This year kicks off with a Tempranillo for Texas Wine of the Month. By now, you should be fairly familiar with the prevalence of this grape. It’s turning heads in Texas blends (McPherson Cellars La Herencia) as well as in single-varietal wines (Inwood Estates Vineyards “Cornelius” Tempranillo). This month, we
Last week, we reported that Tim Dornon, chef de cuisine of Uchiko, was leaving the Uchi establishment to join Paul Qui’s newest restaurant, QUI, as a chef consultant.Just a day after the news broke, Philip Speer, culinary director of Uchi, revealed to Eater Houston that Page Pressley, sous
On heels of the San Antonio Cocktail Conference—a national four-day conference modeled after the likes of the New Orleans’ Tales of the Cocktail event that brings together bartenders from around the country to learn, taste, and talk everything cocktail—I had a chance to catch up with local craft bartender
Once a year, I sort through my dining notes and come up with a list of my favorite dining spots of roughly the past twelve months. We modestly call the resulting story, traditionally published in February, “Where To Eat Now.” On its face, it is an honor roll of the
A myriad of Texas artisans and culinary businesses were recognized at the Good Food Awards Ceremony in San Francisco this weekend. The ceremony was hosted by well-known food activist Alice Waters.In the beer category, both Independence Brewing Co.‘s Convict Hill Stout and Jester King Craft Brewery‘s Boxer’s
Yesterday, The New York Times featured a story on a new breed of bars popping up around the United States: charitable bars. The newspaper noted that a “new generation of beer halls dedicated to something beyond the cash register is cropping up around the nation and the world, with
People from the spirits/brew world will descend upon Alamo City this weekend to discuss, serve, and celebrate a myriad of boozy beverages at the 2nd Annual San Antonio Cocktail Conference. TEXAS MONTHLY’s own Pat Sharpe will be judging the conference’s Original Cocktail Competition from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the St.
Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival is embracing a much more prominent culinary element this year with SouthBites, a curated line-up of gourmet food trucks and trailers. Paul Qui, executive chef/owner of East Side King and the yet-to-be-opened Qui, is in charge of orchestrating the new event.According to the
Lou Lambert, Texas restaurateur and author of Big Ranch, Big City Cookbook,will host three culinary camps in Marfa at El Cosmico on March 8-10, May 31-June 2, and August 9-11, 2013.Throughout the three-day culinary camps, attendees of Big City Camp Cooking will take cooking classes, sample West Texas-centric
As if buying a Texas town wasn’t enough, restaurateur Doug Guller is at it again. The hospitality mogul plans to open Chicago House, a craft beer-focused bar, on January 23 at 607 Trinity Street in Austin.According to the press release, “The bar will feature an extensive collection
Hey, all you Instagram users: Learn from an expert and you won’t have to edit those food pictures nearly as much. At Smitty’s, in Lockhart. Famed Texas magazine photographer Wyatt McSpadden is doing a road trip and day-long workshop in the barbecue capital of the world—Lockhart— next month. Participants
If there is anybody that knows Houston food it’s Erin Hicks, a Houston cookbook author. Her four books – Houston Classic Desserts, Houston Classic Seafood, Houston Classic Mexican Recipes, and
Since the idea that our world may be wiped out today is a little morbid, I figured it was best to take a less cynical approach to covering this apocalyptic occasion. Therefore, I asked a handful of Texas chefs a simple question: If the world were to end today, what
One of Houston’s most popular food trucks, Eatsie Boys, has officially gone brick-and-mortar. The much-anticipated, much-hyped Eatsie Boys Cafe opened its doors to Houston diners this morning. Eater Houston first broke the story. Owners Matt Marcus, Ryan Soroka, and Alex Vassilakidis have been working on the restaurant
According to a story in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, a new barbecue restaurant is coming to Austin in 2013. And this is no ordinary barbecue restaurant; it’s backed by Justin Timberlake. Yup, that Justin Timberlake… The Austin restaurant is part of a 30-city nationwide
Every king needs his queen, and for Paul Qui – chef/owner of East Side King and winner of Top Chef Texas – that queen is Deana Saukam. Deana, better known for her alter ego the East Side Queen, has been by Paul’s side ever since his whirlwind rise to fame. After Paul’s win on Top Chef
