Sommelier of the Year

Austin restaurateur honored as wine superstar by top magazine

Bufalina serves some of the best wine — and pizza — in town.

This calls for a toast. Austin pizza and wine connoisseur Steven Dilley, owner of Bufalina and Bufalina Due, has been named to Food & Wine magazine's 2017 list of Sommeliers of the Year.

The former finance worker is a wine enthusiast-turned-chef-turned-restaurateur. "Dilley's approach reflects someone who fell in love with wine first, and then got into the restaurant business because of it. Maybe that's why he feels there's no reason his pizza places shouldn’t be home to truly great wines, up to and including grand cru Burgundies," says Food & Wine.

Dilley isn't a certified sommelier, but you wouldn't know that by reading his expertly curated wine list. A wide array of reds, whites, and bubbles complement Bufalina's ever-changing menu, no matter the Neapolitan pie pie on offer. This is why it's not only one CultureMap's top picks for pizza, it's also one of the best destinations for wine in Austin.

The local expert also shared some of his top picks for springs sips with the magazine, ranging from a pleasant (and affordable) Muscadet to a picnic-ready Chenin.

Dilley is the only Texan to land on this year's list. The last Austin representative to make the cut was Vilma Mazaite, from the now-shuttered la V, in 2015.

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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.