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Anyone get a closeup of all the sign finalists? That is so great that all the students got the free tuition. I might pass out from the aggy humiliation high. 🤣

Hey y'all. Yes, that was me! When Top Chef Texas was in Austin. 11th hour invite due to someone backing out. Just lucked out that I was close to the venue and free that evening. It was wild to see the judges in person! Padma is taller and more beautiful and glamorous IRL if that's possible. Hugh Acheson and Emeril were guest judges. I still have a copy of the presentation menu somewhere in our kitchen. IIRC, the restaurant was called "Canteen". It was Paul Qui's team. It's a damn shame about him. I also attended the BBQ challenge they filmed at the Salt Lick. A friend in PR got us on the list for that one. That food was much better than Restaurant Wars. They did film us commenting on the dishes, but none of it made it on air. I personally enjoyed my comment, "I don't think these beans are supposed to be al dente." hahaha 😀 As for this season, tonight's challenge was my favorite so far. The ingredients, the focus on "first foods" and the food culture of Native Americans, and a solid cooking challenge. Shota and Sara are my favorites. One thing I noticed this season is that there isn't really anyone who's being portrayed as "The Asshole", which is a nice change. It's been a while, so hope everyone's making it all right through this past year.

Just announced: AUS - CDG 3Xs weekly on Norwegian (starts May 2020). https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/287106/norwegian-adds-paris-cdg-austin-service-from-may-2020/ Norwegian from May 2020 plans to launch new Trans-Atlantic route from Paris CDG, as the airline opened reservation for Paris CDG – Austin route. From 06MAY20, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to operate this route 3 times weekly, switching to 2 from 25SEP20.

Just came back from it. Fans of the show will be very satisfied; so will fans of period drama sets and costumes. Agree with Celery Man that there were a lot subplots jammed into 2 hours. But it was an easy, entertaining 2 hrs. They definitely left it open to continue if it does well enough at the box office. ($58 M so far.)

More info: Austin travelers will soon be able to fly to the Netherlands on a nonstop basis. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced it would operate direct service between Amsterdam and the Texas capital starting in May 2020. A news conference at Austin City Hall regarding a new international destination from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was set to begin at 10 a.m. on Sept. 24. The KLM Royal Dutch Airlines route will fly three times a week, Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, beginning on May 4, 2020, according to the announcement. Flights will be on Airbus A330-300 aircraft and will have a capacity of 292 seats. "We have built up a robust transatlantic network thanks to our joint ventures with Air France and Delta Airlines," KLM CEO and President Pieter Elbers said in a statement, referencing service to Boston and Las Vegas as well. In 2018, Delta Air Lines flew from Austin to Amsterdam for the South by Southwest festival. Other European nonstop destinations from Austin-Bergstrom include London Heathrow by British Airways, London Gatwick by Norwegian Airlines and Frankfurt by Lufthansa. Traffic is surging at Austin-Bergstrom — 9.9 passengers passed through the airport from January to July this year, up 9% from the same period last year. The airport opened a $350 million, nine-gate terminal expansion in February and is pushing a 2040 master plan that would add a second terminal with 32 more gates. ABJ: https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2019/09/24/austin-lands-another-nonstop-flight-to-europe.html

Just a few things to add: 9/11 Museum: this will take much longer than you think. I would allot a minimum of 3 hours. It's overwhelming. I spent a lot of time reflecting. Be prepared to cry. (There are kleenex boxes everywhere for your convenience.) I know Mario Batali turned out to be an asshole, but you might like Eataly. Kids love wandering around in there and the food is great. There is one less than a 10-min walk from the 9/11 Museum. Also in that vicinity is the Oculus/WTC transportation hub. It's architecturally stunning, so you should go just to see the building (the interior is really something). Aside from the train station, it also houses a mall, which includes a casual Daniel Boulud cafe. Get a slice of crepe cake at the Lady M cake boutique--it's like 20 layers of crepes stacked on top of each other with different fillings. We tried chocolate banana and it was got-damn delicious. The Met: if you like abstract art, the recent ongoing exhibit Epic Abstraction is an excellent collection of large-scale pieces. I second The Smith recommendation from someone upthread. It's a local chain and just really consistent and very good. Easy to get a table, reasonable prices, friendly service and GREAT mac-n-cheese. If you want to go to one of the famous delis, Katz's is a good one. They've got their line/waiting/seating system down. The line looks long, but it's really only about 20 min. And I would request the section with table service. The staff is friendly and efficient. It's already been mentioned several times, but John's for pizza. Always John's. Here's my John's CSB: There was one time I was there and in walks a large party, who were greeted enthusiastically by the owner and you got the feeling they were Important People. Turns out it was Tom Brady and Gisele Bunchen, and family. Their engagement was announced a couple weeks later. Oh, that's another thing. You'll probably see a celebrity or two. On our last visit, we saw John Lithgow, Jennifer Lawrence and Dylan McDermott. (All at restaurants.) Have a great time, I'm really excited for you and your family!

I shared the recipe with friends and 4 other people told me they made it in the last week. It's a winner for sure. I can't see my pics either. I did a photo test yesterday and it seemed to work. Guess I need to go back and read more of that thread. Thanks again for the recipe!

