Grandpa's drink (Abuelo's and The Brew)

Abuelo's (http://www.abuelos.com) restaurant on the hill at Barton Creek Mall is awesome. It is in a great location for driving to and doing something before or after you eat.(the mall). The food is fantastic, the atmosphere is divine, and the price is right on for what you get...great service, nice portions, and excellent food. When I first walked in I was a little intimidated as I felt "oh my god! I did not know we needed reservations." It seemed that nice to me, but we strolled outside to their patio area for some Friday night live music.


The patio area is very nice with lots of seating, a big gigantic fountain in the middle, and some misting fans to keep you cool while you enjoy their Happy Hour libations. My two gripes for Abuelo's outside area: 1) A BAR.....seriously, this place is nice and should have a bar outside. Waiting to get a drink outside proved to be a little more than I would have really like, but was OK. 2) put the misting fans on 'rotate'. If these fans don't rotate outside to keep your patrons cool and happy, don't be a cheap ass and replace these.

We weren't there for the drinks or the food (but that was the bonus), we were there for The Brew (http://www.brewmusic.com)! I have seen these guys a couple of times before and the company I was with has followed them for more than a decade.  From the Valley to 'Keepin'g It Weird', I found this setting at Abuelo's to be way, Way, WAYY more intimate than that sunset capitol place (and I have seen them their twice before).

Their music is a jazz/Latin/world style and is performed immaculately. Playing some rock classics like Santana and their own amazing spin on The Eagles - Hotel California, to their own original compositions, this band is truly outstanding. Headed by the sizzling classical/flamenco guitar skills of Michael Rodriguez and rounded out by two other Rodriguez brothers, this family pours out rhythms that feed your soul and your soles. The crowd started out a little bit older, but as the band settled into the first half of their set so did the crowd. This music is truly all ages, crosses gender lines, and more importantly EVERYONE gets up. In one video I dropped for them you can even see my crazy ass out on the floor taking a spin (http://youtu.be/sytREPv1gYI).

The Brew does seem to rotate singers as they need, but the core band never changes. The young man currently on vocals did a smashing job. They even introduced a beautiful young lady to do a couple of Celia Cruz songs and those were astounding too. It seems if you take a moment to go support local Austin music, this would be another band to add to your list, support, and enjoy!

Laters