Best of Challenge 12/2 - Best Eatin' Place and 12/3 Best Article---Together In One Post

December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you
had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands
out in your mind?

My best TWO restaurant moments of my year have both been at the same local neighborhood restaurant...each time with different people. The restaurant is Somino's Cafe on S. 1st Street and I have been there with Liz for the first time and with my parents for the second time. I actually think that favorite restaurants need to be tested multiple times to ensure quality. So I'll go there again and again and...again just to be sure it was super good the first time. Needless to say, Somino's has quickly become my favorite restaurant in Austin. I will go there at the drop of a hat. The first time I went to this amazing cafe, I did not know what to expect from a small 1950s house converted very recently into a restaurant. I was completely blown away by the three courses and the amazing salad named after a character in Urban Cowboy and the delectable French Onion soup. The entree also blew my mind and made my tummy and heart feel good because all the ingredients were local, organic and grass fed. Liz and I went there together one afternoon on a weekend, and we had a great view of the creek from our quaint window table. Our server was talkative and helpful but not too much so and the food, as I mentioned, was local, organic and grass fed, leaving me with a wonderful feeling while I was eating and after we were done eating. The menu changes daily depending on what ingredients are available and it feels like you stepped into your friend's kitchen to eat, but nicer, cuter and more down-to-earth Austin.

The second time I went to this restaurant it was to celebrate my mom's birthday. My mom has quite a few food allergies and is lactose intolerant so it is hard for her to eat out. She was so happy when we got there to find that the servers and the cooks were both willing to work with her to find something that she would like. Both my mom and I ended up getting the stuffed tomato, which was the most incredible thing I have ever tasted. The tomato was stuffed with butternut squash and nuts, and it had a juicy, warm and sweet taste which was punctuated by the crunch of a pecan. The tomato rested on a bed of vegan mashed potatoes and those were to die for. I lamented at the fact that the French Onion soup was not on the menu that day, but I rejoiced to find out that my mom and my dad both thoroughly enjoyed their meal and walked away from the restaurant saying "We love Austin, it's like a better, less uppity version of Boulder." I liked that. My mom actually said that. Did I mention the restaurant is BYOB and that Sugar Mama's Bake Shop is less than 2 blocks away? Yes. It's true. After having that delectable birthday dinner for my mom at Somino's, we capped off the night at Sugar Mama's where my mom tweaked out to find chocolate amaretto vegan cupcakes. They had VEGAN buttercream frosting. My mom had never loved a cupcake that much before. She was thrilled at the consistency and taste of the buttercream, as well as the cupcake itself. That dinner and that dessert was the best of 09 for me. Seeing my mom so happy on her birthday just pretty much made my year.

December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you
away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and
reference throughout the year.

I often enjoy reading self-help or training related articles online. I have many favorite training articles, but I think for this #best09 challenge I'll choose the former style of article that I enjoy. I benefit from the amazing blog Zen Habits and many of the articles on there have changed my life. They have changed the way I think and develop ideas and habits specifically and I am so appreciative of that. I discovered Zen Habits last year, though. This year, I discovered a blog called Think Simple Now and I like it for the same reasons that I like Zen Habits. It helps me streamline and organize my thoughts and emotions. The article that I think really stuck with me was one entitled "Find Clarity In One Day" and I found a lot of the ideas in it pertinent and helpful to finding solace, peace, and freedom in one day. Just the idea in and of itself, that a person can find inner peace in one day is completely fascinating to me. The fact that the article illustrates that it is possible to find it is quite wonderful and refreshing to me. The idea that clarity is possible and can be found just in one day is something that I think every person could benefit from if they just took the time to let themselves try.