The East Austin Edit: Episode #5 - The Date Night Edit

Our go-to East Austin date spots—where to actually go when you want a night that feels fun, a little romantic, and not too overdone. From vibey dinners to perfect post-dinner hangs, these are the places that always deliver.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:09

The Honeys present the East Austin Edit, where we discuss food, drinks, culture, and observations east of I-35. I'm your host, Lil' Honey, here with my co-host, Big Honey. And today we're going to be diving into our favorite date night spots in East Austin. But first, big news. We are expanding and consolidating our media empire.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Yeah, I think we're actually becoming a conglomerate technically. Uh we will be debuting very soon our new podcast, Unsolicited Advice.

SPEAKER_03 0:45

Featuring the Honeys. So rather than have three separate podcasts, the East Austin Edit, this one, the reality edit, where we talk about our favorite reality TV, and now unsolicited advice, we figured it would be simpler to combine them all under one podcast umbrella.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Find all your favorite takes in one spot.

SPEAKER_03 1:10

I think it'll be great. And if you're not interested in a particular um topic, you can skip that episode, but at least everyone will be able to spend time with us a little bit easier. So stay tuned.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

I can't wait to hear what advice you have.

SPEAKER_03 1:28

I give the best advice.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

I'm excited.

SPEAKER_03 1:32

Yes. So if you have uh a question for the honeys and you would like some unsolicited advice, DM us at the Honeys Podcast. All right. So now let's talk about new things, changes in the neighborhood since we last spoke.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

A lot going on in East Austin these days.

SPEAKER_03 1:59

Yep. Buckle up. We have a lot of updates for you.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Should we start with the sad one first?

SPEAKER_03 2:05

Let's start with a sad one.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Yeah. Um main, we've talked about this before, one of the main East West thoroughfares here in Austin in general and in East Austin. Caesar Chavez. Which probably will not be named that very much longer.

SPEAKER_03 2:23

And after all of the recent reporting that has come out, it shouldn't be named that any longer. So I know that we just talked about the new street signs that they put up on Cesar Chavez.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Yeah, time to order some new ones.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

It is time for new street signs. Now it sounds like nothing has been decided yet.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Yeah, some members of City Council have floated returning it to its previous name first.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

First makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

It comes after second. And I think it would cause the least disruption.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Right.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

Uh, they also need to rename the holiday on March 31st.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Yeah, they've just put a pause on it for now while they're trying to figure out what to do.

SPEAKER_03 3:13

Some municipalities I've read are floating the idea of renaming it uh Dolores Huerta Day.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Yeah, or Farm Workers' Day.

SPEAKER_03 3:24

Yes. I'm good with either of those.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Yeah, I, you know, it's it obviously came right before the holiday this year, so that people were uh scrambling. Um so Austin just said we're gonna pause and we're gonna think this through and figure out what we want to do.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

I think that's good. I think not making any rash decisions, taking a measured approach when we're coming, when it is renaming a street because we don't want to make the same mistake as we made last time when we named it Ceso Chavez.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Yeah, I'm sure there's plenty of people who work for Nike that uh would have been okay with the buildings not being named after people. Correct. Complications down the road for sure. Um Yeah. But it'll be interesting to see what City Council does.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Right. Infrastructure is is hard to rename. Uh it's like harder than renaming a person.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Well, they'll have to let's say they just rename it first, they'll have to order all the street signs and you know, switch it out. Not that it's that hard, but some some of that takes a little time.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

Well, you have to update all every it's a big thoroughfare. There are a lot of addresses, so everyone's address needs to be updated. Um that's certainly a big change. They have a lot of um existing collateral or products that have you know the old name on it, so they're gonna have to switch all of that out. So I recognize that this is going to take some time, um, require a lot of change management, but I'm glad that they're starting that process.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Yeah. Definitely necessary.

SPEAKER_03 5:09

All right. So speaking of, let's call it first boulevard, there is a brand new opening that we are very excited at first and chicone.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Austin Oyster Company.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

This is one that's probably at the top of my list in terms of anticipation because the honeys run by this spot frequently. And so we've been watching it, you know, essentially watch we've watched it be built from the ground up.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

We have, although the last time we went by there, it looked like they had a new art installation in their parking lot, aka a municipal waste truck that somehow had sunk down into the parking lot. Yeah. And they couldn't get it out.

SPEAKER_03 5:54

Yeah, it was stuck.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

So hopefully that's gone.

SPEAKER_03 5:58

Well, I think they soft open on Sunday, so we'll find out.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

We will be there checking it out next Wednesday.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

Very excited.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Very excited.

SPEAKER_03 6:08

Um, they started as just a mobile oyster company, right? They would come to your house and shuck oysters for you. So having a brick and mortar spot in a cute little bungalow that they've renovated, I'm really excited about.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Do they have outdoor space?

SPEAKER_03 6:27

They do. They have, we watch them build that outdoor deck. So I imagine they'll be putting tables out there, and then they also have that little uh food truck trailer out deck, too.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

I'm very curious what's going on with that.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

I'm not sure. I don't know if this is like a walk-up takeout window or they're gonna be serving drinks out of it. We'll find out.

SPEAKER_01 6:49

They better hope the wind is not coming from the south. There is a large cigar bar and lounge across the street.

unknown 6:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:04

Man, sometimes you get like a big inhale and it's not pleasant.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

No, it's it's different than the big inhales you get downtown.

