16 Women in an Austin Airbnb - what to eat?
April 9, 2018 8:04 AM Subscribe
I'm helping stock a house for 16 women on a bachelorette party trip in a house in Austin this weekend with food. What do I get? Where do I get it from?
We will be staying in the house from Friday-Monday and don't want to eat every meal out. We have access to a grill and full kitchen. I'll be first in the house and was planning on using Instacart to order, just not sure what store. Here's the plan so far:
Friday night - Chips, salsa, guacamole. Followed by burgers, grilled chicken, and salad.
Saturday - Breakfast tacos! Big fruit salad.
Sunday - Fancy cheese and charcuterie plate.
We're adding lots of non-alcoholic drinks to the mix of wine and beer as well. Age range is 23-41. No restrictions or allergies, but mostly healthy eaters. There will be lots of drinking, so want to make sure everyone has enough to snack on.
Any suggestions for the right store to order from, good things to have around for snacks, or other great group meals that are simple to put together would be greatly appreciated!
We will be staying in the house from Friday-Monday and don't want to eat every meal out. We have access to a grill and full kitchen. I'll be first in the house and was planning on using Instacart to order, just not sure what store. Here's the plan so far:
Friday night - Chips, salsa, guacamole. Followed by burgers, grilled chicken, and salad.
Saturday - Breakfast tacos! Big fruit salad.
Sunday - Fancy cheese and charcuterie plate.
We're adding lots of non-alcoholic drinks to the mix of wine and beer as well. Age range is 23-41. No restrictions or allergies, but mostly healthy eaters. There will be lots of drinking, so want to make sure everyone has enough to snack on.
Any suggestions for the right store to order from, good things to have around for snacks, or other great group meals that are simple to put together would be greatly appreciated!
I'd load up on La Croix or some other flavored sparkling water. They are heavenly when you're hungover and a must for trips like this.
posted by cakelite at 8:29 AM on April 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by cakelite at 8:29 AM on April 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Lara bars, Oreos, M&MS, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, and string cheese. Also fat free yogurt and granola.
posted by CatastropheWaitress at 8:39 AM on April 9, 2018
posted by CatastropheWaitress at 8:39 AM on April 9, 2018
Bananas. Grapes. Nuts. Triscuits/other crackers. Muffins/croissants/cookies. (Basically, stuff that's easy to grab and eat without a plate or utensils). Pita/veggies/hummus?
posted by yawper at 10:22 AM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by yawper at 10:22 AM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Instacart in Austin will deliver to you from Central Market, HEB, Whole Foods, Spec's (liquor store), Costco, and a few others I'm forgetting. You can get almost everything you want from Central Market. The only thing that might be tricky is the cheese and charcuterie - you can definitely get those things from Central Market on Instacart, you just might not have access to the full selection you might have in the store.
I would generally recommend Central Market over Whole Foods, largely because you can also get non-fancy/non-organic foods from Central Market (e.g., you can get regular chips instead of the super fanciest but also somewhat inedible chips that are sometimes the only option at Whole Foods). Whole Foods may have a better selection of cheese and charcuterie, though. The good news is that you can do an Instacart order from BOTH STORES at the SAME TIME. They will probably come in two deliveries, but that's probably OK.
You cannot order beer and wine from the grocery stores on Instacart in Texas, but you can do a beer/wine/liquor order from Spec's at the same time. Spec's also has some gourmet foods available (fancy crackers, things like that), so you could peruse their selection on Instacart, too.
If you decide not to do Instacart and you have access to a car, the downtown flagship Whole Foods has ample parking in an underground garage and is enormous, or you could just find your closest HEB. (Caveat: some HEBs are better than others.)
posted by devinemissk at 10:22 AM on April 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
I would generally recommend Central Market over Whole Foods, largely because you can also get non-fancy/non-organic foods from Central Market (e.g., you can get regular chips instead of the super fanciest but also somewhat inedible chips that are sometimes the only option at Whole Foods). Whole Foods may have a better selection of cheese and charcuterie, though. The good news is that you can do an Instacart order from BOTH STORES at the SAME TIME. They will probably come in two deliveries, but that's probably OK.
You cannot order beer and wine from the grocery stores on Instacart in Texas, but you can do a beer/wine/liquor order from Spec's at the same time. Spec's also has some gourmet foods available (fancy crackers, things like that), so you could peruse their selection on Instacart, too.
