The Blind Cafe: Coming to Austin November 3 - 5

I've always heard about those dinners held in a completely dark room and thought they sounded like a fun experiment. Now, coming to Austin November 3-5, is The Blind Cafe, where diners will  experience their meal in total darkness and will be served by legally blind people. This event is meant to make patrons more socially aware and to lose the self-consciousness that can arise in social settings. No light. No cell phones. No need to wipe the crumbs from around your mouth as you eat, as no one can see you.

The Blind Cafe has three main components:

• To engage in a social dinner experience with vegan and gluten free foods, sourced locally as much as possible.
• To have a discussion via a Q + A session with legally blind speakers (who double as your servers), as they share their experiences of being blind.
• To participate in an active listening opportunity by really tuning in to live music being performed at dinner.

All of these together are intended to heighten your senses and to be fully immersed in the environment. Organizers do note that their aim is not to make patrons experience the evening as if they were blind, but rather "designed to change the way you 'see' the world." From their website: "The Blind Cafe does not try to perfectly recreate blindness. Instead, it allows people to interact, trust each other, and experience community in an entirely new way. In the dark, there are no uncomfortable glances, no self-consciousness about what you’re wearing or what you weigh, no distinction between the sighted and blind."

The Blind Cafe will be held November 3 - 5, with two seatings per night at 6 pm and 8:30 pm, at the American Legion, 404 Atlanta Street (just south of Mopac and Lake Austin Blvd., near Deep Eddy pool). Suggested ticket price is $85/person, but sliding scale options are available.

* This is a sponsored post; I have been given two tickets to the dinner in exchange for coverage of the event.

Gus's Fried Chicken

Here's all you need to know about Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken:

YES!

Best fried chicken in town, with Ms. P's Electric Cock a close second.

The fried green tomatoes had a great cornmeal crust, no grease, and a decent ranch sauce.  There were three of us splitting them, and I think the appetizer normally comes with five pieces, but our waiter brought us six so we didn't have to fight. And it wasn't Hidden Valley Ranch, so that made me happy.

The chicken was hot, juicy, crusty, and delicious.  The cole slaw was on the sweeter side, which didn't bother me, but it might not be to everyone's liking. The beans were fine, but not memorable. But for real, you're not going for the sides, you're going for THE CHICKEN! I got the three piece plate, and took one piece home for lunch the next day.  Gus's uses only the finest in styrofoam dishware. No fuss, no muss.

Pies were okay, though they were served straight from the refrigerator where as they should be room temperature. Chocolate, pecan, and buttermilk. Nothing spectacular.

Located downtown at 117 San Jacinto, Gus's is one and a half blocks east of Congress Avenue, and a block from the Convention Center. They are a Memphis transplant, and clearly they know how to whip up a batch of chicken. There were lots of people picking up take out orders, but I wonder if the fried goodness suffers a bit when left to steam in a styrofoam container. So just figure out where to park and go eat it there. Don't know what took me so long to get to Gus's, but I can't wait to go back!

Bits and Bites -- Austin Food News

Now Available
-- Coterie Market has unveiled their new Coterie Sampler boxes, a thoughtful collection of locally curated food items that you can buy on a one time or monthly subscription basis. For subscribers, items include a "Chef Feature," a single-run, chef-made item that is an exclusive. They have boxes with  ready to eat food stuffs as well as artisan craft items and they start at $39.95. These are great for thank yous, housewarmings, celebrations, holidays and for just the sheer appreciation of delicious, quality items. Bookmark their website, as these are fantastic boxes! The September box contained:

• Organic fruit-infused water from Sway
• Jam from Confituras (and more on them in a moment!)
• Kale chips from Sarah's Kale Chips
• Shortbread tea biscuits from Skull + Cakebones
• Lavender bug repellent from Lavande Farms
• Finishing salts from Lenoir restaurant
• Large furry, helpful cat not included
• Disclosure: we were given boxes at the media launch party last week; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Events
-- The Les Dames d'Escoffier of Austin hold their annual Food Fight fundraiser, Sunday, October 4th, $50/person benefiting their culinary scholarships.

-- VOX Table and Schramsberg Vineyard collaborate on a five-course tasting dinner, Wednesday, October 7th, $140/person.

