Friday, February 29, 2008

Slick Willie's Family Pool Hall on South Lamar in Austin Texas










I set the bar low (good unintentional pun there) when I started this project but I discovered there are many different ways for a bar to present itself in this world and a pool hall is one of them. I was thinking of the pool halls of my youth. Boy have things come a long way since then. This place actually houses a very nice bar in the middle of a huge sea of 8 foot regulation pool tables. It kind of boggles the mind at first. It has been at this location for a pretty good while, maybe six or seven years or more, and I planned to include it in this blog from the get go I was just waiting for a day when I wanted to make an easy video and that day was today. It really does look like a great place for Mom to drop off Dad and the kids so she can go shopping at the mall and Dad can get wasted at the bar since Mom's driving. Plus it will burn into a kid's mind as a quality moment with dad as long as you are free with your money. I liked it, it was fun. If I had younger kids I would bring them here and I'm going to tell my grown kids that it is a fine and friendly place they should check out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54YTqsf4tck watch the video to see what I mean. http://www.slickw.com/sites/austin/1509lamar.htm

Thursday, February 28, 2008

The Posse East at Duval and San Jacinto by UT in Austin Texas




















I've been here before but not very often. Like once twenty years ago and once today. I don't know why, other than the parking, because if I lived within walking distance I would be here whenever the wife came lookin' fer me. It's a great place with good vibes and very sports oriented as can be expected by the proximity to UT. When people pour out of the stadium walking west the very first beerjoint they are going to see is the Posse East and what a welcome sight it will be. They are much bigger than the last time I went there but so is the population in Austin. The service is friendly the people are friendly and the beer is cold while the food is hot , or cold, depending upon what you ordered. I've never ordered food here but I've never had a problem with the beer, and it does me proud to know that they opened for business the same year I graduated from high school. Right next door is Subway and thank God they don't sell beer or I would have three half assed blogs in a row. Park on the street at a meter after 5:30 for free, or feed it during the day.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Cedar Door at Second and Brazos in Downtown Austin












This place has developed into a real tightly run very cool and extremely spacious downtown retreat. I remember some of the previous locations of this very same building, that has been moved over and over again, until it finally landed in this former downtown parking lot. The small red house was the entire bar, now it is just the bar area and there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. They have lots of good beer on tap but the favorite drink of the public is the Mexican Martini, served in a pint beer glass and oh so good. I call it a Margarita and a very good one at that. If I were staying downtown I would drink about three and then walk back to my room and take a nap. But, that's just me. All of the property around the bar has been developed and it continues daily but for however long they can hold on I think this is one of the very best downtown bars there is, and it's very close to the Convention Center so they provide a valuable service as far as I'm concerned. Free parking doesn't exist downtown but there are lots of garages and for short term parking an empty meter space is not the hard to find but you have to have some quarters handy and you never want to let the meter expire because they are vultures. http://www.cedardooraustin.com/

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Double Dave's Pizza on Duval by U.T. in Austin

















Well, here I go with another pizza joint on my best bars blog and why is that you may ask? Because pizza places often sell beer for on site consumption and that is my only qualification for this purpose. Besides, I've been in many bars that only sell beer so what is the difference? What really attracted me to this place is the proximity to another bar I made a video in and the ease of parking that a pizza place often provides. So, I can't tell you about the pizza at this location because I didn't get one but I've had Double Dave's plenty of times by the slice from a cart over by the stadium at U.T. and I liked it. This particular DD's location used to be a Pizza Hut or Mr. Gatti's, I can't remember which, but they are way better than that as far as my personal preference goes. It's run by Texas Exes according to a sign on the door and I'm assuming that means U.T. Alumni. The place has a boat load full of U.T. Sports Memorabilia plastered all over the place including an autographed helmet from Earl Campbell. There is plenty of seating both indoors and out and a spacious parking lot plus it is within easy walking distance of the U.T. campus. They had Oprah on the T.V. when I was in there but I'm sure they would have switched it over to the game if there was any kind of a game on at all, which there wasn't. Sometimes a person just wants to sit down and relax while having a brew and that's how I felt and that's what I did. Since this visit was after the lunch hour rush and before dinner time it worked quite well for that purpose. http://www.doubledaves.com/

Monday, February 25, 2008

Rabbit's Lounge at East Sixth Street and Chicon in East Austin






















































I've seen this building on the northwest corner of East Sixth and Chicon and often wondered what kind of a place it was. I had already deduced that it was a bar or club of some sort but the building has never had a sign, that I can remember, so I wasn't sure if it was even open to the public. Then last summer there was a small article and picture in the Austin Chronicle about them having some early evening Blues performances, on the patio outside, and I told myself that I was going to stop in there someday and have a beer. Well, yesterday was that someday and I'm sure glad I checked it out. I found out from the owner's son that the bar is named Rabbit's Lounge, after his dad, and that it has been open since 1969. He introduced me to his father and I suddenly felt like an old regular even though it was the first time I had ever been in there. The bar is full of nearly four decades of memories and memento's that fairly cover the walls. It's kind of a narrow room but plenty adequate and the beer is as cold as it can get without freezing. Best of all it's only two dollars, all day everyday, according to the proprietor. There is a good size covered concrete slab patio out in front of the place with a bunch of picnic tables and several working class stiffs like myself were lounging around enjoying a cool one before heading home after a hard day. With all of the gentrification taking place just a few blocks east on Sixth Street it is hard to believe this place still exists but the owner's son told me he is trying to build the business and that he hopes to run the bar himself eventually. It's a real neighborhood gathering spot for the politically active of East Austin and a cool classic beer joint with a bunch of what I would bet are at least semi-regular patrons, seated at the bar. Now that I've been in there once it's just a matter of time before I will have been in there a bunch of times. Two dollar beers, all day, everyday. I like the way that sounds, it kinda rolls off the tongue.
Watch this video to understand better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnf4igBCc1s