID-19 is obviously affecting the local residential market, the numbers were not as bad as we expected and they indicate that there was still plenty of activity in the market. Based on what I've seen on social media, observed in our office, and heard anecdotally (from Realtors and title professionals) there has been an uptick in activity for May. I'm throwing a huge caveat on that last sentence as it is not based on objective or data-based reporting; however, what I've perceived is more action and optimism in the real estate community.
We'll see if the optimism is correctly placed or grossly misguided as Texas continues to open back up from COVID-19 restrictions and as the local/state/national macroeconomic effects are more fully realized.
Visit us at Floyd Real Estate, LLC, if you are thinking about buying or selling property (residential, commercial, or land) in the Central Texas area.
Floyd Real Estate is a Texas real estate brokerage, TREC Lic. #9003790
I'm currently sitting in my home office in Austin; however, Facebook has been gleefully reminding me that two years ago I was camping and hiking in the Taos area. That trip was a lot of fun. After a quick flight to Albuquerque, we drove up to Taos and made a campsite along the road to Taos Ski Valley. It was a nice site right along the Rio Hondo (too bad I can't packed fly fishing gear). Our group had a great time hiking on Wheeler Peak, hiking to hot springs in the Rio Grande Gorge, and eating in Taos. If possible, I'm road tripping back to the Taos area in the summer (this time, with fly fishing gear and possibly my mountain bike).
A note on the gorge: I don't know what COVID-19 has done to the river rafting industry in northern New Mexico. However, when you can, you should try out rafting the Rio Grange through the gorge on what is called the "Taos Box" run. I did this a while back and it was fantastic. I'd like to do this again, along with a trip down the Arkansas through the Royal Gorge and (of course) the eventual Grand Canyon rafting trip.
Austin REALTORS, our friends at ABOR have published this infographic with advice on how to handle a showing during the COVID-19 crisis:
I'll reiterate the disclaimer: agents, talk to your broker about these recommendations; brokers, talk to your attorneys about these recommendations; everyone, talk to your clients about what they are comfortable with.
Our friends at Capstone Title put together this webinar with a speaker from CoStar who discussed the effects of COVID-19 on commercial real estate in Central Texas. It's full of interesting information for commercial and residential real estate agents:
The Foskitt Law Office is a fee attorney for Capstone Title. Contact us for your real estate closing needs in the Central Texas area.
Keeping on with the moon theme, here's a video simulation of the Eagle from Apollo 11 landing on the moon:
To add to the excitement as you watch this: the Eagle's computer was overloaded and had the lander heading for touchdown in a boulder field. As the computer was overloaded and trying to reset itself, using it to aid in the final approach to landing wasn't an option. Neil Armstrong had to guide the lander in manually and fly it until he found a safe place to land.
You may be wondering why I'm posting a video about the lunar module from the Apollo program. Well, I've been reading One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon (by Charles Fishman). I'm enjoying the book, and on the side I've been looking up a lot of information about NASA programs from the 1960's. Thus, the following video which you may enjoy:
I have a couple of additional thoughts on this one:
If your house needs it, add insulation. For example, if you live in an older house (like I do) then there may be some advances in insulation from which you can benefit. We had more put in our attic this year, and now that Austin is warming up I can tell the difference. After the virus situation abates, we'll probably have more put in under the house.
If you've recently moved into an older house, check door seals and windows. You may be losing cold air.
Get you ducts checked and cleaned. Also, check the condenser and make sure the coils are clean.
If you are considering a smart thermostat or lighting system, read up on the company's data and privacy policies. Also, look into how said company has handled support for older systems (is there a long tail, or do they tend to deactivate units?).
If you don't want the oven to heat up your kitchen, you don't have to resort to microwaving your food. Toaster ovens are great, and I use mine year-round when I want to cook something too small to merit heating up the regular oven. Also, you can always go outside and grill.
Investigate options for solar panels and available rebates.
Are you in Austin and thinking of buying or selling a residential property right now? First, you may be surprised at how much activity is still going on in the Austin area real estate market. Second, check out these FAQ pages from the Austin Board of Realtors:
I'll put up a separate post with Austin's February and March residential statistics. I can say anecdotally that the residential side of our brokerage is still busy and we have generally seen a lot of action in residential through our law firm/fee attorney office. Thus, there is still action out in the Austin market in spite of the COVID-19 situation.
