From Mediterranean to Mexican

Posted on July 24, 2012 by lindatamnguyen

If I can recommend two places–completely different from one another–to someone who isn’t an Austin native, it would be Athenian Grill and Bar and Torchy’s Tacos.

I got a Gyro Plate: Roasted lamb and beef with Greek salad, rice, meatballs and topped with Tzatiki sauce and a side of warm, lightly toasted pita bread. I love Tzatiki sauce so much! This is by far the best Greek food I’ve had in Austin. So delicious!

There are numerous taco restaurants in Austin and Torchy’s is one of best and most popular. Their tacos are big enough to fill you up and full of flavor!

Green Chile and Queso Dip

Left to right: Trailer Park (Fried chicken, green chilies, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheese on a flour tortilla with POBLANO SAUCE. “Get it Trashy” – take off the lettuce and add queso.)

Brush Fire (Jamaican jerk chicken, grilled jalapeños, mango, sour cream & cilantro. Served with DIABLO SAUCE on a flour tortilla.)

Left to right: Beef Fajita (Marinated & grilled skirt steak with grilled onions and peppers topped off with shredded cheese & pico de gallo. Served with your choice of hot sauce & tortilla.)

The Democrat (Shredded beef barbacoa topped with fresh avocado, queso fresco, cilantro, onions & a wedge of lime. Served with TOMATILLO SAUCE on a fresh corn tortilla.)

The chips and queso was good, but it was not the best queso I’ve ever had. It was on the spicy end–however, I have been known to eat like a baby. That means I cannot eat spicy food! Of all the tacos here, my favorite was the Brush Fire. The juicy chicken combined with the sweet mango is just so good! Sprinkle on a wedge of lime and your tastebuds will be jumping all over your mouth! The Beef Fajita is also really good. I always get that when I go to Torchy’s. I drench it in salsa and lime. I also enjoyed The Democrat, but not as much as the other two. I had to take out the jalapeños because…well, I just can’t eat spicy food. The avocado was a nice touch. My least favorite would have to be the Trailer Park. It was too plain for me. I could have made it more flavorful by making it Trashy and adding queso, but I didn’t want to walk out the door with a heart attack!

Overall, the food was amazing and I recommend both restaurants.

Lucy’s Fried Chicken!

Posted on July 19, 2012 by lindatamnguyen

You know, as a Southern girl from good’ole Texas, I have never had fried chicken! Aside from the occasional Popeyes, I haven’t had this southern staple until I discovered Lucy’s Fried Chicken. Lucy’s is located on 2218 College Avenue just off of South Congress Avenue and is open daily from 11-midnight.

I ordered a basket of chicken and a side of smashed potatoes.

The chicken was crispy and moist and juicy! I tastes just as good as it looks.

As for the smashed potatoes, I wasn’t a big fan of it. It was bland and I was expecting mashed potatoes. But I guess that was my fault for misreading!

Overall, I recommend Lucy’s Fried Chicken. If you get a chance to go there, try the dessert and let me know how you like it!

Simply Pleated

Posted on July 15, 2012 by lindatamnguyen

Some people hate running errands, but not me! I cannot stand being lazy at home. I always want something to do– besides, it gives me an excuse to play dress up!

This look is more casual on my part. Simple, but cute. I love my double pleated blouse. It’s easy to wear and extremely comfortable.

Top: Pleated blouse-Zara
Pants: Anthropologie-Stevie Jeans
Shoes: Aldo

I was on my way to Sweetish Hill Bakery on West 6th street in Austin, TX. I got a fruit and cheese danish and it was delicious!

I painted my nails myself. The color is Sugar High by China Glaze.

My First Bridal Shower

Posted on July 11, 2012 by lindatamnguyen

One of my really good friend recently got married and I took on the responsibility of planning and hosting her bridal shower. The only problem is, I have never planned a bridal shower before, nonetheless been to one! So this was a challenge for me!

However, it all worked out as planned. I had all the guests wear summer dresses and headbands. I served finger foods, cookies, and cupcakes!

I made vanilla cupcakes with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting topped with edible pearls.

I also made shortbread cookies and imprinted the couple’s initials on them!

I thought of a really sweet idea for all the girls to participate in. We all wrote the bride a sweet note and put it inside this memory jar. Whenever she wants to feel love, she can open the jar and read our notes!

The bride and I. Do you like my headband?

The ladies.

Did I do a good job considering it was my first bridal shower?

I Will Die in A Pencil Skirt

Posted on May 27, 2012 by lindatamnguyen

I am obsessed with pencil skirts! They are so slimming, sexy, and classy. Anyone can pull off a pencil skirt–you just have to find the perfect color and style.

This is my 60’s inspired outfit:

Shirt- Banana Republic
Skirt: Zara
Shoes: Nine West
Gloves: Ann Taylor
Purse: Capacci brand from Korea

This is a more modern look than my normal “Oldies” outfits.

Shirt: Arden B
Skirt: BCBG
Blazer: BCBG
Shoes: Gucci
Belt: BCBG
Purse: Capacci brand from Korea

If you don’t own a pencil skirt, go get one now! I will help you if needed! Every girl should have one in her closet.

