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Here's my first post.

My wife and I are consummate foodies. We eat, and we eat well. I worked for Central Market a while ago, and there I became acquainted with the kiwano, kiwi, heirloom tomatoes, russet potatoes, and whatever else you can eat raw, eat cooked, or just use as decoration. I worked as a Food Demo and then as a Foodie.
Our friends are foodies, our families are foodies.
Naturally, we tend to eat at places all over the fair city of Austin. That's part of the charm of this city. There is definitely no shortage of great restaurants. We were on the search for such a restaurant when we stumbled upon a little gem of an eatery named Somnio's.
Right on First St., next door to Sugar Mamas (which I will highlight later), there's this little shack with limited parking, 'Somnio's' painted along the side of the building. Parking is in back, so my wife and I pull in, turn off the car and walk up the stairs opposite the handicap ramp and pull the handle to the door. Immediately, you're struck by the aroma of bison beef, sweet potatoes, cumin, paprika, and whatever else you want to imagine. There are only a handful of tables and chairs and a pleasant "Hello." We stand, dazed at the pure atmosphere. There's a table in the middle of the restaurant that beckons to us, so we oblige. There's jasmine tea, black tea, green tea (all from a local company), and several other imbibes. As we sit, we notice the quaint atmosphere. We are surrounded by just a smattering of tables and chairs, some occupied by lovers lost in each others' eyes or associates climbing the same ladder. There's a chandelier directly above us and abover the other tables. The server comes to us more as an old friend than someone that's going to give us our ticket later. I look up and order the Philly Cheesesteak because I am very particular about my cheesesteak. My wife got the Chicken Salad Sandwich. We both, for our sides, ordered the Sweet Potato Curry Soup, a real soup and sandwich combo. The brilliance behind these items is that they are very difficult to make right. A Philly Cheesesteak, and there are they who will argue with me, should not be covered in nacho cheese. The steak must be tender and the onions and peppers should retain a little amount of crunch.
Their steak is juicy, the peppers make an audible sound as I bit into them, their juices tumbling down my chin. The bread is still crispy. The cheese stays on the beef and peppers the whole time.
The Chicken Salad could be a coup d'grace or a coup disgrace. Sometimes, and is more often the case, chicken salad sandwiches err on the side of dryness. In some places, not so skilled as Somnio's, the chicken salad will taste more like cotton balls swabbed in mayo. Theirs made the Thames a rio seco. The delicate balance of carrots and celery reminded you of those simpler times where your momma would toss all the fresh veggies from the garden and a newly slaughtered, cooked chicken into a big bowl and serve it on a seven-grain slice of heaven. Definitely a victory from behind.
The soup. Readers, the soup. The sweet potatoes add more than the color. We taste cayenne, garbanzo beans, perhaps a chance at coconut milk, as opposed to heavy cream. It leaves a subtle aroma in your nose as you ladle it on to your tongue. Some of it even stays on the spoon.
Well sated and satisfied, my wife and I sit back and enjoy conversation. Since we stopped in for lunch, I still have my coffee mug with me. The waitress, before bringing my check, offers to top me off with the coffee she's about to pour out. I say yes. When it's all said and done, we look at our tab, $21 and some change, which is about average.
We kindly say our thank you's and usher ourselves out. Also, on a side note, Somnio's takes the Austin Go Local Card. Overall, the experience couldn't have better. You feel like you have just had dinner at a friend's house, far removed from the traffic problems and overcrowding of S. First. Take your friends and family. Take your girlfriends or boyfriends. Take them now.

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