Last Friday night we went out for dinner and a movie.
What better way to start the weekend than with a new favorite restaurant for you to frequent?
The heat is finally letting up on Austin town. With a nice little cool air the city is seen in a different light and the people too. Tonight, grab your lover's hand and take a stroll down the heart of Austin, Sixth Street.
Wander the streets and alleys, pop in the bars, chat about everything and nothing.
Get hungry & wet your appetite because I have another favorite pizza place for you.
This one sells really, really good authentic Neapolitan thin-crust pizzas, and you can buy different ones to share, which makes your date night even more intimate.
The Backspace is a very relaxed pizzeria in Downtown Austin & it's going to become one of your new favorites, trust me.
The tiny kitchen opens up into the restaurant so you can see your very own pizza being made, as well as all your other hot dishes. Yes, all hot plates ordered are made in this wood-fired brick oven. It fascinated me -- I kept my eyes glued to those burning wood logs the entire time.
The place is located in the back of its owner's other restaurant Parkside, fronted by a wooden & glass door that opens onto the street, and seated inside are wooden stools by the bar and wooden tables by the glass wall where everyone sits cozily & gets friendly next to each other.
Simple wooden wine shelves mounted on the plain white walls makes it seem all the more elegant, rustic, and homey.
The specials are printed on a smaller menu card & they change quite often.
We ordered several antipasto and the pizza special to share.
The golden, crunchy crusted bread was served with the antipasti. Our favorites were:
- housemade mozzarella + tomato + basil + balsamic -- they were exceptionally delicious with a bright flavor of fresh basil.
- roasted summer squash + walnut pesto + fresh red chili peppers -- the walnut pesto was outstanding!
- roasted peaches + fennel + chili flake + parsley -- the sweetness of the peaches was simply refreshing.
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| marinated eggplant, capers, mint. |
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| housemade mozzarella, tomato, basil, balsamic. |
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| roasted summer squash, walnut pesto, red chili peppers. |
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| roasted peaches, fennel, chili flake, parsley. |
Just look at this babe. Isn't she mouthwatering?
Nicely charred thin crust.
Sweet figs added such a wonderful fresh, sweetness.
And chicken sausage was moist & flavorful.
Washed down with a glass of cold beer (& red vino for me).
And for sweet we were treated to salted caramel pudding topped with caramelized bananas, housemade whipped cream, and biscotti.
The pudding was smooth and creamy, bursting with salty caramel flavor.
The whipped cream was fresh and bountiful.
The biscotti added a nice crunchy texture.
It was a beautiful, melt in your mouth ending.
The pizzas (& pudding) are really exceptional. You can't go wrong with any of their traditional pizzas.
Personal favorites are pepperoni americano and fennel sausage.
Find them online here & make sure you book a reservation if you're taking a big group. Otherwise, you & your date can walk up any time for a seat or two at the bar and immerse yourself in all the wonderfulness this place has to offer. Oh! I almost forgot to mention their daily happy hour (4:30 - 6:30pm) - drinks and antipasti are half-priced.
Having finished a wonderful dinner we headed off to catch our 8:15PM show, Pacific Rim.
The Ritz Alamo Drafthouse is just a hop, skip & a jump away from The Backspace.
If you have not been to Alamo Drafthouse, you're missing out.
It's a perfect place for you multitasking people. Dinner (&drinks) & movie = win win.
The steps are simple. You book your show tickets & pick your seats online, show up on time* with the credit card you used to pay, & snuggle down in your seat next to your date.
*The new policy does not allow late moviegoers in the showing so be punctual.
If you're doing the dinner & a movie -- order as much food, alcoholic beverages, & milkshakes off the menu as your belly desires or just water because you already had dinner.
The only complaint I have is they took off my two favorite things on the menu (Green Chile Queso Fries & Green Chile Queso Mac 'n Cheese). They tasted like crack, very addictive. Their replacement (
Please, kindly add them back on the menu for addicts, like me.
By the time we got done with the show Sixth Street had slowly transformed itself.
The nightlife (11PM - 2;30AM) on this street is entirely different -- lively bars with cheap drinks & loud music blaring out onto the streets; fun, crazy drunks are everywhere; & the entire street is closed to traffic for the night. It is one of Austin's most famous night entertainments.
Like many Austinites, residents, and visitors I have my fair share of crazy, fun memories here with friends I will never forget. If you've never visited, it should definitely be on your bucket list.
We hopped, skipped, and jumped our way back home.
As we were walking towards the entrance, we ran into a couple neighbors at a bar right next door at the base of the building. They kindly invited us to join for a drink. We didn't resist and ordered our drinks & joined the group. The night is young and vibrant.
Meanwhile, across from us the New Order concert was happening at the Austin Music Hall and the pedicabs were waiting patiently for the concertgoers to make their exit and ask for a ride to their cars or to the bars a couple streets away.
With the cool breeze and cold drinks in hand we chatted and laughed the night away until my eyes grew heavy then it was time to for some shuteye. We said our good nights and made our way upstairs to the soft, comfy bed.
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