Food-o-File
Congratulations and upcoming events across the Austin food community
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., July 8, 2005
Gotta Lotta Good News
Hearty congratulations to Flat Creek Estate Winery (www.flatcreekestate.com) owners Rick and Madelyn Naber and winemaker Craig Parker on the announcement that their soon-to-be-released 2003 Super Texan Sangiovese was awarded double gold medals at the recent 2005 San Francisco International Wine Competition. This is great news for the young Texas winery and real validation for their decision to only grow grapes they had determined were well-matched with the vineyard's terroir and likely to yield distinctive, quality wines. In addition to preparing for harvest time, the Nabers are also busy building a new event facility at the winery on the northern end of Lake Travis. The facility will include both catering and demonstration kitchens and should be finished sometime in the fall... Tom Pedersen was pleased to announce his Kakawa Whole Bean Chocolates are now available in the courtesy bars at the local Four Seasons Hotel (98 San Jacinto, 478-4500). Pedersen makes his way to New York City this month, where his distinctive product will be featured in an educational seminar about innovative chocolates delivered by the founding editor of Chocolatier magazine at the annual NASFT Fancy Food Show... The Satellite Cafe (7101 Hwy. 71 W., 301-1883) has added some new menu items that reflect the Greek culinary heritage of owners Mark and Marty Kamburis. Stop in for some Flame-Grilled Greek Saganaki, a Mediterranean Pita, Fire Roasted Red Peppers, and more... The coolest happy hour in the SoCo neighborhood could just be in the swanky lounge at 7 (1716 S. Congress, 383-8877, www.7austin.com), where they offer two-for-one appetizers and discounts on beer, wine, and well drinks from 4 to 6:30pm weekday afternoons... Folks with a taste for ethnic fusion cuisine may want to check out a new quick casual chain that's located in North Austin called Masala Wok (1100 Center Ridge Dr., 251-9696, www.masalawok.com). The affordable menu features traditional Indian fare as well as Indo-Chinese dishes: a blend of Chinese wok cooking and Indian spices with plenty of vegetarian options.
Event Menu: July 7-14
Fans of TV Food Network star Alton Brown will want to catch his appearance at the Simon Super Chefs Live! this weekend in the lower level elevator court at Barton Creek Square Mall (2901 Capital of TX Hwy., www.simon.com). Brown and host Bill Boggs will be joined by local chefs Jeff Blank of Hudson's on the Bend and Dave Hermann of the Range in Salado. The free event will include several cooking demonstrations and will culminate in a cook-off, where audience volunteers will have the opportunity to assist the chefs. For more info, call 327-7041; 11:30am-5pm, Saturday, July 9.
East Side Cafe (2113 Manor Rd., 476-5858) owner Dorsey Barger and master gardener David Kolasta join forces to present a delicious class combining useful gardening tips with great advice about pairing wines with fresh-from-the-garden summer foods. Spend a few minutes in East Side's glorious garden and then enjoy more than an hour with Dorsey and David, complete with wine and appetizers. The cost is $25 per person, and reservations are necessary; 6:30-8pm, Tuesday, July 12.