I want to thank Jack Straw for posting this bolognese recipe from a gazillion years ago. He described it as the basic bolognese from La Traviata, which is personally my favorite version of this dish. I followed the recipe pretty closely, just omitting the mushrooms (which is Jack Straw's own add-on). It is a damn close replica to the La Traviata one and was got-damn delicious. I'm curious, where did you find the recipe? Here's the recipe.

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Renting a car for one day is exactly what we did. We were at the Hilton and they had a rental car counter in the hotel.

chitwood, do a day trip to the Basilica Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre. It's about 30 min out of the city and the Montmorency Falls is on the way. The church is spectacular. You could actually do Montmorency/Ste Anne/Ile d'Orleans in one day. Craft brewery Microbrasserie des Beaux Pres is near the church, off of the main road. In the city, there's a great little restaurant, Bistro Boreal, on Rue St Jean, inside of a hotel (can't remember the name). It's Nordic cuisine. And definitely wander around the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac for the historic architecture. I think they have guided tours if you're interested. We had lunch in the cafe overlooking the river and it was excellent. Have a great trip, it's a beautiful city.

Yeah, St Paul is a very short Uber/Lyft. The Louis restaurant at Cossetta has a nice rooftop patio. Solid Italian and great service. The Mill City Museum is surprisingly interesting and fun. Right next door is the Guthrie Theater, which has great architecture and a nice view of the river. I didn't have time to go, but the Walker Art Center and sculpture garden is supposed to be fantastic. The garden was closed for renovation, but I think that should be completed by now. My conference had a private event at the then newly opened US Bank Stadium. Very nice facility. Oops, just saw your travel dates. Sorry if this is late! Hope you're having a great trip.

Glad you were able to have a nice trip despite the weather! Jealous of your horseback ride--that's one thing we didn't get to do. I think I probably have identical photos of Waimea Canyon and our helicopter ride! ☺️ Congrats to you and the new missus.

We went last year for my parents' anniversary. We island-hopped, so were only on Kauai for 3 days. Here's an email I sent to a friend recently. It's truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. Sounds like like you are already doing Na Pali coast via helicopter, which I would definitely recommend. And you must do Waimea Canyon. It's only accessible from one side of the island, but it's the side you're staying in. IMPORTANT: The best views of the Canyon will be before noon; clouds often roll in in the afternoon. There are several lookouts along the road, we stopped at most of them. The "ultimate" view is at the Kalalau Lookout; the Waimea Canyon Lookout is the most panoramic. Make sure to take a jacket—it can get cool at the higher elevations! We also did a whale watching tour from Port Allen, but I’m not sure when whale season season ends. It felt great out on the water and the deep blue color was spectacular. We stayed in Princeville, and third Hanalei. It's a cute town w/some restaurants/cafes. Haena Beach Park is a great spot to watch surfers; Cannons, one of the most famous surf beaches in the world, is just past Haena Beach. The surf report is handy to follow to see the best surf times. http://www.surfline.com/surf-forecasts/kauai/kauai-north_3203 You’ll have to go pretty early to catch the surfers. But when you’re done, you can stop into Hanalei Coffee Roasters for great coffee and pastries! (Hanalei is about 1 hr 15 min drive from your hotel.) We’re not hikers, but I'm sure that info is easy enough to find. Use the Local Experts service (they are contracted to most hotels as the concierge service) is incredibly helpful. The service is free; we just tipped. The Local Expert at our Hilton in Waikiki booked all of our activities on every island. Very knowledgeable, friendly and professional. Food: This is a list places we actually went to. Below that is a list of recommended spots/foods from friends. • Hamura Saimin - in Lihue; Hawaiian ramen. You can see menu/pics on the TripAdvisor listing. Save room for the lilikoi (passionfruit) chiffon pie. • Kauai Beer Company - in Lihue; fun local beer tasting, close to Hamura ramen place • Ishihara Market - in Waimea; this is an actual market/grocery store with a wide selection of prepared fish/poke/prepared items in cases in the back (I recommend getting a cheap styro cooler to keep in your car so you can take fish/poke with you) I would totally eat this food every day. • Tiki Tacos - in Kapa'a; delicious tacos, handmade tortillas • Pizzetta - in Koloa, very good pizza; we got it to go to take back to our condo after a long day visiting Waimea Canyon • Shrimp Station - in Kapa'a (just around the corner from Tiki Tacos); for local favorite dish garlic shrimp, pretty similar to shrimp scampi. Where to eat • Lots of seafood, roast pork, fruity/spicy sauces; lots of interesting fruit; macadamia nuts • Beach House (Poipu) - http://www.the-beach-house.com/ • Da Crack (fish tacos) • Neide’s Salsa and Samba Restaurant (Hanalei) – http://www.resource4hawaii.com/websites/neides/ Brazilian and Mexican; nothing fancy, great view • Oasis on the Beach (Kapaa) - http://www.oasiskauai.com/ • The Dolphin (Hanalei) - http://www.hanaleidolphin.com/index.htm • Bar Acuda - http://www.restaurantbaracuda.com/ What you want to eat in Hawaii (specialties/local faves) (http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/hawaiian-cuisine-local-food-what-is-spam-musubi-poke-huli-huli-saimin.html): sushi fish tacos (w/ono, mahi mahi, or tuna) poke mochi fresh tropical fruit macadamia nuts poi manapua (pork buns) musubi (spam onigiri) saimin (Hawaiian ramen) huli huli chicken garlic shrimp loco moco (rice/meat/gravy/eggs) malasadas (donuts) shaved ice