The day has come! Paul Qui has announced that he will stay in Austin to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant on South Lamar. Breathe a sigh of relief, Austin!

According to Serious Eats NY, “[the] restaurant will have two separate spaces that share a single kitchen: a 50-seat dining room and then a 12-seat bar where he’ll serve a tasting menu.” Qui expanded a little bit more on his new restaurant, saying it will ”sort of [be] like a kaiseki? But not really like that. The plates will be a little bigger than sushi bites. It’ll be my style of food: Asian-esque.” Qui further said that he had much of his concept down until traveling to Copenhagen, where he found a great deal more of inspiration.

Attention, Austin foodies. You know that Thai restaurant that’s being built across from the Elizabeth Street Café by the La Condesa people? The one we’re all watching slowly rise from a vacant lot seemingly forever? Two of the most pressing questions about it have now been answered: The restaurant’s name will be Sway and it’s opening late this summer.

That’s sway, as in “beautiful” or “pretty” in the Thai language. More to the point, it means “delicious” if you’re talking about food. The other day co-owner Jesse Herman and executive chef–partner Rene Ortiz threw a small sneak-peek tasting party. Afterward, Herman led a walk through the new digs (still a work in progress), which are being designed by Austin architect-of-the-moment Michael Hsu.

The space, which seats 150 inside and out, is like nothing else I’ve seen in Austin. The kitchen is literally part of the dining room, like a theater in the round. All the seating is at community tables and counters, and the walls and furniture are made entirely of mahogany. By my rough estimate, the kitchen takes up nearly a third of the interior space. In fact, diners can even eat in the kitchen at a stainless-steel “chef’s counter.” Given the openness, Herman admitted he might need to ask the cooks to watch their language. (We can all imagine that speech: “No F-bombs! None! Ever!!”)

Guests who don’t book the coveted chef’s counter will dine at the massive community tables throughout the dining room and at the counters that line the plate-glass windows looking onto the garden. (So get used to chatting with strangers, à la Barley Swine.) Except for the curvy counter chairs, all the seating will be benches. The custom-built tables are so massive that it takes four or five men to move one. Maybe it’s all that wood, but the whole time I was there I kept thinking, This reminds me of a den. I know it’s based on the traditional Thai-style lanna house, but to me it felt like a large, exotic, comfy den.

But enough about the space. What about the food? As anyone who’s eaten the interior Mexican cuisine at La Condesa knows, Ortiz takes considerable and tasty liberties with traditional recipes. Sway will be no different. A sampling of six dishes from the fifty-odd on the menu was notable for completely avoiding the sweet, spicy, coconut-milky profile of so many Americanized Thai restaurants. Pad kweitio, for instance, was a mélange of soupy wide rice noodles topped with great crisp pork belly, purple Japanese eggplant, cilantro, and the aromatic herb known as holy basil. Another, incorporating Chinese ideas, was a gorgeous heap of salt-and-pepper lobster that came to the table in its shell (cut into manageable pieces, thank goodness), tossed with fermented black soybeans, cayenne, and a blend of sea salt and pungent powdered Sichuan peppercorns.

Many aspects of Ortiz’s approach come from having lived and worked in Sydney, Australia, for several years, under well-known modern Thai chefs. In that country, much of the restaurant workforce comes from Thailand and Thai restaurants are as commonplace as Mexican restaurants in Texas. In an odd but happy coincidence, both of La Condesa’s owners, Herman and Delfo Trombetta, also had lived in Thailand Australia, where they too were exposed to the contemporary Aussie approach to Thai cooking.

As at La Condesa, desserts will be provided by executive pastry chef Laura Sawicki, recently named one of Food & Wine’s best new pastry chefs in the United States. Going even farther afield, her creations use Thai flavors basically as a jumping-off point, like her bracing affogato with Thai tea and tapioca pearls on ice cream, or her cashew fudge brownies lavished with chocolate mousse, honey-tinged popped amaranth grain, maldon sea salt, and dabs of miso cashew butter.

Hiring for the kitchen and front of house should start in a few weeks. If all goes according to plan, Sway will be open in late summer, and you’ll never feel quite the same about plain old pad thai again.   (The address is 1417 S. First.  Sway will be open for both lunch and dinner seven days a week.)

Tagged: Delfo Trombetta, Jesse Herman, la condesa, Laura Sawicki, Rene Ortiz, Sway

On Friday, viewers across the world watched the spectacular opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. And even though the celebration of the Olympics is taking place across the pond, there are a few Texas bars and restaurants that are managing to bring the “spirit” of the Olympics to the Lone Star State. Check out these delicious Olympic-inspired cocktails being served across Texas throughout the 2012 Olympic Games.

