The spring fundraising event calendar is filling up fast. Granite Cafe’s Eddie
Bernal, this year’s chairperson of the Share Our Strength Hunger Relief
fundraising cocktail party and dinner, reports that preliminary planning
meetings suggest the 1996 fundraising goal of $50,000 is a realistic one.
Jeffrey’s executive chef David Garrido has been hard at work pairing up all the
talented chefs who are more than willing to help with the dinner. This year,
the pre-dinner cocktail party will be held on the lawn at the Four Seasons
hotel and will feature appetizers from 20 restaurants. Tickets for the cocktail
party will be sold separately to allow patrons to choose either or both events.
The $125-per-person dinner will be held in the beautiful lakeview banquet room
at the Shoreline Grill. The date for the SOS Hunger Relief Dinner is set for
May 5. Call Eddie Bernal at 480-8504 for more information. Garrido is also
planning a fundraiser called Food for Thought benefiting the Communities in
Schools program with the office of Texas first lady Laura Bush. We’ll have the
date and more details on that event as soon as all arrangements are finalized.

New and Improved

I just sampled the newest shortbread flavor from Penny’s Pastries, and the
mixture of chocolate and plain dough, called Patches, is the best one yet! With
Valentine’s Day and Easter fast upon us, the cookie bakers at Penny’s are as
busy as ever. Cookie maven Penny McConnell is searching for a few good cookie
decorators so if you consider yourself a true artist in the kitchen, go by the
bakery at 2000 E. Sixth for a chance to dazzle them with your skill and
reliability.

Spaghetti Western chef/owner Lalo Garland is turning out new menu items at his
South First Street location. Garland’s passion for the research and study of
the various cuisines of South America are apparent in the new menu items; the
Italian dinners each include a touch of Latin and South American spice to
excite the palate. Try the scampi in a sauce of garlic, olive oil, lime,
serrano chilies and cilantro, canelloni stuffed with spinach and cheeses and
topped with a smoky chipotle marinara sauce, or linguini pescatore in which the
noodles are tossed with shrimp, scallops, mussels, cilantro pesto, habanero
peppers, and parmesan cheese.

Good news discovered at the Old Alligator Grill anniversary party on January
22: The Muffaletta sandwich ($7.95) is greatly improved. The giant half
sandwich arrives on a real, sesame seed-encrusted muffaletta bun, is loaded
with thinly sliced meats and cheeses, and is dripping with a generous helping
of olive salad. It comes with spicy Cajun fries and creamy coleslaw and makes a
very satisfying meal after sharing a Cajun Sampler ($8.95) of perfectly fried
tender catfish nuggets, large crawfish tails, and those red-hot Cajun kisses.

The wave of popular local coffee shops has washed over into Round Rock.
Saradora’s is a new hot spot in downtown Round Rock, having renovated a
charming historic building at the corner of Main and Mays. They’ll be selling
coffee by the cup and by the bean, loose teas, Great Harvest Breads, Chisolm
Trail Fudge (in honor of the fact that the old cattle trail went through Round
Rock), and a Japanese box lunch called Bento, made up of steamed rice and beef,
chicken, or vegetables. They also feature live music on Friday and Saturday
nights.

This article appears in February 2 • 1996 and February 2 • 1996 (Cover).

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