Just thought I would recap our trip to Austin this past week. The wife and I try to visit the area once a year and just really eat and drink our way around the city and surrounding areas. We specifically love the scene out near Jester King and Treaty Oak and opted to rent a guest house to stay in the area for a little more peace and quiet.

We arrived in Austin late Wednesday night, exhausted, so we just ate something on the road on our way over. About a 6 hour drive from where we live.

Slept in a little bit Thursday morning so we headed into Austin for an early lunch. We arrived downtown a little early so had a few minutes to kill. Stopped in at the Driskell for a bloody mary. No pictures.

Then headed over to Easy Tiger for lunch. The pretzel is always the star for me here, pictured below, with the green chili mustard. I went with the half pastrami sandwich with potato salad and the wife chose the roast beef. Delicious fresh baked breads with house made meats.

After lunch we visited the LBJ Library. Not much of a fan of the guy but still always interesting to learn about our nation's history and past Presidents.

Then we headed over to Prohibition Creamery. This is an ice cream shop that incorporates alcohol into the ice cream and toppings. So delicous. I went with two scoops of the signature bourbon, in a waffle cone, topped with salted caramel. Don't really remember specifically what the wife ordered but it was some sort of chocolate concoction with whiskey and salted caramel.

Had to eat an early dinner that night because we were headed out to Austin360 Amphitheater for the Chris Stapleton concert. Decided to stop in at Odd Duck for their awesome happy hour. We split a few small plates and had a couple of cocktails. Tried the blistered shashito peppers, sunny duck egg, jerk quail, and pork belly. Everything was great and had no complaints. Pictured below is the menu along with the duck egg and pork belly.

Speaking of the Chris Stapleton show. This was my 4th time seeing the guy perform and he just gets better each and every time. Such a talented musician. We really enjoy visiting this venue as well.

My wife enjoys visiting some of the shops on South Congress so we started the morning out with a few of those.

Then it was time for lunch at Bangers. They had their Oktoberfest going on which was an added bonus. Enjoyed a few pints of Live Oak Oaktoberfest and then created a few flights of some beers I don't really remember. We really like this place. Food is always really good and 101 beers on tap certainly isn't a bad thing either. They had some polka music playing out in the beer garden, which was awesome with the fantastic weather. I went with the traditional bratwurst with sauerkraut and whole grain mustard, with a side of jalapeno mac and cheese. Wife went with a jalepeno cheese bratwurst and a side of spaetzle. Great stop on our trip.

Friday night it was over to Uchi for dinner. This is probably our favorite restaurant and we enjoy going for sake social hour. Unfortunately, I don't really have any pictures of this meal because it is a pretty dimly lit place. We ordered 1 of everything on the tasting menu and everything was outstanding.

Went to the Broken Spoke afterwards. We always get a kick out of people watching here. We just kinda sit back, drink some beer, and watch the folks "honky tonk."

Followed that up with a late night dessert at Gordough's. Due to a few too many drinks at this point I forgot to take pictures. I had the squealing pig donut which is topped with cream cheese icing, bacon, strawberry jalepeno jelly, and candied jalapenos. Wife had the funky monkey which was topped with cream cheese icing, grilled bananas, and brown sugar. A really nice end to the evening for sure.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous weather and a perfect day to visit the breweries and such out near Dripping Springs. We started with a little breakfast at local joint called Rolling in Thyme & Dough. Nothing special, just a standard breakfast of eggs and bacon.

Next we visited the Texas Hill Country Olive Oil company. Took a tour of the place along with the orchard. Lucky for us our tour was guided by one of the founders so it was a pretty informative tour. I really had no idea or prior knowledge to the process of making olive oil. Really beautiful piece of property with the building and olive orchard.

Next it was over to Argus Cidery. They had 8 ciders to choose from so we ordered two flights to try them all.

Not pictured but next we dropped in at Revolution Spirits and then Last Stand Brewing. Ended up purchasing a bottle of the gin made at revolution. If you like gin, this is unlike any gin you've probably ever tasted. american contemporary style gin. It is 50% alcohol by volume and made with juniper, rosemary, lavendar, lemongrass, pink peppercorns, texas grapefruit

Next it was over to Jester King for a couple of beers. Followed by a delicious pizza next door at Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza. Great weather. Great beer. Great food. Beautiful piece of property as well.

Last but certainly not least was a stop at Treaty Oak Distillery. First time visiting and definitely won't be the last. Really cool setup and also just an absolutely beautiful piece of property. Separate buildings for the distillery, shop/tasting room, bar, and restaurant. Small stage for some music and picnic tables throughout the property. Think somebody said this all sits on about 30 acres. The whiskey and cocktails are great too. Not pictured was a delicious charcuterie and cheese plate we enjoyed in the restaurant.

Ended the night hanging by the fire pit on the property, sipping whisky with the founder while kids roasted s'mores. A perfect ending to great day.

Had to return home on Sunday but not before bbq for lunch. No trip to Austin is complete without bbq. This time I decided to give Terry Blacks a try. We went with the beef ribs and a link of the jalapeno cheddar sausage. Green beans, potato salad, and creamed corn for the sides. The beef rib was easily the star. Great smoke flavor with some fatty goodness. Asked if I could take a look at the pit area as I was leaving which they gladly accommodated. They had some briskets loaded up for dinner later that evening.

This post was edited on 10/30/17 at 10:20 pm