Sushi coming to Marker 10 Bar

Happy to report that the Marker 10 Bar, located inside the Hyatt Regency Austin is bringing in a fabulous sushi chef and station - serving to the public - starting this Wednesday from 5pm - 9pm.

Last week I sampled a few offerings on the menu, which is sure to make the mouth water, the eyes glisten and the tummy gurgle with glee. I give two thumbs up on the sushi and can't wait to see the menu grow with even more creative selections.

Come, my dears....let's look at some of the pictures I took.

Salmon Ceviche - elegantly served in a martini glass. At first I was hesitant, as I dislike peppers. But one taste of this ceviche had me back for more.

Seaweed and Cucumber Salad

Spicy Tuna Hand Roll - I was very impressed with the size and shape of this roll. It looks like a cone, which means more tuna chunks oozing out. The tuna had a pleasant kick to it - A+

Buttery salmon, oh my!

The Tuna Tataki was, by far, my favorite selection. Quite an interesting combination of ahi tuna, avocado, and shaved onions. The presentation in a chilled martini glass not only added a touch of sophistication, but improved the taste of the tuna. My favorite part was the taste of the top pieces and bottom pieces had such a different range of flavors.

Marker 10 is soon to become a favorite stop in my sushi locales. Saki and Asian beers are also on the way. Can I make this more enticing? The bats on the Congress Bridge have also returned. There...I did it. 3 fantastic reasons to try out Marker 10.

The FUN Trifecta

Oh who could not love a Wine and Cupcake happy hour? I, for one, am a sucker for these events and try my hardest to get the girls together to indulge! House Wine and The Cupcake Bar host these great little parties, with a pairing of mini cupcakes and wine. Here is an example of the fun we had Wednesday:

Cupcake and Wine Pairings for $13 from House Wine & The Cupcake Bar.

- Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake with a Strawberry Cupcake and Filled with Strawberry. With Whipped Cream Icing and Topped with Crushed Shortbread and Fresh Strawberries.

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup...cake with Chocolate Cupcake filled and with Peanut Butter. With Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Icing and Topped with Crushed Peanuts.

- Caramel Italian Creme Cupcake filled with Caramel and, with Cream Cheese Icing. Topped with Walnuts and extra Caramel!

Wine Choices Include: - 2007 Pinot Grigio, Riff, Italy. Pear, flowers, lemon and lime; mineral and earthy with a medium body and crisp finish.

- Louis Perdrier Rosé, France Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cinsault. Delicate aromas of peonies, crushed rose petals, strawberries & wild raspberries.

- 2006 Malbec, Llama, Argentina. Aromas of strawberry, and vanilla, flavors of black currant, cherry, chocolate and spices.

Shopping from Local Boutiques such as Izzy and Ash, Soigne Boutique, Emotional Baggage, Anne Marie, Diamonds & Guns, Jessica's Traveling Boutique and Amelia Beth

Beauty Presentations at 5:30 and 6:30pm from Andrea Claire

The best part, besides the cheese plate and cupcakes and wine, had to be the door prizes! Every 30 minutes some lucky gal (or guy) got a fabulous gift. To my disbelief, I actually won something.



AmeliaBeth makes these gorgeous rings, pendants and cufflinks from Scrabble Pieces. You can browse her jewelry on her Etsy site linked to her name above.

Of course I could not leave without purchasing something from Diamonds and Guns by Action Jackson.

I loved every piece, and thanks to the wine that had loosened up my wallet, I picked this darling locket necklace.







Ok, let's move on to the fabulous cupcakes, wine and cheese plate. Words aren't needed here - just mouth-watering pictures.







You can stop drooling now and make sure you fan The Cupcake Bar on Facebook for the next event.

SXSWI - now this more pics to satisfy your craving

Last Friday marked the first day of SXSW Interactive. I have to say, I was a bit nervous and anxious, as I have never been to the official events. My boss hooked me up with a plat badge and away I went. Sadly the last day was very rainy and cold. Notice the not-cute hair.

