Bits and Bites -- Food + Restaurant News

Events
-- Jack Allen's Kitchen in Oak Hill hosts the 6th Annual Lone Star Paralysis Fundraiser, 6 - 9 pm, $150/person, January 26th.
-- Eat East, a group of restaurants/bars promoting East Austin returns February 2nd (the first Tuesday of each month).  Check their events page for full list of participating restaurants. 
-- The Blind Cafe , a socially conscious dinner in the dark, is back at the American Legion, February 2 - 4. Great experience, see my post here! 
-- Central Market's Chocolate Fest (all locations) runs February 3 - 16; lots of sampling with their Chocolate Stroll on February 4th, 5 - 7 pm.

 -- The Hightower hosts Amadeo's Army, February 4th, which is a community dedicated to promoting awareness and fundraising for Becker Muscular Dystrophy; 20% of food sales between 5-10 pm will be donated. 
-- Olive + June hosts Col d'Orcia wine dinner, $100/person February 4th.
-- Sway hosts an Indonesian pop-up dinner, February 4th.
-- Coffee and donuts pop up bakery at Lenoir, February 7th, 10 am
-- Mama Fu's celebrates Asian New Year with $10 off purchases of $20 or more, February 8 - 12
-- Antontelli's and Emmer + Rye team up, February 8th for a five-course dinner, $75. 
-- Lenoir hosts a Valentine’s-themed wine tasting, February 11 from 5:30 – 7 pm, featuring winter reds and roses with Beverage Director Chris Kelly.
-- Former Austinite Scrumptious Chef will be visiting from NOLA with a pop-up Creole dinner at Tamale House East, February 27th
-- Austin Oyster Festival, benefiting HOPE Market, February 27th, $50/person at the French Legation.
-- One of my favorite events from last year, Lamb Jam from the American Lamb Board, will return to Barr Mansion, Sunday, February 28th. $60/person. 

-- The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas presents Roast + Toast, February 28th, $75/person. The event will celebrate Texas' growing wine industry with a sip and stroll tasting of the Texas Monthly's Best Texas Wines of 2015.
-- The Austin Food and Wine Festival is back April 22-24, tickets now on sale; I would love to see Ming Tsai!

Openings, etc.
-- Torchy's Tacos now open at South Congress and West Mary (the old Fran's).
-- Prelog's now doing Sunday family-style suppers.
-- The Carillon has new winter menu featuring "new American cuisine with a Texas focus and modern spin." 
-- Emmer + Rye now offering Happy Hour, Tuesday through Sunday from 5 - 7 pm. 
-- Austin-based fast casual Freebirds World Burrito has six dishes under 600 calories to kick off the new year (and actually, 4 of them are under 500 calories).
-- Pacific Rim Sushi + Yakitori Lounge now open for lunch.
-- Barley Swine has relocated to 6555 Burnet Road; now open for dinner. 
-- Isla open for Saturday and Sunday brunch.
-- Burn Pizza now open for lunch.
-- South Congress Hotel now has happy hour in the lobby bar. 
-- Dallas pizza restaurant Cane Rosso announced they will open in the old St. Philip spot in Sunset Valley, and also bringing local ice cream truck Cow Tipping Creamery to brick and mortar.
-- Flyrite Chicken at 2129 E. 7th opens February 7th.
-- Contigo has various options for Super Bowl Snacking (February 7th).
-- Fresa's has wood-fired wings and other snacks for the Super Bowl too.

Valentine's Day Specials

-- Andiamo: $70 dinner
-- Barley Swine: dinner
-- Cafe No Se: macarons available, 5 for $20
-- The Carillon: 5-course dinner, $80 with optional wine pairings, February 12-14

-- Contigo: 4-course dinner, $65

-- Dai Due: $85/prix-fixe dinner 
-- Dine: $69 dinner

-- drink.well: dinner
-- Emmer + Rye, 7-course dinner, $75
-- epicerie: brunch (new Chef de Cuisine, Keith Abate)

-- The Flying Carpet: dinner on February 13th, $50

-- Gardner: 4-course dinner, $65

-- Goodall's: 3-course dinner, $70

-- Isla: Paella special for two -- Jack Allen's Kitchen: Red velvet cake glazed with chocolate ganache

-- Jacoby's: Sunday brunch and Valentine's dinner (normally not open on Sundays)

