A Look Back at the 2015 Austin Food and Wine Festival

As this year’s Austin Food and Wine Festival comes to an end, there were certainly some great changes made to the layout of the festival. The addition of more fire pits and more spacious layout of the tasting tents made for a smoother and more accessible experience. 

 A beautiful morsel from Chef Kocurek of Counter3fiveVII.

The addition of more restaurants from the Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio areas was a great move for veteran festival attendees. Let’s take a look back at some highlights from this year. 

Hendrick’s Gin did it again. Not only did that bring that behemoth of a negroni maker (above), they brought the gin hike complete with a punchbowl side car.

Here’s Fred Parent serving up a ginny-punch while on the bike. That’s pretty awesome. 

Best necklace at the festival was this necklace of pork hocks. It is better than my koozie on a lanyard.

Most stylish apron goes to Chef Kocurek of Counter3fiveVII. I love the bold look of leather and hardware paired with the neutral cloth. It reminds me of hanging out with horses, which is pretty awesome. Here he is hanging out with Kristi Willis.

Most awesome cake goes to Walton’s Fancy and Staple. While I didn’t get to eat this cake, it was certainly a head turner. 

Tastiest cake I actually got to eat goes to the avocado cheesecake from Corner Bar located in the JW Marriott downtown. The rich and creamy cake on a tart and eye catching berry sauce was a little piece of spring on a plate.

A little piece of nostalgia shout out goes to Qui for their grilled pineapple shaved ice - the snow version. This reminds me of my childhood Summers. Shaved ice on a humid day, and bike riding into the sunset. Minus the bike at the festival of course. 

And here's Jorge Hernandez of Qui shaving ice. Old World Style.

Three of Austin's shiny stars at the Austin Food and Wine Festival. From left to right, Chefs Page Pressley, Frank Mnuk, and Andrew Lewis. You can visit this handsome crew outside of the festival at St. Philip Pizza Parlor and Bakeshop. Don’t forget to get the Japanese cheesecake in the bakeshop.

The obligatory meat on a stick photo by Chef Shawn Cirkel. No festival in Texas is complete without things on a stick - topped with puffed mustard seeds is optional. These meaty morsels with pop spicy mustard were the perfect bite while enjoying a lovely cocktail and warm day.

Going the whole hog with Jack Allen’s Kitchen is turning into one of my favorites at the festival. This is another Texas thing - whole animals on a stick.

The fantastic display of knife work goes to Wu Chow for their amazing watermelon. Making pretty things out of fruit never ceases to amaze me. Whoever carved this baby has some serious brain surgery precision.

No festival is completely with a little bloody mary for your hangover needs. Luckily for us, Delysia made some sweet bloody mary truffles. That wraps up a pretty awesome Austin Food and Wine Festival.

Asian Food in Austin: 2014 Edition before I stuff my face in Asia

Not long from now, I will departing to the other side of the planet to embark on an eating journey that will no doubt leave me with a Winter Wardrobe several sizes too small. While I’m gone, here’s my list of restaurants in Austin to get a taste of the East.  Last year’s expanded list is here:

 

Xian Sushi and Noodle House is serves hand pulled noodles, pulled to your specifications. You can have thick noodles, thin noodles, or even flat noodles. I suggest the traditional beef noodle soup as a starter. They also have a great happy hour and reverse happy hour!

Here's the beef noodle soup at Xian Noodle House. 

Shabu Hot Pot and Noodle House (formerly Chenz) is your go to stop for hot pot. While it is a perfect communal and interactive meal on a bitterly cold day, I would eat it alone on a warm day.

Chen’s Noodle House (related to Shabu, but not related to me) is another go to for Chinese noodle dishes.

Don't miss the crispy rice at Umai Mi. The texture is delightful.

Rice Bowl Cafe has the best three cup chicken. The garlic in the dish is worth a cross city trek. Don’t forget the green onion pie when you are there. 

Snow Monster is the new boba tea. Shaved ice has been popular in Asian countries since before I was born. It is just now being discovered here in Austin. Sit down, have one, and get a taste of my mother country.

A lovely twist on deviled eggs.

Kin and Comfort is a little more off the traditional beaten path. However, it is so well executed that even my mother was pleased with the fusion of Southern Comfort and Asian Cuisine. I ordered one of everything on the menu, and you can too.
 

Umai Mi is not in Austin, but it deserves a nod not only in the Asian food category, but it also deserves a nod in the San Antonio restaurant category. Chef Jason Dady has done a fantastic job putting a modern flair on Asian cuisine. My favorite was the eel dumplings, hands down.

These are some amazing eel dumplings at Umai Mi.

[Coming up] Angry Bear is Rene Ortiz and Laura Sawicki’s version of Chinese food. Having sampled their mapo tofu at a previous event, I can attest that your socks will be knocked off.

[Coming up] Wu Chow by Mat Clouser and CK Chin should be on your radar. As the choices for satisfactory dim sum in Austin are slimmer than a saffron thread, this new restaurant is a welcome addition. I can’t wait for it to open.