Food-o-File

The area bordered by 45th Street, Airport Boulevard, and I-35 North gets more interesting every day. The new Vivo is already open in the Linc (the reimagined Lincoln Village shopping center); the Omelettry; Shawn Cirkiel's Bullfight tapas; Bun Belly, and the as-yet-unnamed artisan bakery and coffee shop from Quang Vuong and Kim Thai; and Terry Wilson's Sala and Betty are already slated to open in 2015 along Airport, and now two new long-range projects for the area have been announced. First, the second outlet of the wildly successful Easy Tiger Bakeshop & Beer Garden (709 E. Sixth) will become the anchor tenant at the Linc in late 2015. The new spot will be close to three times larger than the original and will include a full service commercial bakery, finally allowing David Norman to fulfill the ever-growing wholesale demand for Easy Tiger breads and pastries. Look for interiors by Veronica Koltuniak, a drive-through coffee bar, pingpong tables, outdoor seating for 250 with a dog park, and a stage for occasional live music.

Another project is still in the formative stages, but a group including chef Todd Duplechan of Lenoir, restaurateur Jeffrey Weinberger (Jeffrey's, Shoreline Grill), hospitality pro Jeff Haber (formerly of Trio at the Four Seasons), and family member Paul Youngblood plan to resurrect the legendary Youngblood's Fried Chicken. The Waco-based chain had 30 restaurants across Texas in the Fifties and Sixties and legions of devoted fans, Jeff Weinberger among them. "This all started when Paul Youngblood had lunch at Shoreline one day and we got to reminiscing about the chicken. He shared the family recipe with us, and for a couple years, it was the bestselling dish on the Shoreline lunch menu," Weinberger told us. In addition to the famous Youngblood's fried chicken, Duplechan also plans to serve wood-roasted rotisserie chicken and fresh-focused Southern fare including the potato salad from Solly's Barbecue in Dallas, where the chef had his first job. According to Weinberger, the group is currently in negotiations for space "west of I-35 between Airport and North Lamar," with a projected opening date in late 2015.

Manos de Cristo (4911 Harmon), a nonprofit providing services to low-income individuals, is once again taking orders for tamales that are perfect for family gatherings and holiday parties. The tamales are gluten-free and come in pork, jalapeno pork, chicken, non-vegetarian, and vegetarian bean varieties at $12 per dozen. For more details, call 512/628-4204 and place orders online at www.manosdecristo.org/tamales. Order deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 2 for pickup on Friday, Dec. 5 from noon-4pm.

Métier Cook's Supply (1805 S. First) hosts the launch of the newest issue of the Houston-based Sugar & Rice quarterly magazine this Sunday, Nov. 23 from 3-5pm with complimentary food and libations. Executive Editor David Leftwich will attend along with his creative team and several contributors, including longtime Chronicle contributor MM Pack, who has a feature on the Gulf Coast shrimping industry in this issue.