-- Juniper: brunch, with half-off bubbles
-- Lenoir: pop-up brunch

-- Odd Duck: brunch and dinner 
-- Olaime: 5-course dinner, $100 with optional wine pairings, Saturday and Sunday

-- The Peached Tortilla: pre-fixe menu $45/person

-- Peche: dinner specials 
-- Prelogs: dinner special, $75 
-- Russian House: dinner for two, $150; $280 for VIP caviar menu
-- Sagra: Valentine's brunch and dinner 
-- Sala + Betty: $40 dinner
-- Texas French Bread: prix-fixe, $65, Saturday and Sunday nights 
-- The Townsend: 4-course meal for two, $200
-- VOX Table: Saturday and Sunday specials 
-- Walton's Fancy and Staple: floral specials
-- Whislers: burlesque and boozy cocktails, Saturday and Sunday 

Image via Babble.com

Bits and Bites -- Austin Food News: the Easter Edition

Be nice to your Easter bunnies!

 Places doing Easter brunch, Sunday, April 5th:
-- Finn + Porter, 11 am - 3 pm, $48/adults, $20/kids
-- Olive + June, 11 am - 2 pm, $42/person
-- The Carillon, select seating times, $65/adults, $19.95/kids ages 6-12
-- Goodall's, 10 am - 3 pm, $65/adults, $27/kids
-- Daily Grill, 11 am - 3 pm 
-- Hyatt Regency, 11 am - 3 pm, $65/adults, $30/kids 
-- Sagra, $28.95/adults, $12/kids

-- Passover dinner at Lenoir, April 5th, $40/person

Other events:
-- Starting Wednesday, April 1st (and every Wed in April), Thundercloud Subs is rolling back it's prices to 1975 in honor of their 40th anniversary. $1.10 for a small ham sub!
-- Thai pop-up dinner at Weather Up, April 2nd, $75/person
-- Johnson's Backyard presents their Spring Hoedown, April 4th, various activities 
-- Bangers Sausage House and Beer Garden Brunch for the Bold with Real Ale Brewing, April 4th, 11 am 
-- Salty Sow taking reservations for their James Beard House preview dinners, April 7 and 22, $75/person
-- The Austin Food and Wine Alliance's annual LIVE FIRE! at the Salt Lick Pavilion, April 9th $85 in advance ($100 at the door)
-- Texas French Bread celebrates spring and their new patio with a Garden Party, April 12th
-- Michele Chiarlo wine tasting at The Backspace, April 14th, $40/person
-- Waller Creek Conservancy presents their 3rd Waller Creek Pop-up Picnic at Palm Park, April 18th, various prices
-- The annual Umlauf Sculpture Garden Party, April 23rd, $150/person
-- The Austin Outlaw Party, April 24th at Container Bar
-- The Austin Food and Wine Festival returns to Auditorium Shores, April 25th-26th with over 100 culinary exhibitors, chef-led classes and much more.
-- Cheese and Texas Cider Keeper pairing at Epicerie, April 26th, $40/person
-- Central Market's annual culinary tours of the world begins April 29th for two weeks with Passport Greece. Opa!
-- Starting May 4th at 6 am through May 5th at 6 am, Kerbey Lane Cafe will donate 100 percent of net profits at all Austin-area locations to the United Way
-- Mexic-Arte presents Taste of Mexico: A Culinary Arts Event at Brazos Hall on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo), $75/person
-- Sustainable Food Center presents Farm to Plate at Barr Mansion, May 14th 

Openings:
-- Italic, the latest from the Elm Restaurant Group, at 123 W. 6th (I went to a sneak peak last week and it was amazing!)
-- Fire and Ice Pizza Bar in Round Rock at 2601 S. IH-35 in the Boardwalk Shopping Center
-- MOD Pizza at 1801 E. 51st St. in Mueller and 701 S. Cap of Texas Hwy in Westlake 
-- Jenna's Asian Kitchen in Cedar Park at 12300 RR 620 
-- Gelateria Gemelli, 1009 E. 6th Street
-- Food trailer Toaster at Stay Gold, 1910 E. Cesar Chavez

Misc:
-- Mama Fu's now offers delivery
-- Batch, a specialty curator of locally-produced, artisanal goods delivered to your door, launches its Tour of Texas, spotlighting six different cities each month. Each month during the Tour of Texas, subscribers will receive a box of premium goods—food, drink, and other hand-crafted items—from a different city. $200 for the 6 month/city subscription or $40 for individual city baskets. 
-- Hyde Park Bar + Grill is now serving kalettes, a non-GMO cross between kale and Brussels sprouts, and is the only Austin restaurant to have them.

