Slightly old news but Shuggie's at the trailer park eatery on south 1st closed earlier this summer. According to the Austin Chronicle it closed because it was so hot that nobody wanted to come by their trailer.

I first visited Shuggie's about a year ago and thought it was pretty good. Winter came and I still thought about them periodically and decided to drive over to visit them since driving a warm car was better than walking through the cold sometimes. Anyway, I called them and their message said their hours and that if you called when they were open that they were too busy to answer the phone.

It was during business hours so I'd drove down there only to see that they were closed as I pulled into the parking lot. I turned around and went somewhere else. This happened several times. Finally I noticed a piece of paper in the window and it said they were closed for the winter. Well thanks for not changing your phone message and web site! I made at least 3 trips during the "winter" to find them closed.

Then I find out through the Austin Chronicle that they closed permanently in the summer because it was too hot and nobody was visiting.

That was too funny.

I'll miss them but not their business sense.

On a slightly different topic there are so many bars that don't put up a nice eye-catching neon sign until after they are successful. But with so many bars around anything you can do to stand out should help especially since during the daytime there's is a ton of foot traffic but a lot of cars driving around and the signs really help.

Was walking home and saw lights on at the former Gingerman building. So I whipped around to find a new place called Ghost being run by the Gingerman folks. They are doing live music and there's no telling how long they will be around. Check it out and pay your respects (again). It's a little odd seeing walls and so many other features gone. The real opening is Thursday so swing by and show some love.

Gables still owns the entire south half of the block off 4th between Guadalupe and Lavaca. It doesn't look likely that they be building on the site soon but things are bad enough that they may sell the lot. We'll see. I'm still disappointed that the historic status of the building did not prevent the demolition permit from being approved. It could be gone tomorrow.

Little Woodrow's took over the spot where the Texas Showdown was at for many years. I liked the Showdown for its simplicity and cheap beer happy hour. I don't know why they closed.

I've been a fan of Woodrow's since growing up in Houston and going to the Big Woodrow's on Chimney Rock and numerous Little Woodrow's. The one downtown is a great place and I can't believe it's been there for 6 years. I still remember the day it opened and it doesn't feel that long ago. Will and Ericka at the gang there sure knew how to make people feel at home.

The Little Woodrow's on 27th and the drag opened last Thanksgiving but I just made out there last week. I was in the mood for a walk so I hoofed the 22 blocks from my place downtown. It was only 98 that day but I was in the shade so it was fine. The place was pretty dead on a Monday at 7 but the students started coming in around 8:30. A pretty young girl got confused between pints and pitchers. Met an old guy that was interesting and had a good burger from the trailer out back appropriately called F'n Good Burgers.

Haven't been to the Little Woodrow's way south but am glad to see the small chain doing well and if memory serves it was started by a UT guy.

I can't think of a more fitting name for the reborn Pangaea than the Phoenix .. rising from the ashes indeed. I stopped by for a press party after Imperia's 2nd anniversary party and I liked it. Very red. Very leathery. Many places to sit. We'll see what kind of crowd they attract and how they handle their crowd. Will low-lifes like me have to wait even when they aren't at capacity? We shall see and I wish them well.

Here's a pic:

Monthly alcohol sales for downtown Austin (78701 zipcode) for May, 2009 with a total of $12.9 million in sales for the area.  May 2008 was $13.6 million.

My personal notes:

• I had no idea Maggie Mae's was doing so well
• Eddie V's is always up there, probably due to the amount of wine and higher ASPs
• Iron Cactus is the highest on 6th street but I don't really consider them a bar (and I've argued with them about this)
• The Ranch has a huge capacity and is very popular on west 6th and I'm not surprised by their number (2 entries because they revised it and remembered how much they really sold, lol)
  
• Blind Pig is the highest of the true bars on 6th
• Rain is tops for the gay bars
• Many of the places on west 6th are doing very well
• Perry's Steakhouse is strong for a newcomer but I expect them to last
• Any pure bar below $20k should be on the watch list for closure.  Light and Firehouse are my guesses.
  

And don't forget that since alcohol is taxed at 14% in the bars so drinkers downtown contributed $1.8 million to the government in May!

