I’m having whip-lash over my attitude toward The Flavor Bible, the new book that everybody’s talking about from Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown, pub.; $35 new). I love the chefs’ commentary (includes pithy remarks from two Texans–Sharon Hage of York Street in Dallas, and Monica Pope of T’afia
And while I was getting exercised over my fat sandwich (below), I was reading The Science of Good Food, a (sort of) new book on kitchen chemistry. If you love Alton Brown‘s Good Eats show (and who doesn’t?), you’ll probably like Science, although Brown’s a whole lot more riduculous
When, pray tell, did it become acceptable for nice restaurants to wad up the meat in the middle of the sandwich? I mean, I understand it at an Arby’s. Arby’s has no class. But I just had an (otherwise pretty good) thin-sliced beef and slaw and cheddar “Bevo” sandwich at
You might want to stake a claim to your local TV this Sunday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. Central time. That’s when the Food Network will show its “Challenge” program featuring the famous Hico Steak Cook-off, Beef Symposium, and Tourist Trap. I was actually on hand this summer when
Wiseman House Chocolates just blows me away. It’s in the little burg of Hico (hie-ko) in north central Texas and it makes fantastic chocolates. Yes, right there, in town. Beautiful bonbons and truffles. Amazing hot chocolate mix, so rich. Now, they’ve been invited to the presidential inauguration. The Texas
A crispy, calamari salad perfect for summer. Recipe by Peter Lindquist of NoRTH, in Austin.
Too much fun. Wool “bacon” phone carrying cases. See video to believe.
Plate & Vine is a new online cookbook with recipes from Texas chefs. One neat thing about it is that it automatically adjusts the recipes for the size of your group and it will generate a shopping list, too. It’s from the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas and they
The beloved scruffy building that housed downtown Austin’s Las Manitas Mexican restaurant is gone–razed Monday by the property owner. Ironically, plans are on hold for constructing a giant Marriott Hotel on the site. Of course, the demolition changes nothing. Las Manitas was doomed anyway and the building’s removal was only
In January, the Gage Hotel, which is one of my all-time favorite romantic destinations in West Texas (well, the rooms in the Los Portales section are, not the ones with the bathrooms down the hall in the historic building–not so romantic running into some unknown dude in his
Perhaps you never hung on every naughty, sensuous word of Gael Greene, who was New York magazine’s head restaurant critic for decades. But lots of us did, and when the news boiled over earlier this week that La Gael had gotten the sack, we were stunned. As one of her
If you haven’t been to Cover 3, go. We had a fantastic meal at this stylish new restaurant (it opened last week) on Anderson Lane in Austin. We admit we were a little skeptical of the concept–a high-end sports bar?–but we liked what we saw. And so
The New York-based Zagat guides have just come out with their latest rankings of hotels, resorts, and spas. What’s number one in the country? Texas’ own Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Fearing’s restaurant, in Dallas. Here’s what the breathless news release says: ‘Rated extraordinary to perfection in each
The PartyAs at most holiday functions, there’s no escaping your kin at a tamalada, or tamale-making party. For generations, Latinos have gathered at Christmastime to cook, assemble, and eat the age-old dish (tamales date back to pre-Columbian times). “A tamalada is a multifamily, multigenerational event,” says Sylvia Cásares, who owns
Bobby Mueller, the owner of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, is dead at the age of 69. His son Wayne Mueller, vows to carry on his dad’s tradition. Bobby–who was the son of Louie, who founded the sprawling barbecue restaurant in 1949–died in his sleep on Saturday morning. The death
When I arrived at work today (the Tuesday after Labor Day), the first words out of editor Evan Smith’s mouth were, “Las Manitas is closed. They’ve hauling the furniture and fixtures out the back and there’s a big sign on the front door that says, Closed Forever.” Forget the Republican
Grilled Sweet Potato, Chorizo, and Corn Hash Photograph by Beth Perkins4 medium sweet potatoes 3 ears corn, shucked 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound Mexican chorizo, removed from casing 1/2 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup heavy cream 3/4 cup grated Gruyère 2 tablespoons
Need someone to create a menu for the ultimate backyard feast? Paul Petersen, the executive chef at Marathon’s Gage Hotel, is ready, grilling, and able.
A skeptical reader has issued a challenge. He noticed that all of our top five picks in the barbecue feature (June 2008) were from Central Texas. Very suspicious, he says, given that the TM headquarters is in Austin. How do I know you guys didn’t just go to
When you dine out for a living, you can get a bad “been there, ate that” attitude. While other people are e-mailing each other like crazy over their latest find, you’re hitting the “delete” key as fast as possible. But a few months ago, notes from readers about a San
Villa O, Dallas and Trattoria Lisina, Driftwood
With all due respect to the assembled face-wipers on page 6, the brains, not to mention the gullet and the stomach, behind our latest list of the best barbecue joints in Texas is executive editor Pat Sharpe. Who else could it possibly be? For a generation or more, Pat’s led
Dallas
Bistro Don Camillo, Houston and August E’s, Fredericksburg
Houston
Café Pita, Houston and Rise no1, Dallas
I got a couple of notes this week from the folks at Max’s Wine Dive in Houston, which we had named one of our top ten new restaurants in the year in Where To Eat Now (March 2008). They’re hoping to open up a location in
How many downtown Houston restaurants look out on real, honest-to-God trees? Whatever the number—and I suspect it’s in the single digits—you can add another to the list: the Grove. I’ll get to the food in a minute, but first let me say one word about the Grove’s setting: wow.You stroll
Merchants Grand CaféSan Antonio You might wonder what this simple, white, “big box” space used to be. Then a local tells you it was a hardware store. Ah, that makes perfect sense. The Alamo Heights newcomer has a name chef at the helm (Jonathan Parker, from the River Walk’s
What will dining be like in decades to come? We asked the state’s top chefs and foodies.