If you decide not to do Instacart and you have access to a car, the downtown flagship Whole Foods has ample parking in an underground garage and is enormous, or you could just find your closest HEB. (Caveat: some HEBs are better than others.)
posted by devinemissk at 10:22 AM on April 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Carrots/celery/peppers and hummus/other dips
Cookies
Fancy cheese, bread, crackers, olives, maybe some tapenades or fancy jams or cured meats
Definitely fancy sparkling water
Brownie mix
Fruit - grapes, apples, bananas, etc
COFFEE
Not exactly what you are asking - but my friends do an annual reunion and one of our favorite parts is hiring a private chef to cook us dinner one evening. Might be nice to do on Sunday evening, assuming Saturday night is your big night out. It's much more private and cozy, and we're all workaholics, moms, or both, and having someone else cook, serve us, & do all the clean up is such a treat! It's seriously one of the best evenings of my year.
posted by john_snow at 10:26 AM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Cookies
Fancy cheese, bread, crackers, olives, maybe some tapenades or fancy jams or cured meats
Definitely fancy sparkling water
Brownie mix
Fruit - grapes, apples, bananas, etc
COFFEE
Not exactly what you are asking - but my friends do an annual reunion and one of our favorite parts is hiring a private chef to cook us dinner one evening. Might be nice to do on Sunday evening, assuming Saturday night is your big night out. It's much more private and cozy, and we're all workaholics, moms, or both, and having someone else cook, serve us, & do all the clean up is such a treat! It's seriously one of the best evenings of my year.
posted by john_snow at 10:26 AM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Baked french toast casserole with syrup and fruit, 3 packages of baked bacon (less mess and smell than stovetop frying and it comes out even better), and a big pan of scrambled eggs, served with fruit, coffee, and mimosas, would be a wonderful breakfast.
Keep some fancy popsicles or ice cream bars, and some Gatorade on hand, too.
And have lots of matches for bathroom smells!
posted by pseudostrabismus at 12:10 PM on April 9, 2018
Keep some fancy popsicles or ice cream bars, and some Gatorade on hand, too.
And have lots of matches for bathroom smells!
posted by pseudostrabismus at 12:10 PM on April 9, 2018
Go to Central Market and have fun gathering stuff from the cheese and bread aisles and accouterment aisles. You can put together various grazing plates with fruit, honeys, mustards, jams, meats, olives and other antipasti, bread, crackers, cheese, etc. You can switch them up throughout the weekend.
posted by tofu_crouton at 2:16 PM on April 9, 2018
posted by tofu_crouton at 2:16 PM on April 9, 2018
I would go to Central Market in person for the cheese/charcuterie, at which point I'd swing by the HEB at 41st and Red River for everything else. There's also a liquor store in that shopping center--grocery stores in Texas sell beer and wine, but not liquor. Another reason to go in person, beyond witnessing the wonder that is HEB, is that HEB makes tortillas in the store--they're in the bakery section (there's a tortilla-making machine/area between the deli counter and the bakery counter). I don't know if you can get fresh tortillas from Instacart, but, if not, El Milagro corn tortillas would be my next choice.
(If you're staying further east, there's a fancy HEB near 51st and Mueller that would probably do for everything. I don't eat meat, but they do have a bigger-than-usual selection of cheese. This location also has fresh tortillas, again in the bakery. They're harder to spot--there's a case with potentially-warm tortillas and usually some out on the tables with the baked goods.)
posted by hoyland at 3:51 PM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
(If you're staying further east, there's a fancy HEB near 51st and Mueller that would probably do for everything. I don't eat meat, but they do have a bigger-than-usual selection of cheese. This location also has fresh tortillas, again in the bakery. They're harder to spot--there's a case with potentially-warm tortillas and usually some out on the tables with the baked goods.)
posted by hoyland at 3:51 PM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you want to support a couple of other local stores wheatsville and twin liquors are great as well.
posted by Annika Cicada at 4:37 PM on April 9, 2018
posted by Annika Cicada at 4:37 PM on April 9, 2018
And wiggy’s for liquor too.
posted by Annika Cicada at 4:38 PM on April 9, 2018
posted by Annika Cicada at 4:38 PM on April 9, 2018
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Their high-end store is called Central Market, and has excellent stuff that’s a bit spendier, maybe more appropriate for a celebration. It’s a fun store to shop at, has a nice cafe attached too. Maybe try some nice fresh gulf seafood if you swing that way.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:16 AM on April 9, 2018 [2 favorites]