Ever considered eating at this four-diamond restaurant – but daunted by the price tag? Ah, the beauty of the Go Texan Restaurant Round-Up. Now through Friday, October 2nd, enjoy the nearby bounty of Texas meat, fish and produce, all prepared by the innovative Executive Chef Jonathan Gelman
Larry McGuire ought to be buffing his nails on the front of his chef’s jacket right about now. Esquire just named Perla’s, his baby, one of its best new restaurants of the year. The annual list is compiled by restaurant critic John Mariani. Perla’s, on S. Congress in
My cell phone rang while I was fumbling around with my credit card paying for a Greek salad at lunch today. It was Andrew Weissmann, chef/ower of Le Reve in San Antonio. “Are you sitting down?” he said. The only acceptable answer to that question is, “I am now.” “Well,”
I know: There are more “restaurant weeks” than you can shake a stick at. But the one that’s coming up, sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture’s “Go Texan” program, is an especially good one because it benefits local food banks. It’s happening Sept. 28 through Oct. 2 in all
I get more free cookbooks at the office than I could use if I cooked ten meals a day for the rest of my life. It’s an occupational hazard of being a food writer. I give a lot of them away, but this is one I think I’ll keep for
Stopped in at Asti for a quick lunch, got the daily panino, expecting a good basic sammy. Wow! Homemade focaccia, toasty, slathered with house mozzarella & thin-sliced salami with a tart-sweet rosemary balsamic reduction. What a treat! They don’t have it every day but I’ll bet if you begged, they
Austin diners will be devastated: Mark Schmidt (formerly of Cafe 909 in Marble Falls), has left his gig at Annie’s (formerly Apple Annie’s). Man, that didn’t last long. And it seemed like such a perfect match. I’ve asked what the deal is, haven’t had time to hear back yet.
The Observer newspaper in London has picked up our barbecue story from May 2008, where we listed Snow’s (in the Central Texas burg of Lexington, Texas) as number one in the state. On Sunday, Snow’s was included in the Observer’s fun wrap-up of “the fifty best things to eat
Austin folks, if you’re not out running around naked in the rain (hallelujah!) this Saturday, you could do a lot worse than check out the Asia Food Fest at the Texas Culinary Academy. It’s really fun, with a ton of activities including an Iron Chef-style contest (full disclosure: I’m one
If you’re the type who MUST be first with everything, today would be a good time to check out chef John Tesar’s new restaurant in the Woodlands (north of Houston). It’s opening, yes, today, so you know the poor guy is probably ready to set his hair on fire about
You can access the full story on texasmonthly.com (subscriber-only), but here’s the list, just to get your tastebuds revved up. Also, there are lots of related burger sidebars that we couldn’t squeeze into the magazine. Check them out. The list is ranked in order of our preference from one to
Come on down to Viva Chocolato! bistro and chocolate boutique this Wednesday, July 15, at 6:30. Local author and chocolate expert Anne Isham is going to give a little free talk on the subject. (She is the author of the book “Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight,” which she will undoubtedly
Barring some major national news, like peace breaking out or another Michael Jackson will being found, Tom Perini is scheduled to be cooking up one of his nationally renowned hambugers on the “Today” show, this Thursday, during the 8:30 a.m. time segment. The fantastic mesquite-grilled burgers got accolades from the
My good friends at Fino, Lisa and Emmett Fox, have fully embraced the cocktail craze. They’ve persuaded their chef at Fino, Jason Donoho,and mixologist Bill Norris to whip up a four-course dinner with courses matched to cocktails. Throughout the meal, Jason and Bill will discuss the philosophy behind the pairings.
