24 Diner and Honest Tea

Tim and I made a trip to downtown Austin this weekend to check out 24  Diner.  It’s a popular eatery amongst the Austinites, and here we are going on our 6th year of living in the city without having dined here once.  Shame on us!  Or should I say pity?  Anyway, after some recommendations from my fellow Austin Food Bloggers for my post that I’m working on (I can’t wait to share it with you soon!), 24 Diner had clearly won over the bellies of many and was deemed as a place where dreams come true.

So it was time for us to pay a visit…

The place was A LOT different from what I had imagined – definitely not your typical diner, that’s for sure.  It was very refined and modern.  Their menu has a good mix of both comfort food that’s been kicked up a notch and fresh, vibrant salads.  It’s a place where you can order chicken & waffles or a Mediterranean salad.  They also serve breakfast 24 hours a day.  They use only the freshest, local (when possible), farm-to-table ingredients, and they offer housemade jams, salsa, veggie sausage, and breads.

I’m sure you can guess what Tim ordered…

The beauty you see is their Bacon Avocado Burger.  They use Premium Gold, natural ground brisket, and it comes with bacon, avocado, charred poblano, aioli on a house made pain au lait bun.  Want a closer look?  You got it!

After seeing Tim’s reaction when he took his first bite, I knew I had to steal some for myself.  I must say it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted and I’ve tried my fair share of them now.  Talk about flavor explosion!  It was a harmonious union of goodness.

For my entree, I was torn between Roasted Vegetables which had parsnips, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, fennel, quinoa, coconut, pecans, apple, and arugula (I know! Amazing, right?) and Sweet Potato Hash with jack cheese, housemade sausage, and roasted poblano topped with 2 runny eggs.  The runny eggs are what really got me.  It was quite the dilemma I tell you, one that I could not possibly resolve.   Therefore, I gladly turned over the task to the waitress who recommended the latter.   So that’s what I went with.

Yes, I had to poke the yoke so that it oozed out before I snapped a picture.  In the past, I would never have touched this dish.  I’m glad the fear of runny eggs is in the past.  Like the burger, there was quite a kick from the roasted poblano peppers and jalapenos.  To sum, in one bite you get smokiness, sweetness from the sweet potatoes, and creaminess from the eggs.  It wasn’t overly salty, as my taste buds are really keen on that.  Tim was surprised that he didn’t hear me say “it’s too salty,” my signature comment when dining out.

We both needed to walk around after that meal so I suggested Home Goods…of course…You can imagine just how thrilled Tim was.  But in my defense, their inventory changes constantly so it pays to be a faithful and devoted customer ;).  The downside is that you always walk out with items you never imagined you needed..like these…

It rained all weekend so we spent a lot of time at home.  Poor Kona..we promised to take him to a park, but that never happened…

Lastly, I wanted to share with you a company called Honest Tea.  Have you heard of it?  I’ve never tried it but apparently Tim tried a sample at the Bite of Oregon event that we attended last year.  Who knows where I was…

So when they contacted me to see if I was interested in receiving a sample of their product, I gladly said “of course!”  The company was launched in 1998 by Seth and Barry (he was actually Seth’s professor at Yale!)  who wanted to create a product that showcased..well, the natural, simple flavor of tea.  The tea leaves are not pulverized, processed, or concentrated nor are the drinks drowning in sugar or other artificial ingredients.  Not only do they strive to create beverages that are all-natural, USDA certified organic, and healthy, their mission also entails creating honest relationships with their suppliers, customers, and with the communities in which they do business.  All of their teas are Fair Trade Certified, and they work hard to leave a lighter environmental footprint.  In 2010, The Huffington Post ranked Honest Tea as one of the “8 Revolutionary Socially Responsible Companies.”  I love that!

What I especially enjoyed reading and learning about was their “Keeping it Honest” mission report, which they created to annually assess how well they’re living up their mission.  In here you can learn of their recycling initiative, their involvement and partnership with Fair Trade USA, etc.  This is truly a company that cares not only about your health, but the environment and world aid.  I don’t know about you, but when I hear of stories like this, it helps me to appreciate and trust the product.

Having said all this, now I’m ready to introduce you to a variety of delicious offerings to quench your thirst.  The 1st product line that was launched was “Honest Tea” which offers flavors such as Mango Acai White Tea, Moroccan Mint Tea, and Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry.

I was sent an assortment of flavors, including their “Honest Zero” line in which organic stevia rather than sugar is added for a hint of sweetness.  Don’t you just love the packaging on the Honest Ade?

Take a look at their nutrition label and the ingredient list.  It doesn’t get any more honest or simpler than that!

So next time you reach for that darn soda or sugary drink, think again!  Oftentimes we forget to count the calories in what we drink, but remember, they add up…quickly.  Give Honest Tea a try!

Question:

– How did you spend your weekend?  Lots of lounging around at home in my pjs.  It was glorious!

– Have you tried Honest Tea?  If not, check out their website.  You can also follow them on fb and twitter @honesttea!

Disclaimer:  I received a sample from Honest Tea but was not compensated beyond that for this post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.