Chef John Bullington of the Alamo Drafthouse cooked an entire cow over open flame. What else is there to say?

Visiting from San Antonio, Chef Jason Dady paired big flavors in his charred brisket with blue cheese spoonbread, caramelized onion purée, house made pickles, and Guinness gastrique.

Chef Josh Watkins of The Carillon deep fried beef cheeks (Fried beef? Yes please!) and added crunchy Brussels sprouts on the side so we could all remember what a vegetable looks like.

While the smoked tri tip was the star of this dish from Chef Jonathan Gelman of The Driskill made a corn relish with popcorn he popped right over the wood stove. Oh my!

The butchery team from Whole Foods Market got in on the game with barbacoa with marrow butter.

And of course we couldn’t have a beef party without Franklin BBQ. They mixed their famous sausage and their famous brisket together. Swoon!

If you missed Live Fire keep your eyes out for Wine and Swine pig roast in November when the alliance puts porky in the spotlight.

Temperature Tatrums – I’ll admit I’ve never been 100% clear on the just right temperature for different wines nor how to practically keep them there for parties of all sorts. In this somewhat nuts and bolts demo that’s all about temperature I’m hoping Anthony Giglio will demystify all things related to the best temperatures at which to serve various wine varietals and the practical ways to get them to those temperatures and keep them there.

Pink Without Blushing: The Allure of Rose – Pink wines are completely underappreciated. They are great for summer sipping and quite frankly do just wonderfully the rest of the year as well. They just have a bad rap because they are, well, pink. I’m looking forward to finding out which pinks Mark Oldman likes this season and adding a few more options to my summer wine cabinet.

Sparkling Substitutes – Years ago when I learned that Champagne was just a place and a method, and that sparkling wine can be great even when not officially “Champagne” my eyes were opened to an entirely new part of the wine world (one that I could afford). Truth is I drink at least as much bubbly as I do any other wine and I wouldn’t dream of throwing a party without it. I’m looking forward to discovering new cost-effective and therefor party-friendly sparklers during yet another Mark Oldman demo. Who knows what fun find will grace my holiday wine bar this year.

26 More Demos, 2 Tastings, and More To Come

In the last couple of posts I’ve only covered 6 of the 35 demos anyone attending the festival can choose from. With just a few days left until the event kicks off there’s much planning left to be done. And of course much eating and drinking. If you’re planning to be at the festival please let me know in the comments, I’d love to connect. And if you’re going to participate virtually by following social media, keep an eye on the blog as well as my Twitter stream and the Austin Food Lover’s Companion Facebook page for photos, tips, tricks, and other shenanigans.

Bring on the Flavor - Over the years I’ve learned that one of the best ways to get guests to explore a new flavor or technique is to start with something they know and love and then add an unexpected twist. Of course if the twist is a little too much this approach can go very wrong very quickly, which is why I’m interested to see what tips Michelle Bernstein has to offer for adding “exciting flavors to simple recipes”.

Global Street Food – What do great street food and great party food have in common? They are both easy to make ahead and to eat while on the go, weather it be walking down the streets of a hidden foreign town or simply around a party mingling with other guests. While I know Andrew Zimmern’s demo will be influenced by his Bizarre Foods adventures, and thus not necessarily 100% applicable to every party I might throw, I’m expecting to learn some new techniques and flavor combinations that will add some zest to my future menus.

Game Day Grilling – Let’s face it, we do a lot of grilling here in Texas. From picnics to tailgating to easy al fresco dinners in the summer when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven, grilling is as common of a cooking practice as you’ll find around these parts. I’m pretty handy at the grill (I’ve got baby back ribs cooking low and slow even as I write this), but even so I’m always looking for ways to do  more with my grill. If an hour and 45 minutes with Tim Love won’t help me do that I’m not entirely sure what will. When I’m done with this demo I bet my Longhorn and NFL season opener party menus will be well on their way to being locked and loaded.

Up next: my top three wine picks for the avid party-thrower. Because it’s never, ever just about about the food.

What demos are you most interested in attending at the festival? Please share in the comments!

Beef Supremacy & Flame Mastery

I can’t think of a better phrase to sum up the mutli-sensory experience that is the Austin Food and Wine Alliance Live Fire event.
Okay, so maybe that’s why it’s their tag line. Who am I to mess with a good thing?

This reverent homage to all things cowlicious debuted last year at the final Hill Country Wine and Food Festival and will act as a bridge to the new Austin Food and Wine Festival. Relocating to the Salt Lick Pavillion this year, the evening promises all the best in Texas food, drink, and chef talent. The newly minted Austin Food and Wine Alliance is the benefactor of the event’s proceeds, rounding out the many great reasons to spend a Thursday night with fellow beef aficionados.