Cooper’s Barbecue is building the behemoth of barbecue joints in Fort Worth. It’s beyond gigantic–this meat market will be 23,000 square feet! And it’s not like Fort Worth lacks for places to eat brisket and ribs, either, what with Angelo’s and the Railhead, to mention just a few. My friend
In the same day I visited an empty Michna’s which was serving up beautifully smoked meat with genuinely thankful service, I walked into a packed Uncle Dan’s at 2:00 in the afternoon. Hoping for the best, I went with the three meat plate of ribs, brisket and hot links.Simply
I’ve been trying to come up with a good description for the “whimsicles” that I tasted last week, and I think I finally have it: frozen cheesecake bites on a stick. OK, OK. That’s pretty clunky. But it tells you what it’s like to nibble on one
Hot stuff. Rudy Davila, who owns Rudy’s BBQ and Catering in the teeny South Texas town of Sinton (near Corpus Christi), will be on “Live With Regis and Kelly,” Friday morning at 9ish on ABC. Mr. Davila was the top online vote-getter for his brisket recipe. He’s headed to NYC
Norman Brinker, 78, the Dallasite who founded Chili’s, died Tuesday while on vacation in Colorado Springs. Whether or not his many restaurants–Chili’s, Bennigan’s, Steak & Ale–were my cup of tea, I certainly acknowledge the influence he had on Texas restaurant scene and the enormous respect and affection with which he
Have you seen the latest Food Network Magazine (June/July)? It’s all about burgers, and in it (page 78), they’ve got Bobby Flay’s recipe for something they call the “Dallas Burger.” What were they smoking when they thought up that recipe? The monstrosity has ancho chile powder, Spanish
I have to say that I love Saveur‘s all-Texas issue. They managed to hit the high points and get in some things I had never heard of! Plus, the photography is gorgeous. It’s a keepsake issue. Click on the box “24 Reasons Why We Love Texas” when
Yes! Yes indeedy. Had a light dinner at David Garrido’s casual new interior Mexican/taco/small-plate venue Sunday night, and I will be checking it out again soon. Oyster nachos (almost identical version to the one chef-owner David Garrido made famous at Jeffrey’s)–yum! Crabmeat guacamole, lush, lavish, and delish. Lamb “pops” in
Oh, I meant to post this on Sunday, but you can still find this great round-up of cookbook reviews from the New York Times online. It mentions eleven books, all of which sound great, including one co-authored by my friend Paula Disbrowe (Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking
Everybody’s been stopping me in the hall and asking if I’ve been to Walton’s Fancy & Staple at 609 W. 6th. Well, no, not until today. Lunch. Verdict: Cute place, great candles & flowers (it’s a florist, too), nice displays, feels good inside to sit at a
The best hot sauce you can get in Austin, in my book, is not actually a salsa: it’s a sweet tangy orange sauce from Ben Googins and Elias Martins (left), who make all kinds of utterly delicious Brazilian pastries and treats, both sweet and savory. The sauce is called
There’s nothing I love better than eating off the street. Once in Mexico City during an interminable traffic jam, I got out of the car to buy a taco that came off a grill sitting 6 inches above the curb (okay, gutter.) In a ten block walk along Central Park
It doesn’t get much earthier—and in Austin, that’s saying a lot—than Wheatsville Coop. The clerks and clientele at the U.T.-area natural foods store make the dreadlocked staff at Whole Foods look like uptown posers. Ratty but loveable Wheatsville is in the final throes of massive up-do that will expand the
It won’t be open for a year, but the son of Uchi (“Uchiko”) is going to be at 4200 Lamar. Hooray–close to my house, or sorta close. It will be in an existing building on the west side of the street (the old Seton Hospital office building) that is being
If you have never eaten at Evita’s Botanitas, do so immediately. Then you will understand why the Austin restaurant and music community is coming together to aid the restaurant’s owner and chef, Ruben Rodriguez. Plus, he’s just a great guy and he could use some help with hospital bills right
Ruben Rodriguez has made Austin a tastier place. Now it’s time for Austin to pay him back. Ruben is the chef behind wonderful, funky Evita’s Botanitas, and he has a brain tumor. To make matters worse, he does not have insurance, but he does have mounting medical bills. His
They took the wraps off the new North Lamar location of P. Terry’s last week in Austin. Fans of the all-natural black angus beef burgers are already flocking to the bat-winged restaurant, designed by Michael Hsu (who seems to be making a habit of taking former anomalous shacks and
I love the New York Times Science section. Love it. Not that I can understand a tenth of the technical articles, but the health stuff is always good, and so are the social science features. Today there’s a Q&A with a scientist who says that the reason prehistoric human beings
