Here’s some of what’s happening in Austin’s culinary scene – as wrangled from numerous PR releases, words on the digital street, and even the occasional (verified) IRL eavesdroppings.
Question: Is some annual event generally referred to as SXSW taking over the city again, making everything bigger and brighter and more hyped than it usually is? *checks the media, looks out the window, feels the ground shaking* Why, yes, citizen – yes, it is!
In other news, Austin’s own Flyrite Chicken celebrated its seventh year last month, and they’ve got new menu items at both their brick-and-mortar locations (2129 E. Seventh; 6539 Burnet Rd.) in addition to a new you’ll-see-it-all-over-town food truck. We’d say that last thing is poultry in motion, heh, but we’re too busy slurping up one of their new milkshakes (the Oreo one is soooo good) and placing a catering order for those signature chicken sliders of theirs …
And Fil N’ Viet (2903 E 12th), owned by the husband-wife team of Kevin and Rosie Truong, are marking their second anniversary with a Boodle Fight, also known as “Kamayan,” a family-style feast where you’re encouraged to eat with your hands. And what you’ll be eating with those lucky, lucky hands on Tue., March 28, is an array of celebratory Filipino and Vietnamese dishes: chicken inasal, bistek tagalog, grilled pusit, thit nuong, whole fried fish, grilled long beans, jasmine rice, pickled vegetables, fresh fruit, and classic dipping sauces. Mmmm, yeah, we’re already anticipating their third anniversary. But for this quickly upcoming feast, click here for tickets …
H-E-B has announced the call for entries for their 10th annual Quest for Texas Best, their search for the best items made in the Lone Star State. So, you have a food product that you’ve been working on, one that might benefit from, say, 70 grand and the opportunity to be on H-E-B shelves across the state? The locally beloved company’s accepting submissions through April 6, and you can find out more right here …
You know the Hotel Van Zandt (605 Davis), right? That excellent Mark Zeff-designed boutique venue that lights up the heart of Downtown? They’ve just hired Sergio Ledesma, the 2022 Hispanic Top Chef winner, as the property’s executive chef. Chef Ledesma will be running culinary operations and menu design for their Geraldine’s restaurant, bar, and live music venue – as well as special events, banquets, and Café 605 …
And you know those Garrison Brothers, too, yes? Those bourbon-blessing badasses out in Hye? The distillery took home top honors earned at this February’s TAG Global Spirits Awards in Las Vegas, earning seven awards (including best in show, a platinum, and three double golds for their straight bourbon whiskey expressions). Of course the port-cask finished expression called Guadalupe scored American cask-finished best in show, and the HoneyDew took a gold; but we can’t imagine what sort of palates the judges must’ve had to designate Donnis Todd’s superlative Balmorhea with … only a silver? Ah, to each their own, we reckon – but do pass us that bottle!
Tickets are now available for the Butcher’s Ball Farm-to-Table Dinner Series in Round Top on March 24 & 25! Each dinner will showcase one of the best chefs cooking in Texas today – El Topo’s Tony Luhrman on the 24th, b’tween’s Michelle Wallace on the 25th – to serve up a multicourse meal using only ingredients sourced from within 100 miles of Round Top. Tickets are $175 each, and include wine pairings, beer, and cocktails – and you can get ’em (and more details) right here …
Let’s see – what else, what else? Our gregarious man-about-beer Eric Puga has a good look at the recently opened, second iteration of Lazarus Brewing Company on Airport … sommelier Rae Wilson’s releasing her newest Dandy Rosé with a party at Wine for the People on Thursday … Supper Friends is flexing Southern with chef Bob Burns on Saturday … Deep Eddy Vodka goes Deep In Drag (with free pizza!) on Sunday … and, later that same day, the ever-welcoming Buzz Mill boils up more crawfish than you can shake a Justin Wilson bowtie at …
WUXTRY! The William Chris Wine Company has opened its newest vineyard and wine tasting destination, Uplift Vineyard, out on their 78 acres of lovely property in Burnet, waiting for your next Hill Country jaunt to bring you in for a sip of their many single varietal wines and proprietary blends. Reservations are available for Thu.-Sun., 11am-6pm, right here …
Now eat as well as you can, tip like it’s going out of style, and remember that you can be fierce and kind.
This article appears in March 10 • 2023 and March 3 • 2023.