Show me your style. Tweet a pic @lindatamnguyen

Let’s Go Back In Time

Posted on February 29, 2012 by lindatamnguyen

I love vintage things. From clothes, to cars, to house hold supplies, I love it all! When I found out that a steam train is still running in Austin, TX, I jumped right on it! If you’re looking for something fun to do, the Austin Steam Train is a perfect choice.

Tickets range from $13-$75 depending on which trip you choose and where you sit. The train takes you through the Texas Hill Country to Burnet, TX. It’s perfect for a romantic date and children!

I bought tickets to the Bill Country Flyer where they took us across the Texas Hill Country to Burnet. There, I ate some BBQ for lunch and watched a cute little Wild Wild West show they put up for us! I must warn you, it’s a long ride…4 hours!

For this wonderful trip, I decided to go vintage! Although I didn’t go as far as the 1800s to match the train, I still went for a 40’s look. My blue coat is from Banana Republic, cardigan from Target, inside tank from Banana Republic, skirt from Zara, shoes from Nine West, and if you look closely, my brooch is from Madewell.

Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar

Posted on June 9, 2011 by lindatamnguyen

I love SoCo Austin! There are so many amazing, cool, and chic restaurants there! You all know I am obviously obsessed with Hopdoddy, but I noticed a super cute restaurant just next door to Hopdoddy called Perla’s.
I did a little research and thought Perla’s looked great so I decided to check it out!

Here are some pictures of the food I got!

Texas Gulf Striped Bass a la Plancha for $17

The fish was a little bland, it could use a little more lemon and seasoning. The small salad on top of the bass was really good though!

Fried Soft Shell Crab BLT, Lemon Mayo, Toasted White Bread $15

I love soft shell crab! The sandwich was flavorful and the fries were great!

It was good! I love fries and Perla’s fries were nice and crispy! I recommend! Super cute place for a nice lunch or sweet dinner date!

Media Kit

Posted on May 3, 2011 by lindatamnguyen

For our final project in PR, my instructor split the class into groups of 3 to create a media kit. We could create a media kit for any business, non-profit organizations, or public figure. Each kit must include the following:

Company history/Overview
Mission and/or vision
Biography (biographies)
Logo or important photos
Media contact information
Fast Facts or FAQ
List of publics (WHO are the target audiences for this media kit? Who are the stakeholders?)
One Press Release or Media Alert9. Media Kit packaging

My group and I chose to create a kit for Mango Cup, a frozen yogurt shop. Rather than presenting a plain old packet as our media kit, we chose the creative route. I came up with the idea of having actual mangoes inside a giant cup to represent Mango Cup! Thank goodness for Hobby Lobby because I would not have known any other stores that would sell foam mangoes and a giant cup. After our presentation, we gave the class a sample of some fruits Mango Cup uses as their toppings for the frozen yogurt. Check out the slide show and tell me what you think!

Mango Cup Creative Media Kit

What did you think of the slide show and the media kit?

I love creativity!

Easter, Egg Hunts, and Wasps?

Posted on April 26, 2011 by lindatamnguyen

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday!! A day of joy, family gatherings, children laughing, and Easter egg hunting. I started out my day by going to church and then home for some Easter fun!

I apologize for my ‘half smile’, but this is the only picture that showed my full Easter Sunday outfit.

I wore a silk yellow dress from Banana Republic and three toned platform heels from Bakers. I love those shoes, they’re comfortable and super cute! I accessorized my dress with two floral brooches from BR. You can see the brooches better in the pictures below. I love to wear brooches! Banana Republic definitely have some gorgeous brooches! Protecting my eyes were D&G aviators. I wear them all the time. It was extremely difficult to find the right pair of aviators for my round face. I love those sunglasses!

After church, my family and I celebrated our third annual Easter Egg Hunt –with money. That’s right, instead of stuffing the eggs with candy, my parents put money in it. That’s why you only see one child and six adults hunting for the eggs… 🙂

Some eggs have candy, some eggs have toys, other eggs contain money ranging from $1-$20. The eggs with the bigger bills were obviously hidden more carefully than the rest.

I got on my hands and knees searching for them! While everyone was holding their baskets, I figured my purse would be more durable and could hold more eggs! So I switched from my pink basket. . .

. . . to my very handy navy bag from Madewell.

Was it a good choice to switch from a basket to my bag you ask? It sure was. In the end, I captured the least eggs, BUT, got the most money! I won first place with $47!!! I actually had to suffer a great deal of pain to get that much money. As I was searching for the eggs, I got STUNG by a giant wasp! I have never been stung before by any yellow flying creatures. Bees have circled around me, but never stung me. I guess the wasp got mad at me for disrupting its rest or something, but that sting was viscous! Right on my wrist. It still hurts right now. My right hand feels bruised all over.

***

Austin Restaurant Week 2011

Posted on April 19, 2011 by lindatamnguyen

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the start of Austin Restaurant Week. For those of you who missed it, ARW is a local Austin event celebrating good dining for a great deal! Like their slogan states, “One city, two weeks, three courses.” And that’s exactly what I had.

I made reservations to five different restaurants: Cuatros, Sullivan’s, Uchi, The Melting Pot, and Ruth’s Chris Steak House. I forgot to take pictures are Sullivan’s, which is such a shame because the food was so good! If you ever get a chance, you should go, because their steak is delicious!

Cuatro’s