Newsy stuff

Congrats:

1) A huge congrats to Bryce Gilmore of Barley Swine and Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, for being named one of Food and Wine magazine's top 10 new chefs. A great accomplishment, especially since Barley Swine has only been open since the end of December, and it puts him in the company of other local greats David Bull (at the Driskill Hotel when he won, currently at Congress in the Austonian building) and Tyson Cole (Uchi and Uchiko). Austin American-Statesman restaurant reviewer and nominator of Gilmore, Mike Sutter, posted this in today's Food section.

2) And for a super-duper job well done, congrats to Austin Bakes, and especially the chief organizer Kathryn Hutchinson, aka Austin Gastronomist for raising over $11,500 in a city-wide bake sale that supports relief efforts in Japan through AmeriCares. I made Grenada Nutmeg Cake and biscuits for the south location (the Hotel San Jose/Jo's Coffee parking lot, in the middle of all the hot rod cars here for the Lone Star Round Up!), and will need to improve upon my packaging techniques for future endeavors! The labels and packages I saw were absolutely adorable!

Opening:

3) Torchy's Tacos opens TODAY, at 3005 S. Lamar, in the old Chango's spot. Can never have too many Torchy's!

4)  A little further south on Lamar, the Along Came a Slider trailer moved in where Chris' Little Chicago had been, next to Red's Porch. Don't know anything about them, but the menu looks good, and the name is catchy.

5) From the owners of Imperia and Speakeasy, tenOak recently opened in the old Cuba Libre spot on Colorado Street, next to Frank. Said to be a masculine space, paying homage to bourbon and bloody marys, with a price-conscious listing of small plates.

Keep in your thoughts: 

6) Sagra, the Italian place I recently wrote about for the use of their digital tablets, has sustained a fire causing $100,000 worth of damage. Initial reports blamed the blaze on a faulty pizza oven installation, and the owners hoped they'd only be out of business for about a week while repairs were made.

Newsy stuff

-- The newly formed Austin Food Blogger Alliance will have their first happy hour/networking session at Takoba on March 29 at 6 pm. RSVP for the event here; I look forward to finally meeting some of my fellow bloggers! :)

-- There will be a bake sale to raise money for Japanese relief efforts on Saturday, April 2nd. It's being organized by a local group of food bloggers, called Austin Bakes. Can you whip up a baked good or volunteer your time on the 2nd? I'll bake something! (Update: As of March 25, there will be 5 locations around town where the baked goodies will be sold! I think I'll be making blondies and a nutmeg bundt cake for sale at the Hotel San Jose. See their website for all the locations, details, etc.)

-- The next Austin Restaurant Week is coming up! It's your chance to dine at some of Austin's best places at a reduced rate! (And who doesn't like that??!) Apparently, the dates are April 10-13 and 17-20, though they were originally posted to be at the end of March/beginning of April. Maybe it was moved because of....

-- The annual Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, March 31 - April 3; tickets are required for the various events, and can be purchased through their website. I'll be at the Sunday fair, which is in yet another location this year, this time at the Mexican American Cultural Center off of Rainey Street. Parking will be interesting....anyone know if they're running shuttle buses from somewhere?

-- My favorite neighborhood bakery, La Patisserie, recently had a contest to come up with a new macaron flavor to add to their stellar collection. They solicited flavor suggestions on their Facebook page, and this past Sunday which was National Macaron Day, they had the top 5 flavors available for tasting at the bakery. Tasters were asked to then vote on their favorite flavor (toasted almond, chocolate coconut, raspberry mojito, peanut butter & jelly, and key lime pie). Toasted almond was the winner -- and it was MY flavor suggestion! It will be featured at the bakery in April! Yum, yum, yum! 

-- Maudie's is having a carb-loaded special for those running the annual Capital 10K this Sunday, March 27, the Potato Rajas Taco Plate. Eat it the day before, and you'll be well fueled. Me, I'll have a margarita! ;)

-- Sagra, the lovely Italian spot just north of downtown (remember, they're using iPads and e-readers now for enhanced menu options!), will have an Easter buffet brunch for $24/head. It will include scrambled eggs, French toast, and leg o' lamb! Might want to make a reservation!

-- Looking for a different twist on grilled foods? Bar Chi Sushi has a charcoal robata grill -- the ONLY one in town --  and great prices on those items during happy hour, daily from 3 - 6 pm and on Fri/Sat from 10pm - 12am.

Lots of yummies!

Local Happenings

News bits:

-- My neighborhood bakery, La Patisserie (LP), has teamed up with Pate Letelier (PL) to now serve lunch! I have purchased the bison and pork pate from PL at the Hope Farmer's Market, and had appetizers with the chicken liver pate, and thought they were both delicious! This is a great idea by LP to make their business more versatile; weekly menus will be posted on LP's website. Yum, yum, yum!

-- Think you are ready for prime time? Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts will be in town next week, doing casting at Olivia on Wednesday, March 2nd. There's an application and video involved, so if you think you're ready for quick fire and elimination challenges, not to mention living with a bunch of semi-crazy roommates, DO IT!! And as for the current season, we're down to five chefs, and I have to say, Antonia is really growing on me!

-- While I am bummed to be missing it (I'll be in San Fran, so not all that bummed!), the second annual Austin Bacon Takedown will be here on Sunday, March 13th at Emo's. Contestants get 15 pounds of Hormel bacon to make their creations. So entering or attending, lots of pork happiness will surely abound.

-- The annual Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival will take place March 31 - April 3 at various venues throughout the area. Check their website for details and tickets. The traditional Sunday fair (huge event with tastings from local restaurants, beer/wine/spirit vendors) is at a new locale this year -- the Mexican American Cultural Center off of Rainey Street.... where are people going to park? Guess I'll be finding out, because I already have my tickets!