I first found this pizza place for a photo assignment for a past job. The family-owned restaurant wowed me with its Neapolitan style pizza (thin crust is the only way to go). Salvation Pizza is a fitting name for the red house on 34th street in
Too funny! I may be the last person in the world to hear about the cheese cam documenting the aging of Wedginald, a 44-pound cheddar (see picture). Really. You log on and there he (she? it?) is, sitting there, getting imperceptibly older by the millisecond. Watching grass grow is
Who knew that cacao (which comes from trees, left) and truffles (the kind that grow in the ground) were so beautiful together?The best dessert that I tasted at the cool Arts and Eats fest in San Antonio last night was Bin 555’s Chocolate Torte (think flourless dark-chocolate cake) topped
Texas lost one of its true legends with the passing of Lady Bird Johnson [“A Lady First,” September 2007]. It is all the more disappointing when you look around at today’s landscape and find it lacking in those larger-than-life personalities who shaped the mystique of this great state. Today’s
Old-time Austinites (such as moi) mourned the passing of first one and then another branch of the once-legendary Night Hawk chain. The last one standing now is the Frisco Shop, just south of the intersection of Burnet Road and Koenig Lane. A national drugstore is going in there
Often when I pass through Johnson City, I see the sign for Silver K Cafe and want to sit down for a meal. This past Saturday, I finally sat down at the table.The cafe is on 290 West on your way to Fredericksburg. If you’re driving too fast
Last Friday night, My Table Magazine and the Houston Food & Beverage ManagersAssociation sponsored the 23rd Annual Caesar Salad Competition. Chefs could compete in either classic and creative Caesar salad divisions with a separate award for presentation. The third “salad” arrived in a conical Dixie cup: a Caesar salad ice
Copyright © copyright-free-pictures.org.ukBruce Auden of Biga on the Banks has sent out a newsletter and includes some tidbits from his recent trip to Peru. We are just a little bit concerned.“Guinea Pig (Cuy) soup is a great way to start the hike up the
Eat, drink, and be merry with five of the most famous chefs in Texas at the Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner in Dallas on Sunday, November 4, from 6 to 10 p.m.It’s all for a good cause, namely to fund a ginormous professional culinary scholarship of $15,000, awarded by the
What Texan doesn’t love bar-b-que? The smell is alluring and makes many of you salivate when it hits your nose. And I am no exception. Growing up in Texas meant bar-b-que and lots of it. Brisket has always been my favorite, stemming from my dad making it when I was
OK, OK, “pirate” doesn’t convey the right image, but it made you look, didn’t it? Houstonian Monica Pope, chef/owner of T’afia, has an ocean-going and environmentally friendly recipe featured on the Web site of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). It’s for chermoula halibut with a salad of
When those obnoxious cackling-witch toys show up in stores, you know it’s pumpkin time. One of the best pumpkin desserts I’ve tried in the last couple of days is the walnut pumpkin mini-loaf at Mandola’s Italian Market in Austin (in the Triangle, 4700 W. Guadalupe, open 7
Big Mouth has been busy in Southern Arizona this week — staying at the charming Amado Territory Inn — and eating out south of Tucson. Southwestern specialties abound, among my favorite:Baby back ribs with a caramelized pinon glaze at Rex RanchKobe beef burger at the Amado Inn CafeShelby’s Bistro in
Often pairing wines with food is hard. One Sauvignon Blanc might pair well with shrimp, but not well with salmon. It takes time, development of a palate, and an interest in wine to be able to choose wines properly.This week’s Texas Wine Recipe is Shrimp and Grits from Patton’s On
If I were making a top-of-the-top-shelf marg, I would use Paula’s Texas Orange liqueur. Forget triple sec and Curacao. They pale in comparison to this stuff, which is super-intense and fresh-tasting. Now Paula’s has come out with an orange-and-chocolate candy. Wow. Each piece is a half-moon of top-quality
Nope, this isn’t mudslinging in the Democratic Presidential Primary, but rather what Gary Vaynerchuck–a wine merchant in New Jersey– does while evangelizing about wine. Last night on Nightline, ABC profiled Gary and his mission to convert the masses from beer to wine.Most fascinating was his $60 Silver Oak
Your article “The Next Frontier” captured the essence of the King Ranch, its history, family, finance, and future [August 2007]. And the black and white photos by Kurt Markus were perfect; color would have ruined them. I felt as though I were there.Sandra WrayAustinI can appreciate your work
