Companion(s): Mr. Dark, The Princess of Wands, & Puck
It's 10:30 on a Sunday night, and by all that is logical and sane I should be in bed. However, I'm flying solo, the cat's aren't feeling conversational, and my friends Mr. Dark, The Princess of Wands, and Puck are tempting me with an offer I can't refuse: Food, drink and conversation at a quaint Winter Park coffee house called Austin's, which though I've driven by it many times, I've never stopped in to visit. So instead of turning in, I'm turning around on a side street looking for someplace to park. It turns out you can sneak between Austin's and the building to the West and there's a good sized parking lot hidden out back, overlooking the famous sinkhole. I can dig it. Good thing about the parking lot, too. This place is packed like a carry-on suitcase after the checked baggage surcharge goes into effect.
There's a wanna-be comic on a little stage near the front, strumming his guitar and telling mostly bad jokes... actually I liked what he was going for with the intellectual style humor, but the guitar added nothing but noise (well maybe a little coffee house vibe... I can dig it) and his timing and his act reminded me of a fake Rolex from Canal street in New York... Looks good, holds up for a few minutes, then falls apart. But even a broken Fauxlex is right on twice a day, and this cat did make me laugh once or twice. At least it was something to listen to while we waited in line for a beverage, since we couldn't hear each other.
Plenty of sweets and munchies on the menu, as well as reasonably priced drinks. Even a selection of vegetarian and Vegan fare. While my friends initially just ordered drinks, I couldn't pass up the single remaining slice of cheesecake in the case. Light, creamy, decadent, with chocolate drizzle. Add to that a Boylan's sugar cane juice sweetened root beer (also quite tasty) and I was on my way to sugar heaven, badly needed to counteract the effects of loud comic hell. The Princess of Wands & Mr. Dark went for the house Cabernet, made from organically grown grapes and later in the evening The Princess of Wands went back for a Grilled Chicken wrap with pasta salad. One of the things she told me she loves about Austin's is the reasonably priced drinks, and the Merlot was surprisingly complex for $5.00 a glass. The wrap itself got high marks (even for the wrapper which looked more like pita than wrap), however the pasta salad she described as tasteless (kind of like the closing comic's act). Puck just ordered a micro-brewed Oatmeal Stout... the name escapes me, as none of us realized we were going to review the place until near the end of the evening when I realized someone besides myself had ordered food. We found a couple of comfy chairs in the back (as far away from the ruckus as possible) and killed a couple of hours catching up and talking shop.
They have entertainment most nights, so if you are looking for reasonable eats and a free show (remember you get what you pay for) this might be a good shot. Check their website for the schedule. I would prefer the place quieter, and will have to return during the day to try more of the food, when I can actually hear what my friends are saying. Eventually I'll go back and give the food a more thorough review, but as there was more entertainment than food this particular outing, perhaps I should rate it with applause. I give it 6 (one handed) claps.
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