Garrison at Fairmont Gets Four Stars, Eden East Celebrates Tomatoes, Rosen’s Makes Salt & Time Bagels, Turnstile Adds Lunch Service, and OMG You Need to Try Those Sprinkles-and-la-Barbecue Scones

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.

These are what we're talking about: the savory scones from the limited-time Sprinkles x la Barbecue collaboration. WE DEMAND MOAR … please?

Yes, it’s your Food News Buffet for the first week of June in Austin, Texas, where it might literally be hot as hell…

Reckon it’s quite an honor that Forbes Travel Guide, the “only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas,” which recently announced its 2022 Star Awards, has included our own Fairmont Austin (101 Red River) among those lauded this year. The Fairmont itself earned a Four-Star Hotel award, while the hotel’s Garrison restaurant, expertly helmed by chef Jakub Czyszczon, was named a Four-Star Restaurant winner. You probably already know how strong the hotel/dining game is in this town; maybe add the Garrison to your roster of greats, if it’s not there already…

Not to mention the farm-to-table game in this town, too – although, after just one flex of that metaphor, the term “game” is already growing stale. But what won’t be stale at all is a sort of farm-to-farm event at Sonya Cote’s Eden East out Bastrop way: La Tomatino. It’s a dinner that features “tomatoes from Eden East Farm presented in creative ways and paired with wines for a perfect evening.” This will take place on Sun., June 12, and we’re telling you in advance because 1) people really love tomatoes, and 2) the culinary wizards presenting them are from Dos Olivos, Hunter Gatherer, Hestia, Store House, and Foreign & Domestic. Right? Whoa. Click here for tickets…

Huckleberry at Still Austin? Mmmmm, don't mind if we do …

Much sooner than that – on Sat. June 4 11am-6pm – it’s time for the Fireman’s Light BBQ Cookoff at the Real Ale Brewery out in Blanco, where proceeds from the day’s live music-enhanced barbecue event will support the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation… and the day before that, right there in the Yard at St. Elmo, the Huckleberry food truck’s parking its goodness at Still Austin… and the day before that, even, De Nada Cantina’s flexing an all-day happy hour for celebrating their first anniversary with…

It hasn’t escaped our attention that a new Rosen’s Bagels is now thriving where the Salt & Time outpost at Republic Square Park used to be (422 W. Fifth), and, in addition to Rosen’s core menu of bagels, lox, and egg sandwiches, the bready powerhouse is also offering popular Salt & Time ingredients (for instance: Wagyu roast beef) with bagel components. (Also, tangentially: Those yummy bagels and more will be paired with rosé as part of a “Brunch with the Winemaker” in the C.L. Butaud tasting room on Sat., June 11. Look right here for details.) Ah now, Present Tense Hospitality, we sure like the cut of your synergy’s jib…

Turnstile – the coffee and espresso shop that’s also a craft beer and cocktail bar with a full kitchen, at 10025 Burnet Rd. – has (finally!) expanded their kitchen hours to include lunch service, serving up gourmet burgers, chicken sandwiches, and salads at, well, at lunchtime. Note: The drive-through remains open for coffee and espresso drinks and tacos, 7:30-11:30am…

Sunday? Sunday! June 5, to be precise – and time to visit the intersection of feast and fabulous at La Condesa’s Drag Brunch before heading to Star Hill Ranch for the Wine & Food Foundation’s Toast of Texas afternoon…

Speaking of wine, West Lake’s got a new neighborhood vintner called (*checks notes*) Neighborhood Vintner at 3663 Bee Cave Rd. Preparing to open soon, brought to fruition by co-owners Leo and Tiffany Resig, helmed by sommeliers Paul Ozbirn and Krista Church, Neighborhood Vintner will stock more than 1,000 wines by the bottle for retail purchases and feature a selection available by the glass to enjoy at the bar…

Taco Cabana is … taking it from the streets?

Okay, who says we don’t give love to big ol’ fast-food chains? Because we’re taking the time right now to tell you that Taco Cabana, starting on June 8, is offering Carne Asada Street Tacos. Of course, serving them out of an omnipresent bricks-and-mortar joint perforce takes them off the actual street, n’est-ce pas? Still, those tacos will be made with “USDA Choice beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, then seared on a flat top to deliver a delicious traditional charred flavor. The carne asada is then placed on corn tortillas, topped with chopped onions and cilantro and served with a wedge of lime.” Also, the ubiquitous Cabana is debuting 16 new smothered burrito combos this summer – and a limited-edition Cherry Margarita – and, see, you heard about it here…

WUXTRY! We previously noted the Austin-based Sprinkles’ Women Chef Series initiative, and how the nationally repped bakery is promoting collaborations with chefs from all over the country, and how the most recent such instance featured LeAnn Mueller and Alison Clem of la Barbecue. Always glad to report that sort of thing in general – because hometown pride, FTW – and then we move on to the next item, right? Ever mindful of the Churning News Cycle? Except that we’ve finally had a chance to actually try this new Sprinkles limited-edition collab-with-la-Barbecue, and it’s a savory scone that’s so incredibly delicious and redolent of bacon and pepper jack cheese that it makes pizza seem like a lesser alternative. No, for real. And the heavenly things are only available through June 12 – you can order ’em here, btw – which is an almost criminal restriction, it seems to us. So – do your Chronicle team a favor, dear citizen? Order yourself a batch of these scones… and then start emailing Sprinkles HQ and tell them you want the scones all the time, that they have to, we don’t know, strike some kind of royalties-accruing bargain with la Barbecue or something? Because, damn it, we want more! MOAR!

*takes a deep breath, calms self*

Now eat as well as you can, tip like it’s going out of style, and remember we’re all in this together.