I don’t always think all the way ahead. I know, that’s a shocking confession if you know me. Somehow, though, I managed to get out of Austin with only two pictures – one of a gift bow-wrapped roll of toilet paper, and the other a fuzzy picture of country fried beef tongue (more on that later). I ain’t gonna subject you to either of those. Still…

I got sent to Austin by work this past week. I’d never been, so it was time to do a bit of exploring. My hotel was basically right on the UT Austin campus, and I have to say first and foremost: what a great city. Friendly people, great food, great drinks, all of it. I can’t wait to visit again.

After a long day of travel (while my coworkers were enjoying a snow day), I got checked in and started checking out the area for something to eat as I was starving. I ended up at the Dog and Duck Pub. There I had some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. Well, let me rephrase: the fish was amazing. The chips were fine – nothing to complain about, by any means, but the fish was the real star. They also had quite the beer selection which I had lots of fun working my way through. Anyone who knows me knows how I love to work my way through a beer selection, especially the local ones when visiting a new city.

The next night was dinner with coworkers at a Mexican place that was…errr…fine. After doing my show-related stuff, and deciding I didn’t really feel like going to a Billy Idol/bunch of other guys concert (yes, I KNOW, but that’s just how I felt that night), I wandered up and down 6th Street. I stopped in a place or two, most of which were very friendly, if dead, then ended up at the Firehouse Lounge. It’s in a hostel, of all things, reachable through a hidden door in a bookcase.

“OMG!” you shout. “Speakeasies are so, like, a few years ago!” Don’t let the entryway fool you – it’s a very friendly, laid back joint with some amazing cocktails. (And some great names for them, such as one called “She’s Only 17″ that featured Ilegal mezcal, Campari, and St. Germain.) The night I was there it was open mic night and there was some serious talent rocking the joint. They also don’t have table service on those nights, so people had to go to the bar (where I was sitting) and I got to chat with a number of great folks.

To be honest, I just wanted to go back there the other nights but I knew I should keep exploring.

My last full day in town consisted of me at the show non-stop, living off only granola bars and Diet Cokes. Needless to say, by the time I got back to the hotel I was starving. My hotel (the AT&T Executive Education somethingoranother) had two bars that were constantly full, it seemed, and my friend Nick Crutchfield (formerly of Charlottesville, now here in the DC area) suggested Peche. Google Maps said it was 1.2 miles away so I started walking.

I got stopped on the way there when I saw Austin Ale House and decided to investigate (and watch some Thursday Night Football, as I have Peyton Manning as my QB). While I was there I got the carne asada, which was a fantastic dish but way too much for me. (A sign of how I’m slowly learning in my old age: the roasted jalapenos/cheese combo was SO FANTASTICALLY GOOD and also kicked my butt, heat-wise, so I stopped eating it. WTFLOL.) The beer menu was good, but I was hoping for more local beers. Having satiated my hunger with their whole local/organic/delicious menu, I wandered down to Peche.

It ends up the poorly-marketed after-show event for the conference was next door, so I got to hear the Beastie Boys cover band play while inside. (A side note: doesn’t that just seem wrong? After MCA died, he didn’t want their songs used in advertising, so to me a Beastie Boys cover band seems a bit wrong. But that’s just me.)

Inside, it was a pretty cool space, and though it’s marketed as an absinthe bar (and it has quite the selection of absinthe and memorabilia related to it) it has many good drinks on the menu. I got to say hi to one of Nick’s friends there and had several drinks (to be honest, too, a couple were comped) and some good conversation.

I wasn’t really hungry, but they had country fried beef tongue on the menu. Thin slices of tongue, perfectly breaded and fried – that was just such a fantastic dish.

The final part was amusing, to me: the security line at the airport was HUGE. Despite the line, TSA handled it well, and people stayed mostly in good spirits. While waiting, a woman in front of me started soliciting advice from folks about cigars for a secret Santa thing coming up. No one else knew anything, so I volunteered some information. I kind of figured since I’ve written about it some, I should help out – she thought it was incredibly fortuitous, and hopefully my advice will work for her.

So, if you have a chance: go to Austin! And if you have suggestions as to other places to try when I get a chance to return, leave a comment on Facebook or Twitter. Now that I know how cheap and easy it is to get there from DCA, I’ll need to return!