Not Your Typical Festival Event

Live Fire is different from many food festival events because a single ingredient –  albeit a very large ingredient – takes center stage. This is a special treat for chefs and attendees both becuse it allows for a true food luxury: exploring an ingredient in ways not practical in a restaurant setting. Chefs experiment with cuts of beef they might not normally offer on their menu. Attendees experience the ingredient from a plethora of preparations and culinary points of view. All around there will be more cow cooked and consumed than would normally be considered reasonable by any, well, reasonable person.

The menu for this year’s Wild Fire was recently released and I’ll admit I drooled a little on my keyboard. I’m pretty sure no one was there to see it. And if they were I’d have only had to show them the menu and they would have understood (and possibly drooled right along). While I’m looking forward to trying every single chef’s offering, these jumped out to me almost immediately:

• Charred brisket with blue cheese spoonbread from Chef Jason Dady who will drive in from San Antonio. Beef and blue cheese is one of my favorite combinations but this takes it to a whole new level.
• Grilled beef shanks with Maker’s Mark sauce from Chef Adam Sappington of Portland (aka the Austin of the Pacific Northwest). Beef with Maker’s Mark, what more do I need to say?
• Beef tongue pastrami and Maker’s Mark onion jam from Chef Ned Elliot of the acclaimed Foreign and Domestic. More Maker’s Mark. I detect a trend.

I could go on and on, but I’ll let you read the menu for yourself. In fact, why don’t you share in the comments which menu time your most excited about and why.

Looking Back at Last Year’s Live Fire

As I was looking forward to this year’s Live Fire (and planning my all vegetable diet in preparation for the beef bonanza that is to come) I revisited some of the photos I took at last year’s events. Of course they made me hungry and just a little bit more excited for this year’s event. And while we won’t see these exact dishes at this year’s event, they are a good indicator of what we have to look foraward to in less than two weeks.

What's the best way to cook a whole slew o' tenderloin? Over a long bed of hardwood of course. What's the best way to shred beef? With a mallet of course.

The one menu item from last year that will appear again this year is Franklin BBQ's famed brisket. I'll wager my own plate of brisket that the lines this year will be as long this year as they were last.

Of course beef needs some sides as partners. They help round out the plate and distract us just a bit from the sheer bulk of beef we'll happily consume.

Kicking things off is the fall edition of Austin Restaurant Week which starts this coming Sunday, September 25, and runs through Wednesday, September 28. And, to be sure we all have time to try eat our full, it continues October 2 – 5.  Participating restaurants are still finalizing their menus so keep an eye on the website and be sure to make reservations at your must-try establishments. The folks behind Restaurant Week have also built an iPhone app that makes it easy to find participating restaurants by a variety of criteria including lunch/brunch/dinner, cuisine, and dietary preferences.

Be Spontaneous: Events in the Next Seven Days

• September 21: Spanish Tapas Bar at Max’s Underground – Duck into the mysterious space beneath Max’s Wine Dive to create your own unique supper from a variety of Spanish-inspired nibbles including artichoke and manchego rice cakes, yellow gazpacho, and citrus and figs marinated in sherry. Sip Spanish wines as you wander the rooms of the Underground. Entry is free. Tapas are $2-5 each and wines available by the glass or the bottle. 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm.
• September 22: An Evening with JP Lacoste – Take your Cajun and Creole cooking to the next level with the Executive Chef of Max’s Wine Dive. Learn to make shrimp and corn bisque, jambalaya, and more. Whole Foods Culinary Center. 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. $50/person.
• September 24: Texas Craft Brewers Festival – Celebrate Texas’s ever evolving and expanding craft brewing tradition at this day-long festival at Fiesta Gardens. Enjoy the fruits of the brewers, local food and music, and the company of others passionate about Texas craft beer. $20 for a sampling of 8 beers and $70 for a VIP experience. 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Buy tickets online.
• September 24: Kitchen Gadget Expo – Take a pleasant drive out to Lakeway to test drive the latest kitchen gadgets at the Faraday’s Kitchen Store 6th Annual Foodiepalooza. There will be a garnishing demo and many opportunities to play with the best kitchen toys. 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Plan Ahead: Events in the Next Three Weeks

• September 26: Cooking with Beer – Central Market Cooking School; 6:30 pm; $45
• September 29: Balsamic Vinegar and Cheese 101 Class – Con’ Olio Oils and Vinegars; 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm; $40
• September 30 and October 1: Texas Fall Fest and Wine Action – Marble Falls; tickets from $25 – $105
• October 6 – 9: 25th Annual Gruene Music and Wine Festival – Gruene; ticket prices vary
• October 13: La Dolce Vita – Laguna Gloria; $125

I’ve only listed a few of the great cooking classes going on around town. Be sure to check out the full class listings at Whole Foods and Central Market for myriad opportunities to improve your kitchen knowledge just in time for the holiday entertaining season.

