Apis and Congress Get Truffled

Another festival comes to Austin, more restaurants enter the scene, and more in today's food news.

Vilma Mazaite is getting a new gig and Austin is getting a new wine and food festival all at the same time. The laV wine director will be transitioning to a new role as executive consultant to help plan Celebrate Burgundy, a festival celebrating the best of regional French food and Burgundy wines. To celebrate the occasion, we are currently drinking at our desks.

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In yet another reason to raise our glass, the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas is hosting a Prep Your Palate preview event leading up to their 13th annual Big Reds and Bubbles (Nov. 19 at The Driskill). The event tomorrow at Twin Liquors Hancock Center is free and open to the public from 5-8pm; no RSVP is required.

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There is so much truffle oil drizzled on the nation’s mac and cheese and mashed potatoes that sometimes we forget how amazing the real deal is. Not for long. Chef David Bull of Congress is bringing back his white alba truffle tasting menu. The seven-course mushtravaganza (sorry) starts Oct. 22.

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In other truffle news, Apis Restaurant and Apiary also has some plans for the humble Tuber magnatum. This week, the funnest of fungi will star in an omelet made from Ameraucana eggs that have been sat next to the truffles for a few days to absorb the truffle essence. Oh, also, the restaurant is selling truffles to guests at cost. NBD.

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More, more, more. Chad Barrett of commercial real estate firm AQUILA Commercial will be opening BaseCamp, an elevated sports bar concept featuring alumna from Uchi and Parkside Projects in Fall 2015. Meanwhile, MAD Greens – a Colorado-based fast casual salad chain – will be expanding to Texas with a Domain outpost in January 2016. And in still more opening news, word on the street (and on owner C.K. Chin’s Twitter account) is that the hotly anticipated Wu Chow is so close to opening you can (almost) taste it.