I gave up on Hoover's a couple years ago. I found the food to be meh and the service lackluster. When we are thinking about heading over the Manor, Hoover's has become *that place*... you know the one where you say "What about Hoovers?" and someone quickly suggests somewhere else and steers the conversation to anywhere except there.

Well, according to Eater Austin and Russian House's facebook page, they are opening tomorrow

still not open as of yesterday... Honestly, it doesn't look like they have had any progress for the last month.

Alot of it is dependent on what time of day and which days you are going to be downtown. There are alot of great food trailers downtown, but many of them open up Thurs-Sat nights. Chilantro (Korean/Mexican) does lunch usually downtown and you can find where they are on their twitter feed. If you are here on at night, I'm fond of the following trailers: Naan Stop, Halal Guys, Miguel's Cubano, Llama's Peruvian Creole, Kebalicious.
I like Royal Blue Grocery... they do quick hot sandwiches and alot of local foods... you can pop in there and get a local beer/cider, jam jar, empanada, brownie, coffee, etc... its good, quick, and fun.
Delish is a good downtown cupcake shop... Daily Juice which is a great local juice (I think sandwich) shop opened up a new location next door to Delish... so if I had to grab a quick lunch, I'd head there and get lunch/dessert combo.

Swift's Attic is supposed to be amazing. We have reservations for Restaurant Week and I can't wait to try it. I really like Second at Congress. They have some fun chicken fried olives that are usually pretty tasty. Congress is the high end restaurant that gets alot of accolades and Second is their bistro side which I personally like a bit better. I'm quite fond of Parkside and their more casual companion restaurant, Backspace. Backspace is a small Italian pizza place which is amazing to tuck in if you can grab a table. They do some other things beyond pizza, but I really like it there. Parkside has a really great happy hour menu... they take pride in their fresh oysters and they have a nice deal on them during HH. Beyond that, Parkside has become our 'to go' place when we have people in town and want to take them somewhere nice in the heart of downtown. We haven't had a bad meal there yet and we've been about a half dozen times.
I'm also grown into a fan of Easy Tiger. It's a combination bakery/beer garden. You can pop in the morning and grab a pastry and coffee, lunch for a sandwich to go(you can also eat there), and dinner with a great beer/sausage/sandwich.

I just walked by (I live about a block away) and its definitely closed. The paper isn't actually over the door, but the windows... I looked in the door and it looks like they are mostly ready to open so who knows...maybe its a permit thing. I haven't seen much progress there in the last month... the interior has tables, chairs, bar, supplies, even a table with a tablecloth on it and I also saw the coke machine cooler case looked to be running so they have electricity.

I walked by it yesterday and it doesn't look ready to open... I can check tomorrow.

I haven't been there yet, but Rivals Steakhouse has a huge amount of room inside (I live nearby and walk by it frequently).

Triangle has a market on Wednesdays... alot of the vendors at the downtown market go there. I'm personally partial to the downtown market and the Barton Creek market.

Alot of the vendors at the markets sell in multiple locations and will also allow you to pick stuff up at their farms if you make arrangements with them... it really just depends from seller to seller.

You may want to check out Johnson's Backyard Garden http://www.jbgorganic.com/ They are a CSA in the area. I've gotten boxes from them in the past, but they also sell at the markets... I know they are at the downtown market. You can also volunteer time with them to get free vegetables.
I used to live close to the Barton Creek market and moved downtown last year. In my opinion, the downtown market is unmatched for meat between the two. Dai Due sells at the downtown market. You can get on their mailing list http://daidueaustin.net/ and every Tuesdays they will send out a list of what they are selling downtown on Saturday. You can reserve what you want... they have also recently begin to let you pick up directly from their kitchen on Fridays from about noon to 6 if you pre-order.
There are other meat purveyors at that market as well... there's a guy who sells chickens that are the absolute best I've ever had... he sells out quickly, but they are amazing. There is also buffalo meat, pig, guinea fowl, offal, lamb, goat (occasionally), wild boar (occasionally), and probably several more I'm blanking on that are available... I know one vendor is already taking pre-orders for turkeys for Thanksgiving. I've mostly switched out to only eating duck eggs from the markets for my eggs. They are larger than chicken eggs, but I like them quite a bit. Not cheap, but worth it for when you want the eggs to star in the meal.
There are alot of vegetable vendors... lately, I've been picking up sweet potato leaves at a couple fo the vendors... but you can find just about anything in season at the downtown market... melons started coming in this past week and I made a nice cantalope soup one night for dinner. They also have a vendor (usually on the 5th street side) that sells figs, persimmons, peaches, and other fruits when they are in season.

