Food-o-File
Food Editor Virginia B. Wood plates up the news that's good for you in this week's "Food-o-File."
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., June 28, 2002
Organic Vineyard
The most encouraging piece of information to come out of Ambiente Importing's trade tasting of Badia a Coltibuono's fine Chiantis at Siena Ristorante Toscana (6203 Capital of TX Hwy., 349-7667) last Tuesday night was that the ancient Tuscan property is managed organically. Badia a Colitbuono, or "The Abbey of Good Harvest" is located in the heart of the Chianti area, between Florence and Siena, and has been owned by the Stucchi Prinetti family for more than 150 years. The estate includes vineyards as well as chestnut, walnut, and olive trees, and sells fine wines and oils. According to owner/winemaker Roberto Stucchi Prinetti, a graduate of the UC-Davis viticulture and oenology program, the entire estate has been managed organically since the 2000 growing season and the vineyards will soon be certified organic by European certification standards. He also acknowledged the cost effectiveness of organic management practices. Stucci Prinetti described the area around the estate as one rich in biodiversity and noted that both the particular character of Badia a Coltibuono's wines and the overall hardiness of his vineyards is due to the fact that his Sangiovese vines are propagated from the estate's own heirloom multiclonal selections. It was one of the most enjoyable evenings of education I've ever experienced, and the wines, especially the Cancelli Sangiovese 2000 and the Vin Santo 1995, were marvelous. Here's hoping signor Stucci Prinetti spreads the gospel of successful organic estate management to his fellow winemakers both in Italy and America.
News Around Town
The Katz family feud settled last week, with founding father Marc Katz keeping the original Katz's Deli & Bar (618 W. Sixth, 472-2037) here in town and his son, chef Barry Katz, taking sole ownership of the spin-off in Houston. Financial details of the settlement were not disclosed... Kudos to Luke Zimmerman and his crew at Ruby's Barbecue (512 W. 29th, 477-1651) for being named one of 67 "Things Worth a Detour" in the June issue of Esquire. This makes the second national magazine recognition for the campus-area joint, coming a few months after their rave review in The Wine Spectator, even though they don't serve wine!... Richard Heinichen of TankTown (2700 Hwy. 290 W. in Dripping Springs, 894-0861) reports that his delightful bottled Rainwater was so popular with the Bush family while they were in the Governor's Mansion that they now have it stocked at their ranch home in Crawford, otherwise known as the Western White House. Thanks to new Chronicle contributor Claudia Alarcon for introducing me to the culinary delights of El Meson Taqueria (5808 Burleson, 416-0749), a wonderful family operation on Austin's far southeast side. The Godinez family hails from Mexico City, and the menu reflects the rich melting pot of that cosmopolitan city's cuisine. The special the day I visited was a platter of elegant huitlacoche quesadillas, rich with the earthy flavor of the rare corn fungus, a Mexican delicacy. True aficionados of interior Mexican cuisine should make the time to find this little jewel... as part of the First Thursday on South Congress on Thursday, July 4, Texas Folklife Resources (1317 S. Congress, 441-9255) will present a free home-canning demonstration by Steve and Betty Orsak from 6 to 7pm. Drop in to learn about canning and sample some of the Orsak's vast canning repertoire... To complement the Austin Museum of Art's summer exhibit "The Circus in 20th Century American Art," the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (409-B Colorado, 476-1320) will present a mini-film festival of circus-related films, culminating with Fellini's La Strada on Thursday night, July 18. The evening will include a four-course dinner with Italian wines prepared by chef Harvey Harris of Siena Ristorante. Watch this space in the coming weeks for more details.