If you are thinking of buying or selling, please contact us at Floyd Real Estate. And, of course, we're here to help with general real estate advice.
It was interesting to watch this video about the virtues of the Late 2012 Mac Mini, as I have been using one since March of 2013. And by using one, I mean this is my workhorse home office computer which gets used about 5-6 days per week. It's been the best value I've ever obtained from a computer (I spent about $900 on it 7 years ago). At this point, I plan to keep using it until it can't take any upgrades or it becomes obvious a new Mac Mini needs to be procured.
Anyway, watch keep going and watch the video if you are curious about Mac Mini longevity (or bored, because of COVID-19 related cabin fever):
Note on the differences between mine and the one in the video:
Video Mac Mini: has Catalina (the latest OS), 8GB ram, a 256GB SSD hard drive, and an i5 dual core processor.
My Mac Mini: older OS (but may go to Catalina soon), a 1TB conventional hard drive, and an i7 dual core processor.
Note on how mine is functioning:
I have noticed, of late, that the MS Office 2016 apps are starting to act a little weird. At some point I am going to upgrade to Catalina and Office 2019. What I haven't assessed yet is which of my usual programs are 32 bit and won't function in the Catalina OS. I imagine I will have to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud and pay for a few other upgrades after going to Catalina. However, in general the computer works well and gets the business/personal/creative work jobs I need done.
[Update: As of December 2020, the old Mac Mini was finally retired and replaced with the 2020 Mac Mini sporting the new M1 processor.]
Eater Austin is maintaining a list of Austin restaurants open for take-out during the COVID-19 pandemic related business shutdown. There are too many great options for me to list them all.
ALC Steaks (as featured in the photo) is open for take-out from both the restaurant and their food truck. I added the photo above because it was the first food photo I found when looking for a visual aid to add to this post. But, it was a lucky pick of the draw. The above steak is the 44 Farms dry-aged, grass-fed ribeye about which I have waxed rhapsodic in past posts (and if you know me, in person). The steak in the photo was served Oscar style, with chimichurri covered asparagus and flash fried spinach (probably not the healthiest spinach, but delicious). Anyway, order a steak from ALC if you can: you're supporting a local business and treating yourself during this unpleasant time period.
More Good News:
Thanks to the 13 Days of James Bond marathons in the 90's, my studying for certain final exams took a hit (it's like the jerks at TBS knew I'd rather watch The Man With the Golden Gun than review my notes). Well, now that I'm temporally distanced from college and we're all social distancing, it's a good thing multiple titles of old James Bond movies have been released on Amazon Prime this month. There are some bad ones (I'm looking at you, Moonraker) on the list, but we also get From Russia With Love, Thunderball, and Goldfinger in the mix.
A View to a Kill is already on Amazon Prime (for free), and other Bond movies may be as well (you can look for yourself). While certainly not the best movie in the Bond franchise, it does come with: Christopher Walken as the blimp-loving villain, Grace Jones as a bad Bond girl, and a great theme song from Duran Duran. If you don't believe me about the theme song, just watch the video.
[note: it does appear these movies will no longer be free after 5/1]
Netflix Party Lets You Interact Over Movies While Social Distancing:
The Netflix Party browser extension lets you watch Netflix with friends (virtually). You can chat, play/pause in sync, and so forth while drinking at home and maintaining your social distance. The folks at CNET have an article which will instruct you on setting it up.
And Finally, a Movie Rec:
I have been watching more TV series than movies these days. Last weekend, though, I watched Collateral (2004). This movie stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was directed by Micheal Mann (Miami Vice, Heat, Last of the Mohicans). I hadn't seen this one since 2005, and I'm glad I took the time to watch it again. Tom Cruise plays a very intense hitman who forces Jamie Foxx's cab driver to take him around Los Angeles while he kills his targets. If you haven't seen it in a while, it's worth a return visit.
In light of what's going on with the coronavirus (COVID-19) we're cancelling the Fusebox Festival trivia night scheduled for April 1st. It will be rescheduled. In the interim, I'll use some of my social distancing time to research more great questions.
Maybe you're always on the lookout for book, TV, movie, and/or comedy recommendations, or maybe you're in need of some extra diversions these days while engaging in "social distancing".