Bits and Bites -- Austin Food News

LOTS of stuff coming up!

Events
-- I Knead That pop up bakery at Metier, January 24th and 31st, 10 am until sold out, cash and credit cards now accepted; Flat Track Cold Brew will also be available.
-- Bacon and Beer Fest  is this Sunday, January 25th, but it's sold out! Hope you got your tickets for this tasty annual event.
-- January 27th, 6 pm, Jack Allen's Kitchen (Oak Hill)  hosts a Gulf seafood cookout benefiting the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation,$150/person, tickets here.
-- Chavez will host a 5-course Folio Fine Wine Dinner on February 3rd; $100/person.
-- Central Market's (all locations) annual chocolate festival will be February 4 - 17. This year's event, A Chocolate Affair, will also include a store wide chocolate tasting on February 6th from 5 - 8 pm.    
-- Leading up to their 5th anniversary, Antonelli's Cheese Shop has a couple different events going on: Feb 9th -- Pig Crawl with La Quercia charcuterie maker Herb Eckhouse; Feb 10th -- pizza party with special pies at ABGB; Feb 11th (their actual anniversary) -- a house party at their shop. Check their events page for more details on all of these!
 -- Sit Stay Day from Emancipet is coming up on February 13th. For $175, you purchase a box of locally curated items donated by area restaurants and food smiths; the various items are gathered in a basket, which can be delivered to your Valentine on the 13th. Some South Austin favorites such as Sugar Mama's, Bouldin Creek Cafe and the Soup Peddler are amongst the donors, and the full list can be found on their website.
--  Lamb Jam will be February 22nd,  at Barr Mansion, brought to you by the American Lamb Board, with 16 local chefs making great use of lamb. $60/person.  From the press release:

Competing for the titles of “Best in Show,” “People’s Choice” and “Best Mediterranean, Asian, Latin and Middle Eastern inspired dishes,” chefs will prepare and serve their most flavorful American lamb fare to be voted on by lamb-loving attendees and judged by Austin’s top food media. 

 -- February 26th, is the Official Drink of Austin event, where the local bartending community gets the spotlight, as the Austin Food and Wine Alliance partners with the Tipsy Texan. Tickets $45 before February 1st, $55 after. 

-- The Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest will be February 28 - March 1 at the Austin Convention Center. Attendees will be able to sample hundreds of gluten-free and allergy friendly foods, learn new cooking techniques and sit in on lectures from leading researchers in the field.  
-- The third annual Austin Oyster Festival will be February 28th, 12 - 6 pm at Carson Creek Ranch, $45-75/person, benefiting the Capital Area Food Bank. East and west coast oysters, bloody Mary bar, games, live music and more!
-- Tickets now on sale for the Austin Food and Wine Festival, April 24 - 25; restructured pricing from last year.

Super Bowl -- February 1st 
-- Did you know that chicken wings have surpassed pizza as the "must have food" for Americans watching the Super Bowl? Pluckers will make 5,000 wings an hour for the 4-5 hours surrounding the big game, but you can place your order now!
-- Fresa's will have special offerings for the game, including wood-grilled wings, jalapeno poppers and 7-layer dip.
-- Salty Sow and Roaring Fork present "Dinner On Us" (or, buy one entree get one free) throughout Super Bowl Sunday.

