Not long ago, I spoke with Houston chef David Guerrero shortly before Samba Grille – where Guerrero worked as head chef – unexpectedly closed. When I reached out to Guerrero after Samba Grille’s
The 23rd La Dolce Vita Food & Wine Festival that sponsors the AMOA-Arthouse will take place tonight from 6-9 p.m. at Laguna Gloria. Food will be served from several Austin restaurants including East Side Showroom, Foreign & Domestic, Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill, Olive
East Side King‘s new food truck will reopen at 6 p.m. on Thursday (October 11) at the Grackle with a revamped menu. “The food is surprisingly refined for a food truck,” Qui told TEXAS MONTHLY. “We have items like saba (mackerel), quail,
With a handful of successful bars on Rainey Street, Bridget Dunlap has become a force to be reckoned with in the Austin nightlife scene. Recently, however, Dunlap announced that she is done with Rainey Street bars and is now ready to move forward with a few culinary projects. To commence her plans “to take on Austin,”
At the third annual Texas Monthly BBQ Festival on September 23, one person was amazed by the spectacle of the species Carnivorus texensis engaging in its defining behavior. That person was Takis Würger, 27, a visiting writer for the German magazine Der Spiegel, which is published in Hamburg. Würger has been
In the October issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray – on stands now – the El Naranjo food trailer is mentioned in “From Wheels to Walls,” a feature article that showcases a handful of food trucks that have added a brick-and-mortar space to their concepts. In case you don’t rememeber, El
Tickets are now on sale for the Austin Food & Wine Alliance’s 2nd Annual Wine & Swine. The hog-centric event will take place on Sunday, November 4 at Pioneer Farms in Austin. A dozen chefs including The Noble Pig’s
On Sunday, Texas Monthly threw its third annual BBQ Festival, in Austin, on the open air terrace of the Long Center. Twenty-one barbecue joints handed our samples to an estimated crowd of 3000, who listened to live music, swigged beer and other adult beverages, bought T-shirts, got tips from
Yesterday, we featured a few pumpkin dishes from Dallas, Houston, and Austin; today, we bring you part two of the pumpkin feature. Check out these fall-inspired dishes below. Olivia’s Pumpkin Ravioli 8 oz roasted cubed pumpkin (you can
Fall is upon us and you know what that means: pumpkins! Yes, these orange gourds are already making their way into local farmers markets and Texas restaurants. I’m pretty crazy about pumpkins and the eclectic culinary creations they inspire, so I decided to reach out to a number of Texas chefs and see
Barely over a month ago, Monica Pope unveiled her newest restaurant creation – Sparrow Bar + Cookshop – in Houston’s Fourth Ward. Through her years of cooking in professional kitchens, Monica has built a remarkable reputation as a
Austin’s Franklin Barbecue is making a few changes in the coming months, according to an interview owner Aaron Franklin did with Eater National this week. In the detailed interview, Franklin touched on changing
Last week, we talked to Jesse Griffiths about his new book Afield, which hits bookshelves tomorrow. During his interview, Jesse mentioned a recipe he felt would be a favorite amongst seasoned deer hunters. For those of you who are gearing up
After more than a year in the making, countless months of recipe tweaking, many hours of agonizing over every decorative detail, three days of “friends and family” service, and a weekend of being quietly open for anybody who was smart enough to figure out what was going on, the
A conversation with the Austin chef.
