Bits and Bites

-- It's F1 weekend in town! A reminder that the Austin Food Blogger Alliance has a GREAT restaurant guide, all prepared by your local food bloggers! My contributions are food trailers in the south part of town, as well as restaurants.

-- Thanksgiving is only a week away! Comprehensive listing in the Statesman as to who will be open. Also, places like Easy Tiger have their dinner rolls available for pick up before Thursday, and Max's Wine Dive has several of their side dishes available too. Central Market and Whole Foods offer fully-prepared meals.  And whether you're grocery shopping for your ingredients or going out -- PLAN AHEAD! You're not the only one out there looking for organic pumpkin pie filling. Don't wait til the last minute. (And if you do, don't get grumpy when you can't find what you're looking for!)

-- Speaking of Thanksgiving, I was "invited" to a Thanksgiving pot-luck. A virtual one! My friend The Kid Can Cook organized her blogger friends to each write a post on one of their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, including my pecan pie! You see all the dishes here, and you may find a new favorite to try this year. 

-- Eater Austin has their (well, the readers picks) picks of the top trendy spots, the 2012 Eater Awards. 

-- Fonda San Miguel is holding a wine and port pairing dinner on December 5th with Niepoort Wines, $85/person.


Openings/Reincarnations
-- The Cutie Pie Trailer is back in business at the Bouldin Creek Food Park, 1209 S. 1st Street. 

-- Zen, the Japanese fast food restaurant is changing concepts, becoming Lucky Robot, which will officially open November 28, emphasizing Harajuku fashion styles, iPad ordering, and a lot of Japanese street food, most of which will be priced under $10/dish.

-- Out in Fredericksburg, well-known pastry queen Rebecca Rather has opened her new spot -- The Pink Pig, open for B, L and D. No link yet on the website to the menu, but from the copy I've seen, it looks fantastic, I just wish it was in Austin! Their Facebook page has a little more info regarding hours, etc.

-- New Thai spot Sway to officially open December 9th at 1417 S. 1st Street; check out their tasty looking menu too!


Closings/Transitions
-- Sagra has sadly announced they are closing (though looking for a place to relocate); their current landlord will not renew their lease. Read Sagra's letter posted on their homepage. 

-- La Boite, the food "trailer," made out of an old shipping container (before it was cool!) is closing due to their inability to find a suitable wholesale baker for their needs. 

-- Uncle Billy's Brew and 'Cue on Lake Travis, by the Oasis and Soleil.

-- Collie's Burgers, formerly part of the South Austin Trailer Bazaar has apparently closed with the closure of this trailer park.

-- Chef John Bullington and the Alamo Drafthouse have parted ways. No word yet on what's next in store for him, but he's got lots of love around town!

Cutie Pie Wagon

It was highly suggested I try some pies from the Cutie Pie Wagon, but it's not a decision I regret! (Except for my waistline....) 

We tried the white chocolate coconut, my favorite of the three we had; it's lightly sweet & creamy with toasted shredded coconut. Very different (in a very good way!) than coconut pies I've had before. The buttermilk pie was heavy on the nutmeg, which I liked, as to me, it balanced the egginess, but another taster friend was a bit turned off by its strength.  The third was the fudge brownie, which was as described! Fairly dense, not too dry; ours was plain, but it can be done with a peanut butter glaze -- next time! All the pies were on a very thin, almost waterwheel cracker-like crust; I would have preferred a bit more crust to my pie, but I am sure it is difficult at a 3 - 4" little pie.

The Cutie Pie Wagon is operated by self-proclaimed Pie Queen Jaynie, a former registered nurse with a knack for baking. Her recipes are adapted from pies her mother used to bake, and she has repertoire of 500 different recipes! The wagon is a tiny, eccentric pink hot spot, located on South Congress, between some of the bigger dawgs in the Austin food trailer world. And at $4 a pie, I am sure that's a lot of pies to pay the rent, though she does make big ones too.

The Pie Queen's next step? To become a contestant on the Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race. The top vote getters get a chance to compete in the next season of the show. I am all for tasty, cute pies, hot pink, and woman-owned businesses, so she gets my votes! (Click on the Food Network link above to vote!)