-- Edible Austin's annual Chef Auction is Thursday, October 8th, benefiting Urban Roots and the Sustainable Food Center.
 
-- Central Texas BBQ documentary "For the Love of Meat" screens at the Violet Crown Theater October 8th; two showings.

-- Russian House celebrates their third anniversary on Saturday, October 17th.

-- Boneshaker, an organization dedicated to encouraging healthy lifestyles and activity in children is hosting their Move to Taste event, Sunday, October 18th, 7 pm, at the Austin Speed Shop, $100/person.

-- Johnson's Backyard hosts their annual Fall Potluck and 5K Harvest Hustle on October 24th.

-- Counter 3.Five.VII hosts their next 15 course dinner and teams up with Chef Ek Timerek of Kin and Comfort, Monday, October 26th. $180/person, $300/with wine pairings.

-- Texas Monthly's BBQ Fest will be Sunday, November 1st at the Long Center, $80/person and come hungry!

-- Austin Alfresco has been postponed to April 1 - 3, 2016.

-- Looking for some private event space for dinners, corporate events, receptions, holiday gatherings and more?

• Uchiko has a private room that can hold up to 34 people, or it can be split into two smaller spaces accommodating 14 each.  
• Liberty Kitchen's room holds up to 24 people for a seated event.
• Estancia Churrascuria will have completed an expansion by mid-October, and will be able to accommodate up to 200 guests for a private event. 

Kickoffs/Awards/Opportunities
-- Confituras, the local, award-winning jam maker has announced their Kickstarter launch to raise funds for a jammin' retail shop and community kitchen! Jam and biscuits, people! I've kicked in a little; please take a look and help out!

Image courtesy Confituras

-- The Vegan Yacht has won best food truck and $10,000 from Progressive's Flo's Fabulous Food Truck contest.

-- You have until October 2nd to apply for one of the Austin Food + Wine Alliance's culinary grants.

Open/New/Moving/Upcoming
-- Arro has revamped their space and menu; huge new patio space too.

-- Bridget Dunlap's latest, a pizza joint called Burn, opens any day at 1802 E. 6th.

-- Cafe No Sé at the South Congress Hotel is now open for B/L/D.

-- LA BBQ is moving to 1906 E. Cesar Chavez/Aztec Food Park by Stay Gold Bar, and will also now be open for dinner!

-- Cuban spot Guantanamera has a new patio, great for sipping mojitos!

-- Argus Cidery has reopened its tasting room on Saturdays.

-- Rumor has it that the old Popeye's at South First and Oltorf will become a Starbucks.

-- It has been announced that the St. Elmo Market will open in 2018 on South Congress and St. Elmo. Modeled after the Pike's Place Market in Seattle, it will feature a 40,000 square foot public market, as well as over 200,000 square feet of mixed-use retail, office space, and the new home to the Saxon Pub.

Image courtesy St. Elmo Market/Juice Consulting

-- Fareground, a food hall space, will open at 111 Congress Avenue in the One Congress Plaza building in 2017.

Closed
-- St. Philip closed their bakeshop, but the restaurant remains open.

Cheke's Takos

If you keep up with me, you may know that one of my favorite trailers around is The Flying Carpet, with their Moroccan kefta and amazing l'afrique sauce. Not only are they located close to my house, but it is run by some dedicated people, Abdu and Maria. They share space in their lot with two other trailers at 504 W. Oltorf, and Maria has been telling me for awhile "You gotta try Cheke's Takos."  Well I finally made a trip specifically for Cheke's and Maria was SO right!

The Popeye's on the corner at South First and Oltorf is no longer operational, and the Church's chicken is the building to the east. Then there's a bright blue house and a driveway between it and the hair salon next door. If you take this driveway, it goes to a back lot where the TFC, Cheke's, and  Pie Plante trailers are located. The blue house is generally open for customers to sit inside and eat, or you can enjoy your food al fresco. Here's a look at Cheke's and their menu.

I started with a tlacoyo, an oval-shaped piece of comal-toasted masa with toppings, not unlike a gordita or huarache. This is the plain cheese tlacoyo, with nice fresh cilantro and onion. I thought the dough could have used a touch more salt, but according to Wikipedia, they are traditionally made without salt or lard. Good texture, not too chewy, and everything was very fresh.

