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Bill Wine reviews ‘Leatherheads’

leatherheads.jpg
courtesy Leatherheads official site / all rights reserved Leatherheads 

There’s no screwball in football, but there’s plenty of football in this screwball comedy.

George Clooney’s Leatherheads is, appropriately enough, a real kick, a return to the jaunty, wisecracking romps of the ’30s and ’40s. George Clooney is the equivalent of the football triple threat, a player who can — say — run, pass, and kick.

As Hollywood’s version, he’s a multi-hyphenate, someone who gets his kicks acting, writing, producing, and/or directing.

This is Clooney’s directorial follow-up to 2005’s Good Night, and Good Luck. Oh, it won’t be the same kind of Academy Award player. Hey, Good Night, and Good Luck received six — count ’em: six — Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture, and writing and directing nods for Clooney. But Leatherheads, fueled by Clooney’s fondness for the screwball genre, is both warmly nostalgic and richly entertaining.

It’s a retro tribute to football in 1925, when the college game packed fans in while the professional game — with its nonexistent rulebook and freewheeling style — remained an under-attended afterthought. (How times have changed!)

Triumph Cafe

Rating: three starsPrice: average
Area North
Address 3808 Spicewood Springs 78759
Phone 512-343-1875
Hours Mon–Thurs: 7a–9p
Fri: 7a–10p
Sat: 8a–10p
Sun: 9a–3p
triumphcafe.com
Coffee Outdoor Seating

About Triumph Cafe

In addition to selling excellent coffee — both whole bean and by the cup — this place also has a crazy variety of food, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast they have dishes like migas and huevos rancheros; for lunch and dinner it’s Thai food: spring rolls, stir fries, and more goodness. You might even run into Kinky Friedman.

Thunderbird Coffee

Rating: four starsPrice: average
Area North
Address 1401 W Koenig 78756
Phone 512-420-8660
Hours Mon–Fri: 7a–10p
Sat–Sun: 8a–10p
Coffee Outdoor Seating

About Thunderbird Coffee

The sister of Clementine’s Coffee, things are run just as well at this coffeehouse. They picked an area of town that really needed a coffeehouse. In addition to coffee and espresso they serve paninis as well as cold sandwiches. Their iced coffees are actually cold brewed — a process that takes about twelve hours — so you know they care. They also have local beers on tap and wine for sale.

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photo / Chad Hanna Thunderbird Coffee 

Rio Rita Coffeehouse, Lounge

Rating: four starsPrice: average
Area East
Address 1308 E 6th 78702
Phone 512-524-0384
Hours Daily: 11a–2a
riorita.net
Coffee Outdoor Seating Live Music

About Rio Rita

Rio Rita describes their establishment as “a mild mannered coffee shop by day, swanky lounge by night.” They host a number of art shows and live music events. But it’s also just a cool place to hang out. They serve sandwiches, vegetarian wraps, pizza from East Side Pies. They serve a blend of Ethiopian, Sumatran, Guatemalan, Peruvian and Nicaraguan Certified Organic Fair Trade Coffee. They sell it by the cup and the pound. They also sell beer, wine, and champagne.

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photo / Chad Hanna Rio Rita 

Cafe Medici

Rating: four starsPrice: average
Area Central
Address 1101 West Lynn 78703
Phone 512-524-5049
Hours Mon–Fri: 6a–10p
Sat–Sun: 6:30a–10p
caffemedici.com
Coffee

About Cafe Medici

Cafe Medici is a coffee-lover’s coffeehouse. Their coffee is French pressed, served at the optimal temperature. They have a limited number of sandwiches for sale in a day. But the focus is mostly on the coffee and espresso. For example, they serve La Marzocco FB70 Hybrid espresso; their coffee is a blend comprised of beans from Colombian, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Brazil. They also offer whole bean coffee in ten to fifteen varieties of sustainable, fair-trade, organic beans.

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photo / Chad Hanna Cafe Medici 

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

Rating: four starsPrice: special occasion
Menu
  • Chicken Teriyaki: $5.95
  • Seafood Katsu: $14.95
  • Austin Sushi Special: $9.95
  • 16oz Kirin Ichiban: $4.50
Area Downtown
Address 315 Congress Ave, 78701
Phone 512-482-9010
Hours Mon–Thurs: 11:30a–2p, 6p–10:30p; F: 11:30a–2p, 6p–11p; Sat: 6p–11p
kyotodowntown.com

About Kyoto

Want good, cheap sushi? Check out Kyoto’s happy hour, when most of the restaurant’s drinks, appetizers, maki sushi (rolls), and nigiri sushi (fish blobs) are discounted –- and delicious. Try the Longhorn, a mix of imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber in a tempura-fried roll topped with a spicy sauce. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Just be sure to arrive early because there’s always a line. Yep, it’s that good.

If you’re not able to make it for happy hour, stop by for lunch or dinner. Dim lighting and floor seating make this a hot date spot.

Happy hour is Monday through Saturday from 6p–6:45p. During the later part of the week, a line forms outside the closed door. Arrive at least 30min early, to find parking and wait in line to ensure you get a table. Oh, and don’t ever try show up with an incomplete party — the woman who runs the place HATES that. And don’t try to trick her either, because she will find out and then she will really get ANGRY.

Milto’s

Milto’s is a Mediterranean and Italian food restaurant close to the UT campus. The expansive menu touches on many traditional Greek meals, like the gyro, and moves into well-known favorites such as pizza and eggplant parmesan.