Oak (Bartender Abe Bedell)

The Gemstone

The Gemstone
2 oz Bombay Sapphire
1 ½ oz grapefruit juice
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
½ oz Velvet Falernum
½ oz club soda

Prep: Pour all liquids into mixing glass, shake, and strain into collins glass. Garnish with grapefruit disc and a lemon wedge.

“Imagine the hot humid heat this summer at the 2012 Olympics. This is the cocktail I imagine cooling off with. Think of it as a Greyhound on HGH! It is that refreshing and with strong gin as the backbone of this cocktail, you might not remember who won the gold, but you will have fun while you do it.” – Bedell

Bolsa (Bartender Kyle Hilla)

Stratford Tea Party

Stratford Tea Party
1 oz Bombay London Dry Gin
½ oz honey syrup
½ oz lemon juice
1 oz camomile/anise tea
1 fresh egg white

Prep: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled martini glass.

“This cocktail is based on a cocktail named the White Lady, created in 1919 by Harry MacElhone while working at Ciro’s Club in London. Since the Olympics are in London this year, I wanted to use a London-based cocktail with a twist. [Therefore,] I added the honey syrup and the camomile/anise tea. To add a bit more flair, I topped it off with the Olympic Rings.” – Hilla

Malai Kitchen (Celeb Mixologist Jason Kosmas). This is an Olympic-sized cocktail for two people

Singapore Sling

Singapore Sling
2 ½ oz Beefeater Gin
1 ½ oz Triplum (Luxardo)
1 oz Benedictine (B&B)
1 ½ oz lime juice
2 oz Cherry Heering Liqueur
6 oz pineapple juice
6 dashes bitters

“This is the original Singapore Sling recipe from the Raffles Hotel. I learned this recipe from Dale Degroff (who also re-introduced it to the hotel of its origin). We are treating it like a punch as it has a plethora of ingredients: gin, Cherry Heering, Cointreau, Benedictine, Angostura Bitters, lime juice, and pineapple juice. It is classic from that part of the world and is great in hot weather as a drink to share.” – Kosmas

Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar (Kosmas, who is also Marquee’s Executive Bar Manager, created this London-inspired cocktail)

The Pimms Cup

The Pimms Cup
2 oz Pimm’s No.1
¾ oz Cointreau
¾ oz fresh lime juice
1 oz ginger beer
1 sprig of mint
3 slices of cucumber

Prep: In a collins glass, pour Pimm’s, Cointreau, and lime juice. Add ice, mint, and cucumber. Shake briefly and top off with ginger beer.

“Originally invented in 1823 in an oyster bar in London, Pimm’s No.1 is a bottled cocktail of gin, quinine, and a secret mix of fruits and herbs. Traditionally, it is mixed with lemon-lime soda and cucumber. Over the years, it became the official drink of Wimbledon and is very popular in New Orleans because of its refreshing qualities. This is my variation on the traditional Pimm’s Cup.” – Kosmas

W Austin
Libationist Joyce Garrison has created a celebratory red, white, and blue cocktail. The prosecco emphasizes the celebratory aspect of the drink, and whether it’s a win or loss for America, the drink is still worth drinking. Like Garrison says, “everything’s better with some bubbles.”

Campari Celebration

Campari Celebration
½ oz Campari
½ oz St~Germain
½ oz egg white
1 oz Prosecco

Prep: Combine ingredients without the Prosecco into a shaker with ice. Shake well, strain into chilled martini glass, float Prosecco, garnish with blue egg foam, and celebrate.

Sullivan’s Steakhouse

The Victory Lap

Victory Lap (A drink inspired by the athlete. It’s made with coconut water –  a popular electrolyte replenisher for athletes.)

1 ½ oz Pearl Coconut Vodka
1 oz Zico Coconut Water
½ oz Lemon Sour
splash of Sprite
Garnish: lime wedge squeeze

Swift’s Attic

1984 (Named for the 1984 Olympics games that took place in Los Angeles.)

1984 (Photo taken by Kelsey Orr)

1 ¼ oz Death’s Door Gin
¾ oz Cointreau
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters

Prep: Shake hard with ice. Strain into martini glass. Garnish with fresh lime wedge.

icenhauer’s

For the duration of the 2012 Olympics, each signature cocktail at icenhauer’s will take the name of an inspiring U.S. Olympic athlete, such as The Lolo, The Hope, The Misti May, and The Allyson.

