Easily the coolest place I found in Austin was Pango: pan-Asian resturant with a fantastic selection of teas, each served in an extravagent way. As much as I wanted to try one of the many "Cha" selections (which are served in a traditional Chinese manner), paying over $10 for a cup of tea seemed a bit much even for me. Were I on a date, however, that'd be my pick. Anyway, after much deliberation, and some consultation with the manager, I decided upon the Taipei Garden -- a fruity, flowery tea served with honey in a glowing glass teapot set over a burning candle. Though I'm not normally a fan of fruity teas, and didn't care for it without the honey, with a dab of the sweet suger it was wonderful. I sat drinking many cups and enjoying the music for a long while.
Speaking of the music, the South by Southwest festival was in town, and there was music everywhere. In this particular location was a band (whose name I didn't learn) of five or so white-college-student-looking guys, playing traditional-sounding Mexican and Spanish music. When I looked up I expected some sort of Flamenco band or something, but found instead several guys that I'd expect to see wearing berets strumming out jazz in some seedy bar. Odd.
Anyway, Pango also has a large menu of cocktails, especially martinis, sushi, and other foods. None of these I tried, however, as the tea was enough for me.
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