Food-o-File
Our apologies to 888 Vietnamese
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., Aug. 4, 2006
First up, in the off-with-our-heads department, we need to take responsibility for a photo mix-up with last week's review of Misung 888 (911 W. Anderson #114, 302-5433). Even though we made the critical distinction between Misung 888 and 888 Vietnamese (2400 E. Oltorf Ste. 1-A, 448-4722) in the lead of the piece, we unfortunately ran a stock photo that had been taken last year to illustrate Claudia Alarcón's enthusiastic review of 888 Vietnamese ("Special Blend," Food, October 28, 2005). We regret the error and apologize to both restaurants for the confusion. The photo will be corrected on the Web...
Chef/owner Paul Constantine called with the sad news that he and wife Joni closed Cafe Caprice (900 W. 10th) on July 30. "We did this with our own money and gave it our best shot for two and a half years, but we were just never able to get the numbers where they needed to be consistently," Constantine told me. Joni Constantine will be teaching with AISD this fall, and Paul is considering job opportunities. Restaurateurs interested in the cozy cottage overlooking Shoal Creek should talk to owner Marshall Slacter...
Fans of chef Will Packwood's cooking will be pleased to note that he's opening a new restaurant Downtown in the next few weeks. Packwood's new business partner, Bella Verdi Farms (www.bellaverdifarms.com) owner Darrell Joseph, e-mailed the Chronicle with the news that he is branching out from his successful hydroponic microgreens business and that the duo is opening an Italian eatery called Cibo (918 Congress, 478-3663) in the former Dariush location. That same block houses both Little City (916 Congress) and hot new restaurant Jezebel (914 Congress). "We want to make this block a definite dining destination. We're going to serve coffee and pastries in the morning, lunch, and dinner, and we'll be offering delivery service to the downtown lofts," Joseph told me during a follow-up call. Also eagerly awaited this fall are the Woodland (1716 S. Congress), Lambert's Downtown Barbecue & Chop House (West Second & Guadalupe), and the Belmont (305 W. Sixth)...
Owner Ron Flores is relieved to finally have his original Habana (2728 S. Congress, 443-4252) location open once again, nearly two years after it was damaged by fire. Drop by for one of their great Cuban sandwiches, and have a refreshing mojito on one of the new patios... The folks at Saba Blue Water Cafe (208 W. Fourth, 478-7222, www.sabacafe.com) have added an Island Brunch to their offerings, Sundays from 11am to 3pm. Look for such items as Chilaquiles and Island Fruit Crepes.
