Welcome to this week's edition of food news! This week we encounter a celebrity shout out, new summer dishes and free food. Check out what you may have missed below...
Sofia meets Josephine
Josephine House got quite the celebrity shout out this week when Sofia Coppola revealed to W Magazine that the cozy, chic, nautical restaurant is one of her favorite lunch spots, thanks to its "true Southern hospitality." The news came as a surprise to restaurateur Larry McGuire, who detailed his Coppola encounter to CultureMap. "She was in town with her husband, [Thomas Mars], when Phoenix played at the Austin City Limits Festival. I came by and talked with them when they ate at Jeffrey's. They shared a big porterhouse steak and were super nice. I think she ate at Josephine House with friends the next day for lunch. I didn't know about the W Magazine mention until a friend sent it me yesterday. [It’s] pretty awesome for Austin to be mentioned with those amazing places."
Throwback desserts
Hey all you Twitter addicts: Parkside will begin hosting an exciting summer menu special called Throwback Thursday. During the month of June, the acclaimed restaurant will introduce different vintage-inspired desserts each week, pulling from a slew of memorable treats. "Part of the success of the desserts at Parkside is the element of surprise. These desserts not only surprise our diners in presentation, but are familiar, almost reminiscent, at the same time," Shawn Cirkiel, executive chef of Parkside, tells CultureMap.
In honor of the special, the restaurant will also be featuring #tbt social media campaign. Diners who post photos of the #tbt desserts will see their images highlight on Parkside’s social media outlets. Check out the throwback menu below:
Week 1: May 29-June 4
Peach orb, pistachio crumble, raspberries, pistachio cake and root beer ice cream
Week 2: June 5-11
Smores: Chocolate custard, graham crumble, toasted meringue and graham cracker ice cream
Week 3: June 12-18
Passion Fruit Tart with whipped cream, basil, roasted pineapple and lemongrass ice cream
Week 4: June 19-25
Original goat cheesecake with graham crust, pine nut tuile, strawberry compote and basil ice cream
Lenoir gets sweet
Speaking of desserts, Lenoir has shared a few of the new sweets with CultureMap. According to Manager Kristina Boxer, the restaurant is incorporating newbies into the diverse offerings including ginger pie with buttermilk mint ice cream and a blueberry-pecan salad; strawberry-green cardamom pound cake with strawberry coulis; chocolate chantilly and pecan croquant; and Thai basil shortbread with water oak chevre and mulberries with a honey-chili dressing. Um, is it dessert time yet?
Amuse-bouche at Swift's Attic
Swift’s Attic is featuring complimentary amuse-bouches with evening service. Each weekend, Sous Chef Zack Northcutt ventures out to local farms, including Boggy Creek and Springdale Farms, looking for unique edibles to feature free of charge. Just last week, the chef highlighted local squash blossoms on his recurring special. "When I go to the farms, I find amazing stuff. A lot of the time, though, it’s hard to find enough to feed 300 people a night. So we like to find small things that we can get creative with and share and give away complimentary to customers," Northcutt tells us. "Oftentimes it’s an ingredient we are playing around with, brainstorming or just showing off a few local tastes. It really depends on how much of something we can get our hands on and what we can come up with."
This burger is insane
Um, have y’all checked out this new Hopdoddy burger? The burger bar’s special dish — called the Triple B — is prepared with Texas-style Kobe Akaushi beef, blue jack cheese, arugula, onion strings, bourbon bacon onion jam and two egg buns. "The Triple B is Hopdoddy’s interpretation of a longtime Southern classic burger. A combination of bold flavors like blue jack cheese and house-made bourbon jam pays homage to our Texas heritage," Hopdoddy's Creative Director Erin Fohn shares with CultureMap. Cue the mouth watering!
Chili meets vino
Wine Enthusiast reached out to Scott Ota, manager of Arro, to get some insight on the best wines to pair with one of the South’s most cherished dishes: chili. In a feature entitled "The Wine Lover's Guide to Chili," Ota and other Southern wine pros bestow some beverage insight into the soupy entrée. According to Ota, "Fruity and savory wines work best with chili that [doesn't] have tomatoes or beans." Ota personally recommends the "hearty 2011 Texas GSM from Pedernales Cellars" for the hearty meal. The Austin wine expert goes on to recommend a handful of vinos regarding varied types of chili. Read the online story for all the meaty (and juicy!) details.
Your Mom's Burger Bar shutters
According to the Austin Chronicle, Airport Boulevard's Your Mom’s Burger Bar has shuttered. And while it’s sad to see to see the burger bar go, the space won’t be empty for long. Local pho chain Pho Thaison has acquired the space and plans to open Bun Belly, "a fast casual Asian eatery … featuring mainly báhn mì and buns." No word on when the new restaurant will open, but we’ll keep our ears open.
Hopdoddy revealed a new burger this week, the Triple B.
