Food-o-File
Off with my head, etc.
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., June 22, 2007
Right off the top in the off-with-my-head department, the capable young men from Fino (2905 San Gabriel, 474-2905), whom I meant to recognize last week, are chef Thomas Reeh and wine director Josh Loving. My apologies for mangling the spelling of both their names… Wow, this past week was another one in which I discovered plenty of good things to eat! The Baja shrimp tacos at Torchy's Tacos (1207 S. First, 366-0537) are first-rate – lightly battered, plump fried shrimp and crunchy fresh vegetables doused with a squirt of lime, wrapped in a corn tortilla, and served with a side of creamy chipotle sauce. The tacos are really good and even better paired with sides of chunky guacamole, spicy queso, and their ultrathin chips… The newest addition to the product line of that posh wholesale patisserie Sweet Tempered (www.sweettemperedaustin.com) is a line of three-layer specialty cakes in five delightful flavors in sizes ranging from mini (suitable for two to share) to 9-inch rounds, plenty for a party. I sampled the Mocha Chocolate Devil's Food, the Pineapple-Coconut Rum, and the Strawberry Vanilla "Twinkie" minicakes and loved them all. These little jewels can be ordered via the website or purchased at Little City Espresso Cafe (916 Congress, 476-2489), Royal Blue Grocery (247 W. Third, 499-3993), Epoch Coffee (221 W. North Loop, 454-3762), and the new Oakville Grocery when it opens next month in the Domain. And speaking of Oakville Grocery, we hear they've been working hard to source local products and will also be carrying Bud Royer's pies… Had a ladies lunch with some girlfriends at the new Counter Cafe (626 Lamar, 708-8800), where we thoroughly enjoyed the meal prepared by chef Eric Schiller, and though none of us is a particular fan of cheesecake, we ended up devouring a generous slice of mascarpone cheesecake with strawberries made by Austin Community College Culinary program grad Atticus Ahrendt. I'm told he makes a great lemon meringue pie, which I can't wait to sample. Owner Debbie Davis tells me the cafe will be closed on Sundays and Mondays through the summer, but they are still serving breakfast all day on Saturdays, and I am eager to try that… Here's some more good news about breakfast – both locations of Hoover's Cooking (2002 Manor Rd., 479-5006; 13376 Research, 335-0300) are now open for breakfast daily, and we hear they've added some new menu items, such as poached eggs on puff pastry and a selection of omelettes, to the weekday bill of fare. I'm still partial to scrambled eggs, cheese grits, and bacon or the shrimp and grits, myself, but the new egg dishes do sound tempting… Chef/co-owner Larry McGuire e-mailed to let me know that Lamberts (401 W. Second, 494-1500) is now offering an à la carte Saturday brunch featuring favorites from the appetizer, Sunday brunch, and lunch menus. Also, they'll now validate your City Hall parking ticket at lunchtime and are adding valet parking in the evenings… A Greek-food-loving friend alerted me to the fact that the Athenian Grill had closed. A sign on the door says they completed their lease at the 705 Colorado location and plan to reopen in a few months in a space being renovated at Eighth and Brazos. We'll keep you posted… Top Chef fans will be interested to know that the winner of the first elimination challenge, Texas-born chef Tre Wilcox of Abacus in Dallas, will be teaching a class at the Central Market Cooking School (4001 N. Lamar, 458-3068) on Friday, June 29, at 6:30pm.
