Sifting Through Austin

Today was too nice of a day not to be out and about. The temperature was perfect and the skies were crystal blue. We hit the road early and made a quick pit stop at the Sunset Valley Farmers Market. We tend to get the same things each time we go. First we pick up a pesto from Sgt. Pepper’s stand. This time around we went with the Fire Roasted Jalapeno Pesto. Some other great flavors are the Smoky Chipotle, Serrano and Cilantro and the Smoked Sun Dried Tomato. Of course we try each one every time we visit like it is something new to us. Next, we swing  around and pick-up a rotisserie chicken from Country Grill Chicken. They roast them fresh and onsite. These are always so moist, with a crisp skin and are seasoned well. Usually later that day we will boil up some pasta, cut up some of the chicken and stir in whatever pesto we chose. Sprinkle on some fresh cilantro and voila! – a very tasty and simple meal. Today we picked up a few more items. Hairston Farms organic strawberry jam that had some nice diced chunks of  strawberry visible in the jar. They describe it as bursting with flavor, we couldn’t resist and tried some and indeed it was bursting with flavor. The smell alone made your mouth water. Also, a soy candle, a grapefruit and Hillary got to pick up a new succulent plant (Frodo). Their booth had some very interesting arrangements and you could tell they really enjoyed what they do. We learned a lot about how to care for them and how to propagate more.  The arrangements below were in the $40 range.

Succulents at the Sunset Valley Farmers Market

The people watching is always fun. The fanny pack sightings are in a higher ratio than average here  and there is always the ubiquitous bicycle shorts episode. Today was classic because this guy was wearing  some long bicycle pants that seemed to be made more out of terry cloth than your traditional tights, but they still clung in all the wrong places.  To boot he was sporting a fanny pack. Classic!  I’m not judging mind you, just something I don’t think I could ever bring myself to wear in public. More power to  him.

We dropped our purchases back at the apartment and headed out to Sweetish Hill. They have an onsite bakery and serve up some good coffee. Best of all they have an outdoor patio where you can leisurely enjoy the morning. We lingered for awhile because the sun was warm and the gentle breeze was very relaxing. Did a little people watching here too.  I’ve driven past this place at least 100 times but have never stopped.  I’m glad we did today and am sure we will be back. They have some sandwiches that sound really good (like the grilled Quatro Frommagio) and are served up on their homemade baguette style bread.

Sweetish Hill Bakery on 6th Street

We popped in a few more stores and tried to find a book at Bookpeople with no luck. Even though we had a small snack at Sweetish Hill we were getting a little hungry and I had heard some good things about The Screaming Goat. It is off of 10th and Lamar. Been there a year and a half and neither Hillary or I had ever seen the place. Everything we ordered was really, really good. [See the next post for the full review]