Bill Wittliff, Erin Trieb, and Robert Grossman
October is Texas Wine Month. Besides activities around the state, why not have your own little celebration at home, by pairing a Texas wine with a recipe from a Texas restaurant. Or, learn more about pairing at Fall Creek Vineyards wine seminar
May I vent? Which restaurant first thought up the silly idea of offering a black napkin (in lieu of white) to guests with black pants or skirts? Please! I might see the point of a color-matched napkin if a restaurant was using, say, sheepskins or pieces of old chenille bedspreads
Having recently returned from a family vacation that stretched from as far north as the Red River to as far south as Kerrville, I want to affirm two things: 1. Interstates bad, U.S. and Texas highways good. 2. My love for breakfast tacos on a Saturday is boundless.Hence, the tribe
This just in: There’s a new breed of Texas wildcatter. The Texas Olive Ranch, a group of five friends and bidness partners, brought in its first big Texas olive harvest–the equivalent of Spindletop–this last weekend, at a spread in South Texas near Carrizo
A silly friend just sent a silly link to the silliest food I’ve heard of all week: a milk-chocolate bar with bacon bits. And not just any bacon bits, but applewood-smoked bacon. And not just any chocolate, but Vosges. It isn’t from Texas, but it resonates with me.Calling all
Soleil has taken over the space that used to be Cafe Europa, a nice little bistro with an Asian fusion sort of take on things. The laundry at the front of the strip center burned down and the parking lot chaos of the remodeling phase and the rather poor visibility
If you saw the New York Times dining section yesterday, you saw Florence Fabricant’s story on how fancy restaurants are dressing down. “All around town,” she writes, “bare tables have shed snowy linen, customers’ shirttails are hanging out as ties and jackets are left in
I was appalled to learn of texas monthly’s designation of Representative Lon Burnam as one of Texas’s Worst Legislators, in part due to his purported ineffectiveness on behalf of the environment [“The Best and Worst Legislators,” July 2007]. The Texas Legislature has no greater advocate for the environment than
Here’s Gael Greene’s reply to Pat’s post on “Elvis and the Fried Egg Sandwich,” below.“Dear Patricia, Elvis would have been seventy last week if he’d lived…hard to imagine! If he and I met today, I would be much too old for him, and he would be a far sight too
The other day, my friend Gini found a wonderful little packet of Knowledge Cards (we used to call them flash cards in school) filled with chocolate FAQ’s. Being a couple of chocolate nerds, she and I read them aloud to each other on a long car trip to Abilene. They
“Insatiable,” the page-turning memoir by “New York” magazine restaurant critic emeritus Gael Greene, will steam your glasses and curl your hair. And make you hungry. Now out in paperback, Ms. Greene’s lusty remembrances are a must-read for anyone interested in the Big Apple’s restaurant scene. After all, she was at
Top Chef, a reality show to which I’m slavishly devoted, has featured two Dallas cooks in this fine third season–until Wednesday, when Tre Wilcox, of Abacus, was sent home, largely on the basis of a weird-sounding marinated salmon-pesto-and-cheese appetizer that Ted Allen judged, “the worst dish I’ve
Pipe Creek is barely a hamlet — perched at the crossroads of Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 1283 about an hour northwest of downtown between Helotes and Bandera. But even though we’re creeping out of the borderlands in to the hill country, the barbacoa at Las Mañanitas is made in the
I was thrilled to see Lucinda Wierenga and the “Amazin’ Walter” McDonald’s sand castle on the cover. I’m glad to see that Texas Monthly is still looking for and honoring our more interesting citizens. We are what make Texas so great.S. TUCKERAlvinI recently returned from a five-day visit to
Your May story on Lisa Nowak and NASA was disappointing to say the least, not only because you linked her lurid story to an otherwise august organization but mostly because of the assumptive errors made by S. C. Gwynne [“Lust in Space”]. Here are a few: You write, “For more
Steve Brodner, David Courtney & Andrea Valdez, and Bryan Curtis
CAPTAIN CLETE BUCKALOO? Even Hollywood couldn’t make that up. Why? Because Captain Buckaloo is Texas real, as are the rest of his fellow Rangers. One look at him should make any criminal think seriously about going legit.CHARLES POLANDNacogdochesHOW THE HECK did you ever get Big Tex into a suit?GLORIA S.
