PICK A PEPPER
Craftsman Farm
Hwy290 W in Dripping Springs, 858-1090
If the multitude of incendiary comestibles at the recent Hot Sauce
Challenge inspired you to become a salsa chef, here is one more local source
for fresh chile peppers. Steve and Marianne Sprinkle of Creek Road in Dripping
Springs will pick you a peck of peppers from their certified organic garden:
sweet bell peppers, gypsy peppers, pepperon-
cini, red and green anaheims,
poblanos, habaneros, jalape�os, serranos, cayennes, Bolivian rainbow
peppers, and tabascos, to name only a few. Visit their farm stand on Saturdays,
9am-1pm or catch them in Wimberley on Friday afternoons from 3-6pm outside the
El Dorado Trading Post at 13700 RR 12.
DINE WITH RHONE WINE
Zoot
509 Hearn, 477-6536
September 18, $65 per person
Quality wines from some of the best producers of Rhone wines such as
Chateau de Beaucastel and Guigal will be presented at a fall wine
dinner at Zoot on Monday evening, September 18, 7pm. Chef Stewart Scruggs’ menu
will include Poached Salmon, Wild Mushroom Bisque, Lamb Fricassee, and
Chocolate P�t� with Raspberry Sorbeto. Each course will be
complemented by a different Rhone wine.
RECIPE FOR SMUT
One of our favorite appetizers on a recent visit to the new Coyote Cafe was
the Huitlacoche Tamales. Though dreaded by farmers as “night smut,”
huitlacoche is an edible corn fungus that is highly prized in Mexican
cuisine. The dark, musky flavor is a perfect complement for sweet corn, and
Mark Miller pairs the two flavors perfectly in the Huitlacoche Tamales with Tomatillo Sauce and Roasted Corn and Wild Mushroom Salsa ($6.95).
No sooner had I enjoyed them in the restaurant than a review copy of Miller’s
new cookbook arrived at my office. Mark Miller’s Indian Market Cookbook (TenSpeed Press, hard, $27.95) is an eminently readable collection of the
special recipes developed for the world-famous, annual Indian Market Week
celebration held every August in Santa Fe. The beautifully produced and
photographed book just happens to include a recipe for Huitlacoche
Tamales which makes trying them at home a real temptation. Once you’ve got
the book, you can order huitlacoche from Miller’s mail-order source in
Florida or find it frozen and canned, available locally from Heart of Texas
Produce, 479-8771.
NEW AND NOSHWORTHY
Mustang Diner
400 Lavaca, 472-2363
Lunch 11am-2pm, Monday-Friday; Dinner 5-10pm, Monday-Saturday
This spiffy new spot in the burgeoning bar and restaurant district in the
Fourth through Sixth Street area west of Congress is attracting a good business
crowd at lunch and starting to build a happy hour and dinner crowd. The food
here is described as “Napa Valley wine country cuisine” and should provide a
rather pricey but interesting alternative in the neighborhood. On the lunch
menu, some winners include the Grilled Portobello Sandwich ($6.95), the
House-Made Roast Beef Sandwich with caramelized red onions and smoked
horseradish aioli ($7.50), and the Mediterranean Bowl ($7.95) featuring baba
ghannooj, tapenade, hummus, and couscous. Though the Pan Seared Pork
Tenderloin ($14.95) with bourbon whole grain mustard sauce was delightful, on
the whole, we were more partial to the appetizer menu than the entr�es
at dinner. Hardworking Executive Chef Mark Oster assures that he’s still
fine-tuning some of the element. We’ll be back. – Virginia B.
Wood
This article appears in September 15 • 1995 and September 15 • 1995 (Cover).