The race to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison in the United States Senate has not produced any stars. Some national conservative publications ballyhooed Ted Cruz, but ultimately his boomlet was a ripple, not a wave. The only candidate who advanced himself politically (other than Dewhurst, the likely winner) is Tom Leppert.
Uncategorized
Numerous Texas chefs credit their profound talents to years of hard work in culinary school, rigorous training alongside great chefs, or hours of sweat equity in restaurant kitchens. Great cooking, however, is not a subject that can be summed up in the span of a few short years in the kitchen; lessons usually begin…
The Texas Conservatives Fund PAC, an independent expenditure group, polled in the Senate race recently. May 1-7, 800 Republican primary voters, MOE +/- 3.5%. Here were the results: Dewhurst 57% Cruz 16% Leppert 12% James 4% Undecided 11% Positive/Negative Cruz 30/22 Leppert 30/7 James 25/18 The Indiana Senate race is…
This was the statement released by the chancellor’s office earlier today. Last night I reported that Dr. Cigarroa had been asked to fire Powers. Obviously there is a conflict here, but it is not surprising given the tension that exists between the board of regents and the office…
In 2007, Ellise Pierce packed up her life in Texas and moved across the world to join her boyfriend in Paris. The idea seemed romantic: a talented freelance writer living in Paris writing by day and cooking Texas-inspired cuisine for her sweet boyfriend by night. Things didn’t pan out.
A source tells me that UT president Bill Powers may be in danger of losing his job as a result of his opposition to Governor Perry’s insistence on a tuition freeze. After the Perry-appointed regents approved the freeze, Powers expressed strong opposition to the decision, stating, “I am…
I wouldn’t put too much stock in this poll, which was commissioned by Conservative Republicans of Texas, a group headed by a prominent social conservative Dr. Steven Hotze. The Dewhurst camp’s fingerprints are all over it. The Houston Chronicle points out that the polling firm (Dresner, Wickers,…
If Paul Qui were the type to get a swelled head, he would be getting one right about now. The young executive chef of Uchiko, in Austin, won the Best Chef: Southwest title at the James Beard Awards ceremony in New York’s Lincoln Center Monday night.
I was stunned to read the e-mail exchange between Dan Patrick and John Carona in the Quorum Report’s “Daily Buzz” section, in which Patrick accuses Carona of spreading “rumors and untruths” about him and his wife and the state of their marriage. In a later e-mail, Patrick writes, “I can…
The James Beard Awards—which are “the Oscars of the culinary industry,” as has been said ad infinitum but which also happens to be true—happen tonight in New York starting at 5 Central time (6 Eastern). The best restaurants and chefs in the country—determined by a vote of chefs…
The poll’s findings: 41% of conservatives do not regard Romney as a conservative; only 5% regard him as very conservative 43% of liberals do not regard Obama as a liberal; only 8% of liberals regard him as very liberal These findings suggest that both candidates may face an enthusiasm…
Tomorrow is the day to put on your finest over-sized derby hats and sombreros and sit in front of the television sipping homemade cocktails for Cinco De Mayo and Derby Day. We’ve put together a list of two cocktail recipes to make at home for the occassion. Texas Heat…
Yesterday, we shared baking tips from Christina Tosi. The famed pastry chef of Momofuku and Milk Bar was in town this weekend for the Austin Food & Wine Festival to explain her off-the-cusp pastry style and give some tips…
Near the end of February 2012, former New Yorkers Michael and Jessica Sanders opened their American neighborhood pub, drink.well., in the North Loop District of Austin, featuring a delicious selection of all-American cocktails, craft beers, wine, and spirits on the menu. Michael and Jessica In visits…
It's hard not to eat at a Larry McGuire project these days – even if it's by accident. The chef-turned-entrepreneur has his hand in a number of Austin's most popular restaurants, including Perla's, Lamberts, Elizabeth Street Café, and, most recently, Fresa's Chicken al Carbon. The young restauranteur sat down with TEXAS MONTHLY to talk about his upcoming projects (including Jeffrey's), his day-to-day life, and why he sometimes just wants fish and rice. What is your day-to-day life like right now? You've taken on so many projects recently. That's kind of a big thing for us right now is figuring out what kind of company we're going to be. I'm still figuring out what my days are really. Do you go from restaurant to restaurant? Yeah. I don't really have a big plan or a big vision of what we want to do. It's almost been real-estate driven. We've had these opportunities to take spaces, and we're always kicking around a concept. When we did Lamberts, we hadn't seen anyone doing barbecue in a new way. People were starting to get into sausage making and charcuterie. We were toying with that and we had both been cooking fine dining, so that's how Lamberts started. After being so meat-centric, that kind of led us to wanting to do a lighter restaurant like Perla's, and we've always been into Asian food, so that's how Elizabeth Street got started. Fresa's is almost like a P-Terry's concept. People say, "You guys borrow so much stuff," and I'm like, "Of course we do." We travel. We eat out. We see what people are doing, and we try to figure out what we need or are missing in Austin. At the end of the day, we're consumers. We wanted to make good handmade food that's fast and convenient when we came up with Fresa's. We don't have this big plan or vision of what we want this company to be. I'm still figuring out what I want to do. I don't really even consider myself a chef that much. I come from a food background, but I'm much more of an entrepreneur now. I was going to ask you about that. How much time do you spend in the kitchen now? At Lamberts, I probably spent a year and a half in the kitchen. I kept a line-cooking shift until we started Perla's. I gave up my Wednesday grill shift. I enjoy line cooking a lot though. I miss that aspect, but at each of these places we're trying to hire neat people. Each restaurant has its own team now. There isn't a whole lot of bouncing around anymore.