SPEAKER_03 7:15

A little, a little bit. Um, so yes, oyston, oyston, Austin Oyster Company.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Whoa, whoa, save that other name, put it in the back pocket. That's a good one.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

Oyston. Yeah. Don't say more words when you can just combine them into one. So we're excited. Austin Oyster Company. I'm first and Chicone, check it out.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

All right, the next one that is officially open. We won't dive too much into this because we've covered it before a couple times, but Rosewood Social officially open. Even though we've been going to the soft launch multiple times.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

Yes, it's officially open, full hours, which I believe is every day of the week, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Our dog sitter works there. The drinks are great.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Smash burger is delicious.

SPEAKER_03 8:02

The food is great. Oh, yes. That smash burger was top-notch. And you know the honeys love a burger.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

We do. How are the fries?

SPEAKER_03 8:12

And this one was good. Did it come with fries? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Of course it didn't come with fries.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

I was like, I don't remember it coming with fries.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Of course it didn't come with fries. Double smash, 16 bucks, no fries. That's called the Austin special.

SPEAKER_03 8:27

That is the Austin special. Um I really am excited about their meatloaf sandwich. They were out the day that I went, so I got a bowl. Yeah, I got like a power bowl instead. That was good. Very good. Um, so yes, Rosewood Social Club. Check it out. Next up.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Campo.

SPEAKER_03 8:50

Campo.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Not El Campo.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

Just Campo.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

All right. Now this is this is in the graveyard corner of E6.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

So this is in the former recreation space. Prior to recreation, it was Dropkick.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Yes, which we enjoyed.

SPEAKER_03 9:13

Yes. And I I think we enjoyed recreation too. It just seemed that it was empty every single time we went in.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

It did. Uh recreation was from the same owners as Ma Coco, which is another neighborhood, uh, another restaurant in the neighborhood, which has since closed.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

It has.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

And recreation has since closed.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

Yeah. So for clarity, this is on East Sixth Street, across from Zilker Brewing Company.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Which is how we realized it was open. They didn't have any signs or anything out there.

SPEAKER_03 9:47

They didn't. Uh, but we stopped in, and what did you think?

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Oh, it was really interesting. Um, I think it's a really good menu. Uh, drinks are good.

SPEAKER_03 9:57

What was the vibe?

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Well, the funny thing is we walked in and we were like, oh, this looks like Ma coco. And the bartender's like, Yeah, same owners.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

Same owners. So surprise. And at least they're consistent. But like Macoco.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Cocina, tackerilla, you know, uh, that kind of vibe.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

Yeah. Very Mexican hacienda type vibe. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Minimalist in a good way. Yes. I liked it in there.

SPEAKER_03 10:26

Feels like you're on vacation, so you've got kind of that stucco walls, a lot of terracotta. You've had a lot of woven light fixtures and chairs and you had a spicy watermelon mint cocktail. Margarita. Very good. I liked it a lot.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Lil Honey got rocked by that one.

SPEAKER_03 10:50

Um only takes one.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

It only takes one. Uh, we tried the tuna appetizer.

SPEAKER_03 10:58

Tostada.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Which is a tuna tostada fried in al pastor spices and oil. So it's it's not a raw tuna, it's a cooked tuna on the tostada. What did you think?

SPEAKER_03 11:12

I loved it.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

It was so good.

SPEAKER_03 11:14

I loved it. Uh, also highly recommend the ribeye tacos, another one that the bartenders and servers all said uh was their favorite thing. Uh, a lot of great things on that menu, though. That ribeye, oh no, was it ribeye short soap?

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Short rib.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

Short rib, sorry. Short rib soap looked really good. Um, there was some ceviche that looked good too.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

It's a nice ad to the neighborhood.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

Yeah, I'm not, I am not mad about it at all. I think that recreation rebranding into campo with a slightly more elevated food menu is a great move.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Yeah, dropping the TVs.

SPEAKER_03 11:57

Yes, no TVs.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

No TVs. That had been a uh staple at both Dropkick and Recreation, and I think they've just dispensed with that and they're moving forward to like here, just come enjoy the food and drink and hang out. Just have a date night.

SPEAKER_03 12:13

We'll get into that. Yeah, so check out Campo on E6th.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 12:20

What else we got? We have some closings that we could talk about. Oh.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

What clothes?

SPEAKER_03 12:26

Hoover's.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

Yes, that's right. That's kind of a absolute institution in Austin. Hoover's cooking will be soft closing May 31st, staying open for a couple weeks. It's up uh close to university, sorry. On Maynard. Yeah, on Maynard. I imagine they have uh some events that were scheduled already, and then they are gonna be closing down on June 15th.

SPEAKER_03 12:51

You know what I'm gonna miss?

SPEAKER_01 12:53

What are you gonna miss?

SPEAKER_03 12:54

So we didn't eat at Hoover's much, but and it's not like I did this often, but I did like that you had the ability to waddle into Hoover's and grab a frozen margarita, you know, from their freezer to go. And it was just like an adult capri son to just waddle out and sip your frozen margarita from a bag. I like that. It's it's gonna definitely be a big loss not to have that option on Maynard.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

It'll also be a big loss in the sense of Hoover's has a pretty large footprint up there, too. It'd be interesting to see what goes in.

SPEAKER_03 13:33

I agree.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

So that was kind of a shock, I think. Yeah. I think everyone's really.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

I was surprised. Um, well, R.I.P. Hoovers.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Yeah. Uh speaking of temporary RIPs, South by Southwest closed down. Or wrapped, I should say. Uh no more random music stages in the neighborhood.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

Or robots.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Or robots or whatever else was happening.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

See ya next year.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

See you next year. Uh it was it was fun having more of it in the neighborhood, though. I'm looking forward to next year already, quite frankly.