What I suggest is to check out the markets everyone has listed here... I'd really suggest going to the downtown market, the CP market, Barton Creek and Triangle markets. If you find vendors you really like, ask them where they sell... there are several smaller markets around (like HOPE) which may work better for you or they may be willing to sell to you directly during the week if they are set up for it.

This weekend... aka the first home football game of the year plus the weekend with all the students back in classes...
I'd probably avoid alot of places that are very 'Austin' because there will be ALOT of students out with their parents to experience them (think Kerbey, Magnolia, etc).

If you don't mind the drive, I'd check out Noble Pig for a lunch and then check the facebook feed/twitter feed for Cow Tipping Creamery and see if they are serving (they are up in the same area and are getting raves for their fresh from scratch soft serve ice cream).
Uchi is good, Foreign and Domestic (get there right when they open), Second Bar + Kitchen, Parkside are all great dinner places. For breakfast, I'd probably suggest something a bit more different. The downtown farmer's market open up right at 9am. I'd be down there when it opens (or shortly after) and graze across the market... Dai Due is amazing and sells hot food until its gone... they have french toast, chorizo and egg tacos as some of their specials this week; Cake and Spoon will have fresh Chelesa buns and Scones (usually at least 2 types); there are coffee sellers; there is often a place that sells breakfast pizzas that always sells out; the Czech trailer will have some time of kolache; and probably several others that I'm blanking on at the moment(i.e. fresh Thai food, Mediterranean)... Its open on Saturdays from 9am-1pm but I have been there as early as 10-10:30 and some of the more popular ready to serve foods have sold out though it really depends on the week.

One of the places I've been itching to try lately is Roll On Sushi... its been open about a year now and somehow it missed my radar... it has some crazy combinations that I really want to try (chicken fried steak sushi, yes please...)... I had a great meal at Asiana recently... the location leaves alot to be desired, but the Indian food is really very very good and reasonably priced.

The food trailers are always fun, most of them open around 6-9pm at night... .at least the ones that work downtown.

I'm with you on Hyde Park... I just don't get it... and I hate their fries... there, I said it...
I suppose if I'm pulling up the grumpy wagon... I also dislike Austin Java... 90% of the time I get food there, there is something wrong with it... I gave up after I was served a muffin that looked like someone had eaten or picked all the edges off of it.

I'm also not a fan of Magnolia. I want to like them... I periodically go back to try to think of a way to like them, but every time I get served the wrong food (and I order off the menu, no substitutions). The last time I was there, I was served a sauce without cheese in it where the waiter literally sniffed it, returned it to me, and said it must just be a mild cheese.
Cippolina is another place others love and I just can't. I really like their sandwiches at lunch, but every time I get something off the dinner menu, it is just a hot(or cold) mess.

Mothers is another place I also don't understand the love. I find most of their items to just be meh... which makes me sad because I'd love to go to a good veggie place.

Okay, grumpy rant off now.

I stopped going to chez zee when i saw some of their cakes were well past their prime and I didn't think they were icing them with blue cheese. Never been back.

I have taken several people to ironworks... Its not bad.. Compared to other more serious BBQ places, it's not in their league, but they do solid stuff. I tend to only eat the ribs and I find them pretty tasty. Other spots near ironworks which are fun include garage m'hal which is about a block away across Cesar Chavez. It's Indian food in a very casual setting... Nice stuff. If you hit east side kings at shangra la, if you kept walking about block, you hit a trailer park food court and there are some amazing tacos there... I think its Vera Cruz... Its on the left hand side in the back. Cool haus does ice cream cookie sandwiches. Personally, I think their cookies suck but the ice cream is great. The Philly cheesesteak trailer is really good and Lucky js has a trailer there too..fried chicken strips wrapped in a waffle ...think deep south sandwich wrap. handshakes is in there too and they make a pancake milkshake which some people drool over. next to the food trailer park is a great bar called cheer up Charlie's... Very friendly nice...they have a vietnamese trailer in the back called miso hungry. I have had hit and miss experiences there but I like them.