Happy to report my brain soaked up everything I needed - social media was my life for those 5 days. Interactive is over, but not forgotten. Hence these pictures.



Yes, that is the official Travelocity gnome. I was thrilled to have my picture taken with him. Maybe a little too much. Thanks to the free drinks, I had a nice conversation with an inanimate object.





Even though we missed the Macgruber panel, we were able to track down the cast and watch a live interview. My camera was not doing what I wanted, so I'm sure my flash was a bit annoying. Hence the look on Kristin Wigg's face. Boy that Ryan Phillippe was smoking hot. And Will Forte stopped after the interview to take pictures with some lucky fans.



Always working it. Just call me the Twitter lady.



For any of you Xbox live nerds, this is Major Nelson. Had to get a fan photo with him.

Looking forward to attending some music events this weekend. Now if the weather will only cooperate....

More SXSW pics from the boat ride

Such lovely ladies!



Boatkill on the window. Just wipe it off....



The lovely Austin view from Lady Bird Lake



And you would know we were the last people off the boat. Yah that's how we party.

Menu Tasting at the Highball

Thanks to my favorite social media tool, Twitter, I won a seat to a menu tasting Tuesday night at The Highball. Like a smart girl, I made sure and ate a light lunch, wondering what morsels I had in store for me. I had a great time meeting Tim Alamo, Henri Mazza, creative director at the Alamo, and my fellow Twitter winners @ariel5x5 @unbrchain @RedPenOfDoom.

Ok, ok on to the food.



This delectable oyster is the perfect Southern treat. Why do you say that? What makes this oyster so special? One word my friends, chorizo.




Did you know that bacon is so hot right now? It is, and especially on this bacon chicken sandwich. It was messy and wonderful, all at once in my mouth.



I couldn't imagine a more perfect combination than grilled trout stuffed with creamy crawfish. Not to be outdone, the sides of carrots and snap peas were also crispy and flavorful.



Personally I am not a big quail fan. But this particular bird was stuffed with sweet potatoes. A more refined option, it had an interesting, unique taste.



Oooh the finale was something else. Bread pudding with Grand Marnier and cherries....ON FIRE! I want to say the presentation had me sold, but that would be a lie. It was the taste. Amazing. I was close to fighting the boys nearby for the last bites. Hopefully this dish ends up on the final menu because it was outstanding!!






Thanks again Highball. You fucking rock!

Tasty Up Trailer Tour

Oh wow, this was so much fun! I wish I had more stomach room to have enjoyed a few more trailers, but Matt and I only made it to 2 places. First off, we started at La Boite.


We grabbed nametags and free french press coffee. That was going to be the plan, then walk over to Texas Cuban. Well, I saw these and stopped dead in my tracks.







Oh so lovely! I had to have them. Sure enough, we purchased these little morsels, sat down on the grass and watched people and their cute kids play. The line for Texas Cuban began to grow, with more and more of a crowd coming and no movement in the line. It was time to move on.




Back to South 1st we went...Never had Izzoz tacos before, so we parked across the street and made our way over. They had a pretty good line of people and we looked across the lot at Austin Daily Press. No one was there. Walked over, never been to ADP before, and browsed the menu. Fried bologna sandwich?? Hell YES!

A certain someone looks excited!

Vegan tortilla soup. It was hot and delicious!

Sandwiches wrapped in the Onion. Could you ask for anything cooler?

This baby had so much mustard in it. If you are a fan of the yellow stuff and fried bologna, stop what you are doing and get this sandwich.


I can't remember what Matt had, something Italian I believe. I was lucky enough to get a bite in. It was excellent. We didn't make it out to The Liberty afterwards. I was really dying to try East Side Kings. You are on my list guys....next time.

I hope to see more of this event in the future. It was a fantastic idea and I hope all the trailers that participated made a lot of money and new business! Count me in for the next round.