SAN JACINTO BEVERAGE CORPORATI	$301,876
MAGGIE MAE'S - A BRITISH PUB I	$276,255
THE RANCH	$252,952
SALC INC (HILTON HOTEL)	$245,889
EDDIE V'S EDGEWATER GRILLE	$241,070
DHR BRAZOS BEVCO INC	$236,837
MALAGA/CEDAR STREET COURTYARD/	$233,260
RALLY IN THE ALLEY LTD/SPEAKE	$215,257
THE BELMONT	$209,933
IRON CACTUS	$206,431
RAIN ON 4TH	$205,200
STUBB'S BAR-B-Q	$181,897
THE BLIND PIG PUB	$181,805
SPAGHETTI WAREHOUSE ITALIAN GR	$181,129
J BLACK'S	$176,790
THE JACKALOPE/CUCARACHA/MOOSEK	$176,227
KEY BAR	$171,979
PERRY'S STEAKHOUSE & GRILLE	$170,719
UNION PARK	$161,683
OILCAN HARRY'S	$159,475
MOLOTOV LOUNGE	$156,319
SULLIVAN'S STEAKHOUSE	$137,132
FADO IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT	$135,044
THE LIBRARY	$134,089
LANAI	$126,688
LA CONDESA BEVERAGES	$125,331
TRULUCK'S SEAFOOD STEAK AND CR	$117,492
RAINEY STREET LOUNGE	$116,384
SHAKESPEARE'S PUB	$113,758
MOONSHINE PATIO BAR & GRILL	$113,081
PETES DUELING PIANO BAR	$110,294
THE AQUARIUM ON 6TH	$109,734
AUSTIN MUSIC HALL	$108,575
PRISCILLA HOLLIDAY OF TEXAS IN	$105,051
CHARLIE'S - AUSTIN	$103,070
CHUGGIN MONKEY	$101,963
SC BEVERAGE COMPANY	$98,803
THE THIRSTY NICKEL	$97,625
THE MARQ	$95,964
219	$95,927
MARIA MARIA	$94,768
OPAL DIVINE'S FREEHOUSE	$93,588
THE CEDAR DOOR	$93,167
LAMBERT'S DOWNTOWN BARBECUE	$91,558
BUFFALO BILLIARDS LIQUOR ENTER	$91,524
LAVACA STREET BAR	$91,109
III FORKS #350	$89,471
LUCKY LOUNGE	$86,382
FLEMING'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE AND	$83,260
KENICHI	$83,201
ANTONE'S	$82,775
CHEERS SHOT BAR	$82,355
CUBA LIBRE	$81,986
ANNIES WEST	$79,419
SAPPHIRE/THE DUG OUT/THE LODGE	$79,395
PANGAEA	$77,844
SKY LOUNGE	$77,459
THE FOUNDATION BAR	$76,519
THE CREEKSIDE LOUNGE	$76,262
LOGAN'S ON SIXTH	$75,518
DIZZY ROOSTER	$73,167
THE RANCH	$72,509
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA AT THE	$71,781
RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE	$71,625
RED FEZ	$69,946
IMPERIA	$67,894
ROUX	$66,538
LA CONDESA BEVERAGES	$65,149
ROARING FORK	$65,067
FOGO DE CHAO CHURRASCARIA	$62,364
MCCORMICK & SCHMICK'S SEAFOOD	$62,323
MOTHER EGAN'S IRISH PUB	$62,044
TGI FRIDAY'S	$61,531
WLS BEVERAGE COMPANY	$61,452
MALAIA	$60,898
CASINO EL CAMINO	$60,885
VICCI	$60,829
SOHO LOUNGE	$60,314
BESO CANTINA	$60,307
LOVEJOY'S	$59,755
LATITUDE 30	$59,485
FRIENDS	$59,301
THE MOHAWK	$59,194
DARWINS PUB	$59,160
MALAGA TAPAS & BAR	$58,385
ELYSIUM	$57,716
MANUEL'S	$57,278
ACES AUSTIN LLC	$56,796
B.D. RILEY'S PUB	$56,418
CANTINA LAREDO RESTAURANT #303	$55,808
ELEPHANT ROOM	$55,762
SERRANOS AT SYMPHONY SQUARE	$55,607
BARCELONA	$53,833
