Dinner with the Ladies

Fall Brunch Fest
2009 has been an interesting year for me, opposite of what I expected, but never the less, a fantastic year that is slipping away surprisingly fast. Was La Dolce Vita already a month ago? I guess because the blog tells me it's so. I've been galavanting to weekend brunches this last month (my schedule changed to real weekends, yay!!!), and I've left you readers completely in the dark. Bad blogger! However in order to make up for lost time, here's the first edition of my two part brunch round-up. After all, brunch may be the best meal and needs two posts of devotion. You get an excuse to sip champagne cockta

The Sweet Life
Last year I fell in love with Laguna Gloria, a Mediterranean style villa built by Clara Driscoll in 1916 on the shore of Lake Austin, that now operates as an intimate branch of the Austin Museum of Art. As you stroll the grounds, you are whisked away to the romantic, Italian countryside; strung lights hang from the old trees softly illuminating the fountains, statues, and grand villa. It is the perfect backdrop for spectacular affairs like their La Dolce Vita Food and Wine Festival, and tonight I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the annual fundraiser.

Spinach Alfredo Pizza
Forgive me foodies for I have sinned with this weeknight pizza dinner. I cheated and took the Sandra Lee route (again). I know, it's disgraceful, but hey, I work 40 hours a week on my feet. Despite good intentions, I don't always have the stamina to cook from scratch (...or blog on a scheduled basis). Excuses aside, pre-made H.E.B. pizza dough and alfredo sauce combined with fresh ingredients create one heck of a quick "homemade" pie, ten times better than that frozen stuff. If you crave something quick and cheesy, give this tasty recipe a try. Please, don't be skeptical of the egg. The runny yolk is a perfect dipper for the crust. You can forget the ranch and garlic b

What's Mightier than A Mighty Cone?
I must admit, I was skeptical of Twitter when I first joined. Did I really need to add another online social network to the list of frivolous sites I check and update on an obsessive basis? However, when the tweets started flowing, I realized part of why the site was great...FREE STUFF! Since joining, I have won tickets to Spoon and a fashion show, but I hit the jackpot when I ran into a tip posted by ATX4U. "Mighty Cone on SoCo will be giving 1 FREE chicken or shrimp cone per person until they run out.

Restaurant Week at Jeffrey's
The fall installment of Restaurant Week rolled around again last month, a semi annual event in which some of the best restaurants around town offer prix fixed menus and donate a portion of these special profits to local charities. AIDS Services of Austin and the Sustainable Food Center were chosen as the beneficiaries so I couldn't resist supporting two great causes.After I read the line up of participating places, my heart was set on Jeffrey's. It's been on my must eat list for years now, and Restaurant Week finally provided the rare opportunity to sample their cuisine at an affordable rate. My friend Ryan live