Valentine's -- February 14th, duh! ** make reservations now!**
--Three course luncheon at Fall Creek Vineyards, $39/person (includes wines); strawberry and goat cheese salad, choice of chicken, pasta or spinach tart, chocolate raspberry mousse
-- Five course dinner at Olamaie, $80/person with optional $45 wine pairings; Olamaie Biscuit, Venison Heart & Sunchoke Tartare, Day Boat Fish, Rutabega Spoonbread, Biscuit Wellington, and Chocolate Cremeux
-- Four course dinner at Finn + Porter, $75/person, with optional wine parings. Different offerings for each course, which include oysters, smoked duck, sea bass, and hazelnut pot de creme. 
-- Five course dinner at The Carillon, $80/person, with optional $65 wine pairings; beef tartare, grilled romaine, blue prawns, beef tenderloin, and chocolate in black and white. (They're serving on both Feb 13 and 14.)
-- Four courses at Lenoir, $65/person. No further menu info available at this time.
-- Four courses at Sagra, $50/person, with optional $15 wine pairings; different offerings for each course, including saffron bisque, pistachio crusted scallops, and creme brulee; vegan options also available.
-- Odd Duck and Peche will offer plate specials as well.  
-- Dai Due offers three savory courses plus dessert. 
-- Due Forni: dinner for two for $60. 
 -- Epicerie, four courses for $45/person with scallops.
-- NXNW has four courses for $49/person with beef tenderloin or snapper. 
-- Daily Grill, three courses with choice of lamb, scallops, or filet + lobster as an entree.  
-- The Preserve at Travaasa offers four courses for $75/person with optional $45 wine pairings. Entree choices include halibut, prime rib, or vegetable melange. Couples massages also available. 
-- And a "Love Hangover" brunch at drink.well on February 15th.

Now Open/New Offerings
-- Barley Swine's Hour of Snacks and Drinks (aka Happy Hour) is now a thing, every Monday through Friday from 5:30 - 6:30 pm.
-- Eastside Cafe is now offering their homemade soups ($3.95/12 oz and $4.95/16 oz) to go next door at Elaine's Pork and Pie. Check their Facebook page for daily varieties.
-- Chi'lantro, a 1509 South Lamar -- Korean/Mexican fusion food.  I attended the media preview last week, and found the k-pop chicken wings to be particularly tasty! Excited to have them in South Austin!

-- Lucky's Puccias at 1611 W. 5th Street
-- Delysia Chocolatier and Tito's Vodka have paired up for three new limited edition truffles.
-- Ramen Tatsu-ya is holding soft openings at their new south location (1234 South Lamar) through January 24th, with their official grand opening on the 25th.

In Progress...
-- The old Fran's at Mary and South Congress was demolished this week to make room for the new flagship Torchy's Tacos.

Bits and Bites

What's going on in ATX

-- As I write this, the Austin Bakes for West citywide bakesale is concluding. Volunteer bakers, from professionals, to bloggers, to you name it, donated their time and baked goods; there were eight sites around town, and all the proceeds will go to AmeriCares. I made Grenada Nutmeg Cake and a whole bunch of biscuits! Our total tally is over $15,000  $18,000 -- thank you to all who helped and bought baked goods!


-- The upcoming Pachanga Festival (May 10 and 11 at Fiesta Gardens) will have a variety of local food trucks on site, including: Slab (who I just had for the first time this week at Trailer Food Tuesdays), La Fantabulous Taco, mmmpanadas, and Tapas Bravas, as well as special Latin-influenced tastings in the VIP area.

-- Argus Cidery celebrates the launch of their Idalou Brut with a crawfish bowl and tasting of their various ciders; May 11th, $50/person. They are also kicking off picnic lunch boxes that can be reserved in advance, and include one pour of cider. $20/lunch.

-- Mother's Day brunch at Sagra, $25/person, May 12th.

-- Jack Allen's Spanish Wine dinner has been moved to May 14th, $95/person.

-- Garza Gardens, operated by Garza High School Students (an alternative high school within AISD) will have an open house on June 1st from 10 am - 3 pm. The students learn horticulture, sustainability, and environmental issues and maintain the garden, which includes herbs that are sold to Farm to Table, a local sourcing company for area food businesses.

-- Faraday's Kitchen Store in Lakeway is having a huge inventory sale, as they will be moving to a new, bigger spot in the Galleria in Bee Cave at 620 and 71. The retail portion will stay about the same size, but the kitchen area will be three times larger, allowing for more classes, events and demos. 

-- El Alma has created a cocktail, the Park Preserver (Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka and muddled mint) in which the proceeds will benefit an "Improve Bouldin Creek Park" fund.

Openings
-- Third Base sports bar is opening a new location at 183 and Anderson Mill. 

-- Umami Pizzeria, in the old Romeo's on Barton Springs, will open May 31st.  

-- Patrizi's, a new Italian food trailer, is almost open on the east side, exact location TBA.

-- Al Fico, an Italian restaurant, is looking to open in June at 1700 E. 2nd.

