Take a date to The Bonneville, a classy restaurant in downtown Austin offering sophisticated New American cuisine. Most dishes are gourmet updates on everyday favorites, like the popular Bacon and Egg Ravioli appetizer — tender dumplings served in a creamy brown butter sauce. Diners also recommend the Grilled Pizza as a starter. (Try the lamb pizza with a spicy eggplant puree, mint, Manchego cheese, and a drizzle of lemon yogurt sauce.) There is a handful of entrees to choose from. The Toasted Orrecchiette Pasta with house-made veal meatballs is a crowd pleaser. Don't skip dessert at The Bonneville; the Lemon Buttermilk Pudding with blackberry compote is out of this world.

A full bar features craft cocktails, like a Habanero Margarita. Stop by during the daily happy hour from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and take advantage of $3 discounts on cocktails and wine by the glass. The ambiance is ideal for a date — a mix of wood and contemporary brick make it sophisticated, yet simple; modern, yet inviting.

The Bonneville
202 W. Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 428-4643
http://www.thebonnevilleaustin.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bonneville-austin

While fruits like bananas and peaches show telltale signs of being ripe, other fruits can be a little trickier to read. Case in point: pineapples and avocados, two gems from the produce department that seem to go from underripe to spoiled in the blink of an eye. Here are a few tips to help pick pineapples and avocados at their peak.

Pineapple
Choosing one of these spiky bromeliads at their peak can be tricky. While some say that green pineapples can actually be ripe, your best bet is to seek out fruit that's 1) uniformly golden yellow and 2) doesn't show any signs of deterioration, i.e. leakage,  wrinkled skin, mold, or browned leaves. The base of the pineapple should smell sweet and mild.

Avocado
Unlike pineapples, avocados continue to ripen after being harvested, which means that avocados that are underripe at the market will continue to ripen at home. That said, skip overripe avocados—avocados that are wrinkly and mushy to the touch. An avocado at its peak will yield slightly when pressed, while an underripe avocado will be very firm. A perfectly ripe avocado should be consumed within a day or two. Miss the ripeness window? A slightly overripe avocado makes great guacamole!

A Guide to Choosing a Ripe Pineapple [NY Times]
Pick & Buy Hass Avocados [Hass Avocados]

Drip, pour-over, fair-trade … you probably think you've heard of and tried every coffee trend, but think again! Brian's Brew is a small coffee shop that features beverages made from mesquite wood-fired, hand-roasted coffee beans. This technique brings out a rich, smoky flavor that will make you swear off chain coffee for good.

Stop in for your daily caffeine fix and Brian himself will fix you a Summermoon or Wintermoon latte, both of which are signature beverages made with a secret recipe that results in a unique, mocha-like drink. The location inside the Bank of America building makes this a hidden gem of downtown Austin.

Brian's Brew
515 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 738-7713
http://www.briansbrew.com
www.yelp.com/biz/brians-brew-austin

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