Food O' File

Citizens of South Central Austin, rejoice. After opening shiny new stores in many areas of Austin, HEB has finally begun the remodling and expansion of one of their smallest, older local stores at the intersection of Oltorf and South Congress. Adjacent buildings on the property have been leveled and first stages of the extensive remodel are underway. "We're determined to upgrade the image of this store," says store director Bill Davenport. The store will be enlarged by more than 50% to allow for bigger produce, meat, fish, and frozen food departments. Bakery and deli operations will be expanded with the addition of an espresso bar. The grocery section will carry a more diverse product selection, including specialty items. "We won't exactly be the Central Market of South Austin, but we're going to have more stock on the shelves in a much wider variety of choices," assures Davenport. Because this particular HEB is the only grocery store serving a huge area from Riverside to Ben White and Lamar to I-35, it will continue operation during the entire remodling process. The building will get a physical facelift, employee and customer parking areas will be enlarged and the now bald corner property will be completely landscaped by the time the project is completed in March, 1997. Hooray!... Four Seasons Hotel General Manager Craig Reid and Executive chef Elmar Prambs held tasting dinners at the Cafe at the Four Seasons recently to showcase a new fall menu and introduce new restaurant chef Robert Braitkrus and new pastry chef Tony Sansalone to the local media. Each appetizer and entrée dish was presented for critical consideration of plate presentation and then tasting plates were circulated. Stand-out items on the new menu include a beef tenderloin rolled in cracked juniper berries, seared Ahi tuna with wasabi served on a bed of carrot couscous with grilled bananas and pineapple, pappardelle pasta tossed with olives, fresh tomatoes, sunchokes, mushrooms and fresh mozzarella in a Silver Mountain vinegar sauce and a spectacularly presented mixed grill of lamb, venison, beef, and quail garnished with fragrant fresh herbs. For dessert, Sansalone's tiny, delicate creme brulée was a particular favorite among the tasters. As usual, the cuisine at the Cafe is head and shoulders above the food in any hotel in the city and a match for the fine dining venues, as well... If your fine dining has to be of the "heat and serve" variety, chef Nicholas Bogert of Bon Fresh Food Market in Westlake has a refrigerated case full of Bistro Express items ready for the oven or microwave. A random sampling of the changing entrée items includes roasted quail Romano, venison with Burgundy mushrooms, Bon's original meatloaf, and chicken breasts with pecan stuffing. There are also vegetable, starch, and grain side dishes to complement the entrée selections and a full line of fresh salads and desserts in the deli case... Celebrate the fall herb harvest and enjoy the outdoors at the Austin Herb Society Festival this Saturday, September 28, 10am-5pm at the Zilker Botanical Garden Center. The event will feature speakers, children's activities, herbal crafts and merchandise, live music, demonstrations and information and food from Botanitas restaurant and Wheatsville deli. Admission is $3 at the gate... Good table manners are one of the civilizing aspects of our culture that are fast disappearing. To help recitify that problem, Central Market has hired Washington, D.C.-area chef and cooking teacher Joel Olson to teach a class entitled Children and Etiquette: Dining Out Properly. At an actual dinner seating, children will learn how to behave when dining in a restaurant, how to eat finger foods and which forks to use with each course plus an etiquette guide to use at home. Sign `em up by calling 458-3068.