TAVERNA	$52,927
SHORELINE GRILL	$52,835
THE SIDE BAR	$52,466
QUA	$52,459
GRUV	$52,078
THE HEADLINERS CLUB	$51,485
CLAY PIT CONTEMPORARY INDIAN R	$51,102
ROY'S	$50,533
PARKSIDE	$48,844
P F CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO	$48,359
SHERATON AUSTIN/ROJO RED/THE L	$48,358
TREASURE ISLAND PIRATE BAR	$48,048
PURE	$47,728
607	$47,052
THE WAVE	$46,473
JOE'S BAR & GRILL	$45,258
RIO GRANDE MEXICAN RESTAURANT	$45,103
DIRTY DOG BAR	$43,268
LA ZONA ROSA	$43,124
ONE-2-ONE BAR	$41,639
ACOUSTIC CAFE	$41,458
STAR BAR	$41,233
THE CLUB DE VILLE	$41,210
RAINBOW CATTLE COMPANY	$41,165
THE VINTAGE LOUNGE	$40,000
RED EYED FLY BAR	$39,134
MAIKO JAPANESE RESTAURANT	$38,927
DIRTY BILLS	$38,365
PRAGUE	$37,468
BEAUTY BAR	$36,177
LOUIE'S 106	$36,094
TEXAS CHILI PARLOR	$35,759
SABA BLUE WATER CAFE	$35,270
PECKERHEADS	$35,265
TOUCHE	$35,234
COPA BAR & GRILL/BUZIOS ROOM	$34,713
CANVAS BAR & GALLERY	$34,588
DADDY'S GRILL & BAR	$34,506
BESS	$33,927
THE CLOAK ROOM	$33,029
CONVENTION BEVERAGES INC	$32,762
SHINER'S SALOON	$32,762
EMO'S NIGHTCLUB	$32,468
BLACK & TAN /RUSTY SPURS	$31,937
THE BROWN BAR	$30,980
WAHOO'S BEVERAGES	$30,236
KATZ'S DELI AND BAR	$29,835
MUGSHOTS	$28,194
HALCYON COFFEEHOUSE BAR & LOUN	$28,121
PINK AVOCADO	$27,304
BULL MCABES	$27,301
SAGRA	$27,279
GUMBO'S A LOUISIANA STYLE CAFE	$26,484
PARAMOUNT THEATRE FOR PERFORMI	$26,027
THE 311 CLUB	$25,772
ROOM 710	$25,667
AGAVE BAR	$25,637
MOMO'S	$25,161
IVY LOUNGE	$25,000
THE AUSTIN CLUB INC	$23,659
BEERLAND	$22,049
HILO & BETSY'S BAR	$20,971
EL MERCADO RESTAURANT UPTOWN	$20,650
HABANA CALLE 6 RESTAURANT	$20,567
BAYOU LOUNGE	$19,788
VICE	$19,057
BLU CAFE BAR LOUNGE	$18,928
HILTON GARDEN INN AUSTIN	$18,604
FLAMINGO CANTINA INC	$17,502
HICKORY STREET BAR AND GRILL	$17,500
SALC INC	$17,145
CARMELO'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT	$17,100
CHAIN DRIVE	$16,062
THE MELTING POT	$15,933
NUNO'S BAR & GRILL	$15,622
LIGHT BAR	$15,460
PLUSH	$14,780
BACK ALLEY SOCIAL	$13,694
THE COCKPIT	$13,480
APPLE BAR	$13,390
THISTLE CAFE RESTAURANTS INC	$12,902
THE FIREHOUSE LOUNGE	$12,261
THE AMSTERDAM CAFE	$12,172
OLD PECAN ST CAFE/SHAKESPEARES	$12,070
SILHOUETTE	$11,082
SUBMERGED	$9,830
KARMA LOUNGE	$9,753
CLUB MIXX	$9,156
ATHENIAN BAR & GRILL	$5,643
MARISCO GRILL	$5,476
HEADHUNTERS	$5,077
ANTRO/LIQUID/OPTION	$4,958
RONALD CHENG'S CHINATOWN DOWNT	$4,411
TACO CABANA	$2,170
MAMA FU'S 2ND STREET	$1,601
PREMIER HOSPITALITY INC	$1,165
THE TROUBADOUR SALOON	$855
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL;CHIPOTL	$205
MOONSHINE PATIO BAR & GRILL	$0
STARLITE	$0
GARRIDO'S	$0