Conans Pizza

Chicago-style Pizza, Ken Kelly art, and cheap beer makes Conans Pizza one of the best deals around campus.

Where the wild things are

Where the wild things are

Simply put, Into the Wild is the type of film that will inspire and change those who are searching for truth. It’s a bold statement backed up by a bold film.

The Parlor

The pizza is fresh, the beer is cheap, and live music is always free.

Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse

Rating: four starsPrice: average
Area South First
Address 1501 S 1st
Phone 512-416-1601
Hours Mon–Fri: 7a–12a
Sat–Sun: 9a–12a
bouldincreek.com
Coffee Outdoor Seating

About Bouldin Creek

Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse is your South Austin caffeine dealer. In addition to coffee and espresso, they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner — as well as juices and smoothies. The kitchen opens at 7am during the week (9am on weekends). Almost everything on the menu can be prepared vegan, if you’d like. They make everything from scratch using natural ingredients. You can also purchase wine and beer if you want. The atmosphere is exceedingly chill. Out back you can sit on the covered patio, or on the uncovered patio if you like a cigarette with your coffee. The inside is best for solitary study or if you’re with a friend.

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Chad Hanna Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse 

Flipnotics Coffeespace Cafe

Rating: four starsPrice: average
Menu
  • Cappuccino (triple): $2.99
  • Coffee of the Day: $1.75
  • Americano (single): $1.19
Area Barton Springs
Address 1601 Barton Springs, 78704
Phone 512-480-8646
Hours Mon–Fri: 7a–12a
Sat: 7a–1a
Sun: 8a–11p
Area Central
Address 4600 Guadalupe 78751
Phone 512-380-0097
Hours Mon–Fri: 7a–11p
Sat–Sun: 7a–12a
flipnotics.com
Coffee Outdoor Seating Live Music

About Flipnotics Coffeespace Cafe

Flipnotics is one of Austin’s premier places to come for coffee, espresso, beer, or wine. Because the place is built into the side of a hill, you get a sheltered, elevated feeling, like being in a treehouse, especially out on the back deck. Good live music plays frequently during the week. They stock fair trade and organic coffees and have a food menu with all the coffee shop basics: sandwiches, soups, cookies, bagels, pastries, muffins, with empanadas as a bonus. And if you’ve really got the shopping bug, you can check out the boutique downstairs where they sell all kinds of hip stuff.

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photo / Chad Hanna Flipnotics 

Blue Star Cafeteria

Blue Star’s menu has a ton to choose from: salads, pizzas, sandwiches, entrees, pastas, burgers, and desserts.

Ruby’s BBQ

Ruby’s BBQ serves brisket, sausage, and other delicious Texas barbecue goodness.

Asia Cafe

Rating: four starsPrice: average
menu
  • General Tso’s chicken: $7.50
  • Chinese BBQ pork: $6.50
  • Tofu vegetable soup: $4.50
Area North
Address 8650 Spicewood Springs Rd, 78759
Phone 512-331-5780
Hours Mon–Sun: 10:30a–8:30p
asiamarketaustin.com
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photo / Veronica Hansen Asia Cafe 

About Asia Cafe

Located inside Asia Market, Asia Cafe serves tasty Chinese and Szechwan dishes like beef noodle soup, stir-fried noodles, and General Tso’s chicken.

Asia Cafe reviews

Asia Cafe: Just plain good

That Other Paper | Asia Cafe review

Authentic and affordable Szechwan cuisine in a casual setting.

Crown and Anchor Pub

Rating: three starsPrice: average
Area UT Area
Address 2911 San Jacinto Blvd, 78705
Phone 512-322-9168
Hours Mon-Sat: 11a-2a
Sun: Noon-2a

About Crown and Anchor Pub

Crown and Anchor Pub is right near the UT campus, enjoyed by students and neighbors in the area who come to drink beer or eat burgers on the expansive outdoor patio. The beer selection is vast, with many beers on tap. They have darts and pool tables and high-def televisions for game days. You can bring your dog so long as he’s on a leash. Seating can be limited at peak hours — though the crowd is part of the fun, come a little early if you want to ensure you get a seat.

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Chad Hanna Crown and Anchor Pub 

Crown and Anchor Pub daily specials

  • Sun: $2.75 import pints
  • Mon: $1.50 domestic pints
  • Tue: $1.50 Lone Stars
  • Thu: New Belgium beer specials

Oat Willie’s

Onward through the fog!

Progress Coffee

One word: sandwiches! Their turkey sandwich — slathered with cream cheese and jalapeño jelly — is one of Austin’s best.

Cafe Mundi

Rating: four starsPrice: cheap
menu
  • Sandwiches: $5–7
  • Beers: $1.50–6
  • Bagels: $1.50–3
  • Coffee, espresso drinks, and tea: $1.50–4
Area Congress
Address 1704 E 5th St #100, 78702
Phone 512-236-8634
Hours Mon–Sat: 7:30a–10p
Sat–Sun: 8a–6pm
cafemundi.com
Coffee Outdoor Seating Live Music

About Cafe Mundi

What’s the best thing about Cafe Mundi? Take your pick: The hidden setting by the East Fifth Street tracks, the outdoor garden, the art, the nice staff, the good food…

Their coffee is organic — they also serve tea, juices, smoothies, beer, and wine. You can also order a wide variety of food: breakfast (including waffles), soups, salads, sandwiches, and appetizers.

Whether you’re looking for a place to get work done, relax, or hang out with friends, this will probably be your new favorite spot.

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