Undercover in SoCo

The whole concept for LoBu springs from the success and notoriety of SoCo, or South Congress. SoCo is the one Austin district known by a New York City-style abbreviation. South Congress has trendy appeal and a heckuva location-- just south of downtown and with a sight line to the grand old state Capitol building of Texas. But that doesn't make SoCo the be-all and end-all of Austin neighborhood shopping and living districts. The area we call LoBu, or Lower Burnet, has appeal and that's one of the cornerstones of this blog! You gotta love LoBu... and the rallying cry of this blog is "Lobu Baby!"

But last weekend we ventured down to SoCo. We met some friends at an eatery on the grand boulevard itself at Vespaio/Enoteca-- a tasteful place with high quality dining. The width of Congress Avenue is something to behold. You can sense the wild west days in the dimensions of South Congress. The great open continent of North America had room for wide boulevards so why not think big. Central Feed store functioned just a decade or two ago, but now it's Guero's restaurant, the place where Bill Clinton stops for enchiladas. Not many presidential sightings of note in LoBu but maybe that's a plus... Back to Enoteca, the Italian food side of Vespaio. Enoteca actually is Aztec for "cheaper than Vespaio." We sat at an outside table, situated on the side street on a cool Austin evening. The food was good and some of our fellow diners were regulars and actually knew the waiters. We got nice treatment and had a great meal with old friends.

You pay a decent price-- even on the Enoteca side so I'll present a LoBu option, Enchiladas Y Mas on Anderson Lane. Anderson Lane and Burnet Road is the second great LoBu intersection (after Koenig Lane and Burnet Road). Go east on Anderson, a few blocks past Burnet, and you see Enchiladas Y Mas on your right. Breakfast there is highly recommended for both the food and the friendly atmosphere. The LoBu lack of pretension means the waitresses appreciate your presence, even if you leave after spending a mere 5 bucks. You can feel the good vibes and the migas with sausage were awesome. Vaughn and I had a great conversation at Enciladas Y Mas, just another reason to say "Lobu Baby!"