If I close my eyes tight, I can still taste the cloudlike custard filling of Au Petit Paris’s tartelette de tomates confit, with its milky hint of mozzarella and sweet, delicate bits of tomato; the warm, flaky pastry crust is simply museum quality. On the side is a pristine salad
Café CentralEl Paso What’s new at venerable Café Central? The decor, for one thing. The border stalwart has shed its animal-print upholstery and New York–bistro look in favor of a classic redo, with sleek chocolate-brown chairs, chrome sculptures, unusual art, and floor-to-ceiling beveled mirrors along the back wall. Given
What will dining, both out and in, be like in decades to come? We asked the state’s top chefs and food folk, from Dean Fearing and Hugo Ortega to David Bull and Charles Butt.
What Stephan Pyles, Dean Fearing, and Robert Del Grande were to the last generation—the state’s biggest-brand celebrities in the fine-dining arena—this Alamo City native may well be to the next. A broadcast journalist by training (he has a degree in radio-TV-film from the University of North Texas, in Denton), Weissman
Months ago a friend of mine praised Mikado Ryotei for their sushi. So after a 5 hour commute back into Austin for the second weekend in a row, I decided that I wanted sushi. The last time I went for sushi I visited Maiko. The first time I
In Texas, there is nothing that cannot be chicken-fried, including–now–a lamb chop. At chef Dean Fearing’s swank outpost at the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas, the six-ounce, golden-brown mega-morsel comes pounded so thin it overflows the plate, just like it’s supposed to. Of course, you have to wrap your mind around
Bear with me—I’m trying to remember the olden days when a restaurant with more than two locations was by definition terrible. Nope, chains have changed. Sure, we’ll always have mass feeders like Chili’s and the Black-eyed Pea, but upscale chains are a different proposition altogether. And as much as I
Rebecca’s Table, Fredericksburg and So Vino Wine Bar & Bistro, Houston
One year (okay, two days) of livin’ la vida locavore.
Here’s the word: Pfannekuchen. Well, actually, three words: Munchener Apfel Pfannekuchen. German apple puffed pancakes. They reach their apex at the Mangnolia Pancake Haus in San Antonio. Dark and toasty brown, these monsters spill off the plate. They’re not fluffy, like American pancakes; they remind me more
Let me just say the cover makes me salivate. The huge Akaushi ribeye with its perfect marbling just makes me want to throw the cover on the grill and sear it. However, that would cause more problems than I want and a possible trip to the ER.Now I like steak
Tre Wilcox–the personable guy who was on Top Chef last season–is leaving Abacus, in Dallas, at the end of the year. I tracked him down in the kitchen there; you could hear the pots and pans clanking around. He says he’s got more opportunities than he can shake
In the “You Heard It Here First” department, I just want to say that fabulous Texas-raised Akaushi beef (see our cover story) is taking off. Chef Rebecca Rather is serving Akaushi sliders at her new restaurant in Fredericksburg, Rebecca’s Table. She reports the mini-burgers are selling like hotcakes.
From city to country, fancy to down-home, the state’s 38 best steakhouses. Plus: the Japanese beef that everyone should be eating, our favorite butcher shops, and how to grill a ribeye that even your father-in-law will love.
I was heartily amused by this NYT article about what presidential wannabes are eating during their swing-state stops. Tagline: “Like everything else on the campaign trail, even the eating is political.” Thus, the Gray Lady sees fit to document not only what the prezzies do, say, and wear,
In class, I catch the yahoo.com news headline, “Food Network canceling ‘Emeril Live.'” Now I know Anthony Bourdain would give a huge speech on how Emeril is finally going away and it is better service to the Food Network and America. But I grew up with Emeril. He was
This just in: Fort Worth chef Grady Spears (you remember Reata, right, and the Chisholm Club?) of recently opened Dutch’s at 3009 S. University Dr. is working on a new cookbook. It’s going to be called The Cowboy Way, and it’s being done with long-time collaborator and
Yes, I was biased last night, when Symon appeared at his first battle against Ricky Moore, Washington D.C. chef. I wanted Symon to lose. I wanted him to be embarrassed. I wanted to do a little happy dance that Food Network screwed up. But no–Food Network got the last laugh,
Oh I almost cried, John Besh (Food and Wine’s Best New Chef 1999) wasn’t named the next Iron Chef! Instead I screamed, I threw a fit, I showed a whole new side of myself to my boyfriend.I followed most of the shows since the beginning, always hoping Besh would win.
You gotta love those small Texas towns. But so often, after you hit the candle shops on the town square, you’re in the mood for a decent cuppa, and guess what: There is none. Well, things just got better in Dripping Springs, southwest of Austin. I stopped at the Rockin’
