Food-o-File

How's this for a piece of good news? Mother's Cafe (4215 Duval St., 451-3994) reopened quietly last week, almost eight months after a devastating fire destroyed the enclosed garden and much of the interior dining room of the popular vegetarian eatery. Word-of-mouth among gleeful vegetarians has had the restored dining room full almost from the minute the doors opened. Co-owner Cameron Alexander expects to have the garden fully operational again by the end of the year... Restaurateur Pat Mares e-mailed with the news that globe-trotting TV chef/author/raconteur Anthony Bourdain and a crew from ABC's Nightline spent several hours checking out the smoker, eating barbecue, and discussing regional foods at Ruby's Barbecue (512 W. 29th, 477-1651) the afternoon before Bourdain's recent sold-out show at the Paramount. No word yet on when the segment will air... We enjoyed great weather and great food at the Green Corn Project fundraiser at Boggy Creek Farm a couple of Sundays ago. Notable bites: creative Migas Deviled Eggs from Whole Foods Market, luxurious Green Chile Truffled Mac and Cheese from Cafe Josie, tangy Fresh Green Beans Vinaigrette from Wink, Sweetish Hill's flaky Green Chile Chicken Empanadas, a hearty fall salad from Dai Due, Dish a Licious' distinctive jambalaya, exquisite Zucchini Ricotta Rolls and Red Pepper Anchovy Canapes from Cissi's Market, and Tracy Claros' award-winning Lemon Puddings. On the way to the GPC party, we caught a fascinating hour of radio programming on KUT. Hidden Kitchens (www.hiddenkitchenstexas.org) is a rich audio tapestry of Texas food and music inspired by the series on NPR's Morning Edition and created by radio hosts and authors Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson. Silva and Nelson, also known as the Kitchen Sisters, will be among the authors appearing in the cooking tent at the Texas Book Festival this weekend. Sample reviews of books of the other featured authors on this page, and then check out the full festival schedule at www.texasbookfestival.org.