Has anybody tried Shaman Chocolates? It’s a company out of California that says it gives all proceeds from sales to support the Huichol Indians (the Huichols being a tribe living in central western Mexico, in the Sierra Madres, said to maintain their pre-Columbian traditions intact). The chocolate used by
I’ve seen the future of cookbooks, and paper is not involved. Well, all right, maybe it’s just one version of the future, but it’s intriguing. There are two of these on-line books out so far, from the Keeper Collection. One of them was done for the Wine & Food
Photographer extraordinaire Wyatt McSpadden will be signing copies of his new book, Texas BBQ, at Kreuz Market in Lockhart on this Saturday, April 11, from 11 to 2. You can buy one there, and then get grease on it with some of Kreuz’s equally amazing ‘cue. You
Fun event this weekend at Viva Chocolato in the Domain. Proprietor Melissa Adams held a fundraiser benefiting the local Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Cocoa Couture for the Cure invited area confectioners to enter fashion-inspired creations that were silent-auctioned. Adding to the fun, Komen volunteers were on hand
Real live women painted in chocolate! A life-sized chocolate stiletto heel!!! A chocolate necklace!!! A handbag made of chocolate cake . . . and more crazy chocolate stuff, all for charity. This Friday and Saturday evenings at the Domain shopping mall in Austin, a silent auction of the items mentioned
My good friend Laura Kelso, queen of Dishola.com, sent this report on yesterday’s barbecue demo and “crash course,” held at Emo’s as a satellite SXSW event (what it had to do with music, I don’t know, but there you go . . .). It was organized by Dishola.com
Michael Shine just posted a comment saying that Matt passed away last night at 7:30. Thanks for that update. Matt, vaya con Dios.
Two bags of incredibly fresh produce just arrived on my desk. Not being able to eat several pounds of greens and radishes and fennel myself, i put out an email to the staff (AKA the Devouring Horde). The stuff was gone in 60 seconds–no, 30 seconds. The produce came from
Just got an announcement: The Mighty Cone food trailer is having its opening day this Saturday all day (from 11 to 11) at 1603 S. Congress, that’s the southeast corner of Congress & Monroe. TMC is a food truck from Hudson’s on the Bend, selling Hudson’s signature hot ‘n’ crunchy
These tributes to well-loved Dallas restaurateur and native Austinite Matt Martinez, Jr., who is ill with brain cancer and has entered hospice care, come from other blogs in the Dallas area. Fort Worth journalist June Naylor wrote, “[Matt’s dad] Matt Sr. taught my mom to make his famous shrimp enchiladas
Matt Martinez, Jr., the scion of the family that founded Austin’s El Rancho in the 1950s and who himself went on to establish Matt’s Rancho Martinez in Dallas, in 1987, has entered hospice care, in Irving. He has brain cancer and has taken a turn for the worse. The information
If you’re new to wine, don’t know all the arcane terms, feel intimidated, here’s a good way to learn a little. The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas does great informal classes that take the mystique out of the subject. There’s one in Austin this Thursday, March 12,
Here’s a chance to see some big-deal Texas chefs, all in one place at one time. The Hill Country Wine & Food Festival puts on the ritz for its “Texas Culinary Masters” dinner every year. This year it’s going to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, on Thursday,
A sauce company in MAINE won a bunch of awards in a TEXAS barbecue contest. Gawd help us! Even worse, the products had names like Pixie Dust, Chick Magnet Rub, and Cow Bell Hell Rub. I am mortified. (The competition was the 18th Annual National Barbecue Association’s Conference & Expo,
After 28 years as the grande dame of Houston dining, Cafe Annie is moving and changing its name! (It’s like Queen Elizabeth II deciding she’s going to go by Lizzie the Queen 2.) When its new location is opened (around early May), Cafe Annie will divide like an
The Counter Cafe, in Austin, has the most incredible chicken burger. They only offer it once a week, usually on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. So you need to be sure it’s chicken-burger day before you go. And don’t try to go right at noon, because it’s a teensy weensy
If times weren’t so darned tough, I’d predict that La Condesa was going to take off like a rocket. I mean, the space is crazy contemporary, the drinks are awesome, the food is by and large excellent (based on, oh, about eight apps and dishes). The only thing
Chefs and restaurateurs wait for the James Beard Awards like movie actors wait for the Oscars. An award from the James Beard Foundation means gold for your resume and probably (if times were a little better right now) a salary bump. Today, the Beard Foundation announced the