The Kathleen

Icenhauer’s will show their hometown pride with The Kathleen, named for University of Texas swimmer Kathleen Hersey. Hersey will be competing in the 2012 games in London.

Tagged: Layne Lynch, London, Olympics

They went as quickly as they came! Sorry, ya’ll! The Texas Monthly BBQ Festival tickets have officially sold out. The VIP tickets were gone faster than the blink of an eye, and now the general admission passes have all been snatched up as well. For those lucky individuals who got their passes, we look forward to seeing you all on September 23!
Trust me, you’re in for a day of some delicious barbecue, and we apologize for the meat sweats in advance. For those of you who missed out, get like a pack of ravenous wolves and track some tickets down. Believe me, you don’t want to miss out on this year’s action.

Tagged: barbecue, bbq, brisket, Layne Lynch, Texas Monthly BBQ, Texas Monthly BBQ Festival

If there’s one example to follow in starting a Texas vineyard, Perissos Vineyards and Winery would be the one. Not only because this boutique winery near Inks Lake makes some phenomenal estate wines but because each deliberate, carefully-planned step owners Seth and Laura Martin took in creating this idyllic winery was a building block to the next level of making beautiful Texas wines.

Having heard so much buzz about Perissos, I was eager to get out there and see it myself. According to the Martins, the winery got its name from a Greek word meaning “exceeding abundantly,” which is a personal mission of owners Seth and Laura Martin who have spent the better part of a decade creating craft wines that raise the bar for Texas wine. And if you taste just about any of their wines, you’ll find that they do. From the beautiful Hlll Country town of Marble Falls, you take a winding stretch of road past Longhorn Caverns. As it turns out, driving into the vineyards is like driving into a little piece of heaven and you soon find that what this family has been blessed with is indeed, exceedingly abundant.

I passed Seth on his 4-wheel ATV on the narrow granite road towards the large barn-style winery while he  was checking on a few vines. He told me to grab a glass of Viognier in the tasting room and he’d meet me in front. I followed his instruction and before I knew it I was walking through the Martin’s “Library Block,” a section of the vineyard with one row representing each of about a dozen different varietals the family grows on their 13-acre vineyard.

The Library Block is the key element in determining what grapes the Martins will grow. Before they decide to work with a different grape, they first plant one row of that grape with about 75 vines—enough to produce one barrel of wine. If they like how that barrel turns out, they’ll invest more acreage in their vineyard with that particular grape, but not before that grape has proved itself in the Library Block.

“We’ve had to boot strap this whole operation. We wanted to a high level of accuracy with our grapes from the very beginning and we had to have that test vineyard to make our mistakes on a manner of scale,” says Seth Martin. “That way we have an idea of what to expect before planting a whole vineyard of a particular varietal. If you have to tear out 75 vines because a certain varietal doesn’t work, that’s better than having to tear out 750 vines that you planted on a whim.”

The idea behind this family vineyard stemmed from a hobby the Martin’s began to foster more than 12 years ago when Seth was a custom homebuilder in Austin. After a couple of test plots and a few barrels of garage-made wines, the Martin’s were on the hunt for the perfect property to start a new life in the wine industry. In 2003, they settled on a plot in the Colorado River Basin with ample soils of decomposed granite and just enough clay to help keep vines well nourished. By the end of 2005, they had finished out much of their Library Block and were well on their way to producing a strong portfolio of wines.

Their primary grape selections? The kind you’d find in Europe, along the same latitude line of Central Texas. (Portugal, Spain, Southern France, Central Italy)

White: Viognier, Roussanne, Muscat

Red: Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Aglianico, Dolcetto, Malbec

When you meet with Seth and Laura a few things become apparent:

Precision in Winemaking

Seth makes the wine. (Though Laura is an integral part of the process as well.) From the beginning, the vines are carefully pruned and nurtured from the first detection of bud break. The canopy of leaves is often thinned out as are unsatisfactory grape clusters to help balance the ratio of fruit to vegetation. All of the grapes are hand harvested rather than using a machine for absolute care of the fruit. It’s a lot of work, but for the Martin’s it’s a true labor of love.

The wines are minimally manipulated in order to let the true nature of the fruit shine through. The Martins let the grapes stay on the vine as long as possible to ripen to their fullest potential of flavor characteristics.

“Winemaking is one percent of what we do,” says Seth. “We’re really making our wine on the vine.”

