Recent Eats

So here are a couple places that I've eaten recently, and clearly haven't made the time to write full posts!  

Had lunch at the Whip In, the combo Indian food/bar/convenience store spot on the southbound frontage road of IH-35 between Woodland and Oltorf. I seem to remember it from years ago when it was still mostly convenience store. Now, when you walk in, you're immediately faced with a somewhat jumbled chalkboard menu. As you keep walking straight back, you have some bar stools at the counter, and the store merchandise and refrigerated cases behind you when sitting.

After studying the board, and hearing they were out of samosas (problem with the fryer, I think), I picked the Travis Heights sandwich -- samosa-style potatoes, peas, carrots, cilantro chutney, and provolone cheese grilled in naan bread, and my friend had the curried ratatouille.

All in all, not bad. Mine could have used more of the chutney, or something to jazz it up a bit. Would be interested to try some of their meat dishes. They do get creativity points for their menu, a fusion of Indian and American cuisines, with things from biryanis to South Asian Frito Pie. And they source locally! 

A last minute meet-up with a friend found us at Red House Pizzeria on a Friday night. We walked in through the bar area, which was packed, but across the covered patio and into the restaurant portion found no waiting. GREAT happy hour specials, which were available in the restaurant -- a few different drinks at half or reduced price, and the appetizers were half price. 


We both started with the house punch cocktail, and then shared the garlic bread, meatballs, Greek salad, and Gorgonzola and bacon pizza. The meatball description says they have a touch of truffle oil, which I couldn't taste at all.

The pizza was a little underdone for my liking. I had one leftover piece that I ate for lunch the next day, which I heated it in the toaster oven, and the crust did get nice and crispy.

Certainly decent food, great happy hour prices, and a very friendly, efficient waiter, named Ross. Would I go back though? 


And then brunch this weekend at the very popular 24 Diner. Fortunately, it was only about a 15 minute wait (after being told 45 min), and we were seated in the back room, which was a hair quieter than the main room. 

Three of us split the heirloom tomato salad, which was delicious.

I had the French toast with vanilla cream and blueberries, with sides of egg and sausage. Yum! 

One friend had the ham and Gruyere frittata, and the other the hash, all very tasty. We had wanted to split a milkshake for dessert, but were too full! 

Bits and Bites

-- The Next Food Network Star will be holding a casting THIS Saturday, at the Hyatt Regency at 208 Barton Springs Road, from 9a - 1p. Could this be YOU? See the link for application and requirements.

-- On Thursday, September 8, dine at Tarka and a portion of the proceeds benefits Dine Out for the Cure, and on September 13, it will benefit Dining for Life.

-- The Blanton Museum of Art will be hosting a talk by cookbook author Patricia Quintana, "Moles: The Aromas and Flavors of Mexico" on September 13th at 6 pm.

-- Savory Spice Shop is opening a second location in Austin on September 15th, this one in the Arboretum, next to Con Olio (the olive oil shop). More info to be had on their Facebook page.

-- J Mueller BBQ will open their new trailer on September 26th at 1502 S. 1st Street. At present, their webpage doesn't have any info on it, but hopefully, the menu will soon appear! Very excited for this one, as it will be close to my house!

Bits and Bites

Okay, what things have we come across lately?

Events

-- The Alamo Drafthouse and Parkside restaurant are hosting a screening of Ferris Bueller's Day Off on September 11th at 7:30 pm, at 6th and San Jacinto. Admission is free, but a $5/person donation is suggested, and it benefits the 6th Street Austin Association. For more info, go here.  

-- Beginning September 13th, you can learn the secrets of mixology with the guys from Tipsy Texan! For more info and to register....

-- The Blanton Museum of Art and the Capital Area Food Bank are hosting a panel discussion and screening of Dive! Living Off America's Waste, at the Blanton on September 15th at 6:30 pm. The documentary looks at the paradox between wasted food and record-levels of hunger in America. To RSVP and for more info.

-- On September 24th, the Texas Craft Brewers Festival will be held at Fiesta Gardens. This non-profit event benefits the Austin Sunshine Camps.
-- A new non-profit supper club, A Torrid Affair, will host their inaugural dinner on September 26th at 7:30 pm at Springdale Farms; proceeds benefit the Dell Children's Medical Center Tickets for the 5 course meal are $175/person, and can be purchased here. {The PR company forwarded me a press release with menu info; email me if you want me to forward it. I don't see a weblink to it, or else I'd post it.....I will say the menu looks divine!}

Opening

-- Dock and Roll Diner, a trailer just past 360 on Bee Caves, at 6416 Bee Caves. They will feature "globally inspired sandwiches." Nicely done website, especially for a trailer!