SPEAKER_03 14:10

Same. Yeah. I I liked the consolidated timeline. I liked that it was more spread out. Um, I felt like the weather was kind of all over the place this year. Yeah, really. Some of those shows were really cold and windy, but all in all, I thought it was good.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

The Australians let me come and hang out with them. That was very nice of the Aussies.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Slinging a lot of free coffee, a lot of bluestone.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Oh my gosh. Free bluestone clutch. Appreciated that. Um, you know, there was a couple of new announcements coming out of yesterday's city council meeting that affects the east side. Uh getting some more clarity on what's happening out at Austin Airport. So we're expanding uh the main terminal on the one end and eventually building a second terminal at Austin Airport, which is very exciting. Uh airport has been long overdue for an expansion project. Um, certainly costs a lot of money, so it takes a bit of time. Um it was announced that in the expanded main terminal, there is going to be an outpost of something we are very excited for. Rockman Bakery is getting a spot at the airport.

SPEAKER_03 15:30

And Desnudo.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Desnudo is is is uh anchoring what they are about terming Terminal M. Yeah. So while the construction is happening, they need essentially swing space for six gates. Uh because uh the airport's already maxed out, you can't lose gates during the construction process. So terminal M is going to be a six-gate swing space that once the main second terminal, Concourse B, is complete, will be turned into a freight facility. But in the meantime, if you're unfortunate enough to get your ass shuttled out to Terminal M, because you can't walk there, it's only by shuttle, which sounds like a pain. Uh, you will be rewarded with that shuttle ride by a desnudo. Which look, if you're gonna shuttle me somewhere, drop me off at Desnudo.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

That's pretty good. Give me that matcha.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Yeah. So that's that's pretty good for the airport to pick up a Rockman and a Desnudo.

SPEAKER_03 16:33

I love Rockman. Their pastries are top-notch.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

We love uh peticeria, it's so good.

SPEAKER_03 16:41

The one with everything bagel seasoning. So good. I'm excited about this.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Yeah, I'm excited that one's in the main terminal so that we can get to it.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

Mm-hmm. Actually, speaking of pastry, yes, I also have a big update that I am very excited about.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Oh, right. I forgot you got a guy.

SPEAKER_03 17:05

But a girl, actually. But this is gonna require a bit of a story time.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

So the floor is yours.

SPEAKER_03 17:15

Just bear with me. Uh friends and family already know this. All of you new listeners, I'm gonna take you on a little journey and also give you some good recommendations on the process. So we used to live in Denver. Actually, this is before the honeys were even together, I think, or shortly before. So Lil Honey was living in Denver, and my friend, shout out Heather, told me about this guy who was slinging hummus out of his apartment. So I got pretty interested in that because the honey, you know, Lil' Honey loves some hummus. I was talking about how much I loved hummus and naming all of my favorite places where I could get hummus. And my friend Heather is like, this guy's hummus is really good, but he just makes it out of his apartment, and it's kind of weird. You just have to cash app him uh and contact him, I think, on Instagram. So I think I DM'd this guy on Instagram and placed an order for hummus, and then I had to cash app him, and then on the day he would text me an address, and so then I drove to the address, and I'm like, this is so sketchy. I might be getting murdered, or I might be picking up hummus. Who knows? Who knows what's gonna happen? So I pulled up, and the first time it was in this kind of like this park, like this mini park in a residential neighborhood, and all of a sudden, this guy comes waddling out to my car, rolling down the window, and I'm like, I think this is it. And it looks like a guy who you know I used to buy weed from. It was like the same guy, and I'm like, is this guy gonna sell me weed? But he drops off a pint of hummus, and he was lovely. His name is Brady, and the hummus was the best hummus that I had ever had. It is very, very good hummus. Um, and so I ordered it again, and then sometimes he would do drops of Baba Ganoosh, which was even better than the hummus.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Look, I just have to interject here. Don't you dare call it Baba Ganoush in front of him.

SPEAKER_03 19:52

Yes, it's Mutabal and it's humit. Hummus. Anyway, he would then text me different addresses, which I also thought was kind of shady, but I think he was just dog sitting at different times, and so I would go to these different places depending on where Brady was dog sitting, and I would buy hummus and baba ganoosh, but it was so good and it slapped. And so every time someone would bring up hummus or baba ganoosh, I'd be like, I got a guy, it's the best. And then he started throwing hummus parties around town where you could go to a brewery or um a bar, and he'd just be slinging hummus in the corner. Uh, so we did that a couple of times. Uh, when I met Big Honey, I was like, I got this guy. And then you started coming with me to pick it up.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

And tell that to Brady.

SPEAKER_03 20:53

Yeah, he he he was like less excited that you were coming with me to pick up the hummus.

SPEAKER_01 20:57

He ignored me. Like I just didn't even exist.

SPEAKER_03 21:01

Correct. So since then, I mean we've moved away from Denver, so we no longer get this hummus. And I missed the fact that I had a guy where he only made hummus, but I could get the best hummus from this person.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Just by the way, uh, on his to go containers.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

He started labeling them and it said summoned in Denver.

SPEAKER_03 21:28

How do you think that hummus gets there?

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Via the devil.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

It's gotta be summoned. So, anyway, this is the backstory because as strange as this whole process was, I kind of loved it, and I've never experienced something quite the same.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

So Wait, wait, wait, wait. Just to backtrack for a second, please remind me. We would go to the hummus parties, and then there was his friend was there slinging what was that guy making?

