Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get admission to Pearl Jam’s Austin City Limits taping back in October. The episode airs tomorrow night at 7pm on KLRU locally. Check your own listings on your local PBS station of you’re outside of Austin. The ACL people have posted a time lapse video of the day’s taping. If you’ve never been to an ACL taping, it gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the elevator up to the studio and the hallway to the studio where they pass out the free Ziegenbock and Budweiser on the way in. You can also see the historical marker that was added recently on the end of the bleacher risers on stage right. I’m pretty sure that’s part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame declaring ACL a rock and roll landmark. It wasn’t there when I was in the studio in June for the Okkervil River taping. I’m definitely going to miss the old studio when they move the operation downtown in a couple of years.

Here’s a couple of reviews of the taping that were posted right after it happened from Austin 360 and TwoFeetThick along with an outtakes addendum from Austin360 as well.

Speaking of ACL tapings, if you’re a fan of Pearl Jam, set your calendars for February 13th when the Them Crooked Vultures taping will air.

The three are Garrido’s, Olivia, and Uchi (”Austin Raises the Bar on Good Food,” WSJ 10/17/09, byline Katy McLaughlin).

The comments in the article regarding the individual establishments have their interest, of course (for instance, there’s one to the effect that there are those who’ll never taste the chips and accompanying salsas at Garrido’s because we’re not accustomed to being charged for them. That’s why I haven’t tried them, even though I love the carnitas at Garrido’s.)

It’s some of the declarations about Austin dining in general, though, that I find especially interesting, and quite perceptive. Tyson Cole seems to have been very generous with his time and to have spoken with the reporter at some length. I hope that this reporter does explore Tex-Mex food ingreater depth, as she seems to have some appreciation for it. The Fearless Critic Austin is presented as a milestone in the Austin food world. She describes Austin as a town that has long offered food for the budget-minded and also unimaginative high-dollar menus for lobbyists and legislators. “With so much good, cheap food . . . it’s been a long path towards convincing the public that $28 entrees have a place on the scene.” I’m happy with the countless $15-and-under outstanding ones out there, but the occasional splurge does have its place.

It was mostly the stylus, but the cartridge was as ancient as the turntable, bought used and third in a line that began long ago with a Dual 1212, so I held them both accountable for the excruciating noise that came from the speakers. It was time for a quest. Where was a vinyl-owner to turn for turntable help?

I found my answers and the cartridge, stylus, and proper calibration thanks to the tactful and knowledgable and speedy artists of sound and all-knowing oracles at Audio Systems courtesy of a referral from a kind person who answered the telephone at Waterloo Records.

I was so happy not to be met with ridicule, but with understanding and kindness, and even more pleased by the results unexpectedly found at what I suspected would turn out to be a den of impossibly high-end equipment where people would have no use and no time for assisting me with my modest and antique turntable.

So, yes; some record stores here in town do stock and will sell a cartridge and stylus. I had planned to find replacements, install them myself, and carry on, but this was by far the better course of action. I’m so sorry that I took no names, but I certainly plan to return to Audio Systems when it’s time for an upgrade. The well organized workspace reinforces the confidence inspired by the Audio Systems people.

What’s spinning? It’s Maverick LP-001 (1980, entitled “For the Record”), featuring Marcia Ball and the Misery Brothers, Augie Meyers and the Western Head Band, Doug Sahm, Bobby Earl Smith, Joe Gracey, and more. The exact song at this minute? “Meet Me in Seguin (Once Again).” This album is in close to mint condition and it sounds just like new, thanks to Audio Systems. Look for the blue awning at 1102 West Koenig, telephone 451-5736.

This is a wonderful addition and an especially welcome one to those south of the river. The tag-line is fresh…fast…flavorful and all three are true. Tarka India Kitchen was doing a busy takeout business in the rain today. This is a great place for those who are hungry and need food as soon as possible.

