Kelly Phillips Austin Blogger

Kelly Phillips Austin Blogger Kelly Phillips
Photographer, Blogger, and Writer
Portfolio: Kphilphoto.com
Content Creator for DiscoveringATX.com

Frank & Margie’s (Frank and Margie's) is OPEN for business!  This is the newest concept from husband-and-wife owners Phi...
05/17/2026

Frank & Margie’s (Frank and Margie's) is OPEN for business!

This is the newest concept from husband-and-wife owners Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee of Scratch Restaurants Group.

📍 1401 S I-35 Frontage Rd 35 120, Round Rock, TX 78664
⏰ Wednesday-Sunday evenings

This neighborhood Italian restaurant features thin-crust pizzas, handmade pastas, delicious mains, and a curated selection of cocktails and Italian wines.

We tried…
⭐️ The Mozzarella Sticks ($12): Absolutely delicious, especially the housemade marinara and ranch.
⭐️ Caprese Salad ($16): The flavors of the salad were so good, especially the aged balsamic! The Cesar also looked good though, so I might switch it up next time.
⭐️ Rigatoni alla Vodka ($21): 10/10 perfect. I will definitely order this again next time. I actually just finished my reheated leftovers and it was still SO good.
⭐️ Chicken Parmesan ($26): The chicken parm was good, BUT, it doesn’t come with any noodles. I thought that was weird… I feel like most people would expect noodles with their chicken parm! So just a heads up if you order it.
⭐️ Pepperoni & Hot Honey Pizza ($22): I thought the pizza was good, but I would probably skip it next time and focus just on the pasta, which I thought were better!
⭐️ Tiramisu ($14): Obviously so delicious. It’s also certainly big enough to share.
⭐️ Sweet Cream Soft Serve ($8): Not a bad size, but I’d want to order my own because I’m an ice cream fanatic, haha. The toppings of caramel, olive oil, candied cacao nibs, and sea salt really sell the dish.

With drinks (cocktails range $12-15), our bill would have been $149 (our meal was comped). As you can see, we ordered quite a bit of food, so that doesn’t seem overly pricey for a date night.

I would definitely go back! I’d order the Mozzarella Sticks, a Cesar Salad (just to try something new), the Rigatoni alla Vodka, and the soft serve. Mmmmm… I’m drooling just thinking about it!

12/30/2025

Closing out the year with some festive times at Peppermint Parkway at Circuit of The Americas!

Is Peppermint Parkway at COTA worth it? Let’s discuss.

Their marketing says Peppermint Parkway is now a walkthrough lights experience, but honestly, I’d say it’s more of a fair. There are lots of rides and activities. Less “Trail of Lights” walking and more “kids running around at a winter carnival.”

We added on the F1 track lap ($35 and our group agreed - worth it) and it’s better than I remember. The track is much better lit. You can see the grandstands! The loop takes about 10 minutes to cruise.

I also loved the easy in and out of Peppermint Parkway. Parking is free, fast, and convenient. Exiting is super quick too, no backup or lines of cars anywhere.

If you know you and/or your kiddos are going to want to ride the rides and do activities, the cost is going to add up. I’ve got the breakdown on DiscoveringATX.com if you wanna learn more! Just search “COTA” in the search bar.

Did you go this year? Did you like it??

If you haven’t been to  yet - now is the time!  Their cocktail menu is top tier. Cocktail craftsman Olivier has really o...
12/09/2025

If you haven’t been to yet - now is the time!

Their cocktail menu is top tier. Cocktail craftsman Olivier has really outdone himself with their current signatures.

A sampling of those drinks include…
⭐️ North Star Dirty Martini
⭐️ Strawberry Nebula
⭐️ Mezcal Mission
⭐️ Frozen Carajillo

And more, including TCH infused drinks! There were two that really stood out to me as exceptional, though:

⭐️ Galaxy’s Oasis - Joining the menu soon, but you can still order it! Matcha cold foam, a pinch of salt, a touch sweet… it’s the drink I chose to finish from the bunch!
⭐️ Amaterasu’s Cup - Saint Louise brandy, sweet potato, High Horse orange liqueur, and lemon. Don’t be afraid of the sweet potato! This one is delish.

is vibier than when I first visited! Their kitchen opens at 4pm and from what I’ve seen, the chicken sandwich and burger are excellent. The kitchen was closed when I visited, sadly, but I’ll be coming back for a WFH session soon enough.

There are lots of tables, coffee and cocktails, and good parking. Im a big fan of this space!

.baked.crust is now open in Leander 🎉 Their official grand opening is November 19th at 3pm - Stop by then to get 20% off...
11/14/2025

.baked.crust is now open in Leander 🎉

Their official grand opening is November 19th at 3pm - Stop by then to get 20% off!

📍 14105 Ronald W Reagan Blvd, Unit 304

The menu is huge - pizza, drinks, wings, salads, sliders, appetizers… whatever your heart desires. They’ve even got a vegan pizza option!

My recommendation is the Truffle Mushroom pizza.

In addition to great food, the staff is SO kind. Everyone I interacted with was so helpful and accommodating!

Welcome to Leander, .baked.crust! So happy to have you!

Feed your creative side - and your nose (is that weird??) - at one of .co’s candle making workshops!Run by Audrey and Za...
09/26/2025

Feed your creative side - and your nose (is that weird??) - at one of .co’s candle making workshops!

Run by Audrey and Zaid, .co (located on W. 41st street, don’t get confused) is an adorable little shop making natural candles with wholesome ingredients. They also carry products by lots of local creators, making it the perfect spot to gift shop. Or to treat yo’ self, no judgement here!

I attended a Standard Candle Making Class, but they also do private classes for birthdays, bachelorette parties, corporate events, etc. My class was comped by .co (thank you!) but typically, the standard class is $60 per person.

During the class, I was able to mix scents for my own 10oz candle and pour it myself in a glass tumbler. I smelled a ton of difference fragrances and trialed mixing them together. You’d be amazed how differently scents come together! In the end, I landed on a mix of lavender, lime (I know! But it worked!), and cardamom.

Then, I decorated the top with dried goodies.

Overall, it was a super fun experience! Zaid was such a fun instructor and the other people in the class were super nice. It made for a really enjoyable 2 hours! And, I got a beautiful, fresh, custom made (by me!) 10oz candle to take home at the end.

The lineup for future candle making classes is stacked:
🔥 Fall Candle Making Workshop 10/18
🔥 Pumpkin Candle Making Workshop 10/25
🔥 Wood Bowl Candle Making Workshop 11/8
🔥 Holiday Candle Making Workshop 12/13

Also, .co offers way more than just candle making! They’ve got classes on crochet, Haunted Terrariums, fall foliage linoleum printmaking, holiday taper candle painting, sewing, screen printing, clay menorah making, and MORE.

You can find the full lineup of classes and shop online at 7thstreetcandle.co

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Austin, TX

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