Bits and Bites

Events
-- Central Market's annual Beerfest runs June 11-24; samples and beer makers throughout the duration. A beer stroll through the store with lots of demos and some freebies is June 19th from 5 - 8 pm, $10.
-- Russian House will have streaming of World Cup soccer matches beginning June 12 and Father's Day buffet on June 15th.
-- Dads get a free koozie when they dine at any of the Mandola's restaurants on Father's Day.
-- The Citywide 86'd cooking competition is June 16th at the AT + T Conference Center; watch your favorite local chefs compete!
-- Nada Moo's! Whole Lotta Dessert Social will be June 22, 5 - 7 pm at NoVa. Join Nada Moo!, Good Pops, Chameleon Cold Brew, Skull and Cakebones, and NoVa for some sweet treats, benefiting the Whole Planet Foundation.
-- It's getting warm out and what better way to cool off than at the Austin Food Blogger Alliance's the Big Chill, June 26th at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, 6 - 9 pm, $65/person, benefiting Meals on Wheels and More. See my previous blog post for more details on all  the fabulous participating restaurants and enter to win a pair of tickets! (I am a member of AFBA, and am on the organizing committee for this event -- hope to see you there!) 
 -- Want to improve your kitchen skills? Gateway Guesthouse has a great summer line up of classes from sauces to knife skills, starting at $65.

Openings/Additions etc.
-- We Olive and Wine Bar, an olive oil store, has opened at the Hill Country Galleria
-- Epicerie has switched from ordering at the counter to full table service.
-- NoVa has unveiled their summer menu. (I tried the parmesan risotto at a recent tasting, and it was delicious!)
-- Chavez offering Sunday brunch with $2 mimosas until 2 pm.
-- Froyoyo, the locally owned frozen yogurt shop on Bee Caves Road (at Walsh Tarlton)  has expanded their offerings by adding a large selection of bean to bar chocolates. They welcome people to come by for a taste!

-- Postmates, a restaurant and grocery delivery service has opened in Austin, offering deliveries within an hour of ordering. They currently have a limited delivery zone, though hope to expand.
-- Snarf's Subs, a Colorado-based chain, is opening at 2901 Medical Arts later this month.

Closed
-- Bakehouse on Manchaca is closing, and Strangebrew Coffee will open a 24-hour diner.

The Big Chill

I am a member of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, and our annual fundraiser event is coming up! Join us at the Big Chill, June 26th, from 6 - 9 pm at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Tickets are $65/person, and can be purchased here.... or....

Enter to win two tickets to The Big Chill!

It's the coolest event in the hot Texas summer: the Big Chill! Join the Austin Food Blogger Alliance for a night to remember.

Dress up and cool down with chilly bites from some of Austin's top restaurants at the beautiful Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Chefs from top Austin restaurants -- including The Carillon, No Va, St. Philip, Dolce Neve, Celtic Seafare, Nada Moo, Soup Peddler, Pleasant Storage Room, Swift's Attic, Thai Fresh, Trace at the W, and Noble Sandwich Co. -- will be creating special menu items for the event, with drink stations sponsored by Good Pop and Chameleon Coffee.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Meals on Wheels and More, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Meals on Wheels and More has served the Austin area for 42 years, nourishing and enriching the lives of people in need through meal delivery and other programs that promote independent living.

Event information:
Thursday, June 26 from 6 - 9 pm
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
1800 N. Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701

Total prize value: $130
Must be over 21 to attend the event.
Enter below to win now through June 15th, and don’t forget to follow along on Twitter and Instagram: #AFBABigChill

I can't get the widget to load properly, but this link should take you to the contest entry! Spread the word!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e9f6651/

Food and Wine at Snack Bar

I was invited by Snack Bar to come and check out their new wine menu, and it ended up being a thoroughly enjoyable evening with owner Bethany Andree and Wine for the People consultant Rae Wilson.

My friend and I selected a couple items to eat, and Rae picked four different wines to go with them.  We had the lightly caramelized Brussels sprouts, which by themselves are a nice sweet and savory mouthful, but the addition of an herbed aioli adds another textural and flavor component. And the mussels, with their briny sweetness... what wines DO you pair with Brussels and mussels?

 

Rae picked four wines for us to try, and they all really worked! I should have taken more wine tasting notes, but all complemented the dishes very well.