SPEAKER_03 21:59

Oh

SPEAKER_01 22:00

It wasn't falafel, but he was making something.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

Yeah, it wasn't fallawful. I'm not gonna remember. But yeah, they would like tag team the events. They teamed up. You could get some hummus, and then this other was it Lebanese or Mediterranean. I I you are taking me on a tangent and I am unprepared and I feel really bad because I don't remember what that food item was that he was making.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

And he would take forever.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

But yeah, you know, it's handmade food takes time and made to order just might not be his game. Anyway, so that's the backstory. So I was on Reddit earlier this week, and sure, yeah, there's just uh infinite things that you can learn on Reddit. Um not all good, not all true, but I became aware of this woman who is from Brittany in France, Brittany, um, and she makes Queen Amon, which is one of my favorite pastries ever. I used to visit in Denver again. I used to visit Big Honey in Rhino, which is where his apartment was in Denver. And for those of you who know, I would go to Denver Central Market and I would get Queen Amon as like a reward for making the trip all the way up to Rhino to visit you. Like I get to see Big Honey and I get a pastry. So it was kind of a two-for-one type deal.

SPEAKER_01 23:40

So seeing me wasn't enough? You had to get a reward for coming to see me.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

I mean, if I drove and Queen Amon, I mean, the best. So I got really excited when I saw that this woman was baking fresh Queen Amon, and she does drops just like Brady did, and you have to pick it up. So she's got a couple different Where are you picking it up? From Garza Independence High School, like 16th and Chicone on the east side. You're coming with me. We're picking it up tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

I ordered like probably 12 Queen Amon because you know it's really popular. So the word is out. So I was just taking what you know I could get. I got the regular and I also got cinnamon. And so I am very excited to drive and to a specified location at a specified time and pick up Queen Amon from my Queen Amon girl. So I will report back and let you know how the Queen Amon are. And for those of you who who don't know, it's like a laminated pastry, um, lots of butter. So kind of in the same method as a croissant, but the sugar caramelizes so it gets kind of dense and chewy and crispy. It is very, very good. Um, if you are interested in the Queen Amon, uh the woman's micro bakery is called T Amon T-I A-M-A-N-N. So I love to support local bakers. I love a good micro bakery. So I am so excited for these Queen Amon that they'll have tomorrow. So that's my update.

SPEAKER_01 25:40

Can't wait.

SPEAKER_03 25:41

Yes. Okay. What else we got?

SPEAKER_01 25:46

One just one last quick thing before we get to our main topic. Because just because, of course, uh the lake slash river hike and bike trail. We extensively covered the new Wishbone Bridge, which we love. But there are now nine new art installations along the trail, some of which are here in East Austin, and the Trail Conservancy is having a big party on April 11th to celebrate these year-long art installations that they are calling tempo.

SPEAKER_03 26:17

Do you think they'll be goats?

SPEAKER_01 26:20

I I can only hope. Knowing these people, there will be baby goats.

SPEAKER_03 26:26

And also, I'm sure we'll be this is not an east side thing. And so I don't know that we'll be covering it on the pod, but since you brought up the trail conservancy, the pop-up picnic is fast approaching us.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

So we have tickets.

SPEAKER_03 26:43

Yes. And we will be getting a pop-up picnic basket. Um, for those of you who don't know, it's a fundraiser for the trail. A lot of local restaurants participate.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

We are not getting a picnic basket. We're gonna be bringing our own food.

SPEAKER_03 27:00

Okay, but we did that last time and then we got so upset that we were hauling a big cooler around.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

No, we're gonna do it a little, a little more uh low-key this year. We're not taking a cooler, but we're gonna work this out so that we can bring some food from the east side over to the amphitheater and then not have a cooler so that we can go out afterwards.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

I'm still not opposed to procuring a picnic basket because it goes to a good cause, which is the Trail Conservancy.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

We can I look forward to this $250 picnic basket.

SPEAKER_03 27:33

Well, actually, we are due for some charitable giving, apparently. So this could be one of our causes.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

Feed me. Let's do this.

SPEAKER_03 27:45

Yes. So for those of you who don't know, after you you listen to our whole discussion about it and you're sitting here very confused, the Trail Conservancy every April does a pop-up picnic where local restaurants put together these baskets of food that you can buy for a lot of money to benefit the trail, and then you can eat that food on the lawn at the amphitheater.

SPEAKER_01 28:12

Moody amphitheater.

SPEAKER_03 28:13

Um, as a fun little picnic. So we did this last year, and it was so cold. We froze. We froze. Uh, who knows what the weather is gonna be like, but hopefully it'll be warm, warmer. Um, and so you can all get out and enjoy the picnic, and the honeys will be there, and we hope to see you there too. It's cute, it's very cute, it's very fun.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

Yeah, it would have been a lot of fun. Last year, it just it was in like the upper 40s and windy, so it was it was a little tough to be out there.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

Yes, I was wearing earmuffs.

SPEAKER_01 28:40

Yes, in April. In a city where it's like 90 degrees today, so it was like freakishly cold.

SPEAKER_03 28:48

Pop-up picnic.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

Pop-up picnic.

SPEAKER_03 28:50

Very Austin, very cute. We support the trail. Yes. So um, that's a good one. Okay, so now we've chatted a lot about non-topic talk.

SPEAKER_01 29:02

So let's get into there's a lot going on right now. I don't apologize for all the non-topic chat.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

No, never apologize. You're informing for anything? No. No, you apologize to little honey there it is when you have wronged her.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

Daily.

SPEAKER_03 29:25

Daily. Okay, so on to topic talk, our favorite date night spots. And I think that this is a very appropriate topic for the honeys because I think one of our first date trips when we were dating was to Austin.

SPEAKER_01 29:45

It was. It was shockingly hot.

SPEAKER_03 29:49

It was so hot. It was September.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

And I thought we were just gonna have these like nice warm weather. The week before we were here, it was in like the low 80s. And then as the as soon as the wheels hit the tarmac to land here, all of a sudden it was 95 degrees, and even the locals were complaining about the heat. Not to get off topic, but oh, so hot.

