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
. . . salmon roe on foie gras for “color”? Pork bellies at high altitude? Prawns so giant that don’t even fit in the serving bowl? In the season finale of Top Chef, Casey Thompson, of Shinsei in Dallas, had a minor meltdown and started putting
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
Can a Jersey boy make a good taco? I am afraid so, my dear Texans, I’m afraid so. On a recent Fenway Park outing (how quickly I have earned my Red Sox Nation citizenship), we dropped by the takeout window of La Verdad, an affordable gourmet taco spot recently opened
There’s something to be said for familiarity and consistency. So when my husband and I stumbled across Castle Hill Cafe on Fifth Street (in Austin, of course), we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dine at one of our old stomping grounds. And, we were pleased with the
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
The summer before my freshman year of college, as I prepared to move from New York to Austin, I was shocked to hear Bob, my best friend’s father, say, “Don’t worry, you’ll be right at home. Texas barbecue was invented by our kind, you know.” Bob’s greatest pleasure seemed to
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
And I thought this was the funniest thing you could do at the drive-thru. Three men in a pickup truck tossed a python through a drive-through window at a Taco Bell worker who is afraid of snakes, police said. Round Rock police say the incident may have been a
I love the food here in Boston, for sure, but sometimes a Texan just has to have a really good taco (for a multitude of ideas, see Pat’s story from the December 2006 issue). Hence, I have set out to find the best taco in town, perhaps a
According to food writer John Griffin in the San Antonio Express-News, a air date has been set for the Food Network episode of “Throwdown” that was taped in San Antonio last May at Hacienda de Los Barrios, home to chef and author Diana Barrios-Trevino. See Bobby Flay and Diana go
Just like pork is the other white meat, El Paso is the other border town. When people think of the Texas -Mexico border, their minds invariably jump to Brownsville/Laredo. Rarely do the far west Texas twin cities of El Paso and Juarez even cross their mental
I realize this blog isn’t called “Drink My Words,” but tequila is like food, right? Business Week just posted a story on its web site about a fight over the ownership of Patron Spirits Co. involving its co-founder, Austinite John Paul DeJoria (a.k.a. the Paul Mitchell guy),
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
Andrew Weissman and wife Maureen are back from vacation — including a trip to Maureen’s home in Costa Rica to take the baby (born last January) to see mom. Maureen told us before the trip that it would be the first time home since babe was born, a command performance
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
Though no longer a Texas Monthly staffer or Austin resident, I remain a devoted foodie in my far-away home of Boston. I’ve made some initial explorations here, yet hunger pangs hit me for familiar favorites like Vespaio, Mandola’s–oh, that melanzane pizza!, Din Ho Chinese BBQ, and Fonda San Miguel.While I
For those of us who consider a to-go container cooking at home, the folks at Zagat are looking for your restaurant picks and witticisms. They publish a guide focused on Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio with some surrounding areas. If you submit a survey, they’ll send you
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
With all the hunting news about (northern sector quail hunting starts this weekend, I think)I’ve been wondering about those Bandera quail that show up on menus here and there (Let’s see, I think the last time was at Jason Dady’s Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills)A quick search through the
Ever wanted to know what exactly you’d learn if you signed up for the 30-week course at the new Culinary Institute of Americas campus in San Antonio? Here’s the scoop.Or maybe you have a chef-in-the-making who’s still underage. Try this link.javascript:void(0)
“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
I want to try every one of the entries in this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards at the State Fair this weekend, but in particular the thought of something called Fernie’s Fried Chili Frito Burrito has awakened feelings that I no longer thought myself capable of. God Bless you
I’m a believer in letting only the experts have their say — kibbitzers, keep out of the kitchen — but I feel duty-bound to report that last night I had what may well be the best meal I’ve eaten in Austin in fifteen-plus years. Pat has written before about
A few transitions we’ve noted lately (in person or in the news):Lisa’s Mexican Restaurant has moved from it’s former location to bigger digs at 815 Bandera. One of my favorite places for caldo — the chicken version is bright, colorful and has vegetables that look like vegetables in it —
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
Ever wanted to deep-six your boring career and do something totally different, like go to culinary school? San Antonian Chris Dunn did just that–he signed up for the chef’s program at the Center for Foods of the Americas, completed his certificate, and blogged about the whole thing. Since the school
This just in. A well-connected source says that Liberty Bar, famous for its great Texas bistro menu and its slanted floors, is looking for a new location in the King William area. Apparently, the rent is going up dramatically (think about that location just a block or so from the
Definitely pick up the September issue of Gourmet magazine. It’s the Latino issue, with recipes from all over the Hispanic world and some great personal stories (Junot Diaz’s tales of growing up Dominican in New York is a blast). Texas gets its due, with two stories. The first is on
so a comment to a previous post brought this up:Jim said… Let’s start with bar-b-que. The top of my list are Novasad’s Bar-B-Que (lamb ribs) in Hallettsville and Prause’s (brisket) in La Grange. None better! I’m not going to dispute that the Central Texas
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
Welcome to Eat My Words, TEXAS MONTHLY’s blog about all things edible. In this forum, our writers and restaurant reviewers hope to entice you with tidbits of food lore and gossip, guide you to dishes and dining places across the state that we’ve liked (and steer you away from ones