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The takeout place El Chilito has finally opened up at Manor and Cherrywood in East Austin. I haven't eaten there yet, but it seems to be doing a brisk business. There's no indoor seating, but at lunchtime there's plenty of folks eating tacos under the awning in 100-degree weather. In addition, a house at Breeze and Manor is being remodeled for "Clementine Coffee Bar," according to the sign. It looks a little upscale for my blood, and I saw a notice today that a beer and wine license is pending. Regardless, it's certainly nice that I'll be able to take a short walk to a coffeeshop and an inexpensive Mexican place.

I've lived in this neighborhood for three years now, and the last year has seen a lot of new restaurants on what used to seem like a desolate strip of road. It seems like Manor is turning into a smaller version of South First street with a row of restaurants and, perhaps, retail. Also El Chilito and Clementine seem more geared to people who actually live around here. In comparison, the John Mueller's Barbecue and Hoover's seem to attract creeps from other parts of the city, clogging the sidewalks with their oversized trucks and ignoring "small car only" parking signs.

Mueller's customers are egregiously odious. Everyday, customers are parking on the sidewalk, forcing me to run in the busy street, and are rude, if not outright hostile to pedestrians. I find it offensive when the drivers don't look like their from the neighborhood and the building itself is an eyesore. Perhaps one upshot of the sudden growth on Manor is higher rent or property taxes will put that place out of business.

Update: I walked over to El Chilito and got a veggie burrito for lunch. The sad, scrawny thing used a "taco-size" tortilla and set me back four bucks. The veggie burrito didn't have any beans, and I'm pretty sure that the menu said it came with beans. Finally, they were cooking the vegetables on the same filthy grill they were cooking meat. Ickie! Compared to what I could get for four bucks at Wheatsville, this place is a ripoff.