For Martin, the goal is to have as much fruit on the trellis at as possible, which helps maximize overall production. (That’s Seth’s degree in economics talking.) Once harvested, all of the grapes are immediately cold soaked in water-chilled tanks to better control fermentation. The tank room is extremely clean to help prevent any contaminating effects on the wines. Once wine production is complete, the wines are either in tanks or in barrels and they are tasted. Again and again. Between Seth and Laura, if a wine doesn’t make their grade, it doesn’t go to the public. But it doesn’t get dumped down the drain either.

“We send wines that we think are bad to a third party lab to be analyzed,” says Seth who requests a full panel analysis as well as a microbial analysis to find out what faults are in the wine. If it has traces of acetobactor (a bacteria which turns wine to vinegar) or brettanomyces (a yeast which gives wine a pungent barnyard aroma), the Martins want to know.

“That’s how we learn how to prevent future faults,” says Seth. “Every year has its own learning curve with a new lesson. In some ways it’s something you can never truly master, and that’s what I like about it. It’s like you’re an artist who has to paint the same picture on an entirely different canvas. It could be burlap fabric one year and wood the next. The painting should resonate similarities but they are going to be different because of the canvas you started with. It’s the same with wine.”

These guys are serious about the terroir of estate grown wines. 

The vast majority of wines from Perissos are from grapes grown in their own vineyard. While many wineries source the majority of their grapes from grape growers in the High Plains, the Martins are committed to making as much wine as possible from the grapes they have hand-nurtured themselves.

It’s a control thing, yes. But when you taste their wines, you understand why.

“If you want to have the best quality in your wine, the only way to do that is to control how your crop is being managed,” says Martin. “We do source some of our grapes from well respected grape growers like Cliff Bingham and Neal Newsom in the High Plains, but we know that in general, farmers are looking to harvest grapes for the maximum tonnage of fruit they can give their clients. Our goal is to get the most extensive flavor. Which means that sometimes we compromise the overall volume of fruit we can harvest.”

When Perissos does use grapes from other growers, they do not blend those grapes with their own to make wine. Instead, they make estate-only wines using their outsourced grapes and clearly label their bottles with the specific vineyard from which it was sourced including the actual geographic longitudes and latitudes of that vineyard. (For a Roussanne using grapes from Cliff Bingham, the bottle clearly states Bingham Family Vineyards on the front label.)

“We do that because I think wine has a distinct sense of place,” says Martin. “When you arbitrarily blend your grapes with someone else’s, you lose that character.”

Of course, from year to year and from crop to crop, such a strong commitment to single vineyard wines means you don’t always get to produce a consistent amount of wines each year. For instance, in 2010, Perissos harvested 1,500 gallons of Viognier from 1,600 vines on their property. In 2011, those same vines only yielded 500 gallons. (Last year’s summer harvest was the result of the traumatic 2011 drought.) This year’s crop is promising to be significantly more bountiful than almost both previous years combined.

It’s one of the reasons you don’t see Perissos wines on the shelves at large retail outlets like HEB or Spec’s. Their commitment to estate wines puts a cap on how much production they can project from year to year. But for the Martin’s that’s just fine. Eighty-five percent of their wines are sold at the winery anyway. And for them, the experience of tasting that wine at the vineyard itself is half of the reward.

This is a family operation 

That’s because Perissos wines are a reflection of a family endeavor. And you can almost taste that in the wine itself. Walking through the vineyards with the Martins you see that each one of these vines is part of their family, which has already been blessed with five children. (That’s right, three girls and two boys, all of whom are raised, educated, and loved on this property.) Likewise, each grape is evaluated and cared for. They each have a temperament and a typicity; just like a child.

During harvest time, Seth and Laura pick and taste ripening grapes and bicker at each other about the exact date to harvest them. “We used to argue about taking out the trash. Now it’s about when to harvest grapes and if we should blend them,” says Seth who adds, “but she’s always right.”

For the Martins starting this vineyard has rooted their mission in life in more ways than they originally expected. It’s grounded their goals as winemakers and as a family. And who wouldn’t want to grow up here among beautiful vineyards in the heart of the Hill Country? They even have three horses, their school room overlooks their grape vines and they have endless nooks and crannies of God’s Country to explore. That’s something the Martins found as a pleasant bi-product of what began as an academic and entrepreneurial venture.

“Over the years we’ve found that this is not just about wine making from what you read in a book,” says Laura. “We work diligently and tirelessly to make this vineyard and winery a success, but what is happening here goes far beyond our own hands.”

“In the poker game of life, we are ALL IN.” adds Seth. “We live here, we work here, we raise our family here, and we are thankful for what we’ve learned along the way.”

