Food-O-File

No sooner had I turned in last week's feature on gourmet getaways in Mexico than a brochure advertising another fascinating trip showed up on my fax machine. Nancy Zaslavsky, author of A Cook's Tour of Mexico (St. Marten's Press, $30, hard) and folk art expert Marilyn Mayo are leading two week-long Food & Folk Art Tours this August. Guests will visit the colonial mountain cities of Morelia and Patzcuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacan. The cooking portion of the tour includes three classes with Zaslavsky, three meals in restaurants serving traditional foods of Michoacan, and shopping excursions to local markets. Mayo will lead tours of both cities plus a couple of nearby Indian villages and introduce participants to famous local folk artists renowned for their works in pottery, wood carvings, textiles, masks, straw, lacquerware, and hand-hammered copper. The tours are scheduled from August 5-11 and August 12-18 at a cost of $1,250 excluding airfare and spending money. The deadline is now, so call 310/574-0244 if you're interested.

The Buzz on S. Congress

Workmen converting an old store in the 1600 block of South Congress into a restaurant recently uncovered the original face of the building as well as some unwanted tenants who'll be giving the restaurant a name. Chef/restaurateur Alan Lazarus had planned to call his new Italian eatery Trattoria Congresso but has changed the name to Vespaio in honor of the hive of bees encountered during construction. Look for Vespaio to open, sans bees, by mid-summer. A little farther down the street, things aren't buzzing, they're smokin'. Young Houston-born entrepreneurs Jason Trahan and Aubrey Ezquivel opened The Smokin' Grill (1716 S. Congress, 444-1100) this spring. The business is strictly carry-out or delivery and the menu offers appetizers, salads, hot sandwiches and burgers, steak and/or chicken dinner entrees with a choice of sides and some Mexican dishes such as fajitas and burritos. Vegetarian options are available, as are canned drinks. Call for hours of operation and delivery area.

Bocaditos

Owners of the Alamo Drafthouse (409 Colorado, 867-1839) report that due to overwhelming response to the Like Water For Chocolate dinner on their anniversary last week, they are considering another presentation. Call the theatre for details... Whole Foods Market wine buyer April Lowe announces a series of free wine tastings at the Gateway (345-5003) location at 7pm on Thursdays in June. In addition to the weekly tastings, Whole Foods will join with the Sierra Club (342-0142) to offer a $20 tasting of California and French Merlots on Tuesday, June 23. Call the Sierra Club for reservations...

The 10th annual Mostly Music Marathon benefitting AIDS Services of Austin takes place this Saturday at the Unitarian Church, 4700 Grover Avenue. New this year, a delightful $10 dinner featuring comestibles created by some of Austin's finest restaurants will be served to complement the performance marathon and silent auction. Dinner service begins at 6pm and tickets are available at the door...

Well-known food and travel writers Bill Jamison and Cheryl Alters Jamison will be in Austin representing the National Pork Producers Council and promoting their newest cookbook Born to Grill: An American Celebration (Harvard Common Press, $27.95, paper). The Jamisons will be in Woolridge Park at Ninth and Guadalupe, just south of the courthouse, from noon until 2pm on Tuesday, June 12. They'll be demonstrating grilling techniques, offering grilling tips, answering consumer questions, and dishing up samples of grilled pork sandwiches topped with a Texas-style barbecue sauce.