Food-o-File

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More Cooking on TV

As of last week's episode, all three women and five of the men are still competing on Cooking Under Fire on PBS. Based on the weekly evaluations, it's beginning to look as though a woman could be the ultimate winner. Not to be left out of the food TV bonanza, on May 30 Fox premiered Hell's Kitchen, with frequently bleeped British chef Gordon Ramsay heaping verbal and emotional abuse on a frantic group of cooks. Fox also recently announced plans to include a program based on chef Tony Bourdain's autobiographical book Kitchen Confidential in their fall lineup. No word yet on who is to star or how honestly they plan to deal with Bourdain's self-confessed addictions. And speaking of Bourdain, did you happen to see him on the NOVA segment about "Typhoid Mary" on PBS last week? Very interesting historical program about Irish immigrant cook Mary Mallon, infamous in early 20th-century New York City as a carrier of typhoid fever. He wrote a book about her, too.

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New Things

The newest outlet of the rapidly expanding Arizona ice cream franchise Cold Stone Creamery (11301 Lakeline Blvd., 401-9292) opens with a charity function this weekend in the Lakeline Mall area. Stop by for a slice of their signature ice cream cake... Look for a new business in the charming old stone cottage at the front of Austin's Historic Farmers' Market, where the Brentwood Tavern (6701 Burnet Rd., 420-8118) opened on May 30. They'll be serving lunch and dinner daily and offering live music. While you're at the market, check out the hot dogs at Dog Almighty Hot Dogs (6701 Burnet Rd., 300-2364). Based on their showing in the recent restaurant poll, they've got a very enthusiastic clientele... The folks at Manuel's (310 Congress, 472-7555; 10201 Jollyville Rd., 345-1042) celebrate the beginning of their second 20 years in business with some inviting new menu items. We're eager to try the new Baja Taquitos (tacos with fried bay scallops, shredded cabbage, and chipotle mayo), Crema de Chile Poblano (a poblano pepper bisque), and the Chile Relleno del Mar (a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with scallops, shrimp, and lump crab meat in a chile de arbol crema). The Parrillada (mixed grill with beef, chicken, shrimp, and nopal cactus) available on Sunday and Monday evenings also sounds very tempting.

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Event Menu: June 3-9

Spicewood's Grilling in the Vineyard Festival offers a delicious weekend packed with food and wine events. Things kick off on Friday night with a wine dinner ($70) of all grilled items presented by Fredericksburg chef Steve Howard, and the fun continues on Saturday and Sunday with grilling demonstrations by several area chefs, hay rides, food-and-wine-pairing lectures by Texas wine experts, and wine tastings. Reservations are necessary. For directions to the winery, full details about the chefs who will be appearing, and the pricing of each day's events, call 830/693-5328 or go to www.spicewoodvineyards.com; 7pm Friday, June 3; 11am-5pm Saturday, June 4; noon-5pm Sunday, June 5.

KLRU and the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas invite you to enjoy an evening of Wine, Tapas, and Tango at KLRU Studios (2504-B Whitis Blvd.). The program will include a professional tango performance by Pilar Alvarez and Claudio Hoffman, tapas prepared by Doña Emilia's, Mirabelle, and the Texas Culinary Academy complemented by wines from Argentina's most accomplished vintners. Tickets are $75 and reservations are necessary. Call 232-6270 or go to www.klru.org; 7-10pm, Saturday, June 4.