Food-o-File
Local culinary news
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., Nov. 24, 2000
Mea Culpa
In the off-with-my-head department: a kindly reader's e-mail alerted me to a serious and ongoing error in my coverage of one of my favorite local restaurants. It seems that for several years, I've listed the address of Dot's Place incorrectly. The far north Austin shrine to great down-home cooking is located at 13805 Orchid Lane, rather than Orchard. We'll get that corrected in our Web restaurant guide as soon as possible. The only explanation that comes to mind is a galloping case of adult-onset dyslexia. I apologize to all concerned for my mistake. Eat at Dot's.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Last February, I attended a dinner party benefiting Project Transitions, a local AIDS Hospice. I enjoyed the evening so much and wrote about it so enthusiastically that I was invited to join the planning committee for this year's event. The fundraiser is called Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and here's how it works: As a donation, 25 couples volunteer to host a dinner party in their home for eight to 16 guests. Project Transitions sends out invitations, takes reservations, and collects the $75-per-person donations from the dinner guests. Up to 250 guests attend creatively themed dinner parties all over town on the same night, and at the end of the evening, hosts and guests gather for a gala champagne-and-dessert reception. The dinner parties this year will be on Saturday, Feb. 2, and the gala reception will be held at the new Austin Lyric Opera building on Barton Springs Road. If you would be interested in hosting a fun dinner party to benefit a very good cause, contact Cathy Negrel or Jay Barbee at the Project Transitions office, 454-8646. You'll be so glad you did.
Bocaditos
The Beaujolais Nouveau is here! Stop in at both Jean-Luc's French Bistro (705 Colorado, 494-0033) and Chez Nous (510 Neches, 473-2413), where they'll be recommending the new wine with selected menu items... Owners Jas and Kristine Lemert celebrated the opening of their new Romeo's (5800 Burnet, 419-7567) location Friday night, Nov. 17, with a party hosted by KGSR, featuring hors d'oeuvres, wine tastings, and tunes from the Lucky Strikes. The new spot exudes all the same funky charm as the original Barton Springs location and has the same menu... Austin's newest Indian restaurant, Madras Pavillion (9025 Research, 719-5575) has been open about six weeks and is generating lots of positive buzz... Austin Gets Cooking is the new cable access cooking program from ACAC. The half-hour cooking demonstration show features local chefs such as Roger Mollett of Central Market, Larry Perdido of Saba Blue Water Cafe, and Dave Hermann of the Range in Salado. The program airs from 6:30-7pm on the third Wednesday of every month.
