Bits and Bites

What's new in the local food world?

-- Slow Food Austin is having a five course tomato dinner this Sunday, June 10, at Springdale Farm with local notable chefs Mat Clouser and Callie Speer of Swift's Attic, and Brandon Fuller of Olive and June. Tickets are $75, and are available online. 

-- Swift's Attic will host a small dinner with winemaker Jules Taylor on June 13; very limited seating.

-- Springdale Farm will also be the site of the previously mentioned Pigs and Pies fundraiser June 14th for local baker Colleen Sommers of Pie Fixes Everything, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. On June 27, the farm will host host a special book signing spotlighting Robyn Jasko, author of "Homesweet Homegrown: How to Grow, Make, and Store Food No Matter Where You Live".

-- Father's Day is coming up June 17! Max's Wine Dive will have Grill Packs and Picnic Packs available to go; pre-order by June 15. Trento is also offering brunch and dinner that day.

-- Lenoir will host a rose (as in the wine, not the flower) dinner on June 24th; also very limited seating!

-- Urban an America Grill at the Domain has a new Executive Chef, Bryce Murphree, where he is introducing a seasonal menu using locally sourced products.

-- Over at Olivia, Chef de Cuisine Andrew Francisco presents his four part summer series dinners, inspired by his trips around the world. Beginning June 20th, Western Chinese, July 25 Maine Lobster, August 22 White Heat, and September 19 Goats and Beer. Reservations required, price per person varies; they do not yet have the info on their website, but I have the full menu for the first dinner if you'd like it, let me know.

Jax Neighborhood Cafe (aka Artz Ribhouse North)

You heard me lament my sorrows over the recent passing of Artz Ribhouse on South Lamar. For years, it has been my go-to BBQ joint, a) because the baby back ribs were killer, and b) it was 5 minutes from my house. I have taken many an out-of-towner there for BBQ and bluegrass music, and they too were charmed by its South Austin ways.

But Art Blondin has risen up through the ashes of his BBQ smoker, and flown north of the river, landing at Jax Neighborhood Cafe at 29th and Rio Grande, just off Guadalupe, north of the UT campus. It's a spot that has housed a number of restaurants over the years, and I must admit I knew nothing of Jax's before I heard the news that Artz was born again. I have been itching to go, but wanted to give it a little time for the pitmaster to settle in. A trip for an early dinner this week has confirmed it for me -- Art(z) is back.

Jax opens at 5 pm, and that's when I arrived, ready for a happy hour beer. Their amusing chalk board has beers categorized from cheapies to expensive, and several in between. I think everything is on tap (no bottles), and wine is available as well. I saw Art as I was waiting for my friend to arrive. He said the transition to Jax was going well, and he felt good about it. They're working on more menu items as well as some actual menus.....as you can see, the current menus are nothing fancy, but they do work! Art also assured me that he did have baby backs available.

The current menu at Jax looks VERY similar to that at Artz. No complaints from me, because I knew I was getting the half rack of baby back ribs, and it still comes with beans, slaw, and potato salad. Looks like old times! Funny, this one didn't come with sandwich bread, which was fine by me, because I never ate it anyways! The ribs were pretty much just how I remembered them, great flavor, sauce with a little bit of kick. The meat wasn't as tender, fall-off-the bone as they could be, but given that they were meaty and not too fatty, I am okay with that. Happiness is a nice piece of pork.

Fortunately, a lot of the regular musicians who played at Artz are now migrating to Jax. They've got a nice stage area, and the first band was getting set up for their 6:30 pm jig. See their website for a listing of music; neither the website link here, or the Facebook one above has their menu currently listed. And if you're going on a music night, you may want to get there on the early side to ensure a seat, though ample picnic tables are on the patio.

I should have taken a picture of the large banner on the east side of the building where the patio is that announced the Jax/Artz union. They've also got a couple of food trailers in their parking lot, including Curly's Perfect Pig, a Carolina-style pulled pork BBQ one. Art said they were trying to make it a community there, welcoming all. Art and Jax seem to have a good thing going, a welcome sight and happy belly by me! Artz Ribhouse is back!

Hecho en Mexico

Obviously, living in Texas, we have a lot of Mexican (and Tex-Mex) restaurants to choose from. I met a friend for lunch at Hecho en Mexico (located at William Cannon and Escarpment) last week, and while the food was very fresh, I don't know that there was anything that really distinguishes it from other interior Mexican spots, but this was my only experience there.

