A friend joined me at the new wine bar at Cissi’s Market (1400 S. Congress, 225-0521, www.cissismarket.com) early one evening last week, and we were very favorably impressed. Everything we sampled from Executive Chef Deegan McClung‘s savory menu was tasty and inventive (try the excellent Breakfast All Day Salad, a cheese plate, or a Bat City Club Sandwich), and pastry chef Faith Chan‘s Belgian Ale Doughnuts are simply divine! While I expect the good food served in the new seating area with free Wi-Fi will increase the daytime traffic at Cissi’s, this place really strikes me as the perfect spot for noshing and drinking wine either before or after an event at the nearby Long Center. Try that during the holidays, and see if you don’t agree… Speaking of new things in the vicinity of the Long Center, a family-owned outfit from South Bend, Ind., has opened a branch of its Fiddler’s Hearth Public House (301 Barton Springs Rd., 535-5008, www.fiddlershearth.com) in the former Bennigan’s location. The Austin branch of the Meehan family hopes to develop a following by offering a family-friendly atmosphere, a space dedicated to community meetings, and traditional pub fare with a Celtic influence. The Guinness is on tap; the soccer, Wi-Fi, and live music are free; and the business model is green. What’s not to like?… Popcorn lovers with a taste for exotic flavors will want to check out the new Reel Popcorn outlet (9600 S. I-35, 280-7335) overlooking the bucolic Grove at Southpark Meadows, right next to Amy’s Ice Creams. The popcorn makes a great snack to nibble while shopping or listening to music in the Grove, and the shop also offers festive seasonal tins to fill for gifts… In response to customer requests, the folks at Changos Taqueria (3023 Guadalupe, 3005 S. Lamar) have added some popular items from the menu of their upscale sibling restaurants, Manuel’s. Check out the corn soup, the scallop ceviche, the distinctive grilled flautas, or a savory tinga de pollo chipotle paired with Changos’ fresh, homemade tortillas and a refreshing agua fresca… If good tamales are an important component to holiday celebrations but you’ve run out of time to make them yourself, chef Julio Dominguez at Santa Rita Tex Mex Cantina (1206 W. 38th, 419-7482) is ready to lend a hand. His delectable, custom-made pork tamales with adobo sauce and chicken tamales with tomatillo-serrano salsa are $18 a dozen and available from the restaurant on 24-hour notice from now through Dec. 24… Unrepentant beer snobs looking for info on new beers released for the holiday season will want to check the popular blog www.i-love-beer.blogspot.com, where my Chronicle colleague Lee Nichols has the scoop about what you’ll want to be quaffing just now… Austin pastry chef couple Philip and Callie Speer got an early Christmas present when daughter Lucia Rose Speer arrived on Dec. 3. The petite confection weighed in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces and was 18 inches long. Happy holidays to them all!
This article appears in December 12 • 2008.