Food-o-File

The end of summer in Austin is heralded by festivities surrounding the arrival of the green chile crop from Hatch, N.M., at such local venues as Chuy's restaurants (www.chuys.com) and the Central Market stores (www.centralmarket.com); grape harvests and plenty of recreational grape stomping at area vineyards; and our celebration of fiery, hot salsas and even hotter weather at the annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. Though Chuy's yearly Hatch events don't start until September, we've got the scoop about Central Market's plans plus tips on grape stomps in "Event Menu," below, and all the necessary info about entering the 20th annual hot sauce contest can be found in the ad on p.14... Lake Travis-area restaurateur Beau Theriot announced last week that he is expanding the real estate development near his legendary Oasis restaurant (6550 Comanche Trail, 266-2442, www.oasis-austin.com) to include two more dining spots. Oasis Texas will be home to a second local outlet of Uncle Billy's Brew & Que, featuring craft brews from brewmaster Brian Peters paired with barbecue, and a Mediterranean-inspired, casual fine dining restaurant called Soleil being developed by the Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group from Houston. Both new eateries will share the same spectacular lake and sunset views as the Oasis, and they're projected to open by the end of September. The development will also include a retail shopping village with 30 boutiques set to open at a later date... The serious pizza mavens at Austin's award-winning Home Slice Pizza (1415 & 1421 S. Con­gress, 444-7437, www.homeslicepizza.com) are preparing for their annual September pilgrimage to the hallowed pizza joints of New York City, and this year, they want customers to help plan their itinerary. Home Slice will close up shop Sept. 6-9 to take the entire team to New York for total immersion in Italian-Ameri­can food and culture. They're asking customers for suggestions about places they should visit, such as traditionally Italian neighborhoods, ethnic grocery stores, or terrific slice joints. If you've got a great idea for them, drop it off at the restaurant or share it at www.homeslicepizza.wordpress.com... West Austin bistro Cipollina (1213 West Lynn, 477-5211, www.cipollina-austin.com) has recently added a new happy hour. Drop by between 5 and 6pm daily for half-price small plates and carafes of wine... The Food Network's new The Great Food Truck Race kicked off this past Sunday night with seven mobile food trucks from California and Austin competing to win $50,000 in prize money. The show's format has the trucks driving to a new city each week with two days to shop for ingredients and find a location in which to set up and a finite amount of time in which to develop a clientele and sell their food. When sales receipts are tallied, the truck with the highest sales is named the winner, and the truck with the lowest sales goes home. Austin Daily Press grilled cheese sandwich truck survived the San Diego challenge by finding free space in a parking lot near some busy bars. They'll compete again in the next destination – Santa Fe. We'll keep you posted on their progress.