Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Austin: First Date Ideas

First Stop: Austin - On the Home Front
(We couldn't limit our list to 5, so for this one city, we have a complete Top 10+ First Date Places.)

 Jblacks (http://www.jblacks.com/): This restaurant/bar is located on 6th street in the heart of downtown. Enjoy being surrounded by a mature crowd while you enjoy great comfort food, such as fried mac and cheese, pizza, and gourmet salads that are actually pretty tasty. Jblacks turns into a local hotspot in the evening and can be a bit of a meat market on the weekends. We recommend JBlacks - Feel Good Lounge for 1st dates only on week nights.
Austin's Best Happy Hour
• 4-8 daily and all day on Sundays
• $1.00 off all drinks

• 25% off bottles of wine
• ½ price on select sharing plates

Cru (http://www.cruawinebar.com/): This wine bar has two locations, north Austin in the Domain and Downtown. The wine flights are great to explore, discuss and enjoy. The servers are very knowledgeable about pairing your choice of wine with a cheese dish. This bar offers a cozy environment to get to know a mate.


219 West (http://www.219west.com/): This restaurant/bar is located in the Warehouse district of downtown, on 4th Street and Lavaca. On certain days, they offer live Jazz music. There are 6 planned menus that are designed to pair your food and drinks together. The food is always very fresh, delicious, and easy for sharing. Lauren loves the southwest sliders and chicken lettuce wraps. Plan your date on a Monday night and you get Happy Hour prices the whole night. 50% off most appetizers and well drinks. Try a mojito.  


Hike Mt. Bonnell: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bonnell) A little hike with a great view. You will be able to see downtown and look down at Lake Austin, as well as the rolling hills. Pack a little picnic with some great wine, cheese, and french bread, and you’re all set for this little getaway. We would not recommend this idea for a blind date. It is really a much better 2nd date plan. Tip: Have a back up plan prepared in case the weather does not cooperate with your "Love" plans.


Uncorked (http://www.uncorkedtastingroom.com/) This a wine bar that was previously a house on 7th street, located on the Eastside of Austin. The cozy house offers a romantic and intimate setting for sharing a cheese dish paired with wines from around the World. There is also an outside patio that offers a great view of downtown and the Austin Capitol building. Their menu tells you the ingredients and subtle differences in all of the wines, so you can sound educated when you order just by reading the menu. We also really recommend the following wine bars in the Austin area for a date: The Grove, Vino Vino, and Max's Wine Dive.
 
South Congress Café (http://www.southcongresscafe.com/): This restaurant is a hip and great place for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner. The best seats in the house are in the front by the windows. Be prepared to order a cocktail at the bar while you wait for a table. Favorite menu item for brunch: Carrot French Toast; Favorite drink: Bloody Mary.

Botticelli's (http://www.botticellissouthcongress.com/): This quaint restaurant on South Congress was recently recommended by a friend of mine that brings his special first dates there. They have both an intimate Italian Trattoria in the front and an incredible beer garden out back. Live, local music graces the beer garden every night: Monday thru Sunday. Happy Hour: 5-7pm DAILY. With $2 domestic beers and $5 appetizers, this happy hour menu is hard to top. Try the butternut squash ravioli or Botticelli's specialty homemade breads. We hope this restaurant breeds romance for you.


Gueros (http://guerostacobar.com/): Besides their strong ritas, they have a lot to offer in regards to atmosphere and food. They have a traditional self-serve salsa bar, and you actually do not have to pay for chips. We are a fan of Mexican restaurants that offer complimentary chips and salsa. Güero´s also offers sidewalk dining, a bright and airy enclosed patio and a private garden where you can enjoy fresh, authentic Mexican dishes from the interior! If things are going really well after the margaritas and chips at Gueros, take a small walk down S. Congress and stop for a drink at the San Jose Hotel. The patio breeds romance and great people watching.