SPEAKER_03 30:14

Yeah, and it was like earlier days in the relationship where you're still trying to be cute and not just sweaty and gross all of the time. And so didn't have a choice. It was it was a struggle, I remember.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

We were sweaty enough.

SPEAKER_03 30:31

I know, so not that cute, but we did have some some nice dates uh on that trip on that trip to Austin. So I'm gonna let actually I think the way that we should talk about this is maybe like a first date spot, a second date spot, and then a third date spot when you really want to seal the deal. So my that's I think how I am thinking about date night spots.

SPEAKER_01 31:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 31:02

So does Big Honey want to go first?

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Uh no, no, no. Take the floor, take the floor.

SPEAKER_03 31:07

Okay, so first date.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

Okay, first date.

SPEAKER_03 31:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

You haven't met this person.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

Oh, it's a blind date?

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Well, even if you've been like chatting on the apps or whatever. That's a blind date. You haven't physically met this person.

SPEAKER_03 31:20

But what if what if you were like, what if you like met at work or run club? Or what if you were set up by a friend?

SPEAKER_01 31:27

Okay, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 31:28

I think this spot works in any of those. I'm just, I'm just, I'm just asking. Okay, well, how are you imagining your meeting?

SPEAKER_01 31:36

When you say first date, I was imagining like a bumble date.

SPEAKER_03 31:39

Oh, like our first date.

SPEAKER_01 31:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:42

This one that's my only reference point.

SPEAKER_03 31:44

You've only been on one date ever.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

I've only been on one first date in the last like 20 years. So yeah, lady.

SPEAKER_03 31:53

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:54

And you were late.

SPEAKER_03 31:55

I was late, man. Traffic.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 31:58

Yeah. And then the Uber was so weird.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

Are we gonna get into this like six months after our first date, or like maybe even a year after you finally admitted that you had posted a video on Instagram about how you didn't feel like going out for our date?

SPEAKER_03 32:13

Yeah, I sent it to you. I know. I I did. The followers know that it was a Friday. I had had a long week. I don't even remember why. And I was just not in the mood to meet a rando downtown, Denver. And I even picked the place too. It's like my favorite cocktail bar. So I picked a place that I liked. I just didn't want to go because I remember saying, Oh, I'm gonna have to take a shower. I don't want to take a shower. Oh my gosh. That's so much work. I just don't want to do it. But it was like an hour before I probably should leave. And so I felt like that it was too late. It was too late to cancel. Um, because that would have been rude.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

So thank you for not vaping me.

SPEAKER_03 33:08

So I what? No, so I didn't. Um, but I was a little late because it was really hard to mobilize, and then the Uber, there was more traffic than anticipated. And that place was only probably like four miles from my house, but it just you know, I don't know. And you probably showed up early, so yeah, of course. You were sitting there for a while. I think you had already like had one cocktail by the time I got there, and I was only like I think I was only like 10 minutes late. I had taken three sips, but I think I was only 10 minutes late.

SPEAKER_01 33:47

I was also 50% sure I was getting catfish, so I was I wanted to be there early so I could be prepared.

SPEAKER_03 33:52

You were the only one in the bar.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

Yeah, that's perfect.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

So I really wish that like just some big dude had walked into the bar before me.

SPEAKER_01 34:03

Oh, I I yeah, I could have snuck out.

SPEAKER_03 34:06

That would have been bad though, because then I would have showed up and I would have thought that I was being ghosted.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Well, if you saw a big white guy at the bar, you just would have thought it was your dick.

SPEAKER_03 34:15

You're right, you're right. I would be married to him right now. Yeah, yeah. So hmm. I wonder what kind of wingspan he's got. Okay, so my first date night spot in East Austin is Trona. Ooh, yeah. Yeah, I think so. Because Trona is one of those places that again, it's a first date. So I know how people feel about first dates. They don't want to like do too much, they don't want to be in for too much time because you don't know if you're gonna like this person, right? But you still want a place that's kind of sexy, that has great cocktails, um, that gives you something to talk about, that isn't too overly stimulating unless that's your vibe and you want to comment on all of the crazy stuff that's happening around you. But Trona, I think, is very transporting. When you walk into Trona, I don't even feel like I'm necessarily in Austin, right? It feels like vacation, right? I could be in Mexico or Southeast Asia, somewhere else.

SPEAKER_01 35:34

White Lotus.

SPEAKER_03 35:35

Yes, 100%. Very white lotus vibes. So for those of you who don't know, Trona is on the corner of 12th and Chicone. And if you look at it from the front, it looks like one of those condemned buildings that they're gonna tear down. It's just black and graffiti, and the door facing 12th is locked, right? You can't get in. And how many people do we see trying to like enter in?

SPEAKER_01 36:04

We've we've helped we've helped a few people.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

Uh okay, please don't say we. You just sit, you just like walk on by and Lil Honey's like, Are you looking for Trona? You need to go to the alley, go around.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

Uh there are there are other establishments uh attached to this this like kind of building setup. So yeah, but not anymore. We were going to Nunya.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

Yes, but Full Circle was next door.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Don't even get me started.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

And then Outer Heaven Disco Club next door.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

Full circle was an absolute loss for the neighborhood.

SPEAKER_03 36:39

So was Outer Heaven. I don't understand why those two places are no longer.

SPEAKER_01 36:43

They said they were gonna tear them down and a year later and they're just it's just sitting there.

SPEAKER_03 36:47

Yeah, yes. Nunya was skinnies, still fine. Fine.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

No, Nanya's great.

SPEAKER_03 36:54

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 36:55

So it's Nanya business if I like it.

