New Spots
After months of construction and permit delays, the new Starlite (407 Colorado, 374-9012) is finally open for business in the Warehouse District. Fans of chef Joshua Hines‘ eclectic New American cuisine should be pleased with the new outlet’s expanded schedule. They’ll be serving lunch weekdays and dinner six nights a week with a full bar. Once the new Starlite is up and running successfully, look for the owners to revamp the original cottage location at 624 W. 34th into a neighborhood bistro called House Red sometime this winter… Spoke to comfort-food cooks extraordinaire Lee Morrison and Bud Royer last week, and they assure me that the integration of their two businesses is complete. The newly styled Cooper’s Meats and Royer’s Round Top Take-Out Market (1601 W. 38th #12, 467-6700, www.coopersandroyersmarket.com) is well stocked with good cuts of meat and a full line of delicious family-meal components to take home and enjoy.
Big Chile Weekend
While we here at the Chronicle think of our annual Hot Sauce Festival as the most important event during the last weekend of August, the truth is that there are plenty of once-a-year chile-pepper opportunities all over town. Austinites are such ravenous chile heads that several businesses make it a point to import the summer’s bounty from the chile fields around Hatch, N.M., for your roasting and eating pleasure.
Both Central Markets continue their Hatch Chile Festival this weekend, during which they’ll be roasting fresh chiles for sale and whipping up a variety of special dishes – scones, hot dog buns, burger patties, sausages, crab cakes, meat loaf, apple cobbler, and chocolate brownies – spiked with chiles, as well. All day, Aug. 26 through Aug. 28.
Sunset Valley Farmers Market (Toney Burger Center parking lot, 280-1976) fires up their Chile Pepper Fest with Scott Barton of Austin Spice Company roasting an array of fresh Texas chiles as well as hot and mild varieties from Hatch. Market vendors will have salsas, pestos, breads, sorbets, and chocolates made with chiles, as well. “Pepper Lady” Jean Andrews will be on hand signing copies of her new cookbook (see review); 9:30am-1pm, Saturday, Aug. 27.
Downtown Farmers’ Market (Fourth & Guadalupe, 236-0074) will have a roaster on site for customers who purchase fresh chiles from area growers and want to have them custom-roasted on the spot; 9am-1pm, Saturday, Aug. 27.
Chuy’s “We Triple Dog Dare Ya” Green Chile Festival: The folks at Chuy’s are so serious about green chiles they contract with farmers in the Hatch area annually to make sure they get enough peppers for their chain of restaurants. Every fall, the restaurants feature special menu items created by Chuy’s employees as part of a companywide contest. This year, look for Texas Toothpicks (battered and fried chile slices), Abuela’s Tamales (green chile and pork), Green Chile Veggie Burritos, Delicias Tacos (pork in green chile tortillas with salsa verde), Chicken Enchiladas With Green Chile Avocado Sauce, and Cinnamon Green Chile Apple Pie at your favorite Chuy’s location around Austin (1728 Barton Springs Rd., 474-4452; 10520 N. Lamar, 836-3218; 11680 Research, 342-0011) or the whole state; Aug. 29-Sept. 25.
This article appears in August 26 • 2005.