First Look: The Meteor

The Meteor on South Congress Avenue

New on South Congress, just a few blocks past the hip and trendy stuff is a new spot called The Meteor. But what would you call it? Is it:

•  a) a coffee shop
•  b) an eating establishment
•  c) a wine bar
•  d) a bicycle repair spot
•  e) all of the above

If you guessed "e" you are correct and win a chain lube along with your morning coffee!  (Just kidding, no prizes being offered, but thanks for playing!) The Meteor's beautiful outdoor sign says "Espresso Champagne and Chain Lube" to which I might update to say "Breakfast Booze Bikes". It's not an identity crisis, but to me, a kind of an odd pairing of food/drink with bike services, and yet it appears to be working.

When I arrived for a solo late lunch on a recent weekday, the place was at least half full, mostly with people on their laptops or reading. There were a couple people in the bike area, (the far back in the photo below) but I didn't really pay attention to what was going on in there. I love the big windows and sunlight pouring in.

I initially was going to get a grains bowl, but I saw a freshly made quiche cooling on the counter, and opted for a piece, plus a piece of their za'atar focaccia which I intended to save for later.

Quiche of the day

Za'atar focaccia

Both were amazing. Hats off to whomever the chef or pastry chef is, because they know what they are doing! The crust on the quiche was actually crisp on the bottom, which tells me they are probably blind baking the crust before adding the egg filling to it. Plus it's a super-tall piece. This had a couple of cherry tomatoes in it but an almost entirely egg filling, and perfectly cooked at that.

If you're not familiar with za'atar, it's a Middle Eastern spice blend (like a curry powder, every grandma has a different recipe) usually consisting of sesame seeds, thyme, oregano, sumac powder, and salt. I've always loved the flavor, and have used it with meats before, but also it's just good in olive oil for dipping. You can buy some from the spice jars in the Bulk Department at Central Market. Anyhow, this focaccia was dense but still had that airness and holes you expect in a well-risen focaccia. I ate more of this than I intended with the quiche, but did save the rest to go with a salad I had for dinner.

Pastry offerings

Pizza offerings 

There was also a nice selection of pastries on the counter, and they sell their pizza by weight rather than by slice.  While I am trying to watch my carbs, I am coveting all the baked goods I saw at Meteor! Unfortunately, not a place that's gluten-friendly at least for the baked items. Also the service at the counter was super friendly!

Other than being very pleasantly surprised about the quality of the items I had, The Meteor is not far from me, on the edge of the Bouldin Creek neighborhood, so I look forward to future visits. I should think about buying a bicycle so I can work off the carbs and get the bike serviced while I eat more of them!

First Look: Velouria Cocktails + Coffee in South Austin

Liquid libations are always a good thing, and when an establishment combines the worlds of coffee and cocktails, that's generally an excellent thing. Meet Velouria, a new lounge/bar/coffee shop/ whathaveyou on South Congress and Alpine Road. {Yes, directly across Alpine from Expose in the Davis SoCo building...hopefully this is different clientele!}

Velouria opens early for coffee and pastries (from Crema Bakery) and stays open late for cocktails and on some evenings, a live DJ.

Beautiful dark teal interior with gold accents and luscious green velvet chairs.  In this photo, bar is on the far side with lounge and table seating in the near.

All coffee drinks are made with local Austin Roasting Company beans, including this frozen espresso martini with vanilla vodka and coffee liquor. Straight from the slushee machine on tap, and extremely delicious, even though having caffeine at 5 pm might not have been the best choice. 😅 I'll do the frozen Mai Tai next time!

Charcuterie board with meats and cheeses from Antontelli's Cheese Shop; love their collaborations with all these local businesses!  Three cheeses, two meats, sweet and savory spreads, a few olives, and a few marcona almonds. My one complaint (apart from there only being like 4 almonds) is the almonds tasted like they had come from the fridge so there was no snap or crispiness to them. I mentioned this to owner Sara who commented on my Instastories picture of our cocktails, and she said she appreciated the feedback, so hopefully the almond quality will improve! And while she may be the owner (along with husband Tim), she was a wonderful barista/cocktail waitress. They also own the Brixton and Drinks Lounge in East Austin, so not their first rodeo....or cuppa coffee.

We also had the chicken salad on croissant, which was fine, but not overly exciting. I hope they'll consider expanding their cocktail hour food offerings.

If you're looking for a place to kick back in South Austin with a variety of beverage offerings, check out Velouria.  Also their website has handy and very helpful parking info! There is outdoor patio seating, which would be lovely in the mornings, but those green velvet chairs inside are just calling my name...