Bits and Bites: Austin Food News

Events
-- Browne Family Vineyards four-course wine pairing dinner at Olive + June, Thursday, October 29th, $96/person.

-- Pop-up bakery from I Knead That at Metier (1805 S. First) on Saturday, October 31st, 10 am.

-- Throughout November, Noble Sandwich will "swap" sandwiches with four other national restaurants in the inaugural Signature Sandwich Swap; proceeds benefit Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry.
 
-- Still some tickets left for the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest, this Sunday at the Long Center, $80/person.

-- Texas French Bread hosts a Boggy Creek Farm harvest dinner, Sunday November 1st, $60/person.

-- The Blind Cafe, a socially conscious dinner in the dark will be in Austin November 3 - 5; see my blog post for more information on this unique event!

-- Tuesday, November 3rd is National Sandwich Day, and ice cream sandwich shop Moojo celebrates with a $1 off their Superhero sandwich.

-- Eat East, happening the first Tuesday of each month (coming up: November 3rd) where a number of centrally located east Austin restaurants offer a special on that day.

-- Shake Shack is partnering with Hops + Grain to bring live music the first Tuesday of each month; on November 3rd at the Domain location, Supernomadic will play from 6- 8 pm, and Hops + Grain beers will be half off.

-- Six-course Kaltern Winery pairing dinner at Dine, $65/person, November 5th.

-- The annual Wurstfest, November 6 - 15.  #sausageonastick

-- Tickets for Wine and Swine on Sunday, November 8th are still available, and the full lineup of chefs/dishes/hog heaven has been announced. (I'll be volunteering at registration, come say hi!)

-- The Brooklyn Brewery #AustinMASH tour begins November 8th; see their site for all the events; this is the largest traveling international beer and arts festival.

-- All locations of Wienerschnitzel will offer a free hot dog and small drink to veterans with valid military ID, proof of service or by wearing a military uniform on November 11th in appreciation for their service.

-- Startup Food Weekend, November 13-15, is a food tech conference looking for ways to impact the global food system. From their site: We're looking for passionate foodies, students, entrepreneurs, developers, chefs and designers who want to innovate new systems and products related to food. Come learn the basics of founding and launching a successful startup while solving real problems we face in our food system. 20% off registration via this link.

-- Swoop House presents East Austin Supper Club with a dinner with guest chef Egil Valentin, November 13th, $85/person.

-- Austin Bakes is back on November 14th. This city-wide bake sale has raised thousands of dollars in the past for various relief efforts. Be a volunteer baker or a generous shopper, more details on their site.

-- Johnson's Backyard Garden postponed their Fall Potluck and Harvest Hustle event to November 14th.

-- November 15th will be the 10th bi-annual Sustainable Food Center Chef Series dinner at La Condesa; ticket are $150/person.

-- The Salt Lick BBQ is teaming with Jester King Brewery on Wednesday, November 18th for their first pairing dinner, $75/person.

Openings/News
-- Pinthouse Pizza has just opened at 4236 South Lamar, next to Bombay Bistro and Pei Wei.

-- Two much anticipated Italian spots have opened on the east side: osteria-inspired Al Fico opened at 1700 E. 2nd Street and modern Italian Juniper at 2400 E. Cesar Chavez.

-- Kerbey Lane's fall pumpkin menu will be available October 28th. Austin Monthly is holding a $50 gift card drawing.

-- Harvest restaurant delivery has just launched.

-- Gourmet By Numbers now has desserts available on their menus.

-- Wheatsville Co-op has partnered with Instacart; new users can get a $10 discount and free delivery with the code wheatsville10.

-- Baby Greens, the former South Austin salad drive through, will reopen in 2016 on Anderson Lane.


-- Happy hour at Texas French Bread, Monday - Saturday, 3 - 5:30 pm, with drink and food specials
-- Gardner has a new fall a la carte menu featuring seasonal items.

-- The Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort and Spa in Boerne just completed a $3 million renovation. Their on site restaurant, La Cascada Table + Bar, has live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and features local Texas fare from a host of regional dairies, farms, and ranches. From breakfast Vaquero Huevos Rancheros to Poteet Farms produce to Bandera quail, you will not go hungry though you're at a spa!

-- New fast-casual chain Blaze Pizza will open in December in Lakeline Commons (14009 North Research Blvd., #103), close to the Lakeline Mall.

-- Artisanal snow trailer SnoLabs begins their winter break November 1st.

-- Amy's Ice Cream on South Congress closed, as the landlord doubled the rent. Booo.

Order Up!
-- The holidays are coming, so start thinking about your meals. (Yes, already!)

• Central Market's Holiday Hotline opens November 2nd (orders will be taken online this year!).
• Pre-order your pies from Tiny Pies , Pie Plante, and CafeNoSe.

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.