Why is high-end shopping so abysmal in Austin ? (Houston, Dallas: tax, living)

[scm53]

Originally Posted by stan4

You obviously don't know what a good restaurant is.

Lived in Austin 5 years.
My wife lived there 9 years.

What you did in the past has nothing to do with what the restaurant scene is now. Thanks for validating my point - that you haven't spent much time here - recently.

And frankly, you don't know me well enough to know if I know what a good restaurant is. So in addition to being ignorant about the quality of Austin restaurants, you are presumptuous.

Also, Mr. Bourdain would like a word with you.

[kiacook]

Being unpretentious is NOT reserve snobbery! What a load of bull.

[JoninATX]

Places at The Domain like Diesel, Ralph Lauren, Zara's seem high end to me.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

There are two different definitions of 'good restaurant', most likely (well, probably more, but...). Anyway, there are a number of restaurants with excellent food here, but some people will not consider them good because they are not 'fancy' enough.

We ate at a fairly new TexMex restaurant, Dos Salsas, the other day in Cedar Park. Food was pretty good as were the 'ritas, so we'll be back.
However, I was kinda put off that the place was on the fancy side - table cloths with glass tops, chandeliers, no flies in evidence, and nary a broken chip on the floor! What's up with that?

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by alexiana

Why is it that high-end retail, particularly clothing stores, can't seem to find a large enough niche to stay in business in Austin? Outside of Neiman Marcus and By George there's little else. In the last year we've lost Saks, Barney's Co-Op, and Lacoste. Lacoste? Austin can't even support a single Lacoste?

I understand that Austinites are largely laid back but as the city continues to grow, and become a city of greater economic and international significance, I think it's a shame that these retailers can't seem to find a market here.

What are your thoughts?

You can travel a hour and a half SW and you will find all these stores that you listed @ The Shops of La Cantera.

[mark311]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

We ate at a fairly new TexMex restaurant, Dos Salsas, the other day in Cedar Park. Food was pretty good as were the 'ritas, so we'll be back.
However, I was kinda put off that the place was on the fancy side - table cloths with glass tops, chandeliers, no flies in evidence, and nary a broken chip on the floor! What's up with that?

You should hit the original Dos Salsas in Georgetown then. It's older and a bit less "polished".

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

We ate at a fairly new TexMex restaurant, Dos Salsas, the other day in Cedar Park. Food was pretty good as were the 'ritas, so we'll be back.
However, I was kinda put off that the place was on the fancy side - table cloths with glass tops, chandeliers, no flies in evidence, and nary a broken chip on the floor! What's up with that?

Yes, please no frou-frou places in the 'burbs! Give me my small-town Texas eateries any day of the week.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by mark311

You should hit the original Dos Salsas in Georgetown then. It's older and a bit less "polished".

Beat me to it. The original is not at all like that.

[Trainwreck20]

That the place on the south side of the Square in G'town? Have not been there in years, I need to get back

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Austin97

As far as I know there are no restaurants in austin that require a jacket. In fact jeans and flip flops are ok everywhere. I like it this way and believe this is an austin core value - casual. Even pretentious in our casualness.

This right here - this is one of the things that makes Austin NOT Dallas or Houston, and we should treasure it (and if we don't, we should probably be living in Dallas or Houston - haven't lived in Houston, have lived in Dallas, and it's another kind of lifestyle, which is fine - not every place has to be all things to all people, that was lies eventual homogeneity and boredom).

One of the delights of Austin has been seeing a line down the sidewalk outside of Jeffrey's (what, you thought Franklin's invented the long line to get in?) with someone in full evening attire standing in line next to someone in jeans and cowboy boots, and no one thought anything of it. Sort of like parties at Liz Carpenter's that I was told of by a frequent attendee the guest lists of which had everyone from Lady Bird Johnson to the check-out clerk that Liz met while buying supplies for the party and liked and invited. Nobody minds if you get all dressed up, everybody has their own kind of fun and playing dress-up is always a blast, but no one is particularly impressed by it, either, and insisting that everyone else do the same or cater to you wanting to do that or look down on those that don't isn't considered particularly impressive, either.