Podcast: Randy Ford of Homespun
Randy Ford is a co-owner and head mixologist of Homespun Kitchen in Dripping Springs. He is not a career restaurateur, but a serendipitous series of events over the past few years, including meeting partner Jennifer, propelled him toward the opening of this neat little restaurant. In today’s Podcast, you can get the interesting back […]
Weekend Brunches Around the River City
Who doesn’t like a tasty weekend brunch? Unlike weekday dining, weekends have a sense of liberation to them, and brunches really seem to fit well with relaxed attitudes. Here are some of our favorites. District Kitchen + Cocktails This newish bistro at Escarpment and Slaughter has a really interesting brunch. Eggs Benedict that stand out […]
Ramen Tatsu-ya Opens Second Location on South Lamar
The wildly popular noodle house Ramen Tatsu-ya has joined the latest throng of new restaurants who now call South Lamar home. I was one of the first people in the door when the north location opened several years ago, and every slurp was delightful. This is not the Ramen Noodles you can get at HEB […]
Local DJs converge on Spec’s Deli at Arbor Walk for Colossal Burger Challenge
I’ve hosted a lot of food and wine related events for charity over the years. But none were wilder than having to MC the challenge of 20 local DJs taking on the Spec’s Deli Colossal Burger at the Arbor Walk in support of the Food Bank. The competition was simple. Be the first to eat […]
Podcast: David Meltzer of Sumo
Today’s Podcast features David Meltzer, the 31-year-old general manager of Sumo restaurant in San Antonio. David follows in his father Brad Meltzer’s footsteps as they’ve created a family dynasty of sorts with Teppanyaki restaurants. Sumo is more than worth the drive from Austin. It’s the best food of its kind in the area, and […]
Brick Oven on Slaughter Closes
Not used to seeing Brick Oven restaurants closing, but the one on Slaughter is shuttered. Other locations are still alive and well; and why shouldn’t they be? Brick Oven was the first and best in among quality Austin pizza restaurants. Not sure why this one closed, but that’s been a rough location for several places […]
Creek Road Café Dodges Major Bullet
The city of Dripping Springs ruled last week that the owner of the building in which Creek Road Café resides could not replace the popular fine dining spot with an AutoZone. This is great news for area foodies, yours truly included. They’re not entirely out of the woods yet, but things are definitely looking better. […]
David Joseph: the Story Behind El Patio
El Patio on Gualalupe is one of Austin’s oldest Tex Mex restaurants. Opened in 1954 by a Lebanese couple, the Josephs, the building formerly housed a restaurant named Schoonerville. Today’s Podcast is with their youngest son, David Joseph who began working for his dad at age 11 for $0.25 per hour. Thirty-nine years later, […]
Iguana Grill on 620 Closes
The Iguana Grill, one of Lakeway’s longest operating restaurants, closed last Friday, the 13th. Back when we had our father-daughter band, Jenn and I played there several times. It was a great music venue. The view was terrific and the margaritas stout. The food was good (although the chips and salsa were amazing) but never […]
Kirk Watson Wants to Blow the Lid off Lobbyist Wining and Dining of Legislators
I’ve known many downtown restaurateurs who literally planned their budgets around each legislative session. Why? Because they could count on a jump in sales as lobbyists wined and dined all too willing legislators. And the beauty of the system was that the $114 spending cap per lobbyist before names of legislators had to be reported […]
Spec’s Deli at Arbor Walk Worth a Visit
I had normally associated Spec’s with a vast wine selection and their light-hearted TV commercial. But as the MC for a burger blast for charity Monday I watched 20 local DJ’s attempt to throw down the Deli’s 2-lb Colossal Cheeseburger in under 30 minutes. What was really fun was tasting a sampling of foods from […]
Fine Dining and Comedy: New Twist on Valentine’s Evening
We went to a friend’s house off Far West Saturday night instead of doing the usual Valentine’s Evening dining orgy at one of 900 hundred competing restaurants. About 8 couples met to enjoy the wares of Johnny Tibbs, a man of many trades including insurance broker and consultant, not to mention chef and stand up […]
Pizza Wars 2014: The Best Pizzas in Austin
According to our pizza pals, the week after Valentine’s Day is traditionally a good one for pizza restaurants in Austin. Guess everyone went broke on Valentine’s Day, or some such reason. Nonetheless, here’s one of our favorite pieces of the year for your enjoyment. As many of you may know by now, I grew up […]
