Since El Chile on Manor is a favorite spot, we thought that the opening of a new E.C. in our neck of the woods was sure to be good news. Rustling up two companions, we convened at the new location, up near where Anderson crosses Mopac, and started making comparisons....

Did you hear that story in the New England Journal of Medicine this week that talked about how our own weight is significantly influenced by the weight of our closest friends? Well, our friends better watch out because we're likely to plump up in a hurry now that Stortini has come to town. Stortini is the newest restaurant in the El Chile family of eateries and it’s in the space on Manor Road where......

Seems like all the -ist sites are here for SXSW this week, and we've all hacked our way in to Austinist! Gothamist arts & entertainment editor Jen here, live from somewhere off I-35 and still recovering from our Austinist, Gothamist, Gorilla vs Bear show yesterday. There are of course plenty of great shows to catch today and tonight, and thanks to this map and directory - you should be able to find the right one......

Friend of Austinist and the dude responsible for last fall's wicked Ghostface Killah-Ghostland Observatory mashup (download it here), Chris Rose is half of DJ duo Car Stereo (Wars), with whom we've partnered to throw many a get-down in the past months. CS(W) is making its SXSW debut as a proper showcasing artist this year -- check 'em out at the Beauty Bar on Wednesday, March 14th, at 11pm. [mp3] Car Stereo (Wars) - SXSW Mixtape......

Zagat's 2007 America's Top Restaurants Survey is out and although the setup on this one begs for an immediate rimshot, it's true - we love eating out. In fact, only Houston residents eat out with more frequency *snicker* than Austinites. Hungry Houstonians are eating out an average of 4.2 meals per week while residents of Austin and Dallas/Ft. Worth eat out an average of 4 times per week. Trailing in weekly eating-out outings are......

The East Side, as you may have heard, is hot. A certain awesome pick from last week (which already has a contract) got us excited that there may still be some deals over there. This week we've got two from the '02, one from outside the box (we heard you were looking for something under $150k and over 1,500 sqft) and a million dollar baby: 1313 East 13th - $279,900, 1,248 square foot cute......

It's that time of year again, Austin. Although it seems like it happens about three times a year, the Austin Chronicle is conducting its annual Best Of Austin poll. While we obviously have certain favorites (Laguna Gloria, Curra's, El Chile, Mi Madre's, Eastside Cafe, Vespaio, the Backyard, the Parish, Continental Club, Hotel San Jose, DJ Prince Klassen, the Draugh Horse, Gingerman, Lovejoy's, Flipnotics, Casino El Camino, Club DeVille, the Off Center, KUT, KLRU, Quorum......

Everyone ballyhoos Austin's status as live music capitol of the world, but the pink elephant in the room that no chamber of commerce or visitors bureau would ever touch is that fact that Austinites truly like to get their drink on. More than that, they like their drinks served with snacks. You know it's true. A few quick thoughts as we approach the summer drankin' and snackin' season: In the category of best junk......

This was our first experience at El Chile Café and Cantina on Manor Road. We kept hearing good things about it, so we had to see what the fuss was about. The patio looked cool, but when we visited it was chilly outside, so we opted for an indoor table. The tiny interior was decorated in what we’ve come to think of as local restaurant style – different colored walls, interesting paintings and lighting......

With the staples of our diet being beer and Flintstones vitamins, Austinist is not what you might call a gourmand. That being said, for our money, the best salsa in town is to be found at El Chile Café. (n.b. the salsa is free, so “for our money” is empty rhetoric as well as a cliche). Green and smoky, this salsa is so good that as we were eating it last night, we thought, “Good......