SPEAKER_03 36:58

I I like Nanya as well. So do not enter through 12th. You have to go around behind through the alley, and again, this it does not look great from the outside. So you're gonna feel like this is the place that you don't want to be, which I think is part of the whole experience. Because when you enter the door, all of a sudden you're in the white lotus. So there's a long corridor with tables that it's dimly lit. It feels like um you're like walking into um a hotel or a resort that's on the beach, and then you walk inside, and then there are more tables that are kind of off to the side, and then there's a small bar in the back. Uh, the drinks, it is a fusion, very interesting, of Japanese and Ohakan cocktails, right? So they have a lot of mezcal on the menu, a lot of Japanese whiskey on the menu, and you can do flights of either.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

Yeah, it could have gone wrong in a hurry, I think.

SPEAKER_03 38:09

By trying to do too much?

SPEAKER_01 38:11

Yeah. Uh I do think it's my the one that I get there. I I think it's my favorite cocktail in Austin, though.

SPEAKER_03 38:18

Yes. Thank you. Their cocktails are great. So there's a gin cocktail that is probably my favorite because it's gin and egg white, which I always love, some froth egg white, but then also some lemon and I think raspberry. I mean, all of that combination that that won't miss for me. Their version of the espresso martini is probably the best one that I've had. It is very, very good. Highly recommend. Um, they also have mocktails, which I've had are also very good. And it's just dim and it's sexy. And if you want to set yourself up for success, right? There's a lot of things about first dates that you cannot control. But at least if you go to Trona, you're taking care of one of those elements, which is having an ambiance that really lends itself to finding the other person attractive. Because you've got some dim lighting, right? You're you're gonna show up looking as good as you possibly can with that lighting in Trona. And the cocktails are so good, so you'll both be enjoying yourself with the cocktails. I think it's a perfect first aid spot.

SPEAKER_01 39:43

I like it.

SPEAKER_03 39:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 39:46

I'm going the same sort of thought process, but somewhere a little crazier. I'm going Daydreamer.

SPEAKER_03 39:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 39:57

So think everything we just said for Trona, but slap it down on E6 and just turn it up a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 40:07

And and infuse like hundreds more people.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

Oh, it's not that many. But Daydreamer is bigger. It's not intimate. It's I think you can still have a conversation though.

SPEAKER_03 40:19

I mean, are you sitting on the patio? Are you inside? Are you out back?

SPEAKER_01 40:22

Yeah, you have your choices. The front patio, which is really nice. Um, you can be inside where the DJ sets up, or you can be out back, which is a little bit less date night to me, and more like classic Austin um picnic tables. Speaking of losses for the neighborhood, there used to be an all-day pizza out there, but no longer. But now there's a Mexican food truck.

SPEAKER_03 40:49

It's like tacos.

SPEAKER_01 40:50

Tacos, uh, which always sound good to us. We haven't tried that yet since they it's I know, but I miss all day pizza. Well, yeah, because the all day pizza decided to close down their food trucks and just focus on their two brick and mortar locations. And so now when you go, there's an effing line every time. It doesn't matter what time of day you go.

SPEAKER_03 41:10

I know, and we probably could tolerate a little bit of a line in the Hyde Park location because it's connected to that tiny grocer and we love it up there. It's so cute. Um, there's the Lube Brennan Company up there now, too. So there's a lot of things that we like, but we just haven't been able to stomach waiting in that line.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

No, yeah, no, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 41:34

Okay, so also daydreamer, very cute uh bungalow. So that feels just right. Um I I worry that sometimes I complain that we're getting too far away from that old Austin um aesthetic where the bars and the bungalows and just houses, right? They're tearing down so many of these old cute bungalows, which makes me sad. So uh Daydreamer, I think that's a solid choice.

SPEAKER_01 42:02

The other thing I like about Daydreamer is you mentioned not knowing how much you want to, I don't want to say put into it, but you never know how the night's gonna go. Uh Daydreamer is in a really good location where if the night's gonna roll on from there, there's tons of options around.

SPEAKER_03 42:18

Oh yeah, okay. I see, I see what Big Honey is doing. So you are you're kind of hedging, right? You're like, if this goes well, if it doesn't go well, hey, daydreamer is great. We can get a quick cocktail, we can be done in an hour. But if you're like, if this is going well, swarte is right next door. So we can just go, but would you okay? So would you pre-get a reservation at Swerte, or are you hoping to just slide into the bar?

SPEAKER_01 42:46

No, I think you get a reservation at Swerte and I just like don't tell if it doesn't go well.

SPEAKER_03 42:51

Just don't tell her, you don't mention it, but if it does go well, you're like, hey, are you hungry? Do you like Swarte?

SPEAKER_01 42:56

Do you like Swarte?

SPEAKER_03 42:57

That's a good plan.

SPEAKER_01 42:58

That's a that's a because you can only say I just grabbed us a table uh because I was hoping this would go well. And look, I based on every Sabrina song I've ever listened to, the fact that a guy took initiative and reserved a table at Swarte.

SPEAKER_03 43:15

No, yeah. That's pretty good. Yeah. That's that is mostly I'd say that's 90% of it, right? Is to just uh be proactive, make a reservation.

SPEAKER_01 43:30

It's not being presumptive presumptive. It's just like it's next door and it's really hard to get in. So you're just being proactive.

SPEAKER_03 43:37

Yeah. I like it. A daydreamer suerte one, two. That's a that's a that's a really great first date.

SPEAKER_01 43:46

That sounds like a date we would go on right now. Yeah, that sounds like a fun date now.

SPEAKER_03 43:50

Yeah, it it is, it is, it is, it is. Um, you know what, and honestly, we haven't been on a first date in a minute. So I'm curious what the listeners think about a daydreamer suerte date as a first date. I have a feeling that they might call in and say that it's like too much, but uh DM us. We'd love to know. Are people still doing dinner on a first date?