And that my friends, is what authentic Texas winemaking is all about…

NOTE: As mentioned, you can’t find many Perissos wines in retail outlets across the state, but you can easily order them online. I tasted through almost their entire portfolio of wines and I have to say I didn’t find any that I didn’t like. Among my favorites: 2010 Syrah, 2011 Roussanne, 2010 Petite Syrah, 2010 Tempranillo, and the 2010 Racker’s Blend. 

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Cliff Bingham, Jessica Dupuy, Laura Martin, Neal Newsom, Perissos Vineyards, Seth Martin

Do you smother your meats in tangy barbecue sauce? Have you ever planned a road trip just to devour some Central Texas barbecue? Would you stand in a three-hour line for a single serving of brisket at Franklin Barbecue? Well, ready your wallets my fellow barbecue-loving fiends! Tickets for the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival go on sale today at 10 a.m., and you better grab tickets while you can because – similar to a hearty serving of finger-lickin’-good Texas barbecue – these tickets will go fast.

The third annual festival takes place on Sunday, Sept. 23 at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin. Through this link, individuals can purchase VIP or general admission tickets and sample amongst over 20 barbecue joints from across the state. For more information about the festival visit the Texas Monthly BBQ page or follow us on Twitter.

Tagged: austin, barbecue, Layne Lynch, Texas Monthly BBQ, Texas Monthly BBQ Festival

Seven months ago, Austin was introduced to a new Italian restaurant – Trento – from former Congress chefs Alex Kahn and Andreas Exarhos. In the short amount of time this neighborhood restaurant has been open, Trento has been turning heads and catching the attention of palates across the city. Chefs Kahn and Exarhos talked with TEXAS MONTHLY about their new restaurant, Italian cuisine, and their hopes of becoming a fine-dining establishment.

How did you guys get involved with Trento?

Alex Kahn: I was at Congress when my dad started telling me that Donnie [Damuth], the general manager and co-owner [of Trento], was interested in opening an Italian restaurant. I asked if he needed a chef and found out that he did. I talked to Andreas [Exarhos] about it, and we both decided to come over here.

You guys have known each other a while, right?

Andreas Exarhos: Yeah, Alex and I met five years ago. I had just left The Driskill Hotel and he had just started there. We saw each other in passing a little over the years every once in a while. When David Bull opened Congress, I was part of the opening staff there and Alex started the first week we opened – four years after we had first met. I left Congress last November because we got the Trento space on November fifteenth, so as soon as that paperwork was taken care of and approved, I was ready to transition to Trento. At the beginning of October, we were doing a lot of investor dinners, so all our weekends were taken up doing that and I was still at Congress working full time. By the time we got the space, everything happened very fast.

What attracted you guys to the project?

Andreas Exarhos: The opportunity was pretty unique for both Alex and me because we are actually partners in the business. We have as much say as the other two owners, which from a chef’s perspective is pretty incredible. The whole time it was planned to be an Italian restaurant, but we kind of went through a series of ideas trying to decide if we wanted to do a regional Italian restaurant or something more broad in its scope, and after opening and getting feedback from our audience, we definitely had to make some changes. The concept has become more broad then I think we ever knew it was going to be, but we’re a casual restaurant in a family neighborhood. That can be difficult to accommodate at times, but that’s what we’re here to do. That’s what we enjoy doing.

One thing I’ve noticed about the Austin restaurant scene is that it’s not at the point where you can open something that’s too specific or too regional and succeed. 

Andreas Exarhos: I think that’s fair to say.

Alex Kahn: I agree. It’s difficult. Austin is catching up to the trends out there, like using the whole animal as opposed to just parts of it. We were working on a lot of things that we changed, but we have to work with the audience that we have.

What is the direction of the menu? 

Andreas Exarhos: Our menu, for the most part, is pretty consistent. We don’t make too many changes to the printed menu, but we have specials for lunch and dinner every single day. That’s where Alex and I, as well as our cooks, get to be more creative. We work with some really great purveyors who let us know what they have coming and what’s fresh. It gives us something we can play with, and that keeps things creative for us. It’s been a lot of fun to do that every day.

Was working with local purveyors and farmers something you planned to do from the beginning?

Alex Kahn: Absolutely. Especially in Austin, everybody loves to go local, use local, support local, and all that stuff. And I agree with that direction. I think working with farmers and purveyors and using Texas products is great. We definitely go with that standard because that’s what people expect from restaurants these days.

I hardly ever see a restaurant that has two head chefs. How do you guys work together so well?

Alex Kahn: Like Andreas always says, we kind of balance each other out. I’m out of my mind and Andreas is really….not out of his mind. He’s calm; I’m not calm.

Andreas Exarhos: Our energy manifests very differently.