• Compass Rose Cellars Pinot Grigio, Mason, Texas -- very crisp, with honey and pear tones
• Friedrich Becker Pinot Blanc, Pfalz, Germany -- stonefruit and more minerality
• Dead Flowers Rosé, High Plains, Texas -- not too dry (nor sweet) and thoroughly drinkable
• Inman Family Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California -- a lighter red, great for summer sipping

She also ordered the fish of the day, grilled mahi mahi with mango pineapple salsa and coconut rice. Not only did this look fabulous, it tasted fabulous as well! And of course, her wine selections worked great with this dish. So whether you're into reds, whites, or roses, Snack Bar can match your food and wine choices!

For dessert, we had the "candy bar" which is kind of a cross between a brownie and a Snickers bar, and the raspberry black pepper sorbet. Rae picked a delicious port, Quinto do Crasto LBV Port, from Douro Valley, Portugal and the Gongora Duque de Carmona Orange, from Sevilla, Spain (Seville oranges soak in this sweet wine). I am partial to ports, with their raisin and fig notes, which were lovely with the candy bar, and the orange notes were great with the peppery kick of the berry sorbet. (My picture didn't turn out so great, so I will spare you.)

Rae does wine consulting for a number of area restaurants, which includes staff trainings. With nearly 20 years experience in the industry, she aims to keep wines accessible to people of varying wine experiences. Bethany and her husband have owned and operated Snack Bar since 2009. She had worked next door at the Austin Motel for years, and when the space became available, they decided to go for it, and reclaim some of its vintage diner character. The menu reflects their love of travel and international cuisine, and there's something for everyone on it.  Being right in the heart of South Congress, they get a good mix of both locals, regulars and tourists. Their nice big patio is also perfect for people watching with a big glass of wine or beverage of choice. Check their website or Facebook page for nightly specials, but most importantly, go check out this fun South Austin spot!

I was a guest of Snack Bar; no money exchanged hands, and I was not paid for my opinions. 

Recent Eats

A few of the places I have been this past month. I was extremely fortunate to have been the plus one to a media tasting dinner at laV, the newly opened French restaurant at 1501 East 7th. It was fabulous all around!

Best sparkling rose I've had because it wasn't too dry for my tastes, Cremant de Limoux, Cuvee Rose, Domaine Collin NV, and it paired wonderfully with the chicken liver pate. As managing partner and lead sommelier Vilma Mazaite said, the pate is filled with butter and cream, so what's not to like? Accompanying it was brioche toast points, berry preserves, cornichons, and mustard. LaV and Winebelly probably have two of the best pates in town.

The next course was a sweet pea agnolotti, filled with ricotta, with a pea puree on the bottom, and pressed strawberries and pea shoots on top. It was as beautiful and tasty as it looks.

Roast chicken isn't something I would normally order at a restaurant, but this one is special. Executive Chef Allison Jenkins said they salt the chickens the night before, and then roast at 600 degrees, breast-side down, for an hour. Served with perfectly-roasted fingerling potatoes, on the regular menu, this dish serves two and runs $48. And worth every penny.

The bouillabaisse was chock full of head-on blue shrimp, clams, squid, and had a distinct orange flavoring to it's broth. And no, that's not French's mustard on the rustic bread, but rather rouille, a saffron and garlic sauce, similar in texture to an aioli (I was unfamiliar with rouille before this!).

Dessert was lemon and mascarpone budino with local Poteet strawberries, and brioche doughnuts. I could have licked the lovely blue ceramic bowl clean of its velvety contents!

LaV has it all going for themselves -- beautiful decor, superb service, and most importantly, outstanding food. They also have a very extensive wine list (several thousand bottles are housed in the private tasting room we were in) and highly knowledgeable staff. Surely this place will be ranking high on the top places to eat in Austin. Make a reservation and experience for yourselves.

And a few other meals of note. Dinner with a friend at my neighborhood Elizabeth Street Cafe. This is the #20, house specialty banh mi, which they gracefully let me substitute the roast pork for the marinated. They make their baguettes in-house, and it's the perfect consistency for this sandwich.

A media tasting for the new summer menu at NoVa. This was the Parmesan risotto, which several of us shared, and it was hard not to eat it all myself!

We then moved a few doors down to Bangers. It was a rainy evening on Rainey Street, so we sat inside. Extremely loud! And as this was my first visit to Bangers, I was a bit overwhelmed by both the food and drink menus. Ended up with the bockwurst (they make all their own sausages, and even have fresh ones available to take home) and Crispin pear cider.