The Austin Food community is my favorite place.

While we absolutely have some amazing chefs and artisans in our town, and we’re blessed with so many organizations that are passionate about good food and overcoming the hunger crisis, I personally believe that the greatest thing about the food producers, crafts people, chefs, media, and bloggers in our town is the strong community we’ve formed over the years. As the Austin food scene has skyrocketed into the national spotlight, it would have been very easy for the community to splinter and individuals to focus only on what’s best for them. Instead, we’ve taken the more difficult path, working daily to keep our bonds strong and our support for one another unscathed by the new phase in our food culture’s development. While we’ve had our growing pains, the same underlying commitment to community that makes us unique has kept us together.

I couldn’t be more humbled to have the opportunity be part of Austin’s food community. It has changed my outlook on food, family, friendship, wellbeing, and human connections.

And now, true to our roots, the Austin food community is coming together to take care of one of its own. In the spirit of Austin Bakes for Japan, when we turned our sights across the globe to help those we didn’t know but knew were in need, we are circling our wagons in support of Daniel Curtis, the Associate Director of Food and Beverage at The Carillon. Daniel’s life was forever changed by a driving accident and while he is attacking his recovery with the same energy with which he approached his profession, the medical bills are piling up and he now needs the assistance of our community.

The chefs we know and love from the best restaurants in town are coming together on July 13 at 6:30pm to honor Daniel and offer their food, creativity, and passion to all of us in return for donations to help Daniel. Josh Watkins of The Carillon, David Bull of Second Bar + Kitchen, Shawn Cirkel of Parkside, Shane Stark of Kenichi, and Paul Qui of Uchiko will cook together in an event we’ll most likely never see again. The Tipsy Texans will bring their mixology skills to the bar and Austin Cake Ball and Kohana Coffee with compliment the dinner created by this amazing lineup of chefs. The Derailers will provide the soundtrack and the lovely AT&T Conference Center the venue.

While I could focus on how amazing this event will be (and it WILL be), what’s more important in the end is what this event demonstrates about the power of community and food to connect and sustain us throughout the ups and downs of life. While I know the menu will be memorable, I expect the visceral power of a community coming together to help heal will be unforgettable.

Tickets for the event are $75, and VIP tickets are $150. If you can’t make the event but want to contribute to Daniel’s recovery and the power of the Austin food community, you can donate in any amount or help spread the word about the event. Together we can make a difference for Daniel.

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  Image provided by ASTI

  ASTI Lobster Fest (July 7-9) – ASTI has procured 350 pounds of live Main lobsters(which is less than you think once the shell is gone), and chef Jason Donoho has pulled out all the stops to put together a special three-course family style dinner menu. There’s lobster and corn risotto which promises to be creamy and just a little bit sweet. Lobster Fra Diavolo will be the risotto’s foil, offering a spicy balance. Classic summer flavors of tomato and mozzarella salad as well as strawberry-watermelon granita bookend the lobster dishes to round out a wonderful summer meal. $60/person. Call 451.1218 and be sure to tell them you are all in for the lobster.

• TRIO Davis Cup Wine Special (July 8-10) – The US and Spain are battling it out at the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Frank Erwin Center this coming weekend. I’m pretty sure the players are forever grateful for the indoor venue given the current state of our weather. In the true competitive spirit of the event, TRIO Austin is hosting a special wine promotion pitting the wines of Spain against those from the US. For each match of the Davis cup, sommelier extraordinaire Mark Sayre will select one Spanish wine and one domestic wine. After all matches have been played for the day, the wine(s) from the winning country will be declared the winner and priced at 50% off for the remainder of the evening. What a fun way to experience a new wine (or two, or three) and get into the spirit of the Davis Cup.

Just quickly, before I send you on your way to enjoy these events and more, two quick reminders:

• Are you a fan of the Austin Food Lovers’ Companion on Facebook? If not, take a second and give the page a like to keep up with even more fun food and wine events.
• Voting for the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin is open through Monday, July 18. If you’re so inclined, I’d love a vote for Fete and Feast, the “parent” blog of Austin Food Lovers’ Companion.