Alex Kahn: There you go!

Where do you guys want to go in the Austin culinary scene? Do you see Trento becoming something like Congress or Uchi?

Alex Kahn: For the location we have right now, I think it’s actually going to get more casual down the road. I’m not sure yet. We’ve just been open for seven months. Everything has been great, but I think our second location is going to be smaller. I think we’ll be able to be more fine-dining like, so we’ll be able to be on that level with restaurants like Congress. It’ll let me and Andreas shine because we have those fine-dining backgrounds. We are happy where we are now, but it’s a casual family restaurant in a fancy neighborhood, so it’s hard to play with a lot of things like Uchi and Congress can. They can do all kinds of crazy stuff, and nobody shies away from them when they do it.

What are some of your favorite menu items at Trento?

Andreas Exarhos: I have a couple favorites. The caprese salad is one because it’s very simple and traditional. We use imported buffalo milk mozzarella. We get these great tomatoes, fresh basil, and olive oil from Con’ Olio, and that’s it. It’s really simple. It’s something I ate when I lived in Rome, and it’s been awesome to bring that here because so many caprese salads aren’t made the way they would be in Italy. The spaghetti carbonara is great, too. It has a very authentic preparation that relies on a few key ingredients to come together and make everything taste incredible.

Alex Kahn: I have a couple of favorites. We get fresh mussels in almost every day. We cook them with white-wine sauce and mint pesto. It’s just so refreshing and not overwhelming, which a lot of mussels tend to be. My other favorite would be the salmon. It’s a fresh Scottish salmon with some red sauerkraut, hazelnut leeks, and a little watercress salad. It’s our best seller and I just love it.

Tagged: Alex Kahn, Andreas Exarhos, austin, Congress, Layne Lynch, Trento

A few weeks ago, Pat Sharpe – Texas Monthly’s food editor – helped judge the Woodlands Grand Rendezvous Tasting and Chef’s Showcase in which David Guerrero, former executive chef of Samba Grille in Houston, ended up winning for his flavor-packed Peruvian beef hearts dish. Recently, the Ecuadorian-born chef shared his remarkable story of inspiration and struggle with TEXAS MONTHLY. Here, Guerrero tells us about his journey to cuisine, working for a famous basketball player, fighting brain cancer, and how Houston responds to Peruvian cuisine. (Unfortunately, Samba Grille closed its doors on July 21).

First of all, congratulations on winning for your dish at the Woodlands Grand Rendezvous Tasting and Chef’s Showcase. Tell me a bit about what you made. 

I made a very traditional street food dish from South America called Peruvian beef hearts – anticuchos. Honestly, I believe I won because all the components of the dish were great. The beef hearts were grilled and marinated for twenty-four hours, so they absorbed a lot of great flavor. The huacatay sauce was done well. Using the best and freshest ingredients always helps. We also used some molecular gastronomy with dehydrated choclo and aji panca powder with some cilantro microgreens to prepare the dish.

Of all the things you could have done in life, what is it that made you want to go into cuisine? 

My grandma’s side of the family loved big food parties. There was always a lot of food around when we were growing up. My grandmother would make us try everything, so she had a lot to do with me going into cuisine. Also, as a kid I remember having an artistic side to me. I had this thing for drawing, playing piano, and painting my room the way I wanted it. Being an artist has always been my destiny, and that’s what brought me to the kitchen.

Where do you draw your culinary influences from? 

My grandmother. She is an amazing home cook. She is always cooking – always.

I understand that you were a personal chef to a famous basketball player. How did you end up with that gig? And, I have to ask, did you ever get to shoot some hoops with him?

That’s correct. Well, I believe in something called confession, which means that everything I confess out loud and strongly believe in will come to me sometime in my lifetime. It’s about believing in something, even if you don’t see how it is going to happen. I used to be a chef de cuisine at Sweetwater Country Club in Sugar Land and every morning I drove by this street full of mansions from left to the right. I remember saying out loud to myself, “I will be a private chef at one of these big mansions one day.” A while after that, a waitress at the country club came to me and said, “Tracy McGrady is looking for a private chef.” I’m from South America, so I wasn’t really into the basketball scene here and didn’t know who he was. She was surprised that I didn’t have a clue who he was, but she passed me a number to a labor agency. I talked to the agency, sent them my resume, and they called back and said that I had an interview with Mrs. McGrady. When I finally did meet her, Tracy was out of town. I cooked seven courses for her and two other people, and I guess they liked it because she called me the next day and said I got the job. Of course by then I had googled Tracy McGrady. They are a great, lovely family. Tracy always played basketball with his personal trainer, but I managed to shoot and play with his little kid at the 5,000-square-foot basketball court inside his home.