I will be on vacation this week and will not be posting while I’m on the road. I will see you back here next week.
This weekend at the Austin Food & Wine Festival Christina Tosi of Momofuku and Milk Bar gave attendees a taste of her famous Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies from her book Momofuku Milk Bar. But she also graciously shared some baking tips, including Milk Bar's ten-minute creaming process, milk powder, and why too much butter is never a bad thing. -- "I like to use whole milk. I was raised on skim milk, but whole milk is the best. We get the milk we use at Milk Bar from a local organic dairy farmer." -- "I'm a big proponent of tasting and seasoning to your liking. At Milk Bar when we make big, big bowls of cereal to make our cereal milk, we usually season the milk with a little light brown sugar. The light brown sugar helps season the milk so [well] that it could go in so many different types of cereal... I like to put a pinch of salt in my cereal milk because it helps sharpen the flavor. I'm a big fan of salt in desserts, not to necessarily make it salty and sweet, but just to bring out the flavor and sharpness of the dessert." -- "We use milk powder in our ice cream. I sort of jokingly refer to it as the MSG for pastry chefs because it has this great ability when you put it in baked goods to really give a great depth of flavor."
Sangrita, tequila, and flavored salts From Jim's session (but they're another story) [caption id="attachment_501703" align="alignleft" width="680"]<img class="size-full wp-image-501703" src="http://www.texasmonthly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/0515_TEX.jpg" alt="texanist clothing" width="680" height="965" /> Do I need to update my jeans style?[/caption] <strong><span class="dropcap">Q:</span> I have always been “wear and let wear” when it comes…
For months, a great deal of hype and anticipation surrounded this weekend’s Austin Food & Wine Festival, and yet even before the festival commenced, extensive criticism began plaguing it. Many critics from around Texas and Austin bemoaned the rather pricey tickets: $850 is a pretty penny to have to pay…
Smoke was definitely in the air. The quintessentially Texas aroma of smoked beef permeated the air at Live Fire! on Thursday evening at the Salt Lick Pavilion in Driftwood, outside Austin. Billed as the kick-off event for the three-day Austin Wine & Food Festival coming up this weekend,…
A report by the Pew Hispanic Center finds that the huge wave of immigration from Mexico not only seems to have come to an end but is also reversing itself. This is a remarkable development, one that would have seemed unthinkable even five years ago. Illegal immigrants are…
I’m going to poach off the Trib predictions. —Wentworth vs. Jones/Campbell From the beginning I have been certain that Wentworth would win this race. What’s more, I think it’s important that he do so. TLR is getting too big for its britches. The danger for Wentworth is a runoff…
Masaharu Morimoto is the chef great chefs admire. Many of us know him from watching on as he wielded knives and slayed the competition on Iron Chef America – always willing and ready to stand up to any chef who challenged his…
My general rule about polls is to accept that polling organizations, including PPP, are good at what they do and they seldom get it wrong. That said, I think they got it wrong. I don’t think this is a twelve-point race. I haven’t seen anything, in the debates…
Public Policy Polling published its latest survey of Texas politics on Tuesday. Here are the numbers: Texas primay Romney 50% Gingrich 43% Paul 14% Hispanic Voters Obama 56% Romney 34% Young Voters Obama 57% Romney 35% Tea Party voters Romney 44% Gingrich 38% Evangelical voters Romney 40% Gingrich 45%…
In addition to his own race for reelection to the House, Straus must fend off challenges to his committee chairs. Eleven chairs face primary opponents, including several who head top-tier committees (Appropriations, Ways & Means, and State Affairs). Conventional wisdom holds that Eissler, Pitts, Hamilton, Hopson, and Truitt have tough…
There aren’t many Anna Wintours out there in the world. In fact, most magazine editors generally prefer to stay hidden from the glare of media exposure. Glued to recorders and notepads, they are the ones who conduct interviews, the ones who bury themselves in…
This was the headline of Patricia Kilday Hart’s strong column in the Houston Chronicle last week. It asks a good question. Her focus is on the Greater Houston Partnership. I asked a similar question a couple of years ago–why isn’t the business community more involved in state government?–and…
Writing in The Eagle, the newspaper for Bryan-College Station, president emeritus Ray Bowen and distinguished alumnus John Hagler charge that A&M regents have “failed the university.” The article appeared on April 21, San Jacinto Day, the most important date on the Aggie calendar. This is the day on…
We asked some of the chefs attending the Austin Food & Wine Festival what they are most looking forward to this weekend and here is what they had to say… “I am looking most forward to interacting with some of the…
Politicalwire.com has an online poll that asks the question, “Which Republican candidate ran the worst campaign?” The editors write: This isn’t an easy question: Of the Republican presidential candidates, who ran the worst campaign? Explain your answer in the comments. Who ran the worst campaign?…
