déménagement

Thank you thank you thank you! Merci and danke schön, the response has been incredible. To maximize readability and audience retention, we're moving to our very own domain, allfourparts.com. Same stuff, new great look, please come visit us soon!

austin happy hour tour: el sapo

Twice I have been to happy hour at El Sapo. And twice I have been lost in the moment and sucked down my drink without taking a picture. Sorry freunden, hopefully this text can paint the visual enough to convince you that this Manor road, El Chile off-shoot is not to be missed.

On first attempt, I went with a classic and ordered the margarita. Only when it was half gone and the BF was drawing smileys in the still frosty mason jar did I realize what I'd forgotten. Strange, because a significant amount of time had passed. Most happy hour margs are easily almost chugged, but this concoction was so cold, so rich, and so potent you can't help but slow it down a notch. Honestly I still should've grabbed a snapshot, but I digress as the server arrived with les plats principals. I know, you don't go to a burger place and get fish, but you also listen to the waitress when she tells you her favorite dish. A bit pricey and not on happy hour, the El Pescador upends the concept of a fried fish sandwich. Using black drum instead of the all too prevalent (and surprisingly unhealthy, according to recent rumors) tilapia, El Sapo has a clear win. A testament to quality and paying $16 for a sandwich that is worth every penny.

And the onion rings. Enough cannot be said to adore this often overdone and overlooked accompaniment. Lightly breaded, there is a fiery spice in the mix that prompts the search for that margarita and defies the notion of the bland, unsatisfying side dish that leaves you with bad breath. Though, full disclosure, they probably still give you bad breath.

Take two: a wind-down happy hour with friends, or technically, co-workers (how do we get anything done??). Without clarifying exactly what I was getting myself into, I promptly ordered the O Gurl! Why? because when something is called O Gurl!, punctuation included, you don't ask questions, you just drink it. However, because I had to know, the waiter clarified the ingredients of the very pink drink: chamoy. Apparently becoming the food trend of 2014, chamoy is a familiar yet unique flavor. You know you've grown up in Texas if a friend has ever handed you a candy and your tongue starts to burn. That is chamoy:  a salty, sweet, sour and spicy fruit reduction ranging from paste like to liquid. Many eateries have a version of a 'jalepeño margarita,' but this is not the same. It is saltier. Sweeter. Sourer. And much, much stronger. This is what makes El Sapo a must. Careful now, this bad girl is feisty. She'll take you home and knock you out, so better stick to just two.

Also during happy hour, all botanas are half off. The first trip I eyed some of these smaller plates, but determined I had a bigger appetite. What did catch my eye though was the $10 guacamole. A guacamole appreciator myself, I was surprised at the seemingly overpriced starter. But, on recommendation of the server (and at half price), I kept my skeptical comments to myself and ordered the guacamole. Was it worth the $10? Well, it was only the best guacamole I've ever had! And I've had a lot of guacamole. My only complaint is it is a rather small serving; coming in a small cup and employing the widespread, clever tactic of beefing it up with shredded lettuce as a base, it is worth at least $8.

With a fabulous infrastructure repurposed from mechanic shop to boutique burger bar, I was surprised to see El Sapo fairly empty on both happy hour outings. Decor motifs borrowed from their affiliate across the street, a rad sign emblazoning the script "cantina" sits behind the bar and the über hipster bartender, but only a few straggling diners are actually at the bar. Blame it on an odd location installé on an odd triangular median of an intersection, or more likely, blame it on an unfortunate location directly across the street from Salty Sow, one of the best happy hours in town. What El Sapo does offer in spite of its successful neighbors is a more casual ambiance and a beautiful light penetrating the garage windows or bathing the spacious patio when the sun sets.

On a student budget, sticking to happy hour items is a pretty general rule. Venturing to other areas of the menu is tempting. Your stomach won't regret it, but your wallet might. A welcome addition to the Manor road strip, I believe El Sapo's happy hour will give Salty Sow a run for their money.