The Onion Pizza may be pushed out of its location on 5th street by the end of the year.

The Starr Building on the southeast corner of 6th and Colorado was most recently a state office building but has been vacant the last few years. Kemp Management has purchased the building and associated half block. They are considering a parking garage on the 5th street side and the buildings with the now-closed Apple Bar, hot dog place, and Onion may be demolished. I met with Kemp on an unrelated matter.

The folks at the Onion are friendly and it's locally owned so I hope they can find a space close-by to move to.

When I think of the word "lounge" I think of sitting so "ultra-lounge" should be about ultra-sitting. Unfortunately at Pangaea you couldn't sit unless you ordered bottle service. Perhaps I don't really understand what an "ultra-lounge" is. Bottle service isn't always a bad deal if you have a group and consider how much a single drink costs but having your bottle brought out with a sparkler on it so everybody can see that you ordered a bottle is ultra-cheesy to me.

Austin's "ultra-lounge" Pangaea closed after being open less than 2 years. I didn't care that much for the place but I didn't hate it the way some people did. Although I didn't go often because I refuse to wait more than 7 min to get in to any place in Austin. There are so many great places to hang out in Austin so why would I wait to get in when there's a probably a good place right next door? Of course if your friends are inside this can policy can make you look like an anti-social butthead. But fear not, Pangaea is going to reopen still under Michael Ault's direction according to this this Statesman blurb.

Let's take a look at Pangaea's alcohol sales:

month	sales
2008-01	$222k
2008-02	$279k
2008-03	$249k
2008-04	$160k
2008-05	$160k
2008-06	$110k
2008-07	$107k
2008-08	$128k
2008-09	$140k
2008-10	$141k
2008-11	$122k
2008-12	$94k
2009-01	$89k
2009-02	$81k
2009-03	$100k
2009-04	$83k
2009-05	$78k
2009-06	$56k
Total	$2,397,000

Great numbers the first 6 months and a quick drop off afterward which is typical of so many new bars in Austin.  So no surprise that they closed when looking at the declining sales numbers.  In case you're wondering QUA's numbers aren't that great either.

Apple Bar closed as well but I don't know how they stayed open given that their sales were always around the level of a small Mexican restaurant:

2009-02	$15k
2009-03	$15k
2009-04	$15k
2009-05	$13k
2009-06	$20k

I liked the place though so it's too bad they didn't do better but I'm surprised any bar downtown could stick around for several years at those numbers.  Looking back they did have several months in the $20k-$30k range but that's low compared to the $50k+ typical monthly alcohol sales seen in the region for the stalwarts.

Finally, Taste Select wines on Cesar Chavez closed.  I went there a few times and really liked it but I think its location was too far off the beaten path to work.  That's too bad.

The Austin bar market is definitely fickle.  Many more places will close but just as many, if not more, will open.  And contrary to popular belief it isn't a bunch of chains replacing everything.  Most of the new bars are opened by locals with their own ideas.

This place opened recently in a the historic Schneider building by Town Lake near City Hall. They (jokingly refer to fancy BBQ but I may be missing something.

My favorite is the brisker platter with mac 'n' cheese and waffle fries for $9 (lunch). Doesn't seem to fancy to me but just right, moist brisket. Beer is a bit pricey though.

Nice outside patio and live music.

I think this place will do well and plan to go back often.

noticed that Prague is almost open, any thoughts?

It's 5th street near Congress by Gruv and Glass

Walked by Salsarita's last night around 8 and noticed that they weren't open. It seems that many causual or counter restaurants open downtown with hours extending late into the night only to scale back later.

Jimmy John's was open until 3am every night but now only do it on the weekends. Salsarita's just did the same thing.

Texadelphia went from being open until 10pm to being only open for lunch to just closing completely.

I hate that Schlotzky's isn't open at night but I guess I should be glad they are open at all.

Hopefully with more people moving downtown it will make business sense for more of these places to stay open in the evening. As much as I love eating at nice sit down restaurants there are plenty of nights when I just want to take a walk and pick up something quick and easy and there aren't many choices for that downtown. Here's what I see:

Which Wich
Jo's Coffee Shop (awesome burger but pricey w/sides and drink)
Wahoo's Fish Tacos
Rocket's

I'll consider the below after drinking:

all the pizza places: Onion, Hoek's, Paparazzi (good chicken tenders, bad pizza), Roppolo's (worst pizza ever
Fajita cart
Wurst cart (pretty good)
Carl's Hot Dogs (get the relish)
other hot dog guy in alley between Fado and Lucky Lounge

they got rid of the sign on Doggie Style hot dogs showing a dog about to take a shit, I may consider eating one now, depending on how drunk I am

So there isn't much, I think the Subway stays open until 9 or 10 but it sucks. Quizno's closes early. Cozzoli's sold my number to loser (personal finance advisor) and their food is terrible anyway and deserves to stay in the mall.

