Here’s a proudly biased and partisan assessment of the “Iron Chef America” showdown last night between Austin’s Tyson Cole and iron chef Morimoto: Our boy wuz robbed! The loss by the executive chef of Uchi Japanese fusion restaurant to Morimoto was roundly booed by
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
The April issue of Food & Wine has a feature on Hill Country barbecue and wine. Ok–so they really focused more on the wine. And they were surprisingly positive about it. By and large, I think they gave proper credit to those vineyards that are making great
Yesterday, I saw the future of Texas chefdom. I was blown away. The occasion was the final cook-off for the $15,000 Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship, which is named for the famous Dallas chef and awarded through the auspices of the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas. The finalists, three
This is from someone who never eats French fries (you might as well glue them to your hips). But today at lunch at Louie’s 106 in Austin (106 E. 6th, 512-476-2010), my steely resolve crumbled. These frites de les frites (is that a term?) were about
Attention, Fort Worth: The old Pedro’s Trailer Park location at 2731 White Settlement Road is getting an extreme makeover. Chefs/restaurateurs Grady Spears (Dutch’s, Fort Worth) and Lou Lambert (Lamberts Downtown Barbecue, Austin, pictured) have thrown in together and will open a modern Texas steakhouse there in a couple
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
I used to think that only native Texans could love Texas the way it should be loved, but Scott Cohen has proved me wrong. The San Antonio chef recently published a cookbook, The Texas Hill Country: A Taste of Provence, which brims over with his enthusiasm for all things
The Grove–the futuristic-looking new downtown Houston restaurant from chefs Robert Del Grande of Cafe Annie and Ryan Pera formerly of 17–is definitely all it’s cracked up to be. Approaching the low-slung entry, you worry you’ve arrived at the rear. Then you go inside, and the whole thing opens up
Austinites may not know about Tacodeli, but people who visit the Austin Farmer’s Market regularly know of the little taco stand that brings breakfast tacos and lunch tacos. Austin360 named it best breakfast taco winner of 2007.My boyfriend is fond of the chicken frontero fondido and he’s not the only
Nothing says welcome home to Texas like friendly folks, and no place could’ve welcomed me back to Austin on a recent weekend visit like Counter Café. It wears well the casual-cool thing that has always made me love this city (no fancy pants Domain/2nd Street District thing here). The food
I was in such a bad mood after fighting the parking behind Dutch’s, in Fort Worth, on the first day of the city’s annual whoopdedoo rodeo that I was ready to bite somebody’s head off. “Why are you morons doubled-parked in your gigantic pickup trucks,” I shouted to myself
The other day, my friend the Constant Eater showed up with this adorable notebook. Her son gave it to her for Christmas, and it’s for food freaks, so they can take notes on their favorite places just like restaurant reviewers do.Of course, my selfish interest in promoting it is that
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
If reducing your carbon footprint by eating more organic and local food has popped up on a resolution list, here’s a way to usher in the new year in a more sustainable, but still delicious way. Gruet champagnes are made next door in New Mexico outside of Albuquerque by
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
APPLE MEETS GINGER.GOLDEN CRESCENT ENFOLDS THEM.CAN’T TALK WITH MOUTH FULL.Lamberts Downtown Barbecue, Austin
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Or in this case, take your spoon over to the new Yogo Berry on South Congress. Fans of tangy frozen yogurt of the cult Pinkberry (now highlighted in the AMEX Plum ads) will understand the allure of this no-fat
Here’s to the really thin, crusty pizza like the one with (yum) tomato, pecorino cheese, spinach, mozzarella, truffle oil and a soft-cooked egg at Sagra. This is the cool little trattoria and enoteca that opened up in Mars’ old location at 1610 San Antonio, in Austin (512-535-5988). It’s pretty
Now, I am not one to claim that dance halls are fine dining establishments, but they are part of what makes a holiday ring true for this Texan. Somehow I always seem to make my way to a honky tonk over the holidays, even if
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.
The Garcia Art Glass company in San Antonio has come up with the perfect stocking stuffer for the steak lover on your holiday list: an oil lamp entitled “Rare.” (It’s even peppered.) They also sell “Medium,” and “Well-done.” Why would anyone dream up such a thing? Easy. Company owner
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,
Kudos to Tracy Claros, Austin owner of the Sticky Toffee Pudding Company–she got a shout-out today in the New York Times story on mail-order gifts for the holidays. Those wonderful cakey, puddingy desserts that she makes are indeed irresistible. We should know: We couldn’t stop eating them when
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
How can it be turkey time again? I got all nostalgic for the deep-fried turkey recipe we published a few years ago, courtesy of Fort Worth chef Grady Spears. It was fabuloso, with a cinnamon-chile-brown sugar rub on the outside. And it cooked fast, too. I remember it all too
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,
You need to know this the next time you’re in Houston: You can have a smaller, selected edition of Marco Wiles’ fantastic food for a little more than half the price he charges at Da Marco. All you have to do is sashay down to 500 Westheimer Road to
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
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’
If buzz counted for everything instead of nearly everything, Torchy’s Tacos would be Austin’s top-rated restaurant. Of course, it’s not a restaurant: It’s a trailer parked in a vacant lot across from El Mercado at the intersection of South First and Gibson. You’d be forgiven for missing it, or for
I’ve got to hand it to my pal Bud Kennedy, popular columnist for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Bud specializes in ferreting out fascinating stuff about his home city and Texas, and now he has tracked down the name of the unsung hero who might be called the stepfather of
This is all explained in the Umami post, below. It was just getting too long, so here is Bin 555′s chocolate torte recipe. “White Truffle” Chocolate Truffle TorteServes 20 (4 oz
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
A recent trip to Rush Patisserie in Dallas’ Deep Ellum district reminded me how much croissants are shortchanged on the breakfast breads list. They are a true breakfast treat; they’re not just for sandwiches, contrary to current trends. And bagels, really, are they that good? My mother notes that
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
On the heels of discussing Tex-Mex cuisine, let us consider the larger category of Ameri- Mex. I nearly lost my tacos a few weeks ago when I read about Taco Bell’s move into the Mexico market. They tried once before and didn’t make the grade. Go figure. This second attempt
For the love, Mr. Drape, you should have stopped before you even began. Granted, myself being in Boston and in a whole new world of food, I can understand wanting to gush and “celebrate” a less-familiar cuisine. But a few things—okay, a lot of things—about Joe’s M.O. are really confusing.
ESPADRILLES? Since when are espadrilles Texans’ “indigenous footwear”??? In his lead to the most pathetic article on Tex-Mex food I’ve ever read (in today’s New York Times “Dining Out” section), non-native-Texan Joe Drape says espadrilles are our native shoe. Dude: Espadrilles are French.
Back in September, fueled by a diet of mealy apples and concern about global warming, I signed up for a CSA share. CSA stands for “community supported agriculture;” it’s a small farm that sells food directly to, you got it, members of the community. Mine is called Johnson’s
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
Texas Wines are becoming more well known. The Hill Country is alive with visitors from Austin to Connecticut. And these travelers have many choices, actually 21 of them.As a beginning wine connoisseur, I have knowledge not extensive, but I know how to swirl, to smell, to taste. I forget what
We’re still taken with our little neighborhood wine store, Vinosity (3500 Jefferson, off 35th Street near Mopac, in Austin; 512-420-9111). The space is sleek, the selection diverse, and the prices fantastic. The small plates (read: tapas) are delicious and perfect for nibbling while tasting a variety of domestic and international