July 10, 2011

The first time I went to DK's Sushi with Danielle, I must admit, I was extremely skeptical of the safety of the endeavor.  It is tucked away in a run-down building on North Lamar and really does not exude any sense of crisp and clean as a sushi restaurant necessarily should.  Not wanting to make a big deal of my first impression of the place, I decided to stay mum and accept I just might have a less than relaxing evening after dinner.  My first impression was dead wrong.  DK's Sushi is half restaurant, half Japanese market and is completely serene, relaxing, and blew away any anxiety I originally had.  We had dinner here again tonight and the sushi was, again, fantastic.  My favorite part of the meal is the bonus sushi, the torched escolar; it is so light, but so rich, and is simply amazing.  Perfect Sunday dinner.

July 9, 2011

One of my favorite aspects of Austin is its unique mix of outdoor destinations and an urban setting.  Miles of trails tucked under Mopac and 360, acres of park space in the middle of the city, and an amazing hike and bike trail just south of downtown?  Sure, why not?  After spending a few hours on South Congress, the only reasonable thing to do is take a dip in the Barton Springs Pool, one of those conveniently placed outdoor spots in Zilker Park.  As the pool is fed from underground springs, the water is naturally icy cold.  Despite the heat, sliding into this water is no easy feat.  It took me a solid twenty minutes to inch my way into the water, taking up space on the stairs the entire time.  Once I got used to the water, however, it was so relaxing.  An hour or so drying out in the sun made for a perfectly relaxing Saturday afternoon.