Here are a few books I've read lately and enjoyed (enough to suggest to others, anyway):
The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis
The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization, by Vince Beiser
Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky
Into Thin Air, by Jon Karkauer
The Attention Merchants, by Tim Wu
I'm a fan of stand-up comedy. Here are a couple of new specials on Netflix worth watching:
Marc Maron's End Times Fun
Tom Papa's Everything is Great
With TV, if you haven't watched The Expanse yet, now would be a good time. Staying home to avoid the coronavirus still seems much preferable to hanging out in a spaceship while "on the float". Better Call Saul is back for its fifth season and it's good. Also, if you enjoy Marc Maron (and I do) he's fun to watch on GLOW and Maron.
Finally, I'll throw in a curve ball of a movie rec: if you've never seen it, check out the cult classic Repo Man. This 1984 sci-fi comedy stars Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez, plus it has a great soundtrack featuring 80's punk music. I'm warning you now that Repo Man is a strange movie; however, if you like at all you'll probably like it a lot.
Another trivia fundraiser for The Creative Fund is in the works, and it will be on April 9th at Uncle Nicky's in the Hyde Park neigbborhood. Stay tuned for the date and then new venue. In the mean time, join me for the Fusebox Festival trivia fundraiser on April 1st.
The Creative fund helps performing artists afford venue rental fees in Austin. I'm on the board, and I'm one of the co-founders. 3/15/20 Update: Trivia will not be held on April 9th because of coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. Stay tuned and I will let you know when it is rescheduled.
Last week, I posted about the upcoming trivia fundraiser for the Fusebox Festival. Check out the video if you'd like to know more about what's in store for the festival this year:
No, this is not an April Fools prank. Yes, I am hosting a trivia fundraiser for the Fusebox Festival on April 1st at the Native Hostel in Austin. It will be the usual format: 5 live rounds and 1 puzzle/matching/etc round. There will be prizes as well (I don't yet know what they are). Check out the Facebook event page for more information (also, please RSVP there).
Here are some main points to consider:
The Native Hostel is a cool venue. You'll have a good time there. Their old fashioneds and other cocktails are great. They even introduced my wife to the concept of orange cider with bitters (she was impressed).
The Fusebox Festival* is awesome. Here's a description of Fusebox: "a global hub for live performance. Fusebox Festival presents a variety of work from local and international artists, helping to move this art form forward by supporting some of the most innovative artists of our time."
Fusebox is free to attend. Fundraisers like FuseBash and our upcoming trivia night make this possible.
I'll attempt to post more about Fusebox as the festival itself approaches.
As for trivia: I hosted 11 trivia fundraisers last year. This year, we're off to a good start having held trivia nights this year for Kids in a New Groove and for the Sobering Center. Both of these events were held at Lavaca Street Bar (downtown) and were lots of fun.
*I am on the Fusebox Festival board of directors.
UPDATE on 3/16/20: This event is cancelled because of coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. We will reschedule the event for a time when it is safe to hold.
Last week I met a friend at Salt Traders Zilker location. There are a few food items I've been meaning to recommend, but the above pictured sandwich was the actual catalyst for me writing the instant post. If you know me personally, then you are probably already aware that I love Nashville hot chicken (enough to go to the home of hot chicken) and New Orleans style food (which encompasses the po'boy sandwich). Thus, while I had rolled into Salt Traders planning to get grilled redfish I couldn't say no to the Nashville Hot Shrimp Po'Boy lunch special.
And special it was. I easiest could have devoured another one. The seasoning was spot on, reminding me of the hot chicken sandwich I enjoy from Tumble 22. It was a perfect addition to the fried shrimp.
While the Nashville Hot Shrimp Po'Boy is officially a lunch special item, the waiter told me that it's often available. He also said that it will probably find it's way to the permanent menu. I hope so, as writing this post is already making me crave another one.
Also, writing this post has reminded me that I still need to post about my trip to Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville and my last New Orleans trip.
[pro-tip for the Zilker location of Salt Traders: get a reservation, and get one a little early as the parking lot tends to fill up.]
[pro-tip if your closing is at Capstone Title*: go celebrate your sale or purchase at Salt Trader's. Just don't order a Rum Around if you're driving.]
As a long-time Austin resident, it makes me happy to know that Nau's Enfield Drug is now serving food again. If you haven't been there before, stop by for their burgers and shakes. Actually, according to Eater, that's all you can get at this time; however, the expanded menu (including breakfast) will return soon.