Per Maria's recommendation, I had the pambazo, which is Cheke's version of a torta. The bread is dipped in red chile sauce, griddled a bit and stuffed with a mixture of chorizo and potatoes, topped with sour cream, queso fresca, and lettuce. Maria said to get it with the beef if they had it available and they did. This was so savory and delicious! The red sauce had just a bit of a chile kick to it, enough to make my nose run a teeny bit. And beef and potatoes are pretty much always a great combo. While this is presented as a sandwich, it was a fork and knife experience for me. I would most definitely eat this again with the beef, but I do love some good chorizo, so I might have to try the original version next time. And there will be a next time. I've been thinking of the pambazo just about daily since I had it.

Cheke's is clearly making some strong Mexican street food, and while I am not an expert, I can tell you nothing was greasy and everything was made fresh. The owner does update their Facebook page regularly, but I would also encourage them to add MORE pictures of the food and especially the daily specials, as I think the visuals would really help to draw people in. They had lamb tacos on Saturday... I don't think I've ever had lamb in a taco! Yes, please!

With the weather finally starting to cool down at night, it's getting to be perfect opportunity to eat trailer food! Do yourself a favor, bypass your traditional Mexican food brick and mortar establishment, grab your favorite adult beverage, and go enjoy the simple and simply delicious food that is Cheke's. I don't think you'll be disappointed. But leave room for Pie Plante for dessert (three flavors available daily, check their social media to find out which ones; coconut cream is my favorite!) or try some of the Flying Carpet's Moroccan kisses: dates stuffed with almond butter, tahini and sprinkled with a touch of sea salt. There's A LOT of good stuff happening at 504 W. Oltorf, I am telling you.

Sazon: Interior Mexican

I used to go to Sazón (1816 South Lamar) with relative frequency, as it's not too far from my house and I've always enjoyed their interior Mexican cuisine. But it had been about 2 years (or more?) since I had been -- shame on me! Their on site parking got a little tougher in recent times, and apparently that has stymied me from dining there along with the onslaught of traffic on South Lamar. But Sazón is still standing in the face of over-development along this corridor.

Around 1:15 pm on a recent weekday, I met a friend for lunch, and I had my pick of parking spots, not to mention tables inside. (I hope we were just fortunate to miss the lunch rush, and not they're not hurting for business.) There were only two other tables with patrons, and I was promptly greeted by the waitress/hostess, and settled in at a lovely painted tiled table to wait for my friend who arrived just a few minutes later. The chips were tasty and they brought two little bowls of salsa, one for each of us.

I ordered the Ensalada Mexicana, which clearly was made fresh. The spinach looked like it just came out of the bag, and had almonds, tortilla strips, ancho chile, and a nice vinaigrette that I remember liking, but now I can't remember what the flavor profile was.

And I got the tacos al pastor, because the sweet and savory pork is always a favorite! These are fairly small, but they were perfect to go with the salad, and these also tasted good and fresh. Crispy bits of pork with little bits of pineapple on a corn tortilla.

I also ordered a Crema de Elote (creamy corn chowder) to take home for dinner with half of the salad. My friend also ordered a salad and a bowl of the caldo, their version of chicken and rice soup. I didn't try it, but she said it was great. The crema de elote was creamy, sweet, and not overly rich.

In the past, I have been very pleased with their mole negra de Oaxaca and the cochinita pibil, both traditional interior Mexican dishes. Sazón is also one of the few places I know locally that serves huitlacoche (corn smut... yes, smut -- look it up!), which they put in empanadas. They do have enchiladas, but these are not your greasy Tex-Mex type.

So if you're looking for good interior food, and can grab a parking spot, stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I've actually never been there for breakfast, so I'll have to check that out. I also remember their margarita at happy hour being decent. I've linked to their Facebook page, but normally they have a website at www.sazonaustin.com which shows their menu, but the page is currently not functioning. Their Yelp page does have a link to their menu though. Sazón has nice atmosphere, including a outdoor patio on the Lamar side; the food is not fussy or trendy, just good and fresh as it should be.