tx wine and food festival and austin's cake balls confectioner

Ahh, springtime in the Hill Country: Clear blue skies, balmy temperatures, wildflowers, and... a crazy number of food events in which my occasionally-food-blogging self wants to participate!

I've been pleased, though sheepish due to my scant number of posts this spring, to catch wind of a handful of food-oriented fetes this month. I am excited this week to check out a few events for the Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival. This evening, the first I was able to get to, was a reception at the new Hotel Saint Cecilia in South Austin, a boutique hotel that emerged this year from a beautiful old bed and breakfast in our old Travis Heights neighborhood.

Lovely photo of the pool, oaks, and oh-so-classic awnings by benfu.

Of the three hors d'ouevres I sampled, I really liked the watermelon wedge served with goat cheese, pickled onions, and a bit of balsamic vinegar and greens. However, I'm not even clear as to who was preparing the food: Was it the staff at the hotel? Another restaurant in town? Either I missed something, or it was just not *that kind* of gathering. Curious.

UPDATE: I realized the invite credited Whole Foods for the catering, and Bonterra and Sterling vineyards provided the wine.

So here's where I expose myself as the neophyte you likely already know me to be: I was WAY excited about the schwag bag!

The festival folks put together the nicest bag of local snacks, wine, gift cards, and goodies, the best of which so far has been a box of delectable cake balls (giggle) by Austin confectioner, Cake by Bridges. Where have I been? Has everyone known about these, but kept them from me all this time? What a great idea, but better yet, what great execution! I had a chocolate cake ball, and the cake was moist and fudgy with a hint of cherry or coffee to it. As my godfather signs all his e-mails, "Rock ON," Cake by Bridges!

These would be such a great alternative (or addition) to cupcakes, petit fours, or truffles at a party or wedding. Has anybody seen or made these before, or used Cake by Bridges for an event?

Next up, we're off to the Sunday Fair of the festival. I'll either be buying or borrowing a camera for that one. Fingers crossed for good hill-country-driving weather.

things I saw this weekend

Well friends, for the time being, I have no camera. We were burglarized recently, and amongst the theives' spoils was our Nikon. Wah! All's well, thank goodness for homeowner's insurance and our brand-new alarm system. (Ah, hindsight.)

Still, I have some good blogging energy and wanted to share a few things that inspired me this weekend:

1. Austin's Botanical Garden's vegetable garden and composting demonstration. I don't know who's responsible for the happy and healthy garden next to the composting demonstration, but it was the best part of the garden today. Lettuces, broccoli, beets, radishes, herbs, cauliflowers, strawberries, and kale: Oh, my! Really, it was a gorgeous little garden; teeming with life and green goodness. I wanted to run home and build a bed right away. (Of course, I didn't. Still, the... er, seed has been planted! I've got a good sketch worked out and a list of plants was begun.)

2. Early spring visit to The Great Outdoors. I thought a garden in our new house wasn't going to happen this year, but I really want to get something started soon. My mom, the gardener and flower designer extraordinaire, drew my attention to blue ice cypress (also spotted at the botanic garden), lemon trees, wisteria, and a handful of cool grasses.

3. Beautiful rugs at SoCo Designs. I realize this has nothing to do whatsoever with coffee, queso, or anything else edible, but I'd love to host a bohemian feast atop one of SoCo Designs' gorgeous hand-tufted wool rugs. They also had an incredible variety of shags that can be cut to size and other interesting and glam wall-to-wall options. Oh, to have a trust fund (or any extra funds, these days!)

4. Sago's blackberry cocktails. The Zarzamora and the Blackberry frozen margarita are both high on my list these days. We arrived with my parents in tow in the busy Triangle area--hungry and cranky--at 7:30 on a Friday night. Usually, this is something of a gastronomic death sentence in Austin, because most of our favorite spots come with a minimum 30-minute wait in the evening.

Within 15 minutes at Sago, we were seated in a cozy spot at the bar, halfway through our tasty beverages and enjoying fresh guacamole and chips. Whether you like the controversial Triangle development or not, I recommend this spot for it's great drinks (and happy hour specials), tasty dishes, warm and sexy interior, and very nice staff.


All in all, it was a most productive and pleasant weekend! I even found two Jonathan Adler mugs on clearance at a favorite boutique (Mercury Design Studio) that perfectly match his elephant teapot that we received as a gift last year and love. Sahweet.

It was a warm and sunny February 1st here in Austin. A friend said today, Quand la Chandeleur est claire, l'hiver est par derriere, meaning If February is clear, winter is behind us.

Happy Spring!

salmonella schlalmonella, or why i love the farmer's market

One of my few solitary activities (because I generally like company and sometimes have a hard time being quiet) is my semi-regular Saturday morning visits to the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market. I've really been getting a kick out of leaving Adam home--seeing as how he refuses to get up before 11 on Saturdays--and heading south to the market, usually with a quick stop at the bank for what the ancients call "cash."

I'm afraid I was too laden with grocery sack and money in one hand and my hibiscus mint tea in the other to take any photos at the market, for which of course this blog is now screaming. It was a gorgeous morning. This being July in Texas, the air was pretty warm but an unusually cool breeze was in the air, tossing the bunches of basil and onion tops to and fro and causing several of my fellow shoppers to comment happily on the amazing summer weather.

Here's a little photo of my haul:


Nothing too exotic here, but a great selection of cheeses, melon, potatoes, baby portobellos, peppers, basil, bison, and last but not least, tomatoes.

If you don't already visit a local farmer's market, but are interested, click here for what seems to be a pretty solid directory.

Before I sign off, what are your favorite local food finds this season? I'm sure you guys have some great resources in other regions--how I long for fresh seafood or lovely Silver Queen Corn!