Chronicle Food writer Kate Thornberry and I took a culinary driving tour of South and Southwest Austin last week, with some newsworthy results. We started in the SoCo and SoLa areas, sampling divine lemon meringue and Hula cupcakes at Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop (1905 S. First, 448-3727) and delectable pastries at Moonlight Bakery (2300 S. Lamar, 462-1302). From there, we headed west on Bee Caves Road until we saw a man in a chef’s coat standing in a driveway wielding a big whisk in a stainless steel bowl. The aptly dressed man was encouraging passersby to check out the neighborhood’s newest takeout bistro, Whisk (4238 Bee Caves Rd., 329-6405, www.whiskaustin.com). Former Memphis restaurateur Linda Waller has relocated to Austin, and Whisk is her first local venture. She’s taken a rustic rock cottage across the busy road from Eanes Elementary School and turned it into a comfortable and inviting shop with good food and upscale kitchen gifts. Waller says her culinary inspiration comes from the south of France and the Mediterranean, and flavors from those areas are reflected in the hot sandwiches, cold composed salads, and hot entrées featured at Whisk. In addition to hot foods to eat in or take out, there’s also a freezer stocked with vacuum-sealed entrées and side dishes that can be reheated by simply dropping the bags into boiling water for a few minutes. The new shop is currently open from 10am to 6pm, Tuesday-Friday, but Waller’s future plans include custom cooking-class dinners and Chef’s Table Saturday nights. Everything we tasted here was absolutely top notch – make this place a definite destination… From West Lake we headed farther southwest to check out the brand new retail location of Sweet Tempered (4301 W. William Cannon Ste. B-102, 892-9100, www.sweettemperedaustin.com) in the Shops at Arbor Trails. Creative partners Jennifer Crandell and Christy Hughes have stocked the cases with a mouthwatering array of sweets – cupcakes, cookies, bars, marshmallows, and cream puffs – to enjoy with a full complement of coffee drinks. I’ve been a big fan of the wholesale sweets from this homegrown company; here’s hoping its retail venture does well… Speaking of new sweet shops, respected pastry chef Mark Chapman and his investment partners are opening a creative new venture this weekend in the campus area. Cookie Lounge (2222 Rio Grande, 478-2253, www.austincookielounge.com) is a first-of-its-kind operation offering six custom cookie doughs with a taste-tempting selection of mix-in options that are baked to order. Customers can pair their individual cookie choices with a variety of milk concoctions and coffee. Sweets can be enjoyed in the shop or at home, and Cookie Lounge will offer both delivery and catering services. I can’t wait to see this concept in action… October tends to be one of the busiest months in Austin, and although this column and the event listings won’t appear in our next issue to make way for the annual “Best of Austin” results, be sure to check out my new blog, Virginia’s On the Range (austinchronicle.com/ontherange), to keep in touch with what’s going on.
This article appears in October 10 • 2008.