‘Slow Down, Stay a While’, is the motto at Easy Tiger, a friendly little bake shop and beer garden where you can settle in with a brew, a baked pretzel and a knockwurst. Order up a Snack Board with freshly baked pretzels, beef jerky, beer cheese, and some house mustard and munch away to your heart’s content. Artisan sandwiches include Smoked Pastrami with kraut & Swiss cheese, Smoked Turkey Breast with avocado & jalapeno aioli, and House Smoked Salmon Spread with cream cheese & cucumber. All are served on their freshly baked bread, which is also sold by the loaf. Order one of their house made sausages on a tasty pretzel bun. Sides include collard greens, grilled broccoli, sauerkraut and potato salad. Coffee drinks, beer, wine and cocktails are also served.

Easy Tiger
709 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 614-4972
http://www.yelp.com/biz/easy-tiger-austin

Need a bite to eat? Look for the giant, brightly painted truck and get ready to chow down at The Jalopy. Everything is made in-house in their mobile kitchen, including bread, salsas, pickles, and veggie chips. They also brine their chicken, so it’s super moist and succulent. Chicken sandwiches include the El Campo with chipotle adobo sauce, cabbage & pickled peppers, the Gadd Thai with coconut peanut sauce, sriracha & pickled onions, and the Suite 709 with tomatillo cilantro pesto, fresh herbs & red cabbage. Some creatively inspired veggie sandwiches are also on the menu, like the Butler with double cream brie, apples, almonds & agave nectar and the Jelly Gibson with peanut butter, onion marmalade, almonds & berries. Open Monday through Saturday for breakfast and lunch.

The Jalopy
1502 San Antonio St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 814-8557
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-jalopy-rotisserie-and-press-austin-2

Austin is a culturally rich city, boasting a fair number of highbrow performance groups. One of the most long-lived and praised is Ballet Austin, which has been putting on impressive performances for over 50 years. Under the direction of Stephen Mills, the company encompasses 20 professional dancers recruited from a nationwide talent search, staging five productions yearly, including an extremely popular presentation of The Nutcracker. The productions are uniformly elegant and sensual, with talented dancers and engrossing choreography. Regulars rave about the avant-garde spin that Mills and company put on staid classics. In addition to their professional performances, Ballet Austin hosts a number of educational programs which draw locals in droves. The classes are held on a drop-in basis at The Butler Center, ranging from traditional ballet and tap to more unique offerings like hip-hop, Pilates and “Broadway Fit.” Prices are reasonable and the instructors are top notch. It’s a great resource for anybody interested in dance.

Ballet Austin
501 W. 3rd Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 476-9151
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ballet-austin-austin