El Sapo: Happy Hour -- Every day 3-7
1900 Manor Rd, Austin, Texas 78722
half off botanas, $2 mexi-cans, $3 bottles, $4 craft drafts, $4 seasonal punch, $5 house margaritas, $6 o gurl!

austin happy hour tour: searsucker

I can't think of a more perfect way to end a Friday than to enjoy good company at happy hour, watching a beautiful Texas thunderstorm roll in. Braving the downtown traffic, the BF and I ventured to the San Diego transplant Searsucker for a drink and a bite.

farm bird lollipops

While they wouldn't have been my first choice, our prototypically cool server Kyle suggested them as a favorite. Dipped in a sweet buffalo sauce served with bleu cheese crumbles, these fried chicken meatballs were an interesting variation on a bar food staple.  Great for happy hour, but I'd steer clear at the normal price. 

shrimp + grits

But this joyous little bit of down home fun I'd pay full price for.  While shrimp with tails in a saucy dish is a personal pet peeve (I'd like to not dip my fingers in my food, but my cutlery skills need a little work) it's definitely a sign of freshness. Putting their spongey, frozen counterparts to shame, no one can question that they were virile little creatures not too long ago. Complying with cajun tradition, this morsel had a spice to it that can turn a boy into a man, or in my case make my nose and eyes water profusely. Just how I like it. 

snake in the grass 

Made with the house cucumber infused gin, this lime, soda and mint cocktail erred on the side of disappointing. More like a sparkling lemonade, the snake in the grass exhibited the first signs of a motif we found throughout their cocktails: too sweet.  There is a delicate art in balancing quality, quantity, and price. While considering clientele is important (downtown, you really get a random bunch ranging from young professionals, to old professionals, to the occasional student who ventures down from campus) I've always been more satisfied with a quality, reasonably priced sipping drink in a more concentrated size to truly appreciate the flavors involved. Also tried were the Leopard's Tail, the New Fashioned (not on happy hour), and the Skinny Jenny. All fairly sweet. Will have to call the Skinny Jenny, a variation on the Moscow Mule with a hint of lavender, the favorite of the night. 

beef tartare

Pervasive on french menus, this was the first time I'd seen beef tartare on a menu since returning from the continent, so naturally I had to try it. Please ignore the purple hue, shadows and lighting and whatnot. Though not a connoisseur, it definitely seemed on par with anything I'd had in France. Topping raw meat with a raw egg is still jarring to the unsuspecting patron who sees tenderloin+chips on a menu, but the fresh potato crisps when eaten with the raw ingredients provide a change of texture that help the wary consumer with the somewhat frightening transition from cooked to uncooked. That said, I couldn't finish it. The taste was lovely but the aversion to eating raw meat finally won over my adventurous side.

What really sets this place apart is the decor. Pictured above is just one of the neat lighting fixtures. Much larger than it looks from the outside, the front room serves the bar scene with hip lounge, bar, and high-top seating, while the back is a more traditional dining room. The prolific Anthropologie dishware also makes the prices make a little more sense. With unique pieces throughout the establishment, Searsucker fits right in with the downtown Austin dining scene that serves an audience with diverse wants. Even if you're not looking to sit down, I'd definitely recommend stopping in for a peak at the interior created by Somebody Schooz (sorry I'm not up on the decor scene so I didn't really catch the name).

I mentioned early our 'prototypically cool server Kyle,' but that description really fit everyone there. He knew just when we needed something and said just the right things when we asked about anything. In the middle of our meal, there was what started as a little stir in the back by the kitchen with clapping and chanting that turned into a group pep yell by the kitchen and dinner staff filling the room. What some might view as a disturbance to their experience I believe was a heartwarming taste of teamwork, of a place that is fun to work at, somewhere that might just be a second home. Any American diner knows that the demeanor of the waitstaff significantly affects the experience of the patron. At Searsucker, that will never be a problem. 

Though the cocktails were average, the food was stellar. And now that we have a $25 brunch card (um, heck yes!) we'll definitely be back to see what else their chef has to offer. Well done, California. Well done.

Searsucker: Happy Hour -- Monday-Friday 4:30-6:30

415 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701

$5 select plates, $5 select cocktail infusions, $3 drafts, $5 select wines