-- Also recently opened, Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ trailer, is behind Star Bar at 600 W. 6th.

-- Tyson's Tacos at 4905 Airport; no web page that I can find, but here's link to their Yelp reviews.

-- Chen Z, the noodle house on Anderson Lane, has changed their name to Shabu. 

-- A new cider brewery, Austin East Ciders, is set to open this summer at 979 Springdale Road.


I volunteered last weekend at the Austin Food and Wine Festival; a few pictures from the weekend are on my Facebook page. (Have you "liked" it yet?) :)

Also had the privilege to attend a benefit for Chef John Besh's foundation, which provides culinary scholarships to New Orleans residents. The shrimp boil festivities were held on the Whole Foods rooftop, and it was a really great event, complete with music from the Urban Achievers Brass Band! Pictures from it are also on my Facebook page.

Bits and Bites -- Food News!

                                                      Events -- Mark Your Calendars

-- Now in it's fourth year, the Austin Give 5% campaign is back for Earth Day. On Monday, April 22nd, participating businesses will donate 5% of their gross sales to seven area environmentally friendly non-profit organizations; last year's event raised $60,000. There are a ton of restaurants on here so go eat!

-- Lustre Pearl is hosting the Earth Day Happy Hour Benefit Concert on Friday, April 19th from 5 - 9 pm, which will benefit the Rainforest Partnership, that works to protect tropical forests in Ecuador and Peru. $50/person

-- The Tanger Outlets in San Marcos are hosting A Taste and Style Experience, on Saturday, April 20th, and Australian chef Curtis Stone will be there at 2 pm signing books; a variety of area food trucks will be on hand too.

-- Lambert's is presenting Vaca y Vino, a cow-roast, inspired by Argentinean beef traditions, on April 21st. Tickets are $100 or $120, including transportation from downtown to the event site, which is just outside of Austin. Chefs Larry McGuire and Lou Lambert will be at the helm (or horns?), Argentine wines and other Argentine foods will be available. Proceeds will benefit the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance. 

-- The Austin Food and Wine Festival is April 27-28 at Butler Park (adjacent to Auditorium Shores)!

-- Top Chef Fan Favorite Chef Fabio Viviani will be in Austin at BookPeople on April 30th at 7 pm signing copies of his latest book, Fabio's Italian Kitchen, which will be released on the 23rd.

-- La Condesa is having a Cinco de Mayo block party on May 5th from 1 - 9 pm, with free food, music and entertainment. More info is on their Facebook page for the event. 

 -- Jack Allen's Kitchen in Oak Hill will host a Spanish wine pairing dinner on May 7th, $95/person, five courses.  

Exciting News! 

-- Our very own Sugar Mama's Bakeshop WON their Cupcake Wars battle against three other bakeries! Super congrats to owner Olivia O'Neal and her head decorator Andrea Leck, as they created cupcakes to please Weird Al Yankovic. See their Facebook page for updates, they're currently offering one winning cupcake flavor a week (call ahead to reserve!), and I am hoping to interview Olivia in the near future about their experiences!

-- Austin Cake Ball has rebranded their Domain location into Copper Restaurant and Dessert Lounge. I've been invited to try it out, and will report back! 

-- Baker Street Pub on South Lamar is happy to announce their outdoor patio is dog-friendly. 

-- Speakeasy, the 1920s lounge downtown, has remodeled their mezzanine space giving guests a better look at the stage. Also note that the entrance has moved from 412 Congress to the alley, in typical speakeasy style.



-- Oh yeah, I almost forgot! The Austin Food Blogger Alliance (of which I am a member) has produced it's first community cookbook! I am super-excited, as two recipes of mine are included in it, and I helped with some of the editing. Our official book release party is actually tonight, and see the link above to find out how you can purchase a copy!  

Openings
-- Lucy's Fried Chicken will open a second location at 5408 Burnet Road, the former Austin Diner space. Michael Hsu will redesign the space, and look for a fall opening.

-- Zoës Kitchen, a branch of a national Mediterranean chain, is opening in Sunset Valley, 5601 Brodie Lane.

-- Teji's Indian, opening at 2100 Guadalupe, the second from the Round Rock restaurant and grocery.

Closed/Closing
-- Fran's on South Congress at Mary. The family-owned restaurant decided not to renew their lease (I can only imagine what the rent was). I went for a final burger and onion rings lunch on Saturday, April 6th, and wrote a brief obituary you can see here.