Arriving at high noon on a weekday, the place was three-quarters full. But employees were also sparse; during our whole meal, I only saw two servers working the whole floor. Both were very friendly, but at times, service lagged (like refilling water glasses, at our request). Neither of them came off as harried or hassled, but I can't imagine that having only having two wait staff is the norm during lunch rush.

My friend and I split the Taquitos al Pastor from the appetizers menu. Al pastor features pork that's been typically marinated in pineapple juice, herbs and spices, roasted, and then chopped or shaved, so it should be a nice savory and sweet balance. This appeared to be shredded pork (like from the cocinita pibil?) that was mixed with a bit of red chile sauce, and had pieces of pineapple added when served. They were good, though a bit greasy, but to me, not a true al pastor. The red chiles were the same flavor of those in the salsa brought with the complimentary tortilla chips.

I couldn't decide on what I wanted to eat. I asked what the soup of the day was, and when the waiter said "pureed pumpkin with broccoli" I made a face! Neither are favorites, but he did say I could substitute the Caldo Tlalpeno on the Burro Corrido (soup and burrito) luncheon plate; for $5, it's a total deal. The soup was a mild tomato and vegetable based broth, with chicken and notes of the aforementioned red chile in it. More or less like a tortilla soup, but without the tortilla strips. The burrito was quite large, and was well-stuffed with chicken, rice, black beans, and lettuce. The sauce on top though was the same one-note red chile flavor.

Inside the burrito: 

My friend had the chicken spinach salad (pictured in the back), which was also very fresh, and the presentation was nice, but the creamy dressing was cloyingly sweet. It almost tasted like and had the consistency of a poppy seed dressing, but without the poppy seeds.  Had it been me, I would have asked for another dressing, but she persevered.  She had eaten here previously, and felt that her previous meal was good, but also not memorable. And to me, the only spice I tasted in any of the dishes was from roasted red chile peppers, which are pretty much a one-note flavor. Repeated over and over.

So based on that feedback, I'll let you draw your own conclusions. They do have a full bar, and do tequila dinners at the end of every month. That might be something worth checking out!

Bits and Bites

-- Uncle Billy's Brew and Cue on Lake Travis will be starting a Sunday gospel brunch series, beginning May 27. Check their website for details, and the buffet brunch doesn't sound bad either!

-- Sagra's Sunday Supper Series is back this Sunday as well, five courses with vino, $55/person, reservations required. Umbrian truffle lasagna, anyone?

-- On May 30th, the Sustainable Food Center breaks ground on a new building and 2.3 acres of community garden plots, all located at the MLK Metro Rail Station, on MLK Blvd., one mile east of IH-35. Ceremony with Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Senator Lloyd Doggett and other dignitaries begins at 10 am.

-- While on the Italian topic, Silver Whisk in Lakeway will begin a month-long "Escape to Italy" cooking series in June.

-- Cannoli Joe's will be hosting a gluten free dinner with their Executive Chef Quirino Silvio on June 8th; $45/person, including wine pairings. 

-- Local tea house/producer Zhi Tea has developed some small plates created from locally sourced ingredients, as they look to create more food and drink memories for their clientele.

Bits and Bites

-- Do you miss the old Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival? (Rhetorical question, but yes.....) You can now get a little piece of history, the Austin Food and Wine Alliance will be selling past year's merchandise (t-shirts, wine glasses, etc.) at the Barton Creek Farmer's Market this Saturday, May 19th, from 9 am - 1 pm. Questions on what you might find? Email them directly at info@austinfoodwinealliance.org

 

-- Max's Wine Dive celebrates their 3rd birthday with a 4-course farmer's market dinner on Sunday, May 20th at 5:30pm, $75/person. Proceeds will also benefit the Settlement Home for Children.

-- Olive and June will be hosting two gluten-free dinners in honor of Celiac Awareness Month (May), on May 23 and 24 at 7:30 pm; click here to purchase ticket, 5 courses, $80/person.

-- For the last pairing event of the season, Jack Allen's is hosting a dinner with 4.0 Cellars, June 4, $65/person. Reservations: banquets@jackallenskitchen.com

-- Paggi House has updated their menu to encourage diners to try more smaller plates (prices also adjusted) of their New American cuisine, and are shifting to a bit of a more casual setting.