How and why did you end up at Samba Grille? 

I was temporarily working for my chef mentor Philippe Schmidt to help him open his new restaurant when I got offered the opportunity to work at Samba Grille. They hired me as a sous chef and three months later they decided to bring in a new concept and new ideas, so I was promoted to executive chef.

You’re known for making Peruvian food. Tell me, how do you adapt that kind of cuisine for a Texas audience? Does it lose any of its authenticity? 

The good thing about Peruvian cuisine is that it has so many influences from Japanese, Chinese, and African cuisine, so people really don’t have to try hard to like Peruvian cuisine because it is already here – just in different forms. Peruvian cuisine is already popular around the world; it’s just new to Houston. Sometimes I feel that the food does lose authenticity because people aren’t used to the different flavors, textures, and smells Peruvian food has, but that’s okay because it turns it into a challenge, and I love that. It’s my job to bring something unexpected to the table.

What are some of the staples of Peruvian food? 

Fresh seafood, which is very important in making a good Peruvian ceviche. Wild meats are also a big thing as well.

I understand that you were diagnosed with brain cancer at twenty-seven years old. Tell me how that changed you as a person and as a chef? 

As a person, it totally changed me. I’ve learned to become a better human being and not be so selfish. I’ve learned to love the few people that are always going to be there for me no matter what the situation is. As a chef, I lost my sense of taste from the left side of my palate, so that’s a challenge. However, that awoke my other senses like smelling, feeling, and admiring the ingredients. Cancer made me realize that working really hard will still help me achieve my dreams.

I can’t imagine losing your sense of taste as a chef. How do you deal with that obstacle? 

I smell. Touch. Imagine. When I was in culinary school and asked my instructor, chef Sherry Lewis, how she put her menu and dishes together, she said, “Imagine the flavor in your head and sense the flavor in your mouth. Even without having all your taste buds, you will be amazed how many things you can create.” That’s what I do. My sous chef, Alex Bremont, is a good friend and my right-hand man, so he tries things for me and we get by.

Tagged: David Guerrero, Houston, Layne Lynch, Peruvian, Samba Grille, Woodland’s Grand Rendezvous Tasting and Chef's Showcase

2010 Fairhaven Vineyards Chambourcin

You often hear about Texas wines in the Hill Country. You occasionally even hear a bit about how most of the grapes grown in Texas are actually in the High Plains near Lubbock. But you rarely hear about the other pockets of the state that produce wine. There’s the Bluebonnet Wine Trail near Brenham, the Munson Wine Trail near Forth Worth and there’s also a wine trail in The Piney Woods of East Texas, which is where this month’s wine of the month comes from.

Out near Hawkins—about 20 miles from Tyler—Fairhaven Vineyards has made a name for itself specializing in French-American and American hybrid grapes for wine. (Without getting too geeky, there are well known European native grapes “vitis vinifera” such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and American native grapes “vitis labrusca,” such as Concord or Norton.)

Fairhaven’s owner and winemaker R.L. Winters emphasizes a focus on native American grapes for his wines. Almost all of the grapes used for his wines are sourced directly from almost a dozen acres of his own vineyard and are produced to make European styles of wine. Fairhaven also propagates and sells a variety of root stocks for individuals looking to start their own vineyard along with a complete vineyards installation service to help get things started.

Since the winery opened in 2004, it has received numerous awards for its heritage grapes including the 2009 Lomanto, the first American Hybrid grape to wine an international award since 1873, and the  2010 Chambourcin, which won a gold medal in the 2011 Lone Star International Competition and is this month’s Texas Wine of the Month.

The Chambourcin grape is a French-American hybrid that Winters has found does unbelievably well in warm climates such as Texas and has a high resistance to fungal disease. And though you won’t find a lot of it in Texas, you can find it throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in states such as New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Drew Hendricks, MS

This month’s wine of the month Comes from one of Texas’s seven Master Sommeliers, Drew Hendricks, the director of wine and beverage education for Pappas Restaurants. Hendricks’ career on both the distribution and service side of wine demenotrates not only his extensive knowledge of the world of wine, but his passion for sharing it with other people. Perhaps his greatest effort in sharing wine with others is through the 9th Annual Texas Sommeliers Conference (TEXSOM), which Hendricks co-founded in 2005 with fellow Master Sommelier James Tidwell of the Four Seasons Los Colinas.