In case you haven’t heard, Feast, Houston’s first notable snout-to-tail restaurant, announced it will close its doors for good in August 2013 after their five-year lease comes to an end. The shocking shutter announcement came via Twitter last week: “So the bad news is we’re closing in
A few months ago, Latin Bites executive chef Roberto Castre took a trip to Peru to attend Mistura, an exciting culinary festival that takes place in Lima every year. During the culinary visit, the acclaimed chef encountered some new trends and restaurant dishes that have become all the rage throughout
Ahem. If you’ll scroll down to the seventh picture, below, you’ll see that there are only two macarons on the plate. There were initially three macarons, but yours truly grabbed the third one and demolished it in one bite before realizing that I had not taken a picture. Damn! It
Turkey Day is upon us, and an abundance of families will be cooking fall-centric dishes at home tomorrow. In case you’re looking to scrounge up some last-minute Thanksgiving recipes, here are a few offerings from a handful of talented Texas chefs. Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Absinthe Crème Fraîche from Jason Dodge of Péché
Here’s another restaurant opening Austinites can add to their December dining list: East Side King, Paul Qui’s Asian-inspired street food concept, will open its newest location in the back building of Hole in the Wall on Tuesday, December 4. This marks the fourth location of Qui’s East Side King as
The pies of Texas are about to be upon the Jersey shore, Staten Island, and Far Rockaway. Pie man extraordinaire Bud Royer—paterfamilias of the crew that runs Royers Cafe in the central Texas town of Round Top—has made it his mission to bring a little joy and sugar into
The wait is over! Sway – a contemporary Thai restaurant on South First Street in Austin – will open its doors on December 9. For those who haven’t followed news about the much-anticipated restaurant, Sway was originally supposed to open this past summer. For over a
The day has come! Tickets for the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival go on sale today, November 8, at 10 a.m. CST. The Festival, which takes place April 26-28, 2013 at Auditorium Shores and Republic Square Park, will feature a myriad of
Is Election Day making you feel boozy? You aren’t alone. A number of Texas bars and restaurants are planning for customers to drink in ecstatic celebration or deep sorrow tomorrow after hitting the polls. If you’re in the mood for drink or two after casting your vote, check out some of these election-inspired cocktails from around Austin and Houston.
A few months ago, famed cookie-delivery business Tiff’s Treats finally made its move into the city of Houston. Next week, the baked goods company is opening up its second Houston location, this time in the Medical Center. On Saturday, November 10, Tiff’s Treats will host
OpenTable, an online restaurant reservation and review system, recently announced the honorees of the 2012 Top 100 Restaurants with the Most Notable Wine Lists in the United States. The list was determined by the combined opinions of more than 5 million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 15,000
After months and months of planning and preparation, The Austin FOOD & WINE Festival made its debut at Auditorium Shores last April. For three long days, attendees swarmed festival grounds – eager to eat, drink, and mingle with a mix of local and national celebrity chefs. Overall, the first Austin FOOD &
If you’re looking to diverse your Halloween diet beyond candies, chocolates, and confections, check out some of these Halloween-inspired cocktails and cuisine from around the state of Texas. Philippe Restaurant/Phil’s Wine Lounge Phil’s Patch L’Autumn (Houston) 1.5 oz. Stolichnaya Vanilla vodka .75 oz. pumpkin pie syrup (recipe
After watching Stephan Pyles and eating his food for more years than we want to admit, we know good and well that he never does anything small and subtle. Given that he’s a fifth-generation Texan, proud of his Big Spring upbringing in that understated way that most West Texans
Famed culinary journalist and activist Michael Pollan will be giving a lecture at The Parmount Theatre in Austin on Thursday, November 1. Pollan is known for his New York Times bestsellers, “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual,” “In Defense of Food: An
Yesterday, I revealed that I would feature three unique chicken fried steaks on the blog in celebration of Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day. So, who are the lucky honorees? Congratulations to Olivia in Austin, Beaver’s in Houston, and Bone Daddy’s in Dallas.
