It doesn’t get more local than that. Wednesday evenings this summer, Bandera-born singer-songwriter Bruce Robison plays free shows in the biergarten at Scholz Garten in downtown Austin. His start-time is a matter of some dispute, but it’s probably safe to say he’ll be playing by 8 this Wednesday evening. Scholz’s has plenty of Texas-made beers [...]
If you haven’t checked it out yet, this is a great time to explore Austin-based Dishola, a social-networking website where folks review meals, one dish at a time. The folks at Dishola have just launched a new newsletter, called Morsels, to which I contributed a bit about a great, locally sourced meal I enjoyed here [...]
Kolache, pastries brought to Texas by eastern European immigrants, have been around these parts long enough to be considered a local delicacy in my book. Since the very first time my husband took me to his parents’ home near Houston, we’ve stopped on the way to sample the goods at Weikel’s (”We Gotcha Kolache”) in [...]
And speaking of sweet Texas onions… the cooks at the Mansion at Judges’ Hill slice them to shoestring dimensions, then batter and deep-fry them. The resulting “ringlets” are crispy and savory, with house-made ketchup and another smoky-spicy sauce for dipping. And during the bar’s half-price happy hour, they’re also a steal at only $2.50!
West Lynn bistro Cipollina is on the loca-wagon, too, with an ever-changing local menu that complements the regular one. The chef shops the Austin farmers’ markets regularly for veggies and meats. That’s where he met Sebastien Bonneau, the French fellow responsible for Countryside Farm in Cedar Creek. On yesterday’s local menu, the lamb, rabbit, and [...]
The folks at Primizie have taken local sourcing seriously since opening the east-side restaurant a few months ago. Now, though, they’ve taken local to a whole new level with a dedicated Local Specials Menu. There’s a lot of seafood and fish listed here, and our patient server explained that the fisherman who supplies the restaurant [...]
Between appointments in the Far West/Spicewood Springs part of town last week, I hoped to spot a local bakery as I’d missed breakfast in my hurry to get out the door. Lo, there appeared Kneaded Pleasures, sandwiched between post office facilities in a shopping center on Far West Boulevard. I kept my order simple, a [...]
Say you’re cruising 71 from Austin to Bastrop and you see these signs. You’re hungry, yes, and you’re in a hurry. You know what you’ll get if you choose McDonald’s, and you know you’ll be back on the road in minutes. If you’re a locavore, though, you opt for Oaxacan Tamaleo. And you are not [...]
The next time you dine at Vespaio or its adjacent brother Enoteca, sneak around back before being seated to see what’s fresh. In a terraced set of beds sandwiched between parking lots in this very urban spot, the staff grows a wild array of produce: artichokes, basil, tomatoes, olives, and parsley, to name but a [...]
You might not expect local food to be on the menu at a sushi restaurant in central Texas. But Uchi executive chef Tyson Cole makes an effort: The “micro greens” (that’s teensy leaves from flavorful herbs) with which he seasons and garnishes his awesome creations come, still in their bitty pots (above), from [...]