Food-o-File
Chronicle Food editor Virginia B. Wood reveals "the coolest thing to do this summer" and updates readers on local culinary news.
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., July 7, 2000
Cookout Nostalgia
Picture this: white-clothed tables scattered around an outdoor courtyard with a grill fired up in one corner, candles flickering on the tables as the searing daylight fades, faint music accompanying the chirping of cicadas, and the occasional splash of kids in the pool. The soft evening breeze carries the aroma of steaks and fish on the grill, and friendly young people bring frosty cold beer and glistening glasses of iced tea to the friends and family members seated at the tables. No, it's not a cookout in my parents' Midland back yard circa 1959, it's Steak Night at the Hotel San Jose (1316 Congress, 444-7322) with custom cooking by Liberty Catering (383-8880). Every Tuesday night, chef Louis Lambert and the Liberty staff transform the San Jose courtyard into a neighborhood block party, complete with small ($25) or large ($30) tenderloin or strip loin steaks, grilled tuna, or salmon. Each dinner includes a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with tomatoes and bleu cheese crumbles, sides of grilled veggies and Yukon gold potatoes, and desserts such as pie or fresh peach cobbler. Dining is by reservation only and seating is limited to 50-60, so call early. This is the coolest thing to do this summer.
Takeout Worth Driving For
Even though SoCo is my neighborhood, lately I keep finding things to do in Northwest Hills so I'll have a reason to stop at Cafe Mia (3573 Far West Blvd., 342-9570). I sip an iced coffee while they pack up the takeout. I've become addicted to the bruschetta (toasted slices of homemade focaccia with fresh Roma tomatoes tossed with parmesan and feta, capers, pesto, and basil chiffonade), the lamb gyro (half a focaccia loaf stuffed with strips of rotisserie-cooked lamb, lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes in a tangy yogurt sauce), and the various antipasto platters (French, Greek, Italian) with different olives and cheeses. I'm also developing a fondness for the Tuscan Pot Roast and Meat Loaf Marinara with roasted potatoes and grilled veggies. Dinner from this place is the perfect excuse not to heat up the house. This week they added pints of the luscious Binasco gelatos and sorbettos to the bill of fare. Mercy!
Bocaditos
Congratulate Megan Larkin, manager of the Filling Station (801 Barton Springs, 477-1022) for winning the "Best Kid's Menu" award at the recent Southwest Food Service Expo in Houston. Take the kids by for M.G. Burgers or Tail Pipe Dogs ($1.95), fries, and a soda... The Continental Club (1315 S. Congress, 441-2444) hosts a Salsa & Swing Evening benefit for the Nicolas Paprota Educational Trust Fund this Monday, July 10 at 6pm with 81é2 Souvenirs and Toqui Amaru. Nico Paprota is the surviving son of Chez Nous co-founder Robert Paprota, who died in May... Friends and fans of Oaxaca, Mexico cooking teacher Susana Trilling will want to catch her July 11 appearance at 6pm on Cooking Live With Sarah Moulton on the Food Channel. Former Austinite Trilling hosts Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico on PBS channel 20 Saturdays at noon and is the author of a companion cookbook of the same name.
