Saturday-night dinner options are many. Stick with the Warehouse District
for the best people-watching, plus proximity to gay nightlife. Excellent
dining bets include Kenichi, a mod, happening place where pretty young
things hobnob over superbly rendered Japanese cuisine. At nearby Malaga,
you can savor plate after plate of terrific tapas, such as braised beef
short ribs in Riojo wine. It's a dramatic space with tall brick walls
and marble tables, and there's Latin music most nights.
Saturday is Austin's big night for gay revelry. Rain on 4th and
Charlie's remain popular options, but this is also the best night to
check out Rain's neighbor, Oilcan Harry's, which has been a fixture in
the city for years. This always-packed stand-and-model bar attracts a
hot collegiate crowd. There are a couple of bar areas, a patio in back,
and a good (loud) sound system serving the tiny but pulsing dance floor.
Austin's many queer country-western fans head to the nearby Rainbow
Cattle Co., where they two-step and line-dance below a sea of wagon
wheels and Wild West artifacts. If you're into leather, head to the
Chain Drive, which cultivates a bearish and rugged ambience.
The city also has dozens of clubs and lounges hosting bands and singers
of just about every ilk, making Austin one of the nation's top cities
for live music. Just stroll through the Warehouse District, especially
along East 6th Street, and listen for the sounds of music to your
liking. In Austin, nobody cares much about looks, labels, and agendas -
you'll be made to feel welcome most anywhere.
Sunday morning offers a fresh opportunity to sample one of Austin's
great brunch or lunch spots - depending on how late you sleep in. A
favorite of the gay community, Katz Deli is renowned for its half-pound
sandwiches - the grilled three-cheese with tomatoes is especially good.
Another enjoyable option is the South Congress Cafe, a handsome space
known for such toothsome brunch treats as duck-and-oyster gumbo, and a
luscious carrot cake French toast.
Spend your final afternoon in town exploring the leafy 357-acre campus
of the University of Texas, whose attractions include the Lyndon Baines
Johnson Presidential Library and Museum and the Texas Memorial Museum,
which has exhibits on state history and local flora and fauna. UT's
Blanton Museum of Art is well-regarded for its collections of
Renaissance paintings as well as modern Latin American art. Guadalupe
Street, known along its border with UT as "the Drag," is a haven of
alternative culture as well as _the_ place to shop for locally made arts
and crafts, Longhorn memorabilia, and other offbeat goods.
On your final night in Austin, you might go all out with a high-ticket
dinner at one of the city's most sophisticated restaurants, such as dark
and sexy Jeffrey's, which has the polish of a big-city supper club and a
clientele that ranges from celebs to politicos. The lamb T-bone with
spinach-parmesan souffle and onion-mint confit is a typically sublime
dish. Don't miss the white-chocolate parfait with brandied cherries and
pistachios for dessert - a memorable ending to a great Austin weekend.
Andrew Collins is the
author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and as well as numerous other
guidebooks.
The Hunk