“I really like what Fairhaven is doing with their wines,” says Hendricks who carries this wine at both Pappas Bros Steakhouses in Dallas and Houston. “This Chambourcin is juicy, jammy and delicious. It shows that sometimes it pays to pay attention to these [grape] varieties that are outside the norm.”

The wine also has racy acidity and a little tartness as well. It’s fruity, but has a great earthiness to it as well, which is evidence of Winters’ drive towards a European style of wine. This is a wonderful food wine that would be fantastic with a juicy ribeye—perhaps why Pappas has it on their wine list—but it would also be delicious with a couple nibbles of dark chocolate after dinner.

Attendees to TEXSOM will likely have a chance to sample the Chambourcin during one the nine conference seminars. It’s one devoted strictly to wines from single vineyards throughout Texas and will be led by Texas native and wine expert Christy Canterbury and Houston-based Master Sommelier Guy Stout. Hendricks helped select the wines for this particular seminar and the Chambourcin was high on his list.

Though the final list NOT official, some of the candidates include:

2009 Sandstone Cellars VII - A rich, fruity and medium-bodied Portuguese-inspired red wine made from Touriga Naciaonal grown exclusively in Mason, TX.

2010 McPherson Cellars Roussane Reserve – A previous Texas wine of the Month that has citrus, ripe peach and tropical fruit on the nose with a balanced, dry finish on the palate.

2011 Duchman Family Vineyards Vermentino – An Italian varietal and perhaps the best version this winery has released to date—though previous vintages have been stellar as well—with notes of pear and lemon and crisp, dry finish.

2010 Texas Hills Vineyard Cabernet Franc – A smooth red with blackberries and a hint of spice made from a classic French Bordeaux and Loire varietal.

2009 Pedernales Cellars Kuhlken Family Reserve (red wine blend) – A full-bodied red made primarily from Tempranillo and Merlot.

And while Hendricks is excited to see how well received this single-vineyard Texas wines are received, he’s also excited to see the panels on Cabernet Franc as well as the special vertical tasting of Leonetti Cellars.

While the much anticipated TEXSOM is sold out, and sure to be a wine-filled fiesta of oenophiles and wine amateurs alike, it’s growth in the national sphere of wine professionals is evidence to the entire country of just how serious Texans are about their wine.

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Chambourcin 2010, Drew Hendricks, Duchman Family Vineyards, Fairhaven Vineyards, Jessica Dupuy, McPherson Cellars, Pedernales Cellars, sandstone cellars, Texas Hills Vineyard, TexSom

I love it when restaurants send you easy summer recipes out of the blue (or  in this case, out of the green). Shinjuku Station is a hobbit hole of a Japanese restaurant in Fort Worth—yes, yes, I’m mixing cultures, but you know what I mean; it’s small and cute—that I was delighted to include in our annual best-new-restaurant-roundup “Where to Eat Now,” in March of this year. Apparently, the kitchen has been mixing things up a bit and has come up with Japanese spin on hummus and pita chips, which they are adding to their offerings. Check it out (I haven’t tested it myself, so you’re on your own).

Edamame Hummus

1 cup cooked shelled edamame (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup canned chickpeas
2 large cloves of garlic
1/4 cup baby spinach
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Kosher salt, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil

1. If you buy raw edamame in their hulls, blanch in boiling water until they float. Shock edamame in ice water. Shuck and set aside.
2. Rinse and drain chickpeas.
3. Place edamame, chickpeas, garlic, spinach, sesame oil, and salt in a food processor, and pulse until mixed (about 4 pulses).
4. Scrape the sides of the food processor.
5. Purée the mixture for about 30 seconds while slowly adding olive oil.

Yuca Chips
1 large yuca root
shichimi togarashi spice mix, to taste

1. Peel the yuca and cut into 3 inch pieces.
2. Using a mandoline or a very sharp thin knife, slice the yucca lengthwise into 1/16-inch planks.
3. Deep-fry at 325 degrees until crispy and golden brown.
4. Sprinkle chips with shichimi togarashi

You can substitute any pre-made root chips except potato. Sprinkle them with shichimi togarashi after plating.   Recipes serve 8.

Shinjuku Station was founded in May of 2011 by husband-wife team, Jarry and Mary Ho. The duo—also owners of the Tokyo Café—joined Mary’s brother and sister-in-law, Casey and Elyssa Kha. Named after the world’s busiest train station, Shinjuku Station was inspired by the authentic gastropubs found in urban Japan, known as “izakayas.” Shinjuku Station was cited for “Best Patio” by the Dallas Morning News. It is located at 711 W. Magnolia Avenue, in Fort Worth.   (Photo by Brian Hutson)