I love the ribs at Stiles Switch... the rest of the menu is lacking IMHO, but the beef ribs are kissed by angels. I haven't done it yet, but I hear you can order Franklins ahead of time (my guess is at least a day ahead) so you can show up, skip the line and leave with tasty meat. I've never had a wait problem at Muellers... sure, I've had to wait about 10 minutes, but that was about it. They sold out of ribs when I was there, but the brisket was amazing.

If you really want to try Stiles Switch, have you looked into taking the light rail? The light rail stop is by the convention center, and I'm pretty sure it stops about 2 blocks away from the restaurant. I've never done it, but I don't think its a bad walk.

I live downtown (as in about a block from where you are staying) and these are the things I recommend... Delish cupcakes are pretty good and nearby... the Royal Blue Groceries are a great place to grab a quick bite and they do specialize in alot of local foods so you can hit alot of 'Austin' stuff in one place. Austin has several specialty hard cider brewers of late and they carry their stuff plus some Austin beers... they carry Buddah's Brew Kombucha... I love the Ginger, they also have mmmpanadas which are nice, and sweets from both Mary Louise brownies and Full English food (my favorites are the millionaires shortbread and flapjack)... there's more but that's off the top of my head. La Boite has a trailer close to the capitol which specializes in French food... probably not for a meal, but a great snack. Another great snack are Jims Jims water ice which are somewhere between slushies and snowcones and quite nice. I don't know if Miguel's El Cubano is open for lunch on Tuesdays, but if you want Cuban, the guys do really good Cuban food. Chi'lantro usually has a trailer open in downtown every day of the week and often close to where you will be... you can follow them on twitter to find out exactly where they are... its Korean/Mexican... I'm partial to their beef burritos... and think they do really good food. I'm not a huge fan of Austin Java, but they carry Sugarmamas cupcakes which I think are the best cupcakes in the city...
I also like Easy Tiger on 6th... its a beer garden bakeshop. Good food, not cheap, but a nice place to hang out and get a solid lunch especially if you want a wide selection of beers and is much nicer than almost every other place that served alcohol on 6th.

I second Texas Land and Cattle. I really like their chicken sandwich (without the cheese) and I'm not the type to generally get a chicken sandwich anywhere. Their smoked sirloin (I think that's it) is also really good... I find it to be one of the better chain options. We took my inlaws there because my father in law is impossible to please and he liked it.

Handshakes has gotten really good press for some of its unusual milkshakes... one of their specialties is a pancake milkshake.

If you want a decadent milkshake, I'd check out Handshakes (its in the Cheer up Charlies lot).

I'd suggest Lick Ice Cream... its really amazing. It's also next to Barley Swine which you should really try if you can get in.

Noble Pig serves great sandwiches... they also have a supper club if you are in town... check their website.

I'm also a fan of Stiles Switch BBQ. They are making some really great BBQ and the lines are no where as long as Franklin's.

I'd recommend checking out some of the food trailers... Yume burger is making interesting Japanese burgers, Chilantro and Coreanos both make Korean/Mexican fusion, Peached Tortilla is Asian(usually Vietnamese)/Mexican/American fusion (think Bahn Mi tacos as well as sliders)... there's also Pig Viscious, Three Little Pigs, etc. Yume and Chilantro are usually downtown Thurs-Saturday nights and easy to find. Peached Tortilla is usually at the Star Bar and easy to locate.

Bacon makes pretty good casual food. The burger (with the bacon in the meat grind) doesn't live up to expectations in my opinion, but they have a pretty solid breakfast menu. I'd probably suggest Bacon or Galaxy Cafe for the breakfast/lunch options.

Jack in the Box isn't horrible, but its a chain burger place. They aren't all that bad for what they are, but if you have to do chain burgers, I prefer Whataburger. Jack in the Box tries to occupy the same headspace that attracts teenage boys to Taco Bell and Burger King at 1am to eat there.

I think Big Top Candy is a bit overrated for what it is... but its on South Congress and there are alot of neat things nearby... directly across the street is a food trailer park... I haven't been to that location lately, but Mighty Cone usually gets generally positive reviews. If you want cupcakes, Hey Cupcake is in there, but I'm not a fan... I think they are too sweet and usually overmixed... great marketing, lousy cupcakes. I usually prefer to head over to Sugarmama's on South First.

