Food-o-File

Chef/restaurateur Parind Vora describes himself as a man with a broken heart. A fire destroyed the dining room, artwork, and fixtures at his Downtown eatery, Restaurant Jezebel (914 Congress, 499-3999, www.restaurantjezebel.com), last week. The fire has been ruled accidental, and Vora hopes that insurance on his business and his landlord's policy on the building will be enough to have Jezebel back in operation sometime in the fall. Meanwhile, he's trying to keep the Jezebel staff busy by finding them positions at his other two restaurants, Braise (2121 E. Sixth, 478-8700, www.braiseaustin.com) and Simplicity Wine & Eats (4801 Burnet Rd., 419-0200, www.simplicitywinebar.com). Vora encourages his Jezebel customers to patronize both the sister restaurants while he gets the company's crown jewel back up and running... Viewers of ABC's Nightline are familiar with the regular "Platelist" segment that features a nationally known chef preparing a signature dish from his or her restaurant. This spring, ABC called for entries in a People's Platelist competition, asking viewers to submit the names of their favorite regional restaurants. Out of thousands of entries, 20 finalists have now been chosen, and one of those is one of our favorite destination restaurants, Royer's Round Top Cafe (www.royersroundtopcafe.com) in the tiny hamlet of Round Top. The Royers must submit a three-minute video about their restaurant to ABC by mid-August, and fans of the restaurant are welcome to submit essays describing their favorite dishes or experiences at the cafe. Night­line will air clips from the finalists' videos and quotes from viewer essays for about a month, starting in late August. All 20 videos will be posted online during that time so that viewers can vote for their favorite. The winner will be featured in a People's Platelist segment in the fall. See more info at www.abcnews.com/nightline/platelist... The staff at Texas Folklife Resources (1317 S. Congress, 441-9255, www.texasfolklife.org) are joining forces with the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Department of Agriculture on a three-year project to gather information about Texas food traditions. They'll be traveling the state talking to chefs, home cooks, gardeners, farmers, ranchers, and guests at fairs, festivals, and celebrations about what's cooking in Texas. The results of their surveys will be featured in radio and TV documentaries, museum exhibits, and oral histories. To be part of A Place at the Table, go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/V9GK6DS and share your family food traditions... Chef Kevin Williamson and his staff at Ranch 616 (616 Nueces, 479-7616, www.theranch616.com) are busy with a new project – helping the owners at the historic Gage Hotel (205 NW First St., Marathon, 432/386-4205, www.gagehotel.com) revamp their restaurant and bar operations. Ranch 616 at the Gage opens in late August with chef Chano Aldrete on the range, an updated dining room, a new menu and new cocktails. Also lending a hand is well-known local wine guy Ross Outon, who is consulting on a wine program for the Gage before he departs for Santa Rosa, Calif., to assist in the harvest and crush at Siduri vineyards after Labor Day.