Here’s what we tried. The pair of vegetable samosas came to the table with a mint chutney. The chutney was a bit sweet. The samosas were generous in size and contained a beautifully spicy potato filling garnished with English peas. The wrapper was a bit on the tough side, but that was inconsequential when the contents were so delicious. The vegetable pakora was fine, but in the future I’d save my appetite to sample other items.

The person who ordered coconut curry asked for it to contain chicken and to be hot, not mild or medium. He was not disappointed and was pleased especially with the chidken. This dish contained potatoes and was very rich.

I want to try other dishes, especially the daal makhni and the channa masala, in the future, but it may be tough, since I always want to order the sheesh kebob. The menu said chicken and lamb, which I thought was chicken or lamb, but it’s a mixture. These were tender and fresh, beautifully seasoned and extremely tasty. The flavor was of lamb, predominantly.

I prefer the naan at India Kitchen on Riverside or at Taj Palace. For me, Tarka’s is too uniform and almost cakelike in texture. The long-grain rice accompanying our dishes was fluffy and wonderful. We could see cloves, bay leaves, and cardamom pods. I assume that this rice is a foundation for the biryanis, which I look forward to trying.

There’s even a children’s menu at very low prices and complete with a beverage choice of apple juice, mango lemonade, or a fountain drink. This is a very child-friendly place, since the recorded music covers a great deal. There’s a diaper-changing station in the restroom.

A diner orders at the counter and pays at that time. There’s a self-serve beverage station with straws and ice. Utensils are picked up there, also. I noticed Kingfisher and Shiner beers on ice. A runner brings the food to the table, recognizing it by the number card displayed. Even though Tarka was quite busy, the food seemed to be there almost instantaneously.

Tarka is related to the Clay Pit. Find it at 5207 Brodie Lane, suite 120, away in a corner next to Zen. If you get lost while trying to locate it, call 892-2008. Do look for it.

Today’s WSJ puts us right up there in the top five cities reported to be most attractive to recent college graduates, along with D.C., Seattle, NYC, and Portland: “The Next Hot Youth-Magnet Cities,” byline Sue Shellenbarger, with six panelists involved in the selection.

The methodology is explained on line, and the comparative metrics include unemployment rate, cost-of-living index, education levels, and median household income. Of the top five, our cost of living is reported to be the lowest.

The reported downside: “Some panelists have doubts about how strongly Austin will rebound after the recession.” The print version is illustrated by a photo of Lucy in Disguise on South Congress.

“From scruffy honky-tonks to slick boutique hotels, Austin walks the line between old school and new” is the subtitle for the three-page article in yesterday’s NYT Sunday style magazine focusing on travel (”Texas Two-Step,” byline Jim Lewis). There are more on-line pix than there were in the print version.

As with other pieces of this type, the Austin depicted is not everyone’s Austin, but this article does focus on what’s close in and seems to say “NoCo” to the “SoCo” term, preferring “South Congress” instead.

Coming in for a mention I count four lodging establishments (including my old home, the Austin Motel), eight dining establishments, and four clubs and watering holes. Would you recommend the same ones? It’s easy to disagree, but not always easy to come up with a handy list for all those visitors soon to descend upon us.

Yes; the fans are still in the windows, and the transoms remain open. But the oxblood lilies have come and gone, and leaves of anemones are beginning to make their appearance. It’s cool enough for the lantanas and the milkweed and the chiles to bloom again profusely.

Arising early or retiring very late in order to comply with the watering restrictions is no fun at all, so the downpours have been more welcome than it’s possible to say. Even with the best of efforts, the pleasure grounds have lost two old rose of Sharon shrubs and a good part of a mature redbud tree as a consequence of the summer’s stresses.

The City does appear to have spent some effort in enforcing the watering restrictions. Our one watering day under the new regimen has been Saturday, and on one of them, between 6 and 7 am, I observed a City vehicle just creeping along the curb and shining a police-type spotlight over lawns, seeking the telltale glisten of the Secret Soak.

