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something very Beat about it.
We have become more grown up. There is something to be proud
of here, Hannon gleefully exclaims about her home. Our
schools
are better. People want to live here. This is the place to be
now.
The clandestine location of the 263 as a local watering hole
and
marketplace is quite popular considering the closest grocery
store is
within a 15 mile radius. Much better than being stuck with a
Valero,
which was previously the usual qu ick stop for everyone in the
area.
The markets shelves are stocked full with the locals in mind
with
many Austin and Texas native products. Eggs come from
chickens
living on the property as well as fruits and vegetables from
their
own gardens. Growlers are for sale and can be lled with a
variety
of draft beers, or with kombucha from Buddhas Brew.
Despite the 263s humble establishment and laid-back charm,
Dennis Liddy is no stranger to the business of food. Having
never
attended culinary school, Liddy seems to have done all right
for
himself.
I went to Over the Stove University, Liddy reects.
Not to toot his own horn too loudly, but his background
includesworking with Robbie Day at the San Francisco St. Bar &
Grill in New
Mexico, Austins own West Lynn Caf in the early 1990s and The
Bitter End thereafter, Granite Caf, and the well-known
Escalera
Caf in Santa Fe.
I may not have a piece of paper fr
to me, but the natural knack and p
something that cannot be taught.
Liddy that he has this natural gift.
Before opening the 263, Liddy
construction company and would
his marketplace, wondering if some
location. Then in May of 2012 he ope
Later in June, the restaurant came to
congregating the neighbors. Swarm
nights and weekends for dinner a nd
its dog-friendly patio, or pop in for san
breakfast tacos to get through their
This may not be the only projec
Hannon have in store for their com
are currently teaming up to reo
landscaping company, and the rest
expand their hours to be open for lu
open for these two. In the words of the top of every receipt at
the 263,
all things yet. ALM
A B LA C K S I LH O U ET T E S T EN C I L O F JA C K K ERO U A C
S F A C E
HOVERS ON THE WHITE BRICK WALL ABOVE THE WINE DISPLAY.
Next to his eyes reside the opening lines to On the Road: The
only
people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live,
mad
to talk, mad to be saved. Glass growlers bearing Charles
Bukowskis
swaggering profile happily chugging a beer a re on display
for
purchase to be lled with delicious potables. Traces of these
and
other Beat poets and writers are artfully branded throughout
263
Restaurant and Provisions, the concept of residential
neighbor
Dennis Liddy.
When Liddy was in his twenties, a close friend gave him his
rst
copy of the seminal Beat text On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, and
it
struck a denitive note with him. Liddy kept digging around
for
more inspiring texts and found Charles Bukowski along the
way,
whose works would continue his studies. These writers have
been
his heroes, and Dennis Liddy has adopted their personal
mantras
as his own.Those that are not native Austinites (myself
included) may not
be aware of the history behind the 263 prex (as in 512
263-XXXX)
and the reputation that the area attached to this code garnered
over
the years. If you lived west of Capital of Texas Highway you
were
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a 263, east you were a 327. Little details like this have
monumental
importance in differentiating subcultures in a
numbers-obsessed
town.
Back in the day, if you were a 263, you were considered to be
in
the boonies, with the riff raff and the trailer trash. No one
wanted
to be a 263, said Sarah Hannon, general manager of 263
Provisions
and a sixth generation Austinite.
I have lived on the east side and prett y much all over Austin.
But
this is denitely my favorite area to beCuernavaca Street,
admits
Liddy.
In this current age, the area that was once known as the 263
is
nowhere near being considered the boonies or riff raff. Time
loves
to play tricks in this town. Beautiful robust houses set atop
well
landscaped hilly lawns that snake through the catacomb of
the
Austin Lake Estates neighborhood with Liddys quaint
establishment
staking its claim in the middle of the horseshoe-shaped
community.
This is an area where one does not lock their front door and
golf
carts are driven to visit your neighbor. A rare small town vibe
in the
heart of the bustling city of Austin reigns strong with these
locals,reminiscent of an Austin once past.
It was no surprise that Liddy decided to use the 263 prex in
naming his store. Embracing the dishonorable reputation and
owning it as Liddy likes to say. One cant help but think
theres
66 austinlifestylemagazine.com
263 Restaurant
and Provisions
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66 austinlifestylemagazine.com
BY SAMANTHA PARMAN
