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.

Say Cheese!

I had the pleasure of joining a fine group of fellow food bloggers last weekend as Farmstress Maggie, of From Maggie's Farm, taught us how to make ricotta cheese. It's actually quite easy, with no fancy equipment or ingredients needed. And the end product is delicious!

Joining Maggie and myself were Girl Gone Grits, Field and Feast, Stetted, and Seasonal Palate; Epicuriosities was with us in spirit though a migraine kept her home bound.

For the ricotta, start with raw milk, which Maggie picked up for us from a local farm.

Heat the milk slowly (medium heat) until it reaches 170 degrees, and hold it there for 10 minutes (try not to let it go over 180). 

Add half a cup of plain white vinegar, and stir. Immediately, you see magic before your eyes!

The curds and whey separate like *that!* Stir a little, and then pour contents into a strainer lined with a fine cheese cloth or butter muslin.

Once they whey has drained out (you can save it for other uses, like adding to your smoothie; Maggie actually just did a great post explaining about whey and what you can do with it), put your curds back into your pot (or a bowl), and season to your liking. It will certainly need at least a little salt! Dried herbs are preferable, as the fresh ones can go moldy if not eaten quick enough. We had a nice lemon zest and dried rosemary blend. 

You're now pretty much ready to eat it! One gallon of milk yielded just over 11 ounces of ricotta for me. Maggie says the fresh ricotta will last about a week in the fridge. Here's what I made with mine:

Maggie used us a guinea pigs, as she's hoping to make this into a fee-based class series. And you know what? She's a great teacher, and we had a lot of fun! I can't wait for our chevre class! :) Thank you Maggie!

Bits and Bites

-- The Austin Chef Showdown is Saturday, May 12 at the Mexican American Cultural Center from 11:30am - 2:30 pm. Hosted by the Mayor’s Fitness Council, guests can sample the tastiest healthy entrees from 15 restaurant finalists and vote on their favorite.

-- For a nice full list of places to go for Mother's Day brunch, check the Statesman. (And really, if you've waited this long to make reservations, you better get on it!) Ruth's Chris Steak House is also doing dinner on Sunday, from 5:30 pm onward.

-- Slow Food Austin is hosting a happy hour at Boggy Creek Farms, May 17 @ 6 pm, suggested $15 donation. Food will be from the farm's resources, and drinks will be warm-weather friendly!

-- Ski Shores Cafe on Lake Travis is offering summer movie nights, live music, and new dockside pick up of to go orders. See their website for more info.

-- Eater Austin shares their list of favorite pizza joints in town. I am still wondering what's happened to Mercury Pizza at South Lamar and Oltorf..... are they really going to reopen? Anyone know?

Bits and Bites

-- More Derby Day (May 5) happenings at drink.well and  J. Blacks Feel Good Kitchen and Lounge.

-- Con Olio Oils and Vinegar on Lavaca and 2nd will open on May 10th.

-- Sustainable Food Center's Farm to Plate dinner, May 10th, featuring Eastside Showroom/Hillside Farmacy chef Sonya Cote.

-- Peche has a new summer menu, featuring local, seasonal ingredients.

-- Elizabeth Street Cafe now doing happy hour with $2 off select drinks, and $2 off appetizer plates. They're also doing take out food too!

-- Trophy's Bar and Grill on South Congress will close, and be taken over by Larry McGuire (of Lambert's, Perla's, Elizabeth St., La Fresas), reopening in a few months. 

-- Mexia peaches were at Central Market Westgate yesterday! They're small overall, and smell good, though the two I bought need another day or so to ripen!

-- Central Market also held a media preview at the French Legation of their upcoming Passport France event, May 9 - 22. Glorious cheeses and baked goods! Crepes. Wines and champagnes. All CM's will have French products, wine tastings, and events at their stores.

Cuban Sandwich Cafe

North of the Mueller development, tucked away in a slightly obscure location, sits Cuban Sandwich Cafe, which is both a cafe and bakery. I've known of this place for a good 6 to 9 months now, but rarely make it to the northeast part of town (it's on Briarcliff, off of Berkman). A Saturday afternoon was a good time to avoid traffic issues, and to meet up with a friend who doesn't live too far from there. You walk into the cafe and immediately see their pastry case. I was having hard time getting a shot of the case, but then I realized, the front window reflects perfectly in the glass!

Ordering at the counter, my friend picked ropa vieja, one of her favorite dishes. She was extremely pleased with it, saying it was one of the best she's had in Austin. The stewed beef was tender and flavorful, as was the rice and black beans, which had a buttery-ness to them. The  yuca didn't do a whole lot for me, but it never has. Too starchy.

I figured, if I am eating at a place called Cuban Sandwich Cafe, I ought to order a Cuban sandwich, and I can never pass up maduros (sauteed plantains). Hearty portion, nicely pressed, ham and lechon (stewed pork). Maybe a bit heavy on the yellow mustard, but overall, a tasty sandwich. I can't say that I am an expert on Cuban sandwiches by any stretch, but I enjoyed it. The maduros could have used a touch of salt (this coming from me, *shocking*!), but were tender, and had the nice caramelized bits around the edges.

After eating, I took a good look back at the pastry counter. I got one of the cinnamon sugar twists, that you see in the bottom of the case, and a coconut macaroon to its right. The twist had sort of an odd sweetness to me...almost as if it had a fruit filling in it, but it didn't. I couldn't really place it, almost like pineapple. Fairly good flaky texture, but the taste somehow wasn't my favorite. The macaroon was better, nice and coconutty, but a bit dense.

If you're thinking of heading up there, you might want to call to see if they are open. Their website, Facebook page, and this sign on the door all list different hours; it would certainly help if they were all consistent! I guess I'd go with the door sign, Mon - Sat, 8:30 am - 7pm, closed on Sunday.

There was a woman in there eating tamal cubano, and I guess I will have to go back to find out how they differ from Mexican (or even NEW Mexican) tamales!

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.