The movie Chef (see previous blog post) made me extremely hungry for a Cuban sandwich. This one from the Texas Cuban trailer on South Lamar hit the spot!

And finally, after watching a friend make pasta, I decided to dust off my pasta maker, and give it another try. The dough recipe couldn't be simpler: 1 cup of all purpose or double zero flour to 2 eggs. That's it. No salt in the dough, but salt your pasta water liberally. It all came together easily, and after repeated passes through the pasta machine, I had dough, which I cut (imprecisely) into pappardelle.

Which then became dinner with fresh fava beans, pecorino romano cheese, fresh mint, and just a little bit of bacon. I am pretty proud of this dish!

So, just a little peek into my food world. Some of these pictures I previously posted on Instagram. Where have you been lately that's good?

Bits and Bites

Events/Happenings
-- I had the pleasure of seeing a preview of the new movie Chef, written and directed by Jon Favreau, and includes and all star cast. Overall, it's a feel-good movie which will leave you very hungry for a Cuban sandwich. I'd say the story line is a bit predictable, and I am not sure that I feel a lot of chemistry between the characters, but it works. Additionally, our fair city plays a nice cameo in the film with nice shots from around town -- the 360 Bridge, Franklin Barbecue (complete with an Aaron Franklin appearance), Homeslice Pizza, and the Guerro's outdoor stage with Gary Clark Junior. Alamo Drafthouse (Slaughter) will be doing a dinner on June 4th for $40 -- the menu looks spot on!

-- Andiamo is hosting an Italian winemaker dinner on Tuesday, May 27th with the Cosimo Maria Masini Winery, $50/person.
-- Les Dames d'Escoffier of Austin is holding a kitchen sale at the Mueller Farmer's Market, on Sunday, June 1st from 10 am - 2 pm, with items donated from local culinary professionals and Les Dames members. All proceeds benefit their culinary scholarship programs.
-- Greenhouse Craft Foods is hosting a winemaker dinner with Becker Vineyards on June 1st,  four courses for $40.
-- Swift's Attic turns two on June 1st, and from 8 pm onward, they're celebrating with a party!
-- Foreign and Domestic will host Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett from the Absinthe Group in San Francisco for Indie Chefs Week on June 16th, $100-$125.
-- Both locations of Central Market will have Beerfest from June 11-24. 
-- In partnership with Citygram magazine, Pleasant Storage Room presents their "Summer of Rum" cocktail series, where a new "how to" video will be released each week, leading up to National Rum Day on August 15th.  The first video installment is here (love the music!).
-- The June issue of Southern Living magazine features all things food related, and includes the  "A to Z's" of southern favorites, including local standouts Jester King Brewery ("B"), Aaron Franklin/Franklin Barbecue ("Q"), and Yeti Coolers ("Y").
-- Dripping Springs own Argus Cidery has debuted Tepache Especial, a wild fermented sparkling pineapple wine. I had a taste of it at Central Market Westgate -- great aroma, dry and minerally, lightly oaked. Additionally their tasting room reopens on May 31st by reservation only.
-- Dishcrawl Austin held their first 2014 event last week. This progressive/secretive dining experience (where guests don't know where they're going when they sign up) made stops at Scholtz Garden, Goodall's, and Teji's Indian.

Openings
-- One of my favorite spots in Austin (shhhh, it's my secret!), Travaasa Resort and Spa, has opened a bar adjacent to their main dining hall, complete with a new bar program. What a better way than to relax than with a delicious cocktail and a stunning hillside view!
-- Odd Duck is now open for Sunday brunch. 
-- Punch Bowl Social has opened at the Domain, now making three operations nationwide (Denver and Portland). From their press release, "they are centered on culinary integrity, 'old school' entertainment and a craft beverage program."
-- The Scarlett Rabbit, a Texas bistro which promises "an immersive trip down a culinary rabbit hole", will open in Round Rock from the chef behind Greenhouse Craft Foods.
-- Jo's on SoCo has happy hour Monday - Thursday,  4 - 9 pm, and the downtown location, Monday - Friday, 4 - 7 pm with food and drink specials.

Closings
-- Your Mom's Burgers, Paggi House and Garrido's closed this past week. Your Mom's sold their contract to the folks behind Pho Thaison. Paggi unfortunately will become surrounded by new condos (booooo), and Garrido's sold to an Austrian restaurant group; more details from the Chronicle.