There’ve been enough breaks in the heat that we’ve actually fired up the oven. No pizza or loaves of bread or popovers have yet emerged from it, but meatloaf has. We’ve brought out the deep cast-iron pot with the wire basket and enjoyed French fries at breakfast. We used a little of nearly every vegetable to enrich the first Sonoran pork stew of the season, and brought out the comal to heat up Margarita’s tortillas.

At this point, I don’t care if I never see a salad again. Food that’s been roasted, fried, baked, boiled, steamed, sauteed, stewed, simmered, broiled, and treated to every sort of application of heat is what I long for. I welcome every harbinger of fall!

Boggy Creek Farm is featured in today’s WSJ and described more as a prime historic property of substantial size than as a working organic farm: “Where Whole Foods Shops: A historic house on Boggy Creek Farm grows organically in Austin” (byline Katy McLaughlin).

[Before going on to say more about Boggy Creek, since Whole Foods is mentioned in the Boggy Creek subtitle, I'd like to be clear that IMHO it's no accident that most Austinites have not bothered to comment or blog generally about the recent John Mackey opinion piece on health care, also in the WSJ. Enough of us know people associated with WhoFoo or even Mr. Mackey himself to have formed opinions about this piece. It is of some interest that there are those around the U.S. generally who have not taken kindly to what Mr. M wrote and who state that, as a consequence, they intend to take their business elsewhere (see Facebook page, e.g.).]

Included in the article on Boggy Creek Farm are detailed physical descriptions of the old farmhouse, plus the price originally paid for the farm, what it might have brought at the height of the boom, and speculation about what might be a probable sale price at this time. There’s some discussion of agricultural productivity, coupled with a passing mention of what the per-hour return on the owners’ labor has in the past been calculated to be.

The article in print form is accompanied by three black-and-white photographs; the on-line version shares with us a nifty little color slideshow. Let us hope that the appearance of this article is not a consequence of our drought.

At Moonlight Bakery on South Lamar I found the only plain croissant in Austin other than the one made by Sweetish Hill that I would ever consider consuming. Another winner is the Italian bread, shaped like a giant bolillo (pointed on both ends, slashed down its “spine,” and coated in poppy seeds, apparently made from unbleached flour and with my favorite kind of crust, not brittle and not soft, just chewy). I loved the homestyle cookies, especially the snickerdoodles and the so-called “refrigerator” cookies, striated with chocolate. These are almost miniatures and are cookies for grown-ups, with true flavors and no over-dependence on just plain sugar. The same is true of the diminutive but flavorful chocolate-chip or Tollhouse cookies. Since I’m a bread and cookie person, I’m unable to report on anything other than the appearance of fancier items. Accomplices in baked-goods debauchery report wondrous things of the fruit pastries, cream horns, small eclairs, coconut macaroons, gingerbread people, kolaches, and many more. Moonlight Bakery is open from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm every day but Sunday, when the hours are from 8 am to 2 pm. Currently on the wall is photographic art by David Jewell, and it is art, not “art.” These small works are available at a very reasonable price. See for yourself. This was my first visit to Moonlight Bakery, but it won’t be my last. The menu promises an entire universe of baked-goods, including cakes, cupcakes. To think that I happened upon it only because someone needed an item from Batteries Plus, next door.

Some speculated that it was machinery of some sort; others, toads; still others, a bird. Thanks to diligent research and consultation with experts, the producer of the very loud sound that’s new to most of us this summer has been identified as a giant cicada. Here’s a link to some recordings. Warmer weather has apparently encouraged these insects to extend their range northward. Here’s what the San Antonio Express-News reported recently: “Giant cicadas making quite a racket,” byline Anton Caputo. This article has been syndicated by AP but has not appeared in our local daily. We have been seeing the sheddings from the usual cicacadas, not all that large, but have not yet seen any signs of these quite cacophonous creatures, only heard them.