Pro tip: parking isn't easy. It's likely you'll end up in parking in the neighborhood. Also, grab any clothes which need extra help from a dry cleaner and throw them in the car. Anthony's is next door, and in my experience they are great at getting out tough stains from shirts.
Do you want to support the arts whilst enjoying the lively art of karaoke? If so, then join us for The Creative Fund's upcoming karaoke night fundraiser on 2/25 at Osyeo. Proceeds go towards The Creative Fund's mission of helping performing artists afford venue rental fees here in Austin. Tickets are currently on sale on Eventbrite.
If you come, you may see my rendition of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" (I've done this many places, from The Highball on South Lamar to the Cat's Meow on Bourbon Street). Also, the food at Oseyo is delicious.
Note: I am a cofounder, board member, and former chair of The Creative Fund.
Here's a non-food related post. I was at the CREW Austin Summit on Wednesday morning, wherein I watched three different presentations related to commercial real estate. Here's an interesting fact about apartments which stood out:
50% of Austin's apartment units have been built since 2000.
Of those, 30% have been built in the past 10 years.
On top of this, from 2010-2018 Austin was the fourth fastest growing city in the country for people ages 20-34 (people who happen to be in the prime age of apartment renting). And, as of Wednesday there were about 16,000 units under construction in Austin. From 2010-2019, about 64,000 units were built in Austin (6th most for a city in the US, with Dallas and Houston coming in at first and third respectively.*
Interesting information to have along with what we know about the city's population growth, rental rates, and rental availability. With more premium employers moving here, you can expect population to continue growing at historic rates. Whether we can provide enough market-rate housing remains to be seen.
Happy Valentines Day (for people in 78704 who love beer and/or bread):
At this point you may think I only crack open the laptop to write posts when I'm hungry. Maybe that's true today. I was already thinking about buying more bread when I saw the news that Easy Tiger is opening a new location on South Lamar (in the location of the former Red's Porch). Previously, I had been buying their breads at Whole Foods (the whole wheat sourdough is my favorite). I am happy to see that they will have a new store (and, of course, adjacent beer garden) more accessible to the 78704 area. I do, however, suggest taking a rideshare, the 803 Metro Rapid, or carpooling to this new Easy Tiger at peak times. The parking lot at Red's could be difficult.
By the way, I do suggest visiting their location on East 6th. They have a delightful beer garden on a sublevel next to Waller Creek (it may in fact be the nicest thing on Waller Creek, with the UT Alumni Center coming in at #2).
Speaking of Red's Porch: I did enjoy their Voodoo Pork Chop (it had some kind of soy sauce) and their Cajun burger (while it lasted on the menu). I'm not sure where to replicate the former, but the latter can be approximated by the Hopdoddy Buffalo Bill burger.
Not on Barton Springs (but close enough) is Carpenter's Hall. I've been there several times for drinks and I like it. Once I sample the food (I always seem to be there at the wrong time to eat) I'll share more about it.
About a year ago I posted about the delicious Buffalo Bill burger one can find at Hopdoddy (and paused to mourn the loss of the Terlingua burger). I like Hopdoddy, but the two locations most convenient to me are typically packed with long lines at lunch. Thus, today when I headed out for lunch I left with two questions:
Will the line be ridiculous?
How different is this place from a regular Hopdoddy?
And here are your answers:
No. In fact, we were seated immediately and offered table service. Score and score for a person who does not like lining up for food, let alone long lines.
As Eater Austin described Lil'Doddy, it is a "streamlined" version of the regular restaurant. Differences I noted were a lack of bison patties and the presence of a drive-through. The former was not a big deal and the latter seemed cool for people in the area neighborhoods. You still get a nice selection of burgers and other items (including an ahi tuna burger, which looked great). Also, there is plenty of beer on tap.
I also found the staff to be accommodating. The menu offered a version of the Buffalo Bill with a chicken breast. Normally I would have wanted this, but I have been eating a lot of chicken and turkey products this week. Also, I woke up thinking about beef burgers. It turns out, getting me a Buffalo Bill with beef (all natural Angus) was not a problem. In fact, having a second patty added for good measure was not a problem either (I'm hitting the weights today, so of course I need more protein).
The upshot is that lunch at Lil'Doddy was delicious and the time provided no problems for us vis a vis crowds.
Now that I've shared about burgers, at some point I plan to discuss my last couple of trips to Hank's Austin. That point is probably sometime next week. Plus, there are a few trivia updates I've been meaning to write. Stay tuned.