-- Austin Java and Austin Chill (a frozen yogurt shop) have opened next to each other at 6550 Comanche Trail, in the Oasis, Texas Village.

-- Estancia Churrascaria, the Brazilian-style meat house, is opening a second location at the Arboretum in September. Mmmmeat!

-- Cazamance, Austin's only Senegalese food that I am aware of, has expanded to a new place at 1102 E. Cesar Chavez. So while's it's not far from their original trailer on Rainey, this brick and mortar spot is open 10 am - 5pm daily. {Update on 9/1 -- I emailed them for clarification, and the word back is: "(it's) a trailer attached to an event center, in a beautiful garden." I stand corrected!}

Waitress/SafePlace/Alamo Followup

Thanks to those of you who either donated pies or came out to the Alamo's screening of Waitress on August 21st.  I am a member of the Philanthropy committee for the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance, and I am excited to share that we raised over $2000 for SafePlace! The follow-up post I wrote for the AFBA blog can be seen here.

Thank you! If only life COULD be as easy as pie!

Bits and Bites

I know I've mentioned it before, but it's right around the corner! The Austin Food Blogger's Alliance is holding a screening of the movie Waitress at the Alamo South Lamar on Sunday, August 21st at 1pm. We've (yes, WE, I've been helping put together this event) got donations of pies from several local bakeries, which we will sell on a donation basis at the end of the movie. All the movie ticket and pie sales go to SafePlace. We've already gotten word that we sold out the smaller 80-something person theater at the Alamo, and they're moving us into a larger theater! We'd really like to sell out!!! And we'd really like for you to come and buy a pie! Get your tix here!

With many thanks, we have donations from: Bluebonnet Cafe, Cake & Spoon, Dagar's Catering, Flemings, Pie Fixes Everything, Royer's Round Top Cafe, Silver Whisk, Sugar Mama's, SugaPlump, Texas Pie Kitchen, The Pie Society, Tiny Pies, Upper Crust, the Wine & Food Foundation.

Newsy things:

-- Vodka Fest, on Wednesday, August 31st from 7 - 10 pm (really,  in the middle of the week?), will be held at Cool River Cafe. Locally produced Dripping Springs Vodka will be the only local vodka out of thirty participants. 

-- Estancia Churrascaria will celebrate Brazilian Independence Day on September 7th. Caipirhinas will of course be featured, as well as a fruity cocktail version thereof, called the caipifruta. 

-- Fonda San Miguel will hold a wine pairing dinner featuring wines from Copain, a vineyard in California's Russian River Valley, on Wednesday, September 14th. Tickets are $85/person for the five-course pairing, and can be purchased by calling the restaurant. The menu and wine pairings can be viewed here.

-- Faraday's Kitchen Store in Lakeway will hold a gadget extravaganza on September 24th, from 10 am - 4 pm. Your chance to oooh and aahhh over lots of COOL toys!!!

Opening/Renovations/Reinventions

-- R.D.'s BBQ (Fri & Sat only) is in the Bouldin Creek Trailer Park on S. 1st.

-- Bennigan's will resurface... but I can't remember where I heard it was to be located.

-- The Driskill Grill will be closed for remodeling.

-- Sadly Aquarelle will be closing, but the owner will be reopening it as a Latin-influenced place, called Chonita's.

-- In the same location with the same chef (and other teammates?) that was The Good Knight on East 6th, will become Sputnik, a Russian burger and hot dog place, opening in the not too distant future. 

-- An ice cream shop called Lick, is apparently coming to the building next to Barley Swine (as I spotted the sign after dinner at BS the other night). I like the logo! 

Closing

-- Somnio's on South 1st decided not to renew their lease; sad that a quality placed, dedicated to locally-sourced foods couldn't survive in this economy. I am feeling slightly guilty for only having eaten there once, as they are located pretty close to me.

-- Dog Almighty on South Lamar; the doors are apparently locked by the landlord. Man their hand-dipped jalapeno corn dog was killer! And the tater tots too. Bummer.

And finally, please take a second to visit my new Facebook page! Thanks! You can see the pictures of my Barley Swine meal!