SPEAKER_01 44:17

Yeah. I you gotta eat, man.

SPEAKER_03 44:20

Yeah, I just wanna I wanna hear I wanna hear what the what the current daters are doing.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 44:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 44:28

So I hope they're eating. Just in general.

SPEAKER_03 44:34

Okay. Second date. Okay, second date. You had the successful first date, and here you scored that second date. Where are you going on your second date?

SPEAKER_01 44:47

Well, you're a first.

SPEAKER_03 44:48

Okay. I picked Buffalina.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 44:57

First street. Yes. Uh Buffalina. And I think depending again, because you know, I know people want to be casual, so this could be for dinner, but I'm gonna say a happy hour. Date.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

At Buffalina?

SPEAKER_03 45:23

At Buffalina.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

Yeah. Not that you want to be cheap on your second date, but man, that happy hour menu is good.

SPEAKER_03 45:29

No, and so I wouldn't, I would not hold it against my date to suggest Buffalina happy hour. Um again, I think reservations are probably required. Um, I mean I think for a date, you'd probably want to make a reservation because it's just a second date. I don't know that you'd want to like make your date wait for a table. Yes, you can pop over to Lovebirds uh while you wait it out, which is fantastic. It's a move, but that's maybe a honey's move. I don't know that that's the move on a second date to make a reservation, but Buffalina does offer a daily happy hour from 4 to 5:30 at both of their locations, but their East First location is the best one. Um, the deal is half off all pizzas and half off wine, like bottles of wine, I think under $100. So just that half off pizza makes it a really good deal. And their pizza is great. Um, it's Neapolitan style, uh very, very good. Now, I probably would be tempted though to order pasta if we were there on a date because their pasta is definitely some of my favorite pasta in all of Austin. So I think, and it's cute, it's a small space. It's so you're gonna be, you know, close to each other, it's intimate, um, it's a great spot for conversation, right? When you want to get to know each other a little bit more on a second date. Um, and then it is close to other bars. So if I mean, get wine, right? Maybe at happy hour, but if it goes well, you could then go to Lovebirds after and get a nightcap, grab a drink, very cute bar uh down the street from Buffalina. So I would not be mad if someone took me to Buffalina on a date, on any date, but especially a second date.

SPEAKER_01 47:40

Yeah, I like it. Um you kind of stole my third date idea, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_03 47:45

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 47:46

Oh no. Um, you know, I think for a second date, I'm going up to Maynard. And I think I'm going the Bar Toti Teddy's combo. Teddy's great bar right across the street. Bar Toti. Uh seal approval from Wemby. Victor Wem and Yana for the Spurs.

SPEAKER_03 48:14

I'm surprised he fit in Bar Toti.

SPEAKER_01 48:16

I don't know that he did. That picture of him with the owner is where he's two feet taller, legitimately two feet taller than his people, is one of my favorite pictures. Um, yeah, I'm going bar toti teddy's.

SPEAKER_03 48:28

In that order. Bar Toti first, then Teddy's after.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

You know, uh, you could go either way, quite frankly. Um I think that I think that's a real interchangeable duo. It's across the street, so it's not like a logistics thing. If you want to start with the drink at Teddy's and then go, I I would go bar Toti and then Teddy's, though, on the second date, because Teddy's is very chill, and you can keep that conversation just flowing over there. You can definitely have a good conversation over at Teddy's. It's not overly loud or anything like that. And you can sit over at Teddy's and talk about how good bar toti was across what you just had for dinner. Because the food is so good there. And Bart Toti is sexy. That's a good restaurant for a second date.

SPEAKER_03 49:14

Mm-hmm. Again, it's small, so it's intimate. Uh, the food's gonna be elite. Um, I also think, too, like maybe in the second date, you're a little bit more comfortable, so you could like share plates because every I feel like everywhere in Austin, most most places in Austin now, it feels like it's kind of like a shared plate vibe. And that might be tough to do with a stranger if you haven't talked about any dietary restrictions yet or any food preferences. Um, what I like about it though is you get to learn so much about them just based on what they like to eat, or if they're a picky eater, or um kind of what they choose to order. I think that's very telling. So it's actually giving you a lot of information.

SPEAKER_00 50:08

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 50:10

I would not have dated you if you were a picky eater.

SPEAKER_01 50:13

Good thing I'm not. Alright. Third date. Third date. When you're apparently trying to seal the deal.

SPEAKER_03 50:21

Yep. And we're going to Justine's.

SPEAKER_01 50:25

I knew it. Oh, I knew it. Uh if this was on polymarket, I would have put money down on this being a third date.

SPEAKER_03 50:32

Well, yeah. Yeah. I think I don't know how that works. Like with the odds or if there's like a line, but that one's so obvious, I think, that they'd have to adjust because there's no way that they could balance that.

SPEAKER_01 50:46

Yeah, the odds on that would have been like Justine's or the field. And I would have taken Justine's all day.

SPEAKER_03 50:54

Yeah, but it would be like 10,000 to one on like the field. So you could yeah. Anyway, Justine's. I think that this is the sexiest place on the east side.

SPEAKER_01 51:08

Are you talking inside or in that big tent that they made us eat in?