Halcyon (http://halcyonaustin.com/): Coffeehouse by day, bar and lounge by night where you can always relax and find your own personal “halcyon”. Free wi-fi. You can check out their profile one last time before you meet them in person. Haha. They are not your typical coffeehouse with a full hard liquor bar and gourmet paninis. My only drawback about meeting at Halcyon is parking. They do not offer valet parking and it is located in the heart of downtown. For a less congested alternative location, try Austin Java on Barton Springs, near Lamar Blvd.. If you are getting along, you might want to take a short walk on Towne Lake and watch the rowers while on top of the Lamar bridge. If you get lucky, please let the Love Kudos know.  

Flying Saucer (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-flying-saucer-austin): On a weeknight, it can be a mix of frat boys and yuppies, but do not fear, because there is beer and lots of it for that matter. They have over 200 types of beer and about 60 types of beer on tap on any given night. You are probably thinking, why is that watering hole on your first date list? Well, they have a trivia night on Tuesdays that is so much fun. If you want to test out your teamwork skills, this is a perfect opportunity. Study pop culture and read the news to prepare. You don't want to let down your date!

-By Lauren K.and Lindsay K., The Love Kudos Duo-

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1 comment:

ASC said...

OK.... here is one where I have to comment....

1) JBlacks - Horrible choice
There is no reason to go to JBlacks. Ever. ESPECIALLY on a first date in Austin, unless you want to run into someone who the girl used to bang. This city is so small and incestual if you go to a hot spot you are bound to run into one or two people who have at least dated either of you. The bar is loud and overpacked, so there isn't much of a way to get to know each other, and there isn't anywhere else to really take the date after some drinks...unless its to get some shots, go home, and have sex.

Cru- Great Choice. I think Cru is an excellent place to have a bottle of wine and get to know eachother. I have taken many dates to Cru, their service and food is great, and you really can talk and relax.

219 West - Good Food, Good Happy Hour, Bad Date Place. Again, why would you want your first date in a crowded bar where you can't talk. This is a great place to take a girl if your intentions are to get her as drunk as possible, then walk her back to your place if you live downtown.

Hike Mt. Bonnell - Bad idea for a 1st date, Great 3rd date place... if you aren't planning on having 3rd date sex, but just remember lots of guys have a 3 date rule...

Uncorked - Another good choice... see Cru

South Congress Cafe - Average selection. Long lines and the tables are very spaced out making it hard to talk, but I guess if you wanted to be a generic douche and take her somewhere trendy for a first date its an acceptable choice.

Third Base - I don't think there is enough room in the comment section for me to express what a horrible selection of a first date Third Base is. Not only are you showing the girl you are more interested in sports bars then her right off the bat, you are taking her into a meat market of apathy. I'm sure on dates where there is nothing better to do then watch the game, this sounds like a good idea, but how do you really get to know each other. You may as well take her to the movies, at least she will be entertained.

Gueros - Decent choice. Just make sure you get reservations, and we all know girls are never on time.

Halcyon - Another decent choice. Not really my scene because of all the hippies that hang out there all night smoking and and smelling like urine, but a good place for some artsy hipster people to grab some drinks and talk.

Flying Saucer - Are you kidding me? Is the goal to get this girl to assume you are still stuck in your frat boy days? I have been to flying saucer. Its loud, crowded, and full of college kids getting drunk for the first time off mommy and daddies money. This is a date spot that would work if you are dating a sorority girl...but if that's the case just take her somewhere she can do shots, she's much more likely to blow you.

Date Spots you missed:

Trudys (excluding the one near campus) - you can eat...talk...and drink Mexican Martinis

Imperia - $5 Martinis during happy hour. Classy, quiet, centrally located.

East Side Showroom - Chill, great scene, new part of town, not many people know about it. Whats not to like.

Canary Hut - Hole in the wall bar with karaoke and cheap ass drinks. Perfect for after dinner.

My Bedroom - TV...movies...bed right there...Saves me a lot of time and money (I kid, I kid)

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