-- It's OFFICIAL. The South Congress food trailers have to be out from the lot May 25, as we prepare for a hotel. :(

Bits and Bites

Events... in addition to the weekend-long Austin Food and Wine Festival.....

-- Today, Chef Michelle Bernstein will be doing a cooking demo with Chefs Rene Ortiz and Laura Sawicki of La Condesa, at Macy's (in conjunction with Macy's Culinary Council and the Austin Food and Wine Festival) at Barton Creek Square Mall. 6 pm. Free. I'll be there!

-- Joel Ozersky, a James Beard award-winning food writer will be at Lucy's Fried Chicken on Friday, April 27th from 2 - 5pm, signing copies of his new book, Colonel Sanders and the American Dream.

-- "Great Spring Revival" wine tasting event at Max's Wine Dive, Saturday, April 28, 1 - 4pm, $25

-- Jack Allen's Kitchen and Peligroso Tequila are doing a 5-course pairing dinner, Tuesday, May 1st at 7 pm, $65/person.

-- Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby fall on the same day this year (can you figure out the date?). Several spots holding their unique "Cinco de Derby" events, including: Peche, eleven plates, Paggi House, Lucy's Fried Chicken, and Swift's Attic.

-- Sustainable Food Center's annual Farm to Plate fundraiser, featuring an amazing lineup of local talent will be May 10th at 6:30pm at Barr Mansion. Tickets $125, and moving fast!

-- Mother's Day (Sunday, May 13) brunches at Sagra, Paggi House

Openings

-- New trailer on South 1st, Phatso's, doing Philly cheese steaks. They're by Wasota and SoCo to Go, just south of the School for the Deaf.

-- Further down South 1st, Sugar Mama's Bakeshop is now open Tues - Sat at 9 am for delicious breakfast goodies, like cinnamon rolls and muffins..... *waistline expanding!*

-- Newish spot Olive and June has tweaked their hours, and now also offering a Sunday supper, serving family style. See their website for details.

-- Driving into Sunset Valley the other day, I spied two things: the recently closed Estancia Churrascuria is becoming Royal India, and the closed and torn down Red Robin is yet another chain, Longhorn Steakhouse. 

Bits and Bites

Newsy stuff this week:

-- One week until the Austin Food and Wine Festival events get started! There's even a handy app (iPhone and Android) that has the schedule, grounds map, talent (the CHEFS!), and Twitter feed all rolled into one.

-- Live Fire! a grilling extravaganza with sizzling local chefs takes place at the famed Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, Thursday, April 26th. Tickets still available; foodie friends who have been before say it's a blast!

-- If you don't want to make the scenic drive to Driftwood, head to Macy's at Barton Creek Mall, at 6 pm on April 26th as well. Nationally acclaimed Chef/Restaurateur Michelle Bernstein, and La Condesa Chef Rene Ortiz and Pastry Chef Laura Sawicki join up for a cooking demonstration of Grilled Asparagus with Romesco and Ricotta Gnocchi with Favabean Pesto.   Michelle Bernstein is a member of Macy's Culinary Council, and will be signing copies of her new cookbook Cuisine a Latina: Fresh Tastes and a World of Flavors from Michy’s Miami Kitchen.

-- Chef Bryce Gilmore tells Eater Austin that his now-closed trailer, Odd Duck (the precursor to Barley Swine) will eventually make a comeback, in what he hopes is a 100-seat restaurant. Don't get excited yet, as he's still exploring all his options, no lease has been signed yet!

-- I am still mourning the closure of my beloved Artz Ribhouse, but Eater Austin reports today that former owner Art Blondin is taking over the kitchen at Jax Neighborhood Cafe, at 2828 Rio Grande.  Please let there be baby back ribs!

-- Trader Joe's will apparently be coming to Austin next year! They're going to open a spot at the soon-to-be renovated Seaholm Power plant, near Lamar and Cesar Chavez (and not far from Whole Foods). 

-- The South Lamar food trailer court, where my recently discovered delicious Bella Cucina lies (South Lamar at Panther, just south of Red's Porch) is getting a makeover and some new additions. Hopefully they'll all be open next week!

-- Olive and June is beginning a Sunday Night Supper Series, $35/person for five courses, starting April 22.