Ready your gravy boats, fellow Texans; Tomorrow – Friday, October 26 – is Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day. This culinary holiday honors one of the most famed dishes in the Lone Star State, and in celebration of Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day, different restaurants across the state are offering chicken fried steak specials
For October, Pat Sharpe selected Boulevardier, a modern French bistro in Dallas, as Pat’s Pick. I spoke with Nathan Tate, executive chef of Boulevardier, about his brand new restaurant, French food, and his favorite dishes on the menu. (In case you haven’t heard,
Austin chef Sonya Coté, executive chef of Hillside Farmacy and former chef of East Side Show Room, has been named one of Marie Claire’s “Women on Top,” an award that celebrates women under forty who are creatively reinventing their industries. Coté earned the distinguished honor for her valiant support of
On Friday, Pat Sharpe wrote about Hugo Ortega’s new cookbook “Hugo Ortega’s Street Food of Mexico,” which will be featured at the Texas Book Festival this Saturday and Sunday (October 27-28) in Austin. To give
One of the most respected authorities on Mexican cuisine in this country is an author and culinary tour leader from Washington State named Marilyn Tausend, and she has recently published her latest cookbook, La Cocina Mexicana: Many Cultures, One Cuisine. Strangely enough, Tausend has a strong Texas connection.
Exciting news for all the Houston foodies out there: the city is hosting a myriad of chef-organized, chef-led culinary tours in 2013. The “Where the Chefs Eat” Houston Culinary Tours started in 2010 as a means of teaching diners about the Houston food scene and all its intricacies and diversities. Proceeds from the tours benefit
When Hugo Ortega was a small boy shining shoes and selling freshly made flan in the marketplace in Mexico City, no doubt it never crossed his mind that one day he would be teaching Americans to cook the foods of his homeland. But that was a long time ago, and
Two days ago, I featured a post on Naomi Duguid’s new book “Burma: Rivers of Flavor.” Before I talked to the Duguid, I asked her to send along a Texas-esque recipe from the book that I could
Right this minute would be a good time to scoop up some fun food-related bargains and help out a good cause at the same time. The Austin chapter of the nonprofit women’s culinary group Les Dames d’Escoffier is holding an on-line auction of culinary goodies, and it’s
Dear barbecue buffs, fans, mavens, hounds, fanatics, cognoscenti, nuts, addicts, maniacs, aficionados, zealots, enthusiasts, devotes, groupies, and lovers: Do you have a barbecue destination that you think is worthy of being on Texas Monthly’s “The Top Fifty BBQ Joints in Texas” list? Now’s the time to tell us! Next
Bryce Gilmore has announced plans to open a brick-and-mortar location of the food trailer that propelled him into local fame: The Odd Duck. The 120-seat Odd Duck restaurant will re-open in Spring 2013 in its original location at 1219 South Lamar Boulevard with “a rustic and casual atmosphere [featuring] simple and
From October 27-28, the Texas Book Festival will take place at the State Capitol in Austin. A number of talented, award-winning culinary authors will be attending the literary gathering, including Naomi Duguid – contributing editor of Saveur magazine and author of
When he spoke to TEXAS MONTHLY back in May, Larry McGuire mentioned he was working on a new oyster bar on West Sixth Street. Just before the Austin City Limits Music Festival, McGuire opened Clark’s Oyster Bar – a “little brother” restaurant to the highly
The Austin Film Festival will host their 10th annual Film & Food Party on Wednesday, October 17 at The Driskill Hotel from 7-10 p.m. The culinary event kicks off the 19th annual Austin Film Festival, which takes place from October 18-25. The honorary
On Friday, I began looking into how different food vendors and restaurants were gearing up for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. So far, I’ve spoken with Second Bar + Kitchen, Torchy’s Tacos, and The Salt Lick; today, I finish off my inquiry with Pâté Letelier and Tiff’s Treats. Read
Yesterday, I reached out to a few food vendors and restaurants to find out how they’ve been preparing for the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which attracts thousands of avid music fans from all over the world. To start things off,
The Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) kicks off today, and it isn’t just the music scene that is attracting hoards of attendees to the festival grounds. The food lineup is just as alluring as the assortment of bands scheduled to