This email was circulated by a longtime Republican activist: If you are in Travis County proper, we desperately need you to come the the Republican county convention this Saturday because all hell is breaking loose with the street scum the RP people are recruiting to help them overturn the…
From the San Antonio Express-News: State officials will have to end a key women’s health program if Planned Parenthood wins a legal battle to continue participating, Texas’ solicitor general told a federal judge Thursday. “In the end, Planned Parenthood would rather shut down the Women’s Health Program in…
This ought to end any speculation about whether there is a real contest for Hutchison’s Senate seat. Now there is no race, though there never really had been one from the beginning. Dewhurst was a cinch to win. Too much money, too much name I.D, too insignificant opposition. He was…
This following email was sent by Denise McNamara, the former Republican National Committeewoman for Texas: Fellow Conservatives: Our conservative GOP platform is under attack! Under the guise of “simplifying” the RPT platform, liberal activists are organizing in an attempt to gut our conservative planks. It’s time to rally the…
The governor’s support of new fiscal restrictions on state government has one clear effect: undercutting what conservatives achieved in the 82nd Legislature. Perry is essentially saying, “They didn’t do enough, and I will do what they should have done.” In a single stroke, he denies lawmakers credit for the most…
NOTE TO READERS: IN MY INITIAL POST, I MISTAKENLY ATTRIBUTED THE ATTACK ON THE TEXAS CONSERVATIVE ROUNDTABLE AND THE TEXAS TRIBUNE TO THE YOUNG CONSERVATIVES OF TEXAS. IN FACT, THE INFORMATION CAME FROM AGENDAWISE. I REGRET THE ERROR AND THE CONFUSION, AND I HAVE UPDATED AND CORRECTED THE POST. From…
Last week (4/14) I wrote an article, based on several developments that had occurred in recent days, raising the possibility that our overheated politics might be making a turn to the mild side. I mentioned the backlash against Rush Limbaugh for his attack on Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke;…
In late 2009, French chef Bruno Davaillon arrived at The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek with a brave mission: to honor the legacy of Dean Fearing‘s elegant, media-darling restaurant while adding his signature…
This is his official statement: “Governor Perry and I have worked closely over the last nine years to limit the size of government and balance the budget without raising taxes on Texas taxpayers. The budget objectives proposed by Governor Perry will reinforce the fiscally conservative principles that Republicans lawmakers have…
Straus’s statement on the Perry pledge: “Speaker Straus not only agrees with the principles outlined in Governor Perry’s compact but also has delivered results on them, leading the House to balanced, no-new taxes budgets, preserving a strong Rainy Day fund and being one of the only legislators ever to lead…
The Texas Tribune had a story yesterday by Ross Ramsey about Perry’s fight to stay relevant (my characterization, not Ramsey’s). From the Trib: On Monday, he will unveil a financial pledge and challenge candidates in Texas to sign on, agreeing to oppose new taxes and tax increases,…
This e-mail went out to party regulars over the signature of Bill Crocker, Republican national committeeman: Please plan to attend the SD [Senate District] conventions next Saturday and bring all your friends. We need to be sure we are not overwhelmed by the Ron Paul people, who still want to…
Is something happening out there? Has a subtle shift occurred in political discourse? Dallas talk radio host Mark Davis is off the air, writes the Star-Telegram‘s Bud Kennedy. Apparently, WBAP, the station on which he has appeared for the past eighteen years, has been bought by Cumulus Media. Redstate.com is…
The debate was contentious from the start. The moderator immediately brought up the text message Ted Cruz sent to Craig James a couple of days before the debate, suggesting that James ask Dewhurst why he had chosen to skip 32 candidate forums. James had responded that Cruz was trying to…
Note to readers: the law passed earlier this week. Well, what would you expect of a state that was the scene of the Scopes “Monkey” trial in 1925? Could this happen here? Could Perry label it an “emergency” issue? Remember, when asked in New Hampshire by a young boy whether…
Uchi and Uchiko together swept the first annual Austin CultureMap Tastemaker Awards gala on Thursday night at the Driskill Hotel, taking three prizes out of seven. The two sibling restaurants won for best restaurant, best decor and atmosphere, and best pastry chef (Philip Speer). The crowd…
Mary Lookadoo, the school superintendent in Mineola, was a late entrant into the race against incumbent Bryan Hughes. Ratliff”s endorsement reads, in part: “I don’t often get involved in campaigns. I was happy to serve my area and my state in the Texas Senate, but have taken a step back…
Baking is a courting ritual. For years, boyfriends and girlfriends have crafted homemade cookies, Betty Crocker cakes, and candy confections in the hopes of wooing the object of their desire. In fact, it is this very gesture that lead to the creation of Tiff’s Treats, a…