First, a moment of silence for Primizie, one of Austin’s finest Italian restaurants. The news of its untimely departure was confirmed yesterday by food writer Mike Sutter. Wish there was more of an outcry. Not detected from this posting: The East Austin standout earned less than 1 percent of the vote in last week’s A List poll for Best Italian Restaurant. The winner was buffet king Cannoli Joe’s, which gathered up 39 percent of the tally. Romeo’s, the sweet spot on Barton Springs Road, seduced 27 percent of the voters, while Asti, the outstanding Hyde Parker, served ...

Ran into this couple on the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge after 10 p.m. on Saturday. Adrianne and Chris O’Donnell met on a blind date at the Austin airport. He was attending West Point. She was an Austinite whose skills ultimately led her to MyEdu.com, which helps students plan their college careers. Saturday, they had just wed at the Allan House, then a pedicabber friend — Chris cabs, too, now — dropped them off on the bridge so they could walk back to ongoing festivities at the Embassy Suites on Barton Springs Road. Terribly sweet of the O’Donnells to stop and ...

Walking through the Bouldin neighborhood, one must squint hard to imagine that, just a few years ago, Austin pizza joints wouldn’t deliver here. During the day! Our neighborhood is battling a fresh rash of break-ins, but it’s hardly a crime zone. Instead, it’s perhaps the city’s most eclectic district, encompassing, between South Congress Avenue, South Lamar Boulevard, Barton Springs Road and West Oltorf Street, historical homes, tidy bungalows, striking modernist creations, nodes of dense residential development, a sprawling state school, open spaces, a mile of Mexican restaurants, and a quirky retail zone along South Congress that’s become one of Austin’s ...

Scattered showers have not scattered the crowds at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Ponchos on. Raincoats on. Umbrellas up. Bands blaring. Sweet Leaf CEO Clayton Christopher and Paul Haybood, who runs a juice joint on Barton Springs Road The mood has slipped from blissful to boggy. No panic. No bad behavior so far. But the hurried gaits will ultimately lead to some pedestrian smash-ups. In the VIP Grove, children gather in tents like chicks under a hen’s wing. Coffee, probably for the first time, the most precious liquid. Mature pecans providing unexpected shelter for awhile, then laughing festers shoulder up under ...

Snippets from the first hours … Outside the park: Scalpers and pedicabbers stationed further to the east this year, all the way along Barton Springs Road to South First Street. Full scalp press. More pressure for late tickets? Curious about those clearly dressed for the fest heading away from the park so early in the day (before 2 p.m). Mood ebullient outside the gates. Entry process smoother, happier this year. Richard and Carissa Roper deployed their sail-like chairs into a protected cove, right in the middle of the field. This is their fourth ACL Fest. “Twenty degrees cooler,” says Richard ...

Austinites like their Mexican food with a healthy dash of fun. Also mashed with local tradition. Just good food is not enough. It’s dining as entertainment. And as cultural comfort. Perhaps that why 19 percent of the voters in the A-List poll pulled the lever for Chuy’s, the bejeweled haven on Barton Springs Road and other locations. Can’t get more convivial than that. Holding the No. 2 spot — with intensely loyal followers — was Maudie’s at 14 percent. Fonda San Miguel, which practically introduced Austin to interior Mexican cuisine, cruised into third with 13 percent. Polvo’s, another lively spot, snatched 10 ...