Food-o-File

What could the odds possibly be that a well-known Austin-area restaurant would be prominently featured in a national newspaper and be the victim of arson within one 24-hour period? It seems highly unlikely, but that's what happened to the venerable Salt Lick (18300 FM 1826, 512/858-4959) last week. The beloved Hill Country restaurant and banquet facility was featured in a New York Times article on Central Texas barbecue emporiums on July 24, while the embers were still smoldering from a fire in the banquet kitchen only the day before. According to Hays County Sheriff's Department spokesman Alan Bridges, evidence of the use of an accelerant was found at the fire scene, which resulted in a ruling of arson by the fire marshall. The investigation was continuing at press time. "I'd sure like to believe that they're wrong about that," Salt Lick manager Leland Smith told me last week. "It's just incomprehensible to me that someone would do that to us." Smith went on to say that even though the fire destroyed plenty of equipment in the banquet kitchen, the restaurant opened on time the day of the fire and the one reception that was scheduled in the banquet hall last weekend was easily moved to their Pavilion, so they never even missed a step. The good news is the banquet kitchen will be rebuilt, and life will go on as usual at one of the state's favorite barbecue destinations.

Grand Opening Soirée

The spiffiest-looking party invitation to come across my desk in quite some time is the card announcing the grand opening soiree for the new Texas Culinary Academy (11400 Burnet Rd. #2100, 339-2665) on Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 4 to 7pm. The clever card is designed to resemble a chef's coat and opens to reveal the party invitation and a map to the new facility in North Austin. TCA President Harvey Giblin will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception at the new 52,000-square-foot campus facility, which includes six laboratories, numerous classrooms, a 100-seat demonstration kitchen, a student library, a campus computer lab, a restaurant, a cafe, and a retail store. Featured events will include cooking demonstrations in the cooking laboratories by chef Carl Walker of Brennan's in Houston and chef David Bull of Austin's Driskill Grill. Guests will be treated to samples of traditional French and Texas hors d'oeuvres and fine pastries. Students will lead tours of the facilities, including both the Bleu River Grille and Bleu Ribbon Cafe, which will provide hands-on experience to the student body and be open to the public. The TCA is owned and operated by Career Education Corporation and offers Le Cordon Bleu programs in culinary arts, pastry arts, hospitality, and restaurant management. For general info about its programs in the U.S., visit www.lecordonbleuschoolsusa.com. For specific info about TCA, visit www.txca.com.