No Limits

Austin City Limits, or as some say, Austin City 'No' Limits. A weekend of being free and easy just listening to music and enjoying the scenery. That sounded so hippie of me, let's try that again. 

My take on ACL was much different then I expected. I honestly thought I would stick out like a sore thumb and have to pull out my acting skills to fit in. Wrong. The weekend was amazing and 100 times better than I even thought. There was such a mix of people. A majority of college kids especially. So many groups of friends all just enjoying the weekend together. 

I knew a majority of the bands in the lineup, but did my homework too. Some new discoveries include The Hunts, Falls, Spoon, Rebelution, Belle & Sebastion and Kodaline (despite them dropping out last minute, they were supposed to be there and they were great). The highlight of the festival was making it in time for Sam Smith. It was a fight against the clock because he played early in the evening on Friday and we were making the drive all the way from Norman. Rolled into Austin and walked into the festival right as he was starting--success.

Now for the food, what I know best. Austin is full of creative food trucks and new modern food. Local vendors set up in the "Eats" section of the festival to give you a taste of Austin while also keeping your tummy full during the long days.

One friend went for the Fried Chicken Sliders from Max's Wine Dive. The chef of the restaurant was on Food Network's Chopped and named champion!

The Scallywag Taco from Torchy's Tacos. A coconut battered shrimp taco with bacon, green chilies and habanero peach jam. Still kicking myself for not ordering this for myself. 

A bad photo attempt of The Mighty Cone. I was trying to walk, eat, photograph and manage my way through busy crowds all at the same time, not to mention I had already eaten about half. My picture doesn't give you the full idea, but this cone is an ACL legend and was highly recommended. The cone is a tortilla filled with mango-jalapeno coleslaw, a crispy fried avocado and your choice of crispy fried chicken or shrimp with an ancho cream sauce over it. The batter is made from almonds, sesame seeds, chili flakes, corn flakes and seasonings. This deliciousness comes from a famous Austin food truck, but is definitely the best seller at the fest.

Sunday I was starting to feel the bags under my eyes. I was about to opt for a Red Bull, when I saw they had iced coffee on the drink menu. I chugged this delicious  Mexican Vanilla High Brew Coffee and immediately got the jolt I needed. High Brew is based in Austin, but sold at retailers around the US.

Pork buns from East Side King. I had never had a pork bun before and this seemed like the perfect time to try one. The soft pillow like bun was filled with a big piece of crispy pork belly, scallions and pickles.

Saturday we made a venture to Taco Deli for breakfast tacos before heading to the festival. I went with The Vaquero. Scrambled eggs, grilled corn, roasted peppers, jack cheese and a variety of salsas for dipping!

Sunday morning I met some friends at Texas French Bread for brunch. I had already eaten, but helped assist in tasting their Banana Walnut Pancake.  We were told "you have to get the pancake!" And it's true, we had to get the pancake. This cute cafe/deli is located on West Campus. 

There was an abundance of Flash Tats, cut-offs, free people tops and felt hats. Festival fashion has definitely become a sought after look, and it was fun to see how people interpret it. 

Highlight of the weekend was finally getting to meet up with Molly of Bridget's Own Diary. Molly and I are both bloggers, foodies, creatives, kappas and finishing up our senior year. Molly at UT and me at OU. We are kindred spirits and have only been cyber fiends until this weekend. We met up over food (of course) and immediately had a million things to talk about. A blogger weekend road trip is in the works because 30 minutes wasn't long enough. Check out Molly's blog, it's my constant inspiration!

  'Twas a great weekend!

Annie