Jeff Minton. Antonya Nelson, and Robert Draper
GOOD GRIEF. EVERYONE has to be so circumspect and carefully cautious [“The Test of Time,” March 2007]. Let’s try this for W.’s legacy: worst president in the history of the United States of America.RICK SCHWERTFEGERAustinWHILE DONALD EVANS has been knocking on wood that our country has not been attacked
THANK YOU, MICHAEL HALL, for opening your “football-loving soul” to the NASCAR way [“EEEEEEAAAAOOOOWWW!!!,” February 2007]. Most of the time, NASCAR fans get looked down upon, but you came, saw, and felt what millions of others love—one hell of a good time.STEPHEN HUGHESPflugerville AS A LONGTIME MOTOR SPORTS enthusiast who
Roberto Parada“I’m a huge Gilbert Stuart fan,” says Roberto Parada, the Virginia-based artist who created the cover image for a story about the legacy of George W. Bush (“The Test of Time,”). “I saw his retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art about two years ago, and I
THREE WORDS ABOUT your January 2007 cover: incredibly bad taste.PATRICIA DUBOSE MCDANIELWichita FallsPLEASE TELL ME what is the significance of an isolated accident that occurred on a private outing among friends. This was a cheap shot (no pun intended).ALTON TEWWhitesboroVICE PRESIDENT Dick Cheney is by no means on my
This recipe is one of several included in the Texas Monthly article From Husks Till Dawn by Patricia Sharpe, [March 2007]3 corn tortillas 6 egg whites plus 2 whole eggs (or 8 eggs)kosher or sea salt to tastefreshly ground black pepper to tastehot sauce such as Tabasco or Cholula
This recipe is one of several included in the Texas Monthly article From Husks Till Dawn by Patricia Sharpe, [March 2007]20 ounces fresh jalapeños and/or serranos, unseeded1 large tomato, chopped1 medium onion, chopped3 to 4 thyme sprigs1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or more to tastePlace ingredients in a
This recipe is one of several included in the Texas Monthly article From Husks Till Dawn by Patricia Sharpe, [March 2007]3 medium pears (about 1 1/2 pounds)juice of 1 medium lemon1/4 cup honey1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary1 teaspoon brandy or pear liqueur (optional)pinch of kosher or
This recipe is one of several included in the Texas Monthly article From Husks Till Dawn by Patricia Sharpe, [March 2007]2 cups flour1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature,
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK you for an article that has mapped out my 2007 New Year’s resolution: to try as many tacos as possible on your “The Greatest Tacos Ever Sold” list [December 2006].HEATHER SEGRESTAustinMY SUBMISSION FOR the sixty-fourth taco on your list is the fried taquito (I
TEXAS A&M AND THE AGGIES do not need “saving” from anything [“Agent of Change,” November 2006]. CLIFFORD FRYCollege StationA&M SHOULD CONTINUE TO IMPROVE ITSELF, as any viable enterprise must. The question really becomes this: Beyond things like student-faculty ratios, number of minority students, and the quality of faculty credentials,
I HAVE TO PROTEST your exclusion of what I consider one of the most magnificently beautiful areas of Texas from your “Take a Hike” article: the Panhandle [October 2006]. My father grew up in Vega, the county seat of Oldham County, 35 miles west of Amarillo. Anyone but a
Patricia Sharpe, Chester Rossen, and Penny De Los Santos.
ABOUT YOUR SEPTEMBER COVER … As a lifetime Texan and hockey dad, I’m a bit offended. Okay, I’m over it. However, I’m wondering if you know that the state of Texas houses more pro hockey teams than any other state. I’m wondering if you know just how many kids
I WAS MESMERIZED by “96 Minutes” [August 2006]. My husband, Jim, was one of the people who offered his deer rifle to an officer, on the second story of the University United Methodist Church. He ran across the Drag, went into the building, and found the officer