Close to Sugarmamas is another BBQ place/trailer that gets alot of love... JMueller's. I picked up brisket the other day and it was amazing.

I did eat at Frank's last weekend... a word of advice... they don't serve the hot dogs on Sunday brunch so if you are going there for those, pick another time... they do make a pretty good Chicken and Waffles for brunch though... as well as a decent Tex/Mex selection... you may want to try their Bloody Mary which they make with a bacon slice.

If you only want the beer flavored ice cream at Amy's you need to email them and see if they will have it when you are in town and also which location... they have a rotating selection and every location is not the same.

Foreign and Domestic specializes in offal and I have also had some really nice meals with sweetbreads at Parkside. I'd recommend either place as a great meal. Uchi and Uchiko do other things beyond sushi and both make a good meal.

I don't like Chuys, but I'm not a fan of most TexMex... I usually take people to Curra's when they want to eat casual Mexican.

Our favorite BBQ at the moment in Austin is Stiles Switch. If you are looking for something in the Stubbs area, there's also Ironworks... its not my favorite place, but the BBQ is pretty solid. I don't know much about how they prepare the food.
I haven't had the French Toast at Eastside but I seem to remember liking it at 24. My husband is partial to the French Toast at Bacon which may also work for you but I'm not sure.

I also thought of Wild Woods Cafe... they are in the process of moving locations but they specialize in Gluten free and trend towards all natural ingredients.
Daily Juice also has alot of natural items and I'd suggest Sweet Ritual which is a vegan ice cream place.
There's also Mr. Natural and I think P.Terry's uses alot of natural ingredients in their burgers and may hit your requirements

There are a bunch of places I'd recommend.... East Side Cafe is probably mostly if not all natural. I know they emphasize fresh and local so my guess is they shy away from artificial anything, but you could call and check.
Conscious Cravings is probably almost all natural... its a vegetarian trailer http://consciouscravingsaustin.com/ They have a location by campus on weekdays and their stuff tastes like it doesn't have anything artificial in it.

Noble Pig makes alot of their food from scratch. http://www.noblepigaustin.com/

I know there are a bunch of places at the Farmer's markets that are natural... at the downtown market (on Saturdays) Dai Due serves food that I'm pretty certain lacks artificial ingredients... they even make their own hot sauces and other condiments from scratch... Cake and Spoon at the market makes alot of pastries, tarts, cakes, etc. All their stuff tastes natural (and amazing) and you can talk directly with the people who make it if you have questions...

I know the Cuban trailer Miguel's The Cubano makes their bread from scratch and I'm pretty certain everything else is fresh too. The guys are super nice and I love their sandwiches.

Lick Ice cream makes everything fresh and don't think they use anything artificial.
Counter Cafe tends to be very local and so is 24 Diner. 24 makes the best veggie burger in town (IMHO) and its is from scratch... however, if you don't like beets, I'd skip it.

I don't think its spicy, but Hyde Park Bar and Grill used to do Fried Chicken a couple times a week (the south location). I'm actually partial to Furr's fried chicken when it is fresh. It's one of the few reasons to go to there IMHO.

Have you looked into Korean fried chicken? Spicy fried goodness.

If you are going to be here on a Saturday morning, I'd recommend heading over to Republic Square farmer's market. There are alot of vendors and many of them are really great. Dai Due makes amazing food... http://daidueaustin.net/ they always have some freshly made to order dishes too. Cake and Spoon are always there on Saturdays and I've lately become I bit obsessed with them http://cakeandspoon.com/ They make amazing chelsea buns, scones, quiches(I like the swiss chard one), desserts(the chocolate hazelnut tart is delicious). They have some of the best pastries I've had in Austin lately. I really like the Ginger Kombucha from Buddha's Brew. It is hands down the best Kombucha I've ever had. Texas French Bread, Taco Deli, the Tamale stand, the Thai stand are all really good. Last week, I saw a coffee purveyor there who I hadn't noticed before... they travel down to Brazil and pick their own beans from small farms to bring them back to Austin to roast. They sell by the cup and also fresh beans. I picked some beans up and have been very happy with them...