SPEAKER_03 51:14

So I think at night you can kind of make any of them work because Justines is so interesting to me because it is like if East Austin had a Parisian alter ego where they're like trying to be French, but it's still very much Austin, right? Like Austin dressing up like a Parisian bistro. So you have the inside, which actually kind of can pass, right? It's small, it's dark, there's those bent wood chairs, there's a bar. Uh, if you sit at that bar and get steak frites, it's got that old um Parisian vibe. However, it's still East Austin. So you've got the garden, right? Where there are there's like a big yard with different spots, with different like seating arrangements and different little cubbies and places that you can go into in Justine's. So that feels very East Austin to me. They erected a tent that uh they've turned into a dining room, uh, that they've kind of changed and redesigned over the years. When we went, it was you know, got that mermaid sea foam kind of vibe. So that to me felt like an interesting mix, but I think that the cocktails are great, the food is great. I mean, look, give me some baguette, give me a fromage plate, and I'm very happy. Give me some moulet frites, right? Just a big old bowl of mussels and a big old bowl of fries, and I'm happy. And I think look, you need a reservation to get into Justine's. So for a third date, you're definitely showing some initiative because you have to book in advance. So you would have had to plan to go to Justine's because you can't, it's unlikely that you'll be able to secure a last-minute reservation at Justine's. So that will have shown some thought and effort to take a third date to Justine's. Um, because you probably would have had to start planning that maybe before you even went on the first date. Who knows? Uh, but I think that that is a really solid bet for a third date.

SPEAKER_01 53:53

I'm with you.

SPEAKER_03 53:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:56

I'm gonna go activity based for my third date. There aren't a lot of date activities to do on the east side. But I was thinking, you know, a couple times a month, a hyperreel film club shows something that isn't just wildly indie esoteric. That might be a little fun. Or something that we enjoy doing, I think darts at holy moly would be fun.

SPEAKER_03 54:26

I love hyperreel film club.

SPEAKER_01 54:29

Yeah, just I'm just trying to think of like other activities. Uh, you know.

SPEAKER_03 54:33

Are you gonna pair that with something, or are you just showing up, getting popcorn?

SPEAKER_01 54:37

Oh, no, no, no, no. You you especially hyperreal lends itself really well to getting dinner beforehand. Um, again, talking about like thinking ahead, making a reservation somewhere so that you know you can get over to the theater on time. And I I think dinner uh movie is classic. Classic. Classic date night. Hyper Real is definitely not your suburban garden variety AMC theater. You know, it's fun, it's East Austin, it's a great spot. So I'm going dinner and hyperveel. Dinner, you could uh do anything that's closer over there. We already talked about Swarte a bit. Calimocho's over there, Kanji's over there. There's a lot of good restaurants really close to Hyper Real.

SPEAKER_03 55:22

You could do Whistlers for a drink after Hyper Reel.

SPEAKER_01 55:25

Yeah, okay. So this is the and this is all what I wanted to ask you about. This if this is the seal of the deal date. Like the so let's say you do dinner and then hyper reel. The way I think logistically it needs to work is whistlers is a great option, but it depends where you live. Because I want that last drink spot to be close to the close to home.

SPEAKER_03 55:51

Well, you live on the east side.

SPEAKER_01 55:53

I'm just saying, like it just depends where on the east side you live, but I'm just saying that last drink spot needs to be walking distance to home.

SPEAKER_02 56:02

I mean you could Uber. I'm just saying it's nice to walk.

SPEAKER_03 56:06

Yeah. Yeah. But maybe not uphill. Cause because what if you what if you have to like walk all the way up Chicone after after you've had a few cocktails and watched a movie? That might not go that well.

SPEAKER_01 56:21

That is true. That is true.

SPEAKER_03 56:24

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 56:24

But I But yes, if you're gonna, if you're gonna, if you're gonna Uber afterwards, Whistlers great spot to grab a drink after Hyper Reel.

SPEAKER_03 56:32

Or Yellowjacket is close.

SPEAKER_01 56:34

This is a third date. We're going to Whistlers, not Yellow Jacket.

SPEAKER_03 56:39

Man, I could, I mean, I guess I don't know what the vibe is. You're going to hyper reel, so you're already kind of like trying to make it kind of indie, kind of yeah, but I think with Whistlers you can bring it back a little, a little sexier. I guess it depends on what part of Whistlers are you in the you're inside.

SPEAKER_01 56:57

Yeah, outside is like picnic tables like everywhere else in your club.

SPEAKER_03 57:00

Yeah, like yellow jacket. Yeah, I mean, either I think are good options. I really like hyper reel. I was worried that the seats were gonna be really uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_01 57:09

Because they look like they were stolen out of a 1980s defunct movie theater.

SPEAKER_03 57:14

Yeah, but it they it wasn't really comfortable, it wasn't bad. And there's popcorn and there's snacks, and we saw the last movie we saw there was the Suspinal tab, which was great. Yeah, and they post their schedule outside of the building, so you can just walk by and see what's on the schedule. Okay, yeah, but I just I like that you can walk and then just see a full calendar of like just wildly varied movies.

SPEAKER_01 57:47

Yeah, yeah. Look, you know, maybe for a third date. Look, if if you want to actually listen and probe a little bit on the first two dates, find out what kind of movies, and then hyperel is definitely showing whatever you're looking for because they show the broadest slate, I guess is how I put it a movie ever.

SPEAKER_03 58:08

But again, no know your know who you're trying to impress because there are probably a lot of movies that if you were like we're going here on a third date, I'd be like, what?

SPEAKER_01 58:19

No, sure. I'm just saying if if the other person happens to mention a particular interest in something unusual, hyper reel's probably got it playing that month. So, anyways, that's my third date.

SPEAKER_03 58:33

I love it. I love it. So I think it's safe to say if we were to go on any of the aforementioned dates, you're getting a next date.

SPEAKER_01 58:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 58:47

I love it. Well, we'd love to hear about your favorite date spots in East Austin. Hit us up. Um, excited to talk to you next time. And if you're in the mood for something a little bit different, please check out unsolicited advice featuring the honeys.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

It's gonna be wild.

SPEAKER_03 59:05

It's gonna be wild. See y'all.