Maria's Taco Xpress!

*Photo courtesty of http://www.tacoxpress.com/

As much as I'd like to say that I come up with all of my "Rebeccammendations," you loyal followers should know that I often receive rec's from many valuable sources (and I will give credit where it's due, but not reveal the top secret ones:)). Several of my friendly advisors suggested we hold the 2nd Austin Breakfast Club meeting at Maria's Taco Xpress on South LAMAR...(I misdirected the group to S. 1st and take full responsibility for anyone who never arrived as a result). Rule #1 for entertaining: pick the right location, and if you've never been there, ask questions and make a plan for entertaining a large group there (do you need reservations? is there outdoor seating that's first-come, first-serve? are Sunday's busy?). This is where I learned my lesson. You see, Maria's Taco Xpress is not just a little cafe hidden off of S. Lamar that draws visitors only by it's visible-from-the-street sign of Maria inviting guests with her open arms. It is a large operation. There must have been at least 150 hungry and loyal visitors, between the inside and the outside patio. This Sunday happened to be a particularly busy Sunday for Maria's, as there was a line out the door for those waiting to order their authentic breakfast and lunch tacos. Despite the challenge for gathering up enough chairs to seat our group, and getting everyone through the long line and to finally receive their tacos, it was a great location! Bottom line--it's Austiny, it's fun, it has an outdoor patio, and indoor seating, it has breakfast tacos, spicy salsa, and there's something about the anticipation of waiting for your order number to be called that makes the delicious tortillas filled to the brim worth waiting for!

*Entertainment tip: If you're headed there with a group, make sure to arrive ahead of time to secure a table while your guests get in line to order. It get's packed, but a healthy sign of a hoppin' business and tasty food!

Breakfast/Lunch/Mexican Restaurant Recommendation: Maria's Taco Xpress on S. Lamar. Also, check out Taste No Evil Muffins, housed in an old trolley (or Austin's Dillo) in the parking lot out front, if you're looking for a local sweet treat, freshly made by Karisa Prestera . Flavors range from Cran Bran Breakfast Bonanza, to Chocolate Sinsation, and even gluten-free flavors that include Chocolate-Almond. MMMMmm...

Icing on the Cake!

*Photos by Rebecca (Allyson and I with instructor Summer Pruett left)

Yesterday was the day Allyson and I had been waiting for...the day we were taking the hands-on cake decorating class at the Whole Foods Culinary Center on 6th and Lamar. I unfortunately miscalculated the start time, so we missed the first 20 minutes, but we caught up quickly and jumped right in, cutting, layering, and frosting our individual cakes to decorate. We learned frosting techniques and how to create several icing detail designs as we worked with the buttercream frosting. Summer Pruett, of Stardust Pastry, her very own local Austin "pastry boutique specializing in wedding cakes," and the Texas Culinary Academy, instructed the class of about 15. Her steady hand demonstrated how to ice the cake so well, her final coat was as smooth as fondant. And, she successfully taught all of us how to create a decorative rose out of frosting, complete with leaves and vines. Notice my final work of culinary art that I made for the Austin Breakfast Club which held it's 2nd meeting today! It was a big hit!

My favorite moment during the class, was when Allyson had icing trouble, and actually took her hand, and grabbed the 2-inch less-than-perfect frosting rose, and threw it off of her cake in frustration. But, she got through it (with messy hands), and with Summer's patience and expertise with cake disaster recovery, and the end result didn't show any traces of the struggles Al had just minutes before.

If you're looking for culinary fun, Summer is also teaching a Pastry Workshop on April 9th, a Couture Cupcakes class on April 11th, and a few sushi classes too!

Culinary/Arts, Weekend or Evening Activity Recommendation: Take a cooking class at the Whole Foods Culinary Center! Some are demonstration-based, with tasting, of course, and others, like this one, are hands-on. Take a look at the schedule here (updated monthly). Sign up if you find a class you'd like to take because they fill up fast!

P.S. I also put this under the Green Entertaining category because Whole Foods is based on environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible practices and products.

We Love Breakfast!

Austin Breakfast Club Meetings. This club was just recently started to provide new friends and true friends with a time and place to share breakfast one Sunday each month in different locations around Austin. For non-Austinite followers, feel free to start a chapter wherever you are--let's go global!

For a Chill Night...

Head to House Wine on 409 Josephine, right behind Barton Springs Saloon. "House Wine is a Wine Bar as unpretentious and inclusive as Austin itself." It's in a cozy little house, where you walk up to the bar and order your bottle or glass, and make yourself at home! Batami and Jonathan were in town visiting from Houston, and having guests in town was the perfect opportunity to try a new local hang-out! We were quite impressed with our $26/bottle wine choice. (This came out to about $8-$9/person, which was a good deal, considering we each got about 2 glasses out of it!) Also, they have 1/2 price wines on Sundays, and an adorable patio that will be fabulous when the weather is nice!

Wine Recommendation: Bogle Petit Syrah, 2006, from Clarksburg, CA. It had a smooth, and somewhat sweet taste, that we think came from the Boysenberry, (FYI-since this was a question on our minds that night, a boysenberry is a cross between a raspberry and the Pacific blackberry.) with a light finish. I'm still thinking about it...the sign of a good wine :) I did some research and tried to find the wine at HEB. They didn't have the exact bottle, but they did have a Bogle Merlot. So, I would suggest supporting the local scene and treating yourself to this relaxing treat where I fell in love with it!