What else is good and easy downtown?

Third Base sports bar just opened and it seems like a great place. Plenty of HDTVs that are setup to display HD, reasonably priced food and drink (particularly when compared to Ringer's), and located on the bottom floor of a parking garage so parking is easy.

6th and mopac may seem like a strange spot for a bar but Mean Eyed Cat seems to be doing well and El Arroyo is an old standby. The south side of 5th street is slated for major development so that can only help in the future.

I like the place but 2 of the guys running it are friends of mine and I know some of the staff from other places so I admit I'm biased.

We can also use more sports bars in Austin!

In related news Fox and Hound closed to no one's surprise. I feel bad for those that worked there that lost their jobs but the place was too corporate and was dead outside of major sporting events. They did have a nice beer selection though.

Didn't feel like going up to Dallas for the TX/OU game so wanted to find a place in Austin where I could the watch the game in HD. I have HD at home and see no reason to downgrade when going out to watch a big game.

BD Riley's recently upgraded their setup and has HD but not every tv is HD yet and the Notre Dame game was taking up the only one. Oh, and I hate Notre Dame too.

Ringer's has a killer setup but it's impossible to get a seat there without going super early and with all the hard surfaces it's a little shrill.

Fox and Hound is out since they opened just before HD became a viable option so their tvs suck, not to mention the spotty service.

219 West has a nice HD setup but LaMonica wasn't working, almost went there anyway since it is a good spot.

Ended up starting out at Joe's Bar and Grill next to the Austin City Lofts (and behind Frank and Angie's and Huts). Unfortunately they only have HD on their projector up front and I ended up with a table in back. Was hungry and ordered mac 'n' cheese with frankfurters. It was great and contributed to me being a pear shaped loser. Left at halftime due to the non-HD setup and it was hot inside. Our older server rocked though, it was crowded but she came by very often.

Wandered to Union Park, wasn't very crowded which was nice and they had a nice HD setup. Wanted to sit outside upstairs but they weren't open up there. They had the tv zoomed in but they were able to fix it quickly. Nice.

Mission accomplished and loved watching the Horns play so physical and beat OU!

And why can a simple place like Wahoo's Fish Tacos have a nice HD setup and not a supposed sports bar like Fox and Hound?

Salsarita's is a chain fast food mexican joint located on trinity between 5th and 6th street in what used to be a part of the Copper Tank. I am going to miss the old Copper Stank from it's hayday back in the mid 90s but that's another topic.

Salsarita's looked like another Chipotle or Baja Fresh which is a bad thing. But the two slackers working there that were outside smoking made me feel better. It was dead so I guess it was a good time for them to take a break. The place itself was clean as a whistle.

Ordered a steak burrito and the ordering style was very similar to Freebirds and so was the end result, a tasty meaty burrito.

Their hours are nice, open to 9pm on weekdays and 3am on Fri and Sat. I hope it's busier than when I went on a Monday around 8 since I'd like to see them stick around. Sure it's chain but hopefully the franchise is locally owned like Wahoo's Fish Tacos.

As much I love Hoek's and Onion pizza along with Carl's hotdogs, I am definitely glad to see this option for late night food. If only we had more options in the Warehouse District instead of having truck over to 6th for some variety.

Stopped by Champion's Sports Bar for lunch today. Hadn't been so figured it would be good to try.

First impression is that it was yet another chain in Austin which isn't surprising since it's in some Mariott derivative hotel by the convention center.

Bartender messed up my order and another guy sitting at the bar. That's ok, it happens and he offered the other guy a free mystery beer.

Later the guy wanted to watch something other than what was playing. There are 3 customers at the bar and 5 tvs. It's Thursday afternoon and not much is going on. The bartender tells him that he's not allowed to change any of the tvs. Customer asks for the manager. Manager doesn't come for 10 minutes. He says that he can't put anything other than sports on (even if it's muted) since they are a "sports bar."

At which point I decide I am not going to come back to a place with overpriced food that won't take care of their customers.

Guess they can join the list with Iron Cactus and a few other places that are too good for their own customers.

So what are the thoughts on Glass? New place at 5th and Congress that seems to be the latest hotspot. I've been several times and it's fun. Only had one mildly annoying experience when they wouldn't let me in over Memorial Day weekend when I was still wearing my lake gear but no biggie.

Foundation just had their 1 year anniv party a few weeks ago, how time flies!