93159 Sun Mar 12 02:37:42 -0800 2006 3 61 Austin 0 511488 Fellow Hounds, I'm a West Coast Hound in town for SXSW and am in search of local favorites and specialties to discover. Highlights thus far have included 34th St. Cafe (Very good) and Sams BBQ (Outstanding!). Any additional info. you can provide would be incredibly helpful. Thank you in advance! Sun Mar 12 02:37:42 -0800 2006 0 Kris P 1 511491 Go to brunch TODAY at Fonda San Miguel. Or an upscale dinner tomorrow night. AWESOME PLACE! Sun Mar 12 09:20:11 -0800 2006 511488 0 Tha Groovin' Gourmet 1 511497 I was in Austin last week and had a superb (but pricey) dinner at Vespiao on South Congress - good food, good wine, good service. They have a peculiar reservations policy - none at all on weekends and only for tables before 6:30PM on weekdays. But reservations are a must as the waits can be quite long otherwise. So go on a weekday at 6:00, have a drink before dinner, and enjoy yourself! Lonn Taylor, Fort Davis Mon Mar 13 18:03:55 -0800 2006 511488 0 Lonn Taylor 1 511503 Scroll down to the March 1 posting on this board about SXSW eats. I'd also recommend you pick up a copy of the current (last Thursday) edition of the Austin Chronicle and check out the great article on local taquerias. Last, for a different kind of local barbecue than what you had at Sam's, check out House Park Barbecue on 12th near Lamar. It's open weekdays for lunch only. Tue Mar 14 11:25:09 -0800 2006 511488 0 Greg Spence