Are you a culinary innovator that lives in the city of Austin? Well, listen up: The Austin Food & Wine Alliance is handing out three generous grants – one for $10,000 and two for $5,000 – to support the craftsmanship and handwork of Austin chefs, farmers, winemakers, brewers, mixologists, artisans,
Reality cooking shows have seen their fair share of Texas talent this past year. Earlier this spring, Austin’s Paul Qui was named the winner of Top Chef Texas. Now, Houston has its own culinary reality star: Christine Ha, a blind graduate student at the University of Houston. Last night on the finale of FOX’s
Paul Qui – the recent winner of Top Chef Texas and the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest – is currently working on his much-anticipated Austin restaurant projects, but that doesn’t mean he has completely forgotten his chef roots. From September 10-15, Qui will return to the
Sisters Laura and Stirling Kelso share a deep love for good food, great writing, and the growing city of Austin. Laura, a former food critic for Austin Monthly, is a seasoned Austin food writer who recently made a move to Seattle to begin an exciting new career at
Ready your remotes, my friends. Tonight is the premiere of the final season of Anthony Bourdain’s hit series “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel. The first episode of the season features none other than Austin, which Bourdain stopped by during the SXSW music festival in March. As I mentioned before,
In late July, Erin McKool opened a drive-through restaurant in Dallas called Start. For years, McKool had planned to open her own restaurant, but was never sure of what concept she wanted to undertake. Two-and-a-half years ago when the idea for Start finally came to fruition, McKool knew she had something spectacular on her hands. Start is
Despite our most valiant efforts, we cannot predict the life events that await us around the corner. Before May of last year, Daniel Curtis – former food and beverage director of The Carillon – had every intention of continuing his work in the evolving Austin culinary scene. But when a diving accident
Proving once again that “even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut,” I have discovered a fabulous food combination: roasted Hatch green chiles and Pure Luck goat cheese. More specifically, an omelet or scrambled eggs with said ingredients. It happened the other day when it was—ohmigod—RAINING and I didn’t
Pack your bags, Top Chef fans; your favorite culinary reality show is setting sail in April 2013….on a cruise. With Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio as the celebrity hosts, Top Chef: The Cruise stops in
We were delighted to hear that seven of the fifty best new restaurants in America – according to Bon Appétit magazine– hailed from the great Lone Star State. These Texas seven included Elizabeth Street, Austin; Lenoir, Austin; Oak, Dallas; Oxheart, Houston; Uchi, Houston; Underbelly, Houston; and
I first met Andrew Zimmern last fall at Whip In in Austin where the spirited television chef was filming his hit Travel Channel series, “Bizarre Foods.” Though Zimmern has traveled all over the
Extreme food is like extreme fashion: fun but crazy. Way beyond the average fashionista or food geek. Which is one reason that neither I nor most of my acquaintances owns a copy of Modernist Cuisine, the fascinating six-volume avant-garde cookbook by Nathan Myhrvold, et al, that came out last
Talk about coincidences. I was eating lunch at Elizabeth Street Café, in Austin, one of my favorite new restaurants (great Vietnamese-style fried rice with crispy oysters today, and amazing avocado ice cream. . . but I digress). When I got back to my desk, there was an email from a
When he isn’t busy picking a nasty feud with any number of Food Network chefs, Anthony Bourdain is devouring his way around the world on his culinary travel show “No Reservations.” For years, viewers have switched between salivating in envy and
You can’t talk about great Texas barbecue without mentioning Driftwood’s most famous barbecue joint of all time – The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que. Through the years this Central Texas haunt has gained both fame and popularity for its delicious barbecue meats – well known for their
Noble Pig‘s owners John Bates and Brandon Martinez can give themselves a pat on the back; apparently, they make the best sandwich in the Southwest. On Wednesday, Adam Richman’s Travel Channel show “Best Sandwich in America” featured the Austin sandwich shop’s seared beef
The day has come! Paul Qui has announced that he will stay in Austin to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant on South Lamar. Breathe a sigh of relief, Austin! According to Serious Eats NY, “[the] restaurant will have two separate spaces that share a single kitchen:
Attention, Austin foodies. You know that Thai restaurant that’s being built across from the Elizabeth Street Café by the La Condesa people? The one we’re all watching slowly rise from a vacant lot seemingly forever? Two of the most pressing questions about it have now been answered: The restaurant’s name
On Friday, viewers across the world watched the spectacular opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. And even though the celebration of the Olympics is taking place across the pond, there are a few Texas bars and restaurants that are managing to bring the “spirit” of the Olympics to
They went as quickly as they came! Sorry, ya’ll! The Texas Monthly BBQ Festival tickets have officially sold out. The VIP tickets were gone faster than the blink of an eye, and now the general admission passes have all been snatched up as
Do you smother your meats in tangy barbecue sauce? Have you ever planned a road trip just to devour some Central Texas barbecue? Would you stand in a three-hour line for a single serving of brisket at Franklin Barbecue? Well, ready your wallets my fellow
Seven months ago, Austin was introduced to a new Italian restaurant – Trento – from former Congress chefs Alex Kahn and Andreas Exarhos. In the short amount of time this neighborhood restaurant has been open, Trento has been turning heads and catching the attention of palates across the city. Chefs Kahn and
A few weeks ago, Pat Sharpe – Texas Monthly’s food editor – helped judge the Woodlands Grand Rendezvous Tasting and Chef’s Showcase in which David Guerrero, former executive chef of Samba Grille in Houston, ended up winning for his flavor-packed Peruvian beef hearts dish. Recently, the Ecuadorian-born chef shared his remarkable story
I love it when restaurants send you easy summer recipes out of the blue (or in this case, out of the green). Shinjuku Station is a hobbit hole of a Japanese restaurant in Fort Worth—yes, yes, I’m mixing cultures, but you know what I mean; it’s small and cute—that
Attention Dallas foodies: Bowery – an upscale hot dog restaurant on McKinney Avenue – is opening its doors to the public today. The restaurant’s menu includes a host of American classics, such as an upscale Korn Dog and a spicy Chili Kicker, with a number of global
At the forefront of every movement is a leader, and if there is one person that has taken the reins to guide the Austin food trailer movement in the right direction that individual is Eric Silverstein – owner of The Peached Tortilla and
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding former Uchiko chef Paul Qui these past few weeks regarding what’s next for the recent Top Chef victor. Qui officially announced he will reveal all the details of his next endeavor in a few weeks during a
At the prime age of 42, Marcus Samuelsson has already attained a lifetime of culinary success. As a 24-year-old chef, he became the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star rating from The New York Times; in 2003, he received the “Best Chef: New York City” award from the James Beard
Torchy’s Tacos is quickly making the rounds in Texas. The taco madness all began at a small trailer in Austin. That little trailer helped sprout several brick-and-mortar locations. Over time, Torchy’s grew and is now exploding onto the Dallas and Houston culinary scenes. The taco establishment seems to be opening a new location
In 2010, Restaurant Jezebel – one of Austin’s most popular upscale restaurants – unexpectedly caught fire. The timing couldn’t have been worse for the beloved restaurant. Along with a small handful of other Austin eateries, Jezebel had been gaining tremendous media attention for its
Cushioned in the middle of Brenham, Texas, amongst the rolling hills of bluebonnets stands a deliciously creative corporation named Blue Bell Creameries. For over one-hundred years, Blue Bell has been a force behind some of the most beloved ice creams on the market
Reality television got a gourmet taste of Austin cuisine when Paul Qui won Top Chef Texas, and now it wants more. The Food Network show Chopped is coming to Austin in July to cast for upcoming episodes of the popular James Beard Award winning show. We talked with
Ever since winning the Top Chef Texas crown, Paul Qui has been riding a wave of celebration, travel, and fame. For the past few months, the former Uchiko chef has been traveling the world to places like New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo, amongst numerous other destinations, while hungry patrons
Rainey Street wouldn’t be the same without Bridget Dunlap. The savvy businesswoman transformed the Austin bar scene by envisioning and delivering Lustre Pearl, Clive Bar, and Bar 96. Each
What Texan could forget this season’s disappointing premiere of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” after Guy Fieri and Matthew McConaughey collectively butchered the very meaning and essence of King Ranch Casserole? Tonight, Fieri bravely ventures his