Food-o-File

---

Plenty o' News

There's plenty of food news as the year winds quickly to a close. Tim and Karrie League announced they've hired former Mars chef John Bullington as executive chef at the new Alamo Drafthouse South when it opens in February. Tim League says hiring a chef of Bullington's caliber means they'll offer a more upscale menu at the new theatre and also do more food-related film events with specialized menus. Bullington kicks off his new job with a five-course garlic-studded feast to accompany the famous Les Blank documentary Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers, which will be shown at the Drafthouse Downtown on Jan. 5. Check www.originalalamo.com for more details and reservations... Ron Flores is one busy restaurateur! He's currently overseeing the rebuilding of his original Habana (2728 S. Congress) after the devastating fire and working round the clock to open a new downtown Habana (700 E. Sixth) outlet by mid-January. The new spot sounds very elaborate, with upstairs and downstairs drinking (tropical drinks) and dining (Cuban menu), patios with palm trees, lots of big flat-screen TVs for watching sports or DVDs of island scenery, and a smoke shop with a custom cigar roller... Longtime downtown restaurateur Fred Nelson has opened a new Texas-style eatery in the heart of the busy South First Mexican Mile. Drop into Freddie's Place (1703 S. First, 445-9197) for burgers, chicken-fried steak, Frito pie, chili-cheese dogs, nachos, barbecue, homemade desserts, and a full bar. The restaurant also offers a great deck and backyard area in a beautiful old oak grove overlooking Bouldin Creek, perfect for outdoor dining, drinking, and horseshoe pitching... John Mueller's BBQ (1917 Manor Rd., 236-0283) has opened a second outlet in Austin's Historic Farmers Market at 6701 Burnet Rd. They're serving lunch from 11am to 2pm in the new place... There's a lot of buzz on the street about the a new shop set to open in the Rosedale Village Center (47th & Burnet Road) some time in February. Look for Parallel to offer a full menu of prepared foods to go, selected wines, and nonperishable culinary gift items... Local attorney Kelly Weiss and singer-songwriter Trent Hunt have opened the Texas Honey Ham Company (3736 Bee Caves Rd., 330-9888), selling spiral-sliced hams glazed with GoodFlow's Texas wildflower honey and candied spices, smoked turkey breasts, overstuffed sandwiches, and custom side dishes. Sounds delicious to us. Weiss' family also owns the Glazed Honey Ham Company in Lubbock... One of the best last-minute Christmas presents I've heard of is a Pancake Gift Basket from Kerbey Lane Cafe. Each mixing bowl comes packed with two bags of their famous signature pancake mixes, an 8 oz. bottle of maple syrup, a whip, and a spatula for $25. They're available at all four Kerbey Lane locations as long as supplies last. Hurry, hurry, hurry, because Christmas morning is almost here!