Food-o-File

As I've already explained in an earlier column, the new year can't get here fast enough to suit me, and I've got so many things to look forward to in 2012. Continued good health is at the top of my list, and I'm still so thankful to be well again and eager to cover Austin food in the coming year. I've also promised myself to get the most out of my cool new phone by posting more to the Chronicle Twitter and Facebook accounts. (If I'd had sense enough to have kids in my 20s, I might have some teenage grandchildren around to help me conquer social media!)

Our dynamic food scene is such a hot attraction these days that I'm expecting to see even more national media attention here in 2012. How cool was it to see SoCo businesses in the American Express "Shop Local" television ad campaign around Thanksgiving, or the Google Chrome ads in the fall featuring Frank's Jenn and Daniel Northcutt as examples of mom-and-pop restaurant owners? I'm predicting we'll see more of that with more visits from the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, and the Travel Channel. Our city's restaurants, hotels, food trucks, cooking schools, and culinary professionals represent Austin so well – take Uchiko Executive Chef Paul Qui, for example. As of this week, he's still very much in contention in Bravo's Top Chef: Texas, just as the segments filmed in Austin this past summer have finally begun to air. I have no idea whether or not Qui will ultimately emerge victorious from the competition, but so far he's managed to win $30,000 while representing Austin with well-executed food and conducting himself with humility and good manners in the process. I'm proud he's an Austin chef no matter how things turn out.

This was a big year for burger and barbecue joints, and that trend appears to be continuing into the new year. I'm eager to check out all the new burger joints that have opened in the past couple of months, especially El Chile Group's Flat Top Burger Shop (1900 Manor Rd.), and I can't wait to stop in at the new Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew (6601 N. Lamar) because of its advertised Taylor, Texas, roots.

I know things have been changing dramatically out in the Hill Country in the past couple of years because I have a huge folder full of press releases about new whiskey tasting rooms, new brewpubs, new wineries, restaurants, and even resorts! It sounds as if Highway 290 West between Johnson City and Fredericksburg is becoming the Hill Country version of California's Highway 29, the fabled thoroughfare to all the wine and culinary tourist attractions in the Napa Valley... Pastry Queen Rebecca Rather closed Rather Sweet Bakery in Fredericks­burg earlier this fall but plans to reopen in the same space with both a new business partner and business model next year. Sugar & Smoke will feature Rather's desserts and baked goods paired with Nicole Davenport's smoked meats and other savory dishes.

Covering the Texas Book Festival in October was my first post-surgery public outing, and it had a profound effect on me this year. Being there made me more determined than ever to complete two personal book projects that have languished on the back burner for far too long now. One is a memoir about the mentors and experiences that have shaped me as a cook, and the other is a collection of dessert recipes that provided my livelihood for so many years. I've got to get the book proposals finished and submitted some time this year. Be sure to ask me how they're progressing so I won't be tempted to procrastinate any longer. Happy New Year!