Food-O-File

While I was scoping out the progress being made at the Silo on 7th (1300 E. Seventh), I happened to notice the nearby Ethiopian restaurant Karibu had disappeared. There's no "For Lease" sign on the building or any notice of what might pop up there next, but it's a prime restaurant space (covered patio, a parking lot) in a hot neighborhood, so it shouldn't be available for long. Oh, and the building that will be home to laV Restaurant & Wine Bar just east of Takoba is really taking shape. Meanwhile, proprietors of the upcoming restaurant, chef Allison Jenkins and managing partner Vilma Mazaite, are introducing their French- and Mediterranean-influenced cuisine via charity events and the Say laV food truck that operates inside Hotel Vegas and the Volstead (1501 E. Sixth) Wednesday through Sunday, 8pm-2am. Their sweet potato doughnuts are addictive.

The organizers of Fun Fun Fun Fest staged an event last week to present John Mueller as the Official Curator of Grub for 2013. He'll be choosing six food trucks and about a dozen other vendors to operate booths at the fest. Interested candidates should submit applications for Mueller's review at www.funfunfunfest.com/food. Marketing Director Sawyer Stoltz offered this tip to potential vendors: "We're looking for people who offer unique options but at the same time prove they can handle our crowds for three days."

Kickstarter funding campaigns are all the rage these days, and none of them more intriguing than that of cake artist Natalie Sideserf. You may not recognize her name but Sideserf won the Best in Show award at the That Takes the Cake competition in the spring with an incredibly lifelike sculpted cake of Willie Nelson's head that immediately went viral on the Internet. Now she's working toward opening a retail pastry bar and cake decorating studio loosely based on a sushi bar concept, where patrons can enjoy pastries, coffee, or adult beverages while watching cake artists work their magic. For more details, go to www.sideserfcakes.com.

Owners of the Popcycle, the newest entry in the local artisan frozen dessert market, dropped by the office with samples last week, much to our delight. Lindsey Byrd's luscious hand-crafted frozen treats come in flavors such as orange dreamsicle, bananas foster, buttermilk lemon thyme, kiwi mojito, roasted plum and ginger, watermelon habanero, honeydew sea salt, and avocado coconut milk, and are $4 each, or two for $6. Byrd and partner Elizabeth Carroll are dispensing the delectable frozen treats from a custom Icicle Tricycle (a bike outfitted with a freezer chest) which can be booked for special events and private parties. Available flavors are listed on their website www.thepopcycleaustin.com and locations are announced via Facebook and Twitter @thepopcycle.