Austin Foodie Bits ~ Food and Wine Events for the Week of October 4

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Happy October! When the sun is beating down in the heart of July, threatening to bake my brain and burn away all of my good sense, I always try to remember that its months like these that make the heat tolerable. It’s a big picture thing.

This week local food and wine events continue to run right along at a nice clip, offering a little something for everyone just about every day of the week. Thanks to our beautiful fall weather, there are countless festivals that the whole family can enjoy, and we continue to see lots of fun cooking classes and interesting dinners make their way into the schedule. But before we get into the week’s events, there are a couple of events I’d like to highlight in the shiny new In the Spotlight section.

In the Spotlight

The Texas Book Festival is October 16-17 and I think it’s a great testament to our city’s love of food that the festival includes a cooking tent that will feature great authors like Amanda Hesser (The Essential New York Times Cookbook), Deborah Madison (Seasonal Fruit Desserts), and Diana Kennedy (Oaxaca al Gusto). Additionally, Alton Brown will be making a special appearance at Central Market on Saturday, October 16, at 7:30 pm. On the whole, the book festival is a great family event, and the fact that you can indulge your inner foodie along the way makes it that much better.

Tour de Vin is the annual Wine and Food Foundation of Texas event held on the Whole Foods Market Rooftop Plaza and designed especially to give you the opportunity to experience global food and wine. This year’s focus is on Europe and South America and will feature food from local favorites like Foreign & Domestic, Rio’s Brazilian Café, Jack Allen’s Kitchen, and more. The main event is on Thursday, October 7, from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. Tickets are $75/person or $50/person for foundation members. Additionally, the folks at Whole Foods are hosting a Pre-Tour Tasting featuring appetizers from the Whole Foods Market Culinary Center and a special selection of wines that will only be poured at this special tasting. This tasting starts at 5:30 pm and is $35/person or $25/person for foundation members.

Be Spontaneous – This Week’s Events

  • Ongoing through October 5: Central Market’s Brewtopia – This celebration of all things beer from will feature meet-and-greets with brewmasters from around the country, tastings, lessons on pairing beer with food as well as cooking with beer, and more. Be sure to check out all of the tastings and dinners at the cooking school for plenty of opportunities to deep dive the offerings of a specific brewery.
  • October 5: The Mollydooker “Blend a Hand” Experience and South Australian Wine Dinner – Meet the legendary Mollydooker winemaker Sparky Marquis at a reception featuring Mirabelle appetizers paired with 2010 The Violinist Verdehlo. Next, become totally engaged with a very unique wine blending event, and finally enjoy dinner during which you’ll taste the very best wines from perhaps the finest portfolio in all of Australia today. This event has the added bonus of benefiting the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas. $85/person. Mirabelle Restaurant. 6:30 pm. Call 512.346.7900 to reserve.
  • October 5: Game and Wine Dinner – Jack Allen’s Kitchen is joining forces with Fall Creek Vineyards and Savvy Vodka for a wild game dinner. The menu features wild boar and rabbit, so it won’t be your run of the mill event. I’ve been to a couple of events at Jack’s and each one has been a unique and fun experience. I highly recommend them.$65/person. 7:00 pm. E-mail banquets@jackallenskitchen.com or call 512.852.8558 to reserve.
  • October 7: Wild and Rare Dinner – Chef Josh Watkins will be pairing unconventional wine selections with dishes that feature the best of wild game and grass-fed beef to create the ultimate fall feast. The atmosphere and service at the Carillon are not to be missed. $35/person for the three course meal, $55/person for the five course meal. Wine parings are $15/person for the three course wine pairings and $25/person for the five course wine pairings. Dining room hours are 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm. E-mail Lauri.Drysdale@attconf.utexas.edu to reserve.
  • October 7- 10: Gruene Music and Wine Festival – Take a short but beautiful road trip down to New Braunfels for a weekend celebrating Texas wine, food and music. Most of Texas most prominent wineries will be represented along with Texas food producers that you may not typically see at local Austin events. Prices vary by event. Gruene Historic District, New Braunfels.
  • October 8 – 10: Texas Fall Fest and Wine Auction – This celebration of Texas wine and food takes place in lovely Marble Falls over three days. It’s yet another opportunity to take a short but beautiful road trip with the windows down and the tunes turned up. Friday’s events include a tasting event by the lake, Saturday includes a progressive dinner stroll and a wine auction, and Sunday is a Farm to Market and Wine Fair. Prices vary by event.
  • October 8: Wine Tasting with Riedel – The glass really does make a difference when you taste a good wine. In this class you’ll learn how world-famous Riedel glasses are made and then you’ll taste four wines along with paired menu items created by the Central Market Cooking School staff. You’ll also take home a set of Riedel Vinum glasses. $80/person. 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. Reserve online.
  • October 9: Canning 101 for Fall – Make the most of seasonal produce all year ’round by canning fruits and veggies fresh from the market. In this class, you’ll learn all you need to know to get started safely with canning. Because it’s a hands-on class you’ll leave with a starter set of goodie you’ll can yourself: cranberries, pumpkin, and apple butter. $65/person. Whole Foods Culinary Center. 3:00 pm Reserve online.

lan Ahead – Events in the Next Three Weeks



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1 Comment

  1. CLICK HERE / October 5, 2010

    Wow! What a great list of events this month. Thank You.