• Central Market’s Burger Revolution (June 22 – July 5). We grill pretty much year round in Austin; it’s one of the many benefits of living in Central Texas. Even so, we’re not immune to the desire for a great that summer seems to spark. To help make our summer burger adventures that much more exciting and interesting, Central Market is encouraging us to rethink the classic burger with special recipes, prices, and cooking classes. Move beyond beef patties to lamb, turkey, and salmon. Try a bagel or ciabatta roll in place of a bun. The possibilities are endless. And Central Market isn’t stopping with the food side of the equation. You can learn to pair your burgers with Bordeaux wines to really shake up your picnic or al fresco dinner.
• TRIBEZA Chef’s Table Series (June 27 – 29). Take a break from your own kitchen and treat yourself to a special dining experience you can’t replicate any other time of year. The TRIBEZA Chef’s Table Series will not only feature special menus featuring ingredients from the summer’s local bounty, but the chefs will join you at the dinner table to discuss the passions and perspectives. Once you’ve spent time with a chef you’ll never think about their food in the same way again. TRIBEZA has done a nice job recruiting some of Austin’s best chefs for these dinners including Todd Duplechan of TRIO, Ned Elliot of Foreign and Domestic, and Shawn Cirkiel of Parkside. Dinner prices range from $70 to $100 per person with optional wine pairings available. If you’re looking to treat for yourself or someone special this month, you can’t go wrong with these dinners.

  Beyond these two event series, there are several other great events on tap this month. Be sure to visit the Austin Food Lovers’ Companion Facebook page for regular updates on upcoming events.

This is a very good thing (unlike say the pending arrival of the British back in the day) for the city of Austin in general and Austin Food Lovers in particular. The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is hosting their annual conference in Austin June 1-4. Culinary experts from around the world will descend on Austin to not only learn from one another but to explore the epicurean goodness that is our town. Some of the biggest names in food including John Besh, Diana Kennedy, and Ellie Krieger will be knocking around town, as will Austin’s own food photog extraordinaire Penny De Los Santos. And while the majority of the conference events are for attendees only, a handful of activities are open to the public:

• Culinary Book Fair – Come meet your favorite cookbook authors and shop for a few new additions to your cookbook collection. From grilled cheese to casseroles to Jacques Pepin’s fast food there’s a cookbook here for everyone. $10/person. Friday, June 3, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm at the Hilton Austin Hotel.
• Culinary Expo – Get a feel for the latest innovations in food preparation and ingredients as you watch special chef demonstrations. Your ticket to the expo includes access to the book fair as well, so it’s a great deal. $35/person. Friday, June 3, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm also at the Hilton Austin Hotel.
• Up in Smoke – IACP is partnering with Texas Foodways to throw a Texas-style shindig at Boggy Creek Farm. Enjoy BBQ with all the sides, craft beer, Texas wine, cocktails, and of course live music. All the proceeds from the event benefit the Sustainable Food Center. $65/person. Saturday, June 4, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

You can purchase tickets to all of these events online.

Some other related events that give the public a chance to connect with IACP attendees and celebrate the best of Austin food include:

• Chefs Move to Schools at the Texas State Capital – In celebration of the one year anniversary of Michelle Obama’s Chef’s Move to Schools event at the White House, local chefs, food professionals, and culinary students will join IACP members on the steps of the Texas Capital. Come and show your support for the fight against childhood obesity. Free. Wednesday, June 1. 5:30 pm.
• Three Hot Chefs – Austin’s Tyson Cole of Uchi and Uchiko will host Holly Smith of Kirkland, Washington’s Café Juanita and Brad Farmerie of New York’s Public for an evening of amazing food at the lovely Hotel St. Cecilia. This is one of those once in a lifetime experiences that is worth considering as a splurge. Proceeds will benefit the Culinary Trust, the charitable arm of IACP. $135/person. Wednesday, June 1, 8:00 pm – 10:30 pm. Purchase tickets online.
• Harvard Common Press Meet & Greet – Come meet the publisher and enjoy food and drinks from El Naranjo. You’ll have to pick up a wristband at the IACP Culinary Book fair earlier in the day, but if you’re interested in talking with a book publisher it’s well worth the price of admission.
• Peace Through Pie Fundraising Social – Kick-off Austin’s June 19th celebrations while you raise funds to restore the 115-year-old historic landmark Limerick-Frazier House as a community gathering place. You’ll be supporting future culinary exhibits, cooking classes for adults and kids, and organic gardens will be held.There will be sweet and savory pies on hand as well as ice cream, lemonade, and more. Suggested donation is $25/person. Saturday, June 4. 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
• Edible Texas Wine and Food Match – Five of the Austin area’s best chefs will compete against each other in this wine and food pairing competition. Each chef will prepare a three-course menu featuring local, seasonal ingredients to compliment wines from around Texas. They’ll be judged by five heavy-hitters from the food world including Jacques Pépin, world-renowned chef, television celebrity, cookbook author and culinary educator; Francois Dionot, founder and director of L’Academie de Cuisine; John Besh, chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and television personality; Michael Bauer, executive food and wine editor for the San Francisco Chronicle; and Paula Lambert, cookbook author and founder of The Mozzarella Company. This event will be a great way to take a tasting tour of the creative genius of some of the area’s most interesting chefs along with the best ingredients and wine from Texas. This event will benefit the launched non-profit Center for Wine and the Culinary Arts in Fredericksburg. $100/person. Friday, June 3, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm at the AT&T Conference Center. Buy tickets online.
• Book Dinner with Hank Shaw – Hank is a food blogger turned book author as well as an IACP award winner, and he’ll be at FINO on Sunday, June 5 to sign copies of his book Hunt, Gather, Cook. Chef Jason Donoho will make a special dinner inspired by Hank’s cookbook. I’m a big fan of Hank’s and along with being a great cook and writer with a passion for hunting and gathering, he’s a really great guy that you’ll enjoy meeting. I highly recommend this activity as a way to end your week. $50/person ($80/wine pairings). Call 512.474.2905 to reserve.

In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that I’m the social media chair for the host committee so I have a vested interest in all of Austin coming together to show the IACP attendees just how incredible our town is, so I hope some of my local readers will be able to make it to some of these events. The opportunities to connect with food professionals and passionists alike will be extensive so there’s something in it for everyone.

If you’re a local food professional interested in attending IACP, you can register onsite for the conference starting on June 1. You can buy a pass for the entire conference or passes for individual days.

As a side note, my food blogger friends Rachel and Logan of Boots in the Oven are touring the globe right at this very moment and sharing all of their adventures on their blog. Like me, you can live vicariously through them and their exceptional taste buds. Who knows, you might even find your next vacation destination through their writings.

While I may not be packing my bags for exotic destinations any time soon, with the help of the fine folks at Central Market, I can get a taste for the flavors and traditions of foreign lands right here at home in Austin, Texas. Building on last year’s wildly successful Passport Argentina, Central Market is in the midst of bringing Spain to Texas with Passport Spain. Running through May 24, this event highlights all of the epicurean delights Spain has to offer, from unique ingredients like seafood, citrus, artisan cheeses, and Jamon made from Iberico pigs to craft beers and Spanish vino like Rioja red wines and cava sparklers. Events and cooking classes show you how to make the most of these delights and offer a unique opportunity to interact with artisans and chefs from Spain.

For a first-hand look at the fun Central Market is already having in their stores with Passport Spain, browse their Facebook photo album.

While there’s something tasty and fun happening every day at both the North Lamar and Westgate Central Market locations, these few stood out to me as some of the most interesting:

• Ongoing: Daily Tapas Bar (Westgate)
  Explore tapas, the traditional small bites of Spain, along with Spanish artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, all served with Spanish wine and beer selections. Paella will be served nightly from 6:00 – 8:00 and winemakers from around Spain will stop by to share their knowledge and passions. What a great way to spend a lunch hour or evening and break out of your same ol’ routine. Open daily from noon to 9:00 pm.
• Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22: Spanish Street Food Tent (Westgate)
  The Westgate store is turning their front patio in to an outdoor celebration of Spanish music, dancing, wine, and food. From 6-8 watch chefs prepare paella live and then wander over to the tapas bar for nibbles and sips. Noon to 9:00 pm.
• Saturday, May 21: Traditional and Modern Spanish Cuisine Cooking Class (North Lamar)
  I think this class will offer a true survey of the Spanish food and its influence on American cuisine that would be hard to experience in just about any other setting. The menu includes rabbit, a terrine of pig’s feet, and roasted chicken and each course will be paired with Spanish wines. I had New Year’s Eve dinner at Chef Dianiel Olivella’s B44 in San Francisco and it was truly a memorable meal. I expect his contributions to this class will be well-matched by his companion chefs. 6:30 – 9:00 pm. $75.

Of course you can expect displays and tastings all around both stores, so be sure you stop by before the event is over – I’m sure you’ll discover a new ingredient, technique, or wine to expand your culinary horizons.