Of the restaurants you listed, I like Foreign and Domestic and Barley Swine best... however, I did get a tweet today from BS saying they are closed until January 8 for a deep clean... I don't know if that affects your plans. Uchi and Uchiko are great but just pick one... I haven't been to Congress, but I've been to Second twice.. the first time was really good, but the second time was solid, but nothing spectacular. I'm not a big fan of Olivias... I think its overpriced for the quality. Parkside is great... but I agree with your assessment, but they do pretty amazing things with their food... though they tend to like to incorporate a 'soil' into many desserts... I'm a bit over that trend personally. I haven't been to Franklins but I've heard great things about the food. If you are up late, you may want to look into some reverse happy hours around town too.

If you do go near Barley Swine, you should try Lick which is in the same parking area. Lick is making some really cutting edge flavors http://ilikelick.com/ which are all high quality and there will probably be at least one you haven't tried before (Beet and Mint, anyone?).

Another highlight for me lately has been the Noble Pig http://www.noblepigaustin.com/ They have a dinner on Jan 7 you may be able to get reservations for if you are interested.. the menu is up on their website.... regarding their regular menu, I love their duck pastrami sandwich and their BLT... I know, I know... BLT? well, its really a Pork Belly LT. If you want a good quality sandwich, this place is among the best in town lately no matter what you try.

Personally, I prefer Austin Cake Ball to Holy Cacao... ACB has recently opened up a restaurant front in the Domain... http://www.austincakeball.com/kitchen... I haven't tried their food lately, but their salted caramel cakeball is one of my favorite small bites in the city.

It's Loncito's Lamb...
http://www.homesweetfarm.com/loncito&...

There a guy at the downtown farmer's market on Saturdays that specializes in lamb. If he doesn't have one on hand, I'm sure you can reserve one

I'm not... it makes me feel better about suggestion another place I thought of... Furr's.

I'd get them from Great Harvest Bread... there's one on Bee Cave. you need to check their website for the days though.. i think they only sell them on MWF

Its Shannon, and yes. She taste licked it and then opted to ignore it...

I'd go with Parkside myself. If you don't know the area, location could also be a deciding factor. Parkside is on E 6th street, aka the largest bar strip in town. If you want to check out a bar afterwards, go to a movie at the Alamo Ritz, or people watch, Parkside is the place to go. However, parking can be an issue (though you should be okay on a Thursday night before about 7-8) and you take that into consideration. The food at Parkside is amazing and I really like the place.
Wink is tucked away in a small stripmallish location close to the downtown Whole Foods. It is probably easier to get in and out of but its more of a place you will drive to and not poke around the nearby places afterwards. Wink has a solid menu, but its not one of the trending places in town nowadays though good when its on.

Hey Cupcake is the only cupcake place in town I refuse to spend anymore money at because of the lousy quality of their cupcakes. Is the strawberry one a new flavor for them? I'm willing to give them another try, but I threw my hands up after even the dog refused to finish one from there.

I think it depends on what they like. I'd suggest looking up the following places and deciding what works best. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them, but its more of a style thing. Uchi and Uchiko: get amazing press and are really very good. They are Asian influenced and usually packed. The chef at Uchiko is on Top Chef this upcoming season. Foreign and Domestic: upscale casual, great food... I love this place but it also specializes in offal, so if you are creeped out by seeing offal, probably skip it. However, they have some amazing dishes on the menu and is considered one of the rising stars in the area IMHO. Barley Swine: its the brick and mortar brewpub that grew out of the Odd Duck trailer. The food is amazing, the place is usually packed and you have communal tables. It's become one of the 'must try' places in town. Congress (along with Bar Congress and Second) were named one of the Best Restaurants in Bon Appetit for 2011. I've been to Second which is the brewpub casual side, and the food was excellent. Congress is the upscale, formal restaurant for the location and I've only heard amazing things about it, but I haven't made it over there yet.
There are plenty of places in town beyond this list that are really excellent, but I don't think you could go wrong with a gift certificate from any of them.

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Uchi Restaurant
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Barley Swine
2024 S. Lamar, Austin, TX

Odd Duck
1219 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Uchiko
